I´ve been...what?? Novembro 18 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

     To start off this week´s letter, I thought a bit of a plot twist would be fun. I know you´re expecting to hear all about my adventures in Cobilândia with Elders M. Silva and Stilson, but I have a different topic to discuss this week. Last Tuesday (one day after I sent my last letter), we received a call from the assistants to the President. They told us that I was being emergency transferred that day, and we needed to go home and pack my bags and travel to the bus station in Vitória as soon as possible.Needless to say, that is not exactly what we thought we´d be doing with our Tuesday, but nevertheless, that´s what we did. We arrived at the ´Rodoviária´(bus station), I said goodbye to my awesome companions, and met my new one. As we sat there waiting for the bus that would take us to our new area, Aracruz, my new companion, Elder Johnson (from Ogden, Utah), told me that I was emergency transferred because his old companion decided to go home after just one week in the field. It was a while before the bus showed up, so we got to get to know each other a little bit, and he´s a good guy. By the time we got to Aracruz and to our apartment and to our beds, it was around midnight, and I was so completely drained.

     This week, I learned that they have a really good branch here in Aracruz. The members are really awesome about helping with the missionary work, and every time they hear about Elder Johnson´s old companion, they ask me if I´m doing okay and reassure me that this is a good area, ha ha ha. They´re a really sweet group of people.

     There is one part-member family here that is really cool. They live in what is like 4 houses built around what began as just one little house. Now they have 3 generations living in one giant home. It was a little confusing my first visit as I was meeting cousins, siblings, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and where they all are in relation to each other. I still don´t have everything straight, and need clarification with each visit. There´s one member of the family (a brother to one member, and cousin to another) by the name of Geraldo who we started teaching last week. He has an interesting life,. and he´s not super religious, but he knows his stuff. He can teach us as well as we can teach him! He´s really interested and has a lot of desire to hear our message and do the challenges we give him. He´s been to church with the LDS members of hi family before, and he came to church yesterday, so his baptismal date for this Friday, the 22nd, is still solid. Now if I can stick around just that long...

     This upcoming weekend, we have District Conference where all the saints (and some friends and family of the saints) from Aracruz to São Mateus will gather at the chapel in Coltina (the biggest and nicest chapel in the state of Espirito Santo). I´m really excited to see some old friends from the branch in São Mateus again. It´ll be a great event with so many people. The members here are pretty excited, too.

     I have to admit, I was pretty sad to leave Cobilândia and my friends behind so quickly and with such short notice, but I still believe the Lord has a work for me to do here in Aracruz, as well.Tenho absoluta certeza que no final da minha missão, vou agradecer e aprender com essas experiencias. I love you all very much, and I´ll talk to you soon!

Com carinho,

-Elder Crapo

November 11, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

     I have so much that I could talk about, and so little time! Transfers were held last Tuesday, and I´ve been sent to the Zone Vila Velha in the area Cobilândia. It´s only two short ônibus rides (graças a ceus!) from the Mission Home in Vitória, just on the mainland. Now for some unexpected news: I´ve been placed in yet another trio! I wonder what the Lord is trying to tell me, because this is my third permanent trio now. More surprising yet are my companions: Elder M. Silva from Fortaleza, Brazil, and Elder Stilson! Yup, you read that correctly. The same Elder Stilson from before. I think our area is the biggest in the mission, because it used to be two areas worked by two companionships, and now it´s one giant area worked by a trio. We´re not sure if we´ll be receiving a fourth some time in the near future to help with the large area, so for now we´re just playing the hand we get. The area looks exactly like all the pictures you see in photos of Brazil with huge green hills, lots of tropical trees, and lots and lots of small differently colored houses. You get quite the spectacular view in some parts of our area, and my only regret is that the camera I have could never ever do it justice. 

     One of the first things I noticed after arriving in this new area is how incredibly awesome the ward (I´m in a ward!) is here. I´ve never met a more embracing, genuinely loving and accepting people in my life. The second you walk into the church building or into one of their homes, you are automatically a part of a family, and instantly smothered with love, no matter who you are: missionary, investigator, member, child, senior, everybody gets the same treatment. And there are a lot of fun people who have that certain kind of silly that reminds me of my own family, and feels like home. ´´I think I´m gonna like it here!´´

     My new companion, Elder M. (for ´Mike´) Silva is really really great, as well. He has a lot of characteristics that remind me a little bit of Papai Elder Jones. It´s a breath of fresh air to have someone to work with that has the same commitment to following the rules and working hard as I do. He actually just finished his training and has just 3 months on his mission, and (for understandable reasons such as already knowing the language and the area and the culture, while Elder Stilson and I are still learning) is the senior companion and district leader.

     Our district is comprised of 5 missionaries, our trio and a dupla of Sisters: Sister Andreá from São Paulo, Brasil (of course), and Sister Piris from Bueno Aires, Argentina. Not to be prideful or anything, but we seriously have the best district in the mission. I have no doubt. From our first district meeting, I saw that we all have the same set of standards, the same ideas of how the work should be done, and the same determination to actually get it done. I didn´t have to worry about conflict among the missionaries about the work. That was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. 

     Just like my first week in São Mateus, we had a marriage and a baptism in the same day this weekend! Iran and Analia have been investigating the church for about 9 months now, and Iran finally decided to get married and baptized. Analia attends church every week, and loves everything about it, but is a very independent woman, and wants a firm affirmation for herself before she gets baptized. They are really happy, though, and it´s cool to be able to be a part of their experience.

     Things are really speeding up with the language now a days. I´m having an easier time just talking every day. I´m really grateful for the opportunity I´ve had to have Brazilian companions so that I have to speak the language at all times. You can see the difference in the missionaries who speak English with their companions all the time. 

      I love you all so much! I´ll talk to you soon!

Abraço grande!

- Elder Crapo

                                                       A  teeny tiny portion of our area.

Our District

November 4, 2013

Family and Friends,

People always told me that missionaries come home weird...

When I left, I was weird...

Does that mean I get to come home normal??

     Good November, y´all!! I can´t believe how fast October flew by! Things here in Brazil are starting to get hot, which is strange, because I heard it snowed back home this past weekend. That, and the fact that it´s supposed to get cold before people start putting up Christmas decorations! 

     By way of announcement, I´m being transferred tomorrow! Wahoo! I also heard that we´ll be receiving 12-15 new missionaries from the good ol´ US of A this week. Hopefully this will include the remaining missionaries from our MTC district who haven´t arrived yet. Cross your fingers, y´all! I´m excited to see where I´m headed and who I´ll be serving with for the next while. 

     This week was a great week to go out on. It was a little sad not having any Americans around to share in the excitement of the non-existent Halloween on Thursday. (Thursday? Quinta...yes. Thursday. aiai...) But on Friday, we had a branch activity where a few members and the missionaries put on a little theatrical show about final judgement. They asked me to prepare a musical number for the show, which I did, but when we gathered on the day of to review what we´ll do, I was told they wanted 3 or 4  musical numbers. It was time to pull a ´Crapo´. With about an hour to prepare, the Mission Leader let me hop on DeFordmusic.com (thanks, Mom and Dad for introducing this to me before the mission. It quite literally saved the show) and I prepared and used two arrangements with the accompaniment, and sang the fourth song a´capella. I started with the song I originally arranged, ´´Come, come, ye Saints´´ in Portuguese. Then as the man acting as ´´The Father´´ or ´´The Judge´´ was calling (previously selected) people from the audience to come sit at the front to be judged, I used Sally´s arrangement, ´´I need thee every hour´´, with the english lyrics switched out for the Portuguese ones. Then as one of the ´wicked´people were being judged, and were thinking about their life and accountability for their transgressions, I used a verse of ´´ É Tarde, a Noite Logo Vem´´ a´capella. ( I can´t, for the life of me remember the name or lyrics in English). That was really a touching moment for everyone in the room. Many people told me they cried. Finally, as one ´righteous´person was being freed and escorted to be exhalted, I sang ´´Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing´´ in English, the same arrangement from Sally that I sang that last time in Sacrament meeting back home. It turned out really well. Everyone seemed to like it. After the show, they prepared one of the rooms with Halloween decorations and had food and Halloween music playing. The Elders had to go home for curfew at that point, but it was good to just look for a moment. It was like a tiny piece of home for 10 seconds.

     Of course, after the great reveal of Elder Crapo´s ability to sing, the members make other plans to use this talent. And of course, Elder Crapo is transferred shortly thereafter...

 Life.

     At any rate, I´ll be sure to tell you all about my new area and companion next week. Be excited! I love you all very much, and I´ll talk to you soon!

Abraço Grande!

-Elder Crapo

Outubro 28, 2013

Dear family and friends, 

     ´´Graças a ceus´´, this week slowed down a little bit from last week. I was honorary senior comp for just this week, so things got a little interesting. When my companion told me I would be senior this week, I thought, ´´oh, man, you have no idea what you just got yourself into, ´cause we´re gonna work like were in Texas.´´

 That being said, I´m pleased to announce that we received 4 referrals, gained 5 new firm baptismal dates, found 9 new investigators, and taught 24 lessons this week. Ah, it looks like Texas again. 

     On a more serious  note, we had our big mission conference with a member of the Quorum of Seventy this week. We were visited by Elder Gavarret, and I was really excited because I remember seeing him give a discourse in General Conference, and really liking it. The conference was truly an answer to many prayers and fasts. I had so many questions answered and concerns addressed by Elder Gavarret and his wife. I would do it again, even though we travelled about 8+ hours to get there and back. 

     We´ve started teaching a family that a member referred to us, and they truly are fantastic. They are a husband and wife with one 10 year old son. They´re married!!! WOOO! Man, that really is the number one thing that stops people from being baptised these days. Get married, people! *deep breath* okay...

      They´re awesome because they just express their love for the Lord and the gospel in every lesson, and their son is a religeous genious. He always gives better and more profound answers than any other person in the room. He´ll make a great missionary in 8 years. ;) 

     Our other great new development is a referral from the young man we baptised a few weeks ago. His friend and the mom of his friend pretty much just told us they´re trying to figure out which church to attend, because they don´t believe the one´s they´ve attended in the past. They responded really well to the message of the Restoration, and have committed to reading and praying about the Book of Mormon.

     Well, it´s week 6 again. You know what that means--Transfers are next week! I´ve completed my second training in Brasil, so we´ll see if I get to stay here in São Mateus or if I´ll be moved to another area. Until then, I love each and every one of you so much! I´ll see you soon!

Abraço grande!

-Elder Crapo