No Nephew Yet?

Really? None whatsoever? Aww :( Seriously, when will little Bronson-saurus get here? When he gets here, I want a photo. No excuses, I expect a photo in my in-box next week. I can't really imagine anyone having a problem bragging about the little bugger to me but still, I want it very clear: I want Photos.

Life here in Curitiba this week has been really good. After being in the interior for so long its kinda strange to be back here in the big city but I'm adjusting de novo. We've been tearing it up like crazy down here, like seriously ridikerously tearing it up. We've marked 16 baptismal dates since I got here in our area, that's not normal, even for Brasil. But seriously, we're teaching well and the Lord is helping us and leading us to the eleitos. We have 2 baptismal dates marked for this Friday, a Family of 4 marked for next week, and lots of other families and people that we're helping and teaching. Its been really, really great. We're working our tails off here and having LOADS of success. 

Speaking of working, yesterday was rather difficult but it was my own fault. I've got a sinus infection and so I called Sister Cordon and she told me to take this remedy. So I go to the farmácias and we buy the remedy and the guy warns me that it could make me tired and sleepy but I pretty much just ignored him because I never had that problem with medication before, right? So, I take the medication and it did just what it warned me and made me SUPER groggy. Like seriously, I was having trouble walking in a straight line I was so out of it. Let's just say that teaching was an... interesting... experience. Seriously, it was the worst day of work that I've had on my mission and its all because of the stupid remédio. Gotta love brazilian medication...

But I'm seriously loving my new area. I forgot to mention it last week but when we were coming into my area on the bus I saw a glorious sight, a sight so marvelous that I almost pooped myself I got so excited. It was... PAINTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, there's paintball in my area!!!!! Yeah I got pretty flipping excited. I don't know how yet, but I want to try to get President's permission one way or another and we so we can go paintballing here. Seriously, it would be awesome...Like I said, I really stoked and I hope to find a way to make it happen!

Also, back when I was in Ponta Grossa, I we taught a man named M but the week before he got baptized he had to come to Curitiba because of work and we didn't get to baptize him, but the missionaries where he was moving got to. Anyways...when I got here I remembered that he was living in my area where I got transferred and my comp told me that he was too. So we went to see him; he's doing great- he's helping us teach the rest of his family and he's getting ready to serve a mission! It was great to see how far-reaching the effects of missionary work are and it really boosted my testimony. 

Alright well, my time is about up so I gotta write a letter to president really fast and then get back to work but I love you all, hope everything is going well, hope little Bronson arrives safely this week, and that everyone has a maravilhosa (I can't remember how to write it in English) week. 

Love you guys!!!!

-Elder Marx

Well I did indeed get transfered...

BACK TO CURITIBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay I'm back in the actual city of Curitiba, in an area called Parque Iguáçu/Eucaliptos. It was really hard to leave Ponta Grossa, I really put my heart and soul into the work there and it was really difficult to leave there. When I went and said goodbye to some of the members I almost cried a couple of times. Its nice to know when you work your tail off and that you've made a difference and that the members appreciate your work that you did there. (I guess dad knows how I'm feeling now, or do I know how dad is feeling?)


Anyhoo... Like I said I'm now back in Curitiba mesmo. My comp is a Brasileiro called Elder Murillo. He's a gaucho (From the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the state furthest south in Brasil...). He's also going home at the end of this transfer so that means that Elder Bubba is "killing" off another missionary! Yaaaay! (That's more of a monty python "and they were forced to eat robin's minstrels" type of yay). But no, its going to be good. Our area has a lot of potencial and we're going to work our butts off getting our teaching pool (is that what its called in english?) up to shape and start baptizing. My goal is to keep Elder Murillo working until the last day and going home with wet baptismal clothes. Yeah, its going to be good. From what I've seen/heard the situation will be a lot like it was in Uvaranas, with a ward with a lot of potentional and they just need to get some fire and get working and helping the missionaries. *Cracks knuckles* Let's get to work...


Also, what in the world is going on in Japan? I don't have a clue but from what we've heard from members pretty much this has happened.
-HUGE earthquake
-Tsunami
-Island of 90,000 people sinking into the sea
-2 nuclear reactors exploding and covering the land with radiation
-Godzilla himself rising from the sea and terrorizing Tokyo with fire, death, and destruction
Okay maybe not the last one but seriously, what is going on there? Are all the missionaries doing okay? Is the church helping with what is going on? It seems like a movie come to life or something. Details. Please...


Oh and we also BAPTIZED this week. Remember what I said last week about how we were preparing E to be baptized? Well, it all worked out and WE BAPTIZED HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, have I mentioned that I love to baptize? Its a great experience and I plan on doing lots more of it. Just saying...


Well I gotta get a letter off to President and then get out there and storm my new area and start baptizing people so I'm gonna have to wrap this up. Like always, I love you guys and hope everything is going well for everyone... This is the Lord's work and I really truly do love it.


-Elder Marx


PS Picture time!!!!
1) Me and Elder Brown reunited!!!!!!!
2) My awesome Harry Potter Book that I am not going to take out of my suitcase until I am home
3) Batismo de A!!!!!!!!
4) Awwwwwww... Its a puppy!!!
5) Zona Ponta Grossa. Yes, I am on Elder Costa's shoulders. It almost killed him but the pic was sweet.

I still can't beileve that it's already Março...

"...Well howdy family! How's life going for everyone?... Life down here south of the equator is going great. Has March Madness started yet?... But yeah, life is going really well down here. Time is flying like crazy, seriously, the weeks feel like days now. I was talking with an Elder that is one transfer ahead of me and he mentioned that he will hit his 1 year mark this month. That means that I will hit my one year mark soon. But wait, that's impossible. I most definitely haven't been out for that long. AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Anyhoo... This week was a good week, we've been working super hard and we've had success finding some new families to teach. We also have a baptism scheduled for this week but its been IMPOSSIBLE to get a hold of her to teach her so I'm not sure if it will happen or not. Please keep it in your prayers that it will.

 Also, the transfer will end this next week and I'm on the chopping block to leave. I've been here for 4 months already and also I've been with Elder Halgren for 2 transfers so pretty much everyone is thinking that I'm outta here. I'm not exactly thrilled at this idea... I don't really want to leave but if the Lord calls me somewhere else, I'll go. Well, we'll know next week if I"m being transferred or not, but pretty much everyone is thinking that I'm gone.

This week was a bit of a slow week because of Carnaval. Do you guys know what Carnaval is? Its basically like Mardi Gras but its the whole country partying and drinking and doing all kinds of stupid and sinful things. Like seriously, the country almost comes to a complete standstill while everyone parties for a week. Its rather annoying for missionaries, especially when we're trying to teach people and everyone's out partying in the streets and drinking. So I'll be grateful when this whole mess is over and everyone goes back to normal. It could be worse, though, the Elders up north in Rio de Janiero e Salvdor can't even leave their houses for the week because there's so much going on outside. I'll definitely be happy when all this tom-foolery comes to s stop.

I also bought a souvenier this week that I'm rather excited about, but I won't be able to use it until I come home. I have a goal/dream of coming back with all 7 of the Harry Potter books in Portuguese after the mission so I can read them in portuguese. I also decided that with 14 months left on the mission if I buy 1 book every 2 months it'll work out perfectly. Thus, today I bought Harry Potter e a Câmara Secreta (The 2nd book in the series because they didn't have the first one). I'm pretty stoked but she's going right in my suitcase and I'm not going to look at her for another 14 months but its cool to get started collecting them all. When I get home it should be fun to read them all and stay current with my portuguese.

Also, this week, we were eating lunch at a member's house and we were waiting for lunch to be ready and the Irmão of the hosue was watching television. Normally the members are considerate and turn it off but he is one of those types of RMs that like to make the missionaries suffer and test our faithfulness to the mission rules. So, with this goal of making us suffer in mind, he turns on Up and starts watching it. Pure. Flipping. Torture. I was reading my Livro de Mormon very intently trying to ignore what he was watching. It wasn't easy but I'm proud to say I did not look... I kinda just sat there, closed my eyes, covered my ears, and waited until he got the message that I wasn't going to watch...

But yeah, despite that paragraph that could be taken in a negative light, this week was a good week.  I love being a missionary and I love doing the Lord's work. I love my life right now and I can't imagine myself doing any other thing in the world. This truly is the Lord's work and I'm honored to be doing it. We'll see next week if I get transfered or not, but it doesn't really matter. I'm going to do my absolute best no matter where I go. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week...."

Well howdy there.

"...E aí família, como vocês estão? Eu estou ótimo... The weather has finally taken a turn for winter down here. Its been three days of chilly-ness (I'm sure you all are rolling your eyes at me calling it chilly) but after I don't remember how many months of sun and heat it feels a little chilly to me. It also feels a little strange, like I'm used to walking and sweating about 50,000,000 gallons of sweat each day but now we're walking and not sweating and its this strange feeling I'm not accustomed to... comfortable?! That doesn't exist here in Brasil lol. It also feels a little strange because I am remembering how it felt when I got here but that means that we've come full circle and that its winter again but that's not possible. I can't be closing in on one year here on the mission can I? AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Anyhoo... This week was absolutely nuts. The whole zone has been running around like crazy trying to reach out goal of 45 baptisms in Fevereiro. I basically spent the whole week in divisions with other elders while my comp was running around doing interviews with people. It was certifiably nuts. The LZs did at least 50 interviews with people trying to get them ready for baptism. In the end, we didn't reach our goal of 45, but our zone did baptize 14 people this week. We all learned a lot about faith and giving it our all to the Lord and trusting in Him. It really was a great week.

Well I have a couple of funny stories from this week. We were waiting in front of the bus station waiting for the other elders to start a division and this group of hippie protesters showed up and started protesting the cost of the bus fare. There were at least 70 of them and they started chanting and shouting and being generally stupid. We just kinda sat away from the action and watched them but then this girl runs up and shoves a camera in my face and asked me what I thought about the whole protest. I was a good missionary and said that we're missionaries and we don't have an opinion...

Another funny story was we were teaching this guy... He kinda just sits there and talks himself in circles but he's reading O Livro de Mórmon so we pass by about once a week and we're waiting until he gets a testimony because if you read O Livro de Mórmon you WILL get a testimony. But he somehow got on the topic of plural marriage and asked me how many wives Adam had. Well, we had already been talking for about an hour and I was nearing the end of my patience so I switched to my smart-aleck mode and replied, "Seven! It says clearly in the Bible that he had 7!!" I then sat back and watched as his head about exploded at the idea and then Elder Halgren and I couldn't take it anymore and just busted out laughing. When he realized we were joking he started laughing too. Seriously, it was flipping hilarious.

Well I'm about out of time so I'm going to have to wrap this up. I love all you all and hope things are going well for everyone. Keep me in your prayers and I'll keep you guys in mine. I really love being a missionary and I love my life right now..."