Week 19~Transfers

e-mail
April 9, 2012

Hello Family!

I did receive the package so thank you very much!  It was a very interesting way that I got it, and yes it was all taped up and all there, but here we go... I hope you like crazy stories!
So on Monday after we e mailed, we went over to the market to buy food and all that.  We bought about R$170.00 worth of food, so about $85 dollars worth all together and split it.  Also if you spend more than R$70 they deliver it to you, so we had it delivered to our house.  We also bought meat for a BBQ.  But on the way back, President Tavares called us and said to pack up our things and to head straight to Londrina a.s.a.p!  He said for me only to bring enough stuff for three days, but the others were to take everything.  So we told him we had stuff being delivered to our house and he said to wait for it, but once it got there we needed to leave.  So we cooked up the meat, ate, packed, then around 5 or so the stuff got to our house.  Then we called a taxi and got a ride to the big bus station for traveling to other cities.  Our bus left at 8 and we drove through other cities on the way, so we didn´t get to Londrina until about 11:30 or so.  We got another taxi to the missionary houses we would stay at.  First we dropped Elder Juelch and Elder Magalhães off at an apartment, and Elder Petersen was there!  So that was cool to see him.  Then we got to where we would stay around midnight or so! 
The next day was the leaders training in Londrina, so Elder Moreira and I worked in the area we were staying at.  Elder Petersen also joined us for the day, so it was super fun.  We made some contacts and stopped by investigators houses.  It was a very different place, and I missed the people here in Maringá.  Then we talked to Pres. Tavares and he said to be at the mission office at 8 the next morning.
 We got to the office at 8, but Pres. Tavares showed up around 9 because an emergency with somebody's health I think.  He had interviews with each one of us.  Apparently some of the others in our house could see the neighbors wife watching t.v. some nights, and the neighbor got mad and complained.  Also, Elder Magalhães had a bit of an argument with a member at conference so yeah, the President was worried with us and said some elders might be transferred... but I knew I would go back to Maringá so everything was fine with me.  Then Pres. Tavares took us to lunch and after we worked in downtown Londrina.  We went back to the office around 8 to see if Pres. Tavares knew what to do yet, and he was still deciding, so we went back to the house we were staying at. 
The next morning was district meeting, so we went there with the Elders we were staying with.  It was good to see how another district worked, and they were all fun.  After we went to lunch at a buffet in a market.  After lunch, Pres. Tavares called and told us where everyone was going... Elder Magalães (the other Brazilian in our house) was going to Baurú up in São Paulo, Elder Juelch (the other American) was going back to Maringá with me, and my comp. Elder Moreira was getting transferred to Igauçu falls...  So that's interesting, and I also learned that my new companion would get here on Saturday and this was on Thursday.  Also Elder Juelch´s new companion would get here on Friday.  Elder Juelch and I got back on a bus around 4 to go back to Maringá and left the others.  Scooby doo the movie was on the bus in Portuguese so that was interesting ha ha.  We got back to the house around 8:30 or so, so yeah that was an adventure.
Elder Juelch´s companion, Elder Glass got here on Friday, so I worked with them throughout the day and we went to our investigators houses to explain why we were gone for so long.  Some of them are sad Elder Moreira left.  Then my companion got here on Saturday with Pres. Tavares.  His name is Elder Caetano (Brazilian).  Also Sister Tavares was there to check the house which was good and clean, so no problems.  We went out to work just like normal and everything is good now.
So yeah, this last week was really crazy, but I´m sort of grateful now to have a new start.  Elder Caetano is a hard working guy, and in the last two days we have gotten more organized and made as much progress as we had in 10 weeks with Elder Moreira, who was good but really lazy, so yeah I´m learning alot now.
Thank you for the package (which I got in Londrina from President Tavares).  It is awesome!  Thanks for all the good treats!  I hope you guys had a great time at Newport and had a good Easter too.  Tell the boys and Pep hi for me!  I love you guys and hope you guys have a great week.  Once again thanks for everything, and I think now we´ll have lots of success here in Maringá.

Love
Elder Halpin