What's shakin' my masters of Turkey bakin'!

My first week has gone by in the tranquil area of Julio de Mesquita. And no, I have no idea what the name of the area means...I am pretty sure it is just a name and that's it. But I have learned quite a few things this week about my companion and my new area.

My new area is pretty much like a mix of an extremely old beaten down Las Vegas residential area with the great road organization of a Utah town. The blocks are perfectly square and the streets are called "Street 1, Street 2, Street 3" and so on. Pretty sweet and easy to learn. The problem with the area is that there is hardly anyone that is ever on the street and the people aren't all that receptive. The day I arrived my companion Elder Lemos told me that this area is "a little complicated". What he really meant to say is that it is extremely hard to baptize here, let alone have a progressing investigator. The day I arrived we didn't have ONE progressing investigator. So it's pretty much like I am "opening" an area...again.

But I really do like this area. The members are pretty cool and it's way more peaceful and relaxing here than it was in Limão. There is tons less noise, cars, and, to my dismay, drunks. I will miss the drunks. They always provided needed entertainment on those long days of walking. Speaking of walking, that's all that I pretty much have done this past week. We don't have really anyone to teach so we just walk and do contacts with pretty much anyone that doesn't try to avoid us on the street (and some that do) and we "clap" at doors. I have yet to teach a lesson besides the first lesson. I guess I do need the practice though. But we are getting a lot more investigators and I think the area will start to turn around.

My new companion Elder Lemos is pretty hilarious. He lacks quite a bit of self-confidence and entertains me when he voices his hilarious fears of talking to people, living life after the mission, and not knowing enough to support his future family. He has a year and 9 on the mission and says he isn't ready to go back because he didn't learn enough on the mission yet to go back to real life. It is kind of sad but really entertaining. I just let him talk all day while a listen and forget that we have been walking for the past 6 hours straight.

It's funny because he has been in the area for almost 2 months and I have a week here and almost every ten minutes or so he asks me where we are haha. Poor guy. But he really is cool and has taught me a lot of things. He is funny and knows the scriptures and how to teach using them too. I may "kill" him because he only has one more transfer in the mission so I may see this thing to the end with him.

We have this one "investigator" I guess you could call him but really he is just a guy that we like to talk to because he is extremely smart and funny. He won't allow us into his house but he loves to stay out on the street with us and talk to us about the gospel, politics, and whatever subject he thinks of. He is one of those guys that would be called as bishop a week after his baptism.

Anyway, so he has this extremely pleasing looking daughter who is 17 and who I met for the first time on Monday night. She introduced herself and said she was trying to learn English because she wants to move to America someday. So anyway, we started to talk to Levi, our almost investigator, out in front of his house for like an hour. The whole time his daughter was there just watching me talk to him. Yes, just me. She stared at me for over an hour and every time I looked over at her she gave me this little smile and started playing with her hair. Yeah, I knew I was in trouble at that point.

So finally we ended our conversation and we said goodbye. I went and shook Levi's hand and then went to shake his daughter's. I took her hand but she obviously wanted a lot more than a handshake because she leaned in...with her face...coming towards my face...with her lips...coming toward my lips. Now people, this happened in like a half a second so I had to make a quick decision. I jumped back with both my feet and thrust mine and her hand forward, not allowing her to come any closer. The quote from Ace Ventura rang in my hand "Back you Devil Bird!" In the end I explained to her that I can't kiss while on the mission and she got pretty embarrassed, but I told her that she shouldn't be and now we are fine. It was a close call though.

Well, that's about it for this week. The house we are in is freakin sweet and the other companionship that we live with is way cool too. One day I will get to live with another American...one day. Oh well, I get to learn the language better because I have only had brazi's roommates and companions (OK well I had Bigelow for 2 weeks in Chora Menino) but still, it would be sweet to be with an American. Stories I tell just aren't quite as good in Portuguese. Oh and explaining lacrosse to the people here is pretty much useless. They have never seen it in their entire life and just don't get the concept of hitting someone else with a stick and how much joy can come from it. Anyway, tata for now! Keep the emails coming...please.

-Elder Brent Parsons