WEEK 28: It's STILL raining...blessings

Another fantastic week has come and gone here in Itapipoca. This really was a pretty crazy week, full of Carnaval festivities, zone conference, and baptisms! And, as is mentioned in the title of this week, lots of rain. And blessings.

We traveled again to Fortaleza on Tuesday evening. We do this every time we have a zone conference or interviews with the mission president. We sleep in the apartment of some missionaries, then we go to the event the next day. It's a little tiring because of the 3 hour bus ride each direction, but it's good. This last time, the bus broke down and we all had to move into another bus after 45 minutes sitting inside the bus full of screaming children. Good times. We were able to see lots of other missionaries and learn lots of great things.

This weekend we were blessed to have 2 baptisms! Danilo and Heitor were baptized on Friday and Saturday respectively. We have been spending some quality time teaching them and helping them grow their testimonies. Danilo is 17 years old, and Heitor is almost 9. They are both great young men, and I am excited to see the way that they will grow, learning of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I feel privileged to have been a part of their lives.

This week also began Carnaval! The American vision of Carnaval, I've noticed, is one of giant floats and parades, with people in costumes eating fancy meats. But here, in the northeast, especially in Itapipoca, things are really different. Basically, Carnaval consists of people sitting on the side of the road, drinking tons of beer and listening to music really loudly. I think there might have been a parade in some part of the city, but it was definitely not a huge event. Things have been pretty crazy about lack of police in Fortaleza, and the problems that are going on, but things here in Itapipoca are very chill. Not one time have I felt unsafe.

We are still happy and working hard. Always looking for ways to help serve the people here, because that is what we are sent here to do. I feel very blessed every day to have been called to be a missionary and to be part of the Lord's army here in Fortaleza.

Love you all!
Elder Perry

Barefoot soccer

WEEK 27 Coconut Water and Venomous Frogs

Coconut water with branch members

Another week of hard work here in Itapipoca. Lots of great things were done this week and we are progressing towards several baptisms that will be happening these next few weeks. 

For the first time in my life, I was a witness for a marriage. How about that! This week, with the help of the branch president and some other members of the branch, we were able to enter the marriage process for two couples here: Dhiego and Lellianna, and Jamilie and Otaciano. They are both great couples, and we are very excited to help them towards marriage and baptism. There are several other people here in this area that we are helping prepare for baptisms these coming weeks as well. 

I taught another English class this week as well. We had several branch members come and two nonmembers as well. We learned about the names of animals and speaking in the present tense. I'm not sure if we will teach next week since Carnival begins in Brazil this Friday, the 21st. We were told that for at least Friday and Saturday we will need to return home early from our appointments. 

We actually went to clean out the baptismal font the other day and were a little surprised to find a frog jumping around in there. Elder Damo, who is from Brazil, was convinced that it was venomous, so a "High Grade Military Operation" was necessary to remove the tiny frog from the font. This one was not displaced out the window, but rather, thrown in the middle of the street. 

I haven't really had the chance to eat anything really crazy here. Fortunately there are some places for us to eat açai and milkshakes. So that has been really great. But every day we have been eating good amounts of beans, rice, and spaghetti. That is the meal that everyone here eats every day. One day we went to a restaurant with one of the families here in the branch and we ate french fries. That was definitely an experience. And we have a lot of juice of "Goiaba" which may have become my new favorite fruit.

We are still working hard. I have found it important to remember in the hardest moments of the mission and in the hardest moments of life, that the life of Jesus Christ was never easy. The things He did and the example He gave represented the greatest struggle and the greatest love. Never forget the impact that He has in our lives. 

Elder Perry

Branch members and investigators working on family history

The frog in the font

WEEK 26: SIX. MONTHS.

Overlooking Itapipoca

Another week of very hard work here in Itapipoca. At this point, I feel pretty well accustomed to the city. This morning we visited the MUPHI museum here in town (Museu Pre-Historia de Itapipoca). It is basically a ton of fossil replicas inside a small house that someone turned into a museum. It is free as long as you sign a paper at the end saying you enjoyed your experience. They took a picture of me and Elder Damo at the end because they wanted a picture of their “international visitor” from the United States. Who knows, it might show up on their social media page.

One thing that is pretty awesome here, is this super huge "Camelodemo" that sits on one of the main roads. It is basically a giant, really cramped market of people selling stolen/fake clothing, electronics, watches, appliances, shoes, you name it. Just to give you a small taste, you'll find brands such as Adidas that we all know and love with 3 stripes, "Didas" that has just 2 stripes, "Adibas" with the signature 4 stripes, and on the other that I don't remember the name of with 5 stripes. All fake knock offs of Adidas. Pretty cool stuff.

Fortunately for me, it has been raining pretty hard here in Itapipoca these past few days, so I really haven't been melting as usual in the heat. Although, once the clouds pass and the sun starts cooking up all the collected water underneath, you're in for a whole new level of heat. Even though I feel like I'm adapting pretty well, it kills me every time.

This week, Elder Damo and I got to take a 2 and a half hour bus ride into Fortaleza for our interviews with the mission president. Because Itapipoca only has one pair of missionaries, I was pretty happy to see other missionaries for a change. Elder Damo and I slept in the apartment of some of the missionaries close to the stake building, which happened to be with Elder Pantoja, one of the missionaries I was living with in the other area. We finally got to see our district too which was nice. Then another 2 hour bus ride sent us back to the city that we know and love.

Now that I am here part of a branch instead of a ward, there seems to be a lot more responsibility placed upon the missionaries. We attended and led a discussion at the branch Family Home Evening on Friday. I organized and taught an English class to 20 branch members on Saturday. And on Sunday I played the piano and gave a 15-minute talk in Sacrament Meeting. It is a little stressful sometimes, but really I am happy that we have these opportunities here to serve. I really have been seeing the blessings that come from serving.

For a brief spiritual message, I'd like to share a bit about what I shared in my Sacrament Meeting talk. I talked a little about the mission, and how as missionaries and members of this great church, we need to constantly improve our missionary abilities to help support the most important work this world has ever known. In order to do that we must align our desires with those of God. When we have a deep and true desire to do what is right and a desire for the salvation of souls, missionary work becomes more rewarding, and we are able to understand the importance of the work. When our desires are lined with Christ's, we get to work.

Love you all, I love this work, and I am forever grateful for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Elder Perry

Elder Perry at MUPHI

Elder Perry with a branch member

WEEK 25: Country Roads...Take me home

Elder Damo and Elder Perry with a welcome cake from the Itapipoca branch president and his wife 

First week here in the city of Itapipoca. It has really been an exciting week. One of the greatest features of the city, and the reason for the title of this weeks blog, is that the city is surrounded by mountains. Something I never really expected to see here in Ceara. It was really awesome when I arrived on the bus to see the mountains. I was instantly reminded of life back in Utah. My new companion, Elder Damo, and I hiked up to the highest peak early this morning. As we were going up, it was impossible to see anything because of the clouds, but it cleared up and we got a really awesome view of the city. Glad to remember the good times in the Utah mountains.

The work here is really great in Itapipoca. We are working with some really great families, and have a couple of marriages coming up at the end of this month. It has been a little different transitioning to a branch instead of a ward, but it has been great. I have again been named as the ward, I mean, branch pianist. 

The sun is really hot here. I would say, when it's not raining, definitely hotter than Fortaleza but actually a little cooler in the mornings. I still sweat quite a bit when we're out working in the streets, but I feel like I'm adjusting at least a little bit. Elder Damo and I both enjoy running so we get up and run most mornings here. 

I have already seen some pretty crazy things here. Lots of wild fruit. Tons of frogs. In fact, we found a frog on our bathroom wall yesterday. We respectfully relocated it out the window. Also cows, pigs, and chickens in the road. Pools full of fish. Just about all of it and I've only been here one week. I can't wait to see what else lies in store for me here in Itapipoca. 

I am, as always, really grateful for this opportunity to be serving a mission here. I am grateful as well for what it really means to take upon myself the name of Jesus Christ. I love this work and I love you all! 

Elder Perry

Elder Perry in Itapipoca

Elder Perry with a Brazilian chicken

Farewell party at Guararapes (last week)