Jan 25

Ok, so I seriously planned what I needed to write and forgot it back at the room, so I´ll try and remember as much as possible right off the bat.

So, to start off, an annoucement about how this email will have to work. I have to take pictures now and respond to your questions within the next week or through letters. Its just too crazy in here, elders being dishonest on how long they´ve been on the computers and theres just not enough time to respond with that going on. If everybody dislikes that idea, I can really try to read the letter within the time frame of writting. and I´ll try to save some time at the end to answer questions.

Ok so, Elder Hanna and I made GREAT goals this week, and we started being a little more open in companionship inventory and not so worried about offending each other. We also talked to our district leader about how we as a companionship can really help our district to be a little more reverent when we are in class and in the hallways and what our companionship can do to be better in general. He really appreciated that. And our district is doing a lot better.

As far as teaching goes, one of the things I mentioned to Elder Hanna in comp inventory is that I really think he kind of takes too much time talking because he knows portuguese so well, as he studied like LATIN and SPANISH in college for two years. So, I just told him kindly, and he kind of suspected, that he didnt really let me get a lot out in lessons. So I told him just to let me struggle with saying something. And actually I came to find that when he did that, I could say almost as much as he could. Just not as fast. In fact I taught the whole first lesson in portuguese this last time and we switched off very nicely between him asking questions and testifying and me telling the facts and testifying. In fact our teacher said we did very well. We´re going to challenge that investigator to baptism next week. Speaking of which, ELIZABETH, those little tiny notebooks you gave me are THE BEST! I use them for everything, I have two, plus my white hand book and verb card jammed in my white shirt pocket right now. I use one for just writting down all the words I learn in a day, another for keeping adresses and e-mails, one for my excersise notes, and one for profiling investigators. They are life savers.

As for our other investigator, Vanessa, we challenged her to be baptized in Februrary but she didnt seem to excited and said it was too soon and we told her that we would, with the Lord´s help, help her to be ready for that baptism date. But she didnt seem too excited, although she is praying and she does have a book of mormon. She´s just not excited to commit. She seems bored in lessons so I kind of have to be like `Marcella? you there?´. But you know, whatever, we try making it fun and maybe she just isnt ready to hear the gospel yet. But she hasnt denied to get baptized yet so we´re keeping her.

I love this program called TRC, I dont know if you all know about it, but its basically an opportunity to teach a one time investigator and get filmed while you do it. Its really really fun. It helps Elder Hanna and me a lot! I am very greatful for it. I am going to ask if I can send one of the films to you. Its crazy to watch and be like ^Wow we look like missionaries!´.

Anyway, So... Elder hanna had to see the doctor this week, his stomach is killing him and when he did, I talked to the doctor too, Which it turned out that he´s in my branch president. And anyway, the doctor above him asked me about some of the digestive problems I have beeen having and told me to talk about how far back I could remember having them. And I told them back in August just after the camping trip. Anyway, he said that with the three times I vommited before the mission and with the chronic diareah, he says I could have a bit of Genardia or something. Anyway he~s not for certain but before I left he gave me some pills for it and put me on a diet. It seems to have helped (probably just the diet) but just so ya´ll know.

Oh yeah! one funny story, ok so when we taught the first lesson to that investigator, just after, the teacher resumed her natural self and stopped acting like an investigator and told us that she needed us to hide and sing and pretend like we were a distracting radio for the next group of missionaries coming in and so we sang a micheal buble song until they told her to turn of the music. It was pretty funny.

Ok, again, its crunch time but one last thing: We´re singing for Neil A. Anderson today! its going to be very exciting!

Ok