Reeds working hard

Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2007

Oi familia! Wow, what a week! So it was good to hear from everyone and it sounds like Mom and Dad are on their cruise right now. How exciting. This past week was really busy. We have been working in Novo Descoberto, the more humble of all of our neighborhoods here in Natal. There are a lot of people that wont go to church but like the lessons so we decided the past two weeks to teach a short 10 minute lesson, including the first vision and try to bring the spirit and invite them to church. If they accept we schedule to return and we review what we taught in more detail and teach about the book of mormon. So far it has been working out ok. Monday it seemed like our work was in vain because we had 4 people at church (which isn´t too bad seeing that it was only the second time that Elder Hallstrom has brang people to church in 2 and a half months) but they didnt seem too solid. But then yesturday when we visited Celeia and Catia, 2 moms that came to church, they were really excited to go again next week. Neither of them are married so we are working on that this week, to set a marriage date for them. Catia and her
“husband” Eriberto will go to church for sure this week and we will meet Celeia’s husband tomorrow morning. Then we also have another single mom that we are teaching that has 2 kids and she is going to church this week. She was sick last Sunday so she couldnt go but we talked to her last night and she is getting better and planning on going this Sunday. It is so great to see people progressing in the gospel and start gaining a testimony of their own.
We also baptized the 2 young men that we brang to church 2 weeks ago and it was kind of a disaster. I kinda didnt want to baptize them but Elder Hallstrom was set on baptizing them and he is the senior so I just followed. I dont feel good at all about baptizing kids that I know will just go inactive. Its hard because Elder Hallstrom hasnt baptized in so long and he was just wanting a baptism I know. I talked to him about it but he just wanted to “get things started” so I was just like, whatever. Anyway, now that ‘things are started’ I dont plan on baptizing any more kids for a while that dont have a testimony.
Anyway, As far as that note on the blog, it must have been Wesley, one of the young men me and Elder Matos were teaching in Sousa. I actually didnt get to see his baptism and didnt know for sure if he would be baptized or not because he was traveling the last Sunday I was there. He is 15 years old and was really looking for which church was true. I heard in a conference before Christmas that he got baptized so I was really excited about that. Bret translated what he said pretty good, Parabeins! He is a really good kid that will hopefully help the branch in Sousa a lot.
Well its been raining almost every night and morning here in Natal, sometimes not much, 5 minutes or so, but it has been making things really humid and hot. Also, today we are having a zone P-day and we are going to have a Churrascaria, with meat and rice and beans and all that good stuff, like Toucanos. Anyway, Everything is great and the work is progressing. We finished the ward misison Plan and will present it hopefully this Saturday in a ward counsel meeting. Well I love you all and thanks for the letters and Emails.

Your son and brother
Elder Crosby

PS- I gave moms email to Jackson in Sousa. He speaks a little English so I think he wil try to email you. If you get an email from a Jackson, dont delete it. Also, I sent a package with some letters and some cds of pictures so in 3 weeks or so it should be arriving.