Pet Monkey

Writing is not Elizabeth's favorite thing to do. One of the advantages of homeschooling with her is that we can customize. I've found some writing prompts online and we are writing together. Today's prompt: "Do you think a monkey would be a good pet?"

Obviously, these are aimed at kids. Just about every kid that has seen a monkey or even a picture of a monkey has wanted it for a pet. They are adorable. They have hands like ours. Even better they have feet they can use like hands and TAILS! Tails are awesome. They can do tricks. Monkeys are very entertaining. They seem to be somewhat trainable and look very, very cuddly. Even I wanted a monkey when I was a kid.

As shocking as this revelation may be, I am no longer a kid. I do not think monkeys would make a good pet. They seem too unpredictable. And how do you get then to do what you want? Then there is the whole poop issue. Pet monkeys, I think by law, are supposed to ride on your shoulder. As stylish as that is, the question I want answered is what happens when he needs to poop? People have had monkeys as companions for ages, so I'm sure there are many strategies to handle this problem. However, I have been to the primate exhibit at the zoo. They eat their poop. They even throw their poop. I'm imagining that it would be like living with a permanent 2-yr-old. I loved my children when they were two, but I had the sure knowledge that they would grow out of that phase. While 2-year-olds are adorable, they can be monstrous. Or in this case, they can be little monkeys.

No. I've think I've lived through my monkey phase. Until I have grandchildren. In which case, I can leave them with their parents after a good dose of spoiling and chocolate.

Choosing The Path

Latest from Elder Monzingo. Weather forecast for today in Braganca: High of 87. Low 75. Thunderstorms.

SO There´s this family in our ward here. A month or two ago it was discovered that there records in the church don't exist and they need to be re-baptized. They were both baptized in Bolivia but I guess the missionaries didn´t send the record or something happened so that they don´t exist as members of the church officially. This week Irmã Fabiana talked with us and the Bishop saying she had decided to be baptized again. So this week we are going to do her baptism. I feel like that had to be a big decision, her husband hasn´t decided yet. But when we talk with her this week we´ll see if we can help him too. I feel like he´s still in this state of shock because of it all. Which isn´t surprising. But I hope he decides to come back into the fold. 

But this week went rather well, we got a lot done and the ward is starting to get more involved with the work. We are going to start working a bit more with the Bishop like we need to and it´s going well. Really we are getting to work a lot more than I had been doing in the past. This next week is gonna be great. I love you guys.

Also Brazilians take their soccer seriously. They won soccer in the Olympics. But for them they won the whole Olympics. it was funny. But I think it´s too big to send but I´ll still try. I love you guys. 
-- 
​Elder Monzingo
Missão Brazil Belém

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

I started this post yesterday. It wasn't going very well. The intention was to elaborate on how wonderful it was to have the kids home all summer and how wonderful it was that they were going to school. The right words were not available to me. So, I will share some pics of the kids before they got on the bus. You will notice that it is still dark outside. The bus comes at about 6:35. AM. That is very early but we are not even the earliest bus. Thank goodness. Not that I mind getting up but it is hard on the kids. Anyway. Pictures.

We've got a senior, an 8th grader, a 5th grader and a 3rd grader. Getting them corralled for this was an adventure. Hannah did not want to be too close to Joe. Joe wants to touch and hug everybody. A chase was involved. I did manage to snap this pic before chaos began again.

I didn't get individual shots of them all. I think he looks a little manic. He is concerned about 3rd grade. It's a new school. He doesn't much like change. Notice he lost a tooth. That may be one change he is OK with. He also informed me that he slept with his socks and clothes on so all he had to do this morning was put on his shoes.

OH. Look who is a senior this year. She is excited to be done. She decided she wanted to graduate in 2017 instead of 2018. She has been working hard to accomplish that. Still not entirely sure what will happen after graduation. The latest news is that she wants to be a lighting designer.

One more, because who doesn't need to see THIS face in the morning.

Last but not least, the homeschool child. Maybe inspired by her older sister completing 2 years worth of school in one, or maybe because her brother said something stupid to her, she is determined to finish 7th and 8th grade this year. As you can see we're off to a great start. Oh well. She has a lot to do. I think it is OK to let her rest up before she begins.

So there it is. The first day of school. It is an exciting time. I like the peace that is in the home. I like the energy they bring back with them after school. It is a good day.

Mountain Dew

Apparently, I only post things when I have news from our missionary. I promise to do a family update this week. Just not today. I did manage to get a few more details than usual from the boy. Carefully crafted questions are gold. Current weather conditions in Braganca: 80 degrees. Feels like 85. Humidity is 77%. No rain. The rain has moved to Texas.

This week on today is some sort of town holiday so lots of places are
closed. So this is really very late but it is the earliest that I
could get on. But this week went rather well. We had the baptism of
Anita. She was reallly nervous about it all before it happened but
afterwards everything was fine. I´m rather glad about it all.

 My new companion is pretty cool. Elder Steindorf. He is from Curitiba in south Brazil. ALSO he brought Mountain
Dew that his parents sent this last week so it´s safe to say that our
house had a party with mountain dew and tereré.

 And he´s really just pretty cool in general. The jokes he makes are a lot like the ones 
Brother Jackson made where he's just serious and it's hilarious. 
He´s ready to work and is a bit uncertain of
somethings, BUT that might just be because he stayed 4 transfers with
his trainer. BUT I´m gonna help him out with whatever i can. We´ve
already done a lot this week but I´m hoping that we can do eve more
this coming week. It´s gonna be cool. 

Branganca is different from Obidos. Very different. Like. a
lot. There is no dust here for one. 

Also the fact that people
tell you literally everything bad that they´ve done in their lives
after knowing you about 2 minutes is rather surprising.
It´s not bad. it´s just strange at times. Like you sit there
with some guy who tells you he got really addicted to crack and
cocaine and has travelled the world separated from his wife and 2 kids
because of drug issues and has another kid with someone living in
london and now he´s living here clean from the drugs but with some
other chick. But he´s pretty cool so we´s gonna get thems married and
then they´s gonna be members. I hope.

I love you guys

The Changes Come

A little late, but here is the news from our Elder Monzingo:

So The Transfer arrived yesterday. Elder Vebre was transferred out of
Bragança. I´m staying here just that I had to go to Belém to get my
new companion. So that´s why this is really really really late. Sorry
about that. But Now I´m actually senior companion. So that´s new.
Although I kinda think that in the end if you do the things right
there really isn´t much of a difference between senior or junior.
Unless of course one of the two doesn´t want to work or something like
that. But the week went well. This last week we did a lot to help our
main investigators that were the big focus. Annita and Ananda are both
having a bit of trouble because of old friends from church that are
now telling them things like well really just things that don´t make
sense that aren´t true about the church. So That´s always fun. But
both of them are excited(last time I checked) for their baptisms which
should be this week. If of course they really feel ready. Annita is
all good. But I Wonder a little bit if Ananda is ready to do it with
the people talking lies to her head. But We´ll see what happens. But
i´m excited to be working with my new companion Elder Steindorf. He´s
from Curitiba here in Brazil. Although it´s a lot more to the South.
But It should be good. I love you all. Talk to y´all later

Doubt the doubts before your testimony

From Elder Monzingo. Current weather conditions in Braganca, Brazil: 87 feels like 94. Rain.

So this took longer to get out than I wanted but my time doing things
was interrupted cause we had made plans to eat at an investigators
house so I had to come back now as I didn´t get the time to do this
then. But this week went well. We had some weirdness with a few splits
we did with other missionaries and honestly I think I traveled to
different places almost every day this week. Like 4 of the 7. But it´s
behind me now. And the part where I stayed somewhere else for a day
was cool. It was interesting working in Capanema. Plus you can buy 1
liter of ice cream for 5 reais which is awesome like you have no idea.
There is not enough ice cream here. They should fix that. But we had
the baptisms of part of our family this week. Vitoria and Rafael. The
other part of the family is the mom and dad who really are only
waiting on the whole marriage thing(which has sped up significantly
since we started teaching) to get baptized themselves. And the other 2
kids. Ademar Jr. seems to be somewhat uninterested but we are going to
try teaching him specifically to see if he really is uninterested or
just hasn´t had a reason to be interested or something like that. And
Ananda who received her answer(I think I talked about her a few weeks
ago) But now is somewhat iffy. Cause there are people that are talking
bad about the church and whatnot to her and she wants to keep the
friends that are causing doubts and all that. I´m not really sure how
to help her. She recently stopped reading scriptures and praying, like
Friday, and didn´t go to church and all that stuff. So I´m not sure
what it is that we can do. But I hope that we can find something. Plus
the members that we were teaching them with got back and ANanda became
really good friends with Larissa so hopefully she can help with that
stuff. But this week really went better(or at least less tiring) than
the last. It´s the last week of this transfer. SO we´re gonna find out
what happens this Sunday. But I don´t think I´ll move. But then again,
nothing is really predictable. We go where the Lord commands. But I
love you all. Talk to yáll later