Caitlin's Mission Blog

10 Investigators at church . . . TEACHING!

2010-10-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Email from Caitlin 092310

Hey fam! How's everyone going? Dang, I got the annoying keyboard again. Lame. Oh well.

So! These past 10 days have been rockin! We've got 5 baptisms lined up for the month of October and I'm so excited! The only prob is that our investigators can only meet with us at night! So, we have got a ton of appointments at like the same time, all starting after 6:00. Plus, our area is huge!

Sweetest experience of the week time! Thiago (aka The Golden Investigator) did the sweetest thing last week. We taught the WoW to him, and afterwards he went to his kitchen and threw out all the coffee in his house! It was the sweetest thing! We were just dying at how unbelievable it was! And he's been able to stay of coffee too! He seriously is just getting everything about the gospel. He's already in 2 Nephi in the BOM, and he even picked up on the whole Lehi comes from the line of Joseph (Egypt) which is the same line as Christ--who understands that the first time they read? And he's already highlighting and underlining parts of the BOM too. We taught the Plan of Salvation (plano de salvaçao) this week, and he understood perfectly the 2 effects of the fall (death and sin) that are keeping us from returning to HF. It was so crazy! He's so great. Everytime he introduces himself to someone in the ward he says, "Hi, I'm Thiago. I'm going to be baptized on Oct 2." Haha! Unbelievable. Pretty sure this one of the best investigators I'm going to have on the mission.

Ok, Valdecir, I can't remember if I already talked about him. But we remarked his baptism for Oct 9 because he's travelling alot. I think he wants to be baptized, but he's just wanting to make sure that he's doing the right thing. I don't think he's hesitant, I just think he wants to make sure it's the right thing. Luckily we gave him a very strong committment to read the BOM and pray that night to know. He said he gets the chills every time he reads the BOM, but he's just recognizing it as an answer to what he's supposed to do.

Vinicius. We marked his baptism this week! For Oct 9. He's 19 and has tons of member friends that work for him. So he's already got really good examples to look up to. We're working on the whole "answer" thing to prayer with him, but I think he's coming along.

Solange. She's about 55, and also another friend of irma Angela in the ward (who brought my other baptism in this ward, Lucia, to the church. Pretty much she rocks at being a member missionary). Solange's known about the church for a long time, and just wanted to wait to be baptized for the anniversary of when her son died (yeah....no idea, she's kinda crazy :) ) which is in October! Haha, so finally maybe it'll actually happen! We marked for Oct 16.

AND....there's one more! Ero, he's 14 and has been going to seminary with a couple friends, and the other day he said he wants to be baptized! So we're going to teach him tomorrow. I'm so excited to teach him! Plus, he lives with his grandma, and he said that she's a little bit interested in the church too. Sweet huh?!! Hopefully he can get baptized quickly on Oct 9 or 16 too.

Pretty much this ward is rockin the references and all! But I think we're helping them. Right now that's where we're trying to find new investigators, in working through the members. And we're seeing a lot of the fruits right now. It's seriously so exciting! I never thought I'd get so into this, but I seriously am! Haha, it's hilarious.

Ok, and today. We went to the Porto Alegre temple! It was pretty sweet. That's why our p-days were mixed up this week. It was a long 10 days, but now we only have to wait 3 days for the next one. Kinda cool. It was fun to go with Pres and Sis Swenson. They gave everyone a hug as we came into the celestial room. They're seriously so great.

Dang, I hope I'm not forgetting anything! I'll send some pics right now. Love you all! Gar and Kend sounds like you guys are kicking up the running! Keep it up! I really want to go to some of your races when I get back. :) Burns--how's school going? Thanks so much for your email this week! Sounds like San Diego and Lake Powell was a blast. And thanks for Matt's email too! Haha, South Africa has gotta be just crazy. Don't forget to write to him! Letters are the bomb. And Andrew, and Drew too!

Could you guys get me Angie and Briana's email addresses please? That'd be great.

Love you all!

Members make a Difference!

2010-10-02T19:06:00.001-07:00

Email from Caitlin 091310

Pictures:

"With Angela from the ward. The sweetest ward member--she's already invited like 3 of her friends to hear missionary lessons. This is the lady who baptized 2 seventies on her mission."

"With my new companion, Sister Griciu. We're squatting to fit in the picture"

What up fam!!!

It was SOOO GREAT to get emails from Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa too! Keep em coming! I know everybody's as busy as heck, but Kend, Gar, Burns...write me sometime! :)

Dang, I have a TON to write! So I'll just start.

First, my new comp! Her name's Sister Gricius...another Americana! This is SOOOO abnormal. I was almost certain I'd definitely get a brazilian comp, but another american, in a row! IT's good though, we're sticking with the Portuguese. It's crazy though, cuz now I've officially had more American comps than Brazilian comps. Luckily, my portuguese is still pretty good compared to others with my time, but it's not progressing as fast unfortunately. But I don't think I'll have another American comp in a while after this. Actually, there's only 4 of us in the mission (american sisters) and I've already been comps with all of them now--Sister Nielson (MTC), Sister Jones, and Sister Gricius. I find it kind of funny.

Sister Gricius is GREAT! She's from Highland, and has 11 bros and sisters. She almost has 1 year on the mission, and teaches and speaks really well. I'm excited to be learning a lot from her.

Ok, THIS WEEK! Holy cow! We have had an awesome week! We're really trying to get the members involved in the work, and last week we received a ton of references. And this week we marked 2 almost certain baptisms for October 2!!! Story time...

First, Tiago. He was a reference from a neighboring area. The elders were really sad to give him to us because he is awesome!! First lesson, even before we started, S. Gricius explained that we were going to invite him to prepare to be baptized during the lesson, and he said he already wanted to be baptized! Holy cow, he's golden. It's like too good to be true. He's the cutest thing though--just super anxious and nervous about doing everything and answering every question just right. He really has a desire to be baptized and follow this church. The best part was that he felt like he's been searching for something in his life--a different way of living with "regras" or rules and standards....hello COMMANDMENTS! Perfect! That's usually the only scary part to teach but he actually wants that! Haha, I can't wait to teach word of wisdom and all that.

So we gave him BOM and invited him to read and pray that night. He understood very well and said, I will read this right after you guys leave and then I will say a prayer and ask God if it is true. SOOO cute! He's just kind of a nervous type guy, just trying to everything exactly right. We called him the next day to see if he really did read and he already read 3 Nephi 11 and the introduction and prayed! He asked if getting goose bumps during the prayer was a good sign too!! Oh, it was so cool to talk to him (in English btw, he speaks really good English) and hear that he just read and then went into the kitchen and prayed. We explained that of course it was a good sign. Then we left 2 Nephi 31 for him to read the next night and he did! He went to a Mission Work Fireside at our ward Sunday night (he would've come to church but he had a one-time course that only is offered Sunday from 8 to 12) and we explained about baptism and how it's going to be. On the phone, he asked if he would have to swim to be baptized! haha, i explained no, just that he'd be standing in water up to is waist. Oh it was so cool!!!! He's just gotta go to church these next 2 weeks in order to be baptized. (Background: he attended English classes at the church like 9 years ago but never got baptized)

Ok, now Valdecir! He's the cousin of the old bishop who moved to Texas. He's been coming to church now for about a month. He's living away from his family to work and go to school, and he's really worried about his family all the time. His cousin already left a BOM, D&C, and Gospel Principles book, and when we taught him (finally) he said he's already practically read the whole gospel principles book while cross-referencing it to the scriptrues too! It was crazy! We started out by asking questions and he said he just wanted to know what he had to do in order to officially join and then had questions about the word of wisdom. So we just taught that! Not even about the restoration. It was so sweet cuz we had 4 members there during the lesson that really helped too. Apparently he's had a tough time with smoking and drinking, but he's been able to get over those, and now it's just coffee and tea. His body has been really become used to coffe and tea, and he explained that he had stopped drinking tea for 15 days now, and that we could probably see that he was a little bit nervous and anxious because of it. We explained about the healing power of the Atonement and the importance of reading the scriptures to replace these old habits. And he accepted the baptism invitation too! He just wants to explain it to his wife and family before (who live in another city for now). It was so awesome!!!

And....Denner (the little 9-yr old boy) finally came to church! It was is silly grandpa that we had to just coax into asking forgiveness to someone in the ward (for something that apparently wasn't even a big deal) and Denner just finally said "Why don't you just call him?" So Denner got the phone, called the guy, and then gave the phone to the grandpa. IT was so awesome! This kid is so cute! I hope we can get permission from his mom. We got her number and are gonna try calling her this week.

My goodness this week was so sweet! Pray for these people to be able to keep fulfilling the commitments and all!

OH my...we had a record TEN investigators at church too! We brought a mom and her 2 nieces to church. THe mom has to get married legally to her husband, so we'll see what happens with her. But it was a sweet Sunday. Lots of work to make sure every investigator has someone to sit with! It's really great that the members here are so willing to help!

Sounds like Stake Conference was sweet! I read that story about Elder Packer I think..but not about the interest thing! How funny! Feel lucky to be able to see an apostle! The people here would die to be able to have that opportunity! I lvoed the story about hte fire alarm stuff--how funny! Brynne-- "para bens" or congrats on the science fair project! How sweet! and Gar that's sweet that your team cap! Don't let it get to your head though! Keep running hard! Sad to hear BYU lost to Air Force--so they still play Mountain West teams? What's up with all that^? Thanks for the email from Matt too! Sounds like he's doing great! Dad--I cannot BELIEVE you only had 3 areas in your entire mission! It's rare for a sister to have just 4--usually it's 5 or 6, and you never stay more than 5 transfers, 7 1/2 months in one area. That's insane.

Well, gotta go soon! Thanks for all the prayers! We're definitely finding more and more people to teach! Pray that these two men can continue and everything will go right in the next two weeks. There's a huge focus on finding potential famillies and priesthood holders--not just individuals.

Thanks for the picture too! Loved seeing the Brazil wall too! All my love to you guys!

Caitlin

Courage to Declare . . .

2010-09-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Email from Sister Christensen September 7, 2010

Caitlin's Comments on above photos:

"I think I'm becoming a total plant nerd! But there are so many cool plants here!"

"A cute outfit I discovered! Haha, there's only so many combinations you can do with a limited wardrobe, and this is a new one! I think it's pretty cute, so I had to take a picture. Yes, the "thrills" of the mission--finding a new combo of clothes."

Holy cow family!

Can you believe it's already been 6 months?! That's seriously insane for me. It's just amazing that I'm already 1/3 done with the mission! And I feel like I haven't even started yet!

So, first, TRANSFER NEWS! Our district leader, Elder Gramosa, called us last night at 11:30 (Yes, I realize that isn't considered late for normal people, but for missionaries that's so LATE! Haha, that's hilarious that 11:30 sounds really late to me.) Anyway, he called and told us the news last night, which is rare, usually it comes Monday sometime around 11:00. So, I was SUPERLY nervous that I was going to get transferred AGAIN and have 4 areas in my first 5 months in the field, but I'm staying! Hooray! I'm kind of relieved actually. It's nice to be transferred, well, actually I don't know any different, but I'm glad to finally be able to stay in an area for at least 2 transfers. Haha. And this ward is super good too! So I'm excited.

The ward is really so great. Yesterday and Saturday during our fast we received FOUR references! It was crazy. This ward is so good about giving references. And they're good ones too! One guy actually "bore is his testimony" yesterday during sacrament meeting even though he's not even baptized! He's known the church for years, and he talked about coming back and then when he sat down he just cried and cried on the bench. It was so sweet! We'll be teaching him this Saturday, the only day he can unfortunately.

So also this week, I learned some really important stuff about being a parent and raising your children from 2 different experiences. First, remember Denner? The 9-yr old boy who visits his grandpa who is inactive but doesn't think he is. Anyway, we've been trying to get them to go to church for 3 weeks now. The first two weeks it was because the grandpa didn't have a stinkin suit! And THIS WEEK Denner flat out said, "I want to go to church tomorrow." But, the grandpa didn't go because he apparently offended someone in the ward and is embarrassed to go to church! It was INCREDIBLY ridiculous! This poor kid seriously wants to go to church, but is grandpa is letting is own pride get in the way! Of course, we can help the grandpa too, but he's just being so selfish.

The second experience was visiting a inactive family in the ward. When we met the husband, he was leaving but said he was going to go to church this Sunday and has really been missing the church. But, the mom doesn't want to go because "of the people in general." She mentioned the fact that she didn't like the fact that the people in the ward talked about their shoes and their clothes. So she doesn't like the fact that people are imperfect? It was so weird. The worst part though is that she has a 10 year old son who's not baptized, but she doesn't want him to be baptized right now because she wants him to be able to choose. She says she still has a complete testimony of the BOM and the Church, but she doesn't want to go to church. She believes that if God wants her to go to church He will let her know and will give her the desire to go back to church. ...she'll get some sort of "spiritual manifestation" that she should go. But it's not like that! She has to be searching for that desire. So sad, because you can see how her choices are going to seriously affect her family's future. The dad sincerely wants to go back to church, and asked his wife to come with him so he won't be lonely, but she said no and complained that he tried to get her to go with her. I seriously felt so sad for this lady and her family. I explained that story that you told me Dad about our great-great-great grandpa [He was offended and fell away from the church, along with two generations of his posterity] and that the church is NOT the people in the church, the church is the doctrine, the scriptures, the commandments, etc. So, she rebutted with the fact that she HAS the doctrine in her home with the Bible and the BOM, but she's just missing it!! You cannot be saved with just that! You can't take the sacrament in your home, can't be baptized in your home, can't hear the prophet's words in your home (unless you're lucky and live in Utah), can't go to the temple in your home.

I think I kind of softly "burned" her with love we could say, but I really testified with "power and authority" that God was crying for her over her situation and very much wanted her to go back to church and that one day she would feel this desire to go to church again. I also reiterated that story of our great grandpa whatever and how his one decision affected generations of his family. Sister Jones said she really felt the spirit and I seriously did too. It's so weird to have this calling as a missionary cuz I don't think I would have said things as strongly as I did just being regular me, but this calling maybe "allows" you to speak forcefully and call people to repentance. It was sweet, and just so sad at the same time.

OKAY, that was practically my week. We have so many good references from the members lined up for this week and I'm so excited! I really hope I can help many of these people be baptized. Haha, well what's going on in back in Utah?

I can't believe BYU went independent!!!! You gotta tell me more about that. Like, who are they gonna play now? And PAC 10 picked U of U? Sounds like there's some crazy stuff happening in the college world!

I also can't believe our awesome tupperware's melted! Haha, that's hilarious!! Actually, I can believe it. Very typcial our family huh?

Congrats to Gar and Kend in the races! That's definitely one of the things I want to do when I get back..see my siblings compete and perform. Haha, weird how you realize what you really miss when you're not there.

Can't wait to hear from you guys next week! Dad, Kend, Gar, Brynne, send me some emails too! I love hearing from you guys! THanks for the pics too! How fun!

Love you all!

Caitlin

Baptism of Sister Lucia Belmonte

2010-09-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

Email from Caitlin August 30, 2010

Hey family!

Sounds like Matt and Drew are going to be GREAT on their missions! I'm super excited for them! THey're going to be so great. I can't believe school is starting! Or started I should say! That is just so weird to me! Can you believe I'll only be missing 2 more semesters too? That's insane. Gar--nice work at OHS! I heard about your camp chair ideas. Haha, that's so awesome. Send me some more pics of the new school so I don't go into shock when I come back!

Well, this week was great! Lucia (a member's friend) got baptized and it all went really well! We were a little nervous when we taught about tithing and fasting, but she readily accepted it! It was so cool. She said that her church before that her mom raised her in had always paid tithing and they had fasted every Sunday. So she was well prepared! I was very grateful for her mom and that church that prepared her so well for this gospel! The only sad thing was that hardly anyone from the ward showed up. But that's okay. She's already got visiting teachers going too, so she should be good. Also, we had zone conference this week and it was really good.

We got to practice asking "inspired questions" to make the lesson more of a conversation rather than just us speaking, and we tried it with Lucia that night and it definitely worked! IT was so cool to see how inspired the conference was. We asked about prayer in her life, and she shared a bunch of things from her life that would work really well into the next lesson on the PLan of Salvation. IT was sweet! Unfortunately, nothing's really come of Alceu. I think the family helping sort of gave up or something, because we haven't been able to teach him anymore. But that's okay.

We are teaching a cute little 9-year old boy who's grandpa is a member. Haha, this week's lesson was pretty funny. The grandpa LOVES to talk and share is gospel knowledge (he swears he's still very active in the church but hasn't attended church in years.) So this lesson we taught the faith, repentance, baptism, etc. using "stepping stones" that he uses to get back to God. IT was really cute. But the lessons are always so hard because the grandpa loves to talk about deep doctrine, like patriarichal blessings, baptism for the dead with the poor kid! We're grateful for his help, but would rather teach him alone. :) So, this week, S. Jones starting talking to him while I sort of reviewed the Restoration lesson with him! It was so fun to just talk to this little kid in Portuguese and explain the pictures that he loves to look at! And he was helping me with the port too. So fun! and cute! The problem will be having him come to church with the grandpa, who thinks he needs to find a different suit to come. (Lame!) But it's coming along.

I can't believe this is my last week with S. Jones! It's been so fun with her! And we've been able to grow so much together too. Especially with teaching in Portuguese. We really just had to learn it all. So good. But in one week we'll be starting another transfer. I REALLY hope that I stay here and don't get transferred again! But anything could happen I guess. Anyway, have a sweet week! Thanks so much for the pictures! I love seeing them!

Love you all! Caitlin

Another new area . . "Chique"

2010-08-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

HEY FFAAAAAMMMIILLLYY!!

(This keyboard is soooo sticky! But at least I have one!)

cAN YOU believe it's already been 5 months? That's just crazy to me! Well, technically it's tomorrow I think. But anyway.

So, TRANSFER TIME!! It HAS to be from revelation, because seriously NO ONE was expecting last transfer (me super greenie with a new senior comp w/only 6 months opening an area!) and NOW no one was expecting this either. . . I HAVE AN AMERICAN COMPANION! It's just crazy, and like never happens, unless you are training or something. anyway, her name is Sister Celeste Jones, from Las Vegas, I think from a place called Henderson. So...she's blond with blue eyes, and let's just say we get a lot of looks. Haha, kinda hilarious actually. It'll probably just get worse too, cuz it's only the first week of us together. But seriously, it's so nice to be able to speak to her in English sometimes! We try to keep speaking portuguese, but sometimes it's still English. She's very fun and I'm learning a lot from her too.

Oh, where am I?!! Haha, I'm still in Porto Alegre in an area called Ala 1 (Ward 1) haha. But the ward is seriously HUGE! There were at least 120 people at sacrament meeting yesterday, the biggest ward I've seen yet. and the members there are awesome at helping us, like giving references and stuff like that. So, it should be a good experience. But I can't believe I already have 3 areas!! My comp, whose been out a year, as only at three areas. and my trainer only had 4 total. But pretty sure I'll have AT LEAST 5 areas, most likely more. IT's kinda a pain to have to learn everything and everyone all over again, but also kind of exciting at the same time.

So, not much really happened this week that I can remember, just the transfer which was the big news. Sorry, this email is kinda lame this week, but really it was just a whole bunch of walking and learning the streets, which is super hard because the area is massive!

Oh, maybe a bit moe about the area. It's a suepr "chique" area, which means really fancy. Like, really close to the center of Porto Alegre, so there's a whole bunch of fancy shops, and almost everyone lives in aparments, which makes finding people SUPER hard. But to compensate, the members are wonderful.

Also, this is the first chapel that I wasnt FREEZING at church! I don't know why but the chapels are seriously so cold, and the members are crazy because htey like the fresh air. So, I actually wasn't even tht cold.

And one more quick thing, so yesterday was testimony meeting, and I guess Pres. Swenson 'strongly encouraged" all the missionaries to bear their testimony each month, but i didn't know until now! Haha, so I bore my testimony yesterday in portuguese in church for the first time! Haha, it went well. THe port is getting to the point where I can actaully say things fluently when I want to say them, and not just have to think forever before. It's also way nice to see another american missionary, because I realized that my portuguese is actually WAAAYY good for where I am on the mission. LIke, in some ways, I speak better than my comp, maybe just the vocab that I'm not so good at. So, that's a HUGE confidence booster!

We taught our first full lesson together the other day, and it was kinda hard because there wasn't a brasilian to back us up when we didn't quite understand, but it was good practice. I think people will be more interested too because we're both american. Haha, I'm sure we'll have some funny experiences.

anway, thanks so much for al lthe emails and letters! I just seirously love hearing from all you guys! Be sure to go water skiing this summer for me! I hope you're all loving the summer vacation, but remember to work hard!

Love you all and thank you so much for the prayers! Have a super week and enjoy your WARM AUGUST!!

Caitlin

What . . . will . . . happen???

2010-08-03T06:33:00.000-07:00

Email from Caitlin as she is sitting at the keyboard and her companion is finding out about transfers this week . . . . July 26, 2010

Ok, the S. Freire is talking to the district leader......

And the news is.....

Dang, still waiting, she's asking about everybody else now.

I'm thinking that one of us will be transferred by the way she reacted. But we we're expecting to stay together because we opened the area. still don't know yet....

Ok, the news is........

I'm being transferred!

Holy cow! Three areas in the first three transfers!!!!! no way, that's insane. And I was just getting used to the area and the members all over again! And I won't get to see the baptism of Marilda. So sad!! Holy cow, so much to do too now! Gotta go pack the bags AGAIN!!!

Tchau!

Teaching . . . . Marilda

2010-08-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

Email from Caitlin on July 26, 2010
Photo above "This is our investigator Marilda [see below] She ave me this cute very Brazilian doll. So sweet! She made it. I love it!"

Hi Everyone :)

I totally forgot that this week was a holiday i n Utah! (btw, this keyboard is super sticky and way annoying, so srry if my spelling is horrible!)

So.. this week. Last week of the transfer and it was acually pretty good! S. Freire and I had our best numbers yet. (Ok, I'm not a fan of tracking people as a number on the mission, but i'll admit that its kinda fun to get good numbers). Anyway, it was our best week yet for number of lessons taught (18?) and new investigators (13?). I don't really know if these are considere good numbers (don't judge) but they were good for us. :)

OH! I got a package from mission ties from you guys!! It was SO SWEET! Thanks so much seriously! I loved it, I seriously have been mising true panckakes. :) The problem is that they don' have syrup here!!! or Peanut butter! So, i've got to find a substitte. But I will. nyway, thanks so much again! It made my day.

Um, another fun story: we got home Saturday night a little lae and got a phone call from the exec secretary asking us if we could give a talk the next morning! Haha, yeah, intense. I think I could do it in English just fine, but add Portuguese and that's super hard!!! But we agreed and it actually went really well! My port is getting a little bit better so I can actually use facial expressions and move my voice a little bit when I speak. Haha!!! and come up with things on the spot too, well, at least sometimes. So the talk went really well. And I actually spoke for like 7 minutes not 4.5!! Yes, recor for me. It was on an Ensign talk about obedience by Elder, dang forgot his name, and the name of the talk. The one with the funny airplane story at the beginning.

Another cool story of the wek. So we marked a batism with this lady (Marilda) who went to the FHE the other week. But the prob is she doesn't ever come to church because she has to take care of her mom. anyway the baptism would've been this Saturday, and on thursday she asked, "so how is the baptism thing gonna work out this week?" Haha! Crazy! So we xplained that she has to attend church at least twice in order to be baptized. And we set a new goal for three weeks. Unfortunately she didn't come to church this week either, but she's still got 2 weeks before the enxt goal. So, if I'm not transferred then hopefully we'll have a bapism soon! But, other good news, we had another investigator show up at church and we were'nt expecting him to come, so that was cool.

Update on that fam who we helped carry groceries, we tried again to teach them but nobody was home again. And they live at like the edge of our area and it takes like an hour to walk there, so it's sorta hard to try to see if their home a few times duing the week. Kinda sad.

and Saturday we went to help with a service project the church does each year called Hands that Help. (Maos que Ajudam). The prob was it rained during the whole thing so we couldn't really help out much. But I took a few fun pics.

OH, about the the popu,ation here. It's really not that uncommon to see white peoploe here. People with blond hair too. Dad, it's actually not 1/3 or 1/4 of the population, but maybe 1/10 is white and and 1/20 or less has blond hair maybe. So, not uncommon. Maybe I see 2-3 people every day with blue eyes. I don't really know. :) But, Brazil is def a melting pot, more than the US I think, especially here inthe South.

Ok, well time to send pictures. this keyboard is so annoying!

Thanks for the awesome emails every week! I love hearing about you guys!!!!

Love you all!

Cabo

Kids in the Ward . . . "You have Pink Hair!"

2010-07-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

World Cup Fans!

2010-07-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

First Transfer - now in Porto Alegre!

2010-07-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll!

So yes, I’m in Porto Alegre now. (First transfer) An area called Cristal. Our apartment is on the corner of streets Marechal Hermes and Doctor Barcelos. And the church is at the very end of Doctor Barcelos, right next to the river. The river is huge and awesome! I love being able to see the river sometimes. And porto Alegre has hills so the landscape is very beautiful. (But not that beautiful when you're walking up a hill!) Some of the areas that we work in are called Cristal, Vila Assuncao and Tristeza. Well, maybe you can find those on the map. The whole area borders Rio Guiaba.

So, our apartment is nice, but not really furnished. They just bought it a week before the transfer. So we didn't have electricity for a couple days, and gas for the stove for the first day. So food was bread and crackers and fruit. :) But now we've got all that stuff. And we got a dresser and a desk too. Luckily we have 2 beds at least. :)

So my new comp is Sister. Freire. Yes, she's Brazilian. From Sao Paulo. She's been a convert since she was 18 and she's 24 right now. She's only been out on the mission for 6 months! And I only have 3 months! And speak hardly any Portuguese! So...it's tough. She's a first time senior companion too. So we're learning. She's a little different than S. Araujo. But we get along just fine. So, this week we spent a lot of time getting lost because neither of us know the area. And we're trying to find other people to teach because the sisters before didn't really have anyone progressing.

Oh, Porto Alegre is definitely a little bit more nice than Pelotas. But it's still the same. There are lots of poor areas and rich areas in our area. This bishop is apparently really rich. And i think the people are familiar with the sisters. So...sorry that's about it from this week.

Oh, last week for p-day. We all went out and celebrated our last day together with 4 sisters. So... we decided to eat somewhere really fancy. Guess where somewhere really fancy is.... McDonalds! Haha, I was cracking up. But it's expensive here! You can go to an all you can eat buffet with a choice of meat for R$8 but McDonalds is R$12 for a meal! Insane. But it was delicious, that's for sure. And it was delicious. I'll send you pictures too.

All my love! Are you just loving not having to plan the trek!!!???? Haha, keep up the good work with grandma's house! I LOVED hearing about all the family!

Oh hey--when you send me letters (like from the house) could you also send some more pictures of the family to me. Or a picture of the "Brazil wall" that sounds awesome. Or just fun pictures of our family. Thanks!

Love you all!

Caitlin

With Sister Araujo . . .

2010-07-18T08:12:00.001-07:00

RAIN of Brazil -- drenching!!

2010-07-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Humor at the Baptism

2010-07-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Sister Christensen's email of June 14 2010

Hey everyone!

Sooooo glad to hear you all survived the TREK! Sounds like it was intense! But worth it too. Holy cow, I swear nothing ever seems to go right up there. There's always something going wrong. Haha. The whole family. Someone eat another one for me. Cuz ice cream is way expensive here. And hardly no one eats it.

Well, some quick items. I finally bought a tape recorder thing. And I'm recording on 2.4 speed. So make sure yours plays at that speed too. Um, my blow dryer busted. I think because of the voltage change. Cuz it was going crazy from the beginning. Like going in and out of being on, really high, really low suddenly. Anyway.

Oh, I officially pulled out the thermals. Loved it. It got down to about 45 degrees I think last week. And winter is just beginning! So I'm def going to buy some thick tights today, and leggings for underneath skirts and buy some boots too. Maybe a thick sweater, cuz all mine are really thin.

So, to answer some questions about zone conferecnce. There's 2 zone conferences for the mission, once a transfer (6 weeks). One for the north part, and the other for the south part. I'm in the south part of the mission, and the zone conference was at our chapel (very convienent). I don''t know who cooks the food, but I think some sistersin the ward do. It was all very yummy. It usually lasts from like 9 to 4, with a break for lunch in the middle. Um...I think that's about it.

So... funny story of the week. We wanted to bring an investigator to a baptism that was happening in the other ward, but she ended up not being able to go. So, we decided to just try inviting people in the street in front of the church! Haha, we didn't really think it would work. But we saw a guy walking ahead of us and said "that's the guy!" So, S. Araujo approached him and invited him to come inside the church and look around and see how a baptism would happen, the same way that Jesus Christ was baptized. and he said yes!! Haha, we were dying, cuz we really didn't think anyone would! haha, she said it would take 10 minutes to look around. (His name is Paulo).

So, we gave him a little tour around the church for like 10 minutes, and ended with the baptismal font where everyone was waiting and getting ready for the baptism. Then someone invited him to stay and see the baptism. And he said yes! Haha, I don't think he realized how long it would take. But he sat in the middle of the row, with S. Araujo and me on one side, and the elders of the other ward on the other. So he couldn't leave! I'm pretty sure he was not expecting to stay for like an hour through all the baptism, but seriously, he was like trapped.

Haha, then, the baptism went a little bit off. The guy baptizing (only like 18 years old) had never baptized anyone before (a friend of the guy being baptized), and didn't know the words to say, and didn't know how to make him go all the way in the water. So, when he tried it obviously didn't work and he had to do it again! So the elders had to explain to this guy why it had to be this way.

So he to baptize the guy again, and thinks that it worked, but it didn't. They started to leave, and then everyone starts saying "No, no." Haha, everyone who was watching. And then like 4 or 5 people get up and try to explain everything to they guy baptizing, everyone putting in their 2 cents while our ´poor investigator is watching and thinking "what the heck?" Hahahhaha, it was so funny! So, finally he got it right the third time. Pretty sure they guy was alittle overwhelmed at the end. But the elders got his phone number and address (he lives in their area.) It was hilarious. S. Araujo and I were dying.

Well, I'll try to get some pictures to you guys now!

Have an awesome week!

Caitlin

"Gaucho Pizza" and Braziliian Kisses . . . awkward!

2010-06-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

EMAIL dated May 17, 2010

Hey everyone!

So..some stuff from the week. Last Monday we ate "gaucho" pizza. Gaucho pretty much means anyone from the state Rio Grande do Sul. Sort of like Texan. But this pizza was not pizza at all. It was more like a cornbread brownie with veggies and stuff mixed in. Yummy!

I'm so glad that I brought my boots! I wear them every morning and night right now when we are at the apartment. And we can buy some rainboots too for when the weather gets worse, so I probably will be buying some soon.

Some more abt my comp. She's from the state Rio Grande do Norte, so she has a different accent. Lots of her r's are actually h's, which is way annoying, especially at the end of a verb. I can't tell if she's conjugating it or leaving it in the infitinitie! She's kinda intense with the rules, but I like her. She's very patient.

Culture part: lots of ppl here use carts and horses to get around! Most people use cars, but I probably see at least 5 carts per day. the people here love a soda called guarana. We have practically every day for lunch with the members. I like it a lot. And girls here really like the color purple. It's very popular.

The roads are mostly paved. But there's definitely just dirt roads on the poorer streets and roads just made of rocks on the middle class. It's pretty tough to walk on sometimes.

I think I'm getting used to the language a little more. Haha, here's a funny story. To say "you have" is "voce tem." So once I was trying to explain something in English to my comp and said "Do you tem...?" instead of "Do you have...?" Haha, it was way funny!

The weather right now is super crazy. It'll be raining and windy and cold one day and the next perfectly fine and hot. Probably alot like Utah right now too.

On Saturday's we go to an English class taught by the Elders and it's way fun to help people pronounce words and stuff.

Oh, funny story from the week: In Brazil, all the women give a little kiss to each other on the cheek. And sometimes the men and young men give a little kiss to the women too. So, we were teaching a mom and his 14-yr old son. When we left, he went in to give me a kiss on the cheek, but we're not supposed to, and I didn't know what to do or say (esp in Portuguese!) so....it was really awkward and I can't exactly remember what happened, but I think I just went with the flow and we did the normal kiss thing. Awkward! And then he tried to do it to my comp, but she was better at refusing, but they still like hugged sort of. It's perfectly normal here btw, for a guy to do that. It's expected. But it was so awkward cuz we're not supposed to and I couldn't explain it! Haha. So, I was kissed on the cheek by a boy on my mission. :)

Well, Portuguese right now is the biggest limitation. I can understand lots of it, but when it comes to speaking I'm terribly slow right now. So I mostly just stay quite during lessons and stuff. It's getting better though.

Sorry, i don't really have any new pictures this week. But I'll try to get some today and send them next week.

Love you all!

Caitlin

Brynne's New Pen Pal Mayara . . . Tea and Meat!!

2010-06-14T21:01:00.001-07:00

SERVING IN PALETOS

2010-06-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

EMAIL from Sis C on May 24, 2010

Hey fam!

Wow, so much to write this week!

Ok, some stuff that we didn't have time to talk about yesterday! (Which was AWESOME btw. I absoultely loved it!)

So at my first Brazilian bbq, which is called a churrasco ("shoe-ha-skoo"), we ate SO much meat! Probably 3-4 oz of steak, a small chicken breast, a big roll of sausage and the 3 small chicken hearts too, on top of all the other stuff: rice, lettuce, potato salad, tomatoes...it was SO much to eat! And they were ready to give me more! It was crazy. I don't know if that happens every Sunday or if it was just something for Mother's Day, but it was seriously delicious! I'm going to send pics too. Also, I had my first Brazilian tea. Here in the south it's called chimarrao ("chim-ah-how"). So you'll see that in the pics too.. They just pass it around from person to person and keep filling up the water too. I'll probably separate the pics into separate emails so they all get there okay.

Tea is cool with the WoW here, just not black tea. I think it's the same as in the US, I just didn't know. Anyway, I had no idea how to drink tea, and just kept looking at my comp. It was so good though! I really liked it. I'm going to bring home some tea and chimarrao so we can all drink it. :)

And Tuesday it RAINED LIKE NONE OTHER! I swear God was going to flood Pelotas again! Ok, not really. But it sure seemed like it. I was absolutely drenched! From thighs to toes. It was so fun. Well, for the first time. The weather has been pretty crappy this week, and now the rain is not as fun. But it sure is humid!

Everything is alwasy so wet! I think there's like no reason to try to dry my towel anymore because it just doesn't dry. Haha, I had an envelope with cash in it, and it sort of sealed itself shut because it was so humid! Funny huh! My hair is constantly curly. SOOOO curly!

I'm really starting to like the ward here in Pelotas and getting used to who is who of the members. They are all so nice. One of the ladies really reminds me of Aunt Lila. Hair, outfits, height. It's fun cuz I just think, "Oh, don't worry, Aunt Lila's here!" Haha. Yesterday we had 90 ppl attend sacrament meeting, I think that's a record for the past 3 weeks that I've seen. I play the piano for SM too, or another sis missionary.

I bought a cool CTR ring here. It's in cursive, so it's very Brazilian. All of them right in cursive! It's so hard to tell what they wrote sometimes.

I officially can't spell in English anymore. Like, "suppossed" I have no idea how to spell it anymore. And I'm forgetting things all the time now. Like, what's the name of the christmas story by Charles Dickens with Mr. Scrooge? It's killing me! Haha.

Oh, we're doing this cool color coding thing from Preach My Gospel in the mission. I'll have to explain another day. I seriously love PMG. It is SO good. And perfect for missionaries and for families too. You should all study it. Gar, esp you and all the boys who are leaving. I absolutely love it.

Hey I think we're going to have a baptism this week!!!!! His name is Pablo, he's 24 years old and married to a less-active member. They have a little baby who's not even a month old. If all goes well, he'll be baptized this Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. Sweet huh?!

Haha, also, I've never drank so much Coke in my life as I have on the mission. They drink it or Guarana all the time. Like, they serve it at church functions. I think it's hilarious because in Utah it's like iffy, but not here. :)

Fruit is so cheap here! Esp in the north, where my comp is from. She said her family bought 100 bananas for 1 dollar once! Can you believe that?

Oh BRYNNE!!!

I found a girl for you to write to! Her name is Mayara, and she's 7 years old. She's really cute and such a fun girl. She wrote a letter for you that I'm going to translate and send tomorrow (Tuesday). Actually, first I have to translate the cursive, and then the Portuguese! Haha, so you'll get 3 different ones--her letter, my translation of it into readable portuguese, and translation into English. :)

So, you need to send my a letter to her ASAP! Then I'll translate it and give it to her. We only get letters like every 3 weeks, or if someone is coming down from Porto Alegre, so it'll kind of take a little while to communicate. She's very excited to have a friend from the US! So just write about you, our family, what you like to do. Things like that. Maybe you could send a simple map of the US and where Utah is, and sort of where we live. I think she'll love it so much.

Well, I'm gonna try and send some pictures now.

Hope you all have a good week! Gar--awesome job on the half marathon. I'm jealous. I need to run more. Brynne--sounds like you're dancing really well right now! THat's so fun. Mom & Dad--hope all the trek stuff goes well. Don't go too crazy. Kend--how's the job search? How's Austin, etc.

Love you all!

Caitlin

Leaving the CTM . . . on to Porto Allegre!

2010-05-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Well it's official. Caitlin is a missionary, not more CTM. She has loved her MTC experience and is doing so well. She is flying out Tuesday (May 4th) in the morning. Here's a few highlights from her last email . . .

"Hi Everyone -- only have 1/2 hour so I'll be quick!

On Tuesday we got to see the baptismal font and sealing room in the Sao Paulo temple and it was so cool! The font had 2 huge tile murals and they we're absolutely beautiful! And the sealing room was way sweet too. I loved it, and apparently they don't let many missionaries have a tour, so we were way lucky.

Elder Nelson came on Thursday and it was so sweet!!! I played one of the prelude pieces and everyone said the spirit was so strong when the choir was singing. But I was focused on not messing up! Haha, it went really well. Everyone got to shake his hand. Then he spoke on what the gospel means, from 3 Nephi 27. He boiled it down to the Atonement and Christ's example. It was so cool to be in such a casual setting, and he shared some fun stuff that you would never see in General Conference. And we all stood up and said our purpose in Portuguese. It was so awesome.

On Friday we went proselyting again, but this time in down town Sao Paulo! It reminded me of New York, but Brazilian style!! Like bright colors instead of all black. Haha. There were just so many people there! It was awesome. We placed 3 BOMs this time and talked to like 8 people. One guy came up to us and was so happy to see missionaries. Apparently he was baptized, but then started drinking and got divorced and stopped going to church. So he was so happy to see us again! It was very sweet. Unfortunately we couldn't help him that much because we couldn't understand as well. And we weren't assigned to that area, which he didn't understand. But we got his number and gave it to one of our teachers here who passed it along to someone who came help. And we gave him a BOM again. He was so happy. He asked us if we could pray for him so I prayed in the middle of Sao Paulo! And then he prayed too. It was kinda weird, but way cool too. This time was a lot better than the last time because we could understand so much more! But still not much. Haha

Oh, you have to look up this little video clip on mormon.org. You scroll to the bottom of the home page and find the "Families, isn't it about time?" link. It's like the closest thing we have to watching an action movie. Haha, we get a kick out of it everytime. We try to watch it on Saturday nights, and we turn off the lights like it's a movie, but it's really just an ad. Haha, I hope you can fined it!

On Monday my comps and I taught a lesson in Eng on the doctrine of the Atonement and it was awesome. I'll send you a picture of what we did on the board some time. But I forgot to bring my camera. Haha, the best part was that I spelled "unconditional" wrong. I spelled it "uncondicional." It was so funny!

Oh, a little culture something. It's against the law to publish any other book with the bible, so there's no quads here, unless you get it specially made by somebody private. So there's no footnotes and stuff, they have it all in the back of the BOM. It's really interesting! And the Bible is a little different than our Bible too. Kinda weird. . . . .

I leave Tuesday morning for Porto Allegre -- the real thing!!

Love you all, Sis C"

From the MTC (or CTM) Branch President . . .

2010-04-11T15:55:00.001-07:00

To Sister Christensen's Family,

I am your daughter´s branch president in the CTM. Recently I attended a temple session with her and her district. Afterwards, I took these pictures and thought you might enjoy receiving them. She really is an outstanding person and is learning very quickly and making tremendous progress here in the CTM. I believe she will be a real asset to the Porto Alegre Mission!

Sincerely,
President Milton H. Brinton

[Just a note to all you "soon to be missionary parents" . . . Bry and I cried when we saw this. I think I'm going to cry again just typing this. We are so happy for her! -- cc ]

Just for you Andrea . . . and other Brazilian Sister Missionaries!

2010-04-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Mom, put this on the blog with "for Andrea" at the top or something. She's going to Brazil in a few months too. There are so many things I wish I would have known before I left, but here's a few: [Oh, and Andrea -- how cool is it that you are in Rob and Debbie's ward!! Such a small world. Are there any questions you want us to ask Caitlin for you?]

-Bring shower sandals and walking sandals (I was gonna use them for the same thing and ended up buying flip flops down here)
-Skirts DO NOT have to be mid-calf. Below the knee is fine.
-Bring a watch! It pretty much replaces your phone.
-Bring accessories for clothing! It gets really old wearing the same stuff so it's nice to be able to mix up outfits with belts, jewelry, hair stuff, etc.
-Bring clothing that is cute! I'm wishing I had more cute stuff, not just practical stuff. Bright colors, patterns (just not all solid colors), bring some blouses and regular shirts, really just stuff you already like to wear, the peasant-style skirts are way nice too.
-Bring more than one set of workout clothes! You work out almost every day. So 2-3 pairs of shorts (you CAN wear them in case your packet says you can’t, like mine) and 3-4 workout shirts.
- You DO NOT have to be under 50 lbs. It's 70 lbs on the airline that we went on. And another airline had the same too. Sooo, look up the reqs online, don't go by just what the church tells you. I could have brought more stuff :)
- I wish I would've brought more variety of clothes. It really gets old wearing the same old thing.

First impressions of Brazil (and the MTC)

2010-04-11T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the emails everyone! That was seriously so nice. It was weird not writing last week. And now I´ve practically forgotten everything that I´ve been meaning to say.

I´m in a three-some now. My other comp is from New Hampshire, her name is Sister Ogden. She went straight to the Brazil MTC to start so we´re all on the same week. A 3-some is definitely harder than 2. More waiting, more personalities, more people to please. Ya know. We´re getting along though. And we are definitely so much farther ahead of the elders in our district because we actually study. Gar, learn how to study. That´s all you do in the MTC. Seriously. Ok, you eat and sleep too.

I'm loving the Brazil CTM. It's the coolest building. There's a courtyard in the middle and it just opens right up into the halls of the ground floor. There's at least 6 stories, we are on the second. We can play volleyball and basketball for lunch. Kend, you´d hate the "track" You have to do 14 laps for ONE mile!! It's tiny!!! I mostly just play volleyball.

We went to the Sao Paulo temple today. It's a lot smaller than it looks in the picture. But it was pretty cool too. Today's my p-day (Tuesday--terça-feira em portugues). We get to go outside the MTC on p-days and wander around the street in a certain boundary. It´s totally cool but kinda scary too. I think most people here know who the missionaries are though.

I LOVE talking to Brazilians. Even though my portuguese is not very good yet. I'm kinda glad I worked at Magleby´s and spoke to all the Hispanic employees there. It's so natural for me to want to talk to them. And we learn so much faster. My two teachers both speak English, which pretty much means they are super smart. One guy's going into law and the other is a college professor. But they're both only like 25-ish. Crazy!

I think there's more Americans than brazileiras at the MTC right now. But a few weeks ago it wasn't like that at all. There's maybe like 300 (total guess though, max capac is like 500, I think). I met Elder Skillings, Rob's nephew. And I keep looking for Brother Adamson's son, but I haven't seen him yet. Maybe he's already left.

The food is pretty good. It was great for the first couple days, but now it's getting kinda well. Meat is served at every meal. Sometimes 2 portions of meat. Rice and beans every day. So good. They have this awesome soda called Guarana and that's yummy. I haven't gotten sick or anything either. They rarely serve cereal for breakfast. And then they always have like a sandwich for breakfast, which I haven't eaten. I just eat the bread and fruit. Oh, the bread is like the bread from Mexico. In fact, this whole city looks like Mexico. I'm actually really liking the weather too. We just sleep with a sheet on and the window open and it's very nice. My hair is super curly too. So easy to do in the morning. The heat isn't bothering me either. And the humidity. Actually, I kinda like it. But I'm mostly inside all day though.

All the cars look so different here! They are more round and stuff. The streets are definitely cobblestone or road cement. I forgot the word. Um... I GET TO WEAR CHACOS HERE!!!! Holy cow, how did I forget that? It’s great. And no nylons too. SOOOO good.

The brazil mtc is so much more relaxed too. We get a snack time at 9:30 every night and it's my FAV! Just some sort of cake and chocolate milk, but its so yummy!! They never gave us food after dinner in Provo. I really like this MTC so much more.

Um, Portuguese is coming along. Spanish is still helping so much. My comps and I have a goal to speak in only port for 15 minutes each day, well during comp study. Right now it's sorta quiet. But we're getting there. Portuguese is beautiful, I've decided.

Well, I love you all and thanks for all the letters and the package! Sorry if I didn't answer your questions. I'm still figuring things out here too.

Sister Christensen

The Address (until May 5th)

2010-03-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Almost forgot . . .

Sister Caitlin Christensen
Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission
Brazil Missionary Training Center
Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo 121
Casa Verde
02516-040 Sao Paulo SP
Brazil

She's in BRAZIL!!

2010-03-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

We got this photo and yes -- it's true -- Sister Christensen is officially in the Sao Paulo Brazil CTM!!

Caitlin went into the Provo MTC on Wed, March 3, 2010. Oh, how hard to say good bye for such a long time, but we were all so excited for her!! After we had said our quick final good byes at the curb, the Elders began wheeling away her luggage. Caitlin began to follow them and then looked back at us with one last look -- a look of a little fear, but mostly love and excitement -- as if to say, "Well, here I go. Is this really it? I love you so much! I'm ON MY WAY!!" We all got in the car and cried! Tears of joy and sorrow.

That was Wednesday -- on Friday we got a call in the early morning. It was Caitlin. Her Visa had come in!! Quite miraculously! She was leaving for Brazil on Tuesday. She was soooo excited! She was loving the Provo MTC --said two days had felt like a week they had learned so much. She was excited to have seen cousin Andrew. He's going to Tijuana, Mexico. She didn't want to tell him her visa was in because he was still waiting for his! She and I talked through some details -- like do we have time to get a care package of cookies to her? -- and that was it.

Then later that day I got another call from Sister Christensen. She was at the health center with a bad tooth ache . . . not a great thing when you know you're heading out to Brazil in two days! Our friend and dentist, Mark McKell, made a special trip to the office and took care of the problem for her on Saturday morning. Thanks, Mark!

On Tuesday evening, Caitlin called from the Atlanta Airport. Great to hear her voice -- for the third time since Wed (hee, hee) but hard for both of us to hang up knowing it really was the last time for a long time!

The above photo came this morning from the Sao Paulo CTM. How excited we are for her! Wearing the badge. Can't wait to here more . . . . we'll keep you all posted!

The Two Missionaries Shopping!

2010-03-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

It's not too often that a granddaughter and her grandmother get to shop for their missions together on the same day -- but today it happened! Caitlin and Grandma got to both shop for missionary shoes at the Sister Missionary Mall. Grandma got her call Saturday to serve in Nauvoo. Her long-time dream has come true!! What a treat -- a memory forever!

Awesome Shoes

2010-03-01T13:41:00.001-08:00

Take a look at these awesome shoes that I got!

Don't they just say "Brasil" all over them? Plus, they're closed toe and closed heel. Pretty much a shoe except for the sandal-strap look on top. And they're Dansko brand, which I've heard is the best to get.

Packing!

2010-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, there's seriously so much stuff to bring!

Skirts, dresses & coat

+ shirts, cardigans, and jackets

+ all the other random crap

(shoes, nylons, kneww highs, sheets, towels, shampoo, conditioner, razor, journal, books,
toothpaste, alarm clock, laundry bag, first-aid kit, etc.)
= way to much stuff to cram into 2 suitcases.

I'm not so worried about the space, but each suitcase can't weigh more than 50 pounds. So... there'll be some strategic packing in the next couple days!

New Hymn

2010-01-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

I discovered a new favorite hymn today. Well, actually I just really like the tune. I didn't really look at the words as much. I just think the melody is very bright and happy! And it sort of sounds like a theme that you'd hear in a movie...but it's a hymn!

Plus, it's short.

It's called Saints, Behold How Great Jehovah, #28.

Listen to it here. Except I think it should be played faster. :)

For Your Enjoyment

2010-01-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

A Sweet Christmas Gift!

2009-12-05T13:10:00.000-08:00

My mom's family celebrated Christmas a little early this year because not many can come during December. And I got the best gift from one of my cousins in our gift exchange: a Portuguese Book of Mormon and hymn book!

I've already started to try and read it, and it's pretty tough! But I think I'm getting the hang of it. I'm starting to recognize phrases like "And it came to pass" and stuff.

The hard part is that I have NO idea how to pronounce anything! So I try to say it in my head but it's probably completely wrong. Haha. Luckily, some of the boys at my work who speak Portuguese are helping me out. I try to ask them everything.

Countdown: 3 months!

On My Mind

2009-11-26T23:01:00.000-08:00

Four months is a LONG time!

I just wish it were February.

It hasn't even been a month since I've gotten my call and I'm already going crazy. How am I going to survive 3 1/2 more months of this?!

Scripture Power

2009-11-18T17:02:00.001-08:00

I'm trying to get a head start by memorizing this section of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The Sao Paulo Temple

2009-11-14T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hopefully I'll get to go to this temple when I'm in the MTC!
Isn't it pretty?

Question: How many temples are there in Brazil?

2009-11-09T14:15:00.000-08:00

Answer: Seven! There are 5 temples currently operating and 2 under construction or announced.

Operating Temples:

Sao Paulo - 17th, dedicated October 1978
Recife - 101st, dedicated December 2000
Porto Alegre - 102nd, dedicated December 2000
Campinas - 111th, dedicated May 2002
Curitiba - 126th, dedicated June 2008

Temples Under Construction or Announced:

Manaus - announced May 2007
Fortaleza - announced October 2009

Note: this map is not completely up-to-date.

Found on www.lds.org/temples.

Porto Alegre Fast Facts

2009-11-05T12:28:00.001-08:00

Population: 4,158,000 (as of 2008)
Climate: subtropical, rainy
Highest Temperature: 105˚
Lowest Temperature: 25˚
Demographics: 81% white (50% of Brazil's population is white, see here)
Precipitation: 48" per year; 3-5" per month

PORTO ALEGRE SUNSET

All found on Wikipedia

Let the Portuguese begin!

2009-11-03T22:43:00.001-08:00

I learned a little bit of Portuguese from a guy at work today. And, it's NOT so similar to Spanish.

Thank you = "obrigado"

Sorry = "desculpe"

Uh, Spanish is "gracias" and "lo siento." And people have been telling me they are really similar! Sorry, but that is not similar in my books.

Guess this will be much harder than I was expecting. Bummer.

The good news is there's a block class of Portuguese taught next semester! Sign me up.

Fast Facts about Brazil

2009-10-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Population: 158,739,257 (1994 estimate)

Climate: tropical, temperate in south [where I'm going!]

Area: slightly smaller than the US

Life Expectancy: 62 years

Religion: 70% Catholic

External Debt: $192.9 billion

See more on this site.

SAO PAULO - CAPITAL CITY

Called to Serve!

2009-10-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

BRAZIL!

My mission call letter came! I'll be serving in the Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission! This area is in the very south tip of Brazil, and borders Uruguay and the Atlantic Ocean. I report to the Brazilian MTC on March 3, 2010 (four months!) and I'll be speaking Portuguese.

Now I can finally get some sleep! I haven't been able to sleep for the past two days now!

So now I'll keep posting information about Brazil and Porto Alegre, as well as other missionary preparation stuff that I'm going to be doing.

For now, here's a beautiful picture of the Porto Alegre Temple!

Mission Statistics

2009-10-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a nerd, and looked up all the possible missions and made a spreadsheet of the info. Then I figured out stuff like which place has the most missions, how many are in the US, how many are foreign, the percentage that I'll be called to a certain place, etc. And I just wanted to shoot some of that info out there. So...

Top 9 Places with the most Missions:

State/Country	Missions
Brazil	27
Mexico	19
California	17
Philippines	15
Argentina	10
Chile	9
Russia	8
Canada	8
Texas	8

Top 10 Foreign Countries with the most Missions:

Country	Missions
Brazil	27
Mexico	19
Philippines	15
Argentina	10
Chile	9
Russia	8
Canada	8
Peru	7
Australia	7
Japan	7

Top 11 US States with the most Missions:

State	Missions
California	17
Texas	8
Florida	5
Arizona	4
Illinois	4
New York	4
Colorado	3
Georgia	3
Ohio	3
Pennsylvania	3
Washington	3

**This is according to info found in 2004 on this (unofficial) website and may not be completely current**

Pre-Call Guessing

2009-10-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

I've been asking family and friends to submit guesses for where I'm going to be assigned. And then I made posters of them:

[Click to enlarge and see specific guesses]

We'll see who's the lucky winner!