July 27, 2010-He's at it again!

Pictures from the waterfall trip in Paranoa

Dear Family and Friends,

Yeah...I bought another jersey. This one wasn't as expensive, but I need to stop after this one, or when I come back I will be a very poor college student with a lot of jerseys. I'll send a picture this next week. I pulled out R$10 to buy stamps and then another R$80 for the jersey. The good news is, I don't have any regrets and it also has Antares on the front. Very cool.

This week I got another flood of mail. It was really good to hear from G&G Widmar to hear about their motorcycle adventures, Elder Wendleboe (who is the Dog!) and from the 18th Ward YW-thanks Chelsea & Lori McCarty and Lindsay Clegg. I also got a cool postcard of Venice from Breanna. Thanks everybody!

I also got a note from Natalia, which is really cool because she'll be here in November. I'll try to get a message together and send it next week about the mission.

The ward here is amazing. We ate at one of the bishopric's houses yesterday and he was telling us how the ward had a meeting to discuss the lunches of the missionaries. They have a list of backup sisters in case our lunch falls. He said "It is an injustice to have our missionaries walking around hungry." Pretty strong words about lunch. But lunch is also sacred hour here, so I am grateful that they care so much about us.

In Sacrament meeting I am the pianist again. I would be so embarrassed to play back home, but here they really appreciate even having a top hand. What is really cool is that I can play almost all of the Sacrament hymns with both hands and I know that is isn't because I play well, it's because Sacrament is the most important part of the week.

In Sobradinho and Paranoa, they used a bread that when I first tasted it, I tried to swallow it, because it tasted really sour. And then the first week here we had normal bread again and I realized that maybe having the Sacrament bread being bitter was a good reminder of the death of the Savior. The Sacrament bread is torn in remembrance of His broken body for us. It was something to think about each time I take the Sacrament now.

I was looking through my emails and I have realized that I have been classifying areas as "hard" or "easy". That is a miscommunication on my part. In my opinion there is no such thing as an easy baptism. Every baptism is a miracle-whether it be an 8 year old child or 43 year old man. To get to the point where a person will enter those waters and later receive the Holy Ghost, is a journey that for many members of the church started years before the missionaries began talking to them. Finding those people that are prepared though, that part can be different in each spot I have served.

Oh, my Propets and Hush Puppies died. They both have good size holes and I hate picking rocks out of my shoes. Thanks for the BomPels!

I made 9 months. Here is a quick 9 month difference between now and then. 1 thing for each month!

1. Lost 40-45 pounds!

2. A new language, new country and new life

3. My toothpaste and shaving cream both come out of a tube

4. Have read the Book of Mormon 4 times and will be 5 in a few weeks, and Jesus the Christ 2 times

5. Have eaten oatmeal for 6 months straight and every morning I am still excited for oatmeal-will I put in banana or chocolate today? Hot or cold? So many options!

6. Learned to shave without a mirror

7. Learned to love and crave beans and rice and bananas-all mixed together. So good.

8. Learned how to perform home surgery on feet

9. Made Reeses out of peanut butter and chocolate powder

Love you all. Enjoy the pictures.

Love,

Elder Barton