Matt: December 9, 2010

Dearest most wonderful family,

Ok so this week was a little better than last week. Not a ton, but it was better. I didn´t write yesterday because we went to the temple and then I was shipped off to some other area while my comp sang in the christmas choir, and to be honest it´s a christmas miracle that the zone leaders let me email at all today.

So yeah the temple in Curitiba is SO pretty! Minha nossa it is so great. I did a sesh in Portuguese and I don´t think I got as much out of it as I should have cuz at first they didn´t give me shoes, then they paused the sesh to go get me some, then the main guy told me I had put on some clothing out of order (I´m not sure how much I can say) and just little things like that kept occupying my mind. But all in all it was a good sesh and a good experience. I really have this strong desire to do baptisms for the dead since getting here to Brazil, cuz I have yet to enter the waters of baptism, and being dunked for the dead is as close to swimming as I could get for the next couple years. Normally that wouldn´t phase me, but it is HOT here. So yeah the temple was great. Also this week I went on my first division. Wahoo! It was great. Divisions are definitely divinely inspired. I´m definitely growing up mission-wise as far as not just following my trainer around goes. I´m contributing more and more and also getting a better hold on the language.

Jordan- I thought you were serious in your email about KCP and Kumi fighting over me/Michael, but when you said "just kidding" it was me who wanted to cry.
Al- Christmas at the Ashley´s sounds like a blast. Christmas in Germany sounds a little crazy, but overall sounds like a good time. Maybe you could do Christmas in Brazil and crank up the heater until you are drenched in sweat from head to toe and then tell Abby and Ellie Papãe Noel isn´t coming again this year ha ha ha.
Rhett- I don´t have your zip code so I´m sending you a letter to Nena´s house, so just keep in touch with Mom on that one.
Natalie- How´s Baby Ruth?
Can- No I´m not still online.
Michael- I didn´t get to write you last week, but I´m sending you a letter this week.
Nick- Whassup?
Parents- What was it like hanging out in the darkness before God said "Let there be light."? ha ha jk but for real sometimes I feel like you are leaving me in the dark cuz the last time I heard from either of you was in Tennessee.

Not a ton else happened this past week. I hope you all are doing your home and visiting teaching. We have members in this ward who haven´t been to church in 27 years and I was thinking "Minha nossa how does that even happen?" I think if they had a good home/visiting teacher that would be avoided. Also I hope everybody is reading their scriptures with some regularity. Because that´s how we strengthen our testimonies. We have a lot of less actives in this ward who get offended and have fallen away, but I think if we have a good strong testimony that wouldn´t happen as much as it does. Sorry for ranting, but this ward has over 500 inactive members, so it´s kinda been on my mind.

Anywho I love you all. Keep the letters and emails coming because they are the nectar of life, and the strength to keep going from week to week

Love,
Elder Matt