Michael: December 15, 2010

Dear family.

So I guess I will just call Nenas house probably around 3:00ish at the latest 4:15 pm Brazil time, and talk to whoever happens to be there, hopefully my parents and all my bros and sisters! I was thinking maybe you guys would suggest a time or place (phone number) but I´ll plan it out this week and let you know for sure next Wednesday. Im excited though.

So this week went by really fast, the work is mais ou menos going well... this week what has been the theme I think is the craziness in the communication... It all started with this one family that didnt understand a single word we said, not a single word... (they might have been joking with us)... we got there, asked questions like ´´how many kids are in the family´´ and they just stared at us and told us to stop talking english.. It was kinda funny. We were talking at snail speed and super loud hoping they would understand and it didnt help, so we just had the daughter read the Restoration pamphlet and then when she was done we gave them thumbs up and tried inviting them to church and just got out of there.

So then we taught a family and at the end of the restoration we asked what they thought and how they felt, and the son said ´´I feel like this is the true church´´, and we were all HALLELUJAH, and we invited him to be baptised, and he said he already was (we assumed in another church cause we get this answer all day) but we explained he needed to be baptised again but by the priesthood etc. and by the end he accepted a date. The next day we went back and found out he really was baptised and was inactive, they showed us pictures of the elders that taught them years ago haha, the Dad who also said he would be baptised and was married turns out wasnt married ´´on paper´´ so that one fell too..
Then yesterday we taught a lady that loves the church, loves the missionaries, shes old and lives alone and is almost deaf, so nobody talks with her anymore she said. Nossa, she is the sweetest lady, her voice is like the top key on the piano and is so cute, and has a FAT dog. So after all these experiences I find myself doubting my portuguese and feel like everybody the past 5 months have just been pretending to understand what I say....

Also, the other thing, priesthood blessings work, they are great. I feel like Ive seen miracles from people being healed, everyone says to us ``that prayer you did on his head worked, he doesnt feel anymore pain.´´ ..stuff like that and also I was sick this week, the work for a couple days was awful but a blessing worked on me too. I know the church is true!

I love you all. Have a great week.
Elder Michael