Quiet like a fish...

ok, this week was pretty dang awesome here too. It rained like crazy and my umbrella broke (again...), and i got all wet. It was ALMOST like baptism, but not quite the same. Just so you know, i am in Rio still, in a part called Campo Grande, which is to say, big field. In some places that is exactly what it is. Not much like the normal “favela” part of Rio, so there isn’t as much danger either. The ward is pretty cool. They seem to like me. But i guess i can understand why :), actually, they really try and help the people that we bring to church. This last week, one of the coolest experiences was when i did a division with some ward members to visit inactive people. We got to this one guy’s house and all of his brothers and sisters were there and they all are members of the church (like maybe 4 brothers and their wives). I had never met them before, but soon they started talking, all of them saying why it was that they weren’t going to church any more. Some blamed it one others that had done or said something, others bc they thought that they weren’t worthy to go to church bc of the way they are living. They all said that they knew that the church is true, but none thought that they could come back to church after the things that had happened. They kind of got riled up talking about the things that had happened that made them leave the church. The brother that was my companion looked scared and didn’t say anything. So after letting them talk for a while, i felt the spirit say- it’s time. I put my hands in the air, it was a little strange, but everyone stopped talking and looked at me. Then i started talking. I don’t really remember all that i said, i just know that i felt weird bc i was like calling them to repentance. It was neat bc every objection that they had, the answer that i gave them was “repent”. The lady that didn’t want to go to church bc she drinks i said, look, you have to go to church bc there is NO OTHER WAY. You have to repent and go back to church bc there is really NO OTHER WAY to return and live with Heavenly Father, except through our Savior Jesus Christ. This other man didn’t want to go bc of things that people had done to him in the church, people that were leaders in the church and stuff. I told him that he had to learn to return to church and the gospel, bc he couldn’t afford to lose great blessings bc of what others did. I told him that it isn’t worth to NOT be sealed to his family just bc of something that one person said 13 years ago. And more. I only remember the feeling that i had as i lit into this family of inactive members. I knew the things that came to my mind were of the spirit so i kept right on speaking. But it really touched me too. Really, NOTHING else matters. Really, there is NO OTHER WAY except through our Savior! I always remember a talk in gen conf this last fall called “the way”, by some seventy. He said, "There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way." [Here's the link in case anyone wants to read it: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=dd354bb52a73d110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1] well to end the story, some of them kept quiet just thinking, some of them kept on grumbling and one of the brothers left the room, kind of miffed. Well, i was out of things to say, so we said a closing prayer. Then the brother came back from the other room and said, 'good job elder. I’ll go to church on Sunday if you guys go with me.' I said, 'deal'. Then he turned to his brothers and sisters and said, “ hey, if I’m going you are all going with me. We are a family.” in the end he invited all of his family and a friend to go with him, but only he and one of his sisters went with us. He is now excited to come back to church and try and be fully active again and worthy to receive the M. priesthood.
Well that was this week’s story.

Alyce- whats up luver gurl? Don’t you even think about “ dating” anyone for a while. No more of these blind dates with hotties. My spin on it is this: if the guy walks out on a dumb movie, he isn’t you style. You ARE the dumb movie queen. (at least you were...) you made dumb movies awesome. (remember our last adventure at the movies b4 i left? Nancy Drew and some other dumb movie?) But i guess if you keep on dressing up like a homely dork, i am good. Way to go. [Alyce got invited to a party and her date told her it was a DI (thrift store) party so she wore dorky high water overalls, an ugly shirt, etc. Well, it turns out it was a DRESS UP DI party (who’s ever heard of that?!?!) where everyone was all formally – so Alyce was dressed ALL wrong – luckily they skipped the party and did their own thing, but she still felt “homely” all night wherever they went in her crazy outfit!]

Did anyone give you roses? :-)

What happened at the hobby lobby? Are you gonna make it? And mom said that you are slacking at the byu app; what’s that all about? I hope that we get in, or i am hosed.Other that that, take it easy little- lady.

MOM- thanks for clearing it up. “Return with honor” is something that you tell to future or struggling missionaries. NOT to happy missionaries.

Today was interviews and i got two letters, one from the wilsons with 20 bucks in it. Tell them THANK YOU and i think that i will hold on to it and grab a snack on the layover on the flight going home (this attitude in no way contradicts my peter pan theory, it is however a fact of reality that there are no taco bells here, but in the Atlanta airport that is sure to be at least one.)

and just so you know, i think that i WILL use that analogy, just for your information and tomorrow too! Hmmf! I will have to give it a twist and a tweak, but it is definitely doable. Maybe something about the power of the spirit in the teaching. I duhknow, i will have to ponder on it. Ill let you know how it goes.

Transfers are next week and carnival is this week. It stinks. We have to stay inside our houses saturday and tuesday and on monday and sunday we can only visit members and only until 6 pm. So pday is gonna stink. MEMO: i will only be able to write email on thursday of next week, after the transfer. I repeat, thursday.

DAD- i thought that brown was a more manly color. You macho man. Hey, i want to see you with hair? How was it? I remember at g-ma’s house looking at your pictures with you and your hair. Once upon a time you were a stud with blondish, 70s hair. Now you are an animal- with hair all over. Cool huh? You wanna hear something that i did really dumb too? It has to so with hair... kind of. I got a weird heat rash on my stomach for a week or two, and it was all red and itchy. (this also happened last year. It is something that has to do with the heat and the sweat. It is kind of like a huge diaper rash on my belly.) anyway, my comp told me to take cold showers, which, DUH, i do anyway in this ridiculous heat. Then he suggested that i shave the hair on my tummy. I said no, but his idea stayed in my head. Until one day it was really bad. And i thought, maybe it’ll work... well the rest is history. I shaved a ctr shield into the fur on my tummy. In is now almost grown back. But i learned that if it itches with hair, it is two times worse without.

WELL, i gotta go now, talk to ya next Thursday.

Love
elder helland
ps, the title comes from a movie quote from the movie chicken run. When the two rats are telling how they stole the tools, the one says, “ we snuck in real quiet like.”, and the other says, “ yeah, yeah, like a fish.” then the first replies, “ like a fish? You idiot.” man i like that part.