From: Jacob Thatcher <elderthatcher@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 9:11 AM
Subject: Carta da Natal de Elder Thatcher
To: Sam Hansen <cliffhucker@gmail.com>, suzy summers <suzysumm@gmail.com>, shansummers@gmail.com, Micah Thatcher <skiaton@gmail.com>, Suzy <suzy@ida.net>, Rhett Summers <summercofarms@gmail.com>, dmhansen@ida.net, Hannah Thatcher <isavethewhales@gmail.com>, gordon@beardstclair.com, gramlaree@gmail.com, "Knight, Leanna" <kni07001@byui.edu>, wes07006@byui.edu, Bryce Thatcher <runmts@ida.net>
Dear family,
Well it's another week, I´ve already been in the mission 4 months! It is the week before Christmas, although if I didn't look at the calendar every day I wouldn't know. Every day is hotter and more humid here. If it wasn't for the constant wind I would already be dead J
From the reports I've received from there at home it sounds like it's shaping up to be a good Christmas. Perhaps the Best news worth noting is the snow that you received, it finally came! It must not be too shabby because it was good enough to make it on the news 17,000 kilometers away! Last night we were in a member's house having family home evening (will tell the story latter), one of the members was watching TV and there on the screen was a report about all the snow they were having in the west (it was showing pictures of Michigan) everyone couldn't believe all the snow… I told them it was normal J where I lived and that my family and friends were skiing on it right now!
Well, this week has been a different week than normal. Thursday we had our zone conference in Porto Alegre, so we left here in Torres at 7:00 for Porto Alegre. Normally it is a 4 hour ride, but this time we rode on the more expensive "Executive class
Normally it is a 4 hour ride, but this time we rode on the more expensive "Executive class" buss, so it was only 2 and a half. Like always I tried to stay awake and enjoy the view, but it was impossible and I ended up sleeping most of the way
SIDE NOTE: I am about to go insane… I am sorry, but I hate computers, I have been through 4 computers today, each one has a different problem. The last three have either not had Microsoft word, internet not worked or not recognized my iPod. Currently there is a stupid 17 or 18 year old kid that seems to have more energy than anyone in this world running around the lan house like he is drunk, singing to himself, laughing, and being an idiot in general… brother… so with this disclaimer, I will try as hard as I can to write a letter from my heart this week full of spiritual content J
So anyway, we arrived in Porto Alegre. This zone conferenance was a special Christmas, combined zone conference with 4 other zones in attendance, so we had it in one of the stake centers. Elder Cummock, my buddy from the CTM was there, but nobody else from my old district was. The first 2 hours were talks, and musical numbers. Afterwards I received 6 packages! It was pretty sweet; luckily I brought an extra giant trash bag, and stuffed them all in. who sent a package? I am not sure I received them all. 5 were from mom, one was from gram Laree, all others I will more than likely not receive for 6 weeks, the next zone conference.
I didn't have the privilege of opening them right away, infact not until 3 days after. From Porto Alegre I went to Gravataí, another area (enclosed are some pictures) with Elder Do Naciemento, (if you remember 6 weeks ago he came here and did a division with Me.) the Zone Leader, This time It was my turn to go to his area, his companion, elder Eller went back with my companion elder Abdo to Torres. The bus ride to Gravataí was the craziest one I have had in my life. I gave my packages to Elder Eller to take back to our apartment, and I took his for him, to giant boxes. One top of this I had my bulging backpack, elder do naciemento had a case of books of Mormons and another box filled with pamphlets, etc. So imagine two missionaries getting on a city bus with all this stuff. Of course, the bus was WAY full; we got on, and stood up, with the boxes for the 1 hour trip. That was an adventure.
The rest of the trip was overall fairly uneventful… Oh, I take that back, I witnessed for the first time the true gift of tongues, we taught this family, that was a referral of another member, Elder Do Nacimento didn't know what part of the lesson I was accustomed to, so he started talking, then all of a sudden, he stopped, right at the part of the apostasy, and restoration of the gospel. In my opinion these are the hardest parts, I have done these parts a couple times, but each time I didn't have the vocabulary to effectively tell the story, so I had just been giving my same old part, but this time I was forced to do the restoration. All of a sudden I was talking, and it was making sense, the family understood the questions, it was awesome, flowed well, didn't have any stumbling etc. I was way gaulded at first that Elder Do Nacimento would do that to me, but afterwards I was really thankful!
So Saturday morning Elder Do Nacimento and I got up and made the long trip to Torres again. Again, I slept the whole way. We arrived at lunch time, so we went to our apartment and ate lunch. I made creamed corn sauce (Gram Laree's recipe… I think) on top of rice, with some fried corn tortillas, with a pear and yogurt. Pretty good ehh??? The only thing that could have made it better was to substitute the rice for potatoes. And this would have been the case, we would have had baked potatoes that I cooked before the zone conference, if I hadn´t had cooked them for 9 hours… I promise, I turned off the stove, but for some reason, the propane kept on going…. Attached is a picture of the outcome….whoops. Anyway, afterward I was re-united with my beloved companion Elder Abdo. Elder Do Nacimento is pretty cool, he likes to talk, and sometimes doesn't know when to talk, or when to let the spirit talk. But other than that he is way cool.
If all goes good we will have a baptism this Friday in the ocean. I don't know if I have already told you about Zilco and Neli. They are an old couple, in their 60´s, Elder Abdo found them before I came. All of a sudden 2 weeks ago Neli, the woman had a change of heart, she wants to be baptized!!! She has lots and lots of health problems, an ulcer, kidney failure, etc, so her dialysis is this Thursday. PRAY HARD that she will feel up to the baptism this Friday. If not Friday it will be next week.
Another family that needs your help is Terizinha (the mom), Aline and Daniel; I attached a picture (excuse the nudity) I didn't realize she was nursing when I took it. For some reason I feel extra close to this family, I want more than anything for them to accept the church and be happy; there family is having lots of problems. Terizinha and Aline come to church ever single week. I think Aline will be baptized within the next month or so (maybe I will have the privilege J , but Terizinha and Generino first have to get married in order for them to get married. I would, have, and will do anything to make this happen. But unfortunately I can't give them the will, and this is what they are lacking. PRAY for them.
I think, last night we had a break through with them, however. FHE is a pain in the butt here, people never show up, and it is usually at Elder Bairds, which is not a real family home evening in my opinion, and so, I had the idea last week to have it at a part member family´s house, Simone and Louis. They have their family up for Christmas, and they are members. So, yesterday, Aline Terizinha and Daniel came (Generino is too busy…I will explain what doing in the next para) Aline had said the night before that she can't because she has to work, but I prayed extra hard, and what do you know? She came! We had a very good lesson on the restored gospel (Elder Abdo and I) and afterwards had SMORES!!! Compliments of me J I went and bought chocolate, something kind of similar to marshmallows, and some crackers. It was a hit, everyone loved them. We cooked them on their stove. I think everyone had two or three J I was kind of worried that they would not like them, because I gave some Red vines to my Class at Church and they all said it tasted like Paste de Dentes (toothpaste) Brazilians have weird taste buds, they hate peanut butter! Infact, it is almost impossible to find it here.
So why wasn't Generino there? Because he thinks working is more important then everything in this whole freakin world! Brother. I can't be to mad, because the people here have to survive on hardly nothing here, and how can you be frustrated for a man trying his best to put meat on the table and a roof over his families head? Like I said in the last letter, everyone is renting their house for this summer, so This family is moving into their garage to rent their house, He has been slaving away the last week trying to convert their garage into a house.
So here is the part where I ask all of your opinion, and I am serious too. The thing that is postponing their baptism, and in reality, their happiness, is marriage (I think). But they don't want to get married because they don't want to get married and have problems. Marriage won't fix everything, but it will help their relationships, and unite the family. How do I give them the faith to take the step into marriage? Do you think it's wise they get married on unstable ground? It costs 80 dollars to get married, should we pay for it?
Spiritual Thought: Like I said everyone is working here in Torres. I will guess that it's about the same thing back home. If not working everyone is way busy having fun, making ski turns, etc. Remember when Mary and Joseph came into Bethlehem they couldn't find any room in any of the inns? All of the people rejected them, and Jesus, the Son of God. They could not find places, space, room for them in the houses. We sometimes do the same thing. We get so busy that we reject Jesus Christ the same way the innkeepers did. We do not have space enough for him in our lives. Ironically, we have the least space for him at the time of year when we should have the most. Don't reject the Savior like the innkeepers did in Bethlehem. Find space. And the lord has promised that if we do, he will open up the windows of heaven, that we will not have room enough to receive them. He will bless us; help us with our trials, etc. But we first have to accept him, so let him in.
Love you all, Merry Christmas!
Jacob
