p-day to p-day

Letter from 2-13-08

since pday came early last week, this has felt like a long week. i remember the "pre-mission-life", and how we measured weeks by the weekend. well, in the mission- EVERYDAY is the same. the only different day is p-day. and this week was 9 days long :)
actually, we got permission to read emails last week-- we just didn't have time! seriously! we have the most awesome pool of investigators EVER! we are constantly running from appointment to appointment-- it is so AWESOME! thanks for the emails anyway.

mom- you threw a load of questions in there- so here goes:
- no, still no packages or pictures- we live really far away from the mission home- but nest week is transfers, so maybe next week.
- carnival was great! we pretty much missed it! the only effects that i saw were all the drunks during the day, the loud music during the night, and a few floats from the parades parked in the street. it was more difficult to visit investigators, but we did.
- this last sunday we had planned 17 investigators at church. we confirmed with
17 investigators to be at church. we ran all saturday night and sunday morning from investigator to investigator- and they all fell through. in the end, we had 4 at church, which was pretty good.
- our companionship is pretty good. the key is patience. elder pereira is newer than me, but he thinks that he should be the senior. sometimes he is kind of rough with me, but the truth is that i like him anyway. my goal is to try and just always be positive with him, even when he is pouty. :) mostly, i have learned just how good of friends elder everton and I became. maybe a truer measure of how elder pereira and i are doing is the success that we are having. on the 24, we have 5 investigators that will be baptized! ne thing that i have learned is that i can be happy regardless of how other things go. i am a missionary of Jesus Christ. i wear His name. 2nephi 2:25- i am supposed to be happy! and so i am.
- (We told him about LeGrand leaving and asked if he was nervous when he left on his mission) truthfully, i don’t think that i felt nervous, or anything, until i got on the
plane. and that feeling continued for a day or so. (actually, i was on that
stinking airplane "for a day or so" :) ) then i felt it again on the next plane from the ctm to RJ. THAT feeling lasted for a few weeks. :) maybe i am just afraid of airplanes.
- with respect to charity- IT IS AMAZING!! we find people that i have never met before on the street, and offer to do ANYTHING to help them. we go to peoples’ houses and suddenly i am filled with a desire to help these people "come unto Christ". filled with a love- it is inexplicable. charity isn’t my love. it is the pure love of Christ. it is a gift. I don’t love this people, but He does and he gives me a portion of that love to show me how to help. LEGAL, néh!
> i went to the pharmacy the other day (to buy shampoo- which by the way was an interesting experience. in brasil, they stock, like 400 kinds of shampoo, and you have got to find the one that fits your hairs type. my companion was shocked when i just grabbed the cheap one. he made me put it back, and then helped me pick one for my hair. I thought is was ridiculous, but he seem so disgusted with my lack of education that i bought the one that is for (translation:) brunettes with straight, smooth, dry or normal hair. ...now my hair is brilliant. :) ...
anyway, that pharmacy had a electronic scale. i removed the shoulder bag this time, and i weigh, officially, as of yesterday: 83.9 kilos. or 184 pounds (thank you claudia)
- i think that i sent letters to everyone that sent me a package. i mailed them all snail mail because of the hand drawn pictures and stationary. sorry, i have been a fubeka (slacker) about writing letters recently. i will repent and do better.

agora---
alyce-----WHAT!!! you got a job at the hobby lobby!!! AWESOME!! now you’ll be rich!

mom- thanks for all the memories.

dad- yeah, i heard all the way down here that giants won. must have been a good game. for you guys is really was like "backyard football"

sorry, no pictures. my batteries are dead, and new ones are expensive. i will have to buy some today.

well, i got to go, pday, y´know!
love
elder helland