"The hardest part is waking people up and dragging them to church with us. I don't mark them as "progressing" unless they go to church at least once. So it gets kind of difficult. But just a quick update things are great here. Our ward is very small, many times the missionaries have to give talks but the members that attend are very strong. The weather here is just normal old Brazil Goiais. Rains all the time and is Blazing Hot. I always think of our mission scripture Job 30:30 (My skin is black upon me and my bones are burned with heat.)"
Joseph likes to let us know how strange and different things are there.
"Elder Loveless and I found a lizard thing or newt or gecko in our apartment and I caught him and in the process his tail was cut off and it was wiggling for the next few minutes. It was pretty funny. :) And the other day we were walking and a large group of macaws flew into the main street and they stayed there for a while making a lot of noise and they hung out in the trees and they are so pretty. :)"
These from his letter on Jan 9th 2012-Mites in his bed that he can feel with his leg hair, Ford Trucks, candy made from cows hooves, chicken feathers on the floor from a chicken they were eating for dinner at an investigators house, an American Menanite colony(like Omish people, he said it was surreal to see them in Brazil speaking english better than himself.) Sores on his body, losing weight, very tired (Mom doesn't want to hear these things), BUT....he says that the Lord has his back. He performed his first baptismal interview and said she was first rate. Walked at a break-neck pace for 2 1/2 hours making contact with all his investigators to invite them to church, says things there are still very difficult there. Only one of his investigators came. Ends with this-
"I know this Gospel is true and I know that when we walk by faith and not our own vision we are blessed in all things and this is really when we grow and become more wise. Always depend on the lord and do everything you can for him. :)"
