9/23/2008
Ola Todos
I ai (bet dad doesn~t know that one) Whats up would be the correct
translation. I hope your getting my emails seeing as how i havn´t received
any from you yet. Anyway life here at the CTM has certainly picked up and
is moving at a much faster past starting yesterday when we started the all
portuguese transition.
My schedule is pretty much as follows:
630 arise and prepare
700 breakfast
730 person study (work on talk)
800 companion study (work on mile stones ie: weekly tests)
830 Missionary Directed Study Time (MDST) – My comp and I are reading
the Book of Mormon with another companionship in Portuguese.
1130 lunch
1230 class with Irmão Naiceomento
1630 dinner (much to early)
1730 class with Irmão Da Luz (otimo!)
2115 prepare for next day
2200 be in room
2230 lights out
Hopefully you can read the map thing i sent on missionties.com
Classes are occasionally cut short for various things like fireside or devotionals
or just informational meeting. Both teachers are great though and hold my
attention all most the full time. (which is saying alot) Irmão Naceiomento looks
identical to Obama and hence i (or we) chant 2008 when we see him in the hall
and ask for Change. He is actually only 20 and has been off his mission only 4
months. His English is rusty but only in a listening form, meaning he speaks
fine but when you ask a question you sometimes get a ´Yes..` answer that doesn~t
make sense and then you halfta repeat yourself about 2 more times which gets a
few ppl pretty frustrated but i just think its hilarious. There are few concepts
they´ve taught that i havn´t been able to master yet here. We use a program
called TALL, put out by BYU for missionary use, to assists us in learning the
language and so me and Elder Bevan (short Brett Knight/Jason Lando mix) race to
see who can finish first. It remarkable how well i retain everything taught,
though being referred to for everyone's questions about a language is a little
unusual for me. I think i forgot just enough Spanish that i can over ride the
words in my memory bank yet all the grammar i retained is still very useful and
being put to constain work. Its also quite obvious how much the Lord is
constantly at work helping me as well though. The difference in thoughts and
feeling from being set apart as na Elder are more prevalent everyday, from
learning the language to finding myself accepting of people equivalent to
Eliot P (from band). Its truly incredible.
Before i forget, lets talk about my other teacher Irmão Da Luz. Words
i can think of that match his personality would be uh..... Out of this World,
Lively, Spontaneous, Hilarious, Informed, Cultured, Down Right Amazing. He
is....23...maybe? lol Married with one child who shares the same birthday as
you Kristi ;-) and is ready to be a bishop. Like everyother teacher here he
learned english on his mission and hasnt been satisfied with his abilities in
speakin it yet (which means he does better than some Utah boys here in their
english) his accent being the only thing that gives him away. He constainly
watches movie from hollywood to better understand the languege and test himself,
making him incredibly cultured and easy to talk to. One of the coolest things
about him i found out this week is that hhe is going to USU in four years for a
masters. His tagline is calling everyone Bob because he knows how common of a
name it is and hence replaces the word buddy with it instead. And his favorite
game is Jynx which makes for and even more entertaining class, if thats possible.
His only downfall is his hand writing which he easily makes up for in testimony.
Testimony, wow, he can just be carrying away talking and all of a sudden stop look
straight ahead and go ´You know what that reminds me of a scripture, lets turn
to.. it's impeccable. His knowledge is so vast and he can pinpoint a scripture
for nearly everything. Occasionally this will contribute to some very off topic
conversations that end in him telling us not to talk about it out side of the
room in the MTC be he doesn´t want ideas floating around that may not be correct
ie our washing and anointing conversation. We played Mafia in class one day, by
the way, for all you at home in STL and USU.
I made a volleyball court in our room the other night, maybe that's not
the best way to start off this paragraph but it was awesome. Wednesday through
Saturdays move at a stand still pace and make for some briefly depressing moments
sometimes and so i guess you could say that was the origin of this. But what
ended up happening was class got out (finally) and as i ran up the stairs (all 109)
i started scrunching up paper. Then at the top i put a rubber band around it
to hold it together. This commenced a game of keep it in the air (with legal
bumps) between me and Elder Whitehead (Chris Wittemore looks, relaxed
nonakward Nick Lee personality lol) Then i stook my stretch cord and connected
them between the beds and he draped a towel over them making for a perfect net
and the games begun. It was prolly one of the best spiritual experiences ever,
relizing how perfect each teacher eacher companion and roomate were for eachother
and that everything is truly inspired. But thats not really what was on our
mind as the first paper ball fell out our 7th story window and we promptly had
to make another and find a new rubber band in the process. Looking back though
things like that are just what you need after a long day. Two other very wonderful
things we do are tickle tender E Olson (Patrick R [USU] mixed with some
personality i have yet to place) until he is red all over or its just become
a little to awkward. The other is scare E. Clark (a utah high school jock, i
dunno how to spell that, who wouldn~t fit in the same category in STL)
literally he jump a foot and a half each time you suddenly pop out from behind
a wall. Now a days i just walk right behind him and that freaks him out cause
he doesn~t know when i´m going to strike so he walks with one eye on me and one
in front and neither of us can help but laugh.
524 tiles, thats how many i cleaned during the service project this week, all
as big as the ones in our kitchen too. They were all placed on that walls only
for tiles high from the bottom which made for the most pleasurable mix, of
standing hunch, to squating and then kneeling then repeat, ever. I managed
to bust my spray bottle upon dropping it half way through and the janitor took
it, sprayed the chemical in his hand, smelled it, then proceeded to spray and
smell every other chemical in the closet till he found the one he thought match
the best. Sanitary? Anyways my knees still haven´t recovered infact i hadn´t
even realized that was the reason my knees have been killing me until i just
wrote this. It was actually difficult to make it up the stairs the other day
due to the growing pain like feeling each knee humbly possess.
Read Preach My Gospel, family especially. Stop reading this or anything else
your doing and go start reading it right now. Just about everything in the is
applicable to you. I honestly think you should put down the Book of Mormon
and start reading that each night in a short, unprepared version, of FHE each
night. Just read a page or a section or anything, i promise it will bless and
uplift you. As for scripture i suggest Moroni chapter 7 and D&C 93 this week,
both are gold, and one actually use to be LITERALLY! (wow that was bad, sorry)
Finally Cole, Elder Yancey, lives three doors down from me. And let me say it
is great to see a familiar face that can talk about home with me in a reference
way. Does that make sense? Well anywayz i see him at least twice a day and it
always makes me smile even when its just a passing comment. Wow, its wierd to
think he has already been here a week. It feels like he just got here and i´m
on my third week.
Well fam i love you so much. Travis i really wanna hear from you, and play
some sports with you. Same with you kristi lee. Ali and mom thank you so
much for your notes and dad i have never felt closer to you. It is a honor
and privilege to have grown up in a family like ours and i make sure to thank
the Lord every day. Keeping pushing through school and sports as hard as you
can everyone and know i´m right here cheering you on and pushing just as hard.
I love you so very much. Times up tho, i´ll ttyl
Um Abrasão (thanks for that one last time dad)
Elder Neuberger = )
P.S. Things i could use include a water bottle, hackie sack, jump rope, and
electric shaver...if anyone's in the mood
PSS ill send picture next time, or try. LUV YA
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