This week was sick. Meant in both senses of the word. One because it seems like everyone is having health problems in my little social sphere, and second because the work here in Julio de Mesquita is going very well.

We were walking on the street on Friday night and we heard this 50 year old or so lady yell from behind us "Hey, little boys!" There was another kid walking ahead of us so we thought it was him that she was talking to, so we just kept going. Then she yelled "Hey, can't I talk to you 2??!" So we looked back and she was in fact talking to us "little boys." So we went back and she told us about her nephew who is having trouble with drugs and stuff and asked if we could say a prayer for him in our church. We said yes but also asked if she would like to hear our message. She said yes and we went in.

We gave her the first lesson and she really liked it. She is from a church called the Universal Church that pretty much just robs all of its humble little members of every cent they have. Anyway, at the end we even invited her to be baptized at the end of June and she said "Well...I guess I will have to stop going to the Universal...but alright then! What time is the baptism?" Ha ha, it was way funny...and cool. So we explained that we would have to prepare her by teaching her some few things about the church and she said that was fine. We told her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon too.

So we went back the next day and she said "Well, this morning I went back to the Universal for the normal morning meeting." At this point I just thought "Oh crap..." then she said "I have been going to the Universal Church for 15 years and have listened to the pastor's words every single time. However, this time I just sat there and couldn't pay attention at all to what the pastor was saying! All I heard were the words of the two little boys who past by my house and the words of the Book of Mormon. I have decided to never go back to the Universal Church because I know that this book, and the message you both gave me are true."

My companion and I just looked at each other and we both just started laughing at the same time. She was like "Why are you laughing!! I am being serious!" I was like "I know you are and that's why we are laughing so much! When things like this happen to us we have to show our excitement by either laughing or crying...and I don't really want to start crying in front of you." She started laughing...and in the end I did shed a few tears I won't lie.

She went to Stake Conference on Sunday and said "I just feel so bad that I have lived my whole life without even knowing about this church. I thank you both for giving me the opportunity to get to know it." Yesterday we taught her the Word of Wisdom and she said "Well I wont tell you that from this day on I won't drink coffee because I already drank some today, but I will tell you that from this moment on I will never drink it again." For all you ex-missionaries out there...just imagine hearing those words...

So then we have this other 30 year old girl named Cassiana with a 5 year old son and a 8 year old daughter (8...what a magic number) who also received an answer about the book of Mormon and now has been ex-communicated from the Baptist Church because she is receiving lessons from us ha ha. Her pastor has gone to her house almost every night for the last week trying to get her to come back but she won't.

Then we marked a bunch more baptismal dates this week too.

So all in all, I have been here in Julio for like 3 and half months now and have worked my best but for 3 months pretty much nothing has happened but now, finally, after all my work things are starting to pay off and it's pretty sweet. Transfers are on June 17th and I was getting really excited for them...but now I am starting to dread the day.

-Elder Brent Parsons

A couple of pictures

a down-syndrome kid of an investigator that loves me and I love him. He's way cool.

a picture of Jesus with a little kid on his shoulders

Picture from a drug store with a wall of condoms but with a statue of Christ on the cross right above it

A bat in a tree

I'm getting fat...

I would like to inform everyone that I am getting fat. I was weighed, yes WEIGHED, last Friday by Sister Cooley and both Elder Affonso and I have gained 6 pounds each in the last 6 weeks. Elder Affonso says we are like "The Golden Calf" and the people in our area worship us...with food...and it's true. Thems ward sistas like to give us food. That combined with the extremely small and flat area provide a perfect recipe for an excellent "muffin top". You know...when the fat hangs over the sides of your pants to creat a nice little muffin top. It's a brewin'.

So not tons has happened this week, it was pretty normal. I have been on division with Elder Pratt for the last 3 days because Monday we did a normal division but my comp got sick so he did work in the other area at all, then felt bad about it and asked if he could stay there another day in order to make up for the lost time. We live in the same house anyway so it's not all that weird, and I like working with Pratt. Not only is it fun talking to an American but we also got some good work done by marking 5 baptismal dates plus we had this lesson with this one lady named Casiana last night that was freaking awesome. She understands the Restoration of the Church like...perfectly. It's so cool. Definitely an Elite for all of you missionaries who know what that means.

So yeah...I am District Leader...which usually includes me calling up people every night and awkwardly saying "so...how was your day...?" "It was good? Well...that's good then...it's always good to have good days...you know..." Then I talk awkwardly about the people they have with baptismal dates and then I hang up the phone...breathing really heavy and try to prepare myself emotionally to call the next area. It's awkward.

Haha, just kidding...it's not that bad. Just kind of weird sometimes. But it's going fine. The only thing that I have to do that is hard is prepare the trainings for district meeting. It's hard to keep them interesting enough for missionaries who here about the gospel and study it pretty much 24/7. I have ideas though and we'll see if they work.

I am hearing good things about the new Star Trek movie. Sounds sweet and it was directed by JJ Abrams? I love him. I am sure it was way cool and am so excited to see it...here in a year and 3 months from now...

BYU Lacrosse loses to Chapman in overtime 10-9?! Freak. I heard Chapman scored the last goal on some badly thrown inbound pass or something like that? I think I would have pooped my pants in hatred at that moment. So Michigan is champion again. Crap.

Welp, so that's about it. Hope everyone has a good week and I thank everyone for the emails. Bye-bye.

All hail Barack Obama. I love this quote my dad sent me in an email that just gives a perfect look at Obama's campaign.

"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it."
- Barack Obama

Wait...what?

-Elder Brent Parsons

On my way to DL Training in Sao Paulo

Well the internet went down all day today in the area I was in so we didn't have time to write any emails and now I don't have much time because I just grabbed a bus from Sorocaba for 2 hours until we got here in São Paulo at the Mission Office. Because tomorrow morning we have the new District Leader Training.

Elder Little from my group also turned DL so I came out with him and another Elder from Sorocaba. I miss this place...it's a bit more bumping here in São Paulo than it is in the peaceful little Sorocaba. I miss the bumpin'!

So the most significant event of the week was definitely the phone call to my family. For those of you I did not get to talk to...you missed out. We talked about CRAZY stuff...I mean...it was wild. Ok not really, but it was really good to hear my family's voices.

Other than that the week was pretty normal. We actually just got another baptism because of our work with that one family that we reactivated. The son Alexandre's friend Bruno started going to church the last couple weeks and went to play soccer and to all the activities almost every night of the week and is loving it. I was on division on Monday with my ZL but Affonso met up with him and Bruno told him that he wants to become a member of our church because he is going to start going every week from now on. Sweet!

I think I am getting really fat...we will see when I get "weighed" at interviews on Friday. I for sure am losing muscle...I haven't done a push-up in who knows how long.

Love ya'll!

-Elder Parsons

P.S. Sorry this letter is crap...it'll be better next week when I have more time.

Thanks

Thanks to all how shared Brent's Blog URL with friends and family... see what you've done!

Photos from Baptism, Open House & District

There are pics from the baptism,pics from a bbq thing we did as a zone, some pics from the Open House And some just from around the house and area - One with that military guy and the guy in the blue shirt who is the Mayor of Sorocaba)

Ok...I am kind of freaking out right now...

So there were transfers today right? We got the call on Monday night saying that neither I nor Elder Affonso were going to be transferred. Woot! 6 more weeks of the repetitive streets of Julio de Mesquita...and...Elder Affonso...

But that's not really the reason why I am freaking out right now. I am sick to my stomach right now because I just got the call that I got moved to District Leader here. Yes...the little boy Parsons will now be in charge of 7 other Elders...5 of which have more time on the mission...3 of which have more than a year and 4 months on the mission...and 1 in his last transfer of the mission. I really am so scared...

Duties of the District Leader for those who don't know:
-Give the training or delegate somebody to give the training at District Meeting every Monday
-Call all the areas in the District every night to follow up on the work in the area and their baptism dates
-Do divisions (splits) with the other areas to provide training and to see how each area is going
-Do all baptismal interviews for the District. The Zone Leaders will do my area's baptismal interviews.
-Follow up with the zone leaders every night about each area.
-Collect my districts numbers for the week every Sunday.

I am pretty sure there is other stuff that I have to do but that stuff above is everything that I know at the moment. Next week I will go to São Paulo to get the "New District Leader Training". May God have mercy on my new District.

Well anyway, on with the news from the week! We had Arielle's baptism this Sunday after the first week of church in our new Chapel. It was awesome because we used to have like 70 or 80 in church at the old chapel but this week we had 130! The place was packed.

The baptism was freaking awesome too. It was the best baptismal meeting that I have ever seen and was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had here on the mission. The young women of the ward had a special musical number that was way good and one of them bore her testimony to Arielle which pretty much made the whole room cry. Then we had the baptism. We both changed into our clothes and the walked into the frigid water because unfortunately the heater was broken. I had to baptize her twice because her knee came up which was really funny and sad because she was shivering like crazy and I felt bad doing it again...but you know...the price of salvation young woman!

Then we went back to the chapel and her mom and her shed tears of joy for a while and it was all awesome. That night the parents Alexandre and Rute who we reactivated as well told us with tears in their eyes that we have done so much for their family and that we are literally part of their family now.

Mom, just wanted to say that Rute took me by the hand and looked into my eyes as she cried saying that I must have one of the most amazing mom's in the world because I have turned out to be such an amazing person (her words...not mine!). I just looked back and I told her that I really do.

However, we have been focusing so much on reactivating this family, getting their son excited to serve for a mission, and baptizing their daughter that we didn't have tons else going for us. Now that we accomplished what we wanted we have to start all over now...literally. We are now literally searching the area for more less active families to reactivate and baptize their children haha. It is what this area needs.

Well...now more than ever I will need everyone's prayers...I hope President knows what he is doing with this whole DL thing. Oh yeah! It will make 9 months that I am here on the mission next week! Whoever got frisky with someone and got pregnant the day I left should be having their baby by now! Ryan...

Love you all!

-Elder Brent Parsons