Hey Minha Familia,

So, this has been a crazy week!  The Bronx is so fun!  Every day is unique.  

This past week I had the opportunity to go on to splits.  Elder Poulsen is the District Leader so I have to go on splits quite often.  I splitted with Elder Zazueta who is a Spanish Speaking Elder but he also speaks Portuguese.  This was awesome--I've been able to maintain a lot of Portuguese.  We taught a lesson in Spanish but the lady said she could understand Portuguese and encouraged me to speak in Portuguese--it was very helpful.  I still have so much to learn.  

I looked up my visa status (the first dot, shocker...)  That is not a bad thing, though.  I love it in the Bronx and wouldn't mind staying a little longer.  I am learning so much from Elder Poulsen.  He is one of the best missionaries.

On Thursday night we needed to go drop off a DVD (Finding Faith in Christ) to a recent convert in the Mott Haven area.  This is a really sketchy neighborhood but we haven't ever had a problem.  We were about to go into one of the project buildings where she lives when a man stopped us on the street. He wanted to know why two 'white kids' were in Mott Haven.  We explained we are representatives of Jesus Christ and are sharing a message about Him.  He responded, "You've got a lot of heart to be in these parts...Your message must really mean something to you."  

My experiences this week reminded me of a powerful quote by Papa Dade, "Man is a spiritual being, a soul, and at some period of his life everyone is possessed with an irresistible desire to know his relationship to the Infinite...There is something within him which urges him to rise above himself, to control his environment, to master the body and all things physical and live in a higher and more beautiful world."

This quote, to me, describes the Bronx.  So many people are looking for the truth, they just "know not where to find it."  I love this gospel and have a perfect knowledge that everyone--whether in this life or the next--will have the opportunity to begin to know his relationship to the Infinite.  This knowledge, in my opinion, is not a set knowledge but an eternal progressing knowledge in which we build line upon line, precept upon precept.

Thank you for all the letters and prayers.  I couldn't do it without you.  

Com amor,

Mac