Well as I was saying last week, we have some crazy investigators. Well the situation with the ward only got worse! You´ll not believe what happened! Well we had our leadership meeting with all the leaders in the ward. I started to talk about my investigators and what they needed to be baptized (their needs and stuff.) Well I started talking about Grazielle. We marked her for baptism for last Sunday so I said that she was preparing for baptism. Some of the leaders rolled their eyes! And so I started to talk about how she is really changing. She has a nose ring but with time she´ll take it out and stuff but she stopped drinking coffee and was willing to obey all the other commandments. Well, one of the primary leaders just started talking to me . . . "I cant beleive you are bringing these DEMONS to church every week. I also can't believe you're going to baptize that SLUT (translation is like slut, whore, prostitute ect.)." OH you don't even know how mad I got!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kept my cool, and just bore my testimony about the atonement and how I know anyone can change. And said she is ready to be baptized so we are going to baptize her and with time she will remove the nose ring and wear modest clothes. The young womens pres. agreed with me. So we moved forward with her baptism, and she was baptized! But you´ll never believe what else, the lady who said those rude things didn't stay for the baptism and didn't even say hi to Grazielle in church! And to put the cherry on top . . . she is Grazielles aunt! AHHH! I was ticked! Then I kept going with the meeting and I started talking about a boy who wants to be baptized (he stopped me in the street and told me "I want to be baptized." His dad was a member but died and now this boy is 9 yrs. old and wants to be baptized in the church is dad was going to.) So I talked about him, and of course "Sister rude face" didnt approve AGAIN! She looked at me and said- "he´ll never stay active." So this is when I got sassy! "Well if he isn't baptised now, he won't go to the celestial kingdom, and if he is baptized and falls away, he still won't receive the celestial kingdom . . . so I´ll take my chances," I said. "And he will stay acitve, he goes to church every week, he traveled by bus to see the apostle, and he talks to me everyday about his baptism." I am going to baptize him this Sunday because Pres. Milder told me members have no right to tell a missionary who I can or can't baptize. So much Drama! I think I will just do what Pres. Milder told me to and if the problem grows he´ll just . . . handle it. Anyway I left the meeting thinking how I could help the members - not judge our investigators. Well we gave two of the boys white shirts and ties. Well when they walked in everyone treated them great! One has long hair so all the members thought he was a rascal. I put a white shirt on him and someone asked if he was member! Oh Please! Anyway all in all, S unday everyone was really pleased with the baptisms. Really though, these kids have really changed so much. It was great to watch them change their life around! Also we got 14 investigators to church so we are working hard to mark other baptisms. This Sunday will be the 9 yr. old boy. Also we are trying to work with Patricia, Grazielles friend and her brother William. So we have some high hopes. Also we found a family that loves the church. They are preparing to get married and then baptized!

My companion has been doing wonderfully! He has stopped crying. I have just been trying to make the mission really fun and smother him with love. Keep praying for me with patience and love!

Let's see if I can delight you with some funny stories. Well yesterday I was walking down this street and then "ruff!" I looked back to see this dog . . . a rather big dog coming after me! I think I walked by, and he saw my big butt and thought it was a peice of "Flaming Yawn!" Anyway I gave this girlish scream "YAAAAH" and started swinging my little scripture bag to keep him from grabbing a snack of my "Flaming Yawn". It looked like I was swinging a purse . . . Anyway the dog stopped, and I looked up to see my companion laughing as well as other spectators in the street! ps. I know it's not flaming yawn . . . but that's what I called it when I was little . . . or until I was 17 yrs old.

Story number two. Well I left the mission home, which is in a big, tall sky scraper. So I was walking fast to grab the elevator. I entered in and turned around to see my companion pidally pooping (walking slowing) to the elevator. Right when he got to the door . . . it closed. I tried to stop the door from closing but . . . it just closed so dang fast I couldn´t do anything! So "wham" it closed. It was so funny because the elevator was full of people. When the door closed the 8 people inside gave this big .... "ohhhhhh." One guy said "eeeeessssssshhhh!" So of course I am all alone in the elevator, thinking about my emotional stressed companion being alone. So I started laughing . . . which is so embarrassing to laugh alone in an elevator (especially the way I laugh . . . with tears running down my cheeks). Oh so funny. I got down and everyone was making comments to me . . . where's the other guy (Everyone here in Brazil knows you have to stay with your companion at all times.) Finally my companion got down to me and luckily he was laughing too!

I love serving the lord! It is just so GREAT! I love it , I love it , I love it!

Elder Perry