Hola!!! Tudo Bem Familia???

       Man this has been one week full of great suprises. So I got my transfer call this morning and it turns out that I am actually staying and Elder Ragozzine is getting transferred!!!!! I was so shocked. Now I am getting a new missionary to train here!! I have been here forever haha. But here is the catch... Elder Savage who was a senior couple out here who was in my district was always checking my visa status and he called me last night and told me that it was complete:) :) Man my heart just dropped and I couldn't believe it. It really almost seemed unreal!! So now i'm not sure how long it will take them to mail it here and what not or if I will wait until the end of this transfer but it looks like I will be making it to Brazil after all!! Thank you everyone for your prayers:)

         We had a fun week this past week. We actually went to the Nauvoo temple with a couple from the ward called the Judy's. They are from Pocatello Idaho and Brother Judy is just out here doing a fellowship while the rest of his family is back in Idaho. So they took us to Nauvoo and we went and saw a couple houses and things like that. I ran into Gary Gneiting and Prudie... I think. They knew our family and they are from Grant! They were actually visa waiters waiting to go to the same mission as me down in Brazil!!! They said that their mission President was going to be President Tanner. That was really crazy to hear. But I guess that their visas never came so they just decided to stick to the Nauvoo mission giving tours to people. They looked like they were enjoying it so that's good. It was really great to get to go to the temple. Did you know that there is a new new temple video? I was really confused because I knew that it wasn't the other new one that I saw a few months ago, and I guess they made another new one. It was all of our first times seeing it. I think I liked it better than the other one. I guess they are even making another and are just going to cycle it around. So yea going to the temple used up our P-day this Wednesday so I'm not too excited about that. The week always goes pretty long when you don't have a P-day. It'll be good though.

        Also we taught Amy and the rest of her family at the sheffields home. They fed all of us dinner which was sweet because the members are starting to step it up. I know that Amy and her family really appreciated it. But we watched the Restoration DvD and they all liked it and seemed to understand a lot about it. Her two boys accepted to the baptismal invitation and want to get baptized with their mom which will be hard since their mom only has them every other weekend. We will have to call the Elders up in Cedar Rapids and get them teaching them also. We found them a ride to church, and the daughter actually brought one of her friends so we needed a ride for 5!!! Ha that is a tough job to put on a member, but there are quite few that have vans so it wasn't too hard to find someone. I actually had taught the friend that she brought which was really weird. Small world!!!! I think all of the kids did enjoy church again, but Amy was having a rough time. Her mom died like 4 days ago, and I guess her mom was the only support that she had. So I just told her that God knew that it was going to happen and that is why he sent us to her to give her a whole ward of support. She just needs a lot of time to grieve about this stuff. We might get her some help and make sure that she doesn't do anything dumb.

        That is awesome that Sam is getting ready to get those papers in!!! He will probably get to see abby and Sarah don't ya think? Man it is still weird that they are almost getting home, and that I am almost at a year. It has been a life changing year though and my testimony has quadrupled!! The scriptures make so much sense to me and I love explaining things using them because they weren't meant to be plain to us. I love you all!! Thanks for everything you do!! Have a great week.

Love, Elder Polatis