Email - 8/23/10

Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 2:49 PM

Man, I miss having a dog in the house. It´s always so much fun when you can play with them and hug them and squeeze them. The only hugs I´ve had for a long time now are from missionaries. I´m sorta starting to miss some things back home. Not that I´m not happy here, but these last few weeks have at times been frought with difficulties at times and with a bit of hastle. Really all this stress would be no problem if I could have just 10 minutes to myself to deal with my OWN problems, but hey, you know how it goes, you only solve your own problems solving first the problems of others.

Recently I´ve been a bit whiny to myself, haha. I´m not sure what the big deal is with me lately. If I´m just getting worn out, or if I´m tired of being a leader in a time when not everybody wants to do what is right, or if I myself am just giving room to the enemy of my soul. I don´t know. There are days when I just want things to be the good old way they were for so much time on my mission. When I want all that fun and union to come back, but some times I think that maybe it´s just MY attitude that´s all wrong.

But I´m just whining a bit much. I am stronger than these little problems, and the ones I can´t solve, The Lord will help me to solve. I have to work on those 6 Christ-like attributes, that´s all.

Dona Maria was baptized this Saturday, and confirmed this Sunday, making her officially the oldest baptism in the history of the mission. Clocking in at a wonderful 103 years of age, Dona Maria managed to walk into the font, and with all the spunk I´ve ever seen, managed to crack a few jokes here and there as I and E. Pimentel helped her in the water. As I said the prayer, and lowered her in, she went with little complaint. Afterward she managed to even joke about how she felt the water (which was kinda cold) was too hot. During the special musical number, where we sang If You Could Hie to Kolob in Portuguese and English, to our surprise, she hummed along, as though she already knew the song, and then told us about how she was seeing three bright lights behind us, and many others in the rest of the room.

It was, to say the least, a very spiritual night. She said in her interview that she saw a man in white sitting by my companion´s side, and at the night´s end, we were told by one of the bretheren, "If not for you two, she would not have been able to receive baptism on this side of the veil."

Wow that´s weird about Darllen. She´s a convert of a friend of mine. No I don´t have a problem with you talking with her. It´s . . . weird, but I mean, she´s a good kid and all that jazz. She basically found out about Facebook one day and went and got lost in the internet universe, you know how all that goes, right? Just don´t putup any naked baby pictures of me, okay?

Yogurt huh? Dude, what I wouldn´t give to eat home-made food again. I´m so tired of the 70% ham and pale sickly white cheese sandwhiches for lunch, or the rice and beans and beans and rice and AGH. I mean, I love the food here, but when it comes to variety, you only have fruit to excite you, because the rest of what´s consumed down here? Ayayaya. But yeah.

This week was an excellent week for us. I hope this week that´s starting is as promising as this one. Love you all and take care,

Bryan.