"...we are going to have to be even more creative to get these people to taste the magic."

Primarily, mom do not worry about the lack of candy!! I didn't mean to be a complainer at all, it was fine to not have candy. Certainly don't feel pressured to send me anything if it is inconvenient in the least!
Also you don't need to send me the updates of Matt, Philly, or Mckay, I already receive them. Nick´s updates are always very interesting, sounds like that city is absolutely full of boss people.
Dad, it was great to get your email in Portuguese! Looks like you have remembered just about everything from the mish.
The weather here has leveled out. It used to be absolutely frigid, but has become more temperate. We finally fixed our shower, so now it is warm water rather than ice. But I was beginning to like those freezing showers, It made me feel like an Eskimo. Now I just feel like a normal person (lame.)
I got my birthday letters from everyone on general conference day, along with a card from G&G Burt and letters from Philly, Nick, and a bud from the CTM. Sounds like everyone is doing good.
Well, we have had a pretty low quality week. Ari and Neide were married last Wednesday, but both decided that they are not ready for baptism and it appears that they are pretty uninterested as of right now. They are the couple in the photo from last week, with two of their six children. They have not been to church in a while, and are a little hostile when we talk to them about the church and their necessity to be baptized. We are hoping and praying a lot that they will get it in gear and stop messin around.
Our other families have slowed down a little. Carlinhos and Tania were planning on going to church with us but they decided that they were not ready. But we are still teaching everyone. The family that has probably made the most progress as of late is Valderesa and her children. They have all accepted the Book of Mormon as scripture, and are doing well. They too are nervous about going to church, that is our biggest plight right now. It appears as though we are going to have to be even more creative to get these people to taste the magic.
Elder Carmo and I have a weird but functional way of working together. I read a while ago one of Josh´s letters about his comp and dogs... Elder Carmo is the same, but with small children. For example, we will be talking to a family in the square and a kid will fall down 25ish meters away. He will stop mid sentence and run over to the child, who has two fully capable parents, to verify its functionality. He has a weird thing for kids. I don't really like small children that much at this point of my life, so I stay responsible for conversing with adults while he does stuff with children. He likes to hug them and at times they try to hug me, and I'm like nooooo just a handshake! Speaking of that kind of stuff, a girl tried to kiss me the other day. We were sitting on the curb eating a snack talking to her when she struck. I gave her a little push away and was like “Aahhh nah nah we´re missionaries!” Then gave her a handshake. Elder Carmo was just dying at the hilarity of the situation LoL, it was pretty dang funny I will admit.
This branch is self destructing. The Young Men and Young Women presidents asked to be released on Sunday morning and there are very few (if any) worthy candidates for their replacement, and even less willing candidates. The Elders president and his wife, a Relief Society counselor, are facing a divorce situation. President is getting a little bit discouraged. We asked him what we could do, who we could visit, and he was just like, "Oh elders, just do what you want. I think we just need to keep doing what we are doing." He has a ton of pressure on him, he is the only thing holding this branch together and is in the process of starting a business. And his wife is the Relief Society president. He said something about moving to Curitiba, where the church is strong, because his kids are simply not happy here. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen, or I fear that the branch here might close.
Well, we are doing our best here. Thanks for the help and support, it helps a lot!
Love you all
Joseph
Tudo que faz, faz com amor.