Email #9 from Foz do Iguaca

Well, I would say that things went much better this week for Parker. Enjoy!


i hope your well mom and the surgery went all good and youre getting better. sorry to hear about chad and ill keep him in my prayers. about the address its tough cause if you send packages to the mission home they wont pick em up. they dont have time. you have to mail packages to a member in my area and im new so i cant really give you one haha but maybe someday. the letters you send em to the mission home and about once a month or possibly transfer they send them out. there more concerned about baptisms here. nobody really gets mail to tell you the truth. so just mail em to the mission home or when i get more accustomed ill let you know a better way until now thats all ive got.
           i have some things that have happened to me over the week that id like to share. just things i wrote down just cause im still getting used to the culture here. its probably the only time im gonna do this unless something extreme happens. i need to start kicking it into high gear ive only got 2 years here and i need to do all i can.
          on my street i thought there was two strip clubs. upon further investigation ive realized there hair salons. dont know what woman with giant bosoms have to do with hair but whatever brings in business.
           the old chaps have it down here. theres certain spots where they just chill under a tree and drink this brazilian drink all day. there the nicest people in town and always wanna talk. they know theyve worked a whole life, done all there is to do, and seen all they can see so they just chill, dont do anything just sit in some shade and talk with friends. there my idols.
          i have no idea whats going on. one of our recent converts called us hysterical so we met with her and she was crying a bunch. i thought cause her husband didnt wanna join the church also but it turns out she just caught him cheating. ya took me 3 whole days to figure that out. i have no idea whats going on.
         they sent the whitest boy to the hottest and poorest area in the mission.
         the brazilians cant believe i tract with that gold coin in my shirt pocket especially in our area. everysingle one tells me im gonna get a gun pulled on me. fool i got Jesus on my side
        people here will do anything we tell them to... except be baptized!
          found my mission call in alma 17:11
        i have a feeling once i get this language down im gonna be the best instrument in the Lords hands here. these are my people and i connect with them on so many levels. i just cant let them know yet.
       ya know in that movie the other side of heaven when that one girl tries to get with the missionary and he doesnt and after the mom is like just give us a white baby! lets get something straight, any woman that makes me a home cooked meal, i will marry her daughter and give her as many white babies as she wants. theres nothing like a home cooked meal. ive yet to find anything thats not delicious when you just throw rice and beans on it. salad, fruit, meat anything.
          right when my companion elder freitas was talking about baptism and about to invite a woman and her 11 year old son to baptism she just took her boob out and started breast feeding her baby. he invited her to baptism with her boob out. second time thats happend when a woman just pulls her boob out in a lesson and breast feeds. i see woman with there boobies out just breast feeding kids on there porch. ive seen more boobies here, as a missionary, a representative for Jesus Christ then ive seen in my whole life.
      i interpreted some adele song for some brazilians. i felt like that guy on saving private ryan at the end when he interprets the song. felt cool
      the kids play that kite runner game on windy days in the streets where they rap there stirng around each other and snap it. its super cool to watch there really good. they play with string wrapped around old beer cans with crappy kites here. thats how poor it is.
      tell grandma b i got her letter and i wrote her back
     theres random ripped old dudes
   this is the most selfless two years of your life. i wake up, pray for my investigators, study for 3 hours for my investigators, teach my investigators, get home pray for them more and plan the next day for them. its really awesome though the best time ever. i feel like a little shepherd with his little flock, trying  to guide them to the real great Sherpherd. i need to start talking more in our lessons, even if i dont know how to say it in portuguese its a lack of faith on my part. anyways hours up love you all. im going hard from here on out. eu sou Dan Jones
                                   Love,
                                             Elder Bennett