March 8, 2010-Full Buses Eating Elder Barton

Dear Family & Friends,

-It would seem a small thing to suffer for Christ, or even die for Christ. But to live for Christ is a thing that is much harder.

This week has been one of the hardest so far. While our numbers have been the highest we've had, I've felt that my effectiveness has been at its lowest. My language has also felt like it has dead- lined and people have been having problems understanding me this week. On top of all of this, this week starting today, I am the senior, as part of my training. Which I am feeling woefully unprepared for.

-God sends angels to earth to help us, but more often He sends other people that do the same job.

I received a letter from a dear friend today that reminded me that it isn't our external factors that decide how effective or who we will become, but it is what is inside us that determines what will happen. And our desires that drive us, not our abilities.

This week we switched to Preparation Day on Monday...what an odd word. Segunda is Monday in Portuguese. So from now on I'll be writing on Monday. I'm not a huge fan, because we still have to go to Asa Norte (Brasilia) for District Meeting, so half of our day is spent traveling. But it's all good.

Another interesting thing is that for all of you that thought my feet were big in the US, in Brasil, they don't have my shoe size. So I'll probably send pictures next week of my Hush Puppies, because none of the shoes here are waterproof either. Everyone here wears sandals or they are rich enough they have a car when it rains.

It has been raining a lot here as the rainy season winds up. While being soaked through is not my favorite thing, the hills here when it rains are really cool and thunder storms are really amazing. Whenever we have a thunder storm, Elder R. Silva gives me the cell phone, because he is afraid that the cell phone attracts lightning. This one, he believes in with the same devotion as the Book of Mormon, so I gave up trying to convince him that he won't get struck. We have more chance of being struck in the trees he likes to wait out the worst of the rain. (P.S., if I die of lightning/cell phone related accident, I did preach the truths of the gospel...and that the Wright Brothers flew first. Take that Santos Dumont!)

We have 4 Elders in our apartment now, which is really interesting because I thought our apartment was cozy with 2. But it's okay, because one of them is Elder Hamilton of my MTC group, so we have a good time. I continue to make biscuits and now I am making Toddy-Banana milkshakes. Toddy is like Nesquick, but everyone here drinks it and you NEED it to drink the milk. Because then your milk tastes like chalk, instead of nasty sourness.

We had an interesting incident today on the bus. The bus was full. Literally full, where they wouldn't let anyone on because we had over 120 people. The funny thing is that the bus says maximum capacity is 70. We were fighting to get out at our stop and I was 5 people from the door, when the bus started moving again. With Elder R. Silva on the curb, I was hollering and making a fuss, but by the time the bus stopped again, I was one block (New York size block) from my companion. So I started running and ten minutes later we found each other. The other Elders thought this was funny.

I am very tired, but I think this week will be better.

Love you all,

Elder Barton