Missionary Minstrels
Hey my family! It doesn’t seem like a week has passed. Wow, another P-day.
This week was really good. My first week with Elder Duarte, a Brazilian Elder of 23 months and about 220 lbs. He’s so awesome. President Pavan said he was the best trainer in the mission, and I can already see why. He always corrects my Portuguese, and is constantly giving me tips and advice on all aspects of missionary work. I have to keep a pen handy. He teaches in a way that we’re not teaching lessons, we’re just conversing with our investigators, and he’s able to bring all of our teaching points in naturally. He’s the kind of guy you would really want to come to a party to liven every up. I want to be like him. I feel very blessed to be his last companion.
However, this week was also very hard, and I feel like the work stopped for a little while at the beginning. Why? Me. Only me. This week was very humbling. I never realized how much Elder Losee was doing for me, behind my back.
Elder Losee and I saying goodbye
The biggest things is that I thought it would be simple to get my way around Boqueirao by myself, but I quickly realized that this was a grave understatement. Our first night together, Elder Duarte followed me on to the bus line Edmundo Trein, which goes to our neighborhood. Cool. So we sat there for a couple minutes, before realizing that it was going in the opposite direction of our house. I hadn’t realized that there were two sides of bus stop, and that we entered the wrong side which would take us out of the city and then turn back around and go to our house. So we got back to our house 40 minutes late that night. That pretty much sums up how this week has went. For example, finding this LAN house only 5 minutes away from our house, took 15 minutes instead because I thought that it was one road further away than I remembered. Pretty much Elder Duarte has thrown a couple of fits each time this happens, but he’s always quick to laugh and joke and smile afterwards. Anyway, we’ve gotten lost a million times this week because I thought I knew where we were going but we didn’t. That’s pretty typical of me isn’t it? Anyway, I’m really learning how to do a lot of things on my own, because I can’t rely on another person whose been here for seven months to guide me around. It’s funny.
But anyway I’m really being humbled, because I’m realizing how much things I need to do better. Elder Duarte is really helping me figure out that my Portuguese still needs a lot of work, and there’s a million different things I could do in lessons and with investigators that would be more effective. Cool. But I’m learning.
What else is cool is that I’ve been speaking non-stop Portuguese since the beginning of this week, because for some reason it’s easier with a Brasilian (even though he knows English). Just last night, Elder Duarte told me to only speak English, and I didn’t think anything about it and tried to start speaking English. After a couple of words I reverted straight back to Portuguese! I laughed it off, made a comment, but it came out in Portuguese! It was really freaking me out, and I tried to talk with my companion, and out kept coming Portuguese words. For some reason my thoughts were just associated with other language, after talking the whole week in Portuguese. It was really cool because I realized that my brain actually IS learning and changing to cope with a foreign language, but it was also a little freaky. I’m serious. Some words, it took me about 5 seconds to remember what it was in English. I’m not saying I forgot the word in English, but my mind was just so accustomed to the other word that it kept wanting to come out instead. Man. But awesome.
Missionary Cowboy - Gaucho
I also got some packages this week! Look’s like Brendon’s came a bit earlier, but I had an envelope full of notes from Primary kids in our ward! So awesome! I loved it so much! I remember doing that when I was a kid, and thinking it was boring, and why would anyone enjoy a couple words from a stranger, but I really did like it. Just a taste of home, and a chance to remember each kid in our ward. So cool.
I also received a Christmas package from Grandma! I really needed the vitamins because I ran out, and I was also feeling sick so it gave me a bit of hope then. I also enjoyed the candy and the card. And then I received a very special e-mail from her too. Thank you so much Grandma. I love you so much. You are really helping me feel connected to the family.
Brendon, I love you man and I can’t wait to talk to you and hear your Portuguese! I wonder if we will have different accents or not? And I also just want to hear your voice man. It’s strange to think it’s only been a month and a half because it really does seem like forever ago. At the same time it seems like just yesterday. Ah life. It sounds like things are really going for you and I’m super jealous about the video games and movies! But we do other cool things here like… bowling. Oh yeah and it’s really not that hot here and super gorgeous landscapes and super delicious food too, so there.
"Boulishe"
I hope everyone is having good holidays! You guys on break yet? What are the plans for Christmas this year family? I want to know! I can’t wait to talk to you all!
Lynsey, how is midterms going? Study study study! It’ll be worth it! And I’m going to have to start telling people my sister is 18 instead of 17! That seems so weird to me that you’re going to be 18. Oh my gosh. I just stopped typing for like 10 minutes.
(Note from Mom: she is 16, going on 17)
Kaitlin, how are you? Excited for Christmas? What is the thing you most want this year? Did you like Thanksgiving? I am so excited to talk to you soon my sister and you can hear me speak a different language!
Dad, thanks so much for the letter and don’t you worry about length. You’re going to have to do this for a while yet so I understand if there’s some dry weeks. But I love you dad and your words really helped me this last week. I also love telling people that you became Elders Quorum Pres. :). It’s a big responsibility but I know you are the person that the Lord needs there now. I also know the Lord will bless us for surely having so much involvement in the service of others right now. Just have to keep faith and keep doing what we know we should be!
Mom, I love you lots and think about you often. Sometimes I feel like I’m alone out here and remembering that I actually have a loving mother out there who cares about me so much really helps. Thank you for helping me be who I am right now. I’m so grateful for that. Hey, I found a really cool musician I know that you will like, through some other missionaries. The artist’s name is Paul Cardall. Just search up his stuff, you will love it! And you can think of me too when you listen.
From Passo Fundo, before transfers - "Rain, Rain, Go Away"
Alright, so I’ll end with a story .... Sometimes the food here is really good, but also really strange. And American bellies are not accustomed to this strange food. Just yesterday after lunch I started getting a really sharp pain in my stomach, so much so that I couldn’t really exert myself in the lesson and Elder Duarte took over most of the time. We walked and did appointments for about two hours and the pain just kept getting worse and worse. I wanted to go home and get some medicine but Elder Duarte told me to keep going and that pain was something we just needed to control on the mission, and complaining only makes it worse. So I kept going, keeping my mouth shut, praying that it would go away. Finally I couldn’t take it, and we stopped for a second for me to rub my belly, and Elder Duarte said there was a market nearby and we could buy some coke and maybe that would help. So we went in the market, my stomach was hurting so bad, and as we were standing in line to buy the coke it finally went away. I walked out of the store, didn’t even need the coke, I felt completely better, but Elder Duarte and I enjoyed a cold soda anyway. I’m sorry that the most noteworthy thing about this week was the above story. I try.
Love you guys! Talk to you in 10 days!
Elder C
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