Good Week

I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post this letter. I have been so busy I didn't realize until today that I had forgot. Look for this week's letter in the next day or two.

Oi!
Whenever I get to Monday and I actually email, I can only remember what we have done in the past maybe three days, everything else kind of runs together.

We had a good week, lots of solid hard work. We started working with some youth, I really can't think of the right word. Young men? I don't know what to call them, ages from about 12-15. Here it is Rapaz, I don't know if we have a solid word for it in English. Anyways, they are really receptive, very intelligent, and just fun to teach too. One was a referral from a member to teach, then his friend came by during the lesson, and so we invited him to listen too. Then after our second lesson they had another friend passing by that we taught. Pretty much it just keeps growing and it always helps to have friends in the Gospel. I am really excited, and we are hoping and praying to be able to start teaching their families too. It is also really good because all these kids play and hang out in the street all day, so when we pass by we can check up on them, see how they are doing and so we have a really solid relationship with them.

I am not a huge fan of just running, I prefer to have an activity that goes along with it, but the food here is just heavy. Beans, rice, fatty meats, and butter. I just had to start running in the morning. My suggestion to anyone that feeds the missionaries, first of all, please do it, we are SOOOOOO grateful for it. Way better than we make for ourselves, I am very grateful that we have lunch with someone almost everyday. As young men we are seen as human garbage disposals, I hear almost everyday. ´Come mais Elder´ a sua vontade´ ( eat more elder, at your will) Usually by this point, my will was two desserts and a plate ago. Ha, trust me, I can pack it down, but man, these Brasilian women just shovel food on my plate and I feel rude saying no or not eating all of it. So, if you feed the missionaries, and there is excess food, feel free to offer, we do want to be polite by not eating too much. But if you offer and there is excess, we will eat IF we are hungry. But man, I never have put so much food down in my life, ha all these Brasilian women are so sweet how they feel so concerned for us.
ON the running note, I can't do it anymore anyways. I managed to have half of my big toe nail on my left foot almost ripped off this week, it is hanging on barely. I wont go into details, but I did send a picture. It is pretty gnarly. We were helping a family in the ward move this last Saturday. After we helped them move they insisted on feeding us. In the mean time a game of soccer started, because the sister preparing didn't need help with anything and there really wasn't much space in the house with boxes and everything so just sit and visit so we were outside. My socks had been hanging out to dry the night before and we have another thunder storm and so they were soaked, and my one dry pair I wanted for when we went proselyting later, so I was in tennis shoes with no socks. Long story short, my feet were soaked, we were running around and there was pain. The shoe came off and there was my toenail hanging by a thread. Sweet huh? I really am just an injury magnet I think.
Anyways, we are always here about two steps forward and one step back, I think that is how the language is, But I keep rolling forward being patient. It is hard, but I can see progress. Still can be frustrating a lot. Ha but I said a prayer in English for a family because they wanted to hear. A few Portuguese words slipped in, it felt weird. I really just never use English except for emails so I had to flip the switch in my mind back.
Well, I love you all. I got to run. Take care.
seu filho, irmão, e amigo. Elder David F Morgan