Dear Mom and Dad,

I have not been as excited as I am right now for a while. I AM TRAINING AGAIN!!!! Yep I will finish my mission as a trainer. The Missionary department has started a new training program and the programs requires the trainer and the trainee to stay two transfers together, or three months. The missionary that I am training is named Elder Da Rosa ( or Elder of the Rose), fancy huh? He is a Brazilian from Ponta Grossa, a city in the state of Paraná.
He is a great missionary with a lot of desire and he works hard to involve himself in the work. When he was fourteen years old his father died. His father was playing cards with his brothers and then out of nowhere he had a stroke and died instantly. Elder Da Rosa said that nobody was expecting it, it just came out of nowhere, it was extremely difficult for his whole family. At fourteen years old Elder Da Rosa took upon himself a full work load and school. He worked with construction and has worked with construction ever since. He said that what happened with his dad made him grow up quick. He also said that it helped him discover what occupation he would have, due to his experience with consruction he wants to be a civil engineer.
We get along great and we are enjoying eachothers company.
Along with my new companion we are opening up an area. São Geraldo is it´s name. It is far far awy from the mission office. Actually, it is in another state. My whole mission has been in the state of São Paulo, but I am know in the city of Pouso Alegre in the state of Minas Gerais. They say that Minas is like the hillbilly state of Brazil, so I am feel at home. Everyone tells me that Mineiras (women from Minas Gerias) make the best food, so I am excited for that. It is the farming capital of Brazil so the cheapest cheese, milk, and homemade sweets are all within my reach.
The hard part is that the church is extremely weak here, it isn´t a stake, it is district. Whixh means that there are no wards, only branches. Also the city is famous for it´s ´´Catholic Roots´´ so I hear. Nevertheless, notwithstanding, we will labor dilligently. I know the Elders that have been in this area for the last year. And there has been many baptisms, but also many people have gone inactive. The number of people in the branch dips down to 32 people a week some times.
We have high goals and we are sure that with Heavenly Father at our side we can make a big difference here. We wnt to baptize families, future church leaders, we want to leave this place a heck of a lot stronger than we found it.
I feel like Ammon when he started his mission among the Lamanites, I work to have the same amount of success that he did. I love you so much and I can and will wait to see you in three months, but right now that is the last thing on my mind. Keep the faith.

Abraço,
Elder Nothum