Bus Rides!

Yeah, General Conference was really great. We got to watch all of the sessions, but unfortunately we (us missionaries) weren’t staying awake too well by the time Priesthood Session rolled around (it started at 9 pm here I think), so we ended up having to leave about half-way thru, so I didn’t get to see all of the Priesthood Session.

It’s funny, about a year and a half ago I couldn’t get to sleep before midnight, and nowadays past 10 and I’m dead.

Yeah, that talk by Elder L. Tom Perry on missionary work was really good, but, unfortunately I only heard a bit of it, as we were watching conference in English on a TV in the kitchen, and everybody decided to take a lunch break at that time, so I’ll have to read the full thing when the Ensign comes out.

I was quite grateful for all the talks, and it gave me a lot of encouragement. We watched in the city of Tupã, about two hours away from Adamantina, and, unfortunately, we didn’t get any investigators to make the trip. However, our recent converts did go, and on Wednesday they’re all headed on a temple trip to do baptisms for the dead! I’m really impressed with their determination, as a couple of them have only been members for 3 weeks now, so that’s cool.

Elder Fr. (my comp) left for Dourados, a city that’s close to Ponta Porã. (He has about 13 months on the mission.) Now I’m with Elder Ulysses from São Paulo (I guess he lives not far from the MTC in São Paulo, kinda like us with the Provo MTC.) He’s pretty new in the mission; I think this is his third transfer. We just got back from a 5 hour round trip, so I´m a bit tired. (An annoying thing: The bus we take passes thru the same city doing a circle to pick up people, so an hour trip to Tupã always is actually a two and a half hour one.)

A big thanks to Talisa, Andrea, and Grandma and Grandpa for the letters that I got today that have been lost in the mission mail system. (I forgot that St. Patrick’s Day passed.)

Ha, I loved the picture of me boy Dave Ridge back in town. There was a moment of trunky-ness when I saw that someone from my age group is back already. (Andy M. doesn’t count, he’s older than me). Good luck in the marriage quest that Talisa tells me that you’re on Dave!

Welp, that’s my time for today.

Thanks again for all mail, prayers, and well-intentioned thoughts of sending a letter that never materialized.

Till next time.

-Elder Hepper (as the people in the branch call me. No one even bothers to look at the name-tag anymore)