Cancer Miracle & A Robbery

Dear Friends and Family,

So this week has been quite crazy!! This past Monday was rough and all four of the missionaries in the house including me have talked because we are having a tough time here in our area Sobradinho 2. In reality we have no one to teach. :( We have knocked on doors, done contacts in the street and asked for referrals but nothing has worked out for us. So in all we have hit a brick wall here.

On Tuesday, we had a district meeting in Asa Norte and our district (the same 4 missionaries) talked about what we could do. We thought up ideas and still don't have anything but for me I am very happy because our district is growing closer. We have had so many crazy things happen. It was also funny because when we were coming back to our area it started to rain and that day we were to pick up money for lunch from a member and we exited the bus and started walking and by the end of it when we got back home, we were completely soaked. Our bags, clothes, shoes and so on. It was a really funny sight to see.

On Wednesday, Elder Rodriguez and I went to visit a less active member. We also got to talk to her mother. This less active woman's name is Nayara and I don't know her mother's name. When we were talking Nayara´s mother told us that she had cancer and her story is very interesting and very spiritual. She said that one day she was in pain and that she went to the hospital and the doctors did some tests and the main doctor came back and told her that she had cancer. Then this sister told the doctor, "No I don´t!" She said that she knew that it wasn´t of God and the doctor tried and tried to tell her but the sister would not accept that she had cancer. The doctors then did some further tests and they found out that really SHE DIDN´T HAVE cancer. She said it was something that was very depressing and downing to think that she had cancer and so she wouldn´t allow herself to think about these depressing things because she said that God only wants us to be happy and this is completely true. I felt so inspired by her and what she did.

On Thursday, it rained all day. This week has been a very wet week and there has been some crazy rivers here. Also our Zone leaders came to our area to see what has been happening to see how they can help us better.

On Friday, we had an interview with one of our investigators (really our only one) and he didn´t pass so we are working with him because he wants to be baptized and start again in his life. Also on Friday we had lunch at the house of Irmão George and he was talking to us about how Brazil right now is in big trouble. They are having big problems with their government. What was explained to us is that to show how bad Petrobras (which is the gas company here) is they paid Dilma 800 million just as a favor. Here people are playing the favors game.

On Saturday it was rough. My comp has been having a hard time in this area because we have really no one to teach. He feels that he isn´t helping anyone. That night got better because we had dinner at a less active members house and wow was it good. He is better but here has been getting hard because we have no one to teach and he is feeling really depressed.

On Sunday we did some visits with the Elder's Quorum here. Elder Rodriguez and I went with Irmão Nelson and none of the people that we went to visit were home. We talked with Nelson and things have occurred here where the ward is having problems. There has been a dispute over something that occurred and to work with the members has been tough. Then to top things off, on Sunday night when Elder Rodriguez and I were returning home I saw this gigantic snail that was bigger than a softball. Also in front of our house there are two bars and Sunday night I was on the outside part of our house where I could see the bar. It was scary because I was looking down our street when I heard people running from the bar. I looked back and saw that people were trying to run away and then I saw a guy leaving the bar and he had a ski mask and a gun and a wad of cash!! It was really scary!!

So that was our week and yeah. It was interesting,

Until next time,
Elder Hoopes