Cuiaba Brazil Week #89

Good Gracious its so hot, I've been slathering on the sun block this week, and even still I have been keeping a constant red tone. Its been a good week though, we worked alot sweat alot and were blessed to sleep like logs at night. But for reals, it was a cool week. Last p-day was neat we had our 2-zone bbq at a members ranch area, we had a good time it was cool getting to see old friends and making new ones, there was lots of people that I still had never met so it was cool getting to know alot of missionaries better, they are all so new and young though, I have triple the time than most of them. We played games and soccer and we had a water balloon fight and stuff, it was a good time. I included some pictures of the activity and also of how red I have been the last month. one of the highlights this week is I was able to go on a division with Elder Alves who is a missionary in my old area of Marechal Deadoro, it was neat being able to work in one of my old areas and it brought back alot of great memories, we visited some old investigators and less actives that i had visited before. They will be some new people that they can start visiting. The best part though was we got to visit my baptism max, he is doing great, and has a strong testimony still unfortunately though, every Saturday and Sunday he has to go to his aunts house on the other side of the city where he tutors his cousin with college stuff so, unfortunately he doesn't go to church very often, but we left him with a goal to read the Book of Mormon everyday, one of the things that I like about Max is that he always kept his commitments so when he says he will do something I know that he will do it, I hope that reading the Book of Mormon will keep him motivated and help him to prioritize the Gospel in his life. It was just like old times though being at his his house teaching him the discussions, it made me sad knowing that it might be the last time I would ever see him in this life, depending on whether or not I am transferred or not next week, That's right next week is transfers already, it sure has snuck up on me, like every transfer this one has passed by faster than the others. So it is super probable that one of us will be transferred, who will it be? that's a very good question. If I had to guess I think its more likely that I stay and that Elder Heidt will be transferred, Either way though somebody will probably be training, I asked President if I could train last transfer and he said that's what he was planning on having me do, but I know that elder Heidt also wants to train and had asked president in his letters to train. So i think that both of us will train though before the end of the mission. I am content with whatever happens though, if I stay i will be very happy because this is a great area that has great members, but if I leave I wouldn't have any problems at all, well depending on where i go I'm not too fond of the idea of going back up to Cuiabá, because its hot here in Campo Grande which means up in Cuiaba its probably a good 10 degrees hotter. Its so hot there, just pray for President to know what to do with transfers and pray for his inspiration. We went with some members and did some visits this week which was cool as well, we went to Josés house several times but he was never there his house it was all locked up, then we went back last night and there was somebody there and I could see them through the window but it wasn't José it was some guy that was in his twenties so hopefully he didn't move, we still have his number though we still don't have a cell phone, I think I commented before that one of the other missionaries lost there phone and so we lent ours to them and its been like that the last almost 3 weeks. So yeah we have been teaching quite a few new people but they are all just so soft and wont commit to anything. This transfer we have made about 100 new investigators most of which we cut after the first visit. We are hanging in though and are having success cleaning up our member list here the bishop was happy with our progress on updating the list. So as I commented last week we had our stake conference this week, it was 2 days of conference we had it Saturday and Sunday, Saturday evening we went to the meeting it was exclusively about missionary work, all the talks had to do about missionary work. It was really good and got me pumped up it made me want to leave and go know every door in campo grande, it was more for the members though and was focused on how its the members job to find people to baptize and its the missionaries job to teach them. President Costa even called President Reber and our stake president and had them go and knock doors, then he called the missionaries from the ward that we were at and they went with the bishop and went and knocked doors as well. It was just to show that members and missionaries can work together without problems and that its easy to do. It was cool listening to President Costa he is definatly a giant of a man spritually speaking, he speaks with authority and speaks well, he know how to give talks. He said how next conference he will be the oldest 70 in the church, missionaries like to poke fun at people that are what we call G.H, Gloria dos Homens, Glory of men. So whenever people talk about their accomplishments as missionaries or callings or pretty much anything we say that they are G.H, and I had always heard that President Costa was really G.H, but I guess he has a right to talk be cause he is a general authority and has done much good in the world and especially in Brasil. He talked about how he had a perfect knowledge we that the 1st vision happened and how he knows the light of God and stuff. We could say that it was G.H but it is true he probably does have a perfect knowledge of many things. Other missionaries that had seen him speak before said he is very different speaking to members than to missionaries, which makes sense he jokes alot more and is alot lighter with members, but I guess he is very stiff and demanding with the missionaries and usually burns missionaries, but that's how it has to be, they need to be tough with the missionaries. It was a pleasure though hearing him speak though. We got a reference yesterday of a lady that some members had brought to Stake Conference yesterday so this week we will teach here, her name is Ede, she said she really liked the conference. Also I told my zone leader elder fuentes that I was going to write home and tell my family about how we almost had to rededicate our house, yesterday we got back from lunch and I said I'm going to the bathroom and he was like noooooo! and then he ran to the bathroom and was in their for about half an hour, then he opened the door after he was done and completely filled our house with the most dank foul smell that I have ever smelled on the mission we were all gagging and on the Verge of throwing up, he is a chilean so I can give him a hard time, he said ohhh I think I am sick, we told him that he was full of demons and after wrecking the bathroom we would have to rededicate our house, but the smell lingered the rest of the day we left and came back at night and our house still wreaked, we were walking around the house with our towels tied around our faces. I didn't need to include that but i told Elder Fuentes that I would tell my family about how he almost killed us, in the picture of the activity Elder Fuentes is the one with his arm around me. Anyway so today is September finally, and also its the first which means I have exactly 3 months left on the mission!  that's right three months from today I will be on an airplane home. But I'm not trunky at all though, for now at least I've been to busy to be trunky. But anyways that's about it for this week, Sound cool the stuff that's been going on at home, this week we will have mission tour and another 70 will be coming to the mission, they were ex presidents of a mission here in Brasil. It will be cool and it will finally be my turn to give my final testimony, always in the conferences the missionaries that will be going home share their  "last testimony" and this will be my last mission conference/mission tour so it will be my turn finally, so yeah thanks for your emails I love you guys and I will try and by some shoes today, we will be going to the center to buy souvenirs so don't be surprised when you see charges on my card. I love you all hand wish you all a great week!

-Elder Kennington