August 12, 2013

Another new transfer! So news of the transfer is that now I'm with an elder I lived with in Lagarto, Elder Ginatto. He was my zone leader there, and now we're working together. He's a hard worker and super determined, and we're getting stuff DONE here in our area. We already ended up getting a baptism in this week of a little boy that has been going to church for 3 months now with the bishop's family. We're trying to get the mom and dad on board with the baptism, too, but they're living together unmarried, so for now, that's the difficulty for getting them to baptism. 

And you wouldn't BELIEVE how many people here are living together unmarried, it's RIDICULOUS. I don't know what's going on, there are just SO many and it is soooo hard to find any sort of family around here where the parents are married, I'm estimating it's something like 30% married. I think the churches here have stopped preaching that that's a sin or something, it's like they don't even talk about it anymore, I just don't know. This is probably the thing that most missionaries detest on the mission here.

But yeah, I'll just leave that topic where it lies, it's like an old boxing glove. Every time I pick it up, it's smelly, ugly, and every time I put it on I feel like punching someone. Repeatedly. Until they get married.

So last P-Day we had a farewell party for Elder Albuquerque and another one of my old companions that's returned home this week. We had the party in one of the member's houses, and I ended up using a chunk of my P-Day, about 2 hours, to blow up balloons for it, and we FILLED that house with balloons...or in other words, with the proper air from my lungs. 

So mom, as far as losing weight/taking care of your body goes, I'm right there with you. Actually, I'm not trying to lose weight, I'm actually trying to do the opposite, trying to put on any weight I can get my hands on, but it's NOT WORKING. I am literrally doing EVERYTHING I can to gain weight. I'm eating more ice cream, getting more sweets, piling on more rice and beans, slapping more slabs of meat on my plates, but it's NOT WORKING. I'm pretty sure it's common knowledge that if you want to gain weight, you gotta eat heavier stuff, so I'm even trying to eat straight lead to see if that'll add any sort of a fraction of a pound. I'll let you know how that works out, when I see some results. 

But yeah, I'm really trying to get somewhere with my body right now, and so I've been working out twice a day, and so far, I feel great! If I keep going in the direction I'm going now, when I walk out of the plane, keeping in mind my balding head, workout habits and my Brazilian sun-bronzed skin, you will most likely mistake me for Dwayne Johnson when I walk out. Seriously.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Also I LOVED the BYU tie, not sure if I forgot to say something about it or what. I just can't look at it for too long, or I start thinking about home and start having trunky moments. It's my only tie that makes me think about getting married at the "Happy Hunting Grounds" of BYU.

Elder Daniel Reneer