Mission Office Work

June 27, 2013

Hey fam,

So I´ve been a bit stressed out with a few things here in the office but fortunately they are being resolved.  A few minutes ago I had to resolve a serious problem with some marriages. I can’t give details but it has been stressing me out and taking up a lot of my time.  I got your updates about the trek I loved it and I got Quincey´s address.  The one I used was wrong.  I'll send a letter today I think.

Divisions in Laranjeiras.  So last weekend I was sent to help out a zone where I had already worked – the zone Cidade Nova.  I did a division with E. Rosa.  I had a really good experience there. Elder Rosa is a really special elder that is obediente and has a strong desire to work and help others.  He was born with a cleft palate which I think has been a struggle for him to deal with for a big part of his life, but people are able to understand him fairly well. We were able to find a lot of new people to teach through many of the people I had baptized.  We worked on working better with the members and having a better relationship with them.  I think that E. Rosa was happier and more prepared to meet the challenges of the ward after the division.  I was called upon to give a talk during the sacrament meeting.  I talked about faith.  I didn’t feel like it was too spectacular because I was really tired and did not have much time to prepare (I was swamped even far away from the office with mission missionaries that needed counsel).  I saw Magno and Marilene and we taught Magno's sister and I got to visit almost all of the other people that I had baptized.  It was a special experience to be thanked for the role I played in the conversion of many of the people I have taught.  I noted that almost all of the people that have been baptized in the last year have been people that I had found and taught.

Protests.  So, I sent some pictures of the protest.  There were a lot of policeman working crowd control.  The other day they went to city hall and broke a lot of stuff.  We have been trapped in the office about 3 times because there were really big crowds.  But for us missionaries it has not been much of a problem. 

Elder Kevin Fonseca/Guaraná da Amazonia.  Elder Fonseca got here on Tuesday.  I went to the airport with E. Leite and President Scisci to pick him up.  It was pretty cool talk with him and get some updates on his family.  We are short a missionary in the mission so while we have been trying to find a short term missionary he has stayed with me and E. Leite.  The other day we went to the Praça Brasil and we drank guaraná da Amazonia.  It was really good.  I’ll have to send a photo of guaraná later.

I will have to go now because I’m out of time.

I love you all!!

July 3, 2013

Hey so I am doing well.  I am not doing great because I have gotten a cold.  You know how grandmas always say “don’t get your feet wet because you will catch a cold of and stuff like that,” well I never believed Grandma when she said it.  Until now.  We were working the other day and we went out in the rain which was coming down hard, in a few minutes we were completely soaked (mostly because our appointment fell through).  We ended up staying wet with the same clothes until we got home at a little past 9 at night.  The next day my nose started to get really runny every 5 minutes it seemed like I was blowing my nose.  (I think I lost about 5 pounds in mucus...TMI ; )  Now I’m feeling better, but I’m still not 100%.

Elder Fonseca stayed with us until Monday afternoon.  It was nice to have him with us.  There is a spirit that new missionaries have that is very special.  It was rather inspiring and was a nice experience.  (I remembered training and missed it).

Just to clarify a few things it’s called Guaraná do Amazonas.  It’s like a smoothie or milkshake.  You can look it up on Google and find out what it is.  We drink it at the Praça Brasil which is a park not the mall :) we can only enter the mall with permission from the president.

The protests have not been disruptive for me there where only a few times when we were trapped in the office because there were lots of people protesting in the street but where I was they certainly where not violent.  But I have heard that they sacked the city hall a week ago.  The protest is pretty interesting because they are not very organized they are protesting for a lot of things not just reductions in bus fares but for education, asphalt, and lots of other things.  It is kind of like a big encounter for youth -- they all like protesting.  I think it’s cool.  People say there is a lot of corruption here in Brasil. They say that the politicians steal a lot of money and from what I have seen the distribution of wealth is very even. 

 I am going to Laranjal de Jari tomorrow 2 in the morning.  I will be there until the 14th.  Laranjal is in Amapá it is a group and it isn’t a branch yet.  I will work there with a lider de zona and Elder Leite will work with his companion.  

I hope you have all started applying the "work of Salvation" talk to your friends!

Love,

Ben