Opppa!

I got transferred!!! I'm in Parnamirim.  It's super pretty here it's close to Natal and the coast. The members here feed me so much, so you know I'm happy hahha. So I got here last Wednesday with my new comp Elder Cardoso. Who is a Brasilerio from São Paulo.  He's really cool and he only has one year in the mission. But it was pretty hard leaving my last area. Leaving some of the members there and the Elder's in my house.  But I'm defiantly way happy to be here. 

So here its only me and my comp in the house because President Soares closed the other area. I guess they weren't baptizing a lot. So our area is huge for us. 

I think I jinxed myself because I was thinking it would suck just living with only your comp.  I haven't done this yet in my mission but its pretty chill so far and its defiantly not as crazy. We've been working a lot contacting people in the street and teaching a few people that my comp already had.  He cut most of the people he had before I got here though. So we are starting from scratch pretty much, but that isn't a problem.

This week we went to an English teaching school to see what time they have classes and what time the classes get out.  We have a bunch of Liahonas in English at our house we want to give out. We have been walking up to people talking in English to them and then we talk in Portuguese.  Just joking with them and but also to get their attention. But it was super funny, when we went to this school, we acted like we were going to sign up for classes there. I was going to sign up for a Portuguese class and my comp for an English class.  We planned this so when we got there my comp was like "ya I want to learn English because I want to help my friend speak Portuguese and stuff." I just sat there like I wasn't  understanding anything they were saying haha. But then at the end I talked to the teacher and we got the hours.

We are working with these 2 woman here that make and sale hotdogs and hamburgers on the street infront of the catholic church. They are really cool. The other elders got in contact with them while eating there and they were always trying to get a chance to go to their house and teach them, but it didn't workout. But finally this week me and my comp got invited to their house to eat and stuff. They live in a military neighborhood. It is super sweet because one lady is married to a soldier, and the other lady is her sister. I got to meet her husband yesterday eating hot dogs and he's really cool but he is always busy with work. I talked with him a lil and he said there are a lot of American soldiers here that train with the Brazilians, in airplanes.  So I hope I can find one of them that doesn't speak Portuguese. I bet it would be cool for them to talk to another American here.

When we went to their house we ate a ton of lasagna, jello and cake. I was dying cause she was forcing me to keep eating more and more haha. I ate a ton and told her I was full, but then she asked if I wanted more?! She ordered her sister to put more food on my plate so I had to eat more hahah. I was telling her that I need to find a wife that can cook like this. Trying to give her a complement and then she started telling me straight up that I can marry with her sister haha!! I was like I didn't mean it like that?! But after this we left them with a message about the restoration.  It was really good because the one lady was crying a lil because she's really big on family and worries about her husband a lot.  We focused a lot on families and how they are important. 

About a week ago we also got a sweet opportunity to help a friend of a lady in our ward that lost her baby not long ago. We taught her about the plan of salvation and how there is life after death and that her daughter is waiting for her in heaven and all that she needed to do was her part in this life to see her again.  We taught her about the story in the Bible when the kids came up to Jesus and his disciples tried to stop them, because they didn't want him to be bothered. But Jesus told the children to come because they are so pure and without sin. It was a really cool experience. And also with the member there to help bear testimony of these things and how the gospel has made a difference in her life. The members here are super cool. They always invite us over, like right now I'm at a members house cause she invited us to lunch and to hangout which is super rare to have lunch on a Pday. 

Also this morning we woke up and went to a recent members house to grab her coconuts from the tree haha. I feel like I'm in Hawaii!  We pulled off like 30 and brought about 14 to our house. We cut them open with this huge knife like Rambo!  So I think we are going to be stocked up until transfers again. 

But I hope everything is going well at home. Dad that campout sounded sick up there at Big Lake. I remember when we would go there as kids a lot. And mom I want to hear your crazy stories from the airport. 

I love you guys,

Elder Mauter   

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