E-mail for Dec 6th. Great letter

Dear Dad and mom,

I really wanted to watch the Christmas devotional but the time that it previews there meant that it was 10 o clock at night here and we had to be at home so that didn't work out but its ok. So for our zone conference we didn't stay in Imperatriz. We just caught a bus back home after the meeting because it is only an hour away. The new MTC curriculum is the new things that they are concentrating a little bit more on while the missionaries are in the MTC, like teaching people, not lessons and revelation through the book of Mormon and some other things. They concentrate on 7 subjects to help new missionaries. They have instituted these things here in the missions too. That 4 day conference that I had a little while back was all about these 7 subjects. A churrascaria is exactly like Rodesios. It is just a Brasilian restaurant. The Jello was made like normal with water, but it was covered in condensed milk. I will try and think up a Christmas message to share with you all and I will send it in my next email. I still haven't got my Christmas packages, but I did call the mission office and they will let me know when they get to Teresina and try and get them out to me by Christmas. So something that happened yesterday I will share with you all and maybe it can be my Christmas message for the family. Yesterday, after we got done eating lunch we headed back to our house to drop off our suit coats at the house, just my comp and I. When we got about a block away I saw a man with this cart that had a box of full beer bottles and some empty ones to the side of the box. This man had his head down and was resting under the shade of a tree. He was really dirty, his shirt was ripped and torn a little bit and yesterday the sun was really hot. As we passed the man I looked over at him and I heard the spirit tell me that I need to talk to this man and offer him a glass of water. So I told my comp to hold on a minute and I went back and talked to him. I asked him if he was ok and he said that he was fine. He was a little bit drunk and I asked him if he wanted a drink of water and at first he said that he was fine, that he was just resting, but I persisted and told him to come to our house and drink some water. When we got to the house I asked him some more questions while my comp went inside and got water,I asked him if he had a family and he said that he did, a wife and three kids. I also asked him if he had eaten lunch that day and said that he had but I wasn't sure. I asked him if he had food to eat that night and he said that he didn't. He began to tell me that he was unemployed and that he had used the last of his money to by that box of beer to resell and try to sustain his family. This man began to break down and cry and my comp and I decided to give him some food to feed his family for that night. We gave the man some rice with some ramen noodles that we had, some crackers and some other things. At first he didn't want to accept it because he said that there were other people in worse conditions than he and that we should save it for them. I shared a little message about God with this man and he told me that he was ashamed to ask God to help him because of the way he had lived his life. I told him about God being our Heavenly Father and that he always wants to hear his children. The Spirit was so strong in that moment that this man just started bawling and thanked us for the help. We got his address but unfortunately he is in the other Elders area so we won't get to teach them, but I know that the Lord is in this work and that he always puts people in our paths to help and to share the Gospel with. I don't know if that man is going to remember me, but I know that the Lord taught a whole lot to this man, that God has so much love for each one of us his children and wants to hear each and everyone of us. I am out of time for this week but I love you all very much I will get the number for you to call me at on Christmas by next week.

Love your Son,

Elder Crittenden

E-mail for November 28th

Dear Dad and Mom, It may seem like the weeks are long for you all but for me this past week flew by. This past week was really good I had a meeting with president on Wednesday and that meeting was really good I loved every single bit of it. President taught us a little more about the new mtc curriculum and how to incorporate it into our teaching and we also got into some deep doctrine. So on Wednesday morning I left at 5:30 from our house to catch a bus to Imperatriz. We had that meeting and it was supposed to go until 4 in the afternoon with lunch around 1:00 o´clock. But there was a mix up and lunch didn't show up and so President just took us to a Churrascaria and it was the first time that I had eaten at a Churrascaria and it was really good food. After that President had to look at some of the houses in Imperatriz and then he would go back with us to Acailandia to do our interviews. He interviewed Deusa and she was baptized on Saturday, and he also had to do another interview for the other missionaries and he went with Elder Goncalves to do that interview while we were teaching English. Well English class got over at 8:30 and they still hadn't come back from the interview and they didn't even get there until 9:15 well when they got there the lady that President interviewed wanted to be baptized that night so we had a baptism at 10 at night. It was cool. We didn't get home until 10:30 and by the time that we were sleeping it was about 11:30 and we had to wake up the next day at 5:30 to get another bus back to Imperatriz for zone conference. I loved zone conference, I did a training on revelation through visiting the church it went well I thought. Zone conference was on Thanksgiving and so we thought that we would have a huge meal but that didn't happen I don't know why but the food was good we had the regular rice and beans with salad and for desert, Jello with condensed milk. I will sure be looking forward to Thanksgiving next year with regular food. Like I said Deusa was baptized on Saturday. Sunday was the Primary program for the ward that was cool to be here for that. Today my comp and I went back to Imperatriz and we played soccer and basketball with the Elders there in Imperatriz. Elder Plewe was transferred this morning when we were leaving and so I don't know what is going to happen, I don't know if I will stay here for Christmas or if I will be in another place but as soon as I know I will tell you and send you a number. Alright so three Christmas packages is enough what on earth did you all send me? Well I am about out of time so I love you all and can't wait to hear from you next week. Love your son, Elder Crittenden

November 22 e-mail

Dear Dad and Mom,

First off Dad and Justin HAPPY BIRTHDAY I have bought you some presents but I haven't had time to send them out yet so I promise that they will get there just give it a little time. I cant believe that its snowing I miss the snow soooooooo much. I have been talking to Elder Plewe which is an American that arrived at the beginning of last transfer and talking with him about all of the things that I miss from the US like types of cookies and other things types of food that I miss and it has left me really trunky, so we have stopped talking so much about that. Oh just to let you all know I was not transferred and neither was my comp or really until now no one in the mission was transferred that I have heard of. President didnt transfer anyone and I think that its a test kind of that he is doing to make us forget about transfers and I think that we will have alot of transfers by surprise here in a little bit. We didnt have any baptisms this past week but we had quite a few investigators at church yesterday and we have quite a few that are ready to be baptized. We have zone conference on Thanksgiving which I cant believe that its Thursday WOW. But I have a leadership meeting with President on Wednesday in Imperatriz which is where zone conference will be too which is about an hour by bus from here. Then after our leadership meeting President is going to come back to Acailandia with us and he has some interviews to do for us. It should be good we have marked to baptize Deusa on Saturday and she is really excited. For zone conference I have to do a training for 45 mins, the zone leaders called me and because we don't have assistants right now in our mission there is a 45 minute time gap where they usually give their training so they asked me to give a training in that time slot. Hey what is this about finishing up the basement how come I haven't heard anything up until now about this. So what all have you guys done or are going to do down there in the basement? What other things have been happening in the house that you guys haven't told me? How is Missy'? I don't think that my birthday package ever will arrive just for curiosity what all was in my birthday package? I think that it got lost in the mail so anyway. I don't really have much else to write for today I am going to go play basketball today. But tell everyone that I wish them a happy Thanksgiving and that I miss them all and love them all very much. Until next week.

Love

Elder Crittenden

e-mail of November 15th.

Dear Dad and Mom,

That is really funny about U of U send Drake my love and tell him that maybe they will win some games ha ha. I am glad that BYU is at least winning. I am doing good as far as health and everything I cant believe how fast that the time is flying by here in the mission, today is transfer day but I still haven't heard anything if we are going to be transferred or not. We had a baptism this past week a kid that we have been teaching for about two weeks and it was my companions first baptism and then I let him confirm him too which was also the first time for him to confirm someone. I think that its funny about when you and the Elder knocked on the door and the lights went out and everything and I have had some of the same experiences here in the mission. We have been helping some of our other investigators we have a kid that we are helping but he still hasn't decided if he wants to be baptized and its a little frustrating. I have been praying a lot for him and I know that you all have been praying for my investigators and I think that he will change and accept it one day. I have been teaching English here and it is really good here I have at least 15 students each week and this past week I taught them the parts of the body and I am going to teach them head shoulders knees and toes this week if I am not transferred. It is a little hard to find some new investigators that are interested in hearing our message. But things are going good here in Acailandia I am going to try and send some pictures today, if I have time. So I will have to let you all know next week if I am transferred or not. I love you all very much and miss you all very much. Love your son, Elder Crittenden

e-mail of November 8

Dear Dad and Mom,

So these past few weeks have been going pretty good other than we haven't been having any baptisms. We have two people ready to be baptized they have already been interviewed and the one passed but the other has to wait for President to interview her because she had a problem with one of the questions. So we have just been helping the one he was the one that told us that he wanted to be baptized and everything and the night before his interview his sister talked him into rethinking and learning more about the church before he gets baptized so that set us back a little bit. We only have to teach our investigators the first lesson they have to know about Joseph Smith and have to pray and have a desire to be baptized. Then we teach them the word of wisdom, the law of chastity, the law of tithing, and the sabbath day and that is basically all that they need to know to be baptized. We have been teaching both of them too about the Book of Mormon and they are reading it, we leave them a chapter or some passages for them to read and then the next time we talk with them about what they read and answer any questions that they may have had about it. Deusa is really loving the Book of Mormon and yesterday when we passed by her house to take her to church, she also invited her boyfriend to go and they went together. It was fast Sunday as you all know and alot of the members were bearing their testimonies about the Book of Mormon and her boyfriend during sacrament leaned over and asked us what it was and we gave him a copy and Deusa explained to him about the book it was awesome. We also have another investigator a man called Rober and he has been reading it and our search for happiness and we havent had a chance to talk with him for about 4 days because he is travelling but hopefully we can catch him at home this week. Our new house is wonderful it is big and has lots of space and its just amazing I love it. We got settled in this past week completely and now its close to the end of the transfer and I might be leaving. As for time change they dont have that here I think that its because we are so close to the equator that it doesn't effect us. I still haven't got my birthday package but I will call the Elders at the mission office and see if they can go to the post office and maybe its there. I don't really have much else to tell you other than I really miss you all and I love you all very much thanks for the support and love.

Love your son,

Elder Crittenden