Letter #90

Dearest Family,

Perhaps you're wondering rightly why this letter is coming on Wednesday instead of Monday. . . Well, we've changed our p-day to Wednesday for now. We've self-enlisted to take upon us some more work regarding reports sent to the church, and it has to be done early so for now I come to you from the everlasting palm trees of Brasil on Wednesday : )

We're traveling too, as you noticed. Most of last week we spent in Adamantina and Tupã. We traveled ten hours by bus on Thursday, worked a bit and made a surprise visit to the elders in Adamantina. All day Friday we worked hard to help them increase the number of people they're teaching. We did. It's up to them now to continue the work there.

It's a wonderful little city of about 40,000 that is the last area in the uppermost left corner of our mission. We've passed there before and I enjoy working there. We spent most of the day in an area that missionaries had never worked and it was fruitful. The city there, along with two others, is a part of the district of Tupã, which held its semiannual conference to reorganize the leadership there this Sunday.

We grabbed a ride with the priesthood of Adamantina who went to Tupa on Saturday for the priesthood leadership session. We rode in a great big blue Ford van. I felt like singing Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" as we hit the highway.

We got there safely, helped do some interviews and brought a couple of people to the Saturday night session off the street. We slept in the house of Nova Tupa with Elder Washburn and Elder Clemens, as Tupa is now an area of sisters. I was able to visit some recent converts, give some good references to the sisters, who baptized the uncle of my last baptism in Tupa. We enjoyed Sfihas on Saturday night which were on a 99 cent special price for the restaurant's anniversary party. Good stuff : ) Thoroughly enjoyed Elders Washburn and Clemens joyful spirits and dedication. They baptized two people just last night.

We caught a ride back with President and Sister Genaro and the missionary couple Lima as they were in attendance. I sat in the back of the back of the back and took a small nap. The dynamics between so many people in the car was hilarious. Elder Lima had to stop and use the restroom and unlike there, we do not have frequent rest stops or fast food places. He stopped at the military police headquarters but was told that he would have to be detailed and prove his identity before being able to use the restroom. Good times!

I almost forgot, but we had leadership council last week as well. Boy oh boy time flies! We did everything different, setting up a round table discussion with a small presentation on the numbers. We just sat down and went about trying to help each other resolve problems and look for new ways to lift the work higher. Lunch was good. Unfortunately for the first time in my mission I was on the light plate diet as some kind of virus took a ravaging toll on many many missionaries last week. I didn't get anything bad, actually I escaped practically unscathed, just wasn't feeling super duper.

When we got home on Sunday we came home to good news, really good news!  Our young woman convert finished her mission papers and submitted them. Our young man received his call and is going to Goiânia where President Tavares' son is serving, and the couple we are teaching, his father and mother decided after Sunday's meetings to be baptized this Saturday!!! They have finally built up the faith to take this significant step. They're very excited of course and a little nervous, but then so are we : ) Our other convert gave us a splendid lunch for the second time yesterday.

President has declared a White Easter, saying that each zone that has every companionship in the zone baptize two people will receive a special Easter surprise. Here in the mission we have white Easter, white Christmas, white Mother's Day, white everything : ) That's the way it's supposed to be!

Got a letter from Hunter in the mail, and a special shout out to Uncle Aaron who is sending so many letters, or perhaps is being highlighted in the absence of other writers, that the secretaries are beginning to ask me, Who is this "Hutchins Law?" I just smile : )

I love you all so much. I was so very proud and so very happy to see the picture of Hunter receiving the Melchizedek priesthood. Here in the mission I have come to value oh so much more sacred things. The priesthood, its keys and the authority, are sacred things. That we may all be living the gospel and sharing so that others may feel the power of the priesthood as we do,

Love,

Tanner