The alphaSmart is not very smart and thinks that the computer isn't working. I tried it on 2 computers and so it's not the computer's fault. Gotta type it manually again. Lame.
2nd transfer down. And that means that I have officially completed my training! And i've also been on the mission for 4 months! But while I have completed my training, I get to start training another missionary now. That's right- i'm training next transfer. I still can't speak portugese well and I feel totally unprepared but i'm training. Elder Alcantara is staying in Jatobá and he'll continue to train a new missionary. I'm going to be completing the training of another missionary in an area called Canindé B which I guess is way outside the city- further than Jatobá. I'm going to be relying heavily on god to prepare me for this task.
Anyways, this last week has been pretty relaxed. Because it was the last week of the transfer, we focused a lot more on the investigators that we already have rather than trying to find new ones. While we didn't quite reach our goal of 8 people baptized, we got close enough with 3 more baptisms on Saturday adding up to 6 this transfer. The baptisms this week were Jenifer, Douglas, and Darlan. They're all siblings and they're pretty awesome. Darlan is just a ball of energy and is always all over the place. He is 8 years old and his brother, whose 9, looks like his twin. Jenifer is the one that came to sacrament by herself 2 weeks ago and she was pretty much the perfect investigator. Reading all the pamphlets, answering the questions at the end, doing all the commitments... she had a testimony that the church was true after the first lesson. I'm pretty happy with our work here. Especially cause everyone is slacking on the mission right now. Pres. Chamberlain took away the mission goal of 6 baptisms per transfer because most missionaries weren't reaching that number. It's 3 per transfer now. I love pres. Chamberlain, but he's super relaxed and not very strict so I think that's why people are slacking. Apparently the old mission president was the opposite.
In terms of language, my worst enemy (besides Satan), I still feel like I haven't progressed that much. I mean I guess I have cause apparently i'm ready to train, but I still am not at the level I thought I would be at after 3 months in the field. But when it comes down to it, when heavenly father considers me ready, I'll be ready. Because he will make me ready- it's not about my ability. So it's really all about faith- something that I need more of! For now, i'll just keep reading 1 Nephi 3:7 and Ether 12:27.
(Below this is from my letter - answering some of my questions)
And about the questions you have mother... I should have been more clear about Jari. It's a place that's a good ways away from everything else here. And it's only there that there are the people that have problems understanding. Even then, it was mainly just the family that we were teaching at the time. They can still understand well enough to be baptized, they just required a more simpler way of teaching. We are teaching pretty much an entire street there, and they can understand fine. It's actually great teaching some of them because they ask intelligent questions which are fun to answer. So the people here are definitely smart enough to understand everything- it's just a select number of people there in Jari that have trouble. The people go to school and work normal jobs also.
The ward is different from Utah wards just because it's Brazil- the culture is a bit different (lots of noise during the meetings, many more recent converts, etc) and it's a smaller number of people that are members. This means that every member knows each other. It's like a big family here and it's awesome. The lessons are the same though. The people who have been members long enough to have callings and teach understand the doctrine, including more profound doctrine, very well.
There are many more Brazilians here than Americans. The Brazilians are awesome though and love everyone, including the Americans. There are definitely differences that Americans and Brazilians have, such as Americans being considered more selfish (what's mine is mine, what's yours is yours kind of thing) but that's just a normal thing that comes with different cultures.
The hardest part of the day is, physically, walking everywhere in the sun, and mentally, Just the language. Both are exhausting!
My schedule usually consists of: studying in the morning, contacting from ~10:00 until lunch. After lunch, we do more studying at the house (language and 12 weeks) until about 3-4:00, and after just teach people until 9.
And Light the World is something that I try to do. As a missionary, I can't do a lot of the suggestions, but i'm going to try to do as much as I can. I'd like to do one of the challenges this week by honoring my mother and father (Matthew 15:4) by letting you guys know how much you mean to me. Once you leave on the mission, you start to realize what you really care about. And these things are what you miss the most. So i'd like to say congratulations to you mom and dad. You made it on the list of things that I really care about.Thank you for the perfect childhood. I can say that I wouldn't want to change anything about it. And I know many people can't say the same (unless they are my siblings). I've had amazing friends, amazing opportunities, an amazing ward, but most off all: amazing parents. Parents who supported me in every [worthy] thing I've wanted to do, parents who are always a great example to me, and put up with all my crap. You guys are the type of parents that all the friends talk about as the "cool" parents. I can proudly say that it wouldn't stress me out to have any future girls meet you guys. I think it would only make her want to join the family more to be perfectly honest. So thank you, thank you, thank you. I know that I have the greatest parents in the world. During the millennium, when all things are revealed, everyone else will know that you guys are truly the best parents. Love you mom and dad.
Wow, lots of typing. But that's all for me folks. Talk to you next week. It's going to be a crazy week for me.
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