Hello from Reed

Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007

Hello family! Thanks everyone for the emails and updates this week. When it rains it pours, and that is kinda funny because last night it poured on us and we showed up to the house soaking wet (details will be given later). So first off, Congrats Bret and Becki! That is really exciting news. A baby! I cant even imagine Bret taking care of another human being, he can barely take care of himself. Just kidding, You two will make awesome parents. Parabéns! Thanks for the advice Mark, Sometimes its rough and I need a little boost. Thanks Tami for the emails and everyone for the updates.Alright, so here in Currais Novos a lot has happened lately. FIrst off, Today was transfers but luckily I didnt have to pack my bags up and leave. I get to stay here for at least another 6 weeks with Elder Magalhaes. The work is starting to pick up here. We had quite a few people come to church this past week and we have 4 baptisms marked for this Sunday. We will continue to work with these people and prepare and teach them throughout this week so that Sunday will be a day they will never forget. Things are going good and I am getting used to the work here. Elder Magalhaes is a good guy. He is from Rio Grande do Sul and we get along great. He has 2 more transfers than me and so he helps me a lot with the stuff. We are finding people here and are starting to have some success. References are amazing. I feel bad because when I talk about referrals I feel like a hypocrite because I didnt help the missionaries much before the mission. I could have helped a lot more, SO my advice is to give the missionaries referrals even if you think the person won’t accept or go to church. Who knows what will happen?Anyway, quick story, a week and a half ago Sunday, Elder Magalhaes and I were walking on the street. I saw a lady about 45 years old with a teenage son and a little girl. Usually I don’t make contacts with women like this but I had the thought to talk to her. So I stopped her and shook her hand, asked her name and presented myself. It turns out she was sealed in the Recife temple 5 years ago to her husband but they havent been going to church for the past 2 or 3 years. This was totally shocking to me. Her in Currais Novos, there are 2 families that are sealed in the temple; the Branch president and the Elders Quorum President. Other than that, there are just singles and youth in the ward. She told us we could return and visit them in their house any day. So last Wednesday we went by and talked to them. They are just awesome people. They invited us in and we ate dinner with them and just talked with them and found out why they stopped going to church. It turns out that they stopped paying their tithing and the president of the branch got up in front of everyone in sacrament meeting and burned them by name. They left with bad feelings and slowly stopped going to church. They know they shouldn’t have stopped and they still know the church is true but they haven’t gone back yet. Anyway, we are working with them to try to reactivate them and they have a 14 year old son that isn’t baptized that we will work with. Anyway, last night in the pouring rain we went to their house and they have a huge dog. He is usually behind a door, but last night because of all the rain he went crazy and somehow opened the door and bit David who was with us.Anyway, I gotta go I love you all. Have an awesome week. Your son and brother, Elder Crosby