3/23/12 Email from Colatina

I am paying for more internet time today so that I can write you all and say what I want to say.  I am learning how to be a leader and it is taking more out of me than I thought.  I am more tired and I think that that is also due in part to me not talking about things.  This week I have been studying a lot in the Christlike Attributes section in Preach My Gospel.  I have learned a lot of things that I am changing right now.  I am trying to do the best I can to have fun and also work diligently. I really like my mission, I really like working in this area and I am trying to find other things to make me happy while I am working. One thing that makes me happy is climbing hills here, I don't know why but it is probably because of cross country, it relieves my stress.

I miss you all and I am glad that you are here supporting me.  I got my package on Saturday.  I really like the tie, I used it yesterday for church.  My companion and one of the other missionaries really liked the slinkys so I gave them the slinkys.  The other missionary that was left, I gave him some of the punching balloons, he really liked that.  He is like me, he can be entertained by small things.  Thanks for the jelly beans I have not opened them yet.  Oh, and I really liked the toy swords that you sent, that made me really happy when I opened the package. 

 

Tomorrow I have 11 months on the mission and in 32 days I will have a year!  I am excited for that.  I am glad that I got to say what I have been feeling and everything.  I miss you all and love you all!

 

Elder McBarron

 

3/19/12 Email from Colatina

Sorry for not writing a longer email, I have a lot more stuff to do as a senior companion that it is harder to have time to write a lot.  This week was a little rough.  Well, it is starting to cool down here a little bit, but I have heard that Colatina is always hot.

 

[What lessons were you able to teach this week?]  We have been teaching more less actives than we have been new investigators it is what I think this area needs.

 

[What was your best experience this week?]  My best experience this week was the zone conference that we had.

 

[What was your last service project that you did?]  Pretty much all of our service projects deal with moving construction material here in Brazil.

 

Love you and miss you.

Elder McBarron

3/12/12 Email from Colatina

[Where is the new area and who is your new companion?]  Well I am doing ok, I am in my new area, working and all that. My new area is called Colatina there are a lot of hills in my new area.  My new companion is Elder Zaranza, his is from Manausse.  I like him and he just got done being trained.  We have nothing set up, they left nothing for this transfer and I have no idea what they have been doing.  I am pretty much opening a new area.

 

[So what have you done for fun? how is the new ward/branch?]  For fun I have been climbing hills and taking pictures, I got my camera back at the transfers.

 

[Did you have to stand and speak your first Sunday? Do you have a ward mission leader?]  I like the branch and I didn't have to talk the first Sunday.  We don't have a ward mission leader here.

 

Elder McBarron

 

3/5/12 Email from Guarapari



I am doing good other than being transferred again and this time I am the only one that is being transferred, everyone else is staying.

[What did you do over the last week, did you teach or just knock doors all week?]  We worked our butts off this week and walking this week was a pain because summer is supposed to be ending and it is just getting hotter here.  It is supposed to be turning into fall but it is just getting hotter and hotter.  We taught some people and tried to find some of the less actives or inactives in the area.



Men in Black pose : )

[What was the most spiritual thing that happened?]  The most spiritual thing that happened this week was that we were starting a program in the branch and we needed to pick two families, and we knelt and prayed and chose two.  Afterwards the wife in one of the families said that as soon as we walked in with the kit that she was on of the families to help us with missionary work, she knew that it was for her.  She said that week she realized that she could be doing more for the missionaries and she decided that she will help more with the work.  It just goes to show that the spirit guides us in our work.

[What is the best story of the week?]  I got to see a dog trip over another dog and then it looked around to see if anyone saw what happened and then ran away.

[How did carnival week go, were you able to stay out of trouble?]  Carnaval was okay we stayed out of trouble, we had to be indoors by 5pm.

[What was your best experience this week?]  Well one of the best experiences this week was getting to see Irmão Mauricio, my CTM instructor.  It was really cool to get the opportunity to talk with him again and everything.
Oh, I thought of something this last week, I only have 2 months until I have been on the mission for one year, that will be one transfer pretty much.  Miss you all and love you all !

Elder McBarron

2/27/12 Email from Guarapari

[Adam's email, our questions & comments are in brackets.]

 

This week was ok, it didn't have the results that we wanted but it was good.

 

[How hot has it gotten there? Isn't January supposed to be the hottest month, so has it started to cool off a little?]  It has gotten up to 38 degrees C which is about 100 degrees F.  It is not starting to cool off yet, it will start to do that probably in the middle of March.

 

[When is carnaval? What are the plans for what you are to do? What exactly is carnaval anyway?]  We had Carnaval this week, we left our house early and then came home around 5 and studied.  Carnaval is pretty much a giant party like Mardi Gra, but it lasts a lot longer.

[What are you doing to keep it fun while you are out working? Are you working with many people right now? Getting close with anyone?]  We are starting to teach a lot more people.  We have two that are ready for baptism.  We are also teaching a few other people that are getting close to being ready, we will be marking dates with them this week.  I am really liking the members, I am starting to work with the less actives to bring them back to church.

 

[Are you keeping it fun?]  I have a lot of fun with my companion, we make up goofy stories as we are walking around.  Someone will say something and then the other will build off of that.

 

[What was your best experience this week?]  The best experience this week, hmm, well I have two.  I had an exchange with my district leader and we visited a recent convert of his that is now in my area.  We  laughed a lot with her and felt the spirit strongly there.  The other is that we had 3 BBQ's this week in our house and we will have another today.

 

I realized that today I have only 2 more months until I have 1 year on the mission.  Well, I don't have any photos of my apartment today but I will try again next week.  Miss you all and love you all

Elder McBarron