4-30-12 email

This week was pretty crazy. So I'm going to start off telling about the district splits we had this week from Tuesday to Thursday. I split with E. Taperosky, our district leader and a way way awesome missionary. We get along super well because were pretty similar personality wise. Well I learned a ton from him and it turns out that Elder Sacilotto my companion was teaching me a few things wrong that upset Elder Taperosky. Anyway, we taught a few people and knocked doors and on Wednesday President Lanius told us to look for a new house for me and E. Sacilotto because the one were in is very cramped with 4 people and one of the missionaries in the house with us has a few medical problems and is kind of crazy. So me and Elder Tap went looking for a new house which was fun, we found a good apartment not too from the church building and in the center of our area (this picture on the right is the place Nate has been living in). We called President to let him know and it turned out that president was near by so he wanted to  come right then! So he drove over in his nice car and picked us up at the church to head over to the apartment to check out the room we found. Any missionary that gets to ride with the Pres is pretty lucky so that was kind of cool. We sat in his car and waited for the owner to get there and while we sat in his car we talked. By the way a new house is going to be a huge blessing, having room, a table to eat food, a desk, right now my space is the bed...and that's about it so its pretty hard to study and eat. Anyway, Elder Tap brought up to Pres how he was worried for me because my trainer was not teaching me right and not obeying some of the rules, sleeping in not working the right hours... it got pretty intense when we told him this and at that moment he got pretty upset. He looked at me and said..."I'm feeling a transfer"...that was kind of an exciting moment, but then decided against it and told me we would call my companion and talk to him himself...which is pretty darn scary for E. my companion. Elder Tap and me thought he was going to send me to a different area or something right then. It was crazy. But Pres was pretty mad because he trusts these missionaries to teach us younger guys what to do and a lot of the missionaries take advantage of that, and my companion has only been out a few months and not very good at English...so were both learning a lot together.

Working with our DL was great though he taught me a ton about lesson brazil, and I even improved my Portuguese a ton with him just in 2 days. But we changed back our companions and things are a lot better working wise now, Elder Sacilottoe (pictured with Nate at left) got a pretty good scare from the President so everything were doing now we are making sure is right and anytime there is a question we call the DL. That's the main news in a nutshell.

Our baptism date with Clemilda was cancelled for different reasons, one being that the guy that lives in the house, Jessica's husband really hates when we come and was pretty mad that we were in there teaching lessons, so we kind of had to be careful and only visit to invite them to church each week, that was a little depressing. The people are extremely...simple here, much of the stuff we teach them goes over their heads and if they have a church they want nothing to do with any other. Oh and Jessica the girl that feeds her baby all the time in lessons and at church, I found out she 18....weird.

The end of the week went great we worked hard and I am blessed for having talked to the president about my companion. A lot of the week consisted of finding all of the millions of inactives in the ward and inviting them to church, many have moved and many just are never home so its hard to find them. But while doing so we fund around 25 people that we have appointments with to teach so hopefully something good will come of them. Oh this week I drank pure sugar can juice it was delicious, all over the sides of the roads are little carts with food and almost always sugar canes to make juice, so that was good and I've started to try more of the different foods they have here. That's a tiny bit of my week! (clothes drying room pictured at right)

Haha. Yeah it was all pretty crazy and I wish I had someone more experienced with me like Elder Tap but then I remembered Dad and how he his first companion came into the missionfield the same day as him and they were put together in their first area as greenies for their first six months!! Crazy! So that made me feel better and I know with a lot of hard work well be able to fix up this area, Pres Lanius has done a lot of great things like improve all of the living for missionaries and send missionaries home he is amazing! A big white guy with a German Brazilian accent, low voice haha.

Ok Mom and Dad, a few other things..... If you ever send a package, fit in these things...pens and pencils, all that stuff is expensive here for some reason. Sunscreen and bug spray, also extremely expensive, US candy bars, peanut butter....but really not needed...calendar....Dad's missionary journal...CD with music?

This week was pretty hard but thinking of the family always helps and thanks for the prayers...Dad I got 3 letters form you and 1 from Mom. I loved them thanks sooo much. You are the best. They always make my day!! Its good to hear about Allie and the Lewis's and all you talked about, it's so crazy CJ is getting married!! I wish I were there for the wedding! A couple of questions I need to answer for you, yes I help teach the lessons but just a little. It's hard and bearing my testimony is the main thing and always helps to bring the spirit:) I'm staying cool only when I'm inside...and at nights. The day is bad (haha). It actually doesn't rain a lot it's the rainy season here right now and is cloudy sometime but really hasn't rained very much. (Nate’s bed pictured above)

Hurrah for this work and the patience people have with my Portuguese.

Elder LeSueur

                                      The dirt road and sewer ditch by Nate’s  apartment                                   Nate with Kleber, a youth in the ward