Living the Dream . . . in the JUNGLE!!

Família!"

Wow... my parents are AWESOME!!! Mom I´m just gonna thank you for the fast that you will be doing this Sunday.  I love you.  I fasted this week and IT WAS HARD>   When you fast here you aren´t even hungry.. your just DYING OF THIRST.  Walking around all day up and down hills in the blazing brasilian sun... you just want a glass of water when you get home.  But I believe in you mom!  Vai conseguir!!  Dad... YOU TAUGHT SEMINARY!!! That is one of the coolest things I´ve heard all week!!! That is so awesome!!  You are the guy... cara.  Makes more sense in portuguêse.  I dyed laughing when I read about the dumbell.... my dad is ripped!

Nossas Colegas

So about Presidente Castro. He is so different than Pres Klein.  He is a lot calmer and he has a HUGE emphasisde on baptizing the right way but still baptizing a ton.  He is great.  We had zone conference this week and he talked about D and C 20:37 qualificações para o batismo.  He says that anyone who baptizes someone with out a broken heart and contrite spirit or someone who is breaking a commandment is in apostasia!! and he said that he will wash his hands of the blood of the baptism and the condemnation will be on the missionaries head!! It was strong but it was Awesome!!!!  He is big and teaching with the spirit and teach families.  He is closing some of the interiors to focus more on Manaus.  He is the best.  But most of his trainings are very similar.. obedience, qualifications for baptism and teaching with the spirit.  But I love him.  Always smiling.

We see him about 3 times a transfer, our zone leader meeting and conference or interviews... last week he came to our chapel for church but didn´t stay for the meeting.  

So I´m with Elder Brown!!!!!!! This picture explains him very well.. he is HILARIOUS!!

Today he was talking in a hick accent with a lisp, one of the funniest things I´ve heard.  His humor is a lot like Benson’s humor.  I get a good ab workout eveyday from just laughing!  He is from SC, USA and is a lax bro like I said.. so we talk quite a bit about that .. man how I wish I could get a stick in my hands…… he is the bomb.   He is really good at contacts.... well he just doesn´t have any fear.  We just talk to people now like it is nobodies business.  We talk to a lot of people and teach a lot of the first but then after that most of them choose not to go to church.  Like we go to their house on Sunday morning and either we don´t able to wake them up or they just don´t come.  Sad.  But we found a rapaz this week.  He is promising.  We taught him and his dad and it was great.  He didn´t go to church because he had a ji-jit-su competition which he won!  But he will go this week.  He is great.  I got your letters too thanks a ton!!! Did you ever get mine I sent you when I had the toe surgery? It has been awhile.

This week I had a great study.  I was in one of those moods and I was studying alma 50.... WAR!! (I love the war chapters) verse 19 caught my attention.  It tells how God will ALWAYS keep his promises (if we keep our side).  That scripture hit me and I thought of my baptismal covenant and my temple covenants.  God has made promises with me that he HAS to keep (assuming I keep my side)  I´m promised his spirit and other wonderful things. So that was the week.  So now just for some random stuff.....

So we live in a legit house.  Like there is a wall around it and it has two bedrooms a bathroom and a big kitchen and a big entry way.  Biggest house I´ve lived in on the mission.  We keep it pretty clean for the most part.  We still eat the exact same stuff, rice and beans and chicken, but this area isn´t terribly poor so sometimes they mix it up with steak or fish or mashed potatoes.

Right now the lan house we are in is just full of muleques (little boys playing world of war craft..... get a life).  The ward I´m in has very little primary and youth.  There are like 5 YW and one of them LOVES US!   Sometimes random girls on the street will whistle at us or yell at us... fun stuff.

We are hot.   Right now is the heart of summer right now so it is unbearable hot.... well I´ve gotten used to it now but it is still extremely hot!  Me and Elder Brown also sometimes speak in literal portuguese translations.  We speak in english but with the word you use in portuguêse   ex........

"have keys?"

"have."

or

"Have will to make a wewe."  just fun stuff like that:)

Well that was the week.  Love you guys and hope that everything goes perfectly this week!!!  You guys rock!  Keep up the scripture study as a family!

Elder Ostler

Living the Dream.... in the JUNGLE!!