The new temple in Brazil

Hey! Hope everyone had a great week! You gave me a lot to respond to so I will do my best.   Sounds like the house is going to be a busy place for friends over the summer, good luck with that. Also you will have to take me over the same trip for Memorial Day when I get back. Sounds like you guys had lots of fun! I got the rest of that family history you sent me. Thanks for that I really enjoyed it, also that news article about the LDS basketball player. Wow what a story, it is nice to see there are still amazing people in the world. So tell Daniel hi for me, back already that is crazy.

So I really like my new area! The mosquitos are much better this week, not as much as a problem. And it has been much cooler, like in the 70´s. This week was again finding new people... It is super easy to find investigators, almost everyone lets you come back for a visit. But finding people that keep commitments is a whole different story. haha. I guess that means I need to get better at teaching. So interesting story, we are teaching this woman that has had a really tough life. She used to be a prostitute, has drug, alcohol and smoking problem, and is just really not happy and looking to change. Right now we are trying to help her stop doing drugs and alcohol and stuff. Satan doesn´t let people go easy.

So I still haven´t had a chance to meet our entire ward. Yesterday we had a meeting at the stake center again for the dedication of the temple in Manaus Brazil!! It was super cool, Manaus is literally in the center of the amazon, and they broadcasted it to every stake center in Brazil. There was President Uchtdorf and Elder Cook. It really made me miss the Temple. It is such a special and powerful place that I took for granted before. 

As for other investigators we have a few families that we are teaching and are reading, and we are going to bring to church this next week. I will let you know how that goes. We have some really good ones but unfortunately aren´t legally married. I think they have the same thing in the U.S.? Domestic Partnership? You get the benefits of marriage without the commitment. Yeah lots of people here do that, but we will change that!

So Elder Connell is half Mexican and last Monday we had a family night and he made homemade tortillas and we had tacos with the seasoning you sent. It was delicious! Just thought I´d tell you that. Today we already went and played Ping pong for a bit at the church, then we will probably just hang around for the rest of the day. Not a lot to do around here.

Something sad that happened. Our first counselor in the bishopric got robbed while at church. They broke into his house and took everything, even meat in their freezer. It is really sad cause they aren´t wealthy to begin with, and it happened to them last year too. So I got grandmas letter and Ensign magazine! Tell her super thanks! I will write her but the post office is almost an hour away so it might be a little bit. Also I read a talk that I loved this week, "To acquire spiritual guidance" by Richard G Scott. Just thought I´d recommend it.

Thanks for the personal history! I am super glad you decided to go on a mission. It blessed my life tons!

Love you all tons and thanks soo soo much for everything! Hope you are having a good summer! Love, Elder Connor Ottosen