Wk 47 - Festa Junina!

Service project!

Elder Bailey, Smoot, Crittenden, ?, & Gessel

"the old man lives on our street and always stops us to talk to us...

hes just a funny old man"

Festa Junina!

Elders Smoot, Bailey, ? Crittenden, & Gessel

"the little boy is from our ward. the cutest little kid ever."

Food & Festa Junina

Celebration!

Area: Teresina-Satélite
Companion: Elder Bailey

Well this week was pretty exciting... We had a service project, and its festa junina! Its celebrated in the north east of brasil with dancing, food, and they hang those flagged strings and pinhatas and everything for the party. It was pretty sweet.

Tuesday was an awesome day. We had a good district meeting and after, we ended up staying in Cidade Jardim to eat lunch, because something happened that we didnt have lunch in our area. So we went to a persons house, who was honestly one of the biggest and nicest houses ive been to, and we went there and talked with a guy i have met briefly before who served a mission in salt lake! He speaks perfect english and is pretty funny. It was cool to see some pics and what not. After we got back to our area we did a lot of visits, and one of which was a visit to Raimundo.... but it was kind of an interesting one. We found out his son is hooked on all sorts of drugs, pretty common here, and that his 16 year old daughter that we have been talking to is 4 months pregnant.... pretty common as well. Most people think that commandments and stuff are more of a restriction... but when you look at it, they really free you from addictions and having to take care of a baby so that you can choose what you want to do.... pretty interesting.

Wednesday we had a good lunch at Miguel´s house who is a pretty funny guy. He sells a thing called Cremosinhos... they are like little square things that have a go gurt or frozen yogurt type thing inside... and he has a freezer full so he lets us eat as much as we want... pretty cool. Then we went to help an investigator named Welton. He has known the church for years, but he is 17 and his parents wont let him get baptized yet... but he said he had some issues and so we went and talked to him about repentance and how Christ can help him. Also we talked to Ana, who keeps saying she´ll go back to church but hasnt yet, and Carla- who still goes to church every sunday! Then at night we talked to paulo´s family to teach english.

Thursday in the morning one of the assistants showed up at our house, Elder Wheat. He was hurt in a bus accident so he has been staying with another elder that has problems with his knees. Anyway, he came by to give us a visit... it was interesting but good. He talked to us for about an hour then we went to the service project. We pretty much had a hoe, and had to take out all of the weeds in the backyard.... so imagine our field on a very hot dry day, and it was about as big as our front yard, and you have a hoe to take out the weeds.... some of which did not want to come out.... but it was fun. I really miss working in the yard. You just make a pile and burn it after a couple of days because the sun will dry it out quick. After the service project, we visited Dailane, who is progressing and is going to church and the visit went well, and then we visited Maria das Graças a little later. She is a sweet old lady and loves our visits... and usually gives us a snack.. its pretty cool.

Friday was a pretty tough day. We had a good lunch, but then it was a lot of walking in the streets. We are still having troubles finding good investigators.... Most of the people you contact in the street are inviting, but really dont want anything with their lives... and they say it to your face. But im hoping the few good ones we have can make it to baptism.

Saturday we had another amazing lunch. A good lunch really sets the day off right... We talked to Ywério a little, who is doing awesome by the way. He is going to seminary, and participating in the ward activities. After which we talked to ywério´s friend Italo. Italo went to church on sunday and seminary a few times, so hopefully we can baptize him as well. At night we had our ward party of festa junina. Or i think its saying the party in june. Every year there is dancing and what not for this holiday... that nobody really knows what its for. They celebrate the saints, because the catholic church is so big here i think, with dancing, food, games and its pretty cool.

Sunday Church was pretty good. We had a great lunch at paulo´s house and then it was a pretty slow afternoon. We tried to find some new people... but nobody really wanted much. We went to Taquari to go to the Uruguai ward with Dailane who took her young son. It was pretty cool. She is progressing well and i think has a lot of potential. And to end the night we split up real fast and i went with a member to visit a person who knows the church pretty well named Gilson and my comp went with another member to visit Italo.

So it was a pretty intense week! I enjoyed it and we got a lot done.

Have an amazing week this week. Live every day to the fullest.

Elder Smoot