Week 3 of this transfer!‏

Hey everyone!


I have to be quick, my time is almost up. I loved reading all your emails, thanks! But to sum up this week....let´s see.


So updates on Souza, the "sober" guy from last week. So we´ve been visiting every day, and every day he claims that no, he hasn´t had anything to drink. One time we caught him by surprise at an unusual time, and he was smelling a bit like something, but he was like, "No no, I ate a bergamot just now, that´s what you´re smelling." And S. Draut and I...were starting to believe him! We were thinking he was just kind of unusual by nature, maybe taking medication, as he says he does, and that´s the reason for the slight "impairment" he seems to have. We had some more hilarious conversations with him: we´ve tried several times now to explain the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith. But when I asked this week if he remembered who Joseph Smith was: "Hmmmmm.....you´ve got me there. I have no idea." So we went through the whole thing again, how he restored the gospel, and then asked, "So what does it mean when people say he restored the gospel?"

Souza: "Hmm.....I don´t know."


So, explained the whole thing again, then asked, "So what´s the only true church of Jesus Christ on the earth right now?"


Souza, after a pause: "Assembly of God."


*silence as Sister Madsen and S. Draut sigh*


Souza: "Ahhh ha ha, I got you! Your church!"


So he´s really funny, and when he knows what´s going on has a great sense of humor. But we had kind of a sad night Saturday, when we passed by at night, unusual for us. But his mom said he wasn´t home, so we talked to her for a bit. I asked her right out if he had been drinking, and she said "Oh yes." She said he spends most nights at a bar close to there, and we could probably catch him there then. So we went there and sure enough, he was sitting right there in the door. He saw that we saw him, came out and said hello and everything, and when we asked what he was doing there, said he was hanging out with his friends like always. He said that he always goes there and orders a Coke float, but tonight and tonight only, the first time in 15 years or so, he had given in to the tempation of drinking, but only a little bit. So we asked him which he wanted more, baptism or cachassa, and he said kind of desperately "Oh, baptism". He really does have this deep desire to be baptized - it´s his fondest dream. But it looks like he´s seriously addicted. When I asked his mom before if he had ever tried to stop, she said yes, several times, but that he gets really sick and thinks there are bugs crawling all over the room and hallucinates and stuff. So....I got really sad about him, especially when he left the bar and we went back and talked to him at his house - he was so sad and ashamed, and wants to be baptized so bad. I can´t believe what alcohol does to some people - it made me really sad, and I felt so sorry for him. But he went to church the next morning, so....we´ll see if he can do it.


In other interesting news, we got permission to watch Amanda defend her thesis, and it was awesome! She did great, although the assesor people gave her a rough time. But she passed! Then Friday we went to her house with an apple pie we had made and had a fun night with her! She had always wanted to try apple pie, so we threw one together - it didn´t turn out half bad. So it was really fun to be with her, she´s a really great person. And is starting to get really interested in the gospel! She couldn´t come to church Sunday, so that was too bad, but next Sunday hopefully she´ll come again.


So to sum up everything else....as S. Draut said during weekly planning this week, "Huh...there seem to be a lot of people who like us all of a sudden!" Souza found us in the street wanting to be baptized....Amanda, when we met her for the first time, said, "No, don´t open the door! I have to open it, because you have to come back." (Gaucho tradition). Also, we met the brother of Vilmar, a recent convert, at his house. Vilmar is 40-ish and Eloir, his brother, 50-ish. Eloir invited us over to his house before we could even be pesky missionaries and ask him, and when we went and taught them, he said after, "I adored you guys. Seriously." And invited us to lunch to meet his other son and said he wished we could stay in Brasil forever. So there are a lot of people who like us recently! It´s been really great, and I love them all so much, actually in kind of an over the top way. It feels kind of "creepy" to love people so much that I hardly know, but I really do - I´m being blessed with that love missionaries always talk about for the people they teach. But I really do love them all.


And I love you all too, but my time is way past for this week! I hope you all have amazing weeks, and I´ll keep collecting stories and interesting facts for you for next letter. Thanks for your love and support, and I can´t wait to hear from you again! I love you all, and I want you all to know that I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true and living church on the face of the earth. I know it was restored by Joseph SMith, an that he saw God and Jesus Christ and was called as a prophet. I love you all, and I want all of you to have the happiness that the true gospel brings in life. Have an awesome week, and write back soon! :)


Love always,
Heather