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President has heard my pleads and I was transferred! Woot!
Haha, I have been transfered FROM the "rural" part of the mission to a city OUTSIDE of the "rural" part of the mission called Salto de Piropora. I am not quite sure what that would be called, but yeah it's a 45 min bus ride from Sorocaba (the city where I was at) that has a population of around 28,000 people.
Elder Little, who is from my group from the CTM was here and I took his place here along with his companion: Elder Bie. Elder Bie is from Rio de Janeiro too! It's crazy, 3 out of my 5 comps have been from Rio and there are only 4 or 5 of them from there here on the mission.
São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are sort of "rivals" here in Brazil. They are the 2 biggest cities, have the best soccer teams, and the people from one don't like the people from the other. Rio thinks all of the people from São Paulo work too much and are really cold.
São Paulo people think people from Rio are "Favelados" or people that live in the slums, have no money, are prideful, and don't like to work but just like to party and go to the beach all day. It is an extreme exaggeration on both sides but both of them have some truth behind their statements...
Elder Bie has about 5 months on the mission. He seems pretty cool. He is 24 and pretty intelligent. He already did college and graduated with a degree in mathematics. He seems cool enough but we have only been together for about 4 hours so we will see.
So this last week in Julio de Mesquita was tough because both Elder Affonso and I thought we were going to be the one leaving the area. Haha, we ran out of shampoo (well...I did...he doesn't buy stuff like that and just uses mine) but neither of us wanted to buy shampoo for just 1 week because it's annoying to take with you in your suitcase. So for the past week neither one of us was willing to buy shampoo so we just used regular soap as shampoo haha :). However...I won! I got transferred.
So here in Salto I am District Leader of another area called Jardim São Paulo and another area where there are sisters. One of the sisters is Tongan and went to Timpanogos High School (my high school...). I thought she looked familiar. She graduated in '05 so I am sure Ryan knows her. Don't know her first name but it is Sister Lotulelei (I think...I'll double check that). She's way cool though. Let me know if you know her Ryan. It is the first time I have ever had sisters in my zone, let alone my district.
I got here this week and looks like we are going to have 2 baptisms already this Saturday. Yeah, I pretty much will "steal" these baptisms but I also left 1 in my Julio de Mesquita for Elder Patten who took my place. That's how the mission is though. It doesn't look like this area is THAT strong but it should be pretty cool.
The city here isn't really very rural at all though. It's all by itself out here but it is actually very developed. 28,000 people is still a lot. It is just us 2 in this area so it's kind of weird...we are all alone out here. It's sweet though, I am excited to work here. Elder Affonso (who I spent 4 and a 1/2 months with...just to remind you guys...that was a really long time) was "born" (started his mission) in this area so he told me a bunch of stuff about it already. The Bishop here is actually American who went to BYU and served a mission here and came back and got married. I haven't met him yet but Affonso said I will like him a lot.
Well, I downloaded a few photos that I took really quick as we dropped my stuff off in the house and yes mother and father, I got the new camera! It's SWEET! Seriously, it's so awesome and I am so excited to play around with it tonight and find out all it's little cool stuff. THANK YOU SO MUCH, it's perfect. I felt like a little school girl as I opened up the box and saw it, jumping and squealing with joy. Thanks again! I was scared that it had been stolen too. It was a relief to get it.
Well, love you all and wish me luck in the new area! It should be good and I am excited to get to work. I have a good feeling about the area. Farewell!
-Elder Brent Parsons
Welp, I am pretty angry because there was just an error with the site and I had written a huge email but just lost it. Now I am out of time.
Next week is transfers and I am hoping to get transferred...I have got 6 months here in Julio and I think it is about time I left...I hope I do but we will see what happens. Affonso wants to leave too haha. I love the people here but it is definitely time for a change.
I am good...healthy and everything. Love ya all.
-Elder Parsons
It's really happening too. So I am on division here in a little town of 40,000 outside of Sorocaba called Boituva and have been for the past 3 days (companionship problem...but not with me and my comp don't worry). Anyway, I am with an American named Elder Call and we were walking down the street of the little town and saw the most typical little Amish family standing on the corner, and yes, they looked as confused as...an American Amish family in the middle of nowhere with people speaking a language they don't understand.
So anyway...Elder Call said very loudly "And that's our local polygamist family" as we walked by them...believing that they were just a strange Brazilian family. But anyway, long story short Elder Call and I went to have lunch (we decided to get Chinese Food...first time in 11 months! It was good) and as we were eating who shows up! Our little polygamist friends. Well, we noticed that they were all speaking English...and ended up talking to them. They are here in the little town of Boituva to start up a church and a bible distribution center for the Mount Zion Distribution Center (talk about a "Mormon" name) and they don't speak Portuguese yet haha.
It was just an extremely random experience: 2 Mormon Missionaries who speak Portuguese as a second language, 3 Amish families from Kentucky and California who don't speak Portuguese, ordering Chinese food from a Chinese woman that also doesn't speak much Portuguese, in the middle of a small town called Boituva in the center of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It was pretty sweet though and Elder Call and I just laughed about it afterward.
So Friday was my birthday but it was actually just a pretty normal day until the end of the night. We went to teach a girl named Julianna who is 17 and lives in our newly acquired area of Ouro Fino. She's friends with a lot of the youth from the Ouro Fino ward. Anyway, so we went there and she said "hey Jessica (youth from ouro fino) has a church movie that she wants to watch with us, let's go over there." So we went. As we opened the door to their house we heard the great "SURPRISE!" and we saw the entire youth body from Ouro Fino and some other members there.
They had thrown us a surprise party...with a Barbie theme haha. It was ADORABLE. So Elder Affonso's birthday was last Tuesday so it was for both of us. They had made this barbie cake for us and when Elder Affonso and I went to blow out the candle Affonso shoved my head into the cake haha. So then...long story short, it started a very large cake war that left my shirt, tie, pants, and nametag barely recognizable as belonging to a missionary haha. It was awesome though. Everyone there and the house too were completely covered in cake and icing. I took a bunch of pictures but I think some cake got into the camera or something and it messed up my memory card (some of the pictures worked, but some just turned black) but Elder Affonso's cousin is a professional photographer and knows how to fix it so we sent the card to Rio de Janeiro for him to fix it. It should get back next week and I will send the hilarious pics and videos then.
Welp, the week was pretty normal otherwise. Next transfer is in two weeks so these should be my last days with Elder Affonso. There is no way we will stay together for 4 transfers. I am excited and anxious to see what happens at the transfer because really anything could happen. Anyway, thanks for the sweet emails everyone, talk to yall later!
-Elder Brent Parsons
I was truly saddened to be informed of the death of the TRUE American Hero this week. The man who death has unfortunately been overshadowed by a lesser and whiter "star": Billy Mays.
I am sure the media has only talked about the death of Michael Jackson and thus the death of Billy Mays has not been given the attention and gratitude that he undoubtedly deserved. Billy Mays has done countless paid-programming commercials for a wide variety of cleaning/houseware products. Often his commercials came hand in hand with the thought "Why is he yelling at me!? I may call and by his product just to get him to stop yelling at me." However, without his constant yelling I truly would have never known of OxyClean's complete superiority over the other stain-removal competition.
Now you finally have time to rest your voice Billy, rest in peace. There is no need to yell now...
I thank my big bro Ryan for being the ONLY person to inform me of this Fallen Hero's death. Shame on all of you for not putting your priorities straight!
Anyway, speaking of Michael Jackson he really is like the 8th wonder of the world here. I am not even kidding. EVERYBODY, and yes I really do mean EVERYBODY loves him. It's really not healthy. I have yet to here a song play on the street here since his death that wasn't one of his. An Elder that went home this week because he finished his mission (the one that was living with me for the past two weeks) LOVED him and was one of his biggest fans. He never cried in front of us but admitted to shedding a few tears for the fallen hero on his own. To the dismay of many I was completely unaffected by Michael Jackson's passing. But you know...I am becoming heartless and cold here on the mission. Jill/Mom "What!?" Me "Yes mom, it is true."
Me wants to see Harry Potter VI.
Well the life and the mission go on here in Julio de Mesquita. The 2 elders who were living with us for the past two weeks left yesterday morning and are now having a wonderful lunch with their mommies. Freak. All they left for us here in our house is a air heavy and full of "trunkiness" (homesickness) that has slowly been consuming us the past 2 weeks. But alas, I have got over the feeling and I am fine here, no need to worry mother.
So with the two Elders "deaths" my companion and I have now truly taken over their area and will start the work their immediately. We have been especially tired the last few days because we have had to think and abnormal amount about the best and most effective ways to do the work here in the area. We have some ideas and we will see if they turn out well. It is pretty mentally draining though.
This Saturday we are going to have a baptism! Nycoly (yes...that is how you spell her name) is going to be baptized. She is the girl in the video of me and her throwing her cat back in forth (it was awesome). Her mom is also preparing herself to be baptized. They are way cool and even send pictures and letters to my parents.
Well I am off to clean the house that the 4 of us have pretty much destroyed in the last 2 weeks. Now that the other 2 are gone it should be easier to clean and keep clean. This will be the first time in my 10 and half months of the mission that I will live with just me and my companion. Crazy! Should be cool...and different. Farewell!
- Elder Brent Parsons
