This last week has been ridiculously busy, but way good! We've been organizing our groups of investigators, finding new ones to baptize, getting to know the members, obtaining references, contacting like crazy, and baptizing! Seriously, I've sat down for about ten minutes this whole week, ridiculously busy. But it has definitely paid off, we're getting everything down and yesterday had three baptisms! (Left to right in the photo) Bruno, this 15 year old kid that is rock solid in the gospel, he had a problem with drinking coffee, but up and quit to enter into the church, Brunielle (Bruno, Bruna, and Brunielle- all in the same family, haha), this little 12 year old girl who glares at me like I'm an idiot all the time, I spilled the sacrament water all over myself this last Sunday, but we get along way well, and this kid named Daniel, he's this 13 year old little wangster, always pretending to act hard, but he's way funny and we always make fun of eachother. They're all so legit! They all live in the bayeaux São José, the favela, the other side of the street from one another. Their baptism was so good, I had the privilege of baptizing them all. Afterwards, while I was changing clothes with Bruno and Daniel in the bathroom, I asked, "was it good??" And they were like, "No... It was awesome!" and then kept asking if they can be baptized again. Haha, they loved it. This week, we have for sure three more baptisms, but we're going to find some more. We're going to baptize everyone and their mom, literally, we're working on families. So yeah, it's good. I didn't know this, but I was promoted to Junior Assistent, so I've had some extra duties to do and more responsibilities, which has been sick! I'm learning a ton. Élder Cope is still in missionary mode, we don't talk a ton about his mission ending because he needs to stay focused, but he's way happy; we have a way good time together. I work way more with Élder Kawai though, because both of our companions are assistents and almost always gone. He speaks quite a bit of English, so we talk in English when we have stuff to say about investigators or members that we don't want them to know about, nothing bad, for the most part, haha, But he also knows a ton of American songs, so we walk the streets, just singing or rapping away. He's the man! He's the huge Brazilian who's hair I'm cutting. Did you know I could cut hair? Neither did I! I think I inherited it from you, thank you mommy! But yeah, I cut everyone's hair in the house, even mine, so we're all looking beautiful like missionaries should. Our new mission president will arrive in the first days of July, I know he's from Arizona, but I'm not sure exactly where, Shoot, well, I have to go, but I love you all and wish the best. Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I cooked pancakes while I waited for everyone while I was waiting for the phones, they were way good and all gone when I finished talking, Brazilians love pancakes. Also, sorry for my horrible English, that made everything slower, but it's hard for me to think in portugês and speak English, all I think about is in português. The other day, we ran into three Brazilians that could speak English; Elder Cope and I tried talking English with them, but we were super slow and incorrect. Yes, I have a microwave in my apartment; I'm actually living in one of the best houses in the mission; It's called the Moroni House, the house that is literally right across the street from Presidente and Sister, they can see in through our windows and they sometimes yell from their porch to us. It's also the house that all the new missionaries stay in their first night in the field, so it's got about twenty mattresses and 12 beds. So yeah, it's way nice and has everything! I'm living with three other missionaries, my companion, and one other companionship. Elder Cope's português is way good, better than most of the Brazilian's here, haha. He's been out for one year and eleven months, he'll be going home after this transfer. I get an hour to email every Monday, P-Day, but need to email Presidente every time, so it's more like 45 minutes. The mosquitoes aren't bad, especially here, in the city, almost none. I'm living in a Brazilian style of New York, it's so sick! Almost all the members here are way rich, there's tons of nice apartments, expensive stores, it's way cleaner here, it's good and completely different. The winter here is basically the same thing here, hot, it just rains a little bit. I have lunch appointments with members every day besides P-Day, and here, they feed you SO MUCH. So, no need to worry about me going hungry. No, only really rich people have AC, all of the missionary homes have fans, that's it. I have lunch appointments with members every day besides P-Day, and here, they feed you SO MUCH. So, no need to worry about me going hungry. No, only really rich people have AC, all of the missionary homes have fans, that's it.

Ok, I just received my new companion, Élder Cope, he's from Michigan and finishing his mission this transfer; I just met him about an hour ago and am hanging out with him in the mission home because he's an assistent to the president. He's way legit! It's going to be weird having an American for a companion for once, but I'm way excited. My new area is Manaita in the zone of João Pessoa, it's so sick! We have a huge beach, tons of buildings, less poverty, coisas boas! So yeah, it's all good.

This week, we had two more baptisms! One of this boy, Thiago, who's 14, dances to hip hop, and loves Chris Brown and wants me to bring him a pair of his shoes when I return to Brazil. And the other one is this 13 year old girl named Thaina, she's super loud and way funny. I got to baptize them both, it was so sick! Usually we split our baptisms up, but it doesn't really matter, all that does is that they're getting baptized! Our house is way cleaner now, I'm still cleaning up a storm (thanks for never letting me be a pig, mom), and they're doing better because I get on them for everything, haha. I don't think we're going to get our microwave back, it's gone for good! whatever the Lord wants! Thank you mom, I'm doing my best! I read my patriarchal blessing all the time too, I love that thing. Ok, the pictures: berinbal is me playing this instrument they use in capoeira, called a berinbal, so weird. Ensinando capoeira is me fighting the master of the capoeira class, he was teaching me this head spin thing at this part. Festa açaí is of this one night while we were at the little açaí shack and it started raining cats and bats, so we were stuck under the little covering there for about an hour, so we had a party with a bunch of random Brazilians! Grande batismo is a picture of our baptism two weeks ago, four people in one night! Ladrão is of me in the middle of this deserted street on the way to Colinas, looking like a fool. Outro batismo is our baptism last week. Ouvos is a picture of the area we used to throw raw eggs at eachother, the deal was, whoever lost at Uno, that companionship had to stand against the wall while the other threw eggs at them, so funny; we got eggs everywhere! Paraíso is a picture of Colinas I, the area we're going to baptize, and my companions noggin. Pôr do sol is Élder Carvalho and I on the road to Colinas at sunset. Rua para céu is another picture of me on the road to Colinas, that walk is so ridiculously long and hot. Sofa is of a random, broken, filthy couch we found on the side of the road, a great place to stop and read. And tambourine is a picture of me rocking the tambourine with the capoeira band during a match, right before my solo. So yeah, I'm doing well and having a great time! I'm healthy, baptizing, sweating, nothing' broken, and I'm showing Brasil what I'm working with. I love you all and hope to hear from you soon!

This week was great! But the beginning was a little saddening; Presidente came to our house and freaked out on everyone because their stuff was a mess. The only things that were clean were my room, bathroom, my desk, and the kitchen (all things that I clean everyday, haha). So yeah, he went nuts, kicked their stuff around, chewed them out, and said he'd demote them from their positions if they kept up this filthiness. He really didn't say anything to me, just keep things clean, and gave me a hug, then left. He took our microwave though, haha. But yes, that was terrible, but it's all better now- Everyone says that I'm going to be an assistent to the president soon because of how fast I'm learning everything. That and they think I'm going to break the record for fastest American promoted to Senior. I hope! This week we baptized four people in one night! One man, André, two relief society aged girls, Uriana and Adriana, and one primary, Rafaéla. It was so legit. They all live in Colinas, the super far area I talked about, that place is just full of people ready to receive the gospel. We're going to baptize about ten more in this coming week that live there. Élder Carvalho and I are going to work on opening a branch out in that area, which means one more mission in João Pessoa! Ugh, it's great. Two people out there have had dreams about the two of us: One that a member who lives there had was of a ton of people dressed in white standing in the chapel, with us in the middle; it was the branch we opened and all the people we baptized. The other, our new investigator, Roseline, had, was of God telling her that he was giving her a second chance to turn her life around and sending us to help her. So weird, but hey, God's will. This week's been way good. Last night, we were playing Uno in our house and the rule is: the person who is left with the most cards when somebody wins has to eat "um ovo croo," a raw egg. So yeah, I lost. So disgusting, I gagged, but got it down, you'd be proud of me. I love you all!