Email 7/27/09

Email received July 27, 2009
5th Area: Joao Pessoa-Tibiri
9th Companion: Elder Malla

ATTENTION: PORTUGUÊS IS NOT ESPAÑOL

haha for some funny coincidence, almost everyone who wrote me this week included words in spanish in their email. although the 2 languages are similar, their vocab doesn't really have anything to do with each other- so, all these words are not portuguese haha... now you know!

well, i still can't believe i am training once again. this is now my 3rd son and i think i currently hold the record in this mish for most sons... pretty soon i am gonna be the brazilian version of cheaper by the dozen. his name is Elder Malla and he is not american like my first son... nor is he brazilian like my second... no, he is from CHILE! he is a good worker and so far we get along great. the only thing is that he almost didn't come on a mission, and even in the CTM he had decided to give up and talked to the ctm pres about going home. he ended up staying, but said that he was praying really hard for a good trainer. so i am trying extra hard to be able to be the comp he needs.

we have got a lot of new people lately to teach and we are trying out new tactics to have new investigators every single day. this past week we confirmed HERCULES and took his little brother and other friend to church, and hope to baptize them both this weekend. all of the others didn't make it to church, but that's the key to always having new people... we can cut out who is not progressing and move on to find those who will.

yes, the infamous swine virus (or whatever its called in english) has finally reached north-east brazil and recently hit really hard here in the joão pessoa area. everyone is kinda freaking out and today i had like 6 emails from sister fernandes and the doctor of the mission with a ton of warnings and pre-cautions and emergency procedures and stuff. the sister commanded all of us to go buy a ton of alcohol today and keep it with us at all times --- we now have to rub it all over our hands and arms EVERY SINGLE time after we shake someone´s hand during the day (for a missionary thats a minimum of 50 times) and do a bunch of other disinfectant stuff to our houses and clothes and stuff and its crazy. at least doctors masks aren´t required! (yet)

love elder sherwood