Well, I got transferred to a new area called Barroso. My companion is Elder Mendoça (sp). It is really strange being away from my trainer. I am actually really worried right now because I have a feeling my new companion is really bad. What I mean is, he seems to be one to break a lot of rules, so I just have to wait and see. For example, we are at a members house, and I am emailing, which you aren’t suppose to do, I think. But he is sitting there playing Playstation, but my Portuguese isn’t good enough to say anything. There are other Elders here and they aren’t saying anything so I have no idea what I am doing. I have not seen my new apartment yet because we don´t have the key or something like that so I am waiting to see how it is. I guess if my companion does end up being bad I will get a lot of study time in. I am really unsure what is going to happen today, because the Brasil game is going to start soon and I don´t think we are suppose to watch it even on p-day, but I have no idea. It is so strange that everyone’s worse companion is their second, we’ll see how this goes. I may be with him till he leaves, he goes home in September.

So I baptized a 9 year old girl yesterday! I left Guadalaja with seven baptisms! haha. I also got to see Elder Eyre and Elder Waldron today during the transfers, which was nice. Oh, and about the water, I filter as much as I can. But picking up worms and what not is unavoidable, because you wash your dishes, your hands, and you shower in the same water everyone says is so bad, so it’s unavoidable. But I filter what I can.

My knee is much better, I sleep with an elastic brace on it every night and that seems to be what fixed it.

So let’s see, more detail... Well, it’s hot... you sweat a lot. I am sick of the same lunch like everyday... haha. Which, by the way, I want Pita Pit so so so bad. I have been out for almost 4 months. Apparently the Brazilian deodorant is really bad, so I will need some sent to me eventually. The money is really pretty.
I wish I could be at the cabin! It would be so fun! Oh, I have received a number of letters from people, and I will respond to most, just not right away. So as long as everyone knows that.

Well, I have no more real details about my new area yet, but when I do I will make sure to include them!!!! Please send any kind of pictures. They are for me and other people, because they ask what it’s like where I came from. The Brazilians always ask for stuff. haha, but I don´t want to particularly want to give anything away until I get closer to the end of my mission.

Well, I don´t know when my hour is up so to be safe I will just go now. I love you all!!! and I hope the cabin is a blast!!! Miss you all!!! Love you all!!!!

June 21, 2010
I am doing well, starting to get a little tired but that is expected. haha. My knee is still a little tender but doing much better. And yes, I had Elder Cooper and Elder Lima give me a blessing like 2 weeks ago.
I have not heard much about the temple here, but I think that is mainly because no one really knows.

So we had three baptisms this past week, a brother and sister, and then another girl. We had to do so much to get them baptized. So many weird things happened, but it all came together in the end.

A funny thing happened yesterday. We ate lunch and then went to this house to try and teach, but we knew we wouldn´t be able to because the Brasil game was going to start in about 25 minutes. Anyway, we go to this house and it’s the house of an elderly couple whose daughter is a member. The daughter and husband and kids are members and thy invited us to go and teach her parents. So we show up and they are having like a family party for the game and it´s a crab feast! And they were all like come and eat. Elder Lima was like really afraid of the crab, but I took my backpack off and flipped my tie over my back and went for it. I was not entirely sure how to eat it because it was a smaller crab, so the grandma´s sister helped me. Everyone was watching me as I tried to go at this tiny crab and everyone was laughing, but to tell you it was really good!!

Something that I just remembered, Logan!!!!!! Please take care of my trombone!!! I am sure it needs to be cleaned!!! Please!!!

This coming Saturday is when we find out about transfers, so we will see what happens. We find out Saturday night, and move Monday. So I don´t know if I will get to email if I’m in the middle of a move.

It seems like the weeks go by so fast and everything just kind of blends together. It is hard to remember things that happened, but that is what my journal is for! Generally, crazy things don´t happen, I mean we have our share of drunks and stuff, but that’s really about it.

I am like on page 500 and something in Jesus The Christ, so I’m making great progress there. However, I decided that I just need to really focus on reading one thing at a time, because I was trying to read too much. I really just want to focus on the Book of Mormon. So, I will just knock everything else out!

Picture wise... yea like pictures of Oregon and the area and stuff, and people, just whatever!!! haha.

Well, I miss you all, and I love you all so much!!! Talk to you again next week!!!

I DON´T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY!!!!!!! I have been waiting since last P-Day to find out where Spencer and Brenna were going!!!!! You have no idea how excited I am right now to know that they are both coming to Brazil!!!I will be able to talk to them!!!!! Just too bad they are missing Copa do Mundo!!! Brazil plays tomorrow and we have to return to our apartment and study. I will certainly write a letter next week or something and send it, because I know there are a lot of things I wish I had known prior to coming here, and some things I would have done to prepare better. When does Adam go in? And where!!!!? And when does Nick go home?? About the Spanish, I received a letter from Jessica Boggs with some Spanish in it and I could understand it. When I was in the CTM, I was told that with Português you can understand 80% of Spanish, but with Spanish you can only understand 10% of Português. But I have not really had the chance to find out so I don´t know if that is really true.

Let´s see, we were supposed to have two baptisms yesterday, a brother and sister, but the baptisms fell through because their dad left their house drunk and with a gun. Weird I know, but the baptism got cancelled.

Well, I usually have a lot of food to eat, but I can only handle so much of it. Let´s see what else. I’ve been having some real trouble with my right knee, but I had not said anything to Presidente Batt because I did not want anything to come of it. But I told him this week in my weekly email. I am hoping it is just over worked and needs a little rest. But I am doing everything possible to get it back to normal, because I need it to work, and to do other activities in my life. By the way, I scored my second goal in futebol this morning! And no, it felt good to play on my knee, because it was a different motion than just walking.

Hey Dad and Mom, if you would like a pair of scripture covers like Logan’s, just send me the name you would like put on them. I will pick the pictures because I have no real way to tell you what he exactly has.

I received Logan´s letter the other day and was really excited to read it! Except one thing, why did you not tell me when you received the covers that you had!!!!? I was worried that they had been lost in the mail!!! But it was fun to read!!! I think I will do some pictures on CD´s and mail them but I want to take some more so I can fill up the CD. So it may be a little longer. I want to use up as much space on it as I can. I will send them soon enough so you and possibly Spencer and Brenna can see what the CTM looks like.

So I think it is time for a package!!! Yay!!! So I would like some candy!!! And Jerky!!! Jerky is a must! They do not have it here! And the most important thing, I need a REAL Brasil and USA soccer Jersey, preferably Nike. I can buy them here, but they are fake so I am hoping for some real ones. If you go online you can probably find some real ones. Just be careful!! And more pictures of home, but not like of people, well people are ok, but pictures of like Oregon and what the USA is like.

We had zone conference this past week which was nice because I was able to see many of the other missionaries. We also had stake conference on Sunday, along with another baptism following right after it. So that makes two. Elder Cooper and Elder L. Lima had five. Everyone before a mission thinks it is really easy but in reality it is really, really hard especially when everything is done by word of mouth and WALKING. Like in the states, if needed, you can call and remind people of church and appointments. Here we have to walk to all of our investigators homes right before church and get them. It is also rather difficult to plan here. They make a big deal about it in the CTM/MTC to really plan well, but Elder Lima and I have had more days where the appointments we schedule do not happen and so the plan we made the night before was not even followed. In the states, many people would write appointments down somewhere to remember. Here it is kind of like, ya, you can come teach me, if at the time I am here or in the mood. So we usually just head to another house when one fails. The thing is everyone knows us, so it is kind of weird because everyone thinks that their church is the only true church, yet right next door is another church. I have honestly run into very few Catholics. Most people here are Evangelists, so we get a lot of singing and stuff like that. The biggest issue we probably have is the fact that many people will listen to us and many will believe and agree with what we teach, but when we ask them to change their lives, they won’t. So we keep trying for a bit and then after too much, we just have to move on. Another common occurrence is we will make appointments with people and we will go to teach them and they will be too tired or something else, so we will schedule again and this will happen about three times before we drop them. They pretend to be actually interested, but it is easier for them to not argue with us or listen to us by just saying yes and then they have an excuse when we to go their house.

I played soccer for the first time today and did about as well as anyone would expect. haha. I did however score a goal! So that was a plus. If you did not know, the World Cup is coming up. So basically that is the large focus of everyone and everything in Brasil right now. Most streets have green and yellow streamers over them and some sidewalks and houses are painted green and yellow. We actually have to return to our houses during the Brasil games. I’m not really sure why we can’t watch them with a family or something, but whatever. We get to go home and study and stuff. No one would accept us in their house during the game anyhow, only if we were going to watch it with them.

Let’s see…I can’t remember if I told you that I finished the Pearl of Great Price. Really easy. I am making fantastic progress through Jesus the Christ, and I finished Deuteronomy yesterday. I am almost done with Joshua too. I also practice the piano a little every P-Day, and teach Elder Lima the best I can. What I am finding is that I know it, because I learned it, it is just a matter of me actually doing it. So I figure that with some actual practice, I could maybe play.

It is rather strange to think of how fast everything is going. I am already on the final half of my first transfer. I mean, in three weeks, I could be somewhere totally new. But like everyone says, your mission will just fly by.

It is fun to hear about the fence and garden and the happenings in your lives. I am very excited to hear about Spencer, Brenna, and Cameron! That is so exciting. During our stake conference they invited a girl up onto the stand to open her mission call. Ya I know, a little weird, but everything here is very different. But she is headed to Porto Algre Norte I think, and not entirely sure I spelt that right.

Well, I miss you all. Love you! Talk to you again next week!