This has been a wild week. I have twenty minutes left on the timer, so I will type until it runs out!
I turned twenty on Saturday. I had the wonderful opportunity to have General Conference on my birthday. Not only were we watching conference in English in an air-conditioned room all day, but the conference was spectacular! All the normal Portuguese members were in the chapel watching in their language. About eight of us English speaking missionaries and President and Sister Pickett viewed the conference in English on a tiny little 32 or less inch TV with blown out speakers in the high council room on the second floor of the stake center in Jardim da Penha. In between the sessions, Elders Bagley, Rossi, and Souza (with whom I live) took me out to a lunch shop. I had a delicious pão de queixo (cheese bread) and suco de abacaxi (pure pineapple juice, made right in front of me, fresh!--literally, blended pineapple--delicious!!).
The Conference, as I said, was awe-inspiring. It is good to be reminded that the Church is a worldwide organization, and more importantly, that it is led by God. I felt super-charged by the Spirit after the final session.
I had to watch the priesthood session in Portuguese, and it wasn´t horrific. I caught a lot, but it was not the same as having it in English. The first session on Saturday was rough. The tech guy at the church, in charge of setting up the equipment couldn´t find the channel that was delivering the Portuguese translation of the conference. He couldn´t find English either. So, for the first 45 minutes all of us watched in SPANISH. It was hilarious. Finally, he got it working. Portuguese definitely has helped my ability to understand Spanish, though. I understood almost everything.
Right towards the end of the last session on Sunday, when Elder Jeffrey R. Holland was speaking, an electrical storm passed over us. It was the most breathtaking storm I have ever seen. Lightning was flashing every five to ten seconds for hours! Many of the bolts left crashing explosive thunder. At one point in the conference, we heard Elder Holland say in his emphatic and slow voice: ´´The voice of God will be heard.´´ This was immediately followed by a flash of lightning through the window and an instant sonic boom of thunder. I had goosebumps all over. At least five of the lightning bolts were followed by thunder within one second. There was a downpour also, of course. It was really neat.
Also, I found out last night that I have been transferred! I am leaving Vitória 1. I don´t find out where I am going or who my new companion is until tomorrow. I am nervous and excited. It will be good to have this fresh start with a new age, new companion, new ward, new area, and a new outlook-inspired by conference.
In Vitória, there are three blue macaws that fly over the city regularly. They have a routine, it seems. Most mornings they land on a telephone post a block away from our apartment. Today, we went to take pictures of them when they arrived there. We found out that they go there because the post is next to an old lady´s house, and she feeds them whenever they come. They sit on the pole and call out until she comes outside. We talked with the old lady, took pictures really close up of the parrots. Brazil. Enough said.
I am in really good spirits, I feel energized by the presence of the Spirit, and I am determined to make the best of this new transfer. Have a fantastic week, all.
Elder JOSHUA BODILY
PS. Wish me luck with packing.
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