Spike July 30

So, where to start. It sounds like there is nothing really going on at home. I did not get any letters this week. Only from mom and dad. So I hope that everyone is doing well. I am still making it. So mom and dad had a sweet anniversary it sounds like. They went out to eat to the movies and made it on a nice four wheeler ride. That is my kind of time! They have been together for a long time and I know that the whole time has not been smooth sailing so parabéns pra vocês. Good job….
Mom and dad and tyler and mikin made it up to pick berries I heard. Sounds like there should be a good turn out this year. Last year they kind of came super quick and then that’s it. This year they are still green in the high country. That will be good for the picking I imagine. I miss picking berries. Actually I miss going up in the hills to pick them. The last few years dad had gone up to the mountains to get them and brought all of the bushels back for us slackers to pick. I should have put my priorities in order. Now I am missing I did not make time to do it. Other things were just more important at the time the little things we do as a family are the things that bring us closer together. The little things that don’t cost a lot of money and are simple are the things that down the road your children will remember. The nights reading the scriptures and the Mondays sharing a spiritual though in family home evening will make all the difference in your families lives. I know that as we do this our families will be blessed more than we know and in more ways than we can imagine. Like it is written in the scriptures. Every blessing that we receive in this life is a direct result of obedience to the law that it is based upon. So as we can see, obedience, which much of the time requires a sacrifice, is the key to receiving blessings. Is becomes easier to become obedient when we subject ourselves to his will and not our own. When we gain a testimony of a doctrine or principle of the gospel and we know that it is true, that conviction to follow that council we have received changes our heart. We do things not because they a re the standards of the church, but because we know that it is true and we have a will to subject ourselves to our heavenly fathers will.
So my apartment we have me my companion and another companionship. Elder Jensen my comp from the ctm and elder dukes from Houston Texas. There is two bedrooms a big entry way work out area where I do jump rope and everything then a room to hang and dry clothes and iron, then two bathrooms one for each couple and a big kitchen like thing with a washing machine. Its nice. Kind of old, but it works. Have to clean the floor frequently because of the leaches and nasty parasites. It is nice. The picture that I sent last week is looking out from the kitchen sliding window. We live on the 5th floor of a big apartment skyscraper. I sit there and read the b of m and study pmg in the mornings. I wake up at 4:30 to read and studay. Then work out from 6 to 7 then eat and take a shower from 7 -8 and then I have personal studay and then 9-10 companion prep and study. That’s my mornings. Its nice here. And then to answer dad. I usually just have yogurt in the fridge with powdered milk and powdered chocolate to make a quick little smoothie in the morning. With bananas too. I made the corn bread you sent me today and ate some of that too. The people here feed us at night so I don’t have to worry much. I try not to eat anyway. I have your vitamins you sent too so I am not malnutritioned. I am just cutting back. I still weigh the same. My weight fluxuates so much its like an emotional rollercoaster. Ha.
What else do you want to know? The teaching here is so so. The area is so much smaller than what I am used to from boa vista. It is like 15min walk across the area so it is not that big. There is a lot more hills though. Like ridiculously. We call lots of hills…ladeira…. The teaching is difficult here. Being in the center of the city is hard. Many people don’t have time to talk with you or they make up stories. Then on the weekends everyone drinks and the whole city is a party. The lord leads us to the people who are ready to hear the gospel though. We have baptisms weekly which is a total blessing. Here the tacit that you have to use is working with the members! Or maybe we might try using moms idea of singing on the street corner. That might work, or I might just get hit by a bus. One or the other. Things are really busy here. Its like a city full of lazy Mexicans, but they have a purpose and work. If you get my drift. I love the people though, and I have a testimony that our heavenly father loves all of his children. The people are more rude here. But the pick that I sent is of willian and Dircilei. They live alone. Their father died about 2 months ago form lung cancer. Sad. So we whipped up a nice little lesson about the plan of salvation, then mixed in a little of 2 nephi 31 and what do you know we have a family to baptize. The lord really prepares his children. We knocked on the door at the right time and they accepted the message and now they will be blessed for it. We have so many investigators though it s tuff to write about each. We find about 120 new investigators each week. Lots of teaching. We have about 90 lessons a week here. Minus p day and Sunday. So only 5 days of teaching. Its busy here. Pray for the work though for me. Pray for the people. Pray that we will be lead to the people prepared by the lord, and pray the their hearts might be softened.
Being in a city and living in the buzz really makes me think of dad and mom and how they lived in Chicago. I try to imagine what that have been like. It makes me realize to that I am not the only one who has gone threw these trials that I am going through. I am not alone. What was it like when you lived there? Did you ever get used to it? It really gives me a comfirmation that I do not want to live anywhere near a big city. I am leaning towards not living in cda either. Its become to busy for me. I need to move myself further north and east. Like close to Canada or Montana. That’s where it is at.
so I am doing well nothing too exciting going on. I sent those pictures of that skin. That’s a Jaguar. There is a man in our ward who goes to the amazon diaramente and hunts for them. They call them Onça. The weird ç makes a s sound. That is cool. He had just got just stretching it out and curing it. It was a big sucker. They have a zoo here and everything in manaus. Meuseums too. I just have to get a p day where I can get out there and see them. What are you guys thinking of too about coming to pick me up? Are you serious or no? who else might come. I don’t want to hear about who wants to come but more of a serious number. I need t start planning it. The president is always asking me these things. You need to plan it. Usually also I will get off the mission like 2 or 3 weeks early so that I have time on my visa to be with family. Let me know.
I love you all. Keep it together and hold on to your hats. From what dad said about the scheadule that you all have for august it sounds like it is going to be really busy. Have fun and remember me. I love you all. Oh and good luck mom at the girls camp. Tell kate I love her! Yes I love you kateLyn Anne Park. Remember that. She goes to school here the 24th. Wow good luck for me. This year will prove a lot. What do you guys think? Ha. Love you all. Keep in touch. Sorry my e mails suck but time is short. Oh ya everyone needs to send me more pictures. I only have the stuff from last Christmas. Please! I got a letter from angie d too. Love you and thank you.!
Elder gatten