Poooooor Brasil

First, my reaction to Brasil's loss:

And now, a great little perspective restoring video! Watch it - you won't be disappointed:
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1101413031001&cid=HPFR071114321

Hello everyone,

Isso é da hora. Da hora is slang for hip or sick. Or as New Englanders say it...ill

Mom´s guess to Brasil´s humiliating loss to Germany: 

How did Brazil's loss to Germany look to you?  I was worried that maybe people would riot.  Or were they just really depressed?  Here's the outcome I was hoping for:  Humiliation - turns into - Humility!  - which turns into - receptivity to your gospel message, which somehow turns into visas for all the missionaries awaiting their visas.

Ian´s reality: 

Many, many, many Brasilians that look at me thinking, "why is the German walking around our ghetto with nice clothes on?" Everyone used to think we were American. That isn't the case anymore. Now I am a soccer playing German. :-/

And now for the Elder Forsyth World Cup inside scoop:

Ever since Brasil's first game a month or so ago, we couldn't work during the Brasil games. It was kinda annoying but good at the same time because we got some more time to clean our house, read the scriptures and hear the eventual firework conglomerate. It's so funny. When Brasil would score a goal the silence turned into a World War 1 artillery shower with a lot of happy screaming Brazilians. They would run through the streets and drive their little Fiats around playing those plastic horns that were used a bunch in the 2010 South Africa cup. One happy screaming Brasilian sounds safe but hundreds of them sounds like a huge army running as fast as they can and screaming at the top of their lungs. Soccer is a big thing here and when Brasil was almost literally stepped on by Holland and then Germany there weren´t too many angry people. The score was so humiliating that everyone has been walking around with low heads. So many after parties were canceled and all the Brasilian flags were taken down. I don't know if it resulted in more spiritual humility because we worked our butts off but the results were not shown on paper at the end of the week. 

I had a news flash this week. I need to have confidence in the Savior and not my own work. This is His work, though the free agency of man can accept His divine blessings or not. 

"Focus on the significant, lift up our eyes and truly see the things that matter most. Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most."

--Dieter F. Uchtdorf (btw I imagined him watching the game with some Brazilian general authorities giving them an airplane pep talk, soon after the game, to help them out with the tragic and did I say humiliating already? oh yeah I think I did. Humiliating loss.)

I think Dieter has stated our natural weaknesses well, with a tweak of spiritual adjustment. I have seen how so many people view famous people as idols. How new age tech doesn't leave people alone or let them be a part of social gatherings. How relationships "seem" strong through kisses but the heart isn't even in use, How people professionally or socially run without looking where they are stepping. I think about my friends back at home. I haven't heard how they are doing and I miss them. I hope their life isn't in the fast lane. Listen to the Eagles song and you'll know what I want to say by that. Life is so precious and can be utilized for good in all choices. Think think think think before before you act act act act. I love you all at home. I need to ask for forgiveness, as well, for the lack of letter correspondence (yes I said something intelligent for once). 

Family home evening with Ivandro.  Ivandro got sick so we had to postpone his baptism.

And a couple of the sun setting on the Games: