ONE YEAR

Well I guess every thing has to come full circle. Sometime a year ago today I was sitting in the airport and a nice man saw my tag and took me to get an ice cream. He was flying to Texas for business and he was a member from Alaska. We had an interesting talk about the weather, my family, and what the next two years would be like learning a language and teaching people about the Lords true gospel here on the earth today.

Looking back on the year, I must say that it has been a ride. From the ctm till now has been a rush of excitement with ups and downs, happy moments and sad letdowns, but through it all I’ve gotten stronger in the faith and closer to my Father in heaven and His Only Begotten. I can tell you with a whole heart that this church is true. That our God is a god of miracles. Sitting in that airport a year ago, I didn’t know that, I had a hope of that. I can now say that that hope has grown into faith. In the 3rd chapter of 1st Nephi there’s a promise that almost every buddy in the whole church knows that is the Lord never gives us a commandment except before providing a way (or method). Last night I realized as I was giving a message at an *integration night. That I came, I’m completing a commandment of the Lord that every young man from 19 to 26 needs to serve a mission, I’m doing my best and the Lord is providing the way -- and in my case the Lord gave my specific assignment in Portuguese. He is providing a way and is blessing me and my companion for our efforts. I can say with a firm belief that our God is a god of miracles.

The area is good. My comp isn’t too happy with me ‘cause I marked an appointment at 10 this morning and its p-day, so he isn’t too happy. He also isn’t happy that I insist on using the internet here at the chapel cause there’s only one cpu that works and will have to take 3 hours not 1 and a half (if we were to go to a internet cafe). But here the cpu are free and its faster and I don’t have to wait if there are a lot of people and there’s air conditioning in the room here so it’s way better.

So far every brasilian comp I’ve had has always told me that I’m the worst American when it comes to money. That I have a "gringo card" (as they call it) or in other words, a card that my parents give me money on. The thing is, yea, I get a little money but I’m not going to go spend it if I don’t have to, or if I don’t want to, or if there’s internet for FREE! but whatever. I’m just careful with my money that’s all.

We are teaching a good group of people that I have faith will get baptized. Nothing too important on the news here in the mission. Everything is good here in the promised land. I love you all and hope you all have a good week until week 53 HAHAHAHA CRAZY!!

Love the one and only Elder Marx

*integration night is when they have a game a message and people from the branch come and integrate with our investigators

Week No. 50

ok this week as been going good except for the fact i love with agony pess called elder dama(freakin). he screams at the top of his lungs (not sings, screams ) josh grobben all day, every day. He’s just the kinda of person that likes to hear his own voice and is the only person too so the rest have to suffer. I’m just glad that he’s not my comp:) but I do feel bad for elder ward who has a count down to when the transfer ends in a week

yeah, it’s starting to cool. down you know what that means, sickness, yeah!!!! I’m not sick this week, just the nose. and if I follow my pattern of sicknees next week will be coughing and bad voice. my comp is also sick, but the problem is we are feeling sick in different forms like he feels hot and has a fever, I’m sick and cold so he insists on having the widows open and the fan on all night. Good thing I got that *extra blanket


We opened a new neighborhood to work in and there’s not a poor-humble-ready-for-the-blessings-of-the-gospel person in sight. Pretty much we walk from house to house having people tell us they’re catholic but really admire what we do. (I’m glad the catholics like that we tract) but hey we have a few good people but they are all the people that are renting a house from the rich people so they live way in the back off in a box but hey they could use the Lord and they’re more humble.

Elder Hill the lider de distrito recived a phone call from the president in response to an email I wrote about the lunches and how they fall through ...a lot. So President Frei told Hill to take care of it and to tell the RS that if they can’t support four elders with lunch every day then we are **pulling out and they and do their own missionary work.

No baptisms but we have possibilities on the 30th or 31st. Let’s see what happens. I’m really excited and I’m loving it here, it’s just too bad I don’t know how things are going at home. [I don’t know what he means, we all email him?]

I guess in Brazil Lula passed a new bill that gay people can get married legally and the quote of the week is from a new member(not mine, but less then 3 months) in the institute class talking about it said, "we shouldn’t judge these people cause Jesus wouldn’t and what if they showed up to the TEMPLE, TO GET MARRIED, and people were looking at then weird" not a joke. serious business.

So those are some of the highlights.

love always
the one and only elder marx


* remember when we were in the store and you ask are you going to need four cause there’s only three and I said its brasil why would I need four
** I love Pesident Frei, he’s got our back

This Blog Needs Some Pictures

Unfortunately, Elder Marx doesn't live near a post office, so we don't often get pictures. I'll have to supplement. He mentioned he's blazin hot. I think it's not hot Las Vegas style, but hot as in very humid. Here are the Belo Horizonte climate charts:

Am I reading this correct? The month of December gets 40 inches of rain in Belo? As a reference for the 702 crew, we average 4 inches IN A YEAR.

Oh how Scott will love seeing this picture when he gets back. This is The Dad changing the brakes on Jenn's car - which has been Scott's job since Jenn started driving. Scott's been changing The Mom's brakes since he was 11. It's back to being The Dad's job for the time being.

Kruger had a little procedure done and needed to wear this headpiece for a week. He wasn't happy about that. He also gets this sad look on his face when he sits and contemplates spending the next 19 months with the parental units. He misses Scotty.



Hallie, Charlie, & Drew all miss Scotty. Drew helped with the Sunbeam class sharing time by showing a picture of his uncle, and explaining he was on a mission for two years in Brazil teaching about Jesus.
G'ma: Drew, when you get older are you going on a mission like Scotty?
Drew: No. I go to school when I get older.
short-term goals...

Probably the biggest newsworthy item for the boys that Scott has missed out on was the arrival of the Bousa car.

And finally, Scott hasn't been around for the last 5 months to share funny youtube videos, we miss that part of our Sunday evenings. I am quite positive that on some of those long, hot, wet walks up and down hills, he's found a way to quote Bubb Rubb & Lil Sis, Whoo Whoo!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Hey mom, I know you look forward to my letters as much as I look forword to yours, but today was zone pday and not much time to write. But I'm alive. I love you and the family and we should have baptizm this week. The work is great.

I love you and the letter next week will be better. tchau

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

well mom,
this week has been really fun. We have been working hard and starting to see the blessings. We should have a baptism this week of jenny (40+-) she wants blessings of god and to be baptised so she went to church with us last week and wants to be baptised. we told her she has to stop smoking and she is but she will get baptized.

um... we ran into a lot of menos ativos this week (less actives) and they said they would return to church so lets see what satan will bring for them today. one of the MAs we talk to was because we walked a drunk guy back to his house. I'm really glad this guy didn't lose his cookies all over me but when we got to his house his granddauther and his son and dauther-in-law were baptised and they haven't been going to church. So I think that the Lord wants them to return to church um... we got cleber to quit, to stop smoking so he should be going to church this week and tieago is this really kool dude we talked to and he should be going to church this weeek , he know the church is true and the book is blue, we just need to get him to the church.

one thing I'm really going to change and has change while I'm out here is reading the scriptures. Like I'm reading the bom 3 different times right now. once 'cause I started before the mish (with Jenn in a competition and I'm going to win and she is so going to pay for a snowbaording trip to park city) and I want to finish. And another in Portuguese marking when it talks about Christ and names of him (messiah and redemer, etc). And another (in english) 'cause President Frei asked us to read it and mark when it talks about things in our purpose (see page one of preach my gospel). So all different copies of the book and all diferent times of the day, but I like reading in English then in Portuguese 'cause it helps me understand. So in the next little thing you send to me could you throw in some new colors for my marking pen, you can buy them at deseret book for like 1 or 2 and I'm out of yellow and running low on pink, blue, brown, orange. I have red and I have green yeah, just those colors. love you. You're the best mom ever.

October 8, 2008

I do not have a mamacita. I wash my own clothes. there is this kind of washer here like this big tube with a little plastic pice that spins at the bottom and moves the water around. I'm learning to not wash the sox before the whites cause all the lint from the sox then gets on the whites and then they're kinda itchy after that happens.

The week was just fine with the comp speakin Portuguese. He speaks and i don't understand. I speak and he doesn't understand. we have a lot of fun. I'm teaching good. I hope we have like 6 datas set for outubro but I'm thinking the Lord will bless us with our goal of 2 this month.

Thanx to the prayers of my family and friends i got to go to conference, YEAH! I only saw the second session on Saturday and the first little bit of the second on Sunday cause on Sunday the transmission cut in and out so I didn't hear the 2 speakers on Sunday from brasil and the bishopbric guy and on including the prophet. So, hey, if you could like copy and paste the talks of Dalin H. Oaks and above and the bishopbric guy and down that would be kool. But I loved Elder Bednar's talk on prayers and I loved Elder Wirthlin's talk -- and I loved them all. It's weird, never like going to conference and it has so much more meaning when you get up and take the 2 buses for an hour to see it and I probably walked half a mile in beetween. So I'm so going to make my family do that. Forget this whole byutv thing, lame comfy couch. No way. They're going to the church and they're going to take notes! Yeah, sure... : ) jk

What I heard of conference was we are heading for hard time so have faith and rely on the Lord -- which is what we should do always, keep the faith and all will work out. I do think of the business and how things are doing. Every once and a while I'll see brazilans puting in a storm drain or a backhoe on the street and turn to elder sarmento , oi eu posso fazer isso antes da missão (dont try to translate that its not corect but he knows what im saying)

I could tell you about when we were teaching this less active and heard gun shots and saw a body in the street dead. But I won't cause I love you and I know you dont want to hear about that kinda stuff.

Well I love you and until next week, tchau.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Well this week has been freaking amazing. I’m really getting a testimony of how good first lesson is Da mensagem da restauração is so powerful and can change the lives of people every where !!!!! my new comp Elder Sarmento is on fire and he always is like, "hey pray about this and god will answer your prayers, and what r u going to do with this new answer... you need to be baptized." so we have marked 6 baptism dates in outubro and had two already so that 8 BAPTISMS in outubro. I pray to the Lord every night to bless the people we set dates for because i would so happy to bring these people back to there father in heaven

Awesome kitchen. The sink drains into a bucket, which is dumped outside.

We had conferência da zona this week and pres talked to an elder about where he lived before the mish and talk about how if he could never return what would he do.... and he likened it to the people in the world cause we used to live in a amazing home before and we are going to return and we need to make sure that we bring all of our brothers and sister with us... basically what he was saying also had a big thing on the atonement or expiação de jesus cristo it really made me think of all the thing the savior went through for me and that every sin i commit has a payment every one has a payment and christ paid that every one. i love the Lord I’m grateful he is helping me in this work

And thanx to the prayers of my family and myself i think i will reach my goal of going to conference on saturday probably just the morning session that starts at 1?? and they play it in english so says elder cottchell in another room so I’ll definitely be hittin that up. my new comp knows so much about the scriptures it’s crazy. he is 22 and studied pshycs if that’s how you spell it got baptized when he was 18 i think and decided to go on a mission which is an awesome choice. i teach him english and he teaches me portuguese and when i say he teaches me portuguese its more like, “hey did that make sense?” and he'll say yes or no, which kinda sucks but hey it’s helping me ... I sound like a dummy but its all good.

Scott's all-in-one bathroom/shower. The white unit is the on-demand water heater