YAYYYYY

Well, another week has passed already!  Can you believe it?  I think I figured out why missions go by so fast.. I think its because when serving, we are on the Lords errand, on the Lords time and the Lord doesnt use time so when we lose ourselves in the work one day its Tuesday and tomorow will be Friday. Just my thoughts, but seriously time flies!

I honestly have not the slightest idea of what to say for this week.. BUT it was a good one!  This week we have 4 batismal dates and 3 set for the next week so me and my companion are stoked with many possibilities and hope none fall through! 

Also, just so everyone knows, we have water again!!!  Yay, best news I have ever gotten..  I never realized how much we need water until you go without it for a week... My gosh we use water for everything!  Dishes, shower, drink, everything! So, I am pretty excited to have it this week if you couldnt tell!

So, my investigator (Rogerio) is awesome still!  We meet every night and drink tererê to help him quit smoking. 

He seriously accepts everything so humbly, and marks his Book of Mormon and always confirms everything with me. Everything, its great.  And everytime we mark a time to meet again he always calls that morning to confirm and I am just like wait isnt that our job?  But he dropped from 16 cigarros to 5 in 3 days so the progression is great!  He played soccer with the youth the other night and it was hilarous.  Everyone here is soooo good at soccer cuz thats all they do.. and I am not that great but i kicked it and it hit a youth and rogerio comes walking over and says `´cara quase acrobar meu amigo`´ with a huge smile which means man, you almost broke my homie.. hah he is 27 and loves the YM.  But, the people here are great!  So humble, always willing! 

Also this Sunday was fast Sunday, so we fasted for rogerio to help him quit smoking and its incredible the progression he has made. I have gained a grande testomunho about fasting, prayer, livro de mormon, and everything.  I seriously love the BOM, like its the best and the Novo Testamento too because they are just great and help guide me every time I read! 

Its important not to just read, but to read with purpose.  Read to find an answer.  Read to gain something.. but dont just read to say you've read. 

This week I painted a house.. well a hut looking thing, I dont know if I would call it a house.  It was an inactive and it took forever because well when painting a hut its not like painting a house where one coat or maybe two is good..  It took 6 and 7 in some parts.. wish I had a pic but I forgot my camera for the day.. but thats not whats important.. Whats important is she has returned to church and will be reactivated next week! 

Last item of business.. The food is ridiculous. I am not joking when I say every lunch is Thanksgiving.. I eat so much but I dont eat breakfast or dinner so I have to eat a bunch for lunch.  We dont get time for dinner really, so i just skip it and snack when I get back for the night because there are just too many people we have to visit and teach and other things, which is a very very good thing!  I will sacrifice dinner to change someones life any day.

I lied and this is the last item of business, only because I wanted to save this for last...... 

Well this week I had to eat man parts of a horse.. yupp no lie.  It was with a member for lunch and lunch was great!

Soooo good and then she brings out two circle things one for me and my companion and I had no idea what it was or called.  To be polite I took a bite and thought it tasted a little different than anything I have tried before and my companion starts laughing and says ``good huh? you want mine?`` then explaining what it was... 

All in all to summarize my experience, it actually wasnt terrible when I didnt know what it was.  Don't get me wrong it wasn't by any means good.. and I would prefer not to get it again.  But, I am pretty stoked to get my first bad food experience out of the way!

Well as always you are all in my prayers and I love you guys!

Much love from Cuiabá!

Big Marcus

What up What up What up

Hope all is well! well this week has been kinda annoying.. we had zone conference and leadership conference and 3 other meetings so i had to travel a bunch down to the town.. (1 hour and a 30 min trav.) 3 days in a row.. and so we ran out of water.. so we have been without water for 4 days now.. which has sucked.... BUT! the work goes on and we were able to shower at a members house once so we are making do and still working hard! we had 5 investigators at church this week, 2 commited to baptism but i only think one will go through.. and he have a Family that wants to be baptized but doesnt want to get married so we are working with them towards marriage so they can be baptized too! so despite all the things that have been a little chato, it was still a great week!

 

Ladies and Gents, i have been introduced to Tererê!!!! so aqui in brazil tea is encouraged and its a little diferente so its actually really good for you. Like everyone drinks it all the time and its culture so we do too and the first time it was terrible.. but now i drink it all day ery day.. you drink it out of a bull horn and with a straw spoon thingy called a bomba.. but i am on a search for the best flavor.. so far its between mint and lemon.. but i will send pics! there are like a billion culture rules when drinking it, like Always finish and pass to the person who set it up each time for the next person and cant move the straw thing.. its really weird but its super legit and i just feel cool drinking out a bull horn all day! I will send pics of it!

 

Well people, the gift of tongues is real.. a guy stopped me on the street and started arguing about how the bible can only be right because thats how it is and i totally confounded him.. i was like okay buddy.. say you had two sons one in Jerusalém and one in Américas.. would you talk to both or just one? and he said both duhhh.. and i said oh interesting thats exactly how it is with the Bible and the Book of Mormon.. Jesus had a people in Jerusalém and Américas and so he communicated with both and showed him 2 nephi 29 and bore my testimony and he had no idea what to do so i gave him the book of mórmon and said read it, its true and nicely signed from Elder phipps and contor.. haha i guess i could have gone about it a better way but i think he got the idea so i see no problem!

 

I bought a súper legit radio and i can play music from a pin drive so i can download music onto my pin drive and thats been nice to get some music, yes they are efy songs and hyms but they are way good!

 

Things i miss.. besides the fam and peeps. Pizza..Brick oven Pizza. being able to work out, and shoes.. and most of all having water all the time!

 

Well i dont have much more for this week but i love you all and hope you all blessed this week!

 

Love you long time,

Marc the Shark

 

P.s. my bishop looks like Barack Obama, no joke... i asked him if he knew and he said yes but one problem.. He was darker than Barack haha i thought it was really funny!

 

Also, Mitch where you at brooooo?? also Mitch please update me on Jordan shoes i feel seperation issues and i need to know so i can have you buy me some when they are release! i really want the Thunder 4!!!

HEY HEY HEY

WHATS UP MY `PEOPLE!

Hey everyone, hows it going? Hope everyone had a great week! Like always, i dont know where to begin so i will start simple.. had to go into the city this week and so i got to eat mcdonalds! it was soooo goood (words i never thought i would say) but also here in Cuiabá all the workers wear jeans with a huge yellow embroided M on the butt.. its so classy and think it should be mandatory at all mcdonalds. Also in case you were wondering Ronald is still just as creepy here as he is in the States! Also, they eats roots here... ?? why... i dont know but they dont really taste like anything but they are just really hard to eat.. kind of like eating bark.. But sure i will role with it. Every lunch we eat with a member and its great! Its like thanksgiving everyday! They make so much food and it is sooo good.. well most of the time sometimes you get pretty weird things but i have been lucky so far!

Wednesday, we taught my homie Valcelnir.. let me tell you a little about him. so the first time we met he was smoking a cig up and asked us to come teach him so we were like okay why not. He then tells us the 20 minute story and we was very animated and said he was super sick and had a dream that his spirit was leaving him but he yelled out JESUS and then he was saved.. he then proceeded to tell us that becasue of this he thinks he is Jesus... and at this point i am just like you have got to be kidding me right now..haha  but anyways we taught him and asked him to come to church not really thinking he would becasue well he thinks he Jesus and doesnt need no religion.. anyways sunday rolls around and my companion and i are waiting outside for our investigators to come and sure enough i see this tiny 4 seater car with his 5 person ffamily come rollling up honking the horn, huge smile yelling our names.. i look to my companion and said ´´i dont believe it´´ and ´´well church today could get very interesting´´ BUT here is where it gets cool.. His family loved church and closed their shop just to keep the sabath day.. they are now all wanted to be baptized and have the most faith i have ever seen.. so as soon as we can get them legally married and stop his smoking problem we can baptize them which will be awesome! It was a really good lesson that everyone can suprise and not to judge people cuz you never know who is ready for the gospel.

Also , had my first baptism this week! i baptized a 9 year old boy named Jonathon Fernandes Ferrida Da Silva.. that was a mouth full but it went really well and i didnt mess up in portuguese! I forgot my Camera USB chord so i will have to send pics next week i apologize... Other than that we had 12 Investigators come to church this week so were excited to work with them this week towards baptism! 

Well its really tough here and extremely tiring and my feet hurt really bad all the time..and hair cuts are twice as sketchy here as they are in Sao Paulo.. and my haircut today they cut my ear with a straight blade..? thanks.. and i am going to but one to shave with so i can look cool down here.. BUT i love it. Nothing like seeing peoples eyes light up when they understand something and see the light of Christ.They people are awesome and the work is awesome! Well i hope you all are continually blessed and have a great week! Keep it real like a fishline!

Warm Regards,

Marcus Phipps

Also! My address is... 

Av. Hist. Rubens De Mendonça, 1731

Sala 10, Bairro: Consil

Cuiabá - MT

CEP: 78050-975

Now the kiddos can send their letters here and everyone else too, i am accepting all letters, drawings, packages, or anything else at the moment.. well at all moments 

26 investigators NBD

WHAT IS UP MY PEOPLE!!!????



Okay! So, let me see here! I am not exactly sure how to start this email, because there is so much! 
Well, let me start with this, my first area and I am litterally serving in the Jungle..  Like I am in an area called morada da serra which is in moto grosso which is literally translated to ´´Thick Jungle`´ and that is exactly what it is!  It is so hot here, and we walk for ever! I already have terrible tan lines from my watch and shirt and even through my shirt I have a tie tan line.. not sure how that happens, but I have accepted it as my friend.  
My first day here my comp and I walked 4 hours in 100 plus degrees just to get to a members house for lunch.. I would say we walk about 7 hours of the day on average.  So yeah my feet hurt really really bad.  But, the food here is amazing!  Its always rice and beans and then some kind of meat.  The people here are really, great and super inviting.  
They have a lot of faith too, so no matter what we get invited in to teach a lesson about the gospel even if its just to be polite.  Its nice cuz I dont feel like I am being rejected all the time.  Its also hard to because you can never tell who is just being polite or who genuinely cares!  My portuguese is coming along.. I understand really well, but cant speak too well yet..  They can understand me, but I just have to speak slow and sound like an idiot, but its okay because the Brazilaros are always helping me! 

On Thurday we were walking to an appt and a lady stopped us to give us water and she liked my tie so she invited us back for a lesson.  I was wearing the tie sis gave me, that purple one so thanks sis you are making my job easy!! haha  
Also, while we walk we see dogs ALL the time all over.. and one started chasing me so I took off running and my companion yelled fake throw a rock!  So, I turned and bent down and acted like I was grabbing a rock to throw and the beast stopped and ran away..  I then told my companion I am really glad  that wasnt some kind of joke, cuz the dog was huge and would have destroyed me! haha  It was pretty funny but a good lesson on faith? yeah we will go with that! 
Also, I havent caught a monkey yet.. I have seen a few they are pretty cool!  BUT I came across a wild horse and wanted to saddle it up and have me and my companion travel!  A horse in this jungle, I think it would be a really good way to get everyones attention, besides the fact that were both these tall white guys!

We have taught a bunch of people this week and have 26 new investigators and 4 with bap. dates and 5 came to church with us on Sunday.  So, although we walk for days, its seeming to be worth it and hopefully we can keep up the good work! 
Another thing.. the house i am in is in the favelas, which is the poor of poor and its in the actual jungle.  Living here is very interesting..  I have had to shower by bucket for 4 days this week (nokay)  But, we got a shower thing so I am excited about that for this week!  Also, last funny thing of the week I am kicking myself over.. So, we have a gay neighbor, and he came over 2 nights atraz and asked me who I am living with, and me not thinking reply.. ´´oh just with my partner´´ and then I realized what I had said.  But, it was too late he was just standing there and he just smiled with his 2 missing front teeth and I told him we work together, I have to go bye! And its really akward now,  hahahahah  He tries to come over all the time now and Im just like bro please leave you have the complete wrong idea!

Other than that we have some really cool progressing investigators.. One has a little girl about Sweets age and every time we see her she runs up and hugs my  leg, and every time I think of Sweet hugging my leg after my farewell talk..  I miss all the kiddos so much!  I also miss the fam!  No emails this week from any siblings besides Mitch, so thats dissapointing.. Step up your game Mike, Matt and Sis!  Well, thats pretty much my week!  I love brasil and the jungle..  I feel like bare grillz trying to survive out here, but the people are awesome and cant wait to have some cool spiritual experiences with them that I can share next week!  I hope all is well and I love you all a lot! 

Com sinceridade,
Elder Marcus Phipps

Hey fam!

Well, I am here in Cuiabà!  I met prez Reber he is pretty awesome!  I also met my new companion and he seems really awesome as well!  My Portuguese is getting there, I am getting pretty good at understanding.  I really need to work on speaking without studdering all the time.  My companion only has 7 months left so he is really experienced, and he is American from Oregon.  So, I think he will be really good at trraining me and helping me learn the language!  Also I got off the plane here in Cuiabà and its really, really hot and humid!  And then I come to find out its cold today??  That is never good news..  And also in the MTC whenever I would tell any Brazilharos I was going to Cuiabà they would laugh and say good luck, and they would tell me its so hot its preperation for Hell..   And well they werent kidding cuz its really hot and its the winter here.. haha  But, I only get a quick 5 minutes to let you guys know I am here and my p day will be on Monday. I will send pics this week because I will actually be able to!  I hope all is well! Tudo bem!  Also, I got my first area and everyone else I traveled with is heading to the Grande sol which is a 14 hour transfer all the way South, where its a little bit chillier.  I am staying here in the north of Cuiabà.. and no matter what they say they arent transfering me out until I catch a monkey and train him to hand out Book of Mormons for me.

Com Sinceridade, 

´´Big´´ Marcus Phipps

P.s. the keyboards here actually function very well (despite my million typos) so i can actually use question marks now????? whooo hoooo okay i have to go, but Much love to my Fam, homies, and friends, thugs, peeps, and MIke.. I will get you an address on Monday! 

HEY HEY HEY

Hey Americanos and Bulgarian!

 

Lets see, hasn't really been to crazy of a week!  I finally got the letter from TIFF and sweet and falcon.. I loved it! hahaha  Sweet cracks me up!   And, I quote... "I know your on a Mission because you are the most famous of them all.'  And,  "I know you will come back, cuz you always come back."  I miss all the kiddos, I feel like they are growing up way to fast and I haven't been gone too long.. slow them down!  

Also, I got new Brazilharos roomates!  Also, 5 more days and I am off to Cuiaba! So, if you are sending me any letters or things wait a week and I will get you my new address..!  Also, they a have a huge candy store here and I have started a CTM wide trend with these chocolate cookies..  People act supprised i know my sweets. ha  But, now everyone buys them and you never see someone not eating euros cookies.

 

Also, I think you guys will like this.. So, I was selected to be in a 40 person choir and uhh the director asked for anyone with a lot of experience and a good singer.  So obviously, I naturally raised my hand and yeah turns out Im First Tenor, which I dont even know what FT exactly does!  So, I am interested to see what happenes next rehearsal when everyone figures out I am tone deph... haha  Also, I tried to bribe our secretary here to let me conduct the going away number.. I didnt get it unfortunately.  I guess a lot of heart and spirit isnt enough to be a conductor..  Also my instructor Merichelli tries to always speak Engrish and he asked my companion how his 'thong' was and all of us were really confused and he kept asking and then we finally realized that he was trying to say tongue, and it was super funny!

 

Today is my last Pday here, and we went to the Sao Paulo Templo and one of the workers looked just like van deisel, so i was pretty pumped about that.  Mike and Matt would have loved him!  We have a new sister, and so I am in a quad companionship with two elders and a sister..  Dont ask how it works, I am still trying to figure it out but all four of us have to go everywhere together, and its so weird.  But, we use our quad membership to expand our range of within sight and sound so we can cover more ground.  Still trying to figure out a way to use it so get cookies from across the street during class..  well at least i am!

 

Also Elder Zenteno came into my room again, and started crying because he left last week and said he was going to miss me so much.  And so i traded ties with him and he gave me some Bolivian things which was cool. He then bore probably the most powerful testomony I may have ever heard.  He was supposed to have his whole leg amputated off, but prayed he could be okay so he could serve a Mission, and they were able to do a surgery and keep his leg.  That was a super cool miracle and a great testimony builder for me.  I already miss my big Bolivian, but he is going to be so awesome he has the biggest heart!

 

Not really sure what else to add besides I love all of you and hope all is going well! I pray for you guys every night! I love getting your emails and letters so please keep sending them! I will get you my new adress next week and let you  know all the details.  Crazy to think I only have 5 more days here in Sao Paulo.  I am super excited to hit the amazon of Cuiaba!

 

Much Love my people!

 

Com Sinceridade,

Big Elder Marcus Phipps

Most sketchy haircut of my life!

Whadup MY PEOPLE!

 

Okay, I dont even know where to begin!  Wait, yes i do.  So I have decided that the most random things always happen to me!  Just getting that out there!  But, okay so this week.  I was able to go real life proseliting in the busy city of Sao Paulo and it was a really cool experience.  We gave out 4 Books of Mormon and pretty much got rejected every other time.  BUT! there was an older lady I talked to, probably had about 45 years or so, and she said she already had one, and hadnt been reading it.  We asked her to promise that she was going to go read it and I gave her some fav Scrips to give her a little direction.  So, hopefully she will follow through! 

This week I also got the most sketchy hair cut of my life.. I mean this guy pulled out a straIGHT razor to shave me while talking so someone else and not even looking, and well Im alive..  But, lets just say my side burns were extremely uneven, it was a great experience none the less. classic moments.  This week I also gave my teachers rootbeer candy and sour patch kids cuz they dont have either here, or real sour stuff and he was freaking out so it was pretty funny.. I miss US candy, all the good stuff is so expensive here, its very sad for a guy with such a big sweet tooth.. but an even bigger heart. haha

 

Also this week I decided to try and do what no phipps has done before, and try out for a solo part for our Sunday devotionals..  Well, let me just say this, there is still no Phipps to ever have a solo. hahaha  It was pretty funny tho cuz she kinda started laughing while i was singing and trying out.  Do not worry, during the devotionals everyone here is required to participate in choir, so i dont have any chance of getting kicked out... for now!  Also here on sundays its way better than Provo because they give us 3 hours to nap.. thats unheard of, and I am not a napper!  Yet, I really enjoy the relax time!

 

I still havent received any mail yet here, but hopefully I will soon.  It takes a while sometimes!  I am going to get one sent back to Sweet and Falcon here this week or next week, whenever I get all the way down to the post office.  So, dont worry Uncle Marcus always comes through! 

Lets see... OH! hahahah  So heres the update with Elder Zenteno my Bolivian buddy.  A few nights ago he was knocking on our door and we were all in bed, so we didnt get it.   He then spent the next 3 days really mad at me because he claimed I said i wouldnt open the door because he was brown and I was in the KKK... hah i dont know where he got that but I never said anything so I had to explain to him for 45 minutes how I am not in fact in the KKK and he is a perfect tan brown.. me and Zenteno are back to buddies.

 

I really miss the fam and wish I had more time but they only give us 40 minutes.. I love all the pics you guys email so keep them coming and the emails.  Also, I love hearing from you guys!  Matt.. your Portuguese is decent.. haha  No, its pretty good!  I am excited to converse when I am fluent!  MIke, Tiff, Matt and Kate- Happy anniversary,  I love you guys!  Rach and Ben- stay classy and thanks for running the blog..  Mitch- Live senior year up man it flies and before you know it youll be out there in Wyoming serving!  MOM and DAD- I am so proud of all your work in staying healthy and fit keep it going! Also, boat or audi yet... let me know!  All the kiddos, I love and miss you way too much!  Hope all is well and you guys are blessed!  Bom Dia!

 

warm regards

Elder Marcus Phipps

 

P.S. You like luke Bryant

 

In my fourth week

WADDUPPP MY PEOPLE!!

 

So, I have now been Brazil living for a week now!... And, let me just say this, I have already gained 7 pounds.. I know  what you're all thinking. .but I get to lift everyday so I am going to pretend thats why and not because we eat so much here. 

For breakfast they have these panini things, at first I was skeptical because who eats sandwhiches for breakfast.. I dont.. But, I do now and they are so good!  I have 3 every morning and if I don't get them I have seperation issues the rest of the day. Its awesome though, because I never ate breakfast before and now I eat like a 12 course meal for breakfast alone.. I am really glad they make us run 5 laps on the track here every atividade fisica time.

 

Lets see, today is my 2nd pday this week because the CTM prez thinks im the bomb.. not really but he is so funny.  We got to go to the Campinas Brazil Temple today, and it was the coolest Temple I have been to!  Seriously, so cool and awesome! I am definitely making a trip back when I am home! After the Temple we walked the streets and I bought hand carved scripture cases and pick them up in 2 weeks. I also bought a tie, and of course a churro because here they go all out for churro's. They are fresh and they fill them with melted chocolate and caramel and they are soooooo good.  May or may not have bought 3.. but that is beside the point!

 

Okay, so there is this Elder named Elder Zenteno from Bolivia and he looks like the little chunky orphanage kid from Nacho Libre and he decided it is the funniest thing to tell everyone that its my Birthday.. everyday..  So, I get all these Brazilians telling me happy birthday with the little english they can muster up, and I have to try and explain it is actually not indeed my birthday. The dissapointment on there faces is undescribable when they realize it isnt my birthday..  Also, this Elder Zenteno without fail comes into my room every night!  I mean every night, and asks to see my pictures of Ally and then tries to leave and take them saying OBRIGADO ELDER PHICH (because thats the only way he can say my name) and I am like NO those are not for you (hahahaha) he is soo funny!  But, he also is the biggest hugger and tells me goodnight every night and hugs me, and then has to take a picture with me..  Again, did i say every night (haha)  He is the most loving guy you could meet!

 

There are only 3 of us Elders total in my whole district and so we are all companions.  Also.. its nice because it makes focusing better, but its also a lot harder, but my companions are awesome!  Also I cannot believe Sweet is starting school already.. Mind=blown!!!  Seriously, that is so crazy and she looks soooooo cute!  Send me those pics if you can!  I think it takes about a week for mail to get here and like 4 for mine to get there..  But, keep sending them I need letters!  I loved everyones emails!  Sorry if I couldnt reply,  I only get 40 minutes here but keep emailing me I love reading them, makes my whole week better!

 

Well, can't think of a whole lot more to say other than I am loving being a Missionary and am growing so much!  The Church is true and the Lord knows us all personally!  Love you all soooo much!!

 

Warm Regards,

 

Elder Marcus Phipps