Mission 2 - Week 20

I keep thinking that sometime I will come to write the blog and not think "This week was awesome!", but it hasn't happened yet.  Don't know if it ever will... Not my problem.

Monday - Ricardo was out of the office all week with back problems and Daniel was out most of the week, just sluffing.  FHE consisted of a quiz about Brazil by Elder Burke.  I think it's the third or fourth quiz we've had for FHE. :)  Our Brazilian couple (Shoiser) won!  Imagine that.  But... drum roll... we took second place!  It was hugely lucky on our part.  They were multiple choice questions and usually lists - basically the right answer was almost always either B or C, 50% likelihood of getting it right!  Anway, we won a container of chocolate chips, enough for about 3 batches of cookies - Yea!
Tuesday - Valentines Day!  I spent the morning with Jouber and two missionaries from the Rio de Janeiro mission because they hadn't renewed their visas and they were about to expire.  If a visa expires here in Brazil, the missionary is immediately sent home because it is illegal to remain in the country without a visa.  Sad thing is that the mission president was willing to let that happen, but we weren't so we stepped in and flew them to São Paulo, took them over the Polícia Federal and by the grace of God, got the two visas renewed.  It was pretty much touch and go all the way because they had started the process in Rio and the Rio police took one of the ID cards and didn't give it back.  But, like I said, with blessings from above, it all got done and they returned that night back to the field.  We were kind of heroes in the office for being able to get it done in a day... actually just to get it done at all.
To reward ourselves, we went to lunch with the two elders at Wendy's and it was awesome!  Except for the frosty, it was nothing like I expected.  

Elder Funk (Logan) and Elder Diaz (Virginia) after renewing their visas.

That afternoon we taught our English class after work, about eight people showed up this time and it was a fun class - Mom and I teach well as a team.  Since it was Valentines, Mom and I went out to eat at a Japanese restaurant right by our apartment.  It was quite good - the salmon was excellent, and the shrimp was, well, less than excellent.  Definitely a place we'd go back to.

The Japanese restaurant where we ate.

Wednesday - After work, we went to the temple.  It was very nice.  Afterward, we didn't do our usual walk as neither one of us was feeling that well.
Thursday - Still weren't feeling well, but managed a full day of work.  Afterward, we walked up to the padaria and got some bread.

Another flower shot, for fun.

Friday - After work we went with the other couples, as in now tradition, to a movie and grabbed some dinner.  We saw "Lion" about the boy from India that got lost and and finally made his way back home 25 years later.
Saturday - Did some cleaning, etc. around the apartment and did more preparation for our trip to the Pantanal next week with a few other couples and Sister Cox.  Then we went over to spend the evening with the Sondereggers, Shumways, Sis Cox, and Elder McAllister (whose wife is in the US for surgery).  It was very fun and after dinner we played "dictionary", Mom and I weren't as lucky this time around... :)
Love to all,
The Church is True, Keep the Faith
Dad and Mom