5 August 2009

Hello, Floyd Family!

Okay, I will start off this time by saying that I am much, much happier than I was last week. It’s really hard to be moved around a lot. One day you’re working in Guarapuava, the next you’re working in Prudentópolis, and ten days later you’re back in Guarapuava. Boy was that interesting. If you didn’t catch it, I have been here back in Guarapuava since 12:30 in the morning last Friday.

It was really interesting going to church and having to explain to everybody why the heck I was back. I can understand their confusion because I only saw this happen once with Elder Tonkinson, but he returned to Santa Maria after a years and nine months, not ten days. Testimony meeting was not the place to relate my experience in Prudentópolis, but I did say that I was grateful to be back and that I would in fact say goodbye before I leave again.

Thanks for the updates on Gram’s progress. I will get a letter written this week and send it through MissionTies to you (how many times have you heard that sentence?).

Not much to write about this week, just that we keep hearing a lot of stuff about this Swine Flu. They made announcements about how to avoid it at the mission conference and in sacrament meeting. We also get getting reminders about it in our weekly emails from President Araujo.

My little thought for the week comes from the mission conference: As humans, we always have the capacity to improve. One of our purposes in this life is to progress, so we much always improve, even when we are doing our CURRENT best. The Lord, while not being ungrateful, always asks us to do a little bit more than we are currently doing, and if we ever stop progressing, we start on the wide and easy path to you-know-where. So, to sum this up as President Araujo did: we can always do a little more and a little better. As a missionary called to serve in the Brazil Curitiba Mission, I have no right to invite any of those who read this to do a little more and a little better, but I can promise that it’s truth. And here and now I pledge to do a little more and a little better for you too (including these emails).

As always, I hope that all is well at home, that Vinnie is alive, that Elizabeth had a good summer break, that Lyn is not having hot flashes, and that Dad is able to stay on top of his every-increasing responsibilities.

Love,
Elder Daniel Floyd