How you doin? Real quick update: I was transferred to Neopolis, a big neighboorhood outside Gravatai, which is a neighbor city of Porto Alegre. So far I love the area and the members! My companion is ANOTHER gringo, so far he's been awesome. He's Elder Persinger, from Ohio, he's got 3 months on the mish and I'm his 2nd companion.
Hello families! Elder Carpenter coming to you from Neopolis, Rio Grande do Sul!
This week turned out to be really awesome. It was hard to leave Esteio and Elder Carroll but I left in peace and it was great to see Elder Diego, another Elder in my district, go to take over the area. There's a lot of great investigators there and I hope to see them have a lot of success.
Going to the bus station for the transfer was pretty cool to see a lot of my friends again, Elder Feller (who's our new assistant to the Pres.), Elder Bowerman, Elder Anderson, Elder Gibby, Elder Bullough, Elder F. Ribeiro. It's weird seeing a bunch of the missionaries I've loved and known for my ENTIRE mission be going home. Like Elder Willden and Elder Damewood, who are only a couple months older than me in the mission. So weird to be old in the mission. I still feel like I just got here. :/ :)
What's weird is that my last night in Esteio we had dinner and popcorn and chimarrao with an awesome young couple Jonni and Brenda, who I've become really good friends with, I didn't want everyone to get so sad at my leaving, so I told them that I'd probably end up going to Brenda's parents ward, (who I had met and had always been saying they wished I was transferred to their ward), and that we'd get to see eachother later on.
The next morning, I receive the transfer news and see the word "Neopolis" !!! That's the ward that Brenda's parents live in- the one I had just talked about the night before ! Out of 60 different areas in the mission, I guessed which area I would go to. I was also super psyched because I knew Brenda's parents and I really liked them and was excited to surprise them at their own home!
The day I got to the area we go to her parents house, the Dulliuses, and we go into the house but I just didn't say anything and hid out of sight behind my companion, and everybody was laughing and asking who it was, and then I jumped out from behind him and saw their whole family and everybody just got super shocked that it was I that had been transferred to their area (Sister Dullius literally got way scared... Whoops :P)
Anyway, my companion is awesome. Elder Persinger is another new American missionary which means he's super excited and animated, but needs help in learning the language and other missionary things. I'm really happy to be with him.
This area has awesome members, but for the last 6 months, even though there were great missionaries here, there hasn't been any baptisms (which is fairly odd for this mission), and no firm converts from the last 3 years. A lot of missionaries seemed discouraged about the area but my and Elder Persinger are determined and excited to turn it around. In fact, we have even received revelation that we are the ones to turn it all around. We started the week off running, visiting all investigators and inviting them to baptism, and talking with everyone we meet about the gospel, and getting all the members out of their houses and into the streets to work with us, and we've got a great start with 3 people with baptismal dates for next month and 17 new people we've found to start teaching. I'm making it my goal to turn this area around and give it my best as a present to the Lord for all the great experiences He's given me in this time in Brasil. I am so grateful that I have this time to dedicate to Him. I know we'll have success.
Our house is pretty lame here because there's been a lot of rain here and more than a couple leaks in the roof, and President told us to find a new house. After looking around we couldn't find anything, and so we talked with Brother Dullius who was already building a house to rent out on his property, he said that he would let us live there. The only thing is, is that he's a month away from completion on the house and we needed to get into this house at the end of the week! So we're going to try to help with the construction to get the house done SOON. We've been over there 2 days already and we're going to try to finish the house soon. Lifting tile does good for morning exercise!
You saw the movie "Rio"? It is really big here! Everybody is saying that is shows that the world loves Brasil.
:)
The ZLs told me I got a package! I don't know who it's from, I'll probably get it Thursday.
I did want to tell you that I loved the photos. I love looking at all you guys but if I look too much I'll get so homesick it hurts! Man! I just gotta stay patient cause the time is already just flying by and I know 4 months'll pass so quick, but it's really getting hard not to think every day that soon I'll be home. The only solution is for me to try to completely forget about you guys and make myself think I've still got a long time left and just think all about the people I'm serving here. I'm sorry but that's what I'm gonna try to do until the end. :)
I hope all of you guys don't get too trunky and homesick for us while you wait! I'll only permit you guys to feel anxious the week before our homecoming!
But it's gonna be awesome. :)
I loved seeing Wyatt's mission call opening! So awesome! Wyatt (**friend from Folsom, 1 of 4 called to Brazil from Folsom just recently!) is going to LOVE serving in Rio! One of the coolest missions!
I love you guys and hope you have a great week! I'm loving life and loving the mission and loving the Lord! Through Him we find ALL of life's solutions and victories.
Keep loving!
Elder Connor
P.S. Attached photos are us and Brother Dullius messing around in the middle of our service project.
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