August 19, 2013 ~ Goiania Brazil Mission, Rio Verde ~ Week 29

Dear Family,

Oi Familia! Lol How are you guys?

So just to let you know, the dog didn't pierce the skin when he bit me haha. It hurt super bad though and it's still a little bit bruised. We went back to their house the other day and we were careful with the dog. But as we were teaching the people there, a worker arrived at the door and the dog bit him too haha and the investigators that own the dog, just laughed at him like it was freaking normal????  There are so many stray dogs roaming around and the dogs get in terrible fights with each other, leaving one to die. It's sad but at least once a week, I smell something awful and I know exactly what it is, a dead dog. But other than that, Brazil is really pretty and I'm loving it! I love the people! I love the food! I've grown to love the meat, beans, and rice, I seriously look forward to the beans everyday haha.

They told me that I was going to stay in Jatai until Wednesday. And so I said okay I'll go because my investigator, Raimundo's baptism was supposed to be that day, but Wednesday arrived and they told me that I couldn't come back until Thursday! So I called the zone leaders on Wednesday, just to see if there was any way that I could come back on Wednesday so I could be at Raimundo's baptism! They told me that he got baptized on Tuesday! I missed my own investigator's baptism!!!! But yeah, Raimundo was BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!! So freaking Awesome and I didn't even know about it until Wednesday. But whatever haha I didn't get back to Rio Verde until Friday. But yeah he got baptized and I don't have a picture to prove it lol! I'll have Elder Di Giordano send it to me and then I'll send it to you guys.

Also, Katiely and one of her brothers, Karlos Eduardo were BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOO!!!!!  Haha We tried everything possible to baptize her other brothers, but couldn't get it done. However they came to the baptisms and it was really cool because they seemed super excited after. We'll keep working with Them and hopefully they'll be baptized this week. I don't have pictures of Katiely and Karlos baptisms either because my camera freaked out and stopped working at the baptism, but then after it started working again. Hahahahaha This week just wasn't my week. But we did have three baptisms so that's AWESOME!

We are teaching this guy named Solrac (name change) who seriously could be the Bishop in a few years lol!!! He is so Awesome! But the other day, he was cleaning his house and he tweaked something in his back. It was really bad and like he can't even move now. It hurt so bad that he literally couldn't get up to go to Church yesterday :( but he LOVES having us teach him and he loves the Gospel of Jesus Christ so much. We have a date marked for him to be baptized this Saturday! But we might have to change it to next week because he didn't go to Church yesterday. Please Pray for him and pray for Katiely's two brothers this week so that they will all be baptized.

We literally haven't been able to find Ordnassela (name change) this past week. We go to his house, but he's never there. I'm worried that he was annoyed when we taught him about the Law of Chastity, and how he has to be the way God created him, and that he can't be a girl. I think that was difficult for him because we haven't seen him since. But HOPEFULLY everything will work out because he's way cool!

One thing good about being away from Rio Verde this week was that I didn't have to deal with a problem we had with our house for a few days hahahahahaha ha!!!! In Rio Verde, Brazil, Sewers don't exist, and all the poop that we do--stays basically under our house. When the poop fills up, workers have to come and suck all of it out with these huge trucks that are so disgusting its not even funny. Our poop accumulated to capacity and was leaving the ground and rolling into the streets. SO AWFUL! The other Elders in my house called the worker guy on Monday last week and he said that he couldn't come until Saturday to clean it up. So they had to to deal with that everyday until Saturday lol and I only had to deal with it on Friday, but it was so terrible.

I think that I'll be transferred at the end of this transfer. My awesome Zone Leader and the Assistant told me that something basically will happen to me at the end of this transfer. So I'm wondering what it is....

Anyways! I'm loving my Mission so much and I'm growing more and more everyday! I'm so very grateful for this opportunity and I hope and pray you guys are doing okay! DON'T BE NERVOUS FOR HIGH SCHOOL Noah---You freaking Trick, it's not even hard haha. Love you guys! Miss you all more than you know...

Elder Hanson