Conference and Confetti

Happy Day! As many of you may know today is my 21st birthday and the last I will celebrate on the mission. My last birthday seems so long ago. I remember that it happened during my first week in the mission field. I did not speak the language well, I was tired because the people in the house had woken me up at midnight and I didn´t remember a thing, and I was upset because I believe know one had thought to make make a cake. But my companion had rallied together the ward and they suprised me and turned everything around. I can´t help but look back and where I was a year ago and feel happy to see a difference. I am still not perfect and I still have a long way to go, but I am improving and happy. This last week was a little harder to work because of conference and city elections here in Brazil. People put up signs everywhere and paper litters the streets. Because voting is a bit of a chore people, used that as an excuse note to go to conference, members and nonmembers alike. But we still were able to bring several people there and hopefully they will be baptized in the near future. I watched the conference with Elder Bryan in Portuguese which was a new experience for me. I loved the talks, but during one session I was pretty much falling asleep so I splashed water on my face, doused the fountain, and took off my jacket. I can´t wait to get the Liahona for the Conference. There were some heavier themes discussed to truly establish where the church stands and what we believe. I was very Happy to eat an omelet and pancakes furnished by my loving companion Elder Bryan. He will be leaving the area tomorrow and I will begin training most likely a new Brazilian Elder. I am worried because we have already knocked on 95% of the doors in the area and have began to start over so I hope we can make productive use of our time and I can truly help this Elder have a wonderful initial experience. To celebrate my birthday today, we will make cake, receive more cake, and make some milk shakes as well. There goes my health. Fun fact: We fasted recently and drank a bunch of water to prepare. I lost 9 lbs in 24 hours! I would like to thank my mom, my dad, my step mom, my step dad, my siblings, and Brother Israel my MTC Instructor for all the thoughtful cards and gifts I received. I am wearing the tie and using the pen right now! Come on really, Elder Healy