I´m sorry that this letter is coming a day early, but they switched our p-days a day early for this week because tomorrow is brazilian independance day, and none of the stores would be open. im sorry :( i was hoping that you guys would have sent your weekley email by now, but i understand.

i hope you were able to get my last email! i hope everything´s okay, i will try to see if they´ll let me just read your email tomorrow, so send it!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: monday august 12th (I think Zach meant Sept. 12th) is the last day that you should send a letter to the MTC. after that, send them to the mission office until i am able to email you my very specific and correct address in londrina. so please keep that in mind!

this week has been a good, big week for me. i´ve come to the conclusion through my own prayers, the guidance of michelle, and just my general feelings that i need to be more humble. this doesnt necessarily mean that i am cocky, i dont boast or whatnot, but the part about being humble that i need to focus on is going to be primarily loving correction. i guess i dont take it that well when people tell me i am doing something the wrong way, but i am trying to improve. secondarily is submitting to the will of the lord. i already do this, but both will allow me to be a better missionary, both will allow me to know that the lord is delivering me and michelle through this, and both will likely be one of my biggest personal challenges on my mission. so hopefully i can follow through, i think its been going well so far.

this week just has been another week of progress, i´ve been improving my portuguese and my doctrinal teaching abilities, so that is good. only three weeks left in the MTC from today! im really excited to go out, i just wanna get on the ball already and hopefully start rolling.

theres not much to write about this week, nothing too crazy happened other than the new companion, and me just missing everybody. i´ve really started to miss everything more this week, michelle of course i miss so much, and its sooo hard. and my family too, i really miss you guys, and i cant wait for us all to be together once im home. also america, i miss america, and all of the cheap, great food products. they really dont have anything here.

i like to think of it like the quote from the count of monte cristo, where he´s talking about being the captain of your own ship, and when those storms and torrents come for you to say ´do your worst, for i shall do mine´´ i am such a nerd but i like the idea of that, all that we can do is just face it with as much strength as we can.

elder zachary paul hoskin