Mitchell, week 71, Obidos

ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!

Alright..... I am slowly getting back on the ball with writing my weekly letters..... But WOW this past week was GREAT!!! Elder Machado and I saw TONS of miracles the biggest ones is that we helped 2 families start their papers to get married!! :D WHOOPIE!!! So like here in a month or so they can be baptized!! :) HECK YEA!!!! But wow it was so sweet seeing their faces smiling ear to ear and thanking us so much for helping them!! But wow that was just 2 miracles that happened in the same week!!! :) Also hahah funny but tomorrow is the Christmas conference with all the missionaries from the zone. And we also received our secret Santa... (I think that's what's its called in English) But yea I received President Scisci as the person I will give the gift. CRAZYY!!!!! HAHA I already got him his gift and its just tons of pressure I think to get him the right fit. But I think I chose the right gift! :P But yea tomorrow is the conference. Where it will be a day full of games and all!! Plus it will be in the same local as last year (Because I am in the same zone as last year during Christmas) But yea the locale is ´pretty and I am excited for the churrasco!! :)))  But also tonight we will be leaving Óbiodos by boat and getting in Santarém tomorrow morning! :)) WHOOPIE!!! BOAT TRIPSSSS!!!! :))) But yea this past week also we did a lot of service projects!! 2 were planned and the other 2 were on the roads as we were walking and stopped and helped. But the 2 that were planned we (Elder Machado and I) cleaned the back part of the church (Or house because the church is renting a house until the NEW chapel is ready) There were tons of trash bags that were almost decomposed with tons of trash and we cleaned it all up. and the other service project was with a member named Wander. WE helped cut down this huge tree. We cut the part that was above the neighbors yard and garden. But yea This past week was AWESOME!! Definitely a week full of miracles!! Also this past week the wards family home evening was at the house of Cleiliane. She is less active that we are helping and we baptized her children and are teaching/baptizing her relatives (parents, sister and her husband and kids, brother in-law and his wife and kids) but wow!! It's crazy to think that we found so many great people to teach and help enter in the water of baptism with just one contact that we did a little over a 1 month ago! CRAZY!!!!

I am excited for this next week! For the Christmas conference and also if all is right we should have 2 more baptisms.... Eduardo and Maria. Eduardo is 10 years old but wow he talks and thinks like a 15 year old and Maria is his sister that is 12 years old! But wow they are so smart and are really searching to find out if the church is really true! But yea I think all with work out this week and we should finish teaching them and help them get baptized!

I gotta get going!! I sure am grateful for all the experiences that I am having here in Óbidos! I sure do love my family and I know that the church is true! I know that during the month of Natal it is important to remember the gift most important in our lives.... Jesus Christ. He is our gift and I am grateful for him and the chance I have to repent of my sins! I am grateful for this gospel and the chance I have to teach the children of God for 2 years of my life!

I wish y'all a happy week full of miracles, happiness, and missionary experiences! Até logo!!

Com amor,

Elder McCrea

my personalized hammock made by a member 

p.s. Sorry about all my English errors and also if I write in Portuguese as well. HAHA Sorry! :P

Mitchell, week 70, Obidos

Its been a long time!!

Hey... I am doing horrible at my weekyl letters!! Sorry! But Elder Machado and I are doing GREAT!!! We had 2 baptisms last week! Sons of Cleliane... Eric and Alessandro. They live in a ranch 1.5 hours away. They and their grandparents were the ones that we visited  3 weeks ago at their ranch. The grandparents also should be starting their Christmas break if all goes well with the work that they have to get done before they can be here in Óbidos. But we hope they can arrive here this week so they also can be baptised. But yea we are so lucky we found this family and I really do hope all goes through. also its a little hard to communicate with them because where they live there is no cellular signal or internet, etc.... but I know it will go through!! 

But yea tons of stuff happened lately! Last week we had zone meeting in Santarem. and it went GREAT!! WE received a new ZL. Elder Young(ester) HAHA!! I already know him, he's a great guy! Also at the meeting I received a box from my pais! :) Obrigado e também from Sister White!!!!!! MUITO OBRIGADO!!!! E também uma 2015 calendario from Laredo 1st Branch! THANKS!!! :) Also I received a card from Sister White and Mariah!! :D So the meeting was great!!!

But also lately we are doing contacts with the "He is the Gift" and mundo feliz! Btw, if y'all haven't yet seen the video check it out here.....natal.mormon.org. But yea.... We are doing like 100 contacts per week. But yea I am grateful for the chance I am here in Óbidos during my last Christmas on a mission! I know that the month is important and I hope I can have a month full of miracles and happiness! 

Some great news.... that the new chapel that is being built is almost ready!! HOLY COW it is looking pretty sweet! Lucky we entered in last night and HOLY COW it is almost ready!!! Here in Óbidos the ward will be so blessed for the new chapel! IT will definitely be the most fancy beautiful chapel here in small town of Óbidos (population 40 thousand) from all other churches! I really do hope I can stay here when they start using the chapel!! :)

But all is well!! I am starting to lose more weight now and I getting excited for the skype call to my family (if I can find a place to skype with decent internet) But I know it will happen :P I am grateful for all the blessings that I have in my life!! I am grateful for my family and friends! I know that this is the work of the LORD!!! I am grateful for the chance I am here in Óbidos serving a full time mission!!! 

I wish y'all a GREAT and safe week!! Continue doing what's right and remember to always pray, read the scriptures, and smile!! 

Com Amor,

Elder McCrea

Mitchell, week 69, Obidos

HEYY!!! so transfers was this past week and I am staying here in Óbidos with Elder Machado! WE had 2 baptisms this past week (Carolaine and Naiara) the baptism took place at a igarapé (I don't know what you call it in English) But it went so great!! And is everything works out this week we could have 4 more baptisms! :)) I am sure grateful for this chance I am here on a mission! I apologize I am not writing you guys as much... plus not sending photos.... its a little hard with the computers here. I really don't wanna loose the photos that I have and it takes a while to download them on the email. 

But this past week I had to buy some things at the pharmacy. I had a problem with my foot. So I bought some medicine for my foot (problem was taken care of) also I bought some solution for my contacts. But mom and dad I am doing so much better now!! You guys can't believe it as well..... On Monday a miracle happened. So there is a (less active) member that works at the new lds chapel that is being built in the city. He tells me that he has a pair of shoes that will fit me. I said okay and I thought to my self that he doesn't really know how big my feet are or how small the shoes would be on me. So that night we passed by his house and he gives me a pair of shoes that is the same brand and size as what I was wearing that night. The brand "missionary shoes" its CRAZY!!!!! It was brand new and he has never used it! Its crazy!! He told us that he has had it over 3 years now. The reason he gave it to me, was because it doesn't even fit him one bit.  But its in perfect condition. and I thanked him SO MUCH!!!! So now I am all set for the rest of my mission. I am using them right now! :)) I still haven't gotten the package that y'all sent. But today or tomorrow the LZs will be heading to Belém and we (Óbidos) will be heading to the city of the LZ (Santarém) on Wednesday night. So the LZ´s will bring us all the boxes and cards that are in the mission office there in Belém. So if the package has arrived I should be getting the envelope that y'all sent this week! :)) WHOOPIE!!! 

But talking about having to travel to Santarém. I would like to buy some ties (To give to the young men that I baptized here in Óbidos) and print the photos of our recent baptisms that have happened to give them and the family the photos of the baptism. 

But Mom and Dad I am doing so great! I am grateful for the chance I am here on a mission! Its crazy soon will be natal (skype chat) and soon after I will be going home! but I sure do love this gospel! I know it is true!! I hope all is well there with mom and Mariah there in home and dad working. Or how is it right now with Mariah home? Please write me mom and Mariah... I wanna know how y'all are doing

Your eternal Son,

Elder McCrea

Mitchell, week 64, Óbidos

Olá FAMÍLIA!!!! :)

First off, I am doing horrible at writing my weekly emails to y'all. Sorry! I hope y'all are doing great and enjoyed general conference (hahah I still haven't seen it yet) :/ because where I am at, we have to wait until the stake sends us a recording, where we can see it. So JOYFULLY this week on saturday/sundaywe will finally watch it!! :)) WHOOPIEEEE 

But yea tons of stuff happened since my last email.  My last companion Elder Laurentina got transferred during the mini transfer (like 2 weeks ago) and my new companion is Elder Machado, from Rio grande do Sul (WAYYYYY SOUTHH!!!!!) But he is a great guy, I love him! Has only been like 5 months on a mission! And this last week we ended the transfer and we both will be staying and the other 2 elders that are here are leaving. 

Also last week we had a baptism of a young man named Abinohan. He has 14 years old and yesterday was a GREAT day! He was confirmed a member then received the sacerdocio of Aaronic and also got called as the teacher's president on the same day! WHOOPIE!!! The kid is a BOSS!!!! Both Elder Machado and I are so happy with his progress! 

 This week will be a great one because we will have a Mission Tour with a seventy, whose in charge of Brasil. So I hope that I can learn some great things with our Zone in Santarém. It will be awesome because we will go there and return by boat. WHOOP!! :) AMAZON!!!

I am sorry.... I running out of time. It's crazy how fast time flies as I am writing my emails! But I am doing great! I am so grateful that I decided to serve a mission!! I love the people here in Brasil! I know soon I will be home, but I really hope that it doesn't go by too fast!  I will keep working hard and loving the people that are here in Óbidos! 

Have a SPLENDID week and remember that your Heavenly Father loves you! 

Love, 

Elder McCrea

Mitchell, week 61, Óbidos ,

It's been a long time!

first I am sorry I haven't written an email in a long time. I am not sure when was the last time I wrote an email to everyone. I am gonna just write and sorry if there are errors and all. but I got transferred less then 3 weeks ago to a city called Óbidos. It's is a ward and is really in Timbuktu. I got here by a speed boat that took like 3.5 hours, but if I would use a slower boat it would take like 7-8 hrs. But really it's great here! My companion is Elder Laurentina from São Paulo. Another Paulista! ;P But he's a great guy! He has been here for like more than 3 months and in this zone for like more than 9 months or something. But it's great here!! The ward is using a small house for now. But guess what???? In January or February the chapel that they are building INCREDIBLY fast will be done by December for sure and we can use the chapel. The town only has like 40 thousand so like EVERYONE talks about the new chapel! It really will be the most beautiful looking church in this city for sure!!! :P I am excited to see what more miracles will happen. But really its crazy how fast time is flying!!!! WE have done so much through the week and its just crazy!! I hit like my 14 month mark last week also! But yea I am pretty excited for this next week as well. We will be heading to Santarém to go to the zone meeting and it will be the regular slow boat, so it will pretty sweet to sleep on a hammock and be in the middle of the Amazon on a flipping boat! :D HECK YEA!!!! 

Sorry everyone that I haven't written lately..... it doesn't really help as well that the internet is HORRIBLY SLOW!!!!!! So it takes years to open a site and write something. But I really love it here! I am doing great!! It crazy here also there are tons of hills. It's like the only city here in this state that actually has hills. IT'S PRETTY CRAZY!!!! But I am pretty excited for this next week! GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!! :) I am not sure how it will work here in Óbidos. I think we will receive a recording and see it the week after. But also this next Saturday/Sunday is the presidential/state election. So it's getting pretty crazy down here. But yea I am grateful for the mission presidente to trust me to put me in this area and I hope my companion and the other 2 elders here, can find people to teach and continue seeing miracle day to day!

I sure do love this gospel I know that families can be sealed together! I am grateful that we have temples here on earth! I know something that I will do right when I get back home will go through the temple. But I hope soon the members here in Pará will have a temple to frequent. But I really I love my family so much. I am grateful for my sister who is serving in Ukraine. I love her dearly! Plus I am eternally grateful for my parents for raising me in this gospel!

I wish y'all a great and happy week and until next Monday!

Até Logo (See you later)

Élder McCrea 

p.s. I am sorry I am not sending any pictures in my emails.... (it's really hard with the slow internet and the computers filled with viruses.)

Obidos