The bus ride from Campos back to Vitória was absolutely gorgeous. I have never made the trip in the daylight hours. The four hour ride was full of green firelds, mountains covered in lush green jungle, rivers, blue skies, and a few small towns built up on hillsides.
The transfer happened in a chapel this time. Normally, it happens in the bus station, but I think that from now on President is going to have us do it in a chapel. So, we arrived there in the chapel and waited a long time for the transfers to start. My companion Elder Wilson from Serra went home this transfer! It was too weird. We talked for about an hour and he showed me all the neat stuff he is taking home. He is my last senior companion to leave the mission.
In the end, I got a little bit of a shock. I was called as a zone leader. Half of the current zone leaders were either released or went home, and I was called to be one of the zone leaders of the Zona Cariacica. Me and my companion will be the zone leaders of the missionaries of the Cariacica Stake.
My companion is Elder Rocha, from Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. He is pretty neat. He is going to hit the one year mark soon. He and I arrived together here in the area. The ward here is called Ala Itacibá. (Eee-tah-see-BAH). We meet in the big stake center chapel of Cariacica. I think I have already sent a picture of the chapel in a past email. It is the chapel where President Pickett gave his farewell, where we had the Christmas conference, and where I have had several zone conferences. And, this is the area where Elder Bagley, my former companion was run over by the train and lost his leg. Several members here recognized me because Elder Bagley put up photos of us together on his facebook and a lot of the members here are friends with him on facebook.
Cariacica is one of the suburb cities of Vitória. We divide the ward with one other companionship. The other companionship is made up of Elder Furrows (Roberts, Idaho) and Elder Dance (Redmond, Washington). Elder Dance is arriving in the mission. This is his first week in the field. He is really funny. Elder Furrows only has five months or so in the field! The two of them are working really hard to learn Portuguese. They have a 100% Portuguese goal, no speak English never! Meanwhile, my companion wants me to teach him English, piano, and how to write in his journal. He has only written one entry on his whole mission.
We are getting to know the members and the leaders here in the ward. It is pretty exciting to get to know a new area, but it is a lot of work, and it is a slow process. This is the third time in a row that I have arrived in the area together with my companion.
Yesterday we went to church for the first time. We had to almost run to the church because we forgot that we had a meeting with the bishop before the meetings. One detail: to arrive in the chapel from our house, it is a thirty minute walk and a big hill (think Camel Back Park) sits in between our house and the chapel. We walked it in about 20 minutes, power walking. Sweating. But the meetings were good. We were told when we arrived that I would be giving a talk in sacrament meeting and that we would be teaching Gospel Principles. Surprise! It was good. Funny that people always have a really hard time pronouncing my last name. I joked with them that they could just say Elder Bode (pronounced bodge) which means Elder Goat.
Our house is big. It has a hammock, but it is broken. I think I am going to have it fixed.
This next week is going to be wild. We have four divisions and a counsel of the zone leaders. The counsel is going to happen in President´s house!! The first time since I arrived in Vitória that I am going to enter. It is a neat apartment with a view of the beach and ocean.
Elder Dance says a lot of funny things. And all the questions that his companion can´t answer come straight to me. He is a diligent learner and will learn Portuguese very quickly. He also lived and studied at BYU for a year.
Have a great week,
Elder Bodily / Elder Bode
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