Week 73

well this month has come to an end and its getting harder and harder for me to say that i have to come home in december. i remember when i was a new missionary and i thought that 2 years would never pass by. now with less than 6 months left if i could gain another year and a half back i would!!! time is eating me up!!! the past few weeks have been kindof hard because so many of my life long friends have been going home completing their missions.  my companion got transfered last week to the other side of the mission!!! it was kinda hard to say goodbye because he is by far one of my best friends! i never thought id have a friend from texas! haha 

its a sad thing to see people that you love so much leave... and speaking in leaving, PRESIDENT DALTON is leaving saturday morning.

but lets stop talking about sad goodbyes and let say happy hellos! MY NEW COMPANION IS ELDER L. SOUZA! he is from BAHIA! bahia is a state in the middlish section on brasil. he has a year and 1 month here on his mission. hes really cool! last week he had to get stiches in his head because someone kicked the glasses literally into his head with a soccer ball! but who said that mission scares were a bad thing?

the mission is going good! i´m livin´ my dream as being a zone leader and am trying my very best every day to help my zone in whatever way possible. this month ended and we were super super super close of meeting our goal. one more baptism  and we would have beaten it!!! ahhhhhhh

as far as investigators and baptisms...things are going really good! Not the best out of everyone in my mission, but i couldnt ask for anymore haha! things are going great. my companions and and i baptized 6 people in these last 6 weeks!! im excited to help even more people this week!! the feild here in brasil is white as snow and has been ready to harvest ever since the gosple got here!!! my mission president when he was here in 1981 was baptizing anywhere from 5 to 11 people a week. weekly!!! the work has slowed down a little but i know for a fact that before my mission is over i will have accomplised the same!!!! the only thing that has changed is the faith of the members and of the missionarys!! with GOD ALL IS POSSIBLE!!!

i wanted to send everybody pictures from the baptisms yestersay but i forgot my camera at home.....im really bad when it comes to pictures. hopefully next week ill remember to bring my camera so i can send you guys the pictures!!

Week 72

Well.....another transfer happened.. Elder Bowcutt leaves for his new area. President Dalton is going home on Saturday and things are gunna be different around here! I got called as Zone Leader 1 which means that I'm the big boss here in my zone....it's kinda scary though to think about that knowing that just a few weeks ago I was only in charge of a few missionaries as a district leader. But it's a good feeling to know that the Lord trusts in me enough to put me in charge of this zone. My companion will be Elder L. Souza. I dont know him yet so I dont know where he's from or anything but one thing I do know is that this will be his first transfer as Zone leader so I'm basically gunna need to train him again! hahaha but he's a really good missionary who has baptized at least one person every week for 8 weeks in a row. The kid knows what hes doing! haha

On thursday we had our last mission reunion with President Dalton. Everyone cried and cried and cried. It's hard to see someone you love and respect so much leave all of the sudden. I know that other than the Lord and my own Dad, LOREN G. DALTON is the man who has had the most positive influence in my life. He has helped a young-man become  a real man who loves and respects his savior more than ever before. He will be missed, but it was an honor to be able to know and work with him.

This week we baptized 2 more people. CAIO and EZIQUIEL. They are brothers in a family of 5. The way we found them was a pure miracle. Their mom had been praying and asking God to send someone who could help her family come closer to one another. She needed more love in her house. That same day that she had prayed, we knocked on their door. This week 2 of her 3 sons got baptised and next week her and her other son will be baptized as well. It was an amazing expeirience to be a part of their conversion.

A member invited us over to learn how to make the number 1 pizza in SÃO PAULO. (I made this pizza from scratch!!! rolled that baby out and everything!!!!) pizzaria DONETTELLO!

Elder BOWCUTT and I. This man is the best comp I've had so far in my whole mission. Love this guy.

Pic with the one and only ELDER JACOB MOOS one of my EXCOMPS (the other two just wanted to be in the pic)

This is CAIO EZIQUIEL and ther other mom, other brother david, and friend Michael

Week 70

well this week was fairly well. we had planned to have a few baptisms this last week but it ended not working out. but, with that being said, we are still planning on finishing this transfer with another 6 sons and daughters of god entering into the waters of baptism!! i love being companions with elder Bowcutt!! he was the AP for 6 months so im learning a lot with him! he goes home next transfer but im hopeing that president lets us stay together!!!

oh yeah, president dalton is going home is 3 weeks...........................its gunna be really weird around here with a new president.

so heres a picture of us at our house.

Elder Da Costa (DL) the lone brasilian from RIO, Elder F.C. Rodarte III from washiongton! (SUPER REDNECK!!!!!) myself the florida cracker, and Elder Bowcutt from texas

so its a fact that here in brasil if you dont like coke, you´re a loser!!! gotta love it!

and heres my beloved shoes! it makes me sad that we might have to go our seperate ways...