Hello hello!

Oi minha familia, como çeta?

Another week here, mostly the same as the last one. It´s really pretty strange: when you first arrive, there´s a certain look that you have as a missionary - a ltitle nervous, shy, and confused. After a few weeks, that look is replaced with another one: outgoingness, cabin fever, and muita bonita bons de sentimentos. Baasically what I´m trying to say is I feel like I finally know my way around here, and that´s comforting.

Something interesting happened yesterday: our teacher for the afternoon, Irmão Fiallo, pulled me aside and basically told me that I was not doing the best job I could be doing as a District Leader. My pride was a little hurt, since I´ve been trying very hard to make sure everything is taken care of in that regard, but she was/is totally right. For example, there is a game most Elders play here called Ninja Destruction ( you try to hit the other person´s hand with your hand, and you can dodge and stuff - fun and addictive game) during any spare moments we have, which are very few. Sometimes, however, I have allowed the members of my district to play the game when study time has already started, which looking back isnpt appropriate, no matter the amount of wiggles we have in our system. We talked about that and I could sincerely feel that the only reason she was telling me this was not because I´m a bad missionary or a bad district leader - she just wants me to help myself by being the very best district leader and missionary I can possibly be, something that I lost some sight on for a few days. In short, I was doing very good, and in the future I will be doing excellent.

I asked her to continue to point out things that I could improve on throughout my time here, which will help, I´m sure. We went to the Federal Police today, which was pretty cool. They took (literally - it was so fast) our fingerprints and then we went home - kind of fast and fun. Then we just have our normal pday today, and we went to a place which sells these little pouches of pizza stuff and dessert stuff - very good and pretty cheap.

I can feel that I´m progressing in the language, finally. Someone in another district commented during a teaching session that I already sound like a native, which is of course preposterous but very kind. I´ve been working hard on that with my companion and district and we improve daily.

I have a testimony of this church and of this Gospel. Though it´s been difficult, I know that this is exactly where Heavenly Father wants me to be, and it´s right where I want to be also. I love you all and hope the best for you, but only if you send letters :)

Sequentially,
Elder Brown