2nd Week In!

Oi there! Wow its sounds like everyone is just doing awesome! I love reading everyone's letters so keep them coming! 

Happy Birthday to Eric Cassity and Joey Winters this week! Hope you have great days! And for the Padua family, I will be thinking of Uncle Bobby and his birthday on the 12th. I still have my purple bracelet and always will!  Love you guys.

As for things here, it has been crazy! We talk to so many people throughout the day. Our goal each week is 140 contacts, which is a ton! We talk to a bunch of people in the street as we walk from appointment to appointment, because our day is pretty much booked up with teaching lessons. Every other day we just do contacts and referrals, while the other group of missionaries teaches our investigators. A lot of talking with people. And the members are starting to get super involved! They called a bunch of ward missionaries that are way excited and next month our companionship goal is 20 plus baptisms! The mission goal is 500! Way awesome! It's going to be a ton of work but we are looking forward to it and are excited! Yesterday we had 6 investigators come to church, but we had a lot who didn't show up, which was way sad! I wanted everyone there! Two who didn't show up were marked for baptism this next week, but can't now because they didn't show up for church. Way sad! On the 14th, though, we have 1 baptism schedeled with a man named Claudinei and he is incredible! He has smoked for the last 8 years but wants so badly to join the church! The other day someone he knew went to his house and totally bashed on the church, but Claudinei totally owned him, whipping out scriptures bearing his testimony as to how and why the church is true! It was so awesome. He is the man! Claudinei plays the violin and has played in sacrament meeting the last 2 weeks. Such a stud!  I really hope this week goes well and that he can stay strong! Keep him in your prayers!

So dad asked if I ever will work outside the city and I don't think I will. I think our mission is now only the city, since the new Sao Paulo West mission was created. They took alll our suburban areas so it's just city in the ghetto! Pretty cool!  You know how some missionaries get step counters? Well I want something that can measure how much elevation I change throughout the day! No joke. There are so many hills and ups and downs all day. It's crazy! And when we get to some houses, you have to climb these steps that are so sketch that it feels like your going to die!  haha. There is house upon house. Unreal! I'll send some pics.  The other day we bought our first pizza and it was so amazing! Wow the pizza here is so good! And the crust is filled with chocolate! Oh man, I was in heaven! 

I love you all!

Love

Elder Holmes