December 4, 2013

Hey Dad,

Thanks a lot for the email. It really is a lot of what I needed to hear. This week went quite well. We weren’t able to get tons done on paper but I feel like we are really helping a lot of people with what we were able to accomplish.

Kaique's mom, Andreya, called and said that Marcios, her future husband, decided that he wanted to be baptized and he felt that the time had come! We were all so happy. So his baptism will be this Sunday and Kaique will baptize him now that he is a priest! It has been so cool to see the whole process happening with Kaique and to see that he is so firm in the gospel. He has been talking a lot about a mission lately which would be a huge sacrifice. He has a scholarship from the government that pays everything for him until he graduates but if he leaves on a mission he will lose it all. And college here is super expensive. But those who are converted recognize the importance of sacrifice.

 We also had our activity on Saturday at the church, I didn’t think many people would show up, and it came to the point where I was only expecting to have five or so people, the bishop his wife and the ward mission leader and his wife, but more people showed up with low expectations and we hit a home run. I had bought Jenga with my Christmas money so I could do this game. We divided the group of about 25 people into two and then asked a bunch of questions. If the team got the question right, the other had to take a block out of the Jenga tower if they got it wrong then they themselves had to take the block out. It got so competitive and exciting that people would get up and start dancing when they got the question right. It was such a fun time and I am excited to see the outcome for the next one.  

Sunday night we went to a fireside where an area seventy was there. He and our mission president gave a training thing about working with the members. Kaique and Marcios went and they loved it. They shared some really cool things there and more than ever the work of Salvation here is speeding up. They also said that we had 90 missionaries after the mission divided; now we have 140, and soon we will have 220. Yeah, we have a lot of work to do here to get people trained and ready to go.

Monday was an interesting time at the leadership meeting. I had gotten sick on Sunday and just was not feeling so hot, and then the bus drivers were on strike so I sat waiting at the bus stop for two and a half hours and then ran to the meeting in my suit in the hot humid Brazil and showed up super sweaty. But it all turned out good. President was just throwing it down on some things here on the mission. Obedience is one of them, he basically told everyone if you don’t want to be obedient go home. It was really cool to see that.

We got out of the meeting at about four and then I went to the mission office to talk with the secretaries who are part of my zone and ended up helping them out a bit with some struggles and didn’t leave there until seven thirty at night. We took a bus back home and went to a family home evening with Kaique and some other missionaries who live close by because it was one of the Elder's birthday. We had a big bbq and ate cake and lit fireworks and after we had sang for the cake the members grabbed a bunch of eggs and broke them on our heads. I couldn’t believe it! Then everyone started throwing cake and all kinds of food at each other. Kaique almost escaped but then they threw a bunch of milk on him. It was so funny. We turned on the hose and sprayed everyone down, and then we grabbed a bus home while everyone stared at the guy in the soaking wet suit. It was such a good time and I will never forget it.

Yesterday we had to go downtown to get Elder Liesmann’s visa taken care of. We have got a lot of things to do this week and there will be zero time. We will be having a big activity with all of the priesthood on Friday night and also we will be helping with the Christmas presentation at the temple all day Saturday. But I prefer the busy life. I would just like to get rid of the cold I have.

Well Dad, that’s my week. Full of miracles and great things and I feel like more than ever I am changing. I think I am finally starting to understand what missionary work really is, what the gospel truly brings and what role it’s playing in my life. I have never felt like this before on the mission but it’s something really really good. I love you and thanks so much for the email. I am glad to hear you had a Christmas party and that the week went well. Be safe and have a good one Dad.

I love you.

Elder Paynter  

Super cute little kids, the little girl in the middle is an angel, 

and the other two are pretty wild.

These are some activities we did.

Then for a family home evening we played the game where you have to
get the cookie from your forehead into your mouth without using hands. 
Great memories made in these past couple weeks.

The flag is my buddy's. He is from Georgia and he is hilarious.