Week 12 in Volta Redonda

(I must preface this by saying the we had sent Braden our pictures we took of our Disneyland trip)

Hey Guys!

Hahaha Those pictures are nuts! My companion and I were laughing at how crazy you all look going down splash mountain, but it sounds like you all had an amazing time! I about freaked out when you all said that a Lady from São Paulo moved across the street! I got way excited! I can keep my Português when I get home! Between her and Brother Salas and Brother Donner as well. I´m going to bring Sam home with me as well so we will have even more Brasilian awesomeness! Sam, I got you´re message and they make me laugh everytime. Everytime I think of Rebouças and you, I just laugh and wish I was back there in Oyster Town again. My friend Sean, who used to come over with me and Dylan remember, he got his mission call to Salvador Brasil and is leaving in August and he just emailed me today so I need to send you an email to send to him since I can´t. And Sam, can you put up my address on Facebook for me, if you already haven´t? We have a new rule for the mission that we can´t put up anymore pictures on facebook from the mission until we get back home, so don´t do that anymore alright? haha This week was pretty crazy but really, really good. We had interviews with President on Thursday and he asked Elder Glade, ``How´s living in Batman´s Cave?`` haha it was hilarious; he knows that our house is pretty crazy on the outside. You guys got that picture right?

Zone conference this last week was so amazing; so spiritual. It was in Petrópolis, one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life!! It is a jungle!! The trees there are so tall and there are so many of them everywhere, it´s so awesome! So that night, we got about three hours of sleep because we had to get up at 2 to be ready to leave at 3 and it´s pretty impossible to get any sleep with all of the missionaries in our zone smashed into the van. We watched mobsters and mormons and charly on the way there and back and everyone was getting depressed during charly, forgot how sad it is. I was just thinking about Megan the whole time when she used to watch that everyday and about the taco as well haha. And Mom, no I didn´t get the package. Nobody got any mail this time, so I might have to wait a few more weeks, I don´t know when we will get our letters.

So Elder Godoy was at our conference on Wedensday, he is in the Area Presidency here in Brasil. He shared some amazing experiences and training with all of us; the Spirit was so strong there. I´m telling you, I´ve never cried so much in my life than on my mission because of the Power of the Spirit that is here. He was asking all of the Elders, ``what was the last thing that you´re parents said to you before you left?`` One of the Brasilian Elders said something that touched me. He said that before he left, His mom promised him that She was going to get back into the church while he was in the mission. The Spirit was so strong and there wasn´t a dry eye in the chapel I´m pretty sure. I was so surprised at how many of the missionaries there don´t have support from their families and they are some of the most powerful missionaries that I have ever seen or met in my life. Elder Godoy shared an experience when he was on his mission. His parents weren´t members and they didn´t want him to go on his mission, and anytime that he would write home that he was having difficulties with something, they would tell him that he needs to leave and come home. He decided that he needed to just keep going and being an example to his family even though they didn´t support what he was doing. It was an amazing experience for everyone there! We all learned so much and were so full of the Spirit when we left.

We had an activity on Saturday with the ward and the church and it was so awesome! We had a ton of less actives come and it was so cool to see them come and participate! Luiz was there and Cosme and Dulciene was there as well. They are some of the most amazing people I´ve met here in Usina, but they don´t go to church so I was so excited to see them show up and talk to them. I absolutely love the people here!! I don´t want to leave here! Bishop gave me one of his ties yesterday and it is way sweet! I love him and his family so much, they are such amazing people! I feel like we have made a difference here for sure! When we first got here, the members weren´t as united and happy, but I can notice a complete change now! We didn´t do anything, it was the Spirit of course, but it was so cool to watch the change and take a little part of it! We have transfers today so I don´t know what is going to happen; I can´t believe it is already transfers again, this is ridiculous! Time just keeps getting more and more crazy! We met another awesome lady here who we have adopted as our mom out here. We went over there last week and she cut our hair and she always makes desserts for us, it´s so sweet! She is such an awesome lady, her name is Márcia. She has a son on the mission in São Paulo, but she isn´t a member. We have been trying to work with her, but she still hasn´t accepted to be baptized. I think that we have definitely made a difference though and I hope that one day soon she will be baptized.

I don´t want to leave here haha it´s going to be tough!!! I definitely need to come back here after the mission and visit a ton of people! We talked more with Ozair and he and his family are so awesome!!!! He is the one who has the son that looks exactly like Matt from work, it is ridiculous!!! He is such an awesome guy and he is going to start helping us a lot more in the work, we are going to go do divisions and stuff with him. The members here are getting so much more excited to do missionary work.

I wish you guys could meet these amazing people that I´m here with, we will have to all come down to Brasil when I get home and go to all of my areas. Everyday just keeps getting better and better and my love for the people just keeps getting greater and greater! I love this work, I´m so grateful for The Lord for giving me this opportunity to serve these people here in Rio! I love you all and hope that you all have an amazing week!

Love, Elder McDonald