Celebrating Festa Junina, Exceptionally Durable Socks & a Father's Day Message

Hey Mom,

Sounds like you had a full week! This week went by very fast for me. We found 12 new people to teach. A few of them I feel actually have promise to accept the gospel; we´ll see! On Monday we taught a pastor; but all he wanted to do was argue over scripture, so it wasn´t very productive. I never argue scripture--it only makes people angry. I was reflecting on this this week, that I´ve not really had to deal with a whole lot of people who like to argue this way on my mission. Even when I was in Texas (go figure). Lucky me! 

Next Saturday is a Brazilian holiday called Festa Junina. I have asked everyone what it is and nobody really knows.  Everyone gives me different answers, from ``It´s called Junina because it´s in June´´ to ``something about a saint´´ to ``some folklore about a woman who didn´t want to marry some dude´´ to ``It´s just a party for no reason.´´ The only thing that is certainly known about this holiday is that people celebrate by eating a lot and dressing up like American hillbillies (plaid shirts, overalls, straw hats, painted on 5 o-clock shadows and mustaches and freckles. Women dress up like Pippi Longstocking). This is a very strange holiday--haha.

[Festa Junina celebrates St John the Baptist.  You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festa_Junina ]

Other than that, not much news. We had a couple of cold days last week! About 66 degrees fahrenheit. It´s sad that I consider that chilly now.  One year of continuous summer will do that to you.

[I had some correspondence with him regarding his return flight in August] To check my bags I think is 100 bucks,(maybe each) but I´m hoping I won't have to check either of my suitcases. We´ll see how it works out. I´m thinking I will leave a lot of my shirts and socks behind. I can´t believe my socks have lasted two years! Those are good socks; but they´re definitely old now, ha ha.

I did not go to Floripa last week so I don´t know if any packages came in yet. 

Dad´s conversation with Sean was funny. I always got excited when I was watching the science channel and Sean would pop up on some program. [We have friends who are famous in scientific circles.  He's referring to theoretical physicist Sean Carroll.] 

Dad, I hope you had a good Father's Day even though Catriel, Jon and I all happen to be away. 

I love you, Dad. You´re the best dad in the world and I aspire to be like you in every way. I know that in following your example of being a husband and a father I will pass with flying colors in that area!

Flying Colors

I´m really grateful for everything you and Mom have taught me and the blessings you´ve given me; you are the authors of my happiness in life, and I owe you everything. Thanks for being my friend and making my life wonderful. Thanks for staying active in the church; that has ensured that the heaven on earth I have with you will continue after this life, and that means everything to me. The mission has given me a greater comprehension of just how great a dad you are; you really take the cake! Thanks for all the help you´ve given me on the mission.

Hope you get some cake today!

Love you guys! Hope you have a great week! I´ll talk to you next.

Elder Duffin

Cat Stories, Pictures of Critters and More Odd Food

Hey Mom,

Catriel´s graduation sounds like it was fun!  Can´t believe my graduation was three years ago now.  Having flashbacks of it right now. 

Your early morning pet story made me laugh, Mom; reminded me of the time that squirrel ran laps around your head--ha ha! Animals make life interesting.

A moth I rescued yesterday

Also among the wildlife rescued yesterday: a frog and a toad

A few weeks ago we were on a bus and someone had a duffel bag on the ground next to them in the aisle. When the bus took a turn, the bag slid and from inside we could hear the protests of a very angry cat! Reminded me of when we moved and you hid our cat in a bag like that. [Ben-Daniel is referring to our overnight stay in Reno on the way up to Washington. It was freezing cold out, so I didn't want to leave the cat in the car overnight.  I smuggled him through a busy casino and into the hotel in a duffel bag--protesting all the way.  It worked. ]

Views of Floripa

Glad to hear all the grandparents are doing well; I pray for them every day. Your story about going out for tacos with Grandma made me laugh. I´m really looking forward to spending time with Grandad & Erma and visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Oregon.

I have not gotten the packages yet; I´m sure they´ll be in soon. 

Me and my zone

Not much to relate as far as news goes. We taught a middle-aged couple who are both pastors; they were very receptive and want to learn more. 

I´ve got some pictures to send this week, so I´ll do that now. 

Chicken heart  [He does not say if he ate it!]

A fruit called Aserola. This fruit has the same amount of vitamin C as five oranges.                        It was good!

Love you Mom! Thanks for all you do for me; you´re the best mom in the world! Love you Dad! Thanks for all you do; your emails have always helped me out a lot.

Dessert pizza is to die for in Brazil! It´s delicious--lots of chocolate and strawberries. The crust is chocolate stuffed too.  

Hope you all have a great week. I´ll talk to you next week!

Sunset in Brazil

Elder Duffin

Quotes from Elder Shakespaere

Hey Mom,

It´s pretty hot here too. Since last month it has officially been summer for over a year for me. I´m very tired of the sun. It´s still not as hot here as it was in Texas though, thank heavens.

 

The new transfer has started today. I´m doing okay. Shakespaere and I are getting along great and we´re seeing some success in the work. We´ll be together for this transfer too, so I´m happy about that. A less active member we´re teaching came to church yesterday, so that was nice.

On a lighter note, I've compiled a few ``Shakespaere Quotes´´ -- a list I´ve been keeping of things my companion, Elder Shakespaere says.

 

1. (This conversation took place last night.)

Shakesp: Benjamin Franklin was a smart dude; like, who would even think of inventing the light bulb?

Me: He didn´t invent the light bulb.

Shakesp: Oh. Was it Einstein?

Me: Ha ha. No.

Shakesp: Well, I know it was one of the early presidents of the United States!

2. (Upon seeing something in the supermarket that had the word `Duchass´ on its label) 

Shakesp: Ha ha! they named this thing Dutch-Ass!

[An aside from Shari.  Google translate thought "duchass" was English.  I am assuming it is a misspelling of "duchess."]

3. (Complaining while walking in the rain without an umbrella) 
Shakesp: Rain is freaking WET.

Shakespaere likes a lot of the same TV shows that I´ve seen, including Burn Notice. He´s been dying to tell me the ending to that series, but I won´t let him.

Catriel´s graduation sounds exciting! She sounds really happy in her emails to me.

Sorry to hear about your run-in with the curmudgeon in Walmart. I had to deal with that kind of thing a lot when I worked at Target. And on the mission, too. I don´t think you´re in any danger of becoming like that when you get old.

We´re going to Floripa today, so we´ll see if I've got any mail yet. I appreciate your packages a lot! Hoping to get some interesting photos while we're in Floripa.

Love you Mom! Hope you have a great week! I´ll talk to next Monday.

Elder Duffin

Cake mix cookies, the nature of time again, and some odd photos = Ben-Daniel's week in Brazil

Hey Mom,

Today the gmail site did not work when we went to email this morning and has not worked until now.

But p-day went okay today. I´ve been making cookies out of cake mixes lately and today while shopping, I found mint-chocolate cake mix. I´m excited to make those cookies tonight. I am sold on anything mint-chocolate.

Cake mix Snickerdoodles

Not much to relate for this week. It seemed to go by fast at first and then slowed waaayyyy the heck down once the weekend hit. We had stake conference on Sunday in Floripa.

Elder Shakespaere and I are getting along great. I´ll be with him for at least this next transfer, which starts next week.  I´m hoping to stay companions with him until I go home, but I´m not sure how likely that will be.

No, I have not gotten the packages yet. I´m hoping they´ll be in next week because we´ll be going to Floripa next Monday.

I can´t believe it´s already Catriel´s last week of high school! I wish I could be there. Doesn´t seem so long ago that I graduated; my brain still thinks it´s 2013.

I saw the pics Dad sent of the Honors evening and all the kids looked pretty bored themselves, sitting up on stage. I remember Jon´s high school graduation being boring in the extreme--ha ha!

Some of the bored honors scholars (Elder Duffin's sister 5th from the right)

Catriel, congrats on all your honors awards and stuff! I think I must have forgot and left most of my school-smart genes in the womb when I was born and you just picked them up and added them to yours when you came along--ha ha!

When I think back to the start of my mission I feel really old. The mission has gone by fast but still, two years is a long time--ha ha! My companion keeps telling me about songs and artists and stuff that I´ve never even heard of. He also told me that nobody uses Facebook anymore; what?!

I´m also like the oldest missionary in my zone :P

Sorry to hear about the drunk visinhos [neighbors] at the baseball game, Mom. [I told him that we had four highly inebriated people next to us at the Mariner's game.]  There are a lot of alcoholics here in Brazil. Being on the mission has given me a really strong aversion to alcohol (not that I had any affinity for it to begin with.)

I love you Mom! Wish I could be there with you for Catriel´s graduation; hope you all have a good time.

Thanks for all you do for me!  I´ll talk to you next week.

Elder Duffin

My own invention.  I call it McDonalds Rice.

Shakespaere and me with a member family.  The guy was trying to do bunny ears, but unfortunately, it looks like something else!