Yep.... Another week!

Wow, it just seems to be, when things are starting to get good, there are more trials in the way. I love it though! It was a wonderfully crappy week. I will explain why though. Pday started out weird last week. One of the elders wasn't feeling to good (Elder Carrell) and we stayed in that day after emails. It was nice just chilling with him and my comp was with the Zone leaders that day. They didn't get home til 6:30 when they were supposed to be home by 6 so we left to start go teaching that day.  But it was a really good night that night. We went and taught Iginea and a few of the other investigators that Elder Carrell has. It was a really good lesson of the Book of Mormon, for being my first time FINALLY all the way through. I am finally learning how to teach with a better power and listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. It was tough at first when all I could think of was if my Portuguese was right or not. So Tuesday came... Elder Carrell was still sick so I was designated to stay with him that day. It was a really productive day that day actually. Wednesday was a normal day, until night time when I started feeling sick....

Here is where my week goes down the drain. haha. I wake up Thursday, do the normal things not feeling too well and eating a normal meal and everything. Things started to feel worse and worse in my stomach and my head so I called Sister T and she told me to stay in the house that night. My comp was like, we have a meeting tonight with one of the counselors of the mission. So he MADE me go. I felt so sick that 30 minute walk. When we got there, I immediately threw up. I was throwing up the whole meeting so he couldn't even be in there. After that it was too late to make it home so we had to stay with the other elders in the city, right next to the big catholic church that is bigger than any temple I am pretty sure. It's HUGE!!! But anyways, I threw up all the way til 12 o clock that night and then finally could sleep. I was so sore. After that, Elder Halpin comes in and threw up all the way til 6:30 that next morning. it was really bad. So at this point, the week sucked. We sat in the house all the way til today and I am still sicker then sick. I also have only been able to settle 2 bananas, Gatorade and crackers. I am super hungry finally. I lost 12 freakin pounds this week! I feel super skinny today and when I can, I am gonna eat like CRAZY again. I need the energy.

So while we were sick, we had an investigator (Edinea) have tons of problems with her family and neighbors, and boyfriend not liking the church. Let's just say, I know who those three demons are now... haha. Trying to stop her from baptism. She ended up going to church this week. But anyways, her son was baptized this week because she wanted him to like none other. She knows it's right and everything, just has lots of opposition right now. When he was baptized, she had the biggest smile on her face! It was wonderful. We talked to her after and she says she wants to be baptized and she is going to do everything possible to have it happen. I know she has a lot of struggles on that part of it because of the fact that her rent is basically paid by her parents that live there and they said they will not let her live there if she continues. So remember how you said you would put people in your prayers... PLEASE pray for Iginea. She needs it and she is one of a kind. She will be a super strong member and I know it. So can you do that please?

This week wasn't terribly bad, because the outcome still was good in the end. But this week we gotta work extra hard. We have a lot of opposition here from all the other churches that really don't like us. It's so funny to hear people say... my pastor said I can be baptized in any other church, just not with the Mormons. Now don't you think that is just a little strange??? The only one they can't be baptized in is the TRUE CHURCH. Yeah, it's interesting how they view things. There is just opposition in all things and I am getting used to it.

This week, I also started feeling a pain in my foot. I am getting an ingrown toenail. It sucks. On BOTH FEET. I walk a ton and it's just simply from walking a lot. haha. But I am fighting it and hopefully I won't have to ever go to the doctor for it!

So a really cool idea we got here that I think would be great. I don't know if I told you guys this already, but there is an idea for family night I would really like you all to do! It's simple and could be a lot of fun acting. So you know how you are in the most random situations with the most random people and an opportunity comes to talk about the gospel? Well one thing (I forget who but a quorum of the 70 member) he said to do is do a family night practicing how you would react in different situations. We always gotta be ready for chances to share the gospel plain and simple. We have lots of chances but you just gotta use them! So act them out, and let me know how it goes. I am kinda curious!

Thanks for all the letters. I got a LOT this week. It was wonderful. Well for the most part... haha. But I got a letter at the house really fast. You can just send all the letters and packages for now to the mission office because we only are 45 minutes out of Londrina. Not that bad at all. So people are always coming back and forth from there. Go ahead and send it to there please. I am really excited! Peanut butter is always a wonderful thing to have in the packages btw... I am half way gone with the one I have now. I love you family! And everyone else of course! Take care and smile lots!

Até Mais!
Elder Millett

And ps... To answer everyone's question... It's not true what they say about the toilets flushing the other way here. They actually flush straight down. Most of them don't even swirl. haha. Just thought I would answer that :)

This week was CRAZY!!!!!

DIVINIA!!!! Batismal!

As always, this week was crazy. And yes... a shooting did happen in Londrina 20 feet in front of me and it was super scary. I will explain it all when I am home though. (I can't tell Michelle anything anymore it looks like...) haha.  This week wasn't like that at all though. No worries! So first... those questions...

1. The area I am in is in a branch. Our branch is so weak right now. Barely 40 people there everyweek. It is pretty small but I am gonna go through all the inactives and less actives this week and we are gonna get some peeps reactive!!! haha

2.Farming is a living here but no... its not the biggest thing. Apucarana is the capital of HATS! So, lots of people here make hats. Weird huh? But literally there are like sweatshop type things on every corner here. It's crazy. But we have a new investigator who does hats and she said she is gonna get me one :)

3.The food is a lot more simple here. People don't have as much money here in Apucarana. We don't even get lunch half the time. But it's all good. No complaints here. I just try and use my money wisely. But people in Londrina were super rich. People there had Ferraris and Audi a8 there. Here they have cars like... Pintos... haha.

We had a baptism this week that was a HUGE MIRACLE! She has been ready for 5 years and we have been teaching her for 2 weeks (but other missionaries taught her before). She came to church with us this week and said how not ready she was for baptism but she has 3 kids that are members and only one active. So we invited her to the baptism last night that other missionaries had and she said yes. Literally in the middle of the baptismal service, she got up and talked to me and my comp and said, I am ready. It was CRAZY! I was super stoked though because she will be a really strong member for the time she has left. She is pretty old and is suffering from different things. She is such a sweet lady and always feeds us when we are there. (that is always a plus haha). The baptism was awesome and probably the most spiritual one up til now.

Stories....
1. Went on a division with Elder Carrell this week. It was SUPER FUNNY. He works out in the projects. None of the people have teeth and people are hicks out there. It's super funny. Anyways, we were in the middle of a lesson about the Holy Ghost when this guy just randomly walked by and gave us 20 bananas. It was super random. So we had the idea, this girl is 15, so lets teach it so she will understand better. We said, this is you (holding one banana). Then we basically got to the point where we explained a little more about the Holy Ghost and the other 20 bananas were the blessings she would receive. Elder Carrell asked, you want one banana or TONS of bananas in your life? haha. It was really funny to hear the answer... I am allergic to bananas.... hahaha.

2.I ate a chicken foot this week. It was gross. It literally was a chicken foot that was taken right off the chicken and cooked. I wish I could have taken a picture to show you but you will all just have to imagine. Sound good? I didn't wanna be rude and just pull out my camera and be like... your food is weird lady!

3.I ate bamboo also this week. It was super SUPER GOOD. You can't eat it but you chew on it. It was really good. It tasted like candy no joke. So I took a bunch home with me to eat later.

4. I got a nametag this week spelled.... M I I L L E T.... Made me laugh.

5. One of the investigators asked if I would pray in English. It was really hard to do and I ended up speaking most of it in Portuguese on accident. When I get back home its gonna be so hard to pray and bear testimony in English. I just can't do it anymore! haha.

6. This is a super awesome miracle that happened this week I would like to share with everyone. It strengthened my testimony so much and made me yet again know, God is there and he works in a lot of ways. So, we had an appointment set up (well sort of). This lady is really flaky it sounded like and she scheduled with us for 1 week 5 days after that day. It was for Saturday morning at 10. So we went, thinking we would probably just be wasting time. But we went. We got there and she was actually pretty excited to see us and we went in and taught the first lesson. After the part about Joseph Smith, she said, Nossa!... That word is basically like she was in shock. She started crying and we had no idea why. We just assumed it was the spirit and continued on. We started to explain about baptism then she was REALLY in shock after that. She started to explain this story to us....She said, "I had a dream last night and it was really scary. I was standing in water somewhere and had 3 demons standing outside of the water. They asked me to come with them and I said no. I wouldn't do it. I then was submerged in the water and came back up, only then to see everything white, and my son standing next to me. I felt so wonderful and I didn't know why, until you 2 missionaries got here. I now understand what the Lord wants me to do".

The spirit was so strong in that lesson and that dream was crazy. The fact that it happened the night before we got there is no coincidence. It was yet again proof that the Lord is there. We may not think it at times when we are going through the worst of worst, but I know that he is there watching over us. I have had some amazing things happen to me already while I have been out here. I have also had some of the CRAPPIEST things happen to me since I have been here. I am learning a lot and have a strong testimony that this church is true. I could never deny it. I love teaching people about the gospel. I realize that I have an amazing family and its through the teachings and principles of the gospel that I am blessed with such a wonderful family. I don't know what I would be without it. I look at a lot of families here and realize that I have so much and was honestly really ungrateful for a lot of things that I had. But I realize now that it's only through the gospel that I have everything that I have. I love sharing this gospel to help others grow. I want to help families grow in the gospel. I realize I am only 21, and I am a representative of Jesus Christ. It's a huge honor and burden at the same time. I know for a fact I am not good enough to serve the Lord, but I am here learning how. He really does call insignificant people to do these significant things. I just want you to know, I know this church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is a true testament of Jesus Christ and I will NEVER deny it.

I love you all so much and am so grateful for everyones support through letters and even packages!

Take care!
Até mais!

Elder Millett

Eu Sou Brasileiro!

Yep... So everyone in my new area here thinks I am Brazilian! It is wonderful! So I don't get treated like a gringo here. haha. I love it. But honestly I wonder why the heck I get that all the time because I am not SUPER TAN but I am tan, and my Portuguese is that of a 6 year old... haha. But it's the compliment that made my day. And I was asked that by all the members in this ward too and everything. haha. It made me laugh. I am at 20 people and counting who thought I was Brazilian!

Anyways... I feel like I am in IDAHO HERE! Its so crazy. This is like straight up farm land, it's super windy and its super cold here. Its about 50 degrees everyday and gets so freezing at night. It's terrible waking up having to get out of bed because its so cold. So what I do; I walk around with my blanket all day. haha. It is wonderful.

So there is basically a mountain here we climb up everyday. I am not kidding. It is TERRIBLE to walk up but we do it everyday. I don't mind it too much when I have food in my stomach but I was fasting yesterday so it was rough to say the least.

Some stories of the week...
1. A kid came up to me and was like hey Elder! I want to learn some English! I just taught him this phrase... Hey how are you. Just simple. And he goes, no I want to learn a swear word. SO you know what I did? I gave him the worst swear word in the book to use! I told him... call your friends FOOT if you are really mad at someone. He now believes FOOT is a bad word. haha. Makes me think of Michelle how she would always say foot for some reason.

2. I haven't showered in 2 days now... our house is terrible. We don't have water right now and won't til tonight it sounds like. It's nasty. But it's all good! I am so excited for a shower tonight though!

3. It is really cold here. I LOVE IT! People always ask me why I don't have a sweater but I just tell them I am a Washingtonian and they look at me funny. But I have to explain it to them and let's just say... its a good convo starter! haha. It really is. I love it.
(Chris Brown-With you, the song, is playing right now and I am fighting SO HARD not to just start singing as loud as I can!)

4. A member here looked up my Facebook right in front of me and what the heck mom. What kind of a picture is that?! My profile pic... haha. They enjoyed seeing who I really was. haha. But it made me feel a little trunky in all honesty!

So this week all in all has been pretty interesting. I am working as hard as I can. Gotta work as hard as I can! Everyone told me before the mission that the harder I work the better looking my wife will be! And no this isn't my motive mom.... haha. But its just funny to think. I love it here in Brazil!

Até mais! Te-Amo!!!
Elder Millett

Transfers!

This is a copy of an email Cameron forwarded on to us.

Bom Dia E. Millett,

Você foi transferido para servir ao Senhor numa àrea nova! Sabemos que você vai ajudar sua nova ala ou ramo a crecer encontrando os eleitos de Deus para batizar! Aqui são as informacões sobre as viagems necessárias para chegar em sua nova area!

Primeiramente Algumas Dicas

1.      Chegue na Rodovíaria NO MINIMO meia hora antes do horário marcado para seu onibus sair.

2.      Você vai ser reembolsado por sua passagem. Mas só para a primeira. Se perder seu onibús você NÃO VAI RECEBER UM OUTRO REEMBOLSO. Nós Temos que ter reposnibilidade, chegando no horário certo para não gastar o dineiro do Senhor.

Nova Area	Novo(a) Companheiro(a)	Primeira viagem	Segunda Viagem (se Tiver)
Sua Nova Area Vai Ser Alvorada A Na Zona Apucarana	Seu Novo Companeiro(a) Vai Ser E. Halpin	Seu ônibus vai sair da rodoviaria em Londrina As 9h00 da empreza Garcia no dia 10-jul e vai chegar em Apucarana as 10h25 e o valor vai ser R$ 15,72 Seu companeiro(a) de viagem vai ser E. DeMille	Vai sair Da empreza   No dia  vai chegar em as  seu companeiro(a) de viagem vai ser Eo valor vai ser Vai dormir na casa

Estamos  Muito animado por você e esperamos que Você tenha uma boa e segura viagem!

-- O Staff.

Yay!!! I am being transfered! I hope you understand all of this ;) haha. But I am going to be in apucarana! Dont know how I feel about it but I am gonna just be excited!

I have a camera again!

I painted a picture while I was sick. I felt like a child again... 

So awesome stuff this week. Well first... I am getting transferred to Apucarana which is North of here I am pretty sure. I don't know exactly. But I am really excited for a new area. This area is really dead right now.... I get to spend the rest of my Pday packing! No letter writing today for me.

This week was really good. Well sort of... The week started kinda slow then the 4th of July came around. The family we went to eat with was super awesome and they made everything American themed, for the 4th. It was fun. We even ate chili which they don't have here! It was super good. But let me tell you... that night was so hard to sleep. They had a championship game that night and fireworks were going off like crazy. So we sat outside for a little while to watch the pretty ones, but our neighbors kept shooting off just the loud ones. It was a really good night though. We also sang the star spangled banner like 1,000 times too. Even Elder Kozikas sang! It was really funny when he sang it. We have a video I will show you when I get home. Its super funny but too big of a file.

Anyways, the days after this sucked. 2 days after atleast. The 5th we got SHOTS! Yay! Swine flu is here and has killed a ton of people already. Not good. We got our shots for it and after I ended throwing up like crazy. It was not good. I was bed ridden for 2 days and didn't eat or move really. It sucked. I hate being that kind of sick. I liked sleeping though for a little bit longer but I hate it when I can't be out working. I felt like I was a waste of space that day... haha. But I had another missionary come stay with me that day. It was the worst and best thing ever. I got the awkward missionary... He DOESN'T talk... It was so awkward for a whole day hanging out with him. He just read the scriptures the whole time and I did for part, then when it got dark I took a mattress outside to just gaze at the stars for a good three hours until my comps got back. But let's just say, very awkward with people that don't speak!!!!

But Friday! We had a BAPTISM! It's always great when we have baptisms. It's such a bitter sweet feeling. All that work on that one person, then you gotta go out and find new people after that! The toughest part I would say... I don't have pics because she hates pictures she says. haha. We tried though!

Fun stories that you might like...

1. You know I love to talk in my sleep. Apparently I am back to speaking in English in my sleep. My Brazilian comp said this... which made me laugh really hard.
"Please Elder Millett, when you are sleeping, try to talk more in Portuguese because I can't understand you!"
It made me laugh so hard! He is awesome and I am sad to not have a Brazilian comp anymore. I really need that more in the mission!

2. I have a camera again! I can take and send more pics now! Finally!

3. Me and another elder found a thing called a Dazer in the apt of his. It is freakin cool. It basically puts out that high frequency noise that only dogs can hear and they just run away really fast. It was so much fun to try out and I think I would like one. Especially after being bit... that would be a fun package item! :)

4. I told my very first joke in Portuguese this week. It was pretty much amazing because people actually LAUGHED! I was so surprised. People actually are starting to understand me and I can understand people a little better when I don't need to listen to them as closely. It is nice. The headaches are going away. haha.

5. I alwayts get locked IN bathrooms. Here they normally don't have actual handles but they have a little lock on the inside. The problem is when I used this one, I shut the door a little too much and it wouldn't open after. The other problem was my comps couldn't hear me I guess, or just wanted to see me suffer. Either way it was funny. I couldn't open the door and 15 minutes later they are like, where is Elder Millett? The people there found it really funny and I did too.

So this week I got the best letters ever. From the youth of the Ward. Tell them thank you for me! One might have made me tear up a little, and even my comp read it and teared up. haha. But seriously, they were awesome. I am pretty sure Sister James organized it so be sure to tell her thank you too! I really enjoyed those letters! A lot! Even though I didn't know a few of them personally, they were wonderful!

SO it looks like the 4th was pretty much amazing! I am excited for not the next 4th, but the following to hopefully spend it with the family again! I love the fourth! Its always so much fun! Dantzel is SUPER FREAKIN CUTE! She is growing up so fast! She will be 3 when I am home too which is so weird to think about!

Well I gotta get to packing. Haven't started and have a lot to do and some laundry to finish up!
I am so excited for change! But I love the people I have met here, and for all the crazy experiences here in Centro Cívico! I miss you family! Write lots of letters! I will be only getting letters probably once a month now which is sad. No longer near the office.

Te-amo!!!
Elder Millett!

This is the path I hate walking because it means we are walking out to the country part of Londrina. Which is a LONG WALK! But I thought the path was cool!

Meu pai é Quinten L Cook! [My father is Quinten L. Cook]

Service Project - Making ice cream...and getting to eat it!

So... every brazilian that has seen my picture of our whole family says dad looks like Elder Cook. Makes me laugh everytime I hear it and I think it is so true now. But that is a compliment. They also say Matt has a very confident smile.

So this week was good. I don't remember half of it though cuz everything here blurs together. haha. I think it is gonna be that way forever.

Yeah... About last week. I will save that for when I get home! But I am glad you know I will always be okay mom. I know the Lord is protecting me.

So this week was fun. We had a division where I was the SENIOR! Freaking crazy. I tried speaking as much Portuguese as I could that day because well... I was forced to. I had to lead the lessons and teach all of it. It was a good experience for me. I also had a division with the craziest elder in the mission I would say... Elder Santana. He is so freakin funny and so crazy! I love the guy! (Sean McCombs was comps with him). I also had a day where all I did was sit with the sicky in the house. One of the secretaries here has (no idea the name of it) but a really bad sickness. He has been out for a week and they needed all the secrataries that could go to work so I sat in the house with him and studied, got to sleep a little (which was nice) and painted! haha. I loved it. We also got to have dinner with Pres Tavares and Sister. They are such awesome people. I am sad to know I won't be ending my mission with them.

So stories from the week...
1. We did service today for the guy in our ward who makes ice cream. Lets just say, we got to make ice cream with him and eat EVERY kind of flavor we made. We made about 6. It is a really cool process and I loved the chance! I felt like I was on a field trip in 2nd grade again. Haha. It made me just feel like a kid again. It was a really cool experience.

2. Dad, remember how you always used to throw the ball really high in the air for me while playing catch so I could practice my fly balls? Yeah, this made me think of that. These kids we walk by are always outside. And whenever I walk by, they throw me a tennis ball to throw for them. I throw it super high for them and all the kids and even adults are amazed at how high I can throw it. It probably really isn't that high but the compliment was a good one :) Also I was walking by some kids playing soccer the other day. While my two comps were talking with the adults I played with the kids (juggling and passing because we aren't allowed to play actual soccer). They at the end asked me if I was Brazilian. I said no and wondered why... They said I was too good at soccer to be American. Best compliment of the week. And yes connor... those cleats are like mike! And yes you can use them! I will probably want new ones by the time I am home. haha

3. Candy sucks here. Lets just say, they think cough drops are candy here.... (shortest story ever). haha

4. We had a rough time finding people to teach this week because of the fact that there were a bunch of world games going on this week. One between Spain and Portugal. Lets just say it's almost pointless to try and work because no Brazilian would even think about turning off the tv for a missionary while that game was on. Lucky to hear, Spain won! My favorite world team besides Brazil.

So stores here. Stores are pretty normal here compared to the states. There are mini malls here, with gorcery stores in them and also smaller stores with just food or just clothes. Pretty normal I would say. They have bascially a swap meet type thing I really like going to in central to buy stuff like soccer jerseys or souvenirs. I will return there at the end of the mission to buy stuff I want to bring home but don't need now. I bought 2 soccer jerseys there and they are dirt cheap here and so much nicer! We need a place like that in Washington.

Well I was actually thinking that would be so cool if you sent me a thing for how many steps I do. I am pretty sure I do way more then 10,000... Maybe more then that in one day even. I have lost any extra fat I had before the mission too. We walk SO MUCH here. We have a huge area. We have only 3 of us for just one more week probably. We will be having transfers this next week on Tuesday so I will be seeing if I am staying here or going some other place. Who knows. I love it here a lot though. I am starting to make really good friends with the members here and everything and I just love being here with the missionaries here. And also getting to be right next to president. He probably put me here so he could keep me in line... haha. Speaking of that, we get to have a Family Night (noite familiar) with president tonight! It is gonna be awesome. It is with a family we have been working with for a month now. I am so excited. They are so close to baptism and I know they will be. They are an awesome family! I just know if they hear a lesson straight from Pres Tavares they will be baptized... Its pretty much guaranteed the way that man teaches. SO powerful. We got to teach with him yesterday during church time (when we went out to go visit people to invite to church again who didn't show up) and he gave such a powerful lesson. Elder Delgadillo said he wanted to cry it was so powerful.

Things are going so great here. I love Brazil so much! I dont think I ever want to come home... Sorry! haha. jk but I really love it so much here and the people I get to work with. We get waved at by Oni-bus drivers, armored truck people (while holding their huge shotguns), and just people driving by. People love us, but in all honesty, people don't want to always listen to our message which is the sad part. All in all, things are wonderful! I love the pictures! Keep sending them!

Smile always!
Até Mais!

Elder Millett