1/6/10

Nice tan line!

Learning to play on P-Day!

Hello,

So today is the last p-day till the next transfer. Next Wednesday we will have transfers. Im having mixed feelings on if I want to stay here or be transfered, not that its up to me. haha But this past month has been... different. Its different to have a Brazilian companion. I'm literally the only American in these towns that we work in, and its been a little hard to be away from home for the holidays for the first time. But other than that everything is awesome! I love this town and the ward, the people here are so awesome!

Cool stuff that happened.
So Alexandre, the guy that we baptized a couple weeks ago, is struggling because his ex-wife has his kid and won't let him see him or talk to him on the phone. Zero contact. Its been really really hard for Alexandre. So this past week we had a fast for him and a couple days ago he got a notice from the court that he will get to spend 10 consecutive days with his son each year! We are all super excited for him. Its so awesome to see the little miracles that happend in the lives of people each day.

Here on the mission I am learning that My life is really really really good. Everyday I meet people that are in the worst situations ever and we get to try and help people solve their problems, its a learning experience. For example, on Monday I did a division in Sorocaba. We went to an investigators house that they are teaching. When we arrived the guy was freaking out, shaking, and screaming. We tried to calm him down and nothing seemed to work, after about 15 minutes 2 of his daughters showed up who were 20 and 23 and he was yelling at them to leave and calling them names like slut and whore, and was saying he didn't want to see them and they needed to leave. So I found out that this man was extreemly educated with over 10 years of college and had a great life with 3 daughters and a wife. I don't know how but he slipped into a coma for 3 years! By some miracle he woke up out of the coma to find that his wife was with another man and his daughters and wife had sold everything he owned, all his insurances and things of that sort. So now he has some brain problems because of the coma and he has EXTREEM depression to the point that he has super bad breakdowns, like what we encountered monday night.

So if you think that everything in your life is going wrong...It could be worse. Day after day I have humbling experiences that make me so grateful for the life that I have, family, and situation that I have back home. Every little thing is a blessing.

I am so greatful for this opportunity to serve a mission, to help people, and learn life lessons that I can't learn anywhere else.

Thank you for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen