Email/Chat 06/05/17

My week has been very good compared to weeks in the past. I am finally becoming able to improve. I had extreme opposition in improving in anything during the first part of my time here, but the Lord has helped me and is still helping me solve the problems that were keeping me from doing well. The thing that was going on last Monday is this: We needed to go to Cuiabá for the day. We had several reasons for being there. My Companion and other missionaries planned the day. They gained permission for us to eat at a restaurant, but the main reason why we were there is because my companion needed to find a good briefcase for him to take with him on the plane. He will be using it on the 20th to go home seeing he has finished his time here. Even after we were there for a while he still didn´t find what he wanted, a low price for the briefcase; so, we returned to Arzea Grande and he tried again to shop here. He eventually found what he wanted and by three O´clock we were ready to return home. He suggested that we come back here seeing as we had no other plans for the day, but I declined seeing as it costs me 4 reals an hour to use the computers here and I had already used a good 10 reals. I realize now that I could have returned and tried to see if any of you were available for a chat, but reasoned that it was not likely. This is, in short; why I didn’t have time to chat with you last week for very long.

I have not received the package you sent yet but I may receive it this Thursday seeing as there is going to be a zone conference and usually during this time President Oliveira hands out bug spray and tries to sell his "Missão Brasil Cuiabá" marked bags and merchandise. I will probably receive it then, seeing I just read that the tracking report says it was delivered to the Mission Home; but if not I will be able to tell you next week what occurred.

The language is coming along but I need to keep studying well. The language is very complex for me in my perspective, but I know that the Lord will continue to help me. The hardest thing to adjust to is not necessarily the language, but the hardest thing for me is knowing what the heck everyone is thinking. Their customs for what is ethically wrong and what is right are nearly opposite to that which I know. When they try to let me know I am doing something wrong they use sarcasm, thinking that everyone, no matter their heritage and background, will understand. They will not give me the information I need and so this is one of the reasons I have been having such a hard time with the language and everything in general. I have been needing to figure these things out on my own; though I know this good for me, it only makes things even more complicated in a situation where improvement is wanted quickly from my leaders. I am very grateful for this experience so far here. I have learned much and will keep going. So my Portuguese is getting better.

My investigators are fine but we are still having trouble getting any of them to want to go to church and read the scriptures. I still have so much to learn. We had an opportunity this last week to meet with one of the families we hadn´t visited for a while.  They were doing fine, but their daughter was having trouble and I guess this is one purpose why the Lord had us meet her in the Grocery Store. We haven´t seen them since but we may in the future. One family is starting to become promising, but slowly. The mother’s name is Eliete and she has several children. They are friendly enough to let us come and talk with them. Others that we have just started teaching are slowly getting interested.

Till next week, Tchau.