One Year?‏

Hey Family,

This week is sure to be a wet and wild one. Yes, wet. We (actually, the bishop) will be baptizing Luiza Mery de Oliveira Saturday night at 8 pm. Unfortunately, there is bound to be some more running before the font gets filled. Yesterday was Stake Conference (on the other side of the river in Itajai) and we had scheduled for the Zone Leaders to do the baptismal interview right after the meeting. I scheduled with them last Tuesday, and confirmed last Friday but they still forgot. But everything is bound to work out because the Zone Leaders want to do a division/split/companion exchange with us Tuesday. As such, a leader will be here to do the interview tomorrow night. We hope to baptize 11 year old Anderson here in about two weeks, but the next baptism is still a question mark. Don’t worry, the Lord will provide when we do our part.

Wow, I need to apologize to you guys and Emma. I said I was going to send a letter to the house for Emma, and then didn’t get it in the mail. Sorry. We had 3 bills mysteriously arrive at our house in the middle of a bad week… financially speaking. I should still have the money I need to send the letter after shopping today, so that letter should be in the mail pretty soon. I truly am sorry to all those who have been affected by this money mismanagement. Please forgive me.

Well, not a whole lot is happening in the life of Elder Hawsmo right now. Tuesday I will be in Itajai working with Elder Harmon while Elder Flores is here with Elder Lacerda. Next week I’ll probably spend another day over on the other side of Itajai working with Elder Bateman while Elder Pimentel is here with Elder Lacerda. We are now under a little pressure to do divisions/splits every transfer so we’re making sure to get them done. Next week will be interviews with the president, and the next week (June 4th) will be Zone Conference.

Mom: I’ve had 2 different members tell me that shoes have to be sent separately, and generally a few weeks apart. If you guys REALLY want to send those shoes, you can, but don’t worry about it too much. If all else fails, I can probably get you Elder Flores’s home address in Lehi. His dad is coming to pick him up next month and he might be able to bring them down. But don’t you dare stress yet. My shoe size should be around 12 or 13. Either one should do.

Sorry about the short letter. I should have much more to share in the weeks to come.

The weather is STILL hot, the font is filling up, and I’m fine so stop worrying about me.

Packing for Itajai,

Elder Haws(mo)

Who Taught Jonah to Talk?‏

Hey Family,

Call me crazy, but even though I have nearly one year on the mission I feel like it’s only been a matter of hours seen I’ve talked with you guys. Amazing how those things work out. I still can’t get over the fact that Jonah can hold a conversation. That’s not fair. When I left he didn’t say ANYTHING! Oh well, the nieces will be talking when Greg gets home from Korea/Japan/France. Speaking of Greg, did he ever see that movie about the penguins that surf? I saw about 15 minutes of it in Portuguese and liked what I saw. Where is he going to work until January?

This week we have Stake Conference so our water-ready investigators are going to be dry for another week. This Zone is going to explode this transfer. Elder Andrews left 7 weddings and around 15 baptisms for Elder Bateman, the Zone Leaders are going to have 7 baptisms in the next 20 days, and the Sisters are hoping for 2 next week. That’s only half the zone. Last in the past 2 months the Zone has only had 15 baptisms. We’re ready for history. Speaking of the Zone, interviews with the president are May 27 and Zone Conference is June 4.

Everybody in the ward has been going up to the temple open house in Curitiba. It’s going to get dedicated June 1st , so they are canceling all regular Sunday Services to focus on the temple. Curitiba is Josh Orgill’s mission. Have you guys heard anything about him? I sent a letter to him from the MTC but still haven’t heard back. He should already have his plan for coming home in October. Josh Tew will be home around July and Jake in September? It feels like everybody is coming home, except for the big guy. Oh well, there’s too much work to be done to think about home.

It’s supposedly getting really cold around here, but the part of me that even feels chilly these days is my feet. And even they are only cold at 6:30 AM because they spend 8 hours outside of my bed. I’m big, Brazilians generally aren’t… do the math. If it actually gets cold I’ll start wearing socks or toss a blanket on top of the bedsheets, but I still have my doubts.

I think that’s everything that didn’t get said yesterday. There is a member who wants to buy root beer and maple syrup concentrates from me. If you guys can toss those in, awesome. One of my Zone Leaders is going home this transfer and his dad is coming to pick him up. He said that if we want anything from the states he can bring stuff. If things don’t work out with the shoes I might have his dad just but a size 13 from Payless and then I’ll pay the elder here. I’m not sure yet, but whatever happens, I’m still a missionary so the shoes only matter for about 4 hours a week.

The weather is still hot, the fonts are filling up, and I’m fine so stop worrying about me.

Anticipating the Explosion,
Elder Haws(mo)

One More‏

Hey Family,

Well, last night we got the call about transfers. It was definitely a surprise for the both of us. Elder Andrews (my district leader) is heading to the island of Florianopolis to be a district leader there. I was a little disappointed to hear that we was leaving, but it’s ok because another Elder from our group is coming to fill his place. Elder Bateman will be up here in the Itajai Zone. Companions in the MTC, we both started in The Chapeco Zone, we met up again in Tubarao, and now he’s followed me to Itajai. I don’t know any two Elders who have followed each other as much as us. It’s rough, but somebody has to make history.

Matt Morris is going to be a teacher? Do you know what subject? What level (junior high, high school, elementary)? Britnee was in England? The letter to Kelley already arrived? I also got a letter from Emma 2 weeks ago but she only gave me her BYU address. I don’t know if she is going to be there for the summer, or going home, or doing something else. I’m thinking I might just send a response to you guys too and hope that she reads the site. Emma: go pick up the letter at my house!

Wow. Phone call on Sunday (Dad, the number should be exactly the same as last time except for the last 4 numbers. ***-****-****), flaming shirt next Friday, one year in the books… I don’t know when we’re going to find time to throw investigators in the water. Today we’re spending P-Day with the Zone Leaders in Itajai, tomorrow will be our last district meeting with Elder Andrews, and the new transfer (with the new elders) officially starts on Wednesday.

Hey, there is a member here who would like to buy a copy of “The RM”. The movie from the same people as “Singles Ward” He is fluent in English and asked if I could get you guys to slip a dvd into a box that’s coming down. Just get me the price and he’ll get me paid. We discovered a tragedy last week. When I got transferred to Navegantes I forgot a box on the bus that had a pair of sandles and my basketball shoes. I tried to call someone on the bus but no one answered the phone. In the end I thought someone would pick up the box, and I still think someone did, but I haven’t found it yet. I’m going to keep searching but for the next little while I won’t have any regular shoes. We went and looked in every shoe store in Itajai and my shoe size doesn’t exist. I found one pair of shoes that would be around 11-11.5, but they would cost $120. That’s one hundred and twenty American dollars. That’s not even for basketball shoes, just regular old casual shoes. We’ll talk more in the future, but the same member who wants “the RM” said that it generally works to send shoes but you have to do them one at a time. Don’t even think about buying or sending anything yet. We’ve got a few options here, but there are no promises.

I’m throwing in a picture of Valmir (baptism last week) who was baptized by the Bishop. The bishop is the one next to me. I’m the big American. The other photo is of me with the bus driver who took us to Blumenau to give blood. Let’s jus say that he’s not very tall.

The rain has stopped, the work is waiting for me, and I’m fine so stop worrying about me.

Staying Put in Navegantes,
Elder Haws(mo)