Matt: June 15, 2011

Dearest most marvelous family of mine,
Beleza? This week was a goody. After suffering a little bit the first couple of days with my first begotten son we had church on Sunday and everything bad that I was feeling just went away. It boggles my mind that people don´t like going to church, especially Brazilian investigators... Anywho as far as things in the Tebas ward of Pinhais Brasil go, things are groovin. We're cutting investigators (and getting cut by them as well) left and right like Ammon amongst the flocks of King Lamoni. It´s kinda nice to just not waste anymore time with people who don´t want to progress, or who love the Bible more than life itself, or who believe in God but not in the Bible nor any form of scripture/revelation. Also we are getting close to baptizing Gilberto who´s been investigating the church for years, and deep inside knows it´s true and needs to be baptized. He´s setting his own date, but we´ll be here for a while, so it´ll be good to see him enter in the waters of baptism. So things are good. Definitely the highlight of my week next to my companion´s story about the first thunder storm to hit Paraiba in decades, leaving people in an apocalyptic panic (socorro Jesus!!! de novo NÃOOOO!!!!) was a package I received from my long lost best friends Jason Jolley and Ryan from Zion Reid. I took an awesome picture, but forgot my cable and will have to send it next week.

Alison- Congrats for bringing the first nephew of the fam into this world. Can´t wait to meet him. PS your girls say the funniest things!
Dad- Thanks for the addresses. I´m glad you like the letter. Hope nobody fell off the ruf into the crick of rut ber!
Candace- That´s way sweet you saw Robert D Hales. He came to the MTC while I was there and during his talk I just kepth thinking, "this talk is boring, but MAN is the spirit strong here!" Way to go on getting a full time job. The only FTJ I ever had was up at Solitude ha ha. (cool story hansol). That´s super sad about Bo. I was actually thinking about him playing Great Balls of Fire in an assembly the other day. RIP.
Jordan- Cuidado in the meatball baby storm! Jackson Hole is an awesome place! Some of my life´s fondest memories come from a weekend spent there a year e pouco ago.
Família em geral- J-dogs sounds great. I want to go to there. I know Natalie and Nate have a recipe for Brazilian hot dogs coming there way, so maybe you could give those a little testarooski. The mish is great. I´m loving it for the time being. Super glad to have a different companion, and super glad for the monte de emails I got this week and all the updates from everybody.
To all the teenage boys reading this on the interweb or tuning in on Oldies 94.1, start preparing for a mission. Really it is SUCH a blessing to have a new companion that already understands the gospel and even more so how to teach it. President Monson, God´s mouth piece on this earth for us, is practically begging you to at least serve missions. It isn´t easy, there is some suffering involved, but for a fraction of your livelihood you are encouraged/expected/commanded to give just a little bit back to God, who has already given you everything you have, so that your brothers and sisters can have a chance to have the blessings of the gospel that you enjoy... The more prepared you are, the better it will be, but I did quase nada to prepare and I regret it, but never once have I regretted the choice to serve a mission. Get off the facebook, put down the xbox controller, talk to your bishops and get on out here!

With love,