January 14, 2013

HELLO FAMMY FAM,

Well sounds like there has been some crazy weather back home, it has been raining the ENTIRE week here if that helps and it is the most annoying thing ever. I still can’t decide if I would rather die from the insane heat or be soaking wet from rain all day.  Without further ado...HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!  I’m gonna send home a package mostly full of clothes and crap that I have collected on the mission but I’m gonna send a few little things home so that can be my present! Dont expect anything big and I’m sorry fam but I don’t have enough money to buy everyone soccer jerseys.  They don’t accept credit cards at 25 de Março (essentially Brazilian china town) so I had to use my money which ran out fast so hold strong for the soccer jerseys, I’ll make sure to bring PLENY when I come home!  This week was pretty packed but here are a few of the weekly highlights.

Tuesday:

-had MAC AND CHEESE for lunch! Yes you read that right!  Elder ____ and I found it at the Wal-Mart here! It is a legit Wal-Mart, great value straight from the US stuff. It was one of the most delicious things I have eaten on my mission.

-taught some killer good lessons with our elect investigators that we found out are moving this week....que maravilha.

-had an appointment with ____ at the church and we were on the other side of our area (a 45 min walk from where we were to the chapel) and well when we left it was POURING rain. Umbrellas have no use whatsoever seeing as we were SOAKING after five minutes in the rain so we just bailed on the umbrella and started booking it in the pouring rain to get to the church and well after 20 minutes of sprinting in the heaviest rain I’ve ever experienced in my life, we got to the church and it stopped raining…killer timing. But I took out the phone of my backpack to call ____ and it was raining so hard that the parking lot at his apartment complex was flooded and he couldn’t leave so needless to say that fell and since we were soaking wet and it was 8:30 at this point we started the dripping trek home but when we left the rain had totally stopped but as soon as we got a block away from the church, what happens? INSANO RAIN: Round 2, perfect right? That was definitely a record for the most rain I have taken on my mission and lefts hope I don’t ever break that record.

Wednesday:

- interviews with the president and house inspection. Our fridge got fixed by Elder ____ a senior couple we have on the mission.  Elder fix-it as I like to call him.  I passed my interview so that’s always nice.

- had some sweet lessons in that day, taught a new gospel lady that is a friend of ____ ____ and she just happen to speak in tongues during the closing prayer.  My poor son (Elder _____) all this crazy stuff is happening right when we got here and this is his first area, ha.

- was pouring rain the whole day again.....gotta love São Bernardo.

Thursday:

- district meeting: we got three talks from Elder Bednar to study because turns out he is coming to visit the mission on the 22!  I’m freaking pumped as can be so I’ve been studying up a storm about his talks that we got and he will be the third Apostle that I see on my mission! For a Brazilian mission that’s super rare! It’s just because we have the greatest mission President and sister ever! 

- did a division with Elder ____ and I went to their area to do a baptismal interview but that meant that my son, Elder ____ brand spanking new on the mission and Elder ____ son, Elder _____, also brand spanking new on the mission were gonna stick together so I may have been a little nervous about that and besides a little apostasy that they taught in one lesson haha it sounds like it was a sweet day and they really held their own!

- oh and one more umbrella down on the mission. That marks the fifth umbrella that I have gone through, either broke, lost, or given away. 

Friday:

- taught a hippie that was essentially atheist. We had done a contact with him forever ago and _____ taught his sister in a division one time but he was never home. We finally found him home and well he said that he would love to learn about our church but whenever I said anything he would question it and doubt it and well when he said that he preferred to believe in something he can see (mother earth) than a "fantasy" (being God) and well at that point we were out of there. I tried but when we pulled the fantasy line I couldn’t handle it anymore so I guess we’ll see if mother nature can save him.

- had a nice street lesson and visited some less actives!

Saturday:

- HANNAHS B-DAY!

-taught a guy that was taught 10 years ago by the sisters and he said he still believes in the BoM so we just gotta get him to actually come to church and já era!

- found out I had to give a 20 min talk on Sunday....mmmmm

- helped a family move and like the whole week we had the lovely rain coming down the whole time but I love me a good service project :)

Sunday:

- my talk ended up being solid, but we started sac meeting a little early and Elder ____ was super nervous because it was his first talk on the mission and our LMA (ward mission leader) talked for 10 minutes spot on, it left me with a solid 30 minutes to cover and well since I barely had anything prepared in the first place for my 20 minute talk, 30 minutes didn’t go down. I got it to a little over 20 minutes but after that I called it. It’s funny how before the mission I could barely handle a five minute talk that I had to whole week to prepare for and well on the mission you get less than 24 hours’ notice, don’t have time to prepare anything and well frankly your speaking in a different language. The mission is sweet! :)

- got a call from ___ ___ in Bertioga and man I miss everyone down there! Elder _____ is down there and it seems like everything is coming along greatly but talking to her was sweet! She may have started crying but being able to talk to "meu povo" in Bertioga was pretty great! :)

Today:

-we hit up 25 de Março and I am EXHAUSTED so frankly I’m outta here to prepare my training for tomorrow! I love you all, read your scrips, say your prayers, and get these letters coming :)

beijos e um abração......XOOXOXXOXO

ELDER GUBLER