Apr. 27, 2015 a Brazilian girl has a crush on me

          Week 45

I just got done helping a member move houses. They went from an extremely small house to a not so small house. 

The american that is living with me, Elder Lowder, has been practicing breakdancing on the porch of our house. I got a little curious, becuase I can already do the handstand, and now he is teaching me a few things. I can basically do one flare on the ground and one full twist on the handstand. I hope I can get this thing down :)

Monday last week, we visited one of our newer investigator. This investigator has a daughter really pretty. Well, this really pretty girl gave me a note with her perfume and everything. It made me so happy. When I got home I started to brag to everyone in the house about my new "snake". They asked me to show them the note. After I showed it to them, they all looked really shocked and asked, "How old is she?" My response..."I'm not sure. I think she is about five years old." It gave everyone a good laugh.

Mar has backed down from the baptism for good. An still wants her to be baptized, so I still believe that there is hope. He has come up with a plan to take all of the kids to church so that she will be left alone at the house, that way she will feel lonely and will want to come to church! Haha! I love the plan!

Tons of people in this city have Dangue. (DANE-gee) We have given almost everyone a blessing! All of our investigators have somebody in their family get dangue in the past month. It is a little strange because it has been a while since I have seen a mosquito here.

That's my week

Elder Koby Sullivan

We encountered our investigators in the center of the city. What are they playing?

Chess on the chess board :) I love my generation!

Birthday gift from Prez :)

Prezident and Sister Canuto's Birthday

A bunch of pics we borrowed from Elder Wallas:

Apr. 20, 2015 which one of us is the lazy eyed man looking at?

         44 weeks

This week was interesting.

Unfortunately, we went over to Mar's house (An's wife). We went to talk with her a little more about the baptism and she said that she doesn't want to be baptized.... talk about upset. She said, "everything in the church was different than what she grew up with." Duh, it is kind of like a different church. There will be new things. We had everything planned out so that An would baptize her. He has already received the Priesthood, so he is ready to baptize her. Now she doesn't want to get baptized. I'm a little frustrated.

One contact that we did was really funny. He had a really strong lazy eye. After we told him who we were, he looked at me or my companion (I still don't know which one of us) and he said that he has the power to cure! All you have to do is draw the shape of the cross 3 times and the person is cured! "You don't need a prayer or anything!" LOL

We finally had a little success with one person that we met on the side of the road. She was smoking and after I offered a prayer, she let us into the house. There were about 5 little teenage girls in that house and I think that my companion and I are the first people they've seen from outside of their country. They sat there whispering and laughing when we talked.... The mom said she has always wanted to visit another church, and she became more interested when we explained that our church did not branch off of a different church. We'll see what happens tonight.

The most uncomfortable contact ever. We knocked on a door and a young man came to the door in just headphones around his neck and underwear about the size of a speedo. When he answered the door, my first thought was "Gay! Do not enter!" He said that a bunch of college guys lived there. I tried to talk really fast and leave that place. 

That's my week

Love,

Elder Koby Sullivan

Apr. 13, 2015 lost my sole!

          Month 10!

Finally hit month 10 along with my companion. 

The week was full of "no's". We had invited We. to baptism, but he rejected and he has invited us to go to his church...maybe he doesn't know our purpose here :/

Mat's family also rejected the baptism. His mom told us no as well has his dad. In the middle of the conversation, I told them the importance of agency and then I asked Mat. He told us that he doesn't believe in any religion, not even the one that his family goes to, but I can see it in him that he believes in our religion, so we are going to keep trying. 

Mar as well told us no, but we convinced her to be baptized on the 25 by her new husband An. :)

An. just received the priesthood yesterday. He was so happy. He is a different person now. 

Because Easter just happened, we have been getting the leftover chocolates of all the members. I have never had so much chocolate at one time.... I'm not complaining :)

We have entered in a new area in the city. It appears that it has been two years since somebody worked over there. I understand why. It is close to nothing! It is an hour away from our house and the center. The only thing there useful is the market, but the area is really good :)

Elder Koby Sullivan

Mom's note: In case you are wondering, 

That says NUNN BUSH WATERPROOF.
We bought them from Christensen's in St. George, Utah.
The salesman knew this kid was going to Brazil, and he told him this is a "good shoe." This shoe started falling apart in the first month. He was still in the MTC and hadn't even worn them outside. All the while, he was rotating them with another pair... We just found out size 13 is only available in Brazil through "special ordering."
Thanks, Christensen's. NOT.

I filled the hole with duck tape.

​The bottom has come apart

They broke on the road. Luckily I had bags.

​I was tired and wanted to sleep on the road

​This is what the first plane ever made looks like from behind.

 .

Apr. 6, 2015 called to pirassununga mission...jk

         42 weeks

So, I've decided that my new call is Brazil, Pirassununga mission because I am still here. By the end of this transfer, I will have done six months here 1/4 of the mission.... It's good that I like it here. 

I received a new companion. That was unexpected since he just got here. My new companion started the mission on the same day I did! His name is E. Vasquez. He is from Santiago, Chile. He is really cool. 

The week was really packed. We went to "helping hands". 2 wards (about 40 people) went to a school and did a makeover. It looks great now. I went in shorts because I didn't want to miss that opportunity. Unfortunately, I didn't think about the sun. My legs and neck have not been exposed to sun for almost ten months. I got so burnt. 

Conference weekend went really well for us. Saturday was really interesting because we were visiting Bianca and Laiz (some cool Investigators who always gives us cake on the road). When it was almost the second session, it started to rain. We were about a 1/2 hour from the church. E. Wallas and I took off our shoes, put them in a sack, and without an umbrella went to the church in the pouring rain. My feet are fine :) there was nothing on the road. We were incredibly drenched and when we got to the church, it was locked. So, we went to a member's house to grab the keys :) I don't regret it. It was really fun. 

Elder Koby Sullivan

Mar. 30, 2015 baptism and maybe a transfer

          41 weeks

My companion and I have never done so well this transfer!

An? Well, he was BAPTIZED!!!! As we say here, "Milagre não! A Bichiga!" Which basically means, "bigger than a miracle." Unfortunatly, Only An came to the baptism. His family didn't. His wife was supposed to be baptized too, but something happened with her, so she didn't go. I still don't know what happened to her.... 

Transfers will not be known until later tonight. All that we know is that president said for everyone to pack their suitcase.... I want to see this :)

All of the missionaries in Pirassununga gathered together at the church and did activities with an elementary school here. None of them were mormon exept for the teacher who brought them all there. It was really cool. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me to take pictures.... triste. 

We've encountered several new families and they have accepted baptism, but if I am going to be transfered, I can't help them anymore. However, it seems like the hard work is starting to fall into place. I am starting to see results :)

Boa Semana!

Elder Koby Sullivan

​A strange plant 

 as I was putting things in my pocket..

An. at the baptism

​this is our zone shirt.......I tried my best to put a U-state with the U, but they messed it up...

​I took a picture of this billboard because it reminded me of my sister Kamarie :)

I left my camera with him to take my pictures of the baptism. Shout out to Elder Lopes!!!

The rest of these pictures are by friends of Koby's: mostly by Elder Lopes.

Mar. 23, 2015 rainy week, wet feet, got yelled at

This week did not go that well.

It always rained on the day that I wore my shoes with a whole in the bottom that has been filled in with duck tape. Therefore, my feet were uncomfortably wet. I thought back to the Klondikes scouting and decided that I would put a sack over my feet. :) It worked really well until the sack ripped....

I got yelled at by an old man because I knocked on his door. He was catholic. He said that we were wasting our time knocking on that road because everone is already christian? We asked him if he knew anybody we could look for and he got even more mad. In the end, I asked if we could say a prayer with him because that is a bit difficult to deny. He got more mad and pretended that he didn't understand me. Then he claimed, "i say a prayer everyday! I don't need anymore prayers!" Haha. When we left, he was still yelling at his family because of us.

Elder Wallas (DL that lives with us) had an idea to take pictures. We all dressed up in dating clothes, then took some cool pictures. Unfortunatly, my camera is very old, so the pics aren't too cool, but still good :). It ended with us dressing the same an dancing. It was awesome!

suave na nave

(smooth??  mild in nature??  lol)

 So isso. 

 Americanos!

 Oh yeah.

Pastel.

My companion is the one next to me.

Baptism is still on for Saturday in the morning. He is excited, so that is good.

-Elder Koby Sullivan

acai

acai drink, yum

Mar. 16, 2015

9 Months

Okay, so we went to An's house and he told us that he is busy for the next two saturdays, so we have to move the baptism to the 28th. I brought the Zone Leaders with us so that we could see where they were standing. They said that An still wants to get baptized and is advising people for the 28th. That is really good to know.

I did a contact with a man on the road. We went to visit him, but he wasn't home, but his son Mats was. He is 19 years old. He let us talk with him and we are basically friends now. We invited him to be baptized on the 28th and he accepted it if he is ready by then. Yes! Maybe I could bring his family in too. Then everthing will be awesome! I have high hopes.

We finally have a ward mission leader who is not innactive and he is really excited to help us. He is always wanting to go working with us. It is awesome!

That is my week.

Elder Sullivan