Mission Tour...

October 22, 2012

Dear family,

This week was an amazing week, we worked a TON! Elder Windous is a great companion, we´re already working and teaching really well together, although I was sad that Elder Oliveira left. He was a good teacher too. But Elder Windous has been out almost two years, I think he has just 3 months left. He was companions with Elder Brino when he left Bairro Novo. Elder Windous is from a small town called Spring Creek in Nevada, which is like 10 miles away from Elko. We´ve already made plans that I would visit him in Elko on the way to Utah for college (well, not anymore, he´ll have to come visit me now :) ) Elder Windous is a really hard working missionary, with a strong love for the gospel and the people we teach. And he really wants to baptize!

This week, we´ve been preparing Tainara and the other non-members in her family to be baptized, I think this week we´re going to have a least two baptisms. They’re such a special family, they all love the gospel already, and like every time we come to visit, they invite a friend to come here too. We´re working really hard so that they understand everything, and that they´re well integrated by the members, so that they don´t fall away later on. But I’m feeling really good about them, they´re a really special family.

Marcio and Giselle are still going along, but only Marcio went to church today. He wants to take it really slow with the church, but we´re trying to help him. we have a new Elders quorum presidente this week, and he is already making plans with us to help integrate Marcio with ward activities, we´re all pretty excited.

We had the mission tour this week, where a general authority comes by and sees how the mission is doing. We had Elder Godoy come, and it was sooo good, he´s a really good speaker, and he got us all really excited. He was talking about how we have a lot of people praying for us on this side of the veil, but we have even more people on the other side of the veil, praying that the missionaries will talk to and convert one of their relatives, so that they can do the temple work for them. When we convert one person, he´s going to have generations of people in the church, but he also will be the means of doing the temple work of generations of ancestors before them. It was really neat. He also told us to work more with less-actives, so we´ve been visiting a lot more of them. It was just a good tour, I’m sad that I won´t be here for the next one.

I do know Elder Ham, he´s in my zone, but I didn´t know him too well before. He´s with Elder Morris, and it seems like he´s doing well. Elder Ham is a really excited missionary, Elder Windous and I are really happy to have him here in our Zone.

The funniest thing this week? I was at the bus terminal the other day, because we had been doing exchanges with Elder Azevedo, a new district leader here. Anyway, I was waiting there, sitting on a bench, when out of nowhere a drunk guy came and sat next to me. He was way drunk (and this was like 10 in the morning...) and he asked me to share with him a ´Good word´. So I got my Book of Mormon out, and read from 2 Néfi 2:25 and read ´and men are that they might have joy´. I then told him that he has to stop drinking so that he could be a happy man. He just nodded, thanked me, and thanked the good word. Then he took my Book of Mormon, and like embraced the Book, and put it up right against his heart. then he pointed up to heaven, and then gave me a thumbs up, and returned the Book of Mormon. Haha, it was pretty funny, he really enjoyed the Book of Mormon. Maybe a little too much.

So, just to let you know, I only get mail once a month when I come to Curitiba, so for this I’m going to be kind of slow for now, responding to letters. In my package, I’d like some new socks, maybe a tie or two. A pair of pants would be nice too. My shoes are getting a bit worn, and they don´t hold out water as well as they used to (especially my boots) but don´t worry about it, it´s not been raining that much lately. I would like assorted candies, some peanut butter (crunchy!)(oh, by the way, thanks a ton to Aaron, I think it´ll be a while before I run out).

But yeah, I’m doing pretty well, I’m super happy being on the mission, we´re seeing so many miracles like everyday, and I’m sure we´re going to see many more. I´ve never grown so much in my life, like I’ve been growing on the mission. It´s amazing.

So, I’m CTR, I’m keeping away from snakes, fleas, dogs, and floods (although I don´t think they even have floods here). I’m studying the scriptures every day of my life, and trying to follow what I learn. The Lord is helping me, hearing my prayers, and guiding me. How truly sweet this is.

Have fun with all the big changes. Tell me what´s going on!

Love,

Elder Twitchell