New President!‏

Hey guys!


So first of all, I take back everything I said last week about the cold. It really is really, really cold here! I´m such a wimp about it - everyone says, "I can see your companion being cold, she´s from Bahia, but doesn´t it snow where you´re from?" But here.....it´s not really as cold as it gets at home...40 degrees is not that cold, but there´s this wind here that feels like someone throwing 40 degree water in your face. There will be these bright, sunny, beautiful days, with the palm trees and everything, but this insane wind that feels like someone left the door to Antartica open, and you just can´t warm up. So the point is.....it´s cold! :P


But the most interesting thing about this week was meeting our new president! Presidente and Sister Ribeiro got here on the 1st, but we met them on Thursday and Friday. Thursday he had interviews with everyone, and it was great to meet him like that. He´s amazing! I won´t compare him with Presidente Myrrha, but I loved getting to know him in the interview. He´s one of those people that seems like they´re looking right through you. So we talked for a good 20 minutes, it was great.


And then on Friday we had Zone Conference. It was great! He gave a bunch of the new trainings from Provo, and changed a lot of things to be more in line with Provo´s vision. For example, it´s no longer recommended to split the first lesson into 3. And we´re required to mark a date for someone´s baptism in the first lesson! So I´m really grateful for that. I feel like it will really open windows and people will really progress better - it´s what the prophets and apostles want. He also showed us some of "The District - 2" which I was nerdily excited about! The District was a movie/documentary made after the release of Preach My Gospel in 2004 to train missionaries how to use the manual, and now there´s a second one! You know you´re a missionary when you get more excited about that than the normal movie sequels you hear about. So we spent all day in trainings, doing some practices, etc. We also got to know Sister Ribeiro! I instantly loved her. She reminds me of you, Mom!


So that was the most exciting thing of the week! As far as people, NO ONE except Luciano and his son came to church - there was practically no one there because it was really cold and raining. Seriously, when we got there, we walked in with Luciano, and walked into a chapel empty except for the stake counselor. People here are so afraid of rain and cold. But it really makes me think about what kind of member I´m going to be - not that it´s a sin to stay home if there´s bad weather or something, but I want to be the kind of person who has the faith to go the extra mile.


But things are going really well with Eva and Gilberto - if all goes according to plan, their baptism will be not this saturday but next. It will be the first baptism I´ve helped with of an entire family! I´m really excited about them. They´re amazing. Cinthia and Wagner....are doing ok, we can never seem to find them both at home, but Cinthia´s still excited as ever, although they didn´t go on Sunday.


But everything´s going well here! I´m surviving the cold and having a great time!:) I´m so grateful to be here, having these experiences that are going to change the course of my eternity. I know that every one of them comes to me for a reason. I gave a talk yesterday about Ammon - I´m so grateful to have the chance, like he said, to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about His great work. Thank you all for helping me get here! I love you!!


Til next week,
Sister Madsen