3 June 2013

My first week here (in Madureira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) went pretty well. We visited a bunch of members and the first Sunday here was really nice. We had almost 100 people at church and was glad to meet even more people. Well my new area is a about 3 main areas that are all pretty close together. This new area is much smaller than Irajá which is good because Irajá is huge. My new area is about 30 minutes away from Irajá. The first week has been good. I met a lot of members and the Bishop and some other local leaders. Sunday was pretty good. Church attendance was a little smaller than average this week with 96 people. Usually its about 110 or so. Its a nice area and has tons of people who live here. My companion, Elder Motta is on his last transfer and then he goes home to São Paulo. Hes a nice guy and we get along pretty well. Hes an incredible artist. He sketches and draws super well. I havent had the opportunity to sing here yet but I'm excited for sometime in church when I'll have the chance. We've been working hard and teaching more. Its good to have some change. We dont use the bus very often here. Tomorrow I'll go to my first Mission Counsel. Its once a month when all of the ZoneLeaders and the Assistants and President Lima get together and we recieve a special training and then pass the training on to our Zone the next day. Today is my first PDay here and we're gonna clean the house and maybe go to the church with the some other missionaries. I'm feeling good and glad to be making a difference. I've been reading a lot of talks from General Conference and am grateful for inspired leaders that are so experienced....... Its great to see pics of Jordan's graduation. Seems like mine wasnt that long ago. I love the scriptures and pray for understanding and wisdom so that I can understand and apply the lessons I'm learning........ The weather here right now is really nice. Its been raining a little bit but its been in the high 70s. I'll try to send pics next week. Its been a while since I've sent any for you. Sometimes I just forget my memory card at the house but I'll send some next week. .......I read a great talk this morning by President Boyd K Packer and he said, "I have come to know that faith is a real power, not just an expression of belief. There are few things more powerful than the faithful prayers of a righteous mother."

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