25th. of April e-mail

Dear Dad and Mom,
This past week was alright it was a little bit difficult to teach and find new investigators because everyone was traveling or visiting family for Easter so the city was really dead. Here in Brazil the whole week was dead because it is what they call Semana Santa here or Holy Week. It is a Catholic tradition and they spend the whole week thinking about the last week of the life of Jesus Christ and how it was, but a lot of people just use it as an excuse to take the week off and Drink and Party.
On Friday my comp, Danielly and I were going to a friend of Daniellys to teach. We passed a parade of People, really it was a walking theater of them re-enacting Jesus carrying the cross and the Roman soldiers beating him and we didn't get to see them crucify him but I did film it a little bit.
Another thing that they do here in Brasil is they make a stuffed dummy with clothes and what not and they hang it off of a light post or off of their house or somewhere and it is Judas who betrayed Jesus. Now that it is past Easter we are finding all of these Judas´ lying in the road run over.
I didn't get my easter package yet because the Post office was closed for the past week and the secrateries didn't have the chance to go and get it but it should be here.
We also talked with Danielly and it looks like her Mom isn't going to let her get baptized. She may just have to wait until she turns 18. She wanted us to give up on her, but we told her that we would never give up on it and that her baptism would work out. Her Mom had her talk to her cousin, who is a Priest in the Catholic church, and he printed out a bunch of papers talking about our church and it had some really ridiculus accusations in it about our church. My favorite was that up until 1990 our church would cut the throats from ear to ear of members who dishonored their temple covenants. I laughed quite a bit about that one. My other favorite one was at the very end it talked about the missionaries of our church. It said that we send out young, charming, good looking, and uneducated men to teach about our church and to be careful not to be tricked into following our religion. My comp and I laughed alot after that one. This article also had a whole bunch of false accusations about the Prophet Joseph Smith, like he was a rapist and other horrible things that are clearly not true.
We are all praying for Danielly and hopefully her Mom will allow her to be baptized, she really wanted to be baptized on Easter but it didnt work out.
We also visited Leunice and her baptism also fell through The father of her youngest child moved back in with her so we had to postpone it, but she still wants to be baptized a lot.
We also found out about one of our newest converts that had some problems this past week with his prior addictions and we are going to have to work with him because he didn't go to church yesterday.
I was studying this morning in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 12 and 13. It is really amazing to me, how much Nephi had seen and how mind boggling it must have been for him to see all of that. My comp and I got discussing about whether or not the prophets today like Thomas Monson, if he has also seen some of the things that Nephi or Lehi or Isiah or however you write it. I bet a lot that he has, but what do you all think back home? Let me know in the next letter.
I was also wondering about what you have found out from Doug's dad about my shoes and what he can do or if you have even sent him the pictures. If you could answer that in my next email because I would like to get rid of those shoes and some weight in my suitcases.
Well that is about all that I have that happened this past week with me. But I love you all and if you all could pray for Danielly and maybe a miracle will happen. I will let you all know where I will call you for Mothers day as soon as I know.
Love your son, Elder Crittenden

Monday, April 18th

Dear Dad and Mom,
Well this past week was alright it rained a lot again almost everyday. We have had at our house this past week some construction guys digging a new sewer for us because ours is breaking. They dug a hole and it rained and got really muddy and they had to take out the mud and the water and everyday it is raining and they are having a tough time getting it done.
I don't have much time today to write but I promise a fuller letter next week. Yesterday at church we had a lot of investigators. Leunice, the lady that found us, well she wanted to be baptized yesterday but it didn't work out because the guy that she was living with moved back in with her. So, we had to explain why and she is still really excited about being baptized so that is awesome.
Also Danielly is really close to being baptized. Her mom wanted her to talk to her cousin, who is a Priest, before she signed the papers so she talked to her cousin and tomorrow she will talk to her mom and hopefully this week it works out.
I dont have any more time but I will write more next week. I love you all very very much.
Love your son,
Elder Crittenden

Monday, April 11

Dear Dad and Mom,

So this past week was really good also we didn't have a baptism but we had plenty of miracles that happened. We received a lot of references that are really really good.
That family that had the little boy that died, they went to church yesterday and liked it a lot and are really progressing. It was really sweet. This past week they called my comp and I angels sent from God and I had never been called that.
We also received another reference from the other Elders of a lady that was part of the universal church here in Brazil which is a break off from the Catholic church. Anyway, she was really strong in that church until they started asking her to sell her motorcycle and house and give the money to the church. That is when she starting doubting that church and one of her friends that was recently baptized into our church talked to her about it and she found the Elders and we started teaching her. She loved church yesterday too and took home with her a Gospel Principles manual and has been reading it, and the Book of Mormon. She is really one of the elect of God. She already wants to be baptized and we marked it for this Sunday.
We also got another reference of a friend of a member that divides quite frequently with us and we started teaching her and she had lots of doubts and she really felt that our message was true. It was really amazing this past week. Unfortunately she wasn't able to go to church yesterday but we are going to talk to her again tonight.
We are still waiting on a reply from Daniellys mom and hopefully she comes back from her trip this week. It is really annoying and depressing that her mom could not understand what it is that her daughter wants, but I know that the Lord will soften her heart and she will be baptized.
So our Sunday schedule is normal. (I asked about his Sunday schedule in my e-mail) We go to all of the meetings and we sometimes teach or give talks, I haven't had to give a talk yet in this ward but my chance might come.
Hey Dad I don't know if you remember or not but Doug's dad said that I could just send pictures to you of my worn out shoes and then you guys forward him the pictures and he would send me a brand new pair for free. But if he could send them home to you guys so that I have a new pair when I get home that would be great. Talk with him and see what he can do. If he can't send me some new ones that's alright, but I am thinking of getting rid of that pair of shoes because I am tired of carrying them around with me, so just let me know.
As for the money in my account. I wasn't using any of my personal money to catch buses, I was using my allowance to do that. So yeah the mission payed for it, and I got a reimbursement for the buses that we used, so it was good. So that about sums it up for my week I can't believe how fast the time is still flying by and continues to fly by. I love you all very much.

Love your son,

Elder Crittenden

e-mail of April 4th and photos

Dear Dad and Mom, This past weekend was a good one for me too. We had a baptism and general conference was awesome. I didn't have the opportunity to watch the Priesthood session because they only rebroadcast it here in the Teresina stake at 10 in the morning on Sunday and it was in the center and we wouldn't have time to go there, watch it for two hours, come back to our area, eat lunch and then go up to the other chapel to watch the rest of the sessions. I was sad that I couldn't watch it, but I enjoyed the other sessions. I really enjoyed the apostle that talked about accepting correction from our leaders and how to help them. This really helped me out, especially since I have been a district leader and right now I am district leader. The weather here is pretty normal, HOT like usual, but not too bad. So just to let you all know I am now Elder Smoot's district leader and he is a really cool guy. I like him alot. We are now back in our house and it is soooo nice not to have to catch a bus everyday. I don't really need you to put money into my account. I didn't use any of it but thanks. I think I still have plenty in there. So we are still waiting on an answer from Danielly´s mom about her baptism and we are waiting patiently to hear. We got a reference this past week from a member and it is for a family that has lost a child and we started teaching them about the Plan of Salvation and thus far they have accepted everything and they are a really cool family. We only had a few investigators go to conference because the chapel that we had to take them to was a little ways away but it was still really good. We did the baptism between the two Sunday sessions and it worked out really nicely because there was lots of members there already. Well that about sums up my week. I am looking forward to another good one here with hopefully another baptism. I love you all and miss you all lots. Hope you like the pictures. That big thing that I am holding is a lemon and I made that watermelon mask. Love your son, Elder Crittenden
Mighty Brazilian Warrior
Remnant of the Stripling Warriors
Lemon, Brazilian Style