Semana Santa

Bom Dia-  (Good Day)

Yesterday, Easter (Páscoa) ended the Holy Week (Semana Santa) here in Brasil.  It is truly a cultural phenomenon here.  Everyone has the day off on Thursday and Friday before Easter.  Almost nothing was open at all the whole weekend.  A lot more people were willing to talk to us because they were enjoying free time.

So, there is an epidemic of pink eye going around here.  Various missionaries in the mission have it.  Three members in our group have it.  And Elder Wilson caught it.  One eye first and now in the second eye.  He is not happy about this.  He woke up four times last night to rinse out the ´´goop´´ in his eye.  I have not touched my eyes for four days.

Yesterday there was a soccer game between two of the biggest teams in Brasil, both rivals from Rio de Janeiro.  Flamengo versus Fluminense.  Everyone here calls it a ´´fla-flu´´ when these two teams play each other.  A vast majority of people here in Vitória and in the state are fans of Flamengo.  Last night we were walking down the street when all of the sudden a roar of screaming and cheering broke out across the whole city and fireworks started going off.  Flamengo had scored a goal.  Soccer is a big deal here.  Elder Wilson was here during the World Cup, and he said that last night was super mellow in comparison.  I believe him.

One really neat thing that I have liked since arriving here is all of the hummingbirds here.  I usually see at least one a day.  They sit up on the power lines like sparrows.  There are a lot more flowers here for them to drink from than in the States.

One thing that is not so neat is that a very popular form of advertising here is done with big speakers on top of cars that play catchy slogans about everything from supermarkets to cell phone companies.  Elder Wilson said that during election season candidates hire various people to drive around with these big speaker boxes.  It´s basically propaganda all the time, and really loud.  I already have the catchy tune to Rede-Show Supermercados memorized because it drives past our house every morning at least once.

We have a family that will be baptized as soon as they finish the long sticky process of getting married.  They gave us Easter eggs yesterday.  They are just an egg shell with the innards taken out the bottom, and they paint them with paints.  It was neat, mine had palm trees painted on it.  Inside they had chocolate covered peanuts wrapped in tin foil.  Basically home made peanut m&ms. 
Yumm.

We are having a really good experience teaching a man named Darli and his wife Arlete.  He has already come to church twice and she is very interested and always sits in on the lessons we give in their house.  He is the first person that I have met who really has a thirst for the truth, for the scriptures, a drive to learn.  And A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias has really struck a chord deep inside him.  He knows it is true, and he likes it.  He asks an abundance of questions, good questions.  (Everything from What does the name Mormon mean?  to Who can receive the Priesthood?)  Arlete met missionaries years ago in the home of her sister back in Bahía, (the state where Elder Russell Gray is serving...to the north of Espírito Santo, where I am now).  She said something really neat the other day.  We showed up to our appointment in the rain.  She said more or less translated: ´´I don´t know everything about your Church, but it seems clear to me that your church is the true church because you come visit us of your own free will, and even in the rain.´´  (Rain is a huge excuse to do nothing here in Brasil.  Really big excuse.  If it rains in the hour before church starts on Sunday, attendance will be less than if it is sunny.  Invariably.)  It is neat to visit with them.  They are set to be baptized on Mother´s Day.

We had interviews with President in the Stake Center in Jardim da Penha on Wednesday.  It was cool to ride the bus back to Vitória.  Traffic is nasty though.  Our trip there took one hour and 14 minutes.  Our return to Serra-Sede during rush hour took 2 hours and 29 minutes.  Riding on big Brazilian buses packed with people while its raining outside is interesting.  In the beginning, everone sitting by a window shuts the windows, but soon there the windows get foggy and it gets really hot and muggy with everyone smashed in the bus, so the people by the windows sit in limbo between opening the window and getting wet to shutting the windows and roasting.  You also get to eavesdrop on everyone around you.  Mostly empty chatter about annoying co-workers or the price of a pair of shoes.

Have a wonderful week everyone.  Happy Easter.
Elder JOSHUA BODILY