December 21, 2011
Dear Family!
I am soooo excited for Sunday as well! I can see why they only let us call two times a year; it
definitely distracts your thoughts. But it´s not so bad, I´m focusing on the work.
I´m pretty sure it´s 5 hours behind, but just in case be ready! We get to talk only for 45 minutes, so yeah, be ready! I´ll try to talk fast so we can the time well!
That´s good that Alicia made it safe, it´s a long drive. I hope they like their new home! Tell them I
say hello. It´d be really really cool to Skype with them as well, but I’m not sure how that works, sooo we´ll see...
I am soooo excited for Sunday as well! I can see why they only let us call two times a year; it
definitely distracts your thoughts. But it´s not so bad, I´m focusing on the work.
I´m pretty sure it´s 5 hours behind, but just in case be ready! We get to talk only for 45 minutes, so yeah, be ready! I´ll try to talk fast so we can the time well!
That´s good that Alicia made it safe, it´s a long drive. I hope they like their new home! Tell them I
say hello. It´d be really really cool to Skype with them as well, but I’m not sure how that works, sooo we´ll see...
It sounds like you all are already ready for Christmas. I´m a little jealous, but it´s all good here
in Brazil. We are working a lot, which is really good. And also, the people here really like Christmas, and they basically have the same stuff here--lights, decorations, and Santa Claus. It´s not as intricate and crazy as in the USA, but they still have it. The main difference, really, is that it´s super-hot down here in Brazil. I think that today was our LONGEST day of the year, but I’m
not completely sure. The days are getting longer, though.
I can´t believe it though, I’ve already been here in Brazil for 1 month, and on the mission for 3
months. It´s weird, because the days themselves seem normal, but the weeks pass by soooo fast.
Leonardo did get baptized, it was really cool, and now, we only need to baptize his brother, Alex, and the whole family will be baptized! Alex is hard though, he likes to go out partying with friends, and doesn´t go to church, so we can´t work with him as much as we´d like. But my goodness, the rest of the family is soooo strong, I can´t even believe it. We hardly did any work, they were just ready. The other day we went to teach them a lesson, and we noticed that the two 10 year old twins were talking to some of their friends across the street. They saw us and came running up to us, and told us that they were being missionaries too. We asked them what they meant, and they said that they had been talking to their friends about Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. What!!!!! lol, they´re already being member missionaries. And the father, Peterson, is just as good.
Lately, Elder Brino and I have been trying to have more lessons with members. The members here are great, but a lot of them are a little apprehensive about leaving with the missionaries. During Priesthood meeting, Elder Brino and I were trying to get people to sign up for hours that they could leave with us, and the response was tepid at best. But Peterson, in the back of the room, rose his hand, and we let him talk. Right then and there, he bore his testimony about how important it is to help the missionaries, because when the members came to teach him at his house, the spirit was so much stronger, and helped him decide to be baptized. My goodness, if that isn´t a miracle, I don´t know what is. After that, a lot more people were willing to sign up, and now, this week, we´re on track to teach at least 15 lessons with members, which is really
really good.
We´re not just teaching the Peterson Family, though. Each day, we´re teaching a lot of different
people, and a few of them are really, really cool, and have amazing stories of their own. But the Peterson Family is just amazing, so I talk about them a lot. I´m a little worried, though, because elder Brino and I have already had 7 baptisms since I’ve been here, but this is noooot normal at all, I just arrived at a really good time. So I’m afraid that if I’m not having so many baptisms each transfer, I’ll get discouraged. It´s not a big issue, but I’m realizing more and more how rare a family like the Peterson family is.
But yes, we teach lots of other people. We walk everywhere we go, and are talking with a lot of people on the street. This week, my goal is to talk with at least 100 people on the street this week. We also get addresses--from people on the street, or member references-- and we visit them. Each day, we´re teaching 3-5 lessons with people, and about half of these are new people. The problem is that a lot of times our investigators just don´t pray, read, or in general keep commitments, so we have to visit them less. We have to focus on the people that ARE progressing, so if they´re not... we kind of just leave them. This is the part that is the most difficult for me, because their good people. But really, we have to focus on the people that are willing to act with faith. It´s hard.
The language is going better, but still is hard. I´m learning all the time, but the more I learn, the
more I realize that I don´t know that much. The Lord is definitely helping me out, though.
I didn´t have time to write you a letter today, but I’m taking a lot of pictures, so next week I’ll
probably send them to you, and write a letter. I’m sorry; things are sooo crazy down here.
in Brazil. We are working a lot, which is really good. And also, the people here really like Christmas, and they basically have the same stuff here--lights, decorations, and Santa Claus. It´s not as intricate and crazy as in the USA, but they still have it. The main difference, really, is that it´s super-hot down here in Brazil. I think that today was our LONGEST day of the year, but I’m
not completely sure. The days are getting longer, though.
I can´t believe it though, I’ve already been here in Brazil for 1 month, and on the mission for 3
months. It´s weird, because the days themselves seem normal, but the weeks pass by soooo fast.
Leonardo did get baptized, it was really cool, and now, we only need to baptize his brother, Alex, and the whole family will be baptized! Alex is hard though, he likes to go out partying with friends, and doesn´t go to church, so we can´t work with him as much as we´d like. But my goodness, the rest of the family is soooo strong, I can´t even believe it. We hardly did any work, they were just ready. The other day we went to teach them a lesson, and we noticed that the two 10 year old twins were talking to some of their friends across the street. They saw us and came running up to us, and told us that they were being missionaries too. We asked them what they meant, and they said that they had been talking to their friends about Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. What!!!!! lol, they´re already being member missionaries. And the father, Peterson, is just as good.
Lately, Elder Brino and I have been trying to have more lessons with members. The members here are great, but a lot of them are a little apprehensive about leaving with the missionaries. During Priesthood meeting, Elder Brino and I were trying to get people to sign up for hours that they could leave with us, and the response was tepid at best. But Peterson, in the back of the room, rose his hand, and we let him talk. Right then and there, he bore his testimony about how important it is to help the missionaries, because when the members came to teach him at his house, the spirit was so much stronger, and helped him decide to be baptized. My goodness, if that isn´t a miracle, I don´t know what is. After that, a lot more people were willing to sign up, and now, this week, we´re on track to teach at least 15 lessons with members, which is really
really good.
We´re not just teaching the Peterson Family, though. Each day, we´re teaching a lot of different
people, and a few of them are really, really cool, and have amazing stories of their own. But the Peterson Family is just amazing, so I talk about them a lot. I´m a little worried, though, because elder Brino and I have already had 7 baptisms since I’ve been here, but this is noooot normal at all, I just arrived at a really good time. So I’m afraid that if I’m not having so many baptisms each transfer, I’ll get discouraged. It´s not a big issue, but I’m realizing more and more how rare a family like the Peterson family is.
But yes, we teach lots of other people. We walk everywhere we go, and are talking with a lot of people on the street. This week, my goal is to talk with at least 100 people on the street this week. We also get addresses--from people on the street, or member references-- and we visit them. Each day, we´re teaching 3-5 lessons with people, and about half of these are new people. The problem is that a lot of times our investigators just don´t pray, read, or in general keep commitments, so we have to visit them less. We have to focus on the people that ARE progressing, so if they´re not... we kind of just leave them. This is the part that is the most difficult for me, because their good people. But really, we have to focus on the people that are willing to act with faith. It´s hard.
The language is going better, but still is hard. I´m learning all the time, but the more I learn, the
more I realize that I don´t know that much. The Lord is definitely helping me out, though.
I didn´t have time to write you a letter today, but I’m taking a lot of pictures, so next week I’ll
probably send them to you, and write a letter. I’m sorry; things are sooo crazy down here.
I´ve got to go!
Love you all lots!
Elder Twitchell
PS. For sure, we´re going to be doing Skype at 7 PM, so be ready
at 1 - 2 PM. We´ll be using the account elderbrino. So, just look out for this
account. Can´t wait!
Love you all lots!
Elder Twitchell
PS. For sure, we´re going to be doing Skype at 7 PM, so be ready
at 1 - 2 PM. We´ll be using the account elderbrino. So, just look out for this
account. Can´t wait!
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