Week 13 (FELIZ ANO NOVO!!) 01/01/2024
Happy New Year, Ya'll!!!
Crazy that it is the year 2024. like it still felt like 2023 was just the other day and still new. Usually, on New Years Eve, my Parents would have their college friends over for dinner and games tll midnight to celibrate, and other years, i would go with my friends to celibrate. Good times and good memories. this time me and my comp worked the day but had to be home by 6:00 for safty reasons. (Cuz here in Brazil, it gets pretty litt... they just throw down the party like crazy).
Before we went back at 6, we were door knocking and contacting. I met this super cool dude, and he ended up inviting us to fly kites with him for New Years! it was soo cool! there actually is a technique to control and steer the kite, and he taught us! the kite in potugues is called a (Pipa). then he gave us a Pipa as a present for New Years! i was super hyped cuz i have been meaning to buy one, too! then we gave him a present too.... A Book Of Mormon! haha. and we gave one to the other guy, and the little boy brought us home to teach his family who lives in a house with like 10 families!!! so HUGE opportunity.
Solid day, and then we made some smores in the kitchen... for New Years! clocked out and drank glasses of Guarana in the morning for the New Year!
We met some homeless dude that was high and drunk OFF HIS ROCKER! he was swaggering around the street, and ii thought he might drop dead right in front of us. It was bad. but he said it is a very slurred voice, "Elders... Let's pray..." Then he started mumbeling giberish, making weird motions with his head and hands, then pulled his hat off and acting like he was pulling some unseen thing out of his heat and putting it in his hat. Guy was a little crazy lol but then he thanked us and swagered off. i shoulda given him a word of wisdom pamphlet... that could help him... a lot. but that was just one of the beginnings for the new year crazy people. fireworks were going off everywhere in the streets and most of them didn't seem very safe, haha, and it was only 3:00 in the afternoon! they already were going wild celibrating in the streets so ig its good we got home before 6 cuz it is supposed to multiply the Crazy level.
Anyway, back to Christmas last week, we had this awesome lunch with members, and i got to play the guitar with them. But then... they wipped out this big 'ol Crate of snacks and treats and food etc. as a present forr us from the whole ward!! it was huge!! and each missionary got their own, so there were 4!!
My family all got guitars, so now the Martin Fam boutta be shredding cords on the guitar! we had this awesome dinner with one of our super good friends in the ward Thiago and his wife it was awesome. loved that day. Christmas was litt here in Brazil!
I have been doing sooo much more speaking in portugues. making the contacts, talking with people in lessons and more! I still dont have a clue what people are saying to me most of the time, and I dont know how to say words, but progress is progress! I have been leading the conversation and lessons when we visit people latly, which has been awesome! The ward here in Alla 2 is awesome. they keep complimenting me on my portugues even tho it is pretty bad, haha, but they just love the missionaries and having us around, which is awesome.
i met a guy and taught him briefly and gave him a Book Of Mormon, and he has been reading and said he will finish it within 2 weeks! he was determined, too! super cool. met tons of cool people who are interested this week and tons of strange crazy people, too. many weird prayers with people in the streets, and they are just some for the books.
i have been working out a little bit with our new convert we baptized, and he is teaching me some cool tricks with calesthetics. super fun and cool! im still shrinking soo much tho haha working out isnt the same and almost feels like im working out in vain because my body is going only downhill in strength without eating to build and doing killer workouts haha. But that's OK! i am building my spiritual muscles. and I'll have a crazy transformation after i get back, haha.
One other crazy homeless guy we met was in a wheelchair and he got excited when we spoke english. turned out he speaks portuguees, spanish, english and japenese! that was pretty cool, but... then he told us about how he has lived in 26 different countries and listed them off. he said "Ive sold drugs in 26 different countries!" he was like proud of it, too. he said he had a family and kids in japan, but because of the drug selling and use, he was forced to leave. we asked him if he wanted to see them again and if he wanted to make a change to stop the drugs. his reply was, " NO! I like da drugs! then he gave this funky grin and giggle so we knew that he was lost. It's sad.
we love contacting at the park and there are many interesting things there while we work. Monkeys, fish, birds and strippers... but dont worry, i got plenty of chastity pamphlets to give em. LOL. but we have found lots of normal people too that were interested, which is awesome!
One thing i actually really was missing from home was my seasonings...:( i wanted to cook some chicken and didn't really have the seasonings. imma have to go look for some, but my usual favorites are Juniper Rub, Mesquete, and seasonal. sooo goood!
I got to try Venizuelan Empanadas(which were sooo good!) because we have many venizuelans we teach and know and they sell them.
I dont know if yall know what a Panettone is... but you NEED to! these things are soo good, it is like a cake or sweet bread that is really big around christmas time. some other treats i have really loved are Pacokinha rolha, and ya, you know, it course ive been enjoyin the chocolates too.
one funny moment we were eating lunch and were about to share a message and my chairs seat gave out! hahaha, the chair just gave up and broke. i was like, " Oh shoot," looking at my companion but trying to contain my laughter. but it was okk cuz the family said it had happened before. But ya ig i ate too much that lunch... put on enough extra weight to break a chair, lol.
With the new year, it is a great time to look back and make goals for the new year! I would like to invite you to make goals. Physical goals, Spiritual goals, Social goals, and Intellectual goals. As a missionary, it is my goal to help people come closer to Jesus Christ.
What is one goal you can make to help you grow closer to him?
I love you all and wish you all a Happy New Year!! i am soo grateful for all of you and the impact you have had on me and my life in the last year of 2023. it is a big year and goin' in the books to remember. I am grateful for my family and all my amazing friends who have helped me grow. yall are awesome! i love hearing from yall! Remember, God loves you!
Deus e Bom! Deus e Otimo!
God is Good! God is Great!
untill next week...
Tchau
-Elder Martin
i have not really been able to figure out the Google photos link, but here is some that have been collected over the mission so far.
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