Tons of Biking, and Tons of Rain

Óla todos!


This might be a shorter one this week. Not a whole lot happened, but there were a few fun moments. I live in a four man apartment with another companionship, which is awesome, but all four of us have to share a car. The other companionship needs it more than us which is fine, so we end up biking to lots of our lessons and other things. Its great exercise, and its really fun biking over the huge bridges over the huge river/bay that is in our area. 


Every day without fail, we get a ton of rain for a few hours. So sometimes it starts when we're biking home, and my compaion and I will get soaked. It's pretty fun actually, especially since it's warmer rain so we're not freezing the whole time. Every now and then, the rain gets so bad, we have to drive through 2-3 foot deep puddles on the road. The rain in Florida is nothing like you'd ever see in Idaho and Utah. Crazy stuff.


I also got the opportunity to help teach and English class for the local Brazillians. It was really fun, and it was awesome practice for my Portuguese. They're also the nicest people. Afterwards, they gave us a huge bowl of feijoado, which is a bean and pork chili/stew that you serve over rice, and it's delicious. They are friendly, and would talk with everyone fo hours if they could. I don't understand or speak a ton yet, but I always look forward to talking with them.


Spiritual thought: This week during one of my personal studies, I read through Alma 32. One verse that stuck out to me was verse 27. It says: "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." I liked that verse because lots of us, including me, might struggle with strengtening faith, or even just keeping those good habits going, like reading scriptures every day, or frequent daily prayer. But this verse promises us, even if we have a single particle of faith, and we work to strengthen that, we will be able to make that faith strong. But to do so, we need to do things that will help strengthen it. Some of those things could include attending church/the temple more frequently, or finding a method that helps you build the habit of reading the scriptures and praying every day. I promise that as you strive to strengthen your faith, you will see joy and blessings in your life.O say those things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.


Tchau!


Elder Howard


Pictures:
- View from the top of the bridge
- Cool old bug we saw while walking around
- Os Pássaros 
- Don't waste your talents
- Biking over the bridge
- Rainbow after the rain





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