Hello family!

Mom, thank you for the encouragement! it is true, sooner or later it
will be a count down, not up. but i think the thing that makes me feel
the most like its going by is this idea: after one year, i will never
serve more than i have already served. it scares me! but also is
something crazy to think about. its funny you said that about the
pictures, with some of them i would open my mouth and they would open
theirs, haha. thats cool that jase has been here! i never went to
cedar point before, but one day, yes. i still remember the aldi runs,
and it just goes to simply show that jase is a hoskin! i liked what
the missionaries said about how you can bear your testimony in one
sentance. someone once asked President Hinkley why our temples dont
have crosses or other things like that on the outside, and he
responded that the symbols of our church are the living examples of
our members. just a neat thought to think. thank you for the pictures
as well, i liked them alot! also, i liked dad´s soccer jersey

Dad, as you can tell i am indeed able to write you guys this week, so
that is fine. this may not be the longest email ive sent, but at least
its something! thank you for the soccer update, go spain! people here
are going nuts about the liberators cup, which is the best club team
in south america, and the team that everyones crazy for in my mission
is now in the final against an argentine team, so like i said,
everyones going nuts. that is sweet that your class went well! that
class with all of them, as well as the age group sounds like its going
to be good. the temperature here is indeed real good, especially toay
for the falls!

michelle, hello! i got another one of your letters this week :) so
thank you! i have one quick question, are you still looking after my
facebook? im sure theres nothing to do on it, but there are many
brazilians from here who are wanting to be accepted by me, and so if
you have the time could you go on there and accept all the brazilians?


onto everything else!

so first of all, as you can see in the pictures i sent, the wedding
went through this week! everything went really really well. and there
were lots of members there at the wedding, as well as the baptism, so
it was a huge success. our ward here is incredible, ive never worked
in a ward before like this. i have seen now on the misson how much of
a different the ward makes in the work of a misisonary!

but anyways, they are really happy. the baptismal service was
incredibly spiritual, everyone was crying, and i cant even barely
explain it! but they had been waiting for an oppertunity to get
married for 7 years, and we were talking with them last night and they
said that it was the best desicion theyve ever made, and we had sort
of a testimony meeting at their house last night. i cannot believe how
strong they are in the gospel! it is incredible, and it is making my
mission, like the other baptisms weve had. it is unbelieveable.

so, we went to the ´point´this week, which is the bridge that crosses
the river that divides brazil from paraguay. it was sweet! i put one
foot in paraguay, to not break rules of leaving the mission, but it
was very cool! as you can see in the pictures i took.

so i had a division with who this week? Elder Borges! my old companion
from Marília, before Elder Glover. he was the only senior i ever had
beyond my trainers, and now i am his district leader, which is no big
deal, but apparently other missionaries were giving him half of a hard
time about it. but beyond all of this, it was a good time! we got to
reconnect again, and work together which was nice, and i wanted to see
him before he left as well, so i am glad to have had that.

i dont know why i am saying this, but i thought you guys would
appreciate the fact that i bought something in a regular supermarket
the other day, and they gave me change not in money, but in candy. i
thought of how in the old days, it was all trade without money. haha

so this week i saw the biggest spider of my entire life. it was
literally crossing the street. it was big enough to say that it was
crossing the street! it was HUGE. and we spotted it from way far away,
i didnt get a picture because i didnt have my camera on me, but
believe me, that thing was big.

also, as you can see in the pictures, i went to the 3 borders this
week! its a point where one river converges into another to make the 3
borders of brazil, paraguay, and argentina, (like unto pittsburgh) and
its a really beautiful spot. its also in my geographical area where i
work, so you guys will definitely see it when you come out here! i
have now seen 4 countries.

so thats all i can write for this week, i gotta go to the falls, but i
hope the amount of photos makes up for it! i love you guys, and i hope
that you have a great week! next week will be more low key to write
more and all, but until next week!

Elder Hoskin