HELLO!
Sorry about the short email last week. I really didn't have much time.
My bday was.... Fine... Not great... I didn't get any mail but Hopefully I will this week! There is a guy going to Floripa this week to train so he's gonna try and go get it! So I really hope it's there! Other then that I have only gotten one bday card from RD. But we had lunch and the sisters made a cake for me! I sent pics of it so that was nice of them. We also had a ward activity about the.... IRON ROD!! It turned out great! I was the voice preparing them to get on the rod and it was awesome! I felt so dramatic! I was telling them all about how the blindfolds that they were wearing represented the veil at birth and that they should grab the rod and listen for the voice which would guide them until the tree of life. It was super spiritual and a few people were in tears and others laughed others were deep in thought. Now we have NO idea what we'll do for the next activity. Good thing its next month. Then we came home and we got a HUGE pizza that wrecked everyone. WE woke up the next day and everyone was like "hung-over" from pizza.... Super funny... We got 6 different flavors and I don't even remember what they were... But it was awesome.
Another spiritual experience was we got to have a conference with Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles! He was in Floripa! AND I FREAKIN MISSED IT! Super angry... But we had a meeting last night where it was broadcasted and it was good. He talked a lot about the temple and finding your OWN light before sharing it with others. He also talked about giving an example with your light and not FORCING your light on someone else. SO that was cool. Elder Aidukatis was there as well. Elder Anderson also spoke in PORTUGUESE! He had a lot of accent but it was good! He spoke a bit in English which was cool. Its been a while since I have had one of those meetings. It was really good and I wish I could say more but time prohibits.
We didn't travel this week because transfers happened and A LOT of things changed. In the mission there are now 18 assistants to the president and there are 2 per zone. Now they will be the ones going to the conferences with president. We got a call and my companion is being transferred to be one of the assistants in another area. I am receiving a new comp; he was a junior his entire mission and now he is a Zone Leader with me.
I have started my referencing of the book of Mormon in Portuguese that mom gave me before I left and it is great. I am referencing the scriptures that have to do with Attributes of Christ and it is amazing. I'm learning a lot about what HE would do and how HE would act so that it helping me a lot this week. I have a few of those cards that mom sent so long ago as bookmarks and I'm liking it a lot.
Yeah I got that pic of Steve's companion, and I thought that I sent it to you! I sent it to them this week to see if he would remember. He is super nice and like Steve's twin. Super funny.
The ward is supportive and they do a good job. But it's finding people to teach without a referral which is the trick. We are gonna try some new things this transfer and see if we cant get some more people to teach. We don't have too many yet. We have two that I mentioned I think already. One has trouble with just about everything; He probably only got baptized because of his family so that's a hard thing. We have another guy as well. He was taught by the Elders before us and since then has been so busy that he cant visit with us. So we are gonna really try and work him this transfer. They come to church every once in awhile but not every Sunday. At least they come!
The weather hasn't made its mind up yet. It was hot, then cold, then rainy, than windy and well annoying. This week it should be cool but not cold is what I've heard. But I don't know. The weather here is like home... Doesn't seem to follow a schedule.
But I guess that's all the really interesting things this week. I should get other bday things this week if anyone sent anything... hint hint... But in advance thank you everyone for the support thoughts and prayers. They make all the difference for me here around the world in a dusty, hilly town in Brazil. I love you all and I hope you have a great week starting school again!
Love Elder George
Eating mashed potatoes on my Birthday