Luckily: optimistic in the face of riots, flooding, mold, feeling sick and cold!

Monday, May 26, 2014

This week was strange.  We were all excited for Elder Andersen on Wednesday until Tuesday night when we get a call from the assistants saying that while Elder Nelson and President were in meeting, Elder Nelson received revelation that the meeting with Elder Andersen should be canceled and that all the missionaries in São Paulo should stay home Wednesday- can’t even leave the house.  He said that it was because of the many riots that would happen Wednesday. So we thanked the Lord for revelation and advised the zone. Later that night the members where telling us about buses getting lit up and riots and bandits in the streets, then we get a call from our sisters in the top part of our zone that connects with the main road and they said that there were people running to their houses and that a bus was on fire and that there were bandits on the streets.  So we sent them home early and got ready for Wednesday.  Luckily nothing happened in our zone on Wednesday, we think that it was more focused in the east zone of the city where the new stadium is at.  So we stayed home all day and it was terrible. We just studied and talked and played a Book of Mormon trivia game that Mrs. D gave to me. Luckily Thursday we were able to leave.  Unfortunately our house is very small, our whole house could fit in the front two rooms of our house, and we have mold inside because of the rain.  So we both got a little sick and the last two days my voice has been coming and going.  Luckily it continues to rain and flooded our kitchen, and not our bedroom, because it is a couple steps higher so the water stayed in the kitchen.  Our baptism water thing is still broken but we solved the problem by asking a member to baptize our investigator.  On Sunday we were running around helping the other areas with interviews and stuff, had a sleep over with our dl and another missionary because the traveling assistants wanted to do a division with 2 duplas so we got air mattresses for our other elders.  All in all we have hardly not worked in our area and this week flew.  We are making plans for the ward and zone and are thinking about moving houses, again, and adding another dupla in our ward.  It was so cold yesterday that I could see my breath in the chapel and at home, heating and ac don’t exist here :).  But it’s all good and this week will be great.  Hope that ya’ll enjoy a day off! Love ya'll!

Elder Anderson