Happy Thanksgiving. 11/21/11

Happy Thanksgiving :)
Well everything this past week was pretty good. Alex and Brenda are still planning on the baptism. We interviewed them yesterday and they are so legit. Alex is kind of bigger, so we had to find a batismal suit that fit him and he was all excited when he tried it on, so it was exciting. We're having members baptize them, so it is gonna be so legit. Were finishing off a family and they are so amazing. They already talk about the temple. 

Rose has a testimony so strong. She has been baring her testimony like every visit, not only to us, but to Alex and everyone. It is so cool. It makes me so dang happy.
Today I have been on the mission for 4 months. Pretty crazy huh? I'm loving it. The language is still kicking my but but I'm getting it. This past week was the exact opposite of it. It rained and was pretty cold the whole week, but we did get some fans and actually got a whole bunch of new things for our house mattresses. We're living like kings now ha ha. But ya everything here is going very well. We have a couple new families that we're teaching that are pretty cool, and we're staying busy for sure.

Wow it sounds like you are gonna have a full house this week. That will be dang fun. They don't really know what Thanksgiving is here, but this Thursday the girl who's house we will lunch at, cooks super good and so it will be pretty much a Thanksgiving meal.
The zone conference was good. The president just talked at it and said that there is some changes that are gonna happen soon, so they will be good. But it was super good. I can't believe that I only have 3 weeks left with Elder Swanson. It is nuts, and next week I have to be senior comp. All week I'm in charge of all the lessons and everything. I'm pretty nervous, but it will be fun.
That play was this week huh? That sounds like it must have been pretty dang good. ha ha Ya they kinda do look alike huh?Well I'm not 100% sure on the scripture yet. I will look and get back to you next week ok? But that is way cool that they are doing that.
Well tell everyone at Thanksgiving hi for me and that I love them. Have a good week and I will too. This week is gonna be sick {*note: sick means awesome :) haha.}. I'm very thankful for everything you do for me. Thanks.
Love,Elder Furrows
We played some soccer last p-day, and this is my first umbrella that I will have gone through in Brazil :)and these are some sweet bats that are always outside the church.

Rose's Baptism! 11/7/11

Hey hey family. Well this past week was flippen sweet. We baptized Rose! It was so awesome. I was dang scared because I baptized her and her name is about a mile long, and then I had to say the prayer and everything. It was nuts, but it was so flippen cool. Then on Sunday I  stood in on her receiving the holy ghost. Oh it was so awesome. Alex is 
not getting baptized yet because he is never home, so it is hard to teach him but he will be baptized for sure in the near future. Their family is so legit. I love them! So last night we had a family night with some members and Alex and Rose and it was so amazing. The members house who we had it at are some of the coolest people in the world, and they helped us out so much. It is amazing how the members can do what they do here. 

So ya, we watched like the History of Joseph Smith movie and it was so intense and the spirit was so strong there. It was hard to contain it in their little apartment. But ya after a day like yesterday I can see what missionary work is all about. Me and Elder Swanson were just walking home and nothing could get us down, we were just content. So it was an awesome weekend. Everything went just how we 
wanted it to. Saturday morning we had a service project and cut a tree for this lady and then went to the church and cleaned the font and that 
was fun. 

So everything was just good this week. The language is coming along pretty good. We went to transfers on Tuesday and i was talking 
with a lot of the Brazilians so that was cool. We lost one of the duplas 
in our area, so now there is only 4 of us. And Elder Wilson got a new comp, Elder Espinosa. He is super cool. He doesn't really speak a lick of English, so I walk with him to lunch and it is good practice for me to talk with him. 

So this transfer we don't have any conferences or anything, so the next time I will go to Vitoria will be at the next transfer and I will be getting a new comp, probably Brazilian. Crazy 
right? But I'm excited. Elder Swanson's parents are coming to get him, so I will get to meet them. That will be way fun. But everything on the mission life is going good right now. I love it out here and I love the spirit that I feel and I love the people here. They are so amazing and 
they sacrifice so much to be members of the one true church. They will 
receive blessings so great for their willingness, I know it. I love the 
gospel and everything about the mission and this church. It is the 
perfect organization. 

Well love you guys. Hope you have a great week. Sorry that there is no pictures. My computer is messed up. I'm gonna try 
switching and see if I can send some, but if not then I will get them to you next week. Love, Elder Furrows

(He sent this after)
Here are a couple pics of the baptism. Sorry my computer is still not working and I had Elder Swanson email me these. Sorry about the 4 emails ha ha.

Happy Halloween! 10/31/11

Hey hey family! Well it sounds like things are still going right along back home. That's good. Happy Halloween. ha ha. Ya they don't really celebrate it down here, and it is not today. It is like the 2nd of Nov. Day of the Dead is what it is called. I think if my translations are correct. ha ha. Well I'm sure if anyone can make the whole property a spook ally, it will be Rusten. I can't believe he went to Dr. Slaughters! I don't even like to go there. ha ha. 

Ya Sheen kinda told me about the shower thing. That sounds like you had a good time. Ya Travis and I always chat back and forth. It is fun. I can't believe Austin is about ready to take off. Tell him good luck for me and give him a hug ha. I bet that music was amazing. They are both so good at playing their instruments, it would have to be. My whole group of friends huh? Who is all left still, I don't even remember? 

Ya I'm not too sure about that whole Skype thing. I'm sure that you can use mine, but we will have to be able to look it up and add each other, and I'm not sure I remember my user name and stuff, but get on and check it out. 

Ya I finally finished it. It is such a good book! It's probably one of the only books that you can read as many times as you can and learn something new each time! You got that letter huh? That is good. Ya I kinda spaced sending it til then. ha ha. 

Alright so the turtle farm was legit. It was right on the ocean and it is not really a farm. I just don't know what else to call it. It is kinda an exhibit type of deal I guess, but they have all these turtles and they tell the life story of them and how they have to make it to the ocean and just everything. It was super cool. 

So this week was a pretty dang cool week. We found this lady one day while we were knocking doors and she had just barley finished praying for guidance and help in her life, and right as she said amen we knocked her door, so that was pretty sweet right? Then we gave this other lady a blessing on the first visit for her back and that was pretty crazy, but such a cool experience. So with Rose and her family, it was a crazy week. So Wednesday we gave her the baptismal interview and she passed, and she is ready to be baptized but come Saturday we were at the church waiting for her and she was not showing up or answering her phone or anything. And finally she answered and she said that her and Alex got in a fight and she didn't want to be with him anymore and so she didn't feel as if she was in the right mind set to be baptized. So after a half hour of marriage counseling from two 20-year-olds who have never been married, we had kinda calmed her down, so we finished the night and all of us missionaries sang a song and had 

cake and everything for the baptisms and for two of the elders in my district that are leaving this week. 

Oh by the way I'm finished with my first transfer. Crazy right? So Sunday morning we went to get Rose up for church and it was like 7:30 and we went in and gave her some more marriage counsel and then told her to get ready and then we left and she still didn't show up to church and she was still mad and Alex and everything, so we went there afterwards and everything was all good. They had made up I think, and she asked us when is the soonest that she could be baptized 
so this Saturday if all goes as planned, she will be baptized and Brenda too. 

That is about all that went on this week. ha ha. It was a fun week that's for sure, and Elder Swanson and I will stay here to finish up our training. The next transfer is the 13 of Dec. and Elder Swanson's parents are coming down here to pick him up so I will get to meet them. I'm pretty excited for that. 

Well love you guys. Have a great Halloween and a great week!

Love, Elder Furrows
So the first picture is in this really crappy part of town that I thought was cool. The next two are at the sacrament meeting in Interlagos. They have the meeting on the roof, it was sweet. Then there are just some others. The last one is us making banana pancakes.

New Investigators. 10/17/11

Hey hey! How are you doing this week? Everything here is going very good. Well that snake story obviously we had to go back and take a picture and throw some stuff at it or else we just wouldn't have been satisfied with ourselves, but the coolest thing about that day was right after that happened we knocked on Rose's door and her whole family is so legit. Ya I'm definitely blessed to be here! There are a ton of missionaries that are stuck in the states or had to serve in the states for a while. ha ha. Spud harvest, you're just a working women, that's funny. I'm glad you liked it so much. It is way fun. 

Yupp I have heard that Pelligrini is doing awesome. he had 2 baptisms this past week to. that is cool you guys all went to women's conference together. Sounds like you are just having the time of your lives together, just you girls and your girls nights ha. Ya that mail strike thing is still going on. Freaking Brazilians, no just kidding ha ha. Idk, they will get there sometime. I have sent a letter every week, so don't worry. :) Ya there is a rainy season and it is right now. It is raining like crazy and then it's always super hot right after and humid, but it's all good. You know what I realized that I have never ever asked you about your mission mom! Will you tell me some stuff about it? Maybe in a letter so I have time to read it, but I want to know about it. Yupp, the people here, or the members at least, are super strong and they do give all that they can for sure!

Alright so this past week has been really cool. We had some dang good lessons and we taught Adonias, the man whose family is all members, and he is a super funny guy, but we had to get serious with him this last week and burn him, so hopefully that will help. Then Rose and her family are all way awesome. They are progressing dang good, and her husband is interested and he was all, "I prayed to know if it's true and I don't think I have gotten an answer, but I just can't stop thinking about the Book of Mormon." And so we explained to him some stuff and he is super excited to read, so that is cool. Then this last week we had our first zone conference it was so good. We left our house at 2 a.m. to catch the bus and didn't get back until the next morning at 6:30 a.m., so it was a long day, but it was way good. Then on Saturday we got permission from president to go to a soccer game to support Rose's brother who is the goalie for the city team. So we went to that. It was the cuppo do espirito santo, but they lost, but it was still way cool. 

So everything here is going really well. I have lost all the weight that I put on in the ctm, so that is good. Um besides that that is all I can think of really. Well Saturday night we were on our way back to our house and we got there like a half hour early and so we just dropped off our bags to go back out and do contacts and the first guy that passed us on his bike stopped in front of us and was like, "Where do you live?" And we're like, "Right here in this bairro." And he was all, "You realize I could kill you two right now?" And we're just like, "Crap, why didn't we just stay in the house?" And so we're all, "Sir, have you been drinking?" And he was all, "Ya a little." And then we realized he was just drunk off his butt, so we told him to go home and then he was like, "Alright, have a good night. God be with you." ha ha. That was pretty fun. 

Well hope all goes well this week now that you're gonna be super bored with no more potato harvest to do ha. Well love you. Have a good week.
Love, Elder Furrows
So these are really the only new pictures I took this week. The first one is Elder Arudjo and I. He is my district leader, and this is on the way home from zone conference. The second is at lunch one of the days where we had chicken feet soup. It was yummy. ;) ha ha Not. Then the last one is at the soccer game. That was the toilet, no door, nothing! Just a hole in the floor, and that nasty thing! It was so funny.

General Conference and adventures. 10/3/11

Well hello! Everything is going sweet here. I'm loving it. The language is alright.   It's a lot tougher than anticipated, but it is coming along for sure. Donna Swanson is his mom's name, and she has a Facebook. 

Well funny thing about conference. We only got about half of it in English, so that 
was kinda a bummer, but the half that we did get was so amazing. Man conference is a whole different experience on a mission. I loved it so much. Ya that is way cool. I figured you would be pretty excited about that whole temple in Wyoming ha ha. How did Rusten like priesthood? Has he passed the sacrament yet? Still working away at spud harvest huh? that's cool. 

Oh yes, maple syrup extract. I was honestly going to ask for you to send me some this week, so that's funny you asked ha. But yes, I actually have a list of stuff that I would love for you to put in this package ha: deodorant and shaving cream (but those aren't the things I really need), peanut butter, maple extract and recipe, and possibly my hair clippers if you could? Well I love all candy so anything you wanna throw in there that fits just go for it ha. Oh ya you should try to put some CDs of the band Vocal Point, those guys from BYU, in there too.

Well I work out all day. All the weight that I gained in the ctm, I lose in sweat everyday ha ha. The members feed us lunch everyday. That is the big meal. They don't really eat dinner over here, so you eat a little breakfast, a massive lunch, and then work all day, and at like 10, when you get home and all showered and planned, you can eat another little snack. 

Ya it is only soccer down here and that's all that matters. People will get in fights all the time over it. It's pretty funny, but it's cool. Nothing too crazy has happened this week. Just saw this one old man pooping in the street. ha ha It was pretty nasty. I tried to get a picture, but I couldn't in time. We have a man with a date of the 15th of this month, so we're really working with him, but the devil is strong so we make sure we see him a lot. Besides that, everything is going amazing. 

I loved conference. It is like the best boost ever. I loved the talk that Sister Elaine S Dalton gave on being a father. It was so dang good, and of course so was every other talk also. Well I love you guys. Have a great week.

Love Elder Furrows

Here are some pictures. The one of my feet is the first rain storm we had and my feet got stained black from my shoes. Our house is only the bottom level of this. There is one in there of us watching conference.