Semana Longa (Long Week)

Oi gente.This week was quite interesting.  We are teaching a man who is a vendor of coconut milk.  This is quite common on the streets here in Vitória near the bus stops.  He always has way too many coconuts.  Therefore, this week I ate coconut with a spoon directly from a coconut, and drank coconut milk directly from a coconut with a straw.  Here it´s called water of coconut.  This is a better name because it tastes like some strange flavor of Propel, nothing like milk or even close.  This man came to church for the second time yesterday!   Progress!

I started a habit with Elder Souza, one of the other missionaries I am living with.  We are running in the mornings.  We live quite close to the water´s edge and the port (most of the city of Vitória is an island.  We live on the island, the mission office is on the island, etc.)  Anyway, we are running along the pathway next to the water´s edge.  Palm trees, cobblestone sidewalk, barges entering the port, little crabs on the path, the whole bit.  The road is called Avenida Marechal Mascarenhas if you want to look at it.

I conducted the baptismal meeting for the baptism of an investigator of Elder Rossi and Elder Souza´s yesterday.  I also played the piano, and was a witness for the baptism.  It was a little crazy, but we got thru and there were no glitches.  Well, that´s a lie.

Our investiagator Irene was all set up to be baptized yesterday, but backed out on Friday.  Despite a powerful lesson with us, and the wife of the former mission president of the Brasil Curitiba Mission, she still backed out.  We hope to reschedule... :?  This was very disappointing, especially because her reason is pretty silly.  Perhaps she has a deeper issue.  We hope to help her overcome whatever obstacles she is facing.  We have a family home evening with the family of that former mission president and her tonight.

On Tuesday I went on exchange with Elder Souza.  On Thursday and Sunday night I was on exchange with Elder Rossi.  We had a full and successful day on Tuesday, an awesome experience.  However, Thursday was without any appointments, just looking for people to teach.  We found only one person all day.  This was difficult.  Always interesting and refreshing to work with different missionaries, though.  If sometimes, a challenge.

Good news!  Various times in this email my brain has been saying a Portuguese word, and I am having to force the English.  Just a little, but this is exciting.  It´s already starting to happen in spoken language.

We are downtown right now, from here we will go grocery shopping, go home, clean, and hopefully relax a little before another week starts.

Tchau everyone.
Elder JOSHUA BODILY