Hey, everyone! I hope that life finds you smiling and involved. I know that whether I´m smiling or not, I am being involved some way or another down here in São Paulo, and I´d rather be smiling while I´m doing it.
Thank you so much, Mom, for sending me the emails from Dallin. I got a letter from him yesterday about the mission conference, and I will be there for it! I am so excited:) (For those who may not know, Elder Bednar is coming to my mission conference a week after I get there! Elder Costa, Area President and just recently Emeritus Seventy, will be there as well. So excited! It will be on Nov. 14th, and the very next day, the 15th, wil be the groundbreaking of the Fortaleza Brazil Temple. I dont know if we´ll´be going to that, but it makes sense that Elder Bednar would visit my mission while he´s here for the groundbreaking.) Also, the scripture about charity is extremely important for all of us to remember and ponder (Moroni 7:45), and I definitely needed that reminder.
Here, things are bustling around as usual. The volleyball courts are finally finished after I-don´t-even-know-how-long. They were covered up when I arrived, and now they are done, and that is what is important to me:) I get to use them for a week!
Which brings me to the simple reminder of what your calendars would tell you if you were to count nine weeks from when I entered the MTC in Provo....This is my last week in the CTM!! I will be leaving the CTM next Tuesday, and I have no idea when I will be emailing next. It might be two weeks before I can touch bases if I miss a P-Day in transit. We will just have to see.
Therefore, I hereby request that all correspondance by mail be postponed until I can get you my address in Fortaleza. Or, I´m sure that my mother can put up my mission home address, and I´m also pretty sure that they will accept letters that way. I have received quite a few letters, for which I am grateful. Dear Elder isn´t as convienent here as it is in Provo, and yet the news has still gotten through to me one way or another. Thank you all so very much for writing. I love to hear from you all:) I will try to write back when I can, P-Days are crazy around here, and so is the postal system, so I have been semi-trying to wait to reply until I get to Fortaleza. (Mom, please let the girls in Apt. 210S, Campus Plaza know that I will be replying to their letters shortly, and that I beg their forgiveness for the long wait. If your not sure that you know who they are, just think for a minute, and it´ll come to you:) )
Well, I don´t have much time left, but I wanted to tell you about my first proselyting experience in São Paulo! It was kinda awkward:) I´m sure that many other missionaries would tell you to same thing about their first street contact experiences. For one, it was interesting to see how difficult it is to understand some people when they talk. We talked to a man (he looked like he might be homeless) whose name was Enoque(In English, Enoch). We talked to him for a little over a half hour, and by us talking to him, I mean we listened to him talk:) But, it was really interesting. He was very nice, and only a little bit drunk, so it was quite the conversation. The only actually Book of Mormon that we were able to give away was to a girl who was waiting for her mom to pick her up. I think she is probably in high school, and I can´t remember her name, but she spoke a little bit of English, and that helped the whole conversation go a lot smoother! She was very nice, and it was good to see that there are nice people who are willing to talk to you sometimes:)
I have to go, but I also wanted to let you know about an article in the Economist that was published a week or so ago, where the Economist declares, in large, broad letters, ``MORMONS ARE CHRISTIANS´´. Isn´t it nice to see some people catching on? Anyway, I haven´t read it, but I thought that I would let you know about it.
I love you all so very, very much. Write to me when you can, and if you can´t, that´s fine too. I will write and reply when I can, but please be patient with me:)
With all of my love and hugs and kisses,
Elder Reid Empey
P.S. Congratulations, Joslyn, about Seussical! I thought that it sounded like you weren´t going to be able to participate in it, but I´m so glad that it worked out! Congratulations to Eric and Jackie, and to Shannon as well! The earth sure keeps turning, even when you´re on the other side of the world while it´s happening:)
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