March 21, 2011

 Tudo bem!
  Things here are going pretty good, just working hard! The weather was looking
pretty nice this week, and it even got up to 82! Its cold again today, so it sucks
haha! It seems like with the weather getting nicer, the people are
getting nicer when we tract haha. Spring is a good thing! We've been
getting Rita's water ice, which is huge on the East Coast! Its so good!
They have flavors like sweedish fish that is so good! We're starting to
jog in the mornings now, which is good. Every night almost, we still
go upstairs to the ashbee's apartment and enjoy company with them.
THey feed us every sunday and are the nicest people ever! We're lucky
to have them so close by. Something funny that happend this week is that
elder hunt and i were tracting and we realized that elder hunt was
wearing blue suit pants with a green suit jacket. It was funny ha he was
pretty embarrased. No wonder people didnt want to let us in! ha.
Something neat about pottsville is that it has america's oldest brewery
here. Its huge with the coal business here too. We shoveled coal  for
service for a member the other day and it was great fun haha. We've
been doing tons of service here lately as the weather has been getting
better. I actually enjoy service now and it makes me feel great! You
can't love god if you don't serve his people, and we've deffinatly
been doing some great service! The work here is still going slow, but
we're working really hard and finding investigators here and there. A
lot of the time, we find someone to teach, but the appointments
always seem to fall through, and it sucks! People here dont take us
serious i guess when we tell them we're coming over to teach them! We
get stood up a lot. But yeah, i'm still praying hard for my visa, and i
hope you are too! Some elders a month ahead of me that were in the
mtc finally got their visas about a week ago, so i hope in about a
month or so i'll get mine too! SO how are you doing? How's work? Did
you get rid of your kidney stone? THat had to have sucked! haha. So
when are you going to florida? Speaking of florida i hope byu beats em!
Well, not much more to say, i cant reply to your questions or comments
with no email! slacker! Ha jk i forgive you. Keep working hard and know
that i love and miss you!
  Love, Matt
Hey dad, It must have just taken a while for your email to come! Lucky I got it while i'm still online! Man, thats crazy to hear about the flooding in the curitiba area. I would love rendering service to them and do all i can to help them out! Maybe its good that i was here safe and sound. Maybe the Jazz should just suck it up on purpose so they can get a good pick in the lottery and pick up Jimmer! That would  be was sweet. I'm not suprised that Bulls have been doing good, but #1 is suprising! They have a great team now with korver and booz with rose at the point. Maybe MJ will come out of retirement and help em out too haha. I'm glad you had the opportunity to get your kidney stone saved in a handy little jar! Maybe you should put in on a keychain or ring and wear it with pride! just an idea... haha. So when are you going to florida? That should be super fun fishing and stuff. I miss going to florida? So colton is going with you guys again? Thats sweet, should be super fun! So is my tv being used at all in my room? just wondering. Are you gunna pick up RB3?

Hey mom, thanks for all the info! So when are you going to florida? Also, thank you for the packages you sent! I look forward to picking them up in due time! I hear byu is doing great, and jimmer is the man! I get updates from the members around here haha. I just got a couple emails from the missionaries that were a month ahead of me in the mtc and they've been in brazil for a week or two now! Maybe in a month or so i'll have mine!!!! Man, im excited. 
Love, Matt

March 14, 2011

Bom dia para meu pai!

 Man, it sounds like you've had another eventfull week full of fun and pain! haha thats too bad to hear about your kidney stone. I remember when we were about to go on a cruise and that one hit you! You're lucky it didnt hit you in hawaii, then that would have ruined all the fun! I'm glad you got my letter safely and you had a good birthday. I was thinking of you a lot on the 10th. Good choice on texas roadhouse. I could deffinatly pound some of that right about now haha! I'm super happy to be back to eating normal food again. Darby threw me in a loop with that nasty african food! I've gained about 3 pounds since darby, so its good. Thats crazy about the earthquake and tsunami! Man, its crazy how much out of the loop i am on news and stuff. I found out like 2 days after it had happend by some old guy we were teaching. I'm just so focused on the work here i dont know whats going on in the world haha, but its good. Its still cold here, but there are some days where it gets warm and it gives me hope! THat's too bad about grandpa, i pray for him all the time. I hope he hold on for a while longer, but i dont want him to suffer. All will be well. Thats way cool about hayden getting his mission call! Do you go home teaching with his brother? Well this week has been pretty good in Pottsville. My spanish is going up, and i'm understanding it good when i hear it. Every night when i call in to the district leader, we speak all in spanish because he is a spanish elder, and he says how amazed he is on how much i know and how i can understand him. I get tons of compliments on my accent, so i guess all of this practice is paying off! haha. So hawaii was good huh? THats awesome. When are you going to florida? Is this your last trip there? Transfers are today, but i'm gunna be staying here in Pottsville with Elder Hunt. We get along fine, so its good. I'm not worried about the area anymore cuz we just work hard and do our best, and thats all we are expected to do! Something unique about out here is how huge of a holiday st.patricks day is. Every night there are people dressed in green going from bar to bar and getting slammed haha. There are pubs and bars everywhere here, and they just drink drink drink. If they're already celebrating st.pattys day drinking, i can only imagine how big its gunna be on st. patricks day. All the building are decorated with green leprechaun hats and stuff, i never imagined it being that big of a holiday. I remember when mom would just tip over the furniture and color the milk green, but out here people just drink all day and get hammered. I imagine we'll go in early that night for our safety haha. WE'll see. My portuguese is still improving and i'm opening my vocabulary. I'll be ready for Brazil i hope. I've been told by several people that i have the gift of tounges, and that i'm way farther ahead on the language than the other people that have been out as long as me. Speaking of being out as long, can you believe i'm coming up on my 5 month mark? Crazy! Well, thats all i gotta say this week, i'm just enjoying every second of the mission and i've learned a lot through this area. It's elder hunt's bday today so we're going out to eat! Keep up the good work and push out that kidney stone! Haha i love ya!

 Love, Matt

March 7. 2011

Man that sounds amazing! I would love to be in hawaii right now but nothing can keep me from doing this great work! I love it here and the other night truely realized how much i love this work. It brings a lot of joy and is making me a better person. Things are looking up here and i'm going a lot better. I'm used to the area and through our hard work we've picked up some investigators! We're doing a lot more than the elders before were doing. Man, from what i hear and see they were lazy and rude! The members love us. With prayer, i've been progressing with the language again. I can read it easily now and am getting a lot of grammer rules down. Only if i could practice it with someone here! haha. We've been tracting a lot and i dont mind it that much anymore. Maybe its cuz of the weather getting warm! I'm so ready for spring! This winter was so brutal! East coast cold is so much worse than utah hahaha. It rained for like 36 hours yesterday and the day before, so i hope things get green. I woke up this morning and looked outside and there was snow! man it sucked! THe curitiba winter is starting, so if i get my visa soon i'll be there just in time to endure yet another winter in a row! haha that would suck, but i'd do anything to get my dang visa! I got an email from an elder thats a month ahead of me on the mission, and he's still waiting for his visa. He entered in like early september. I hope brazil just lets loose all the visas for us. In the mean time, there is plenty of work to be done here in Pottsville, penn. and i love it! I was tracting this past week and i ran into this latino lady and you could tell she didnt wanna be bothered with missionaries, so she looked at me and said she doesnt know english, and started speaking spanish to me. Little does she know, that i can understand spanish good and speak some as well! I responded in spanish and introduced ourselves and she had the look on her face like, "crap, now what" hahahah. She accepted a book of mormon card. I owned her! Something about this area is that the branch is realiable on the missionaries for a lot of the duties, like piano, blessing the sac, passing the sac, teaching sunday school, and we also teach a scripture study class on thursday nights. Its pretty cool. Something also about pottsville is that the women have mustaches and beards and its so gross! haha. People absolutly dont take care of themselves and about 95% of the people here smoke and own about 20 cats haha. I've found that its rare to see people with many teeth and those that do have teeth are all decayed and nasty. Obesity is huge here too. Man, health is just overrated these days I guess. When we tract, its so hard to get our message accrossed when there are stubborn catholics and baptists who dont wanna listen, or they just wanna bible bash with us. Tracting is interesting, because you get to see all kinds of people and it gets you over the fear of talking to everyone fast. I'm not afraid of that anymore and i actually enjoy it. I'm bold with the message and it seems to work. I'm getting good at contancting! Things are good here and i'm happy to be here. I dont think about my visa too much. I know its all in the Lords time. Well, not much else to say, keep up soaking up the sun and fly home safe! I love you!

Matt

February 28, 2011

Oi Pai! Tudo bem? Thanks for the encouragement and fast. It really helps. This area is going really slow with the work. It's like we're starting from scratch. We have no progressing investigators, and the couple of investigators we do have aren't progressing, so we're gunna have to drop them because in the past missionaries would just go hang out at their house and get nothing done. Elder Hunt and I have been trying to do a lot of finding with every possible means. We tract, contact, try to seek refferals, offer service, and work through the ward, but nothing is coming out of it. We work so hard, but we can't find anyone! Everytime we tract people slam their doors in our faces because they're catholic and the dont want anything to do with us or our church. There are so many catholics here its nuts! Every one is catholic! It probably comes from their irish backround, which gives them a funny americanized irish accent. But to try to get investigators we started a program called "set a date". We go to members houses and we teach them about missionary work and have them set a date in the near future when they will invite a friend/aquantance/person to their house to be taught by the missionaries. We hope that this will help us find, teach, and baptise. We just need something to get going here in pottsville. We have to regain the trust of the members because I guess missionaries in the past were lazy and rude, so the members didn't like them. Me and Elder Hunt are new, so they like us and see that we work hard. We're just scrambling to get things going around here. We need people to teach. It's hard to stay positive when we tract all day with no success at all. Its not productive here at all, no one wants to listen. The only way i see successfull missionary work here is through the members. That's why we're so stoked on the "set a date". Because its through the members and that makes it a lot more successful when it comes to missionary work. I've been praying so hard for my visa. I understand that its all in heavenly fathers hands, i just can't help but get anxious to get down there. I've hit a wall with the language and i want to progress. Please pray for me. There are senior missionaries that live right above us and I love them! They feed us and are super nice. Every night me and Elder Hunt go up there to their cozy apartment, which has the feel of grandmas house, and we talk with them and visit. Its really comforting. In other news, I'm starting to dream in portuguese, and understand it haha. I also can understand spanish good, and its awesome. I remember when spanish was just blahblahblah on the radio or tv, but now i can understand whats being said and its cool. I can only imagine what i can understand in portuguese, but no one speaks it here haha. There is a branch here of about 30-40 people but its cool and i'm excited to help it grow, i just gotta stay motivated and positive! So you guys are leaving tomorrow for Hawaii you lucky! Have fun and soak up that sun which i've been begging for. Its so cold here when we tract! I have spring fever for sure! Pennsylvania cold is sooooo much worse than Utah. That humidity just kills! I'm so glad gary is doing better, i was worried about that kid! Knowing him though he'll be hurt again soon. Who's gunna watch him? And wow, i dont even know what to say about deron williams. Man, he is my favorite!! That sucks so bad that he's gone! The jazz have just completely fell apart since i've left. Is raja and jefferson still doing good? Devin Harris is good and so will that other guy but DWILL is the BEST pg in the league. Dang.... Oh well. I'm still a jazz fan. Well, not much else to say. Please keep praying for my visa and that we can find investigators here. I'll press on with the work and stay positive and motivated. Missionary work truely is work. Hard work. But I love it and i'm happy to be on a mission! Woo! haha. Well, dont have too much fun in hawaii, and take a bunch of pictures for me! I love you! Eu amo voce muitio! Embracas!

 Love, Matt

February 22, 2011

Tudooooooo bem??!

I'm glad you got the pics of the baptism. It was really cool to be apart of! Although i'm having a really good time in philly, i really feel like i need to get down to brazil. Maybe on fast sunday you can fast for my visa if you want with me, because i really need to get down there. I can't progress with the language if i'm not surrounded in it. *I'm doing my best to teach myself out of books but that only goes so far. You're so lucky you get to go to Hawaii! Eat some pinapple for me and go body surf on North Shore for me. Make sure you guys take lots of pics! It sounds like school is really busy, so keep up the good work! The first of last week was sooo nice! The nicest its been since i've been here. I had spring fever for sure.... until the coldness slapped me out of it!!! Man it's been cold again and i dont like it at all haha. The jazz are sucking so i guess i'm not missing that. So, did i tell you I got Emergency Transfered?? Ha I am out of my beloved little africa AKA Darby and I'm now in this middle of no where town called Pottsville. Man there is such a big difference! I had to replace an Elder here that had to leave this area because of some girl problem, so i am filling his place. On friday i got a call that i was to pack my stuff up and get transfered to go to North Philly to replace a sick elder going home, so i packed my stuff up and went to the AP"s to spend the night. That night they said that it wasnt going to happen anymore and so the next morning I was sent back to Darby. The next night I get a call from President Schafermeyer and I was told to pack up again because I was coming to Pottsville! So here i am in the Pottsville library. I was sad to leave Darby, especially with Rosetta and her daughter being baptised this sunday. I worked really hard with her and now i dont get to see her baptised... Oh well.... This is a big change for me in Pottsville. Darby was on fire with the missionary work, and Pottsville is the opposite. We are going to be doing a lot of tracting, which i hate, and the people here are die hard catholics and not open to our message. It's been rough and this is the time where the mission is gunna get hard on me, but i know i can do it. I just need to stay positive and pray always! I'm now with 1 companion instead of 2, and there are no missionaries around us exept from a missionary couple that lives above our appartment. It seems pretty lonely, but i'll adjust quick I hope. Today we did a few hours of service at a food place that gives out food to poor people, and it went good. After that the Ashbee's ( eldery missionary couple ) took us out to eat, and now i'm emailing! Yup. Thats my day. But yeah, things are going ok... I just need to stay positive and try to get the work rolling out here. Well, have a good week and know that I love ya!          Love, Elder Harper

February 14, 2011

Tudo bem?! It was another good in the hood week and a lot of work has been getting done. I'm not scared of the ghetto, but i'm sure mom would be panicking if she saw where i walk at night. You're probably right in the idea of me leaving when it starts to get warm here, and me going straight to a curitiba winter. Oh well. No news on the VISA. Elder Hartley and Buerkle sent in their online apps this week. We're all still here though but we'll see. Keep praying for it. Man, that is so crazy about Jerry Sloan! What the heck!? He just gets up and goes?? I thought he would be more professional about things. I bet Dwill just wants out now and when he leaves the team will be nothing! That suprised me big time. So Hawaii huh? so what islands are you guys going to? Is it a cruise or are you flying? with who?? But yeah.... Things are going good here. I went on exchanges in South Philly this week and we had a dinner appointment. I was talking with them and I found out they are originally from ogden, and they both graduated from fremont!!! It was crazy. The ladies mom lives in West Weber and goes to the 3rd ward or something! Super small ward. I forgot their last names though haha. This week was also Zone Conference and it was really good. It lasted all day and I learned a lot. So yesterday was the baptisms!! My first baptisms! Our investigators were baptised by their uncle and I got to baptise the sister's investigator! It was such a neat experience getting into the water and baptising. Hopefully there will be many to come. I'll try to send pics. Man, I tell you what, if you wanna see entertaining things, you go trackting in the ghetto! We get laughing so hard. Ghetto's are deffinatly an interesting place. Its still so fun working with the africans. I truely love the african people. %90 of them are Liberian and I just love the way they are! THey are so nice to us and always offer us food. They treat us so good. When we wash our hands at their sink they want to wash them for us, and just treat us so well. I just have developed a deep love for them, and it will be sad to leave them. They're so humble. I dont love the food though haha! This week I hate an african pepper and I just about died! Man that thing was so hot! Something cool that happend is that the other day we went to Rosettas house and showed her the joseph smith restoration movie, and she felt the spirit so strong! After she told us that she knows that it is true, and we are super excited for her baptism with her daughter. They are so sweet. I'm glad for the time i've spent here in the Philadelphia Mission. I've grown and learned so much in the time i've been here. It's so cool experiencing the east coast and preaching in English! Well, thats all thats going on here. I love you and thanks for raising me up in the gospel. Keep working hard and put nick to work!

 

Love, Matt

February 7, 2011

Tudo Bem!!

How's life?? It seems like all is well, so that's good. To answer your question about the cold front that came through, I did indeed freeze my butt off!!!! But, its super NICE today, and it feels like spring! Still no word on my VISA. I'm begginning to think i might spend 1/4 of my mission here!!! Oh well, wherever I am is wherever i'm supposed to be... Jazz I hear are sucking it up, but as long as the get to the playoffs that's all that counts. Well, it has been a pretty normal weeks as in teaching a bunch and seeing crazy things. Something i've noticed is that there are cockroaches all over the place!!! I'll be teaching a lesson and i'll have roaches crawling on me and up my pant leg. Man I hate those things!!! There are also tons of mice that run on the ground as we walk into houses, and actually HUGE RATS that live at this one members home. I'm pretty sure he's ammune to rat poison and it actually makes it bigger. But yeah, time is actually going by fast. The weeks are coming and going, and its cool. This week we had a special fast so that this investigator family could get baptised. They are really prepared and wanting to get baptised, but the thing that was holding them back is that the mom had her boyfriend living with her at the house. We fasted so that there could be a living situation worked out, so that he could move out and all could be baptised. We went over to there house after we fasted, and he had a total change of heart. He said he would move out right away! They are all now ready to be baptised this sunday! We have 6 investigtors being baptised this sunday! Finally! I'm ready for my first mission baptisms. There is an investigator right now named Rossetta. I contacted her on the street my 2nd week in philly, and she said she wanted us to come over. We kind of procrastinated on getting over there, because there are just so many people we're working with. I kept telling my companions that we needed to see rossetta!!! Well, the past week we've been finally  working hard with her, and she is  now super excited to get BAPTISED!!! It's awesome. Her daughter will be baptised with her. Yesterday at church I went to the YSA ward on splits, and there were 2 Brazilians!!! I talked with them and they said I spoke really good and I had an awesome accent that doesnt sound american at all! I give thanks to trent and JG for that. They were super impressed. I've been finding time to study portuguese early morning, on car rides, and right before bed. I wanna do everything i can to be ready for Brazil. Whenever that time comes, I hope i'll be ready. Well, not much else going on here, just working hard and having fun! I love you and hope you have an awesome week!

 Love, Matt