Week 2 in CTM

Hazzit!!  We just got back from the Sau Paulo temple.  It's a lot smaller then the one in Campinas but still super awesome.

This week was crazy, it feels like my brain is going to explode!  We have 3 hours of language instruction in the morning, then like teaching investigators. TRC (where we teach in these rooms with instructors who help us with what we could've said and how to say it and stuff.)  After that we get 3 more hours of language, then more preach my gospel classes.  We got this new Elder in our district Elder Jensen, he's awesome, so I'm not in a tripanionship anymore.  My companion is Elder Welch.

Yeah, i exercise everyday, we play volleyball against these Brazilians everyday and it gets intense.  The sister in our district, Sister Ostler played in high school and she like a beast setter.   I get ripped a new one by our physical instructor like daily because you're not allowed to hit, like they just want you to bump it over the net.   I tell myself to stop but then i just get these perfect sets on my left side so I kill it.  2 days ago I hit an Elder in the face with one and his glasses fell off and I got like this lecture about this is why we don't keep score and don't hit and stuff. (Hopefully we learn to be a bit more obedient!  Written by Elder Akina's Mom!)

Today we're going with another district to eat at a Churrascuria (sorry the spelling is a rough matter right now) that meat place where you just like eat until you die in your chair.  So I'm pretty pumped to the max about that.

Oh yeah, mom please do the Cheineys cookies thing, that would be awesome if you could. The guys is a member and he hooks it up with missionaries.  Did you send mail through there? Oh, I use my card some places so don't freak out when there's Brazil transactions or whatevs cuz its me.

We had an area 70 come speak to us at devotional but it was in Portuguese. Starting to follow some of it!  I'm kinda ready to leave the MTC,  the days are long, but I know I just gotta learn as much as possible.

I love you guys so much!  Tell the dogs whatsup for me.
Tchau

Wednesday is "P-Day" !

Oi!!! Hazzit everybody, whew this week has been crazy here in the CTM. There is noo english allowed here so it feels weird to even write in it.  We just got back from the campinas brasil temple, it was beautiful besides that fact the session was in Portuguese, I had to wake my companions up twice!

I am in a tripanionship which is more common here then companionships, it's weird i know. Elder Welch and Elder Cummings, They're both runners (but not that fast because i race them everyday and have yet to be beat) and they're super diligent, their prayers are like 15 minutes long; they can recite scriptures like nothing.  They're not that into sports, but they push me to be better and learn; that's all i need right now.

I have learned more Portuguese this week than Spanish those 3 years I took in high school.   I can bear my testimony, pray and carry on like a solid convo. I definatley have a testimony of the gift of tongues, it is a real thing and helps missionarys everywhere.  I sit with these Brasileros at lunch and they are so funny, but Brasilian people are different than Americans.  They don't do sarcasm, like you do or say something sarcastic, they don't get that type of humor.  Everyone's left arm is darker then their right because when they drive they hang it out the window ha ha.

We are teaching an investigator right now by the name of Erik, and I teach tonight, it will be our 4th discussion with him.  It's all in Portuguese, the first 2 lesson were pretty rough, but the third one was great.  I got to bear my testimony (for the first time other than practicing it) to him and the spirit was definatley strong in the room.  He's one of those MTC investigators but it's just like the real thing.

Everyone is scared to play me in basketball, we have zone sports with the Hispaico district (everyone from Chile, Dominican Republic, etc.) and I've played all the guys and no one will play me again!!  They know 1 nba players name so whenever they see me in between classes they'll be like Lebron!!! 

All the missionaries are suuper cool, and funny. The MTC is so stressful, though we're getting ready to go proseliting on the streets in Sao Paulo in about a week.  My companions and I are pretty pumped about that.  The food here is good, its all Brazilian food.  My companions hate it so they just give what they don't eat to me ha ha. 

Well I gotta go, it's P day so we get go out on the streets to shop and eat.  We're hitting up a Churrascaria today, it's like a meat buffet!  

I'll write next week, love you lots mamma, you tooo dad. 

Tchau, oh and the blue dot is what they call the dork dot, first weekers get it.  

First day in the MTC

October 14, 2014 Checking into the CTM 



The Adventure Begins!

Haazzit my people! Im in the MTC, but here its actually called the CTM because of the way they speak. The flight was long, but the guy sitting next to me was super cool, it turned out he was very familiar with the church and he was amazed at what they ask of us missionaries at such a young age. Over here people drive crazy, theyll have like 2 adults and a kid sitting on someones lap on the same moped lane splitting like nothing haha. I am still currently locked out of my suitcase so i should probably look into that. When they came to pick all of us up there were like 10 of us coming from all over packed into this little Brazil travel van. I got some sweet pics too, but were not aloud send them here at the mtc. I still cant find the apostrephe button on this keyboard, its in portegese haha i guess ill figure it out. Okay I love you all. Ill email next week, sorry we only get like 5 min. to email this time just to let your family know you made it. Give everyone my e-mail.  Love you guys.

Elder Welch from Omaha, Nebraska flew with Elder Akina from Atlanta to Brazil. 

They will be serving in the same mission.