Week 59

Hey Family,

Sounds like it was a fast fun filled week.  I missed the turkey this year...Thanksgiving was just another day at the grind.  They don´t do anything here for this day...but its makes sense its a North American holiday.  I think every place should have a holiday to give thanks though.  Its a good idea.  

This week we found another family that we are working with.  They are very humble but eager to learn and loved church.  I`m hoping that they continue to progress.  Also the Lady that we have been teaching that is Mom like made it to church and really like it.  This week she made oatmeal with tapioca.  It was so good!  Its always a blessing going to her house because she has good food.  Also lately i´ve been making a lot of Maté.  I love that stuff.  Also Maté with milk is really good.  I´ve figured out how to make it.  Nothing like a good cup of Maté to unwind.

Today we did another cool thing for P-day.  We went to a forest reserve.  It would have been even cooler but a big part of it they were reconstructing.  But it was completely free.  We had a guide...a little slide show presentation and a snack.  The price was right!  The only bad part was a guy in the ward took us and said he would only charge gas.  He ended up charging was we pay to go to Porto Seguro and that is farther than the reserve.  I was a little annoyed about the robbery but oh well what are you going to do.  I´ll send some pics.  Hopefully i´ll get some pics in exchange .  

The weather has been really weird here.  I´m not complaining.  Its been raining for about 2 weeks straight and cooler.  I´m not a fan of the heat so this isn´t a bad thing for me.  But everyone is saying this is really weird and unusual for the Bahia.  I think its a blessing because i´m here.  

Love you all and miss you all a lot,
Garrett

Week 58

Hey Family,

It was extremely nice to finally do something on P-day.  It is so hard to do things here because this city literally has nothing to do.  The palm tree was nice....unfortunately it was just a picture and leave type of situation because we didn´t have time to stay.  It was a little hectic of a day but it was fun.  

This week was a really up and down week.  We started working in another area this week that is really far away.  It was super successful and we were excited to have a lot of people in church.  Also Saturady night a family we have been working with decided they finally wanted to get baptised!  They passed the interviews and everything.  After we went to the church around 9:30 at night to start filling the font.  We were there until 11:30 and it still wasn´t filled but enough that we could return a little earlier Sunday morning.  Oh side note when we were filling the font a bug that looked like a centipede popped out of the drain.  My companion freaked out and was like that is more poisonous than a scorpion.  Luckily we had no problems killing it.  I´m not a fan of all the bugs that can kill you here but oh well.  So Sunday morning we got to church around 8 to finish filling the font.  The baptism was at 8:30.  In the end they didn´t show and they wouldn´t answer their phone and to top it off we had 0 investigators at church.  So the end of the week was a little disappointing but at least it started well.  

We are teaching this one lady right now that is so awesome.  She would have gone to church but there was a mix up on the times...long story.  Anyways she is so cool.  She is the most Mom like of anyone i´ve met on the mission.  She is always giving us food and the lessons are really good.  Too bad everyone isn´t like that.  

Oh Mom the Elder that´s sick is from Argentina.  He is still in Salvador and the last time he talked to us he was the same.  Well he´s not in the hospital but he still has the same symptoms.  He has bad pain in his lower back...also there are other side effects.  But the doctors still don´t know what he really has because the symptoms keep changing.  Whatever it is it seems bad.  Knocked him out of work for a month now.

Well I hope that its a good week.

Love,

Garrett

Yeah More Pictures!!

Week 57

Hey Family!

Wow maybe this coming week I will write to you on P-day, haha.  Yesterday was awesome!  We had to go to an area an hour away from Eunápolis to pick up an Elder there to be the companion of the Distict leader here because his companion the one in the hospital was sent to Salvador until he gets better.  Anyways the area close by is very touristy so we spent to whole day there.  It worked out nice because we will receive a reebursment for going there because we had to pick up the other elder.  We went to the area the Portuguese discovered Brazil and passed through the old city.  It was cool.  Also they had people there dancing a native dance.  Then we went to a Indian reserve and had a tour.  It was cool but super hot all day.  I got sun burned.  Also we walked a lot so i´m a little sore right now.  I´ll send photos.

This week wasn´t that good for the work because we spent a lot of time in the hospital with the other elder.  But we did have a really spiritual experience this week.  We left the hospital after lunch to go to some apointments with our investigators.  When I got there I was like I have no idea what to teach we haven´t planned anything or talked about teaching them.  I was like well we need to pray first in the lesson and then we will go from there.  After the prayer I knew what we needed to teach.  This happened 2 times.  That night my companion was talking with me and was like I had the impression we needed to talk about the commandment you taught and you started teaching it.  It was a huge blessing because we were not prepared to teach anything.  Without the help of God this work isn´t possible.  These experiences are what help build my faith and testimony.  And I need them because you get kicked down more than lifted up on the mission.

This transfer has started out a lot better for us. We are finally getting people to go to church.  We have had at least one person in church each sunday.  I´m hoping that it will stay that way so that we can start seeing some results here.  It makes it a lot easier when you see results.  

 

Well I love and miss you all.  I hope that you have fun in the snow!  

Love,

Garrett

Week 56

Hi Family!

Sorry that I didn´t write on Monday.  Wow it has been a heckic week!  One of the Elders here has been really sick for the last 2 weeks.  He finally got cleared to start working again on Sunday and that night he fell super sick and has been in the Hospital since Sunday night.  He is still there but we are hoping he will get out today.  And his companion had to go to Salvador for a meeting with President Vecchi because he is the District leader so my companion and I had to stay with him in the Hospital.  But I am fine so no need to worry and he is doing better...he looks a lot better as well now.  

Snow!  Its been cold here...low 70´s.  I think that i´m becoming weak.  I like the cold but 70´s isn´t cold and it feels cold to me.  Its been raining for a while and it almost looks like snow at times....or maybe i´m just dreaming.  Haha.  

This past week was a really good week for us.  I have a lot more hope for this transfer.  We are teaching a family that my companion ran into while we were on divisions.  He was making contacts with less actives and made a contact with some kids in the road.  They are elect!  They went to church on their own this week and loved it!  That doesn´t happen.  It is a blessing and a half.  Also one of our old investigators stopped us in the road the other day and was like you have to return i want to go to church!  So we will start teaching her again today.  Also we have received a couple referals that I´m excited to contact.  Right now the work is good...but it hasn´t been that successful for a while so i´m going to enjoy this time with good investigators as much as I can!  

I will send more photos this next week.  I don´t think I have many new photos but then again i´ve forgotten the last time i´ve sent photos.  

Well I hope that its a good week there and that all is well.  I love and miss you all!

love,

Garrett

week 56

Hey family,

   This week was a little rough and good at the same time.  Our 2 baptisms fell.  But we found a family and a couple other good investigators.  It was pretty hot this week as well.  I´m not a fan of the heat.  Hopefully i can get used to it.  Transfers came and i´ll be here for one more transfer with my companion.  6 months in an area...i´m torn on it.  Oh well there are some good things happening so hopefully things only get better.  

This week we went home teaching with the Elders quorum president.  It was so awesome to do this type of teaching.  So much diferent then what we do everyday.  I really enjoyed the experience.

Its weird here.  They know its halloween but they don´t celebrate it.  Probably because they have 4 or 5 holidays a month!  Haha its ridiculous how many holidays they have here.  But they already have stuff out for christmas!  Its good and bad...i´m waiting for snow and family but that will have to wait for another year.  Oh well.  But we will be doing some cool things with a few of the members in the branch for christmas.  We are going to make cookies and create a message about christmas and go to less actives and sing a christmas song and give them a christmas present with cookies and a message.  I think it will be really sweet!  At least we are hoping it will be.  

 Well I hope all goes well...and if it snows this week think of me and send it this way.

Love,

Garrett