What, In Brasil???

Então como esto esquecendo inglese, Vocês vão precisar pouco de google! [So how they are forgetting English; you will need some Google!]

I'm glad to say that I haven't forgotten everything, however.

This week I have worked and worked, and finally, yesterday, we had a little success. I was worried that we'd be working the whole time with people that didn't want anything to do with the church, but we found a few diamonds in the sand.

First off, we came back into contact with Jose Carlos, who unfortunately did not get the surgery done that he needed. But he will be recompensed for the time lost. He is also returning to smoking, and to our disappointment, coffee. Yes, he drank coffee that he'd stopped drinking in the first week we found him. Unfortunately, there is no “face-palm” button. But we are working with him whatever way we can. And our family preparing for marriage is doing well; we had a fun experience that I will tell in a story at the end.

We also have an interesting problem. ... All the camiões [trucks/truckers]are on strike. That's right, so at the moment there is no import or transport of goods. I'm probably going to be looking at the same boxes of milk, eggs and cereal for a while in the supermarkets. DON'T SEND FOOD TO ME!!! It'll never arrive!

So my fun story: We went to the home of Jose and Noile, our casal [couple] that will casar [marry] this month. And guess what? Talison, their youngest son, was there! So we puxamos a orelha dele [pulled on his ear]. And he understood why:  his parents are fighting to get to church, get baptized, and get married. And up until now, Talison has been slacking. PARABÉNS [Happy Birthday]!!! So we demos uma ameaça para ir a igreja, ou Elder A. Smith chega com água gelada para jogar no rosto dele [threatened him that if he didn’t go to church, Elder A. Smith arrives with cold water to throw on his face]. So he went.  Jose was happy, Noile was happy, Luan (his older brother) was busy as usual, but he was at church. So everyone ganhou [won]! YEAY! 

That's all for this week, stay tuned for the news on the Strike of the Caminhoneiros [Truckers]!

Elder Joel  A. Smith