From Ireland?

So, today, we went to buy our bus passes to go to Sobral tomorrow for our district meeting. I saw some caucasion people at the bus station that were trying to get to Parnaíba, and I thought I heard english. But Brasil is kind of a confusing place, because there are also caucasion people here that are native Brasilians. Also, because Elder Braga and I speak a mixture of english and portuguese to each other I get kind of confused if I am hearing english or portuguese. So, I proceeded to ask them "Vocês são da onde?" And they said "sorry, we don´t speak portuguese." in a very timid kind of way. So, I asked them "where are you from?" And guess what, they are from Ireland. I think they´re on an 8 month adventure exploring South America or something like that. They were going to take a taxi, which would have been very expensive, but they decided to take the bus instead. (good choice). I asked them if they wanted help with buying their tickets, and they gladly accepted. Then we pointed them in the direction of the bank and some places to eat. I´m not easily recognized as an american. They were appreciative. Also we told them a little bit of what we do, which was way weird to try to explain missionary things in english. I had to think really hard. That made my day though.

Camocim is a touristy kind of place, but until today, I hadn´t met anyone english speaking. It was fun, and we helped some weary travelers. I remembered later though that I should have explained the difference between a motel and a pousada. Don´t ever use a motel if you come to Brasil. It´s only a place to go to "hook up".....gross. Pousadas are good though. It´s like an INN or something quaint like that.

Anyway, our job is to preach the "Restored Gospel." Restored, because after the time of Christ, simple and precious truths of the gospel had been lost and/or distorted. The Gospel of Jesus Christ consists of 1. Faith in Jesus Christ, 2. Repentence, 3. Baptism, 4. The Gift of the Holy Ghost, and 5. Endure to the End. For this purpose a restoration was needed. In fact, the gospel can be found in the Bible, but it´s difficult to put it all together because of all of the translations the Bible has gone through. So, God gave us the Book of Mormon as a means to restore the fullness of the gospel of Christ. I know it is true, and my job right now is to share the good news with everyone. It's so wonderful. The gospel blesses my life everyday, and it´s amazing to see it changing lives here in Camocim. I love you my family and friends.

Elder Samuel H. Chiba

Did you know cockroaches fly?

Did anyone know that cockroaches fly? Because I learned that this week. My companion and I went to the market at centro to buy some fruit. There was something that landed or fell on my head. Then in fell onto my pants. I saw it, but I didn´t quite realize what it was. It was a cockroach. Like the size of my thumb. Mind you that my hands are somewhat big. Then it fell to the ground then flew away. I asked the girl that was attending us what that "bichu" (creature/thing) was. She said it was a barata (cockroach). I proceeded to ask her, "Baratas voam?" (Cockroaches fly?), she was surpised and kind of laughed at me and responded 'You didn´t know that?!'. That same day I saw another cockroach fly and I was still in shock from what I had learned. Needless to say, people were laughing at my naivety that day.

Also, this time of the year the weather is getting hotter, and apparently the big spiders leave the fields and enter the houses. Fortunately, our house was bug/spider proofed not too long ago. Also, I have a goal to make real P.O.G. (passion, orange, guava juice) because I have access to all three fruits. So, we´ll see how that goes. I´ll try to remember to keep you updated on how that goes.

As far as preaching the gospel goes, things are picking up here in Camocim. We´re working all day long and we're double booked a lot of the time. We have to do divisions/splits a lot to cover all of our visits. The thing that is amazing though is to see the changes in people. We´ve been working with a family lately that had some relational problems, but as we´ve been teaching them about the gospel and teaching them how to apply the principles of the gospel to their family they have changed dramatically. At first they were having some problems, then the problems got worse to the point of them almost splitting up, but then they applied what we had been teaching them. It is truly amazing, the healing power of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. It´s a testimony to me how real the gospel is, and how important it is to live it´s teachings. I know that what I am teaching is true. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is truly Christ´s church. There is no possible way for it not to be. I love the gospel of Christ, I love my God and my Savior, and I am so happy to me an instrument in His hands to serve my brothers and sisters. I love you my friends and family.

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

What?! Sushi?!

Hey Everybody!

Things are well here in the great Northeast of Brasil. Nothing really exciting happened this past week except for the training in Teresina that I went to. The training was for all of the leaders in the mission (Assistansts to the President, Zone Leaders, District Leaders, and Trainers). So, technically, I´m still training, so I went. It was fun. Teresina is a nice city, but it´s very hot and the buses are kind of scary. The nice thing was, I went to this restaurant place and they had sushi. I was thinking to myself that sushi in Teresina probably isn´t that good. And because I am recognizably Japanese, the Elder I was working with in Teresina asked the sushi guy if I could try it because I´m a real Japanese person (which is very uncommon here in the Northeast). So, I tried the sushi, and it was delicious to my surprise! So, I bought some. It was a little expensive, but oh so worth it. I think my love for sushi has increased. You know, distance makes the heart grow fonder right?

When I got home to Camocim there was some sad news. One of the members´ husband had died. So, the day that I got back was dealing with funeral things and trying to be a force of support for the sister.

My friends, death is a hard thing to deal with for anyone. And many times it catches us off guard. But, I know that there is life after death. Our Father in Heaven has a marvelous plan for us, and the knowledge of God´s plan for me is truly comforting.

If you have ever lost a loved one, if you feel lost or without purpose, you will find comfort in Heavenly Father´s Plan of Salvation. So, if you have ever wondered where we came from, if you have ever wondered what the purpose of life is, or if you have ever wondered what happens to us after we die, just talk to a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and they can help you meet some missionaries who will explain everything to you. Because Jesus Christ lives, we all will live again thanks to His atoning sacrifice for us. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that God loves us, and it is because of His love for us that we are here. It´s because of His love for us that He sent His only Begotten Son to save and redeem us from sin and from death. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is His true church. I encourage you to meet with the missionaries to learn about God´s plan for you. I love you my dear friends and family.

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

We are doing a service project at the Branch President's house.

that´s my hammock