Hey Famly!
So I’m feeling really great today. The weather is absolutely perfect here! Lots of clouds but still fairly sunny, cool breeze, green trees, and all located in the picturesque European-style town of Marau. Not to mention that I had an inbox JAM PACKED of wonderful news from my dear family. Thanks guys. Life is good.
So I’m still here in Marau. Great! I’ve come to know and love the members here, and they all really need our help here; the branch is very weak, with about 15 people in Sacrament meeting this last week! Crazy! So we’re going to go about the work of reclaiming lost sheep, visiting families, helping them feel the spirit, and when they do… BAM! Invite them come to church, connecting the fact that they can ALWAYS have that same spirit with them. That is the importance of Church and the Sacrament: give them the promise that the Spirit will be with them, and give an opportunity for the Spirit to testify to them when true principles are explained in the classes/talks. Cool. I’m optimistic about the future.
So last week the day after my e-mail, we shipped off to Passo Fundo, where I put my companion onto a bus, Asta la vista.
I love Elder Silva, we are good friends, and we left together on very good terms, and I hope to see him in the future, on the mission and afterwards, Good luck Elder Silva!
I got to stay in Boqueirao, my first area, with Elder Lima while I waited for my new companion to make it to our area by bus. It was cool to get to talk to my old companion, rehash old times, and go visit some members that I had left behind and hadn’t been able to say goodbye to. I swear, the moment I got inside our gate of my old house, I hugged the walls. I only stayed there for 4 ½ months, but it seems like another lifetime ago that I was there, and I had so many awesome memories and stories while I was living there. So cool. Elder Losee, my trainer, just went home a week ago, with his parents picking him up here and touring across all of his area before they head off to the states. Sweet! So for surely I’ll get to see him when he passes in the area sometime this next week. There’s a seed to plant in your heads, parents. ;)
So later that night, Elder Carvalho stepped off the bus. Within just a couple minutes, I knew what the next transfer would be like. Talking to three different people at the same time, he introduces himself in a rapid Northeastern accent, and works his way to his suitcases, battling with everyone in his way. The suitcases gotten and organized out of the way, he’s ready to go, asking people what the next bus is and buying tickets and ready to GO GO GO! Yep, that’s Elder Carvalho. He really doesn’t stop to breath. I don’t think he really sleeps. On the bus he’s talking about home, missionary techniques, deep doctrine, and everything he wants to do in Marau. In the middle of all the conversation, he stops, “Wait what’s your name?” “Elder Carpenter” “Oh okay so as I was saying…” And on and on and on…
Hehe, I love Elder Carvalho. He’s short, bespeckled, and talks so fast and with such an accent that I am starting to think I never really learned how to communicate. But he’s got an energy I really enjoy and will help me out now and in the future. Cool. I’m glad I have the opportunity to serve with him.
And while I love him and admire him, it hasn’t kept us all peachy cream in the companionship. I open the door to our apartment, which Elder Silva and I had cleaned for Elder Carvalho, and he just says, looking at me sideways “WHY DOES PRESIDENT ALWAYS SEND ME TO THE WORST TRASH BINS OF THE MISSION!!?!?!” He’s calling our district leader, zone leaders, even PRESIDENT PAVAN, complaining that the whole mission is broken and that we might as well go back home because the work has ended here because of our uncleanliness. I start freaking out, thinking about how this is going to look bad on me, and start snapping pictures of our house to have evidence that it wasn’t really that bad. But without unpacking his bags or closing the door, Elder Carvalho throws me a broom and starts giving me directions. We moved furniture, we swept, mopped, boiled water with cleaning soda to throw on the floors and the walls, we hung pictures, we fixed sinks, cupboards, the refrigerator, and for two days we just stayed at the house cleaning places I didn’t even knew existed. Yep, Elder Carvalho might gripe, but he actually backs it up with crazy amount of physical effort. I kind of got scared and freaked out at first at his reaction to our modestly unkempt abode, but after Carvalho calmed down, he was talking, joking, dancing, and singing fast and complicated Ipawi mamba romances. He’s really crazy, but… I’m really enjoying my time with him.
After we got done with our house, Elder Carvalho moved on to our area book, and we spent the next day in piles of papers as we organized every single file into areas, dates, and potencial for future success.
After that, we went to church, where Elder Carvalho flipped out silently in the front of the members, pointing with wide eyes at all the minor uncleanliness located in our church building. So after church and all yesterday, what did we do? We did the same thing that we did for our house, but for the entire chapel, polishing benches and chairs, washing every single wall and floor and ceiling… Right now I can’t believe we didn’t get up on the roof and try to scrape off bird droppings. Insane. But… Now we have a chapel that is absolutely SHINING. I can’t wait for the members to see next Sunday!
So, that’s my week! We taught a couple of inactive families in between all the cleaning sessions, but we’ve really just been cleaning and organizing stuff. Is it the right thing to do? I don’t know! Our district leader called to ask why our numbers were nonexistent, and Elder Carvalho just ranted on how it was irresponsible to leave the houses and area books and chapels all disorganized and our district leader I think just let it be. Hmmm. Good, bad? I don’t know. Entertaining? YES!
So we are in the Lanhouse and for the last twenty minutes me and Elder Carvalho have been scrambling around. He used to be really into computers, so, seeing as how he already finished with his letter home, has decided to use this $2.50 per hour time on the computer to look on everyone else’s computers and delete photos they’ve left on the internet café computers. Why? “It’s taking up space here, making the lanhouse run slow.” We’re the only ones here. And he just recently got done deleting seven photos I was going to send home today. Of course I cut them directly from my camera so I didn’t have backups. And he deleted them permanently with shift-delete. And now he’s running around trying to hack my computer to get the photos back, but it’s taking too long. So I’m sending all the “second bests” photos that we had taken of my first-tier photos. Oh well. Patience…
Yep, so I’m all out of time right now. I really have a lot to say, and I wanted to respond to all of your awesome letters. But we’ve got to go.
I loved all the photos, and I watched the awesome drumming video by Lyns. :) I’m so jealous you guys got to go to Monterey. LUCKY! Very pretty shots. I’ve gottem saved to my iPod.
I love you guys SO much! Thanks so much my Grandad and Grandma Christensen, Grandma Imogene, and Aunt Karen for your thoughtful and caring e-mails, they really help me get through the week.
Dad, loved the news and the long e-mail! Mom, I love so much all the details of the going ons at home. You guys are crazy busy! Brendon, thanks for the e-mail and I’m glad everything worked out! I hate miscommunications: they’re the center of all arguments. I’m still junior so don’t worry about anything! All of the people in my group are still junior too! It’s not a race against every one else, it’s just a race against yourself, perfectly constructed. Good luck this next week.
Love love love!
Con
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