Monday March 12, 2012

Dear family and friends,

I am sort of sad to say that Guilherme wasn't ever baptized, he decided to go out and get drunk right before his baptism . . . that is NOT a good choice, and Mario was also marked, but he refuses to give up wine, so that doesn't work, and he didn't come to church, so those things are falling apart.

This last week, Elder White and I had a really good week in terms of lessons. One of my highest weeks ever!! we taught 34 other lessons! The mission average is about 15 to 20.

One of the ladies that I baptized in Miratejo named Joanna (she was taught by the sisters and I interviewed, and baptized her. I don't count her as one of my baptisms, but she counts me, which I thought was way cool!) was in Setubal, and by a whim, she saw me and yelled at me from the 3rd story window by name and introduced me to her family here in Setúbal. She was grinning so big, and was telling her family that I was the Elder that Baptized her, even though I only taught her 2 or 3 lessons, but every week in Church, I loved seeing and talking to her, so she was super excited that she could get Photos with me and we were really excited to get a lesson with a member present and a couple new investigators.

I am excited because tomorrow night we have plans to go to a gypsie church with some friends of ours. She said she would come to ours. I am not near as scared of gypsies now, but it will be strange, with me and elder white being the only white guys, with plaques that say jesus cristo.

I had a division with Elder Packard this week where we found this lady that we approached and she said, Oh I'm sorry I am sinning, I need to quit smoking. Of course, she was a brazillian lady and she was really cool, we also found an homeless guy that said he would go to the end of the world and back if he could get baptized, but he had to be baptized in the ocean.

There is this lady that has come to church these last few weeks, and wants to meet with us, but really has no time. She brought up at a hi and bye visit that she has never been baptized and feels really good in our church. She also told us that she hates black tea, refuses to drink because her husband drinks and it makes him crazy, doesn't like the taste of coffee, and only smokes 2 cigarettes a day. Also we found out that she is legally married. So she is perfect to baptize, just if we could meet with her.

We got permission to play basketball with the Sisters (I gaurd elder white, and the Sisters guard the Sisters) and Sister Campos de Silva got nailed in the nose, her nose is always red, but It was red after the fact, but she is fine now.
Our new mission president was announced.

Stephen L. Fluckiger, he is an area seventy and some say he is from the Carrollton, Texas Stake and others are saying he is from the Dallas East stake, but we do know that he is from the Dallas Area.

I thought that was really interesting.

I can't think of anything else.

Have a good one.

Elder Hope