Pyramid Schemes

Howwww´s it going....

Whew, this week was long, but much calmer and much more normal, so
that was good. We did two divisions and I stayed in my area both
times. I was LOST. I haven´t had like any time to get to know my area.
But it was good, yesterday I was with my good old buddy Elder Evans.
We have to be home at 8 this weekend because of carnival, so we got
home early, ordered a pizza, and spent our p night playing WAR!! (like
risk but with cards)

So Im getting used to the office work a bit now the big struggle now
is just getting used to the area. Its so strange being here in the
center of Porto Alegre teaching RICH people! Its so incredibly strange
to me, Ive never experience anyhting like this. Instead of talking to
people the street we have to do it through their intercoms in their
fancy apartments. Another difficulty that all of the old assistants
have told me is getting to know the members. We never see them! No one
stays put here, so our lunch calender is money to eat at a restaurant
about 90 percent of the time. To give an idea in 3 weeks here Ive
eaten at a members house twice! So its cool cause we can eat whatever
we want but its tough cause we don't have that interaction with the
members!

The pictures are from the most elect couple I have ever taught. They
work for herbalife; The biggest pyramid scheme I´ve ever heard of in
my life. They invited us to come get to know the program and try their
new shakes and ended up almost convincing me to join them! Guy is
good! The problem is that if you are good you get super rich stepping
on the people you convinced to join you. They presented us this "too
good to be true life" full of glamor, fame, money and travel that
would make any man ditch his full time job in search of dreams. I was
just thinking to myself... I´m way too smart for this! My no nonsense
Dad (and uncles/family for that matter) taught me that If it sounds
too good to be true, it probably is.. So all in all i was pretty
turned off with their approach, but he will be a FANTASTIC tool for us
when they get baptized next week. They are those types of people that
everyone wants to be like, rich, well spoken, talented, and they have
the perfect job. They meet new people every day and live in a huge
apartment complex. Those types of people make people want to listen to
us, regardless of our message. They´ve already given us two
references, every time they have a new client they have to take them
to get a drink, and the first thing that person asks is why don´t you
drink? That gives them the perfect opportunity to spread the gospel.
They rock, even though they are trampling all over people a pyramid
scheme. Herbalife is huge here.

Im super fat... Money comes easier here, so we order a lot of pizza. I
love Brasil pizza.


Love you, Stay Classy.

Brasil

Im alive and well. Life is good here in the office but i simply just dont have enough time. In spite of our little time to prosselyte we found some good new investigators and had two baptisms tonight! Casamento no templo!

I would tell you about how great Passo Fundo was but I would spend more time than I have. Sufficeth to say that I was in pure bliss greeting and talking to the people the I love and miss. Not to mention having a few minutes to chat with Elder Mazzagardi. he asked me where I was from and I said my customary "near Salt Lake" line (no one knows where Orem is..) and he looked at me sternly, rolled his eyes and said Elder, I lived in Utah for 10 YEARS. WHERE are you from? Then he proceeded to BURN everyone, that stake is UGLY. Also, about 20 different people saw me, hugged me, then said Elder! you´re so skinny! Yikes.

Wednesday I got to do a division back in Gravataí. That threw everyone off guard, they were all like, Wait, didnt you get transferred? But it was fun and we did a surprise family night at jacsons and it was fun to see them. Along with being fat aparently im getting super OLD looking. We were teching a couple that after finding out that I travel all through the south doing divisions with the missionaries asked "But wait, i thought this work was only for youth?" I asked out old she thought I was and she got all red and mutterred, 30? Yikes.

Its the new comb over look. After 3 days in the office Prez called me in for a quick interview and told me the hair had to go. I hate being the example.. now i look JUST like that cook from the Best Two Years. 

Life is going splendid here Im busy and happy and learning incredible mounts of wisdom from a representative of Jesus Christ. Its so interesting to work by the side of President and see how he really is inspired of God. The secretaries just walked in infroming us that they were just assaulted. Some guy stopped them and asked if they were doing a survey, then calmy told them okay, first one to run gets a bullet in the head. The guy took their three cell phones and all their cash. Freaking Brasil. 

I love you all, Stay classy. Go Mitt. 

Pictures of our wedding/baptism we had Today!

First Week in Lindoia

Hello, I had a great first week here in the office! A hectic crazy week, but a good one. I had an interview with President yesterday morning and he told me "Elder, I´ve never seen you look so lost in the mission!" I laughed but its true, Im pretty lost. its okay though im adjusting. It just such a different life. I have yet to teach a lesson in my area... okay thats not entirely true we had two hours thursday night to go out and teach a lesson to a couple that we have a date with for next week, but other than that we have just been in the office. This couple is sick, Elder Melo and Elder Peterson found their boys playing soccer at the chapel one day, taught them, and baptized them. Then the AP´s before me started teaching the parents, and Wednesday we went to the Cartório with them to pay for the marriage and mark their day. Its marked for this next Saturday, it will be sweet.

But the big news is... IM IN PASSO FUNDO!!! It was soooo strange coming back here. i honestly never thought I would step foot in this blessed city again but here I am and it is crazy. Such a flood of memories and emotions of how much i love this city. Technically today is our p day but we are just here for an like an hour finishing up a training and then we are going to dividie with the LZ´s here in Passo Fundo. So basically im losing my p day, but its worth it because tomorrow is Stake Conference so I will get to see pretty much all the people I love in this city. As luck would have it by some strange chance of fate we ending up eating lunch with Felipe Heinz today!! Remember him? My basketball playing ingesh brother from Passo Fundo that drank Dr. pepper at my house? It was wierd seeing him married, he is still working at wizard until he can find a good job (jobs are painfully hard to get here) and they now live in the area of the LZ´s. It was rad.

Seriously I just love this city. I am in the same lanhouse that i used for 7 months to start the mission. The same lan house that I used to watch my companion use skype with his girlfriend!! Ahhh... good times. If you guys end up having Elder Lynn over for dinner tomorrow tell him where I am and he will be very jealous. So tomorrow after Stake Conference we will divide with the LZ´s again, and then Monday morning we have zone conference with Prez and we will eat lunch and then go home with him. We will arrive back in Porto Alegre around 7th Monday and be very tired. After that I have no idea, cause i still dont really know what´s going on around here, but it´s good, and im liking it.

The worst part of the week is the heat. Porto Alegre is an oven. I dont think i have slept more than 3 hours in more than a week. You Americans are so spoiled, you have no idea how miserable it is to sleep without air conditioning OR even a fan (broken) in 100 degree heatt in the 100 percent humidity. Seriously, i will never live anywhere else but the desert again. I dont ever fall asleep until at least 3 (when it cools down to like 90) and then i wake up at like 5 just DRENCHED in sweat. I used to be frantic about taking showers before going to bed cause i hate sleeping in sweaty sheets but now i´ve just given up, its impossible. Thursday night I couldnt sleep at all and so i found myself on the couch drinking coka cola from about the hours of 3-5. (and I ask myself why i am so fat...) So yeah, its pretty miserable. But, im happy and healthy and very blessed so there´s just not much to complain about. 

I feel my testimony rising and growing each week that I am here. I am 100 percent convinced that this is Christ´s church here on this earth and that it has the capacity to bless our lives abundantly. Through more personal contact with President Pavan and Elder Campos I have learned a few things that have strengthened my testimony greatly that this church is run by revelation. This transfer I had an experience that I will never forget, and that will always be a reminder to me of how closely God run´s his the dealings with his church and his missions. hope all is well.

Stay Classy.