Family! Hey how goes it today? Or this week(s) I should say. It sounds like you get mail now so that's good to hear that my time, papers, $2.20 a letter isn't just going down the drain! So the moon really is different here! Oh this week was the week for Manaus so I will first respond to those letters and package and then tell about my week! I only received two letters from 2010 so I don't know what happened with the others, but I didn't receive. But it's all good. I get letters now once and awhile. I wish more but oh well! It sounds like the fair went good! I would love to hear from Cambria about how dancing and tennis is going but the post office must of lost her letters cuz I haven't gotten one from her in months! Or Chandlie! We haven't got our roof fixed because the owner of this place doesn't care. Health and standard codes don't exist. But I haven't had another night like that. (mom note: he got rained on while in bed and had to sleep in his raincoat) I don't know why but I can't sleep good! I wake up 3-4 times a night then every 4th night I just crash! That's good you guys finally figured out how to do the garden thing! Here any seed that falls on the ground will grow! We ate a few things crazy (not crazy crazy but didn't have in United States) like suco purui and magazod. It's like sweet macaroni and cheese. It was pretty good! That's so cool that Kayson is starting to talk more and more! I can't wait to hear him on Christmas. I hope you've been practicing my name! (Kayson calls him B) I loved your scripture about be men...be united, one cause one heart...and be determined. I really like that! So that was the first letter and now for the second. It's good to hear that at least someone is enjoying my nice big bed. The beds here are bad but at least I got one without a footboard, otherwise it would be even more miserable haha. So you guys keep talking about this new house. When will I get photos or even hear about it from Chandlie. The last thing I heard from her was they were looking for one! Sounds like Cambria is doing good in school again and back to having fun! Just remember good grades are really important but having fun and making memories is a really important part too! Everyone here in Brasil was talking about September 11, also asking where I was if I cried, if I knew anyone that was there. They are really careful and respectful when talking to me about it. It was an event that changed America, but no one in the world will forget! It sounds like your Youth Council is taking off again. That's good. You guys can really make a difference in Garland! About movies and stuff we actually received portable dvd players. Every dubble in the mission has one, so they are to watch church films and things. So you can send good church films that come out or are out like the Work & the Glory, Churchball, things like that. I write in my journal almost every night and when I don't at night I do first thing in the morning, just to get everything down for a hard copy of memories.
Come more time of transferes I will get more names of the members , the ones that mean alot are already written. So story time. You know that wedding of Beto a inactive member living with Lucia, a non member and we taught, married and baptized her? Well last Sunday Beto received the Melchizedek Priesthood! It's so cool to see them and Lucia is begging to get on the list to feed us and it's sad cuz they are really poor! But the whole experience is really special. She even talks alot about one day getting sealed! That would be so cool for them! Alright and now for the story of the month/mission so far ha. So these last few months we have been trying to teach this girl named Rafeala and we baptized her neice. She's 14. Her neice is 18 ha. So we've taught her but she doesn't want anything to do with the church. Then she started having seizures so they took her to Manaus to be tested! Nothing. Then this last week they said she has them alot and is seeing things. Then Saturday or Friday Elder Da Cunha & Peris (comp of Garrett) went to give her a blessing and me and Garrett went to tell our interview for baptism they would be late and one hour later they came back and said they had an experience with spirits! That Rafeala was possessed and once they got her done the man and brother started feeling something trying to take them, so, from this story I believed. Then yesterday we received a phone call in the morning saying it's happening again so we hurried and got dressed and ran there, but it had stopped so we just gave a blessing and marked a time to return there. Then after lunch at Nora Nuys we stopped by there and she was starting to have a possession so Da Cunha and I gave a blessing, still was convinced but I hadn't seen, then we left and 10 min. later they called us to return so we ran back. We had 2 guys holding her down while we gave her a blessing. She stopped and Elder DaCunha was convinced without doubt it was a spirit but I wasn't. I talked to Da Cunha about my feelings and he thought I was crazy for not believeing. I wanted to but a voice inside me kept saying no it's medical. But I couldn't convince myself it was a spirit or Da Cunha it was medical. But then we had a meeting. The city of Itacoatiara was recognizing 20 years of the Church established in Itacoatiara. Kinda strange but they asked us missionaries to sing the mission hymn and President asked if I could. I had played it through once! I said let me try and I did, so I played for that! But back to the story, we asked President if he could come help and he got there and just calmly talked, gave her a small blessing and then we all left the room and he marked a baptism day this Saturday ha! He's good! Oh then the story of Conference. So I was sittiing there kind of zoning off ha and I heard President Klein say my name. I looked. He said stand up (we were in the very back to set up chairs) then I didn't move because I couldn't believe what was happening and he said come here. So I walked from the very back to the front of 505 people and President started saying how great my language is and how impressed he is with how I'm working! Then he said tell them a little about your joy here in Itacoatiara. So in front of everyone I talked about my appreciation and love for the members and everyone said it was very good portuguese. Some after thought I was from Brasil ha! It was crazy and I was the only new missionary he did that with so I was proud haha. But I think that's about it. I ordered my ore with Moroni praying with the plates. I think it will be really neat! But I think that's it for the week. Kinda a big week! Oh this also was the week of Manaus. We left at 1 a.m. - 5 a.m. bus 8-12:00 meeting 12:00-1:00 eat 1:00-3:00 talk with other missionaries 3:00-4:00 doctors and McDonalds 4:00-5:00 wait to leave 5:00-9:00 bus to Itacoatiara 9:00-10:00 eat a hamburger or x burger they call it here ha. But that's all folks! I Love you lots WRITE!!!! Eu amo voces! Elder Deakin
This message is in St. Luke 10:40-42 and we need to be carefull in what work we are getting caught up in. We are always busy and we have the things of this world we need to do, but we need to be careful to not be so busy we can't do the more important work! Love you all!
