DIDN'T. KNOW. IT. WAS. POSSIBLE. TO. BE. THIS. HOT.

This week flew by!!  It rains almost every day here and it is soo hot that even when you are in the shade, you can’t stop sweating. We finally got our new washer on Friday. It is small but it washes our clothes good.

Portuguese is still hard, but I do understand more and more. Everyone all talks a little different and they all talk so fast.  I think it is going to be awhile before I can speak the language. It is hard to pronounce all the words correctly.  It took an Elder here 8 months to get it down.  I am able to help a little with the lessons.  I memorize parts and bear my testimony as often as I can. Sometimes it scares me I will never learn the language.  I just think it is going to take time.  There are a lot of people here trying to learn English. So I am able to help them and they help me.  It's pretty cool!

It depends on how many lessons we teach a day here by how many people are home. We usually teach around 1 – 2 lessons a night when people are eating, and they usually feed us.  We wear our church clothes even on pday here, but I don’t mind.   We had another baptism this Sunday! We let a member baptize her. It was a neat experience!!!

A guy stopped us the other day on the street and asked for a Book of Mormon. Everybody stares at us wherever we go. They say stuff in a group then they all look. It’s kind of intimidating.  My companion and I are the only white guys here and my compaonion doesn’t tan at all, he just burns!

The guy Francisco that I baptized is really nice and likes the gospel a lot! We have a baptism scheduled here every Sunday but one, so hopefully all of our investigators follow through. We walk around in rain and mud a lot, but it’s ok cause it helps cool it down a lot and is better than all the heat.   I honestly didn’t know it was possible to get as hot as it does here.   We found some cool machetes!!!!  They were at a hardware store.  I’m going to get a case for it today!! Haha!! And a member here had some horns that he gave me. They are funny looking.  

The members here cook a lot for us.  We don’t have to cook very much or very often at all.   I really like all the guys in my apartment.  They are all very nice.  I’m not sure if we are going to celebrate Thanksgiving.  I was talking to my companion and there is a school here that teaches English, and they make American food. We might try to go there for Thanksgiving, but I am not sure yet. 

The members eat rice and beans for EVERY meal.  The families are not real big families, two or three kids.  The people on the street are nice so far.  We have met some people that were literally crazy. They have lost their minds.   We walk a lot and catch a bus sometimes.  There are food and stores all over here and some pretty nice markets.

There are bugs everywhere here.  And the fruit here is really really good.  I drink as much water as I can.  It is nice to have water in our apartment and we just fill up water bottles and store them in our fridge.  The water filter at the house is really slow and all the water here has chlorine in it.  I think the filter is just for safety.  Not everyone here filters their water but all water has chlorine. I sleep good and because it is so hot I have to have a fan blowing on me.  The Branch President here is very nice but I really can’t understand much that he says.

So I will be with Elder Bailey for 12 weeks since he is training me. Transfers usually last 5 or 6 weeks but I will be in this area from anytime between 3 to 6 months.  I don’t know what will happen after that.  Just that I will be with my companion for 12 weeks. My companion is cool.  We really get along.

I guess visas here don’t last for the full two years. They last a year and about 11 months.   So depends on what my transfers are like, but I might come home a month early. I don’t know how true that is.  That is just what I have heard.

This guy is from Pocatello.  He knows about Howe and is some how related to the Fullmers in Arco. He goes ice fishing at Mackey and wants to go with us when I get home.

The district leader is in our house and I’m not sure about the zone leaders. Any mail they will bring to our zone conference and that is like the second week of December, so hopefully some of your letters make it.

Thank you guys for everything. I love you all.  Just know that everything is good here.  We have another baptism scheduled this Sunday so hopefully they follow through. I will take more pictures for next week.  Hope all is well with you guys at home.   Love you all!! Talk to you in a week.

 Love Elder Nickerson