I LOVE IT HERE: January 21, 2013

21 January 2013

Dear Everyone:

1. Mailing address? Did you find out your CEP? Not yet, I don’t mind them getting sent to the mission office and waiting longer because then I can focus better on the work and only have to worry about replying every now and then.
2. Have you encountered any other unusual critters or unusual fruits? Yeah but not very many, I’m pretty used to the critters and fruit here by now so it doesn’t feel strange anymore. And, no, I don´t think I have ever eaten these things.
3. How are your knees doing? Is it just from all the walking? My knees are doing great. The knee brace is wonderful. 

And, yes, the photos are perfect!

Thanks for the recipes, I also found a recipe book in the house that has the same recipes but it is good to know that they are right reading it form 2 sources, and for the syrup I just made white syrup by using vanilla instead of maple and it is really good, so no need to send the extract.

We had a baptism this week!!!! The first baptism here in the area in over 3 months!!!  We found him on the 11th as we were walking to another appointment and we felt prompted to knock on this random door so we did and he came out and he let us in. Later on we found out that he met the missionaries for the first time in Campinas but then he moved to Bauru, the missionaries passed by a couple of times but he never let them in but he felt prompted to let us in. We taught him the first vision and invited him to be baptized on the 20th and he accepted. We found out later that he cancelled his baptism in another church that would have been on the 27th. We kept teaching him and he accepted everything really easily, he has such a strong testimony of Joseph Smith that he would always accept what we told him (he would always ask why but after explaining he accepted everything really easily). And on the Friday before the baptism (the 18th) he had already set aside his tithing money for the money that he made during the week even though he didn’t have to yet!! And then he was baptized yesterday (the 20th).

He is one of my favorite people that I have met so far on the mission—he is an elect! I believe that he will remain active for a long time! He has gone to a Family Home Evening already and will go to another tonight. He was one of the 20 people to show up to the ward activity last Thursday! He is one of my best friends and proof that it is never too late to change!!!

Sister T. did a surprise inspection this week, and our house had a rep for being the worst house in the mission, but as you can see, Sister T. said it was the cleanest house in the mission and talked with us personally to congratulate us for our house!! The note reads as such: “I am very happy and proud of you two! This is the cleanest house that I´ve visited! Congratulations!! Sister Tavares.”  Yeah, we are pretty sweet! And, our house was in my opinion a lot more dirty than normal, and after our cleaning that we did today it is way cleaner than it was when she made her inspection.

After talking with a lot of elders that have also served in Apucarana, it turns out that Eldorado (the area we were starting to work in just before I was transferred here) was a really tough and trying area but I didn’t think it was too bad at all. But all of the missionaries that I know that served in Geisel (where I am now) said it was the toughest, most trying time of their mission with the worst area and the worst house they had on the mission, BUT I LOVE IT HERE!!

So as far as talks go, I’m glad your talk went well! And I also gave a talk in sacrament meeting this week (my first talk of the mission) and it just so happened that the two speakers in sacrament meeting were: yours truly and the Stake President. It wasn’t too bad at all and afterward everyone was asking how much time I had on the mission and how soon I was going home, everyone thought that I had at least a year on the mission so that was pretty cool!!

RAVENS!!!!! Can you guys PLEASE buy me a NFC champions Ravens t-shirt for me so I can have it when I get back??? And if/when the Ravens win the Super Bowl, please buy me a Super Bowl champions t-shirt too.  J

Me being goofy with a toy we found in the street. 

I think that’s all the time I have!!

Lots of Love,

Elder Cummings