New transfer, fed up of being scammed, pancakes, my first baptism but it's still not mine, and a whole lot more.

 Mon, Dec 12, 2022 

 My new companion is indeed my brother Elder Romero. Me and Elder Bryan traveled to the bus station to meet our new comps, I found Elder Romero and after getting an Uber because Elder Romero's bags are so bad you basically can't roll them we headed back to my area Vila Industrial. Elder Romero was kind enough to give me his giant heavy bag ( it's the biggest suitcase I've ever seen and it's by a lot) and it doesn't have wheels so I'm grateful the secretary bought us an Uber. 

This week's has been really good for missionary work and really hard for me physically and mentally. My new senior comp and trainer doesn't really feel like a trainer or a senior comp. When we had the lunch a couple weeks ago with Mike the American, Mike said Brazilians are the Hawaiians of South America, they don't really keep track of time and it's just kind of a whatever flows thing. Idk if his comparison, works or is correct about Hawaiians, but it's somewhat fitting with Brazilians, so I'm just gonna run with it and say my companion is the Hawaiian of South America, he's actually from Venezuela, but he's got zero schedule or sence of time in his head. We have been late to every event we've had this week where I didn't do absolutely everything in my power to drag him out of the house. We were eating lunch at McDonald's, and I knew we had to start our walk to a lesson in fifteen minutes, and knowing how we needed to head back to the house first which is only 3 minutes away, but I just knew he'd find someway to be late I said we needed to go so we could travel to our lesson on time the other elders then made a bunch of jokes about how I'm the trainer and not him (and it kinda feels like it's true tho) but it took a bit but we stood up to leave and he went a decided to go get a refill of his soda which takes a few minutes because here the sodas in the back of the restaurant, but we made it out, then back to the house, I looked at my watch before we went inside and saw it was 2:59 so I knew it would be fine we could just grab our shoulder bags and leave, but we walked inside I said we needed to just grab our bags and leave so we won't be late, he responded with okay then went to the bathroom for ten minutes, now at this point I'm already quite stressed out, but he leaves the bathroom, and I again say we're ten minutes late let's go, he says okay grabs his bag sits down and starts taking off his shoes and switching to another pair he has. We ended up making it to our lesson only a little late because I walked so fast I made our 34 minute walk into a 25 minute walk, but it wasn't easy, we had ran out of water that morning so I was already really dehydrated and booking it to a lesson for 25 minutes in the hot sun was really difficult, the sun here is so radiant and powerful you feel like your going to melt. 

Luckily we made it to our lesson that I'd been wanting to have for a while. This lesson was with the man who I spoke briefly about a couple weeks ago in my email, and how I said I couldn't tell his story because it was so racially and politically charged. Now I was already quit scared I'd have to hear his life story again for another hour and a half, because I had a new companion, but I figured because I was there and had already heard it it would be fine and probably shorter and we'd have time to teach the gospel, we made it into this visit and we explained how I had a new companion, and Elder Romero explained how he's from Venezuela but has lived in brazil for a few years because he and family left brazil for some political reasons, as soon as my comp said the word political reasons I knew it was over, jason began telling his life story again, at least this time I understood more of it, it really is fascinating. The problem was he told us this story not for an hour, or and hour and a half, but 4 hours this time, we managed to sneak in teaching what the word of wisdom was when he offered us some coffee about two hours in, Elder Romero also talked about how if he read the book of mormon, through the power of the spirit and his intelligence (he really is quite smart) he'd know that our church and the scriptures are the true word of God and church of God. And it was good, but then back to the life story again. He also gave Elder Romero a rundown of the political state of the US FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS where talking everything from 2004 to now George Floyd January 6th black lives matter all of it,      A N D a recount of the story of the entire Civil War and Abe lincoln, I was dying in this visit, I would have been okay, but listening to a conversation for 4 hours when you only understand half of it, and trying to concentrate on listening when it's so easy to just stop listening because you can just block out portugues and stop understanding, if you don't listen intently, it's just so difficult. 

Me and my comp and the other elders we live with had been talking to the mission president and our bishops and the steak president, trying to figure out what to do with this baptism, the other two elders we live with had been teaching a woman named Jessica and she decided she wanted to be baptized, they found out that she lives in our area and our ward but she'd been attending church in the other ward, so there was a whole bunch of things to talk about such as what ward she can attend and what ward she'll be baptized in and what ward she'll be confirmed in. Missionary work wise she's technically our baptism because she lives in our area. And she'll be put as a baptism in our area book, not the other elders. But this baptism was amazing, while people were showing up a woman named marta showed up, marta is a woman me and Elder Bryan have been trying to have a visits with but were never successful, marta only speaks Spanish and we also tried to bring the other Elder Gonzalez who we live with who speaks Spanish to these attempted visits with her, but none of them have worked out. the day before the baptism "we" had a short call with her and by me I mean my comp, my comp is from Venezuela and speaks Spanish, and so is marta, it was very exciting to see marta show up to the baptism and I spoke with her for a bit, but Elder Gonzalez and my comp spoke with her a lot. And this baptism also had a lot of friends of Jessica who are not members, and this baptism had a lot of amazing testimonies shared and the spirit was very powerful the whole event, I felt the spirit very powerfully, but even better her friends and marta also felt the spirit even more powerfully than I did, it really was an incredible baptism, My como who organized the baptism because we had to organize it because it's "our" baptism asked me to sing, and I did. I sang oh come all ye faithful, but in portuguese, and as I had prayed for I sang really well and with the spirit, it was an awesome baptism, the best baptism I've attended. 

After the baptism the other three elders were talking about how good the baptism was, but then started laughing and making jokes I asked them what was up and they told me, but I didn't understand, my comp who knows almost no English, but really wants to learn looks me dead in the eyes with straight face and in his funny accent says the words "sexy momma" idk who taught him that but I'd be lying if I said I didn't spit the water out of my mouth and start laughing, then I called them fubecas 

We had a visit with Gabriel and he's awesome. We basically taught him half the gospel in this lesson. He's got some doubts but he's really smart and learns fast. 

When we were in the McDonald's waiting for our food the other three Elders started bopping to a song in English they couldn't understand, this song was the most vulgar song I've ever heard by a lot. I informed them and they told me it's fine because they don't understand. 

 I've really been trying to become and be a better missionary and this week I certainly got the chance because ive had just about every single responsibility and opposition possible this week on my back. From needing to know the area where we can buy things, needing to know the members, and remember their names, and who we already confirmed lunches with and trying to find where the lunch money is members gave us, I've had to be the one to drag my companion everywhere, and have had to put way to much effort to be on-time to our events, I really can't describe how difficult this week had been, but I'll describe this, Saturday night we were at a Christmas activity, after our 4 hour "lesson" with jazon. We were leaving and we had to take home a bunch of food. It was kind a punishment because I had my arms out in a position to hold the food for the whole thirty minute walk home, I was a bit dehydrated incredibly stressed from this whole week and how much stuff I had to do, and physically exhausted from just walking so much in the hot sun all week. My arms are still sore from holding the food on the walk home. When I made it home I had the most painful headache I've ever had, I could barely stand and I felt like I was going to die and my head was going to explode. It was so painful, I got out ym thermometer and checked my temperature, it was completely normal, I'd drank enough water that day, this incredibly painful headache was just stress induced. I really could barely stand I couldn't walk straight. I prayed that I'd be better because the next day we had a steak Christmas event where I was singing in the choir I was practicing for. 

I was indeed better the next day besides my arms being so sore I couldn't bend them. We had lunch then a 45 minute walk home in the baking hot sun. We had gotten a ride to lunch from church so I was still in my suit pants. I took off my suit coat but even just the pants alone are incredibly hot. My biggest regret in preparing to go to Brazil was not buying a new suit. I figured I wouldn't wear it much so it would be fine and I could bring my cheap black suit, but even just every sacrament meeting and the walk home is way too often. I sang in the choir and it was really fun. 

We had a visit with a member and her son. It was really long but pretty fun when we arrived, she asked if she could get us some water we gave her our bottles, and she looked at my plastic disposable Kirkland signature bottle I had and she said it's really small (it was the same size as Elder romeros bottle) and she walked away, she came back a few minutes later with a really big blue water bottle, and very proudly and triumphantly gave me this new bottle. I looked at it kinda sad about not having my old bottle anymore because I threw it away. This new bottle doesn't fit in the cup holders on my bag, but I accepted it and thanked her a lot. Don't know how I can use this new bottle because I can't really carry it with me and it leaks but it's fine ig I just hope she doesn't see me not using it.

Her son likes to make perfumes. Elder Romero tried many of them, they weren't that bad but I started to get sick of the smells as he tried them then asked me over and over if I liked them. Her son also loves celtic music so that's cool, he wanted nothing more than to continually show us celtic music, we were there for more than  two hours, he also loves electronic things which doesn't seem to very common to people here in brazil, they have 4 blenders 3 microwaves, an airfryer which is the first time I've seen one in brazil and egg cooker, also a first, and a pancake maker, also a first, I also saw many other kitchen appliances I couldn't figure out what they do, but he loves them, they made us pancakes and we took some home with us too, and from what I've heard you can't find pancakes in brazil but I have a member who makes them so I'm gonna flex that one. Her son also has many Bluetooth speakers but also an Alexa, which is also a first time I've seen one in brazil, he asked Romero if he'd already spoken with Alexa before, then looked at me and said I already have because I'm a rich American, it's true I have spoken with one before, butt I'm getting really sick of hearing about how I'm I'm rich American I hear it a lot, 

I decided to buy some playing cards. The guy selling them insisted I couldn't look at them first and I figured 20 reais is really cheap. I'll just keep my expectations really low and it'll be fine. I said I wanted to buy them in which the seller responded with "you want to buy these"? Referring to a much more expensive set of domino's. I said no and again referred to the cards again, then he again referred to the domino set, and this pattern repeated four times before he took my money and gave me the cards. I had my expectations really low but they weren't low enough, the worst playing cards I've ever touched.

I went with my comp and bought ice cream. I weighed it and saw on the scale that it would cost 12 reais. I handed a fifty because it was all I had, and was only given 25 dollars back. I figured I probably just read the scale wrong and it was fine. But my comps was way cheaper, about 12 reais. I'm sure it's fine though because everyone tells me I'm a rich American. 

Me and Romero were in the street and Romero saw a man selling watches and Romero needed a new watch so he started looking at watches, the man was also selling wallets and I needed a new wallet so I looked and asked how much for this wallet, the man said 25 reais, I looked at it for a bit while Romero was looking at watches, I said I'd buy it, then said 25 reais? To confirm before I handed him money. He replied with "no no no 35 reais" I thought that if he wanted to mark up the price he could do it cool and bought it anyway. The wallet kinda sucks but it works. I told Romero about how he made it ten reais more and how I was kinda frustrated about it and he consoled me and said it's okay because you're a rich American.

I have a new district with a lot of sisters missionary now because our district has a new area being opened by sisters.

I tried the drink every missionary loves here