WEEK #42

Tranquilo gente! 

This week has been really hot and rainy! New years was crazy, it has been a tiring week as well. We have made a lot of contacts but nobody has really been interested. There have also been a lot of drunk people so that is always fun to deal with. But transfers are today, I will be staying in Ponta Porã with Elder Vecchio. He will be the new District Leader so that's pretty sweet! Also, Elder Aguilera who lives with us will be training a new missionary this transfer and he's an American so that will be fun to live with another American! It has been pretty frustrating the past two weeks, a lot of people here, especially missionaries don't like American missionaries at all. American Elders have to be really careful about what we say about home, the United States, cars, food, culture, sports, anything, because no matter what we say, some Brazilian missionaries think we are just being prideful about America and that we don't like Brazil. It's pretty annoying haha. But this mission only has like 35 or 40 Americans so we are a big minority. It can get frustrating when there is a prejudice about Americans, we just have to look past the nationality and realize that we are all missionaries for the same church doing the same work! 

We still have a girl on date for baptism this Saturday, we are praying that everything will work out with Sonaira. Her mom still doesn't want her to be baptized but hopefully she will let her! Sonaira is only 14 so we have to have parent permission. We will see how things go.

But nothing too crazy has happened this week, I didn't eat anything weird haha. But we had some awesome food for the Holidays, the people here have been really generous to us. I haven't really gotten tired of Rice and Beans surprisingly. But I have been craving a real cheeseburger lately! Also milk. I miss drinking milk. But I love all the food and fresh fruit down here :)

Elder Vecchio and I happened upon some bikes, so I think we will be riding bikes in the mornings for exercise! We just have to find some place to buy new intertubes first. Oh also, we will be getting a microwave pretty soon here, that's a miracle! Haha I cant wait.

The language is coming along, I can understand a lot more now and I don't have a problem teaching, but it is still hard I still don't know a lot of words. But I will get there eventually! The hard thing is when we run into people from Paraguay and they speak Spanish. It throws me off way bad! But a lot of my dreams are in Portuguese, its weird.

Anyways, things are gong really well down here, the work is tough but good! We are going to work hard this week to find more investigators who are ready to be baptized! 

I love and miss you all! :)

Elder Kyle Payne