I almost got deported??!?

E aí família

What's up fam

So remember last week how I said I'm in the middle of nowhere. And how it took a seven hour bus ride from the mission home to get here. Well on Wednesday night we got a text from the executive secretary that we had to return to Juiz de Fora cause I had to go to the federal police station to get fingerprinted and photographed. So that next morning we rushed out of our apartment to catch the bus and many hours later we got to Juiz de Fora.

It was actually really fun tho cause I got to reunite with my MTC buds elder Jones and elder Hartzell (Press F to pay respects for Elder Bowers). It has only been a week since we had seen each other but it felt like forever cause so much has happened haha.

But then we went to the Federal police station. On the car ride over I was talking to the new executive secretary. Turns out he's actually been on the mission less time than I have and this is the guy in charge of all of the legal documents. But I mean he speaks Portuguese and I don't so I didn't really question it at the time. Then we pull up at the place and he looks through the papers and asks me if I have my passport. And I'm like bruh you have it (We gave it to them when we arrived in the mission). So everybody freaks out and they tell me to stay put as if somebody is gonna find me and take me away then they all go and look for it.

Now don't get me wrong, I understand that it is super super bad to lose your passport. But I was just kind of chilling there while everybody else went and looked for it. I said a quick prayer and I want to say that I had a lot of faith that God didn't want me to be deported or be stuck in brazil but idk maybe I'm just dumb haha. But it all worked out cause a security guard found it. Luckily all Americans look the same to Brazilians cause the security guard went up to Elder Jones and asked him if he was Owen Keeler and that's how we found it.

Oh also I was not at all prepared for it to be cold here. It got down to 5 degrees celcius which is like 40 degrees Fahrenheit which isn't that cold but I don't have any warm clothes. I brought one sweatshirt which me and my comp have taken turns wearing. But the people here are freaking out. One day it was pretty cold (like 9 degrees celcius) and everyone was wearing multiple turtleneck sweaters and shivering it was pretty hilarious.

But yeah I'm still out here spreading the gospel and trying to learn Portuguese. It hasn't been easy but I never expected it to be. I'm learning a little bit everyday. I've gotten pretty good at sharing a scripture and saying a little about what I like about it. I can also stumble though a bit of the Restoration lesson on my own so I'm getting there. Even though at times it seems unlikely I know that eventually I'll be able to say everything I want. Until then I will continue to nod aggressively everytime my comp says something I agree with in a lesson haha.

Love you guys have a great week. 

Pics:

1) From my travels through Varginha. Apparently it is the Brazilian equivalent of Roswell, New Mexico. They believe that aliens landed there or something. Idk why they built this spaceship thing but it's dope.

2) Me with one of the many street dogs. This guy was dope and followed us all the way to church. I joked with my comp that he's closer to baptism than one of our pesquisedores cause despite our begging she doesn't come to church.

3) selfie with an abacate (avocado) these things blow the ones from bob kellys farm out of the water.