Michael: July 6, 2011

Dear fam!
Things are going OK. We had bad week as far as getting anyone to church or having baptisms marked in the next week or two. But I was happy to see my man Nilson get up and bear his testimony in sacrament meeting. He said he was trembling but loved it, last night he told me he almost got up a second time right when the branch president got up to end the meeting hahaha.
Things are going great with my amigito argentino. Im learning quite a bit of spanish or castelliano? i think his dialect is called. He talks pretty good Portuguese in the lessons but when he gets stuck he just starts speaking spanish haha and when we´re at home he almost just talks spanish to me thinking I understand. Its great though when I talk with him I remember how I felt when I just got to Brazil, makes me feel young again.
He´s stolen all the attention of the members too, I feel like Woody on Toy Story after Andy gets Buzz for Christmas... A lady in the ward asked him about his family ´´You were born in the covenant? WOW´´ then looks at me ´´ oh you too? oh thats cool, hey take our plates back to the kitchen´´ Its nice though cause the american-mormon-haters listen to him. I took advantage the situation and told the lady at the hot dog stand that he was argentino and didn´t know what hot dogs were and she gave us one for free to taste em!
Yesterday we had a leadership training which was great for a lot of things, def a spiritual pump up. I just love how much Im learning out here. This is the best work, and the work of the Lord, saving and blessing the lives of God´s children.
It was the last time I´d see Elder Brown, Elder Eve, and many other great leaders on the mission that are all going home in 2 weeks.
The ex-assistent and his companion who is Kyle Shurtz´s cousin baptised the SNAKE ZAO back in veneza that asked me to marry her and she´d stop smoking haha!

Dad-
I loved the email, lately I´ve been learning about the importance of the family and Im so grateful for ours, I have the testimony that the purpose of this work is to have eternal families, through the power of the priesthood. Its easy to notice the difference when we teach families vs individual persons. The spirit is so much stronger. Im glad you had a good week. I Love you!
Al-
Loved the picture emails too! poor abby.
Matt-
did you hear about the new companionship study program for trainers?
I´ve passed Progresso, 1 BH Oeste-
2 Veneza &
3 Sevilia, Pampulha -
4 Montes Claros 3 -
5 Floresta, BH-
6 Montreal, Sete Lagoas
haha you crack me up, congrats on the baptism this week!
goaleiro? parabens ha. jk.
Hey Jor/Nat-
here´s a package idea some stuff im needing:
foot itch cream (something cheap, its not too bad)
a sharpie
shoelaces- thin short ones (for church shoes) ..black too.
and that wart medicine tube ´´compound´´.. at walgreens
Nate- thanks for the subject email haha youve got letters comin hot.