Melhorei, Mas Não Perfeito- Improved but Not Perfect

Elder Hunt at the Sao Paulo Temple this past week

I’m sorry for the very bitter tone of my last email, things are still difficult, but have improved a bit.

Acai ice-cream cone

Elder Hunt with Elder Lima Neto on his 20th birthday

Monday-I was still very sick on Monday, but my debit card was fixed and I was able to buy food and soap, yeah!!! :) It was also Elder Lima Neto’s 20th birthday! So we had to celebrate! :) We bought açai ice cream cones and pizza.

Sao Paulo Temple

Tuesday-Since we won the zone vs. zone competition for the month of November, we went to the Sao Paulo temple again! :) We went and did baptisms again because somos batizadores. But, while I was there, I just happen to see my CTM companion Elder Mayfield from the Sao Paulo west mission! It was so good to see and talk to him! He was my favorite from the CTM.

View from President Farnes' apartment

After we went to President and Sister Farnes’ apartment and ate pizza. After we played football, soccer, basketball, and minute to win it games down on the courts by their apartment. It was so fun! :) I loved it!!! :) Unfortunately it was raining and I was still sick and I got a bit worse. 

The bus ride home

Sleepy Elder Augerres

But afterwards we took the bus and it took 4 hours to get home. Also, while I was sick, I made a workout plan for the mission! (President Farnes asked me to) and I gave it to him and Sister Farnes on Tuesday.

      

Elder Hunt with his American friend, Elder Fields who also likes to workout

Wednesday-We had our zone meeting and we had some training by 2 of the assistants. Their emphasis was on "Ele e O presente" or in English, "He is the gift," a program being set out by the Church for Christmas.  It’s a YouTube video and everyone should go watch it.

Elder Costa, Elder Hunt and Elder Gimenez

I’m still sick, but I’m getting better, but I have insomnia and now I can’t sleep and I don’t know why. I go to sleep at like 4am every night because I can’t sleep- it’s horrible. I also bought 4 little packages to send out to family and loved ones, so I’ve been in the process of getting things together for the packages.

      

From the Farnes' home

Thursday-Elder Lima Neto and I spent a large amount of time talking about and spreading the "He is the Gift" message in the streets. We also have a good amount of new investigators that I’m very confident will be baptized and will help our ward a ton.

So grateful for SOAP!

Friday-I got my shoes back from the Zapateria and they look great! Out in the street there was a huge crowd with heavily armed police surrounding a guy laying down crying on the street. There was also another man in custody. I don’t know what happened, but it was strange. The family of Mateus and Nata (the two young boys we baptized) love us! The mom always makes us food and she went out of her way to a far away Brazilian market in a different town to buy me a Brazilian treat to put in my packages for my family! They are the best and our plan was to baptize their 2 teenage daughters and teenage son Sunday morning.

Saturday-We had Stake Conference that night and we planned on baptizing a teenage girl named Natalie after the meeting in the stake center in Prituba. I feel so bad for this girl, her she has a difficult home life. The parents have no money, so we paid for their bus fair to Pirituba to watch Conference and their daughter’s baptism, (it certainly was not easy.) After Conference, Natalie was in her white baptismal clothes all ready, when the Stake President said it was too late and we needed to wait until tomorrow. Natalie would travel the next day, so that is why Saturday night was chosen. Elder Augirres and I were furious. Our ward leadership also blocked our 3 other planned baptisms for the next day. We are having tons of problems with them and our companionship was extremely angry that our baptisms were blocked.

'I LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!'

Sunday-Stake Conference morning session and we got our transfer calls. My dream was to stay 1 more transfer in Brasilandia, be district leader, senior comp, and finish the training of Elder Lima. I was certain that was what would happen. All the zone leaders, district leader, and Elder Costa, (who was assistant to the President), they all said I would get promoted this transfer because of how well I’ve been doing. But that is not what happened. I will be transferred to Cashoreinha, which is very close, but I will be companions to a guy named Elder Zentanna. He is an Bolivian American, with a lot of time on the mission.

After Stake Conference, I baptized some people who I had met and marked baptismal dates with during a division in Pirituba, so that was pretty cool :) Also, President Farnes was there with his family to watch. After, he talked to me about my transfer call. He told me that my new area is a very, very productive area, but the missionaries there are not having a ton of success like they should be, so he is sending me there to be the catalyst to help everyone baptize there because he knows that I can.  I feel that President Farnes has a lot of confidence in me. After he said that to me, I felt a bit better. But I was still bummed that our leadership blocked our baptisms, and I will be leaving tomorrow. But this will be a new experience for me and I know I will learn and grow a ton.

'I LOVE BRASIL!!'

Monday-Happy Birthday Hannah Hunt! I hope you have a wonderful day! :) For my last day in Brasilandia, Elder Lima Neto and I went to all the different Padarias (bread/sweet shops) here and bought 1 donut each for fun, ha ha.

I am super pumped to talk with my family in 10 days for Christmas. As of now I don’t have any information regarding this, hopefully I will receive it soon. Overall I’m doing all right, not great, but not horrible.

New challenges and triumphs are on the way in my new area with my new comp. All I can do is my very, very best for the Lord and his children. We will succeed; I will elevate this new area and WE WILL bring more souls unto Christ.  Now I’m going to go pack my bags!