Spike's letter 1/30

Hello everyone...i seriously do not know where to start....so so so much has happened this week it is crazy. seriously. first thursday elder nelson came to the ctm...it was the best experience ever. i cant even explain it. i wrote about it in letters to you guys so you wil find out more. but it was really awesome. he came in and spoke and first everyone did a big circle and shook his hand. it was really cool. then we started the meeting. a counceler in the presidency of the severnty for brazil was there with him to. he spoke first. he spoke about how important our calling s and everything. i really cannot remember it all. but elder nelson spoke about alot of things. he broke the congregation up into three groups and and read 3 nephi 11:21 till the end. he gave reach group either baptism contention or doctrine. when the word was said the people had to stand up. so he read and we did it. we talied up the score and it was 14 9 7. baptism was the winner. he spoke about how important baptism is. he said on our mission we need to baptize its not an option. we are worthy and we are carring the message of the restored gospel of jesus christ that eveyone needs to hear. its not an option. he then talked about how we need to learn three languages on our mission. we need to learn our own language better because we will be teaching our braseleiro companions it, next we need to learn the mission language and last we need to learn the language of the spirit. it is so true. if i manage to learn these languages i willl be such an awesome missionary. i know without a doubt it will be challanging though. he continued to speak about how we are, as his representatives, the hope of isreal, we are gathereing isreal. it is so true. we are doing the lords work. if we dont do it then who will? our mission is so important. i cant express that enough. i know why i am here no. i am here to help others come unto christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel through faith in jesus christ and his atonement , baptism, recieving the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end. that is why i am here. i am not here to see the things of the world. as the scriptures say if i come here looking for this and that i will go and return in vain. i am ready to work. i am ready.
next on saturday night or sunday morning about 3 hours after i found out that prez hickley passed away. how sad is that. when i heard i was totally in shock.i was not expecting that at all. you know what is weird too is that i just saw russle m nelson 3 days befoe and he was still in brazil when it happened. crazy huh. in his talk he referencced to how accomplished prez hinckley was so it makes me think that he may of known that he was going to pass away. crazy. who knows. anyways that was a big shock to me. when you find out who is the new president and everything let me know. i am interested. we had a afternoon get togeather and had a testimony meeting about him and his accomplishments and everything. it was really spiritual. he will be remembered for so much. he had so many amazing characteristics. i loved him. he was like my prophet. they say you only have like 4 prophets or so in a lifetime. he was awesome. everyone loved him.
okay and now the big news....yesterday we got to the airport about 645 and caught our flight out. there were 13 americans and 6 brazilians. so there was alot of us. anyways, it was hard to catch the plan cause everything was in portuguese but i survived. yes! we got to the airport in manaus that was reallly small and stuff and got our bags. by the way you have to remember how hot it is. we got them and then went to the main area ourside and were met by open arms of president itnoise and his wife. we embraced and met eachother. it was awesome. he also had his ap´s with him. on of them is elder duffy. he is the first cousin to brad duffy. he is from seattle. it is crazy cause he totally basicaly knows who i was. he said he saw me play football. crazy he has been out 1 and 1/2. we talked for forever. anyways we caught a bus to the prez house and it is super nice. all white and everything. it is very ice. at the top of a sky scraper. we had dinner with them. or lunch. we then had a testimony meeting in port, and got pictures. it was legal. ..cool. we then caught a bus to the mission office where we got all our info about stuff funds and everything else. we then had our interview with the president. i was the second one in. it was all in port but i understood it all. he is a really cool guy, does not speak english hardly at all though. we then stood up and he opened up this big tri fold cupbbord on the wass. it has all the pictures of the missionaries in the mission. he said to find my pic. i looked and loooked. then he pointed to it. it was on the way right side on the bottom ....he said look at these missionaries in the middle they are in the city of sao paulo. look where you are. that means your going out of manaus and the amazonas to Boa Vista. it is totally crazy here. it IS on the equator. 41 C today. i am seriously dieing. i need more sun block and contact solution NOW. i am basically out. and it had not arrive at the office yet. i got cassies package it was awesome. i loved it. anyways.i am in boa vista out skirts close to the venezuela boarder. i have a brazilian companion whos name is e. Caucedo. he was trained by elder duffy crazy. i am elder duffys grandchild. anyways i had to catch another flight here last night and did not get here till 12. got up at 5. anyways i am going to take pictures of the place i am living in. it is totally ridiculous. i am going to die of sickness. it has a rock slash dirt floor. it is about the size of the somputor room. i take a shower with a bucket and we have to make sanitary water. everything is totally black. the walls ...everything. my bed matress is on the ground. i could not sleep last night. 35 C in the night. tons of misquitos. i seroiously wanted to go home so bad. like i dont even know what to do. my ocmp speaks portuguese and ah. i need your prayers. i really do. i dont now how i am going to keep my contact or eyes sanitary either
i sent it in case the comp frezzes up. anyways i dont know wht i am going to do. i am seriously lost. ah. i pray and pray and pray for a calming feeling. it is the hardest thing in my life. i am seriously in the jucgle slash hell desert. ah. anywyas i do not get mail every week. i get it every time our dL goes there or when the prez or ap come. which is in two weeks so i hope that i get them some them. you oculd send some now i think. anyways i am so mixed up. i dont know what to think . i know i have to larn the language somehow though. ah. we have a family baptism this sunday. i think we have 11. so that should be really special. my first ones. we are teaching about 55 lessons every six days. crazy. i better get to it huh. anywyas. i know this church is true. i love you all so much. i realize how spoiled i am. i am seriously living in a dirt home. i hope everything goes alriht with my contacts.. ah i am really worried. my new companion is cool though. ele speaks pouco portugues. sorry. little portugues. he has been here almost seven. from rio grande do sul. my card does not work down here so if you could work on that for me i would be really happy. i need it to work so we can buy water and stuff. we get 60 reis for 1 month. like nothing. i hope i mmake. it. i already saw cock roches and spiders in our shack. ah. i hope i dont die. anyways i hope all is well. i hope that your trip is going awesome too. where did you gyys go? how was brynee and jons cruz? i am excited to hear abut it. i am going to try to send pictures via e mail next week of the prez and everything. i know this church is true or i know i would not be here. i know that christ payed for all mankinds sins so that we could be free from it and return with our heavenly father. i know that joseph smith is a prophet of god and restored the true and everliving gospel here in this last dispensation. i love the work. i am the hope of isreal i amd the gatherer. how important is my work. i love you all so much i hope dads knee is getting better. i hope that mom is doing okay also. how is mike? send them this and let them know i love them so much. call kate up and teell her high for me. i love you all. pray for me. ah. loves loves loves