17 Days Without Power

Well to answerer your first question. Yes, we have power!! but it’s not obtained legally.... ops. ha-ha after 17 days of no power and on the 22nd a member came over and illegally connected our power. He was supper mad the mission hasn’t done anything to help us and after hooking it up he calls the presidents cell! And the president has talked to us and said sorry but we would still be without power until tomorrow this morning we changed the house to another name and it should be 24 hours before they legally hook it back up. But we will get a fine for hooking it up illegally but the office will pay for it. But that’s been a huge mess. It was so awesome to see the lights on though the feeling was so good (I felt so spoiled! and on top of the world) so an hour long shower was very necessary!! ha-ha we also slept like babies with the fan on. I guess I didn't really realize how stressed I really was with this going on. I'm still supper tired everyday and trying to catch up on sleep. I don’t think I can eat anymore ramen noodles or soup. That's all we eat and all we could buy so it’s good to have a place to put our food in and not have it go bad in a few hours. On the night before we got energy we were so hungry and sick of soup, we bought a pack of hot dogs and ate 6 each just so we wouldn't throw them out and waste our money! (FYI 6 hot dogs are a lot!!!)
Now you have heard the good news so I’ll tell you the bad news, yesterday I went to pull out my camera to take pictures of my shoes to send home and discovered my nice camera is broken. It turns on but the screen stays black everything else works but I can’t see anything. It’s a big damper on me dad and I’m not too happy about it. So I took it apart, moved things around and nothing helped. The only thing I can think that made it do this was, last week after e-mailing it was raining super hard and everything got wet (but my camera was in a plastic bag.) so when I got home I put it away under the bed and there must have been moisture in the bag... and now it’s broken. But everything else works I don't know what I'm going to do cameras here are expensive! and I can’t afford to buy another. I need shoes way more than a camera too It’s really been a bummer. I didn't even want to tell you guys because I'm sick of complaining home so yes we got power, but my most expensive possession broke. I don’t ever think I´ll get a break here.
But as for the work it’s going good a lot better. We found 15 new ppl to teach by knocking doors all week. We found a really good younger couple last night (the others are really weak) oh except for 2 girls they’re pretty interested and have friends in the church so that’s pretty cool.
Also, Sunday I did something really stupid. An area 70 of the 7th quorum gave a talk about marriage Sunday, we were waiting at the church for a member to do a division with us well ppl started showing up and I un-locked the gate and started un-locking the church doors. Well as I finish the last door I walked around the corner and saw what I thought was a member, and went to shake his hand then walked away as I was walking always Elder Youngberg was like that’s the area 70.... so I walked over and said sorry and shook his hand again then about 10 min latter Elder Youngberg wanted a picture with him so he went to go ask him and called him president.... and I knew you called 70´s ELDER. so he was like that's not what I’m called and told my comp to call him Elder, then my comp said sorry I have never met anyone like you before we took a pic. Well while this 70 was down the hall in a room my comp was getting a drink I said to him. (In English) Man, he just doesn't feel like a 70 to me) Right as he walked up behind me asking us where we were from in English!! wow did I feel gay and bad. But I’m pretty sure he didn't hear me say that... I Hope not. But it was really bad he talked to use for 5 min about the USA and then we told him we had to go and we left the building!! hahahaha man did I mess up. But the other night I guess the cops shot a guy from a helicopter close to our house. It must not have been supper close because I didn’t hear the helicopter but that was pretty crazy. The cops here always shoot guys down in the ghetto. It happens every week, I’ll explain more about that in a mission ties. But I love you all. things are going better now with energy. And only two things are broken 1- my camera 2- my heart, because my camera is broken.... :(
But I’m alive and eating good food again. I love you all.    -JOSH

Still No Power

Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:48:23 -0200
Subject: Family
From: joshua.hope@myldsmail.net
To: Dhope162@msn.com; jeffdhope@gmail.com; honda_pro_5@hotmail.com; jc321_hope@hotmail.com

Well it’s been ok for the week. Still now power.... so it’s been exactly 2 weeks with no power and yes Sister Cordon knows we have had no power for this long. No they won’t pay us for the food we lost but oh well. It’s been a challenge, and our zone leaders told us if we want a warm shower to heat some up on the stove and use a rag in the shower... Hahaha sounds awesome huh. Well I would rather jump in a cold shower for 3 min than wait 3 min for water to heat up and use a rag. But the cold showers feel like ice every time. When it’s 95 degrees outside and you’re hot and you jump into 65 degree water, it’s cold. Ha-ha it wakes you up in the morning.... but I’m not sure if we will even get power by next week. Our zone leaders and we talked to the energy company and it’s still a big mess. So it looks like we will continue to use candles for a little longer. Good thing is next month’s power bill will be almost nothing :/ (ha-haa I’m trying to stay positive) Anyways as for the work, it’s going ok. The no power thing has really put a damper on our work in the area. But do you remember the lady we took her smokes from? and the pic I sent home? well Sunday she found out she has cancer from smoking.... And the doctor said it will kill her. So it’s turning out to be like your story dad. Unfortualy. :( but every time I go over there I just want to say `` see we told you so!`` but that wouldn’t be the right thing to do. Also we asked her to stop again, but she said she’s dying anyways and she said forget baptism. So that’s been difficult with that. Also our investigator that was so close to baptism told us he prayed about another religious book and he got the same answerer as the book of Mormon. (And the book was the Catholic bible) which is basically the same as ours. Just they have some other books that we don’t use because there not totally correct but we still can read them in our church. So we told him of course you got the same answer, we believe it too we even compared scriptures to show him it was the same. But now he thinks there’s more than one true church. Also were teaching a 20 year old member who’s inactive, and has a girl friend that’s 14 and pregnant. Ya she’s 14 and pregnant! Well the 14 year old girl is dying to be baptized and for her to be baptized they need to get married. Well the dude doesn’t want to be married yet. so I think the next time we teach them we will tell them they need to get married or split and live in different houses for her to be baptized. I’m not sure how that’s going to fly over with them. lol should be interesting because I never have told anyone to split up yet on the mission.

Also did you guys get a SD card in the mail? I sent one right after the package and I’m not sure it you have gotten it or if it was lost so let me know. Also looks like everyone’s doing good from the pics. JC don’t hurt yourself with the helicopter, keep playing hard in the games! and thanks for your letter! Mom I’m glad you’re busy with the kids. It makes the time fly when you’re busy and that’s always good but thanks for your letter too.

But all is well here just trying to keep my head somewhat in the work but we keep having troubles with stuff, just speed bumps that are slowing us down but really it’s an experience all in its self.  I Love you all stay safe, and work hard in school. -Josh

105 Years Old

Alma 36:3

Family,

Well it’s been good and it’s been rough all at the same time. We still have no power so it’s been cold showers twice a day and using the flash lights for two hours at night. :/ And it’s not because we haven’t paid the bills, 9 years ago the mission president (David G Webster) signed a bunch of houses in his name, well with the lack of missionaries there closing about 7 areas down every transfer. Well one of those areas houses is under David G Webster’s name and they haven’t paid the bill because there is no one at the house to pay it so every house that’s under this name, power has been cut. But were the only missionary's living in a house under his name so no one else is having this problem. So after making thousands of calls trying to find this one house somewhere here in Curitiba they told us to put the house under our name. Because president doesn’t have time to sign the papers so were hoping to have power in the next 2 days but with our luck who knows... ha-ha But it’s on easy living with no power, just a gas stove.

 Anyways we went to the Temple as a zone today it was so nice to forget about everything and it was the first time I used hot water in a week! But the temple was so good, we were going to have interviews with pres. but he couldn’t make it. But also this week I met a lady who’s 105 years old!! The oldest person I have seen too. She could talk and sat up in her bed all by herself but she was almost def. When the lady would talk to her, she would latterly YELL in her ear. I thought it was abuse at first it caught me off guard. But she responded after the yelling although she’s starting to lose her memory she call her daughter her son once and then her niece and then said she was 74 years old but it was cool seeing a person that old! that doesn't happen every day. Dad you asked how many lessons we teach a week. We average 21 lessons a week but get 25 lessons in when we work every day in our area and don’t have to leave to our other areas. I really want to teach 30 to 35 but it’s just not possible with our amount of investigators. (When you teach over 25 the time flies by so fast!! and the week seems so short, but that’s what we try to aim for some ppl teach up to 35 a week but that’s hard to do without the wards help and doing divisions and here the ward isn’t helping... but the comp and I are doing good. 

Also there is 2 ppl making out next to me right now and its getting really annoying! I thought I had a pass-along card in my back pack to give to them but I couldn’t find it. Dang! But also this week I ate at a member’s house who was supper poor! I’m pretty use to the poverty here now but man this was so sad they didn’t really have a house and it was tinny. They made us food and let us eat first so we could eat all we wanted before the little 5 and 6 year old could eat and then after we ate they ate. And to tell you the truth I didn’t eat a lot I had a small first plate and a small second plate to make it look like I ate a ton. I didn’t want to eat their food because they didn't have a lot it was all they had. SO it really was hard for me and the Brazilian I was with. After he left he even felt bad that they had nothing I have a soft spot in my heart for them now and almost feel guilty because I have such a nice house and cars... so it was another learning experience for me.

But everything else has been ok. I put a scripture at the top of the page I read it 2 or 3 times a day this last week its helped me out and it’s just stuck in my mind and pops up all the time. I just really like it but everything’s going good I’m still learning and like you said dad I will probably miss this area. When I think about it, I really don’t want to move and get another new comp. I’m fine here (I don’t like big changes.) but I’m glad your still getting snow that’s awesome I do miss it though. But thanks for all the support and the love, we are so blessed by the gospel and with the things we have. The church is true. Be safe and I love you all. -Josh

Packages Arrived

Well it’s been really good here. Last week our LZ decided to go get my packages. And I got them one the 30th. But they have been awesome! I have enjoyed everything. I wrote a mission ties about it and a small e-mail, you will also hear my theory about eating candy. I had a crazy idea that if I was too eat a bunch of it all at once, then my body would only accept so much sugar and get rid of the rest. Yet still taste it all well my theory was wrong and my tummy told me so too. I guess my body kept all the sugar inside and I made myself sick!! lol but I slowed down to save more of it. Also New Years was also good Just a lot of fireworks and ppl drunk. We had a small dinner and then went home and watched our neighbors across from us party It was pretty crazy so I took videos of them. They had so many fireworks and were drinking. But after talking to you guys on the phone I decided to try and stop taking my allergies meds and well that didn’t work out too well. Sunday I had an allergic reaction and had hives all up and down my arms and chest, then the next day the same thing happened. It was pretty bad and I ended up calling Sister Cordon to see what I could take to help me out anyways I’m not sure if it was a food reaction or allergies but now I’m doing fine and haven’t had a problem after I took my meds But maybe I’ll try to wean myself off of them a little later. 

Oh ya, the only thing that didn’t make it in the packages were the chocolate covered cherries. I don’t think there made to fly because something made them blow up! Probably from the plane rides. hahAaha but I still got the taste of them. But today we had zone training and after we played soccer, it was pretty fun and now I’m pretty sore tomorrow will be horrible! ha-ha but also the works going a lot better. ppl came back from their trips and we have been teaching more so it’s been good. Ropson should be baptized this week too!  

But right now our house power is turned off were having problems with the guy who lives in the house in front of us. His son (who lives 1 house down from us) has been taking the bills out of the mailbox and been keeping them and hasn’t been giving them too us. It’s been a big pain and now our power is turned off so it looks like our food will go bad and we will be chilling in the dark for a day or two. We finally got 1 bill from the guy’s son but it was the December’s bill and we want the Novembers bill because that’s the one we need to pay for the power but he says he threw it out. So today I used all my money I saved up and paid the December’s bill to see if they would turn the power back on, but that didn’t help. Also were hoping our allowance will come tomorrow because were out of money!!!! Ha-ha so if our allowance doesn’t come we can’t go and pay the November’s bill so it’s a bitter thing for us right now but oh well.

As for the snow machine I always had a hard time starting it up. Starter fluid on the spark plugs helped. but putting a little gas down the spark plug hole is the best, that always gets it going. (Don’t know if it good for it, because there’s a pretty big bang but it works) ha-ha. As for the cold seems like fun. Dad you should have bought an ice hut! I want one. Anyways I’m going to send some pics home now. So I Love you all. Thanks for the gift, letters, candy, and your love. The packages have been AWESOME! Love -Josh