Last Birthday in Brazil

Wow time is literally flying by, I can't believe I am going to be 21 on Tuesday. Time passes by really fast. Dad don't worry I will buy a huge pizza on my birthday because the missionaries have been buying pizza here for along time and the owner likes us and he usually makes these huge pizzas for us so I am going to ask him for an even bigger one haha. So I don't know if Scotty Cox knows it but I am in his old area haha yea everyone here is asking me about him and if his headaches have gone away. Also tell scotty that irmã Mercês wants to get in contact with him.

Also tell scotty that Lazaro will be baptized on the 7th an investigator that he and elder Maia were teaching.

On Friday I got to go on a division with the zone leaders to my first area Riviera Paulista! It was awesome! I got to see a lot of my old friends from church and got to talk with a few people that I baptized as well (firmes). It was so much fun to go back to my stomping grounds and I was showing the zone leaders some areas that were good and we made some good contacts. It was a lot of fun and everyone had a huge surprise on their faces when they opened up their doors haha. 

Mom I think the guys at the mail office are enjoying my fishy crackers...but that's alright at least someone else is sharing my happy birthday spirit. There is a women in our area who is the only one in her family now that is not baptized and all the elders here call her Mãe (mom). Mãe said that she would make a cake for me with a Brazilian flag on it so that will be great and so far everyone in the ward is trying to get us to come over to their house to eat cake with them so they can throw eggs on my head...yea a weird brazilin tradition, but I am game if I can throw eggs at them too haha. 

Being in the same zone as the one I was in one year ago I have had many opportunity's to reflect on my progress. My attitude is different, I am more focused on others them myself, I pray for others rather then myself, I am speaking a lot better then I was speaking, and I am more experienced in all the phases of the work (finding people to teach, teaching clearly, etc.). Its been a hard week and we have walked a lot in my huge area, but this week will be a lot better. 

Love you all so much and 

ATÉ Mais! 

Elder Crandall