Week 11 ~ A LOT of walking

e-mail
received Monday, February 13, 2012

Hello!
So I am doing good...  Its been a rough week at some points, but great at other points.  I love the area, the people are great, but it is A TON of walking!!!  Like I said... it seriously is bigger than the Salt Lake valley!  It can take us up to an hour or 1 1/2 hours to get to a neighborhood to teach!  So yeah, it is A LOT of walking.  My trainer is Elder Moreira.  Yeah, he is great and we get along for the most part, but sometimes its tough because he always has to be right at everything!  I know that I am new and everything, but he´ll say forget everything that they taught in the MTC!!!  I wont forget everything, but for now I guess I´ll just follow along, and someday I can do it the way I want to.  He also is very negative about things that we have to do... like knocking doors.  I don't know why but he complains a lot on that, and he´ll say "I´m the one thats the trainer and I've been out almost a year so I know what I´m doing", so yeah  I´ll just follow for now.  And yeah, I too HOPE everything turns out well (ha ha).   But yeah, the big pointy Cathedral is in part of our area so we went over the other day and went in, IT'S HUGE.  I love this work though!  I love going out everyday and smiling and saying hi to everybody, oh thats another thing he is negative about... he says he doesn't like talking to everybody... Weird.  Yes we have a microwave and I´m trying to eat the best I can.  I just eat something small for breakfast, lunch at a members, and a sandwich when we get back home.  The house number is 188 on rua flamengo so now you can see it.  It is a big house with 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms and a good kitchen with all the stuff you need, other than the food (ha ha).  And I have no idea where you guys need to send stuff, I still have no idea whats going on here! and I guess you have to have street numbers and not just names so just send everything to the mission office for now...

Elder Robert Chandler Halpin
Brazil Londrina Mission
Rua Higienopolis, 1100, Sala 61
Centro
86020-911 Londrina - PR
Brazil

and if the President gets mad or anything thats ok because I have no idea where else to send things, so yeah just send everything there because at worst we´ll get it once a month when the leaders have a meeting there...
Yep, I wrote Brother Walcott so I don't know when it will get there.  I am also going to write Jeff Witt today.  I still don't know how to get pictures to you, I forgot my camera this week, so next week I´ll try sending some to you, but if it doesn´t work than yeah, I´ll just send you the card, but we´ll see what happens next week...
We have taught a lot of people and found new people by guess how... knocking doors so it does work!  Then there are other references from some of the members.  We had a commitment for baptism yesterday from Luiz, but then he called us and said he wasn´t ready.  On Saturday we have a baptism date for Lucas, so I have faith that he sticks to it!  There is a family with a less active mom, two kids who are baptized and come to church every week, and their dad isn´t baptized so we´re teaching them about families and everything.  Ruwane has come to church with us twice and is progressing well, and I hope she will commit to baptism soon, plus we met her mom the other night and she loves us and wants us to teach her too.  Then Lucelleni is reading the Book of Mormon, has come to church with us once, but smokes, so we´re trying to help her there.  Then yeah, just lots of others so its good right now, we just need to help them take the next step.
Thats good that Cy did good. Tell him hi and bye for me if you see him, and get me his address, and I´ll write him sometime.  That is awesome that Sam and Peter got there papers in!  I can't wait to hear where they go.  Just continue to tell everybody hi for me, and share my love.  I know that this gospel is true and this is the best work on this planet, even though it gets tough sometimes, and I know that God will help me through the rough times!  I love you guys so much and thanks a ton for all that you have done and do for me and our family.  Tell Alec, Jackson, and peppy hi for me.  I love you!

Elder Halpin

P.S. Dad, can you tell me some of your mission stories, because I want to know what you would do, and all that.