Laranjareis Cidade Nova 1

This week was long and interesting to open a  new area without knowing anything; but the members are helping a lot and always willing to receive a call to explain where the house for lunch is or to help out. However we didn't get much left behind so we ended up just wandering around a lot clapping at doors to talk to people. We didn't find too many people but we found one guy who was super interested and went to church Sunday and said he loved it and definitely is going back next week. However the funny thing that happened this week is that we were robbed two times during the week.  Like they some how climbed the wall because we are on the second floor and entered into our house and into the bedroom of the other missionaries sleeping and took their cell phone and one missionary's camera and also robbed my tennis shoes and towel (I don't know why they wanted my towel) and we woke up and were like, "what the heck how did they get into our house and rob us in the night?" but luckily they didn't steal anything too crazy. Then the second day the other missionaries got home and decided to make popcorn but the gas wasn't catching fire and he was like, "what the heck" and went outside to check to see if the gas had run out and both of the giant gas gallon things had been robbed. Like they had cut the pipe thing and taken the gas. We laughed a whole lot like, "what will they take next?" and left a little card that said, "we are missionaries please don't rob us" and left a scripture reference to Exodus 20 to the ten commandments and we haven't been robbed since. However President still wants us to move houses so we will probably move next week.
The ward here is super cool and excited to help and the Bishop is super helpful too. We did end up getting to baptize some kids that the other missionaries had taught but then were transferred and so we ended up getting to baptize them so that was fun! I will send pics.

Love,

Elder Holcomb

Marituba 23

Not much happened this week work wise. We mostly just taught people.  However this week we did have the baptism of Blenda. That was awesome, I will send pictures. She and her family were super happy.
Nothing that cool to share happened, however President of the area of Brazil said that now the missionaries in Brazil can play soccer so that's awesome. Also I ended up transferred from Marituba to Laranjaras in Cidade Nova. I am sad to leave Marituba, everyone there was super awesome and I will miss them all.
Sunday no one showed up to give a talk so we had to as missionaries and we had to give an improvised talk for 20 minutes and I was pretty nervous I didn't have anything to talk about for that long. However when I got up there I didn't look at the clock so I didn't know how long I had been speaking. Apparently I ended up speaking for 35 minutes and my companion didn't stop me and the bishop didn't either because Elder Campos didn't know what to talk about really too. However it made me feel good about my Portuguese skills. Everyone wanted to get photos after so I will try to get all of those sent too.
My new companion is called Elder Arujo I don't really know anything about him because I have just talked to him a couple of times, but he is funny. We are both going to be opening the area which means both of us do not know anything about the area so we will have to rely on the things left behind by the old Elders and the ward. That should be a fun adventure. I will miss Elder Campos too. We ended up cleaning the house last night because we both will leave too and there is a new rule that if you arrive in a dirty house you can take the money out of the account of the missionaries that were there before so we literally cleaned everything. Also in my new house there will be 4 missionaries that live there and we will be moving in a few weeks so that should be fun too. Next week my email will probably be a bit more interesting. I will try to get photos.
Love,
Elder Holcomb

Marituba 22

Hello,
This week again not too much happened. Because everyone we were teaching we had to cut we spent most of the week clapping at doors and finding new people that led to some funny stories. There was one house that had a giant big white flag that my companion said was a peace flag so "let's clap there." However when we looked past the gate my companion got scared and was like "yikes let's not clap here," but it was too late I already did. They had like a weird phrase written about their door and weird statues and then the lady there we talked to was like some weird religion where she like sacrificed animals and had weird tattoos and burns certain things to bring spirits into her body and she explained that to us which I thought was kind of cool but my companion got really scared. However she said she would make a visit to church one Sunday so we will see how that goes because she said when she visits Christian churches she doesn't feel good and wants to vomit.
Also we clapped at a door and there was like this 15 year old girl that came out and we asked if her family was there and she said no and we talked to her a bit and asked of we could come back one day and share a message with her whole family and she was like, "can I get a picture with you guys to remember you guys?" and we were like, "ummmmmmm sure I guess" so we got a photo with her. It's cool to be famous I guess, but also hard because you don't know who actually wants to hear your message. Now me and my companion have a fight over who it was she wanted to take a picture with he says it's cause I am an American with blond hair and blue eyes, but I think it's because he looks like Maui from Moana.
Then we also had a guy that we taught and were teaching and at one point he got super sad and asked if he could give us some words of wisdom and we said sure and he told us to never cheat on someone almost crying and we were like, "oh ok sounds good we weren't planning on it." And he kept repeating "never cheat never cheat" and apparently he cheated on someone like 20 years ago and still regrets it. However we were grateful for the advice.
We did end up having the baptism of the two kids and also found another kid that is ten years old, and family is all members but less active, but is returning to church and wants her to be baptized too. Then we are also teaching the sister of Arlison, if you remember him, and she wants to get baptized too. So now we  have a baptism planned for this week, next week, and the following week so that's pretty awesome. I just think maybe I will be transferred next week and I won't be able to see them all get baptized.
Also, I learned this week Muse released some songs and no one told me :( so now I have something to look forward to in 14 months.
LOVE YOU ALL,
Elder Holcomb

in response to my question about people last week and a couple of questions from this week:
Basically we figured it out because they just wanted to spend time talking about the U.S. and only could go to activities in the church but always had something come up on Sunday.
We talked to the guy a bit and tried to comfort him...
Yes I have 4 transfers in Marituba but its getting pretty lit here with a good companion...that wants to work and improve and the leadership here is ultimate the bishop is one of the greatest and I think maybe we will get another pair of missionaries here and open a new area because I think he will close the mosqiuero beach area so I would be really sad to leave when things are getting exciting so I kind of hope I stay here even longer. However the Lord always has a plan for us.

Here's some photos of Isaac and his companion taking a break while clearing jungle out of someone's backyard:

 Here are pictures from a baptism (same as the one above the letter):

Marituba 21

Hello people,
This will be a short email, not too much happened this week. I was super sick on Wednesday, and then my companion on Thursday, so we didn't do much. However, another sad thing was that everyone we were teaching that was progressing we found out didn't actually want anything with the church, they just wanted to be our friends or flirt with an American so they were only going to church and things for that. So that was a bit sad. However, on Saturday we got a call from the Bishop who was visiting some less active people far away and said they want their two kids to get baptized. And if you are 9 years or older it counts as a baptism for the mission so now we have to teach them all the lessons in one week and then they want to be baptized Saturday. However they live an hour away so we will have to teach all of the lessons in one afternoon. They already have been to the church lots and know everything about the messages and the commandments we just have to get through the bureaucratic part and teach everything. It makes me happy they want to be baptized, but I am a bit sad because all the time we spent teaching all these other 7 people and they don't want to progress anymore. However, I am good! I hope you like the beach photos from last week!
Love,
Elder Holcomb

[last pictures- if you know Isaac, you know he cannot pass up an opportunity for those shots, always and forever, even if he were the prophet he would still do those poses]