Banshee Beat

Boa tarde, everyone!

So, I was transferred.

My last day in Leme was a bit of a fiasco. My companion and I walked across the city to pick up an investigator for church. When we got there, she said she was busy cleaning the house, but she would go. This investigator is really good. Her name is Jamilla, and we found her when we were making contacts this week. She's twenty years old and has two little kids (eek).

Anyway, she agreed to go, but we were going to have a hard time taking her and her two children by foot to the other side of the city. So my companion and I told her we would come back a little later to pick her up. We couldn't call anyone because our cell phone had run out of minutes. We went to a nearby member's house to see if they could give us a ride. No one was home. We walked to another member's house, and no one answered the door (we later found out that they were home). We walked all around that part of town afterwards trying to find a taxi on Sunday. No dice. We finally decided to go back to Jamilla's house and just walk from there.

By the time we left, it was already after 10 o'clock, and sacrament meeting starts at 11. Elder Pantoja was scheduled to give a talk, but it didn't look like we were going to make it. We walked forever and finally made it about halfway to the church when the branch president called us and picked us up. We made it just in time for the sacrament, after which they announced that I would be the final speaker of the day! I hadn't prepared anything because I wasn't supposed to speak that day, but I guess our ward mission leader purposely switched my name with my companion's because I would be leaving that day. I ended up just reading a few scriptures about being of good cheer and bore my testimony. It turned out all right, I guess.

I ate lunch for the last time in Leme and said goodbye to the city. I stayed in the assistants' house last night with a bunch of other elders, and after a five hour bus ride, I made it to my new area. I'm with another Brazilian this transfer. Everyone says he's really cool though, so if I can't get along with them there's probably something wrong with me. A lot of elders said my area is awesome, too. I'm going to be working in a part of Rio Preto (that's not Ribeirão Preto, by the way), which is one of the biggest cities in our mission, I think. My area is called El Dorado. Isn't that cool? The chapel is right next to our house, and it looks so cool. I haven't been inside yet, but it looks like a real Church building. It even has a real-life steeple!

There isn't much to talk about yet because I just got here. I'm hungry, thirsty, dirty, and tired, but I feel good! I remember feeling like this when I got to Leme. It's like I have a fresh new start to try to wrap my head around the mission thing.

I freaking love you guys to death, I swear.

luv

boooooooooooooooga