This week 3 people have been found dead in the streets here

Alrighty soo its super hot today, Thank goodness this cyber has air conditioner!! haha. Sooo lets see what happened this week.. Well, we are finally baptizing! Mission complete! Trying out best to keep it up every week. The boy that I baptized, his name is Alex. 

And the day of his baptism I was like ehhhh Alex Whats up? How was your sleeping? and hes like I had a dream of Elder Arroyo Baptizing me. So that was pretty cool to hear. And later that day, I baptized him. Just need to get his bro and dad baptized now. But their aunt makes flip flops! So Im making a design right now for her to make me a pair of flip flops. Its going to be an American flag, transforming into a brasilian flag. Its going to be sick. Ahh, this area is brutal. So we were all studying in person study, and we here a lot of yelling and people running on the street. and we go out to the balcony and there were a bunch of guys beating up one guy on the ground.. They said he robbed someone, and when someone robs someone in this city they just get beat up in the street really bad. So far this week 3 people have been found dead in the streets here. From being beaten.. A bunch of bandits here. But yea, pretty crazy I know. Another thing about this place are the vultures! There are sooo many! there Everywhere! 

Me and my comp infront of the church! 

Hmmm, But I dont really remember what else happened this week. But I need yall to get an address for me, His name is Wesley Baker, He lives in Salt Lake City. He was one of the first missionaries in this area. It was when the mission was the Brasil Manaus mission. Thats all the info I got on him. But if you could try your best to find him. Some people here want to write him. I think it was like 13 or 14 years passado. Oh, And when is V-Day? And is there anyway that you can get me my pic of me with my fireman uniform on, the one that was my profile pic on FB? That would be great if you can get it to me! hmmm, today we are leaving for Castanhal at 5:15 for a zone meeting. those are always fun. My Portuguese is improving, and I think im still losing weight, But I havent weighed myself since last transfer. 

And this was my breakfast! Pretty huh? You gotta eat what ya got.
And I ran out of sister Burtons life supply of starburst.

Let me know from my pics. Buuuut yea, Thats about it. Im going to try to attempt to send some pics. Love you mom, and dad and destinee and Justin!! Tchau Tchau!!

I have a testimony...

I have a testimony that the Lord truly does prepare the people for baptism, we just have to prepare ourselves to receive them. Baptizing is super hard in the area...super.. and Saturday night, the Zone Leaders called in and were like you guys need to baptize 6 people before this month ends. So that night I just broke down, asking the Lord why were not baptizing in this area. Were doing everything right, obedience and everything. So Sunday, before church we go to all of our investigators houses to help them to church, and no one comes.. so were just thinking.. Man, this area is impossible. and we go to church and we get there right before sacrament starts `sacrament is last` and some members of the church brought 4 investigators for us!! And after church I was standing at the chapel door shaking everyones hand like I do every week, and this little woman around 40 years old tugs on the sleeve of my shirt and says, Elder ive been inactive for a couple years now, But I want to start coming back, and I want my children to be baptized, and she introduces me to her children, and ahhh!! What a miracle! The Lord knows what hes doing, we just have to be patient and wait. So I that was our miracle of the week.

Lets see, ahhh, one day this week it was just raining alllllll day.. so when it rains super hard all day, the men like to drink, cause they cant go anywhere. So me and my comp are in a lesson and at the end of the lesson a drunk man walks in the house and just starts doing a lot of super weird things and then sits down right next to me, and hes suuuuuuuper drunk.. so he shakes my hand and never shake a drunk mans hand here. Cause every time they will kiss it. so that was really awkward. so we say the closing prayer and halfway through he gives me a huge hug and kisses my head and then fell over on my comp. ahhh it was sooo nasty but super funny. and when it rains super hard all day, all the reptiles come out onto the street, so we see frogs like 1 and half feet long and huuuuuuuge iguanas. and the other night we saw a snake, it was a about 3 or 4 feet long and it was crossing the street, and then just stopped in the middle, so the member that was with us got a huge rock and dropped it on him, and the snake jumped in the air and slithered away. It looked pretty exotic, so we kept out distance.

ha, but out where were teaching, awww man the bridges...  my comp just loves talking about how i fell in. oooooh but guess what happened this time. The river was super high this day. up to the houses, and my comp was walking ahead of me and I turn my head to say good morning to some people in another house and I hear crrrraaaaackkk! And look and my comp was halfway in the bridge ahahahahaha. he broke a huge part haha. Ahhhh it was hilarious. But now were helping the people build it with more force. They dont have any money so they just use sticks and scrap wood that they find on the ground. or in the river. But my joints around my hips have been hurting for a couple weeks now. I dont know if its my bed or what. im too afraid to say anything about it. But yea, that was pretty much my week, or just 10 percent of it.

Ahhh thanks for giving the hugs! I cant wait to get marks letter. But just remember that I only get stuff out here like once every 2 months. if that. But still tell people to keep it coming. I love getting letters in bulk. But Im doing good here. Portuguese is great. Keep up the prayers and keep me in them. Love you guys! Tchau Tchau!!

No, im not getting robbed by this guy!

Ahh Martin Luther King Day, Man Holidays mean nothing to missionaries, especially American holidays.. its just passes by like a normal day. Man bomb threats...Oh how much i miss the lame things that happen in school haha. i havnt given a talk recently no. I would take videos but, its a rule for this mission cause some missionaries were videoing the people here and making fun of there living styles, and put it on youtube. so now we cant make any videos.. The weather is just super hot and super hard rain. thats it. But the living conditions are pretty harsh. Im still adjusting.


But yea about this week, hmm, ok so all the kids here are flippin awesome! They dont have xbox or computer games, they live off of the coolest things! So the kids here construct little kites about 2 ft by 2 ft. and suuuuuper long string. and theyll go out on the street and fly them. and when one kid sees another kite in the air he´ll throw his up too and theyll fight each other like 100 yards or more in the air. And so theres like a billion kites in the air just going at each other. and these are kids from ages 2 and older. its soooo cool to watch. Oh, so we were eating lunch at a members house and blah blah blah missionary stuff, eating and the daughter gave me a legit guitar necklace! I hope she didnt do it cause she liked me, but im wearing it and it looks pretty cool. Then after we ate lunch at the members house me and my comp were walking to the church. and this is a super bad part of our area. My comp says people get robbed all the time. and we were walking down the street, and it was just us on the street cause everyone sleeps after lunch. and this guy starts walking toward us from the other side of the street super fast, and I look at him and he has his hand in his pants, and he told my comp to put his hands up and give him everything, and I was behind my comp like 5 ft, And i have no idea what this guy has in his hand, but I come up beside my comp with this huge umbrella in my hand, and the guy backs off and was like FORGET IT FORGET IT. ahhhh man! The adrenaline was running sooo fast! this guy was like 4 foot nothing, and I was just like, no, im not getting robbed by this guy. I want to tell the whole experience but I dont have time. My comp thought he was going to die. But yea, that was the first time I was attempted to get robbed. Pretty scary. Im so glad ive been working out everyday. Im doing a new workout called perfect pushup, along with my other exercises. So im getting pretty ripped.


I finally received your package! ahhh Thank you sooo much! My comp loves his stalking too haha! Oh, and I got a letter from someone in the church with a lot of signatures of some people of the stake callings. and it had a dvd in it. I would love to know who that was from, cause the handwriting is soooo crazy, im still attempting to read it, i just cant read the signature! Lemme know, and tell them i said thanks! Oh, and are you giving out the hugs that im telling you to give out for me?? Ya betta be! Um excuse me mom, im almost 7 months out, I did not just leave thank you very much. But dont worry about me, im fine. Health is good, everything is good, and yes, tell uncle mark that I floss my teeth every day, just for him. But anyways, I got to attempt to send out some photos! I love you guys! Give out the hugs that I wanted you to give out last week! (cause I knoooooow you didnt!) haha! Thcua!

Elder Arroyo    

I fell into the swamp

Boa Dia mom. Soooo this week, hmmm. Work Work Work and more work. So we started off with 0 of everything and this week, we got  35 new investigators!  We have 5 baptisms on the 22nd and more next month!   Ah, ive never worked so hard in my life.  Ive been trying my hardest to set a good example. So im teaching my comp how to work. and we found  4 families that were teaching and some are singles and kids. So now the work here in Braganca is booming! I feel so happy now that my comp is back in mission mode. I made a huge colorful poster that says 130% obediancia and everyone is following the example. So everything here is slowly getting better. I was sick for 2 days this week. And had to stay in the house. I think its the rain. It rains everyday all day now. Im going to buy a  heavy duty umbrella today.  ahhh, ok, so how we found so many investigators was because I wanted to go preach the gospel with the River Dwellers!

They are sooooo humble! They live in elevated huts over a bog next to a  huge river, and the river rises to their houses sometimes.

And thats where we have been teaching everyday.  And the bridges that they made there  ^sidewalks^ are made for small people... soo yea, im not small. and Ill be walking walking walking and crrrraaack run!!

And Yesterday...ohh man..  We were at a hut closest to the river to help the members to church and I was walking a bridge and I hear crrraaaaackkk! and instead of doing a 360 backflip onto the next bridge I fell into the swamp...

The mud went all the way up to my shins..   Ahhh, it was sooo funny for everyone else, but im sooo scared to walk there again. for reals. I sent some pics of this place. The river Dwellers. Great people. Ahh and today we bought Guarana Jesus! It tastes soooo good! 

our new supply of guarana  jesus!

Do they have guarana in the states or no? you guys need to  try this stuff. And when I end this mission, who wants to pick me up? Cause yea, im about to hit  7 months!  



me singing for our talent show haha

 Well! Im going to attempt to send some pics! I love you guys, and I still havnt gotten your package mom! Were going ot Castanhal  this Thursday so maybe its there! I love you!  Tchau!

Come look at this American cross the bridge!

Ola! So yea, Transfer was way tight!! Im not in Castanhal, Its just my zone. Im all the way out in Braganca!! Its 6 hours away from the mission office! It feels like im on an island out here, cause the closest city or sign of life is Castanhal which is 3 hours away by bus. But its a pretty big city here. And super hot. Im in a house with 3 other missionaries. My comp is Elder Xavier (bras)

2 Brazilian Comps in the House

Oh yea, The internet dropped here and I had just finished my letter for you. So It only sent a part... Grrr... So we went to buy some Acai! But now the internet is back!  The missionary house in Braganca has 2 companionships. Me and Elder Xavier and Elder Minor (USA) and Elder Araj something (bras). The area here is like being on an island. The next closest city is Castanhal which is 3 hours away. And the mission house is 6 hours away, so were just on an island out here haha. Half the area is a city and the other half is Ghetto. There are places where we have to go where the people are just thugs and doin drugs. I only keep 2 reals on me cause I know im going to get robbed there. There is a bridge that we have to cross that is just made out of pieces of wood and its over a bog and stream of anacondas.. When you step in the middle of like a 2 by 4 it bends like 4 feet down, you just have to fly across it. And its connects a bunch of houses that are lifted off the ground so everyone is like, come look at this American cross the bridge! Its super scary! And its like a football field long! Im going to have to take a picture of it for you. But the people here are great. Im going to baptize this place like crazy. Im trying to work my way up the leadership ladder. I want to make senior ASAP and then either leader of district or secretary. Then I want to make Leader of zone a little after I make a year. So far im doing great. I think the pres is moving me around to comps and areas that have problems.. Cause yea, Im Elder Arroyo, and I can fix them. For reals though, I love to lead with love and baptize. Oh so yea! I bought a scripture case for my Portuguese book of Mormon! Its sweet! Its made of leather and the spine is made of snake, and my name is burned on the front with a picture of Jesus and Ether 12:27 on the back! Its super legit! the guy is still making it for me though.

oh yea... saturday night I got super sick.. I woke up in the night 4 times having to use the bathroom.. And in the morning I felt dead. But I was like, no.. I have to go to church. So I went to church. (Yes this is Chris) And I used the bathroom there twice. Then went to a members house, and then I was like comp I gotta go home. So were walking through mid day here to the house and I feel like im going to die. And I lay down in my bed, my comp calls sister Campos. They give me some drugs and I sleep for the rest of the day and night. So im doing pretty good now. I still feel a little weak. but its just my monthly dose of Diarrhea. But it can get pretty serious out here if your not carful. But that is my week, really shortened up. Im going to try to send some pics of New years Christmas and My transfer party. I love you guys. Have a great week!

My Christmas Feast!

For new years we got a chess set Partied till 10:30!! Woot!

Burning my tie was fun.

And no I didnt get the package yet. But if you send a new one! I would love some ole spice!