Hello family!

Lets get right to it

Grandma and grandpa, its ok that you didnt write last week! i completely understand :) . it sounds like you guys are really enjoying the winter up there in idaho! winter is slowly coming here (wont be anywhere near in america) but i am still excited for some time of not hot. its always sad to hear about games that are won (or lost) by the refs. i hope aunt chris is doing ok as well! its nice to hear that all the family is staying together and such.

Dad, i know what you mean with the missionaries who have been out more than a year. its so easy to tell the difference of the two haha. it sounds like there is alot of training involved in your work, is this the way it normally is with jobs, or does your work now require more training than others? you hit the nail on the head about that new jason bourne movie, that actor is sweet and no doubt that the movie will be sweeter. but its just one of the things i will get to see when i come back. one hockey question, are the islanders bad this year again? i cant remember who is christian etzie, but that is great that you are doing home teaching. we had a training in elders quorum about home teaching today, and after reading a bunch of those talks you sent me on priesthood, all i really need to say is that you are doing what you need to! im glad to hear the girls are doing well.

mom, i remember your perpetual sleepovers. they were always bittersweet for the lack of dad. other question, are you guys thinking of moving? thats sweet about your testimony meeting! good testimony meetings are some of the most spiritual times. its funny because in our ward we have about 8 young women, and if one of them goes up immediately all of them go haha. the girls are getting older! haha i hope that they are still generally the same whenever i get home, as a matter of fact that goes for everyone, but i can get used to whatever. i liked your part on a testimony of christ, the truth is our example is our testimony of christ, and if you life a life as much like christ as possible, you will be remembered for your testimony of him in a way kind of obscure. but you can also just write it down :) i already read about ester and job! they are somewhat interesting, especially job. some scriptures of his are ridiculous, but it will be good.

now onto what happened this week!

well to start out right off the bat, mothers day call is already around the corner. i think that its in may here, i will confirm, but none the less its only one or two months away!

i have a question for michelle, when should i start mailing letters to new mexico in regards to school ending? just try to figure out the timing, and let me know love!

i have officially been in brazil for 9 different months, can you believe it? just lacking april, may, june, and already a year. its ridiculous, but not in a bad way.

so for spiritual news, i think i am going to baptize the oldest person i will ever baptize this week. we found a woman named madelena, who is about 74 years old. she is the aunt of a member of another ward. her husband and her were recieving the missionaries 5 years ago, and he failed the baptismal interview 3 times. on the 4th time, he passed, but didnt want to get baptized more. she was going to with him. a year later, he passed away, and she moved to live with her sisters here in palmital. so we found her this week, and she told us ´i dont want to get baptized without my husband´ and so i explained to her alll about baptisms for the dead, and how that works, and she is going to be baptized this week, and when the ward goes to the temple in april they will bring his name and do his temple work! its just another great story, ive already gotten to see so many great things on the mission. what a blessing!

this week was alot of reactivation work, we have been passing alot of less actives this week, and it paid off when many showed up to church. its the wards responsability to help new members, but i think that when it comes to less active they somewhat need the missionaries as well to remind them of how it was hearing the lessons and such. woo!

i got to bear my testimony this fast and testimony meeting. i just went up there and bore it, but it ended up being one of the hardest testimonies i have ever given. i have been studying the book of jacob this week somewhat. its one of the clearest books in the book of mormon, and talks alot about pride, adultery, ect. so i also studied up and found that scripture in i think its 3 nephi 18 12 where it talks about how its better to take up your cross than go to hell, and so i bore testimony about how the major sins we cant have embarassment for people as we take the steps of repentance with god. i talked about how if we dont repent, and dont think that we need to repent for everything we do, then we are saying that jesus christ isnt important, and his infinite atoning sacrafice isnt important for us. it was a tesimony pretty harsh. but you know how the spirit will put words into your mouth? well i never planned to say exactly what i said, i know it was the spirit, and so i guess somoeone or some people eneded to hear it.

but anyways, it was a good testimony meeting! one of the less actives who returned yesterday gave a great testemony that we can all apply. she talked about how she is here (at church) not for because of the people, or because of the missionaries passing her house, she is here because she has a promise with God. WOOSH! it was really powerful, and i appreciated it alot haha

continuing on dad, about those books, i dont think that you can send them to me, no matter how much i am dying to read them. i have been almost hurting this week because i cant read the doctrine of salvation, but when i get home i will read all of them! so just save them for me. also, i probably will be asking for a little package next week. next week is transfers, and whether or not i stay or go i will know what address you need to send it to now. the only thing i need right now is the institute manual for the book of mormon, i will think of the rest after. could you do that for me? also, its not very big because theyre so cheap, but i will probably order garments next week as well. i can do that all on my own here in brazil, so no need to wonder about that.

so a kitten no bigger than my hand was following us 3 days ago. she was all black with light blue eyes, and was meowing almost like crying at us for 3 blocks! completely alone :( im not going to lie, being here has made me basically hate animals, but that kitten just looked so lost and lonely. so what did i, a freaking softie, do? i brought it come, because there was a huge storm coming and it would have tied. it stayed with us for one night, and the next day i found a member to give it to. am i a softie or what? what didnt help is that i read in the liahona days before that animals have spirits, so the descision was basically clear. i will likelypost a picture.

everything with the dentist went well, he worked out my tooth, and i also had a tooth that had a white spot on it, and he took that away too. my teeth are looking good! but it all worked out, just for you to know.

So everyting is going well here, i am really missing things like music and movies, but its going to be fine because ill come home, and instead of waiting for movies and albums to come out, ill have 2 years of pure new to listen and watch and catch up, so thats good!

im really getting to be friends with a member here called wilian. he knows almost everything about the gospel, and all me and him do is ask eachother questions about doctrine and brainstorm and such. he is a great guy. he learned everything on his mission, because his president let them study the doctrine of salvation/anything, and hea also taught them alot of things. but its nice having a close friend in the ward!

well thats about it for this week. i love you guys! thank you for the letters, emails, videos, iloved every single part of every one! i will talk to you all next week, bye!!

-Elder Zachary PAul hoskin