I know the Lord is helping me so much

The Package is great mom! Im loving it! And tambem my
comp ha. He got a package at the same time, So Everything is all good.
The photos are great, ha! Lots of memories! I was soooooo big ha. Its
funny to show the pictures to the members And they love to see how
the states look, and family pics. The letters were also good! Thanks
to everyone in the fam! So much cheese haha. (good thing)
So right now, im not so happy. Cause well, I got sick again. Its getting old..
But on the bright side, im still District Leader! :D LOTS of work! and
responsibility. My district is great. Theyre opening their area just
fine. Sometimes I get kind of stressed out, cause I pretty much do all
the work in the comp ship. and I have a District to run as well. But I
just remember the stress Nephi felt when he was in the desert with his
family. And they didnt even have any food. Everyone was all stressed
out, and just chewin each other up, Nephis bow broke, well yall know
the story. When he was just about to break down. He went to his
Father, to ask what and where he needed to go. I have all of my
confidence in the Lord. Im pretty much leaning on Him with all my
weight. I would definitely have broken down this week,With all my
sufferings. I know the Lord is helping me so much. Thats everything im
doing out here, wouldnt be possible without him.
My new comp is Elder Genaro. He has 4 months in the mission. Hes still
got a lot to learn.. But I know exactly how it is starting out.
Hopefully the Lord will help his faith. Hes from the outskirts of Sao
Paulo. 
tell jimmy! Thanks a bunch for the binder! ha. Its helping alot, and I
have lots of stuff to put in it for Justin.
I dont know what else to write, My mind is blank with the sickness.
Sorry, if this letter is lame. But ill end it here. PRAY FOR ME A LOT! por favor.
Give everyone a hug for me. Love you guys! 
Elder Arroyo

I got called to be District Leader here in Laranjeira

MOM! Sooo much!  So I just got off the bus like 5 seconds ago
from Belém. And jumped in this cyber to do our emails! im starving...
lol. Ive been there all day. But yea, I have a huge package next to me
haha.!! Finally! :D Thanks so much! I dont even know whats in it yet.
Better be good! ha. Because I had to go to the post office in Belém to
get it out of prison! i had to pay 95 reals. I dont know if it was
because of something inside, or the shipping. But im back now haa. I
love it up there in Belem. The streets are so amazingly beautiful. i
took some pics, But I dont have my cord with me. And the package was
super heavy! ha, but not complaining atttttt allllll. Muito obrigado!
SO TRANSFERS!! The zone leaders called me last night (I call them the
zone Lords ha) And told me to call President. I was like, im getting
called for sure. So yea! I got called to be District Leader here
in Laranjeira. And my comp is getting transferred. And im getting a
comp that is pretty new in the mission. IM SOOOO PUMPEDDD! Ive been
waiting to be called! Everyone is pretty excited for me. Just love
everyone, and lead by example. I dont know much about my district
right now, cause i havnt met them yet. Ill tell ya about them next
week.
But the work is still booming here! We had another baptism this
saturday! We just need to keep up our faith, and agora its not just my
faith but of my district as well. Need to keep them baptising weekly
juntos with me. So I can get called Zone Lord! :D I know the Lord is
preparing my way, not only here. But after the mission.
Its still hot.. hah. duh. AÇAI season is back!! We eat it at lunch
a lot. !!! YES! ha, im so excited lol. Everyones teeth are blue, and
everyone is more happy ha. The other day, they taught me how to eat it
without sugar. You just eat it next to your lunch plate, and eat it
with chicken, or shrimp. And its DELicous! Im just super happy right
now, and sweating hardcore.
I might take money out of my card. I dont want to though. I think ill
be able to live on what I have. Thats crazy that school is already
starting back! It went by super fast! Jonos getting married in April!
Whhhaaaaattt?? Sweet? When does Sister Bowden go home?
hows the work goin? Keep me in your prayers every night. Not only me,
but my district, and the people. I love you guys so much! Keep the
commandments! And youll prosper in the land! Jesus is the Christ.
Elder Arroyo

I know that the Lord is preparing this land

Hey mom! Good morning! HA! Pleeeeeeeeeeeassse, I promise you guys
right now, that it is not even close to how hot it is here. not even
comparable haha. The sun stays at the stop of the sky. I remember the
other day I walked into the bishops office cause there is an air
conditioner in there. And I just sat there to relax for a sec. And
~when I walked back out the door. I almost cried, from the heat wave
ha. For realz.
This week was great. Another Saturday, another baptism. Ive been
walking like no tomorrow. Im going to weigh myself again today. And
see where im at. I heard that the trip went great. I miss the Larsen´s
party. And...pools.. But its ok. Cause I love Pará! And im putting all
my time to the Lord. And the time here is just going by so fast.
Yea, Was my Hump Day last week. But no, I didnt do anything. Just
another day. Your days get complicated when your preparing people to
be baptised in 2 weeks.

Victor's Baptism

The other day, we were lunching at a members house for the first time.
And I was talking to there daughter about church stuff. And dont you
know she told me she hasnt been baptised yet!! haha! Man! Ive seen her
at the church every week. A lot of people thought she was already a
member. ha. So now we are preparing her to be baptised this Saturday.
We are really pushing to reach our goal for the mission this month.
which is 250 baptisms. I know the Lord will show the way.
So we had interviews with president last week. And guess what!! The
church bought a huuuge lot of land in Belém. We think we have a pretty
good idea of what this land was bought for. Our number one goal here
is to bring a temple into Pará! And the church is growing like no
other here. Miracles are happening everyday. I know that the Lord is
preparing this land for a temple in Northern Brasil.
Pará! Im loving this place so much. I cant stop talking about the
fruit here. Everyone has trees of fruit in their yards. So the other
day. we were sitting at a members house waiting for her to finish
making lunch, and I saw a lemon tree in the front yard. And I made
some lemonade for us for lunch ha. Thats my new thing ha. Making
juice of whatever they have in the yard ha. And It tastes amazing.
Just have to look out for whatever lives in the trees ha. yea.. Ill
tell you after the mission.
Ah! If you see Brian again! Tell him I miss that guy so much, and when
I come back we´ll def jam out again.
But thats a little of what happened with my week! Still waiting for
your package! I know its coming this time :D Love you mom! Tchau
ELDER Arroz

This is an Açaí Palm!

This is an Açaí Palm!

Good Morning mom! Happy 4th of July! haha, Yea, that means nothing
down here. This week was great. The Lord is showing his hand in our
work everyday, and we are getting results. We had another Baptism this
week, It went great. She was totally prepared! And guess what, we will baptise her son this Saturday. And maybe her daughter the next.

Ah! So this church down here ´Assembleia De Deus` or something like that (jimmy knows) they did a thing where they were marrying a couple
hundred people for FREE! Man! When I heard about that, I went nuts
haha. So we took a family and they got married! It went great, And they will be legally married today. so theyll be ready to be baptised
this week!! And we are going to marry another one of our families this
week. ha, It was funny. We walked into there church with our invesitigators, and everyone was just staring at us lol. But yea! FAMILYS!! Its soo hard to find familys that are married. We have been teaching these families for a while, and the main problem is the money. But now theyll be good to go! A lot of work! Finally some results :D
We did some service projects! I love service projects sooo much. ha,
Because I get to use shorts and a shirt. But my legs are sooo white ha.. Ill see if I can send you guys some pictures.

another spider!

Sounds like a good swim and a bbq would hit the spot right about now.
Maybe ill be home for the next 4th of July. If you want to know where I am. I usually walk the streets in Icui. and thats where the church is. Im doing fine. Working hard. Keeping the commandments ha. Hope everything is great at home. Love you guys!
Tchau Thcua
Elder Arroyo

Helping others in all ways possible

Hey mom, Good morning! I dont really have much to say sobre this week.
I wrote some stuff in my planner but I left it in the house. soooo. The
time in this area is going by super fast. Yesterday at lunch, There
was a plate of something on the table and I was like hey whats this?
haha and theyre like its torquitos haha. But I so knew it wasnt. So I
tried some, and it wasnt that bad. And then they finally told me what
it was. And it was chicken hearts... Thats a first for me haha. But Im
getting good with the area here. Im making good friendships with the
members and our investigators are getting married!! WOOOO!! But yea.
Elder Arroyo. Third area. Its the same thing you just got to start
everything over when you transfer. I passed my one year mark, And time
is going by even faster now.
Ben is going to Las Vegas!!! WOO! Siiick! give that guy a congrats! So
whats your knew calling? Yea, I dont even know how big that spider
was, My comp took a pic of it when I was in the shower haha. Would be
great to know where it went. But the work out here is going great. I
growing and learning so much. Helping others in all ways possible. I
love you guys and hope yall have a great week!
Elder Arroyo

I want the rainy season back!

hahahahah I love how you said its hotter there than it is here. :D
Jokes are always good to start off the day. I got a pretty bad sunburn
this past week. But now its gone. So last night we were about to open
the door to our house and the power went out. Last night was a super
sweet lightning storm here. It just goes all around the sky and really
huge! I wanted to take a video of it. But yea, Another night without
power. It was pretty hard to stay asleep, sleeping in your sweat,
with mosquitoes all over you. But now im ready to take on any sort of
camp out ha.

Sonic Speed Spider

The other day, me and my comp were walking down this little dirt road,
and it had like a little rain stream going down the middle, and theres
a super tricky part where you have to jump over the stream onto a
little strip of land, and my comp has already accidentally stepped in the
water, and it just makes me laugh so much when he does. But this last
time, I was in the front, and I jumped and I dont even know what
happened, But I fell... haha.. And it wasnt just like a `oh, I fell on
my knee fall` ha.. I fell and than did like a roll into the stream...
so we had to go to a members house and I just took a shower in my
church clothes. My comp loves talking about it..

But on the spiritual side! We had another baptism! Were definitely
going to baptise every week here. We have families in line to get
married! and dates for baptism shortly after. Just hope everything
goes as planned. The people are great here, Just need to get married.
My Portuguese is getting pretty good. My comp is helping me a bunch
get better.Its getting hotter and hotter everyday. I want the rainy season back!As well! Açai is starting to get cheaper!! Its been like 6 realsbecause it was the time when they ship it to other countries! But nowits coming back down! Thank goodness. ha.Thanks for sending off my package! My next one, I would love a newpair of shoes.But thats pretty much whats going on here! Doing the Lords work! I love you guys! And pray for you oft. Lemme know what I can do for ya here.
Tchau tchau

My area is called Laranjeira

Hey mom! Remember all those times I told you I was in the Ghetto? Well, this time its serious haha... Im in the outskirts of Belem, My area is called  Laranjeira. And its just straight up ghettos haha. Dirt roads and tiny houses piled up on each other. We´ll be walking down the street in the night and boom! A gun will go off. Its so crazy here, has a lot of kids in the street flying and  battling with their kites, and they also set off a loooot of fireworks. When I got to the house there was no power.. cause someone was late paying the bills.. So it was pretty rough sleeping without a fan or shower. Then we got the power back, and yesterday it went back out, cause someone was trying to steal power from a power line.. this place is crazy. But its cool, im adjusting. My comp is  Elder Dos Santos, And Elder Silva Dos Santos was his comp in this area  before me. (my first comp..)  Ah! when I was in Marituba, There was an inactive family that lived out in Tauá. The father use to be stake president.  When I was out there we visited with them, and long story short, they starting coming back to church, and I baptised 2 people in the family. And my first day here in Laranjeira, My comp didnt tell me where we were eating lunch, and we get to the house to eat lunch and it was that family that lived in Tauá!! They moved here, and theyre all super strong in the church, and the father is working to get a call in the church again. I fealt so good.
The area here is pretty big, well at least it seems big, how my comp sets up appointments on different sides of it. So im going to lose a lot more weight here, cause of the walking. Also I threw one pair of my shoes away, cause there were just too many holes, and it rains too much. Sooo, If you guys could, I would love a new pair a shoes, Cause I dont know how much longer these ones will last. 
I miss swimming soooooooo much.!! I miss you guys a lot. And hope that
yall are having a great time. I have a good bit of time left if you
want to talk some more! Love you guys!! Tchau Tchau!
Elder Arroyo

If I stayed one more theyre just going to transfer my church membership registers to Brangança ward

Good Afternoon Mom! so yea, its transfer time.. The Zone Leaders
called last night and said that both me and my comp need to pack our
bags. Were both leaving Bragança! Ah.. I was so sad.. But they didnt
tell us where were going.. Cause they said they didnt want us to
know.. Yea.. the leadership here gets abused a lot. But yea, I already
got my bags packed, and got my haircut, and pretty much ready to go.
Were leaving for Castanhal at like 6 o clock.
Haha, I got so connected to the members here. I am definitely coming
back here at the end of my mission. They said if I stayed one more
theyre just going to transfer my church membership registers to
Brangança ward hah. They even signed me up to give a 20 minute talk
next Sunday. Ill have to give that down to the new missionary that
will take my spot haha :D. I took a good amount of pictures and got
some addresses gave out my facebook, stuff like that. Ahhh, but im
going to miss this place so much..
My Birthday was fun, A sister made me a cake and pancakes and stuff
and some people came over and I gave a message then they sang happy
birthday for me and stuff. I got it on video. Hey mom, if you could
send me like all the happy birthday stuff that people sent me on my
facebook.
But yea, pretty much now. im just waiting to leave, were going to take
a taxi with our stuff to the bus station. and take a bus to Castanhal,
and then see what adventure I get to do next! I love you guys, and
praying for yall every  day. I know the church is true, and that Jesus
is the Christ.
Elder Arroyo

I love these people!

WOOO! 20 Years Old! Mannnnnn, I feel like a Man! So yea, the tradition here when its your birthday, is for someone to crack an egg on your head, and pour flour on you.. So yea, If I wasnt sleeping with one eye open last night..lets just say you could have put me in an oven and made me into a cake haha. Brasilians are crazy haha. But im good, nobody has gotten me yet. But last night I ate cake at 3 different houses. And today I dont even know how many more times I will eat ha. I love these people. Ill prolly gain weight this week. Because tomorrow a member is making us hamburgers! YES!! i got all those birthday wishes, they were sweet! Thanks everyone.

So yea, transfers is next week. And Im pretty sure im outta here. But nobody knows for sure :D. Today in the street market i bought a Rede. (hammock) cause I dont know if ill go to an area that doesnt have a nice market. Or if ill be transferred by boat, and have to sleep on the boat in a hammock. We´ll just have to see. I want to be transferred on the Amazon!

This past week, I got addicted to abacate.. hmmm, I dont remember what fruit that is in english, but its green and has a big seed in the middle. But yea, ive been making shakes everyone morning with that and bananas and some other stuff, and its amazing! But this week I bought Cupuaçu. MMMM! Im going to bring home some Cupuaçu for yall to try out. its amazing. Im going to bring home pulp of Cupuaçu and Açai. And Ill make some great shakes for you guys.

Also we had stake conference Sunday, and haha. I had to wear my jacket.. Its so embarrassing wearing that thing now.. Its like a blanket on me. But im just glad that ive lost weight out here. I feel a lot better. Ive started to do jump rope in the mornings. Thats helping build me up as well.

Sorry I didnt really take any pics this week. Im going to take one with all of my favorite members though. But mom,have a lot of people added me as a friend on facebook from brasil? just dont reject anyone.

I hope everything is going good back home. That yalls cruise is super fun! ha, Sounds cool that yall are visiting ruins in Mexico. You should have came a little more south, and went down the Amazon. :D But the work here is doing good. Im working my heart out. Trying my hardest. Keep up the prayers. I love you guys!

 Tchau Thcua

Elder Arroyo

Water attracts mosquitoes, rats, spiders. Pretty much everything that I hate

Hey mom. Wow, thats so crazy that school is getting out. Yea Destinee will be a freshman and whos knows what grade Justin will be in. Lets see, The schooling system here is different. Because its just now starting to be an `important thing to have` hah.. But the people here go to school for like 3 hours a day. But theres also a lot of people that dont go to school. So yea, its summer here all the time ha. 

These are my shoes! Good as new, right!? haha

Man, ?I thought it was hot before, but now its getting into the hot hot hot season. It feels like were in an oven! Its so hard to sleep at night, its just like the little fan that we have blows hot air.. and theres a lot more mosquitoes. So I bought some things today that I can burn in our room at night that will keep them away. But yea, I dont like sweating in my sleep, ha with mosquitoes all over me. But its these experiences that are life changing :D. hah jk

So we had another baptism on Saturday. 

Baptism of Carlos

It was suppose to be 2, but one fell, and shell be baptised this Saturday. Its all good. Its gets pretty complicated preparing so many people for baptism (not bragging) But its definitely worth it.

So I hit my 11 month mark yesterday! And ive been in Bragança for forever hahaha. Ive made sooo many great friends! Not only members, But as well, people around the city. So my birthday should be pretty well taken care of. I hope haha.

But I mean, we working super hard. Doing the Lords work. Sweating, eating more fruits that you can even imagine! along with tropical fish. 

I found some guy selling these jars of like
cream of exotic fruits definitely bought this jar of Maracujá! 

This week im going to see if I can fry an egg on the road.

We made this sweet pizza with everything on it.

Thats great that yall went to the temple. Man, I miss that place. Thats going to be like the first thing I do when I get back. Just go straight to the temple! Yea, I was totally talking with my comp about craw fish boils this week. I miss them! Im jealous! Man, Def take some pics and send me some. But I love you mom! Going to see if I can send some pics! Have a great week! Hug the family! Even though they didnt respond to my emails! Tchau tchau!

Elder Arroyo

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The water attracts mosquitoes, rats, spiders. Pretty much everything that I hate haha.