October 26, 2009
Hoy Todo Mundo!
Life is pretty crazy here. I know you are loaded with questions so I will try to say everything that has happened in the last five days. I got on the plane with the 14 other missionaries heading to Porto Alegre. Elders Carpenter, Feller, Anderson, Gibby, DeMille, Bowerman, Barker, Lima, Sousa, Eliss, and Sisters Baird and Silva (I think its silva). Elder Lima was put in charge of all of us because he is Brazilian and can speak English fairly well.
When we arrived at the airport in Porto Alegre our Mission president and his wife were waiting for us along with both of the assistants. I don't know if you were aware of this but soon after I got my call, the mission president changed. I wasn't aware of this until just before I left the CTM. President Pavan is our mission president. He speaks pretty much no English. Anyway the assistants helped us get our stuff onto the bus so that we could travel to the mission home. Both of them spoke english. One was Brazilian and one was American. When we got to the mission home we went inside and were given a packet full of important information that was all in Portuguese. Sister Pavan spoke to us with Elder Strong (one of the assistants) interpreting for us. While she spoke President Pavan took us each into his office one by one to be interviewed. I was one of the last to be interviewed and we were running out of time so he interviewed the last four of us at once. I have been assigned to a zone called Canoas in an area called Niteroi. It is a small ghetto looking place. Small houses everywhere. It's just outside of the train station. It's strange how some of the houses are placed. They have a gate at the front where you can enter into the yard, but behind the first house is a second house. We live behind some ladies house. We have to walk through her yard and behind her house. I took tons of pictures to show you and forgot to bring my camera with me when I came to e-mail. Next week I will send you tons of photos.
It was very scary arriving in my area. We all met at the train station where there are all of the missionaries going through transfers with their zone leaders. Our zone leader, Elder Fontes, is a Brazilian who speaks really good English, and he learned all of it from his American companions! Apparently my area has gone through some changes so I was given a phone to bring to my companion who was not at the train station. It was hard trying to carry everything but luckily there were people there to help me. I found out that Elder DeMille and Elder Castellanos were both assigned to my area to, but both in different districts. I am companions with Elder P. Silva. he is the district leader and he is Brazilian. He speaks okay English. He learned it all from his companions. Anyway, Elder Demille, Castellanos and I all headed from the train station to where our train was. When we arrived at our stop all of the other missionaries that were already in the area that weren't transferred to a new zone (including my companion) were there to meet me. I was even more terrified when I realized that many of the Americans there were speaking fluent Portuguese! I got pretty nervous, I didn't feel confident in my Portuguese...
I have a crazy story for you. I don't know if you should hear this mom, but I am going to say it anyways. About an hour and a half after getting to my area. Elder P. Silva and I took our stuff and unpacked. We realized that we had no food and apparently the house we were living in had been abandoned for awhile, not even missionaries had lived there for a while. We decided to finish packing later and went to pick up some food from the local grocery store. We were picking out stuff to make some ham and cheese sandwiches with. We got to the dairy section and began to ask the lady for some ham and cheese. All of the sudden some lady started screaming to her daughter, pulled her close and got down low to the ground. I had no idea what was going on or what anybody was saying, but Elder P. Silva said "aw man" and he too got down low. Following the example of everyone else in the store I got down low and realized that the store was being robbed at gunpoint! As we were ducking down low I noticed that everybody towards the front of the store was laying flat on their stomach with their hands behind their head. An older man ducking down next to us said something to me and I responded with "I am sorry I dont speak portuguese" He then turned to Elder P. Silva and I understood that he said I was an American and they both told me to get under the table out of sight. The robber didn't notice me or even bother with looking around. He just wanted the cash from the drawers. Don't worry mom, I am safe.
That night was the first night I officially felt home sick. I actually felt a little CTM sick too. I missed my family and the comforts of home and I missed the friends I had made with my district at the CTM. My mission president doesn't speak English and my companion doesn't speak a whole lot of English. I felt alone as I went to bed. The house is in bad shape and all of the necessities of life weren't that great either. We have a weird type of washing machine that does wash your close but then you have to ring everything out and hang dry it. This means I have to Iron everything. Including pants. Our toilet isn't very powerful so you throw all toilet paper in a trashcan. Our shower is heated by some electrical wires that heat up the water as it comes out. I cant get it to be very hot.
I felt better the next day when I found out that Elder P. Silva speaks much better english than I thought that he did. I also felt better when I realized that almost every P-day our whole zone gets together and plays soccer and frisbee. I would be able to talk to Elder DeMille and Elder Castellanos. Also even though I missed Elder Scott. I found out that he is coming to our mission. I will be able to hear him speak this Friday and I will be able to meet up with everyone that came to Porto Alegre from the CTM. We didn't do a whole lot of proselyting on Saturday, we just visited investagators and less active members. We visited one family who has half members half not. I think that one of the ladies that lives there isn't married to her husband and they are working on getting married so that they can be baptized. They have two daughters that liked to make fun of me and my portugeuse and begged me to give their family a message. My companion had told me not to bring my english scriptures so I didnt know what scripture I should use for the message since it was in portuguese. I chose one of my favorite scriptures D&C 121:45 and talked to their family about virture. I pretty much read the scripture, said that Virtue is good and that we need to always have it. I bore testimony and finished. Very short message but whatever.
It was also raining really hard here on saturday so I had to buy an umbrella. My feet hurt, I was wet, my back hurt and I was so tired, that I almost fell asleep and the less active members house! I didn't mean to, but it was one of those times where your head keeps bobbing up and down and you cant control your eyes... I couldn't understand anything that they talked about.
On Sunday we went to church. The ward has about 30-40 people in it. If there are children who think sacrament is boring, try it in a different language. I had no idea what was said. I only noticed that a young teenager spoke on priesthood. We then went to a sunday school class that I am almost positive was Gospel Essentials. There were all of the recent converts and investagators there. They talked about the final judgement and got into a really nice and big discussion. Again, no idea what anyone said. After that was priesthood meeting, they made both of us get up in front of everyone and introduce ourselves. I did okay but then someone said something and I didn't understand.
After church we ate lunch at a member's house. Apparently lunch is the really big meal here. We will often eat at member's houses for lunch, and sometimes if we are lucky for dinner. We eat a ton of rice and beans and then other random assortments of food. Nothing too out of the ordinary yet. Dad, have you ever had Chimarrão? Nasty stuff, it tastes like someone took a chunk out of their lawn blended it up with hot water. Everyone drinks it and you take turns drinking it. It comes in a big wooden cup with a big metal straw. That evening we went to share a message with Irma Kati and her family. Irma Kati is a nice lady in the ward who speaks a tiny bit of english, like single words. We were there because they were doing some kind of family home evening a day early. She read a long story and started talking about missionaries. I did not understand any of it but I knew that she was expressing her love for missionaries. she started to cry, I could feel the spirit. After she finished Elder P. Silva bore his testimony and then told me to bare mine. I was surprised at what I was able to say. I said, "To be honest, I did not understand most of what you said, but I can feel the spirit here in your home and I can feel your love for missionaries and their work. I am grateful to be here and to share this gospel with others." I didn't say it fluently but it all came out faster than I thought. Everyone continued to talk and they started talking more and more to me about portuguese. I answered a man's riddle in portuguese which I thought was kind of cool. My companion didn't even know the answer and I answered in portuguese. Irma Kati wants me to sing her a hymn in english which will be kinda funny. I am going to sing Nearer my God to thee.
I forgot to mention that during the day sunday we had a zone conference and all of us met at a stake center and listened to RMs and some of the missionaries in our zone bare their testimony on missionary work and the importance of referrals from members. I encourage all members to provide referrals for the missionaries, whether they are in your ward boundaries or not. The missionaries will be able to pass the referral onto the missionaries in that area. It is great help and helps the missionaries at least get their foot in the door. Anyway, at this zone conference I was talking to Elder DeMille and Elder Castellanos for alot of the time. I had talked with some of the other missionaries a little bit too. Elder P. Silva later told me that when he was there 3 other missionaries had good things to say about me. This was great encouragement, I had been feeling down about the language and homesickness and how I would do as a missionary. Elder Green, one of our zone leaders, said that I am going to make an amazing missionary because of how funny and easy going I am. I don't panic, I try to talk whether or not I say it right and the members love it. Elder Bostrom, Elder P. Silva's former companion said that I speak portuguese way better than he did when he got here. Elder Fontes, the other zone leader, told him that I will be great and that I speak great portuguese. Elder P. Silva told me that I speak with very little American accent and am starting to sound Brazilian. These compliments boosted my confidence quite a bit.
Everybody loves soccer out here and everyone keeps asking me which team I like. I tell them, Gremio. Its one of the porto alegre teams. Elder P. Silva doesn't like them. He likes their rival, internaçional.
Anyway, Life is good. I am loving it.
Love you,
Elder Bullough
2nd letter.
Dad,
I have a new dad out here. Elder P. Silva. That is what your trainer is called I guess. I am his first son. He has been out for about a year. I love you man. Anyway, I need more short sleeve shirts, one had a pen explode all over it and the other had its pocket rip. I am not sure if you can send packages to this but here is the mission home address. If I find out a different address I will let you know.
Elder James Bullough
Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission
Av. Visconde de Macae. 245
Cristo Redentor
91350-290 - Porto Alegre - RS
Brazil
I need any kind of pen, it doesn't really matter. I am almost out of ink in all of the other ones. I dont understand this whole customs thing but someone got beef jerky while they were in the CTM so I don't know if it is allowed or not. Tell David and Jessica congrats for me. I meant to send you some pictures today but I left my camera at our house. CAN YOU PLEASE SEND ME A GOOD FRISBEE?! We have to use the kind that you get at a pet shop. No fun. Anyway, I do not live in a big city, just a small little town, I do speak the same language that I spoke at the ctm.
Love you man,
Elder Bullough
Life is pretty crazy here. I know you are loaded with questions so I will try to say everything that has happened in the last five days. I got on the plane with the 14 other missionaries heading to Porto Alegre. Elders Carpenter, Feller, Anderson, Gibby, DeMille, Bowerman, Barker, Lima, Sousa, Eliss, and Sisters Baird and Silva (I think its silva). Elder Lima was put in charge of all of us because he is Brazilian and can speak English fairly well.
When we arrived at the airport in Porto Alegre our Mission president and his wife were waiting for us along with both of the assistants. I don't know if you were aware of this but soon after I got my call, the mission president changed. I wasn't aware of this until just before I left the CTM. President Pavan is our mission president. He speaks pretty much no English. Anyway the assistants helped us get our stuff onto the bus so that we could travel to the mission home. Both of them spoke english. One was Brazilian and one was American. When we got to the mission home we went inside and were given a packet full of important information that was all in Portuguese. Sister Pavan spoke to us with Elder Strong (one of the assistants) interpreting for us. While she spoke President Pavan took us each into his office one by one to be interviewed. I was one of the last to be interviewed and we were running out of time so he interviewed the last four of us at once. I have been assigned to a zone called Canoas in an area called Niteroi. It is a small ghetto looking place. Small houses everywhere. It's just outside of the train station. It's strange how some of the houses are placed. They have a gate at the front where you can enter into the yard, but behind the first house is a second house. We live behind some ladies house. We have to walk through her yard and behind her house. I took tons of pictures to show you and forgot to bring my camera with me when I came to e-mail. Next week I will send you tons of photos.
It was very scary arriving in my area. We all met at the train station where there are all of the missionaries going through transfers with their zone leaders. Our zone leader, Elder Fontes, is a Brazilian who speaks really good English, and he learned all of it from his American companions! Apparently my area has gone through some changes so I was given a phone to bring to my companion who was not at the train station. It was hard trying to carry everything but luckily there were people there to help me. I found out that Elder DeMille and Elder Castellanos were both assigned to my area to, but both in different districts. I am companions with Elder P. Silva. he is the district leader and he is Brazilian. He speaks okay English. He learned it all from his companions. Anyway, Elder Demille, Castellanos and I all headed from the train station to where our train was. When we arrived at our stop all of the other missionaries that were already in the area that weren't transferred to a new zone (including my companion) were there to meet me. I was even more terrified when I realized that many of the Americans there were speaking fluent Portuguese! I got pretty nervous, I didn't feel confident in my Portuguese...
I have a crazy story for you. I don't know if you should hear this mom, but I am going to say it anyways. About an hour and a half after getting to my area. Elder P. Silva and I took our stuff and unpacked. We realized that we had no food and apparently the house we were living in had been abandoned for awhile, not even missionaries had lived there for a while. We decided to finish packing later and went to pick up some food from the local grocery store. We were picking out stuff to make some ham and cheese sandwiches with. We got to the dairy section and began to ask the lady for some ham and cheese. All of the sudden some lady started screaming to her daughter, pulled her close and got down low to the ground. I had no idea what was going on or what anybody was saying, but Elder P. Silva said "aw man" and he too got down low. Following the example of everyone else in the store I got down low and realized that the store was being robbed at gunpoint! As we were ducking down low I noticed that everybody towards the front of the store was laying flat on their stomach with their hands behind their head. An older man ducking down next to us said something to me and I responded with "I am sorry I dont speak portuguese" He then turned to Elder P. Silva and I understood that he said I was an American and they both told me to get under the table out of sight. The robber didn't notice me or even bother with looking around. He just wanted the cash from the drawers. Don't worry mom, I am safe.
That night was the first night I officially felt home sick. I actually felt a little CTM sick too. I missed my family and the comforts of home and I missed the friends I had made with my district at the CTM. My mission president doesn't speak English and my companion doesn't speak a whole lot of English. I felt alone as I went to bed. The house is in bad shape and all of the necessities of life weren't that great either. We have a weird type of washing machine that does wash your close but then you have to ring everything out and hang dry it. This means I have to Iron everything. Including pants. Our toilet isn't very powerful so you throw all toilet paper in a trashcan. Our shower is heated by some electrical wires that heat up the water as it comes out. I cant get it to be very hot.
I felt better the next day when I found out that Elder P. Silva speaks much better english than I thought that he did. I also felt better when I realized that almost every P-day our whole zone gets together and plays soccer and frisbee. I would be able to talk to Elder DeMille and Elder Castellanos. Also even though I missed Elder Scott. I found out that he is coming to our mission. I will be able to hear him speak this Friday and I will be able to meet up with everyone that came to Porto Alegre from the CTM. We didn't do a whole lot of proselyting on Saturday, we just visited investagators and less active members. We visited one family who has half members half not. I think that one of the ladies that lives there isn't married to her husband and they are working on getting married so that they can be baptized. They have two daughters that liked to make fun of me and my portugeuse and begged me to give their family a message. My companion had told me not to bring my english scriptures so I didnt know what scripture I should use for the message since it was in portuguese. I chose one of my favorite scriptures D&C 121:45 and talked to their family about virture. I pretty much read the scripture, said that Virtue is good and that we need to always have it. I bore testimony and finished. Very short message but whatever.
It was also raining really hard here on saturday so I had to buy an umbrella. My feet hurt, I was wet, my back hurt and I was so tired, that I almost fell asleep and the less active members house! I didn't mean to, but it was one of those times where your head keeps bobbing up and down and you cant control your eyes... I couldn't understand anything that they talked about.
On Sunday we went to church. The ward has about 30-40 people in it. If there are children who think sacrament is boring, try it in a different language. I had no idea what was said. I only noticed that a young teenager spoke on priesthood. We then went to a sunday school class that I am almost positive was Gospel Essentials. There were all of the recent converts and investagators there. They talked about the final judgement and got into a really nice and big discussion. Again, no idea what anyone said. After that was priesthood meeting, they made both of us get up in front of everyone and introduce ourselves. I did okay but then someone said something and I didn't understand.
After church we ate lunch at a member's house. Apparently lunch is the really big meal here. We will often eat at member's houses for lunch, and sometimes if we are lucky for dinner. We eat a ton of rice and beans and then other random assortments of food. Nothing too out of the ordinary yet. Dad, have you ever had Chimarrão? Nasty stuff, it tastes like someone took a chunk out of their lawn blended it up with hot water. Everyone drinks it and you take turns drinking it. It comes in a big wooden cup with a big metal straw. That evening we went to share a message with Irma Kati and her family. Irma Kati is a nice lady in the ward who speaks a tiny bit of english, like single words. We were there because they were doing some kind of family home evening a day early. She read a long story and started talking about missionaries. I did not understand any of it but I knew that she was expressing her love for missionaries. she started to cry, I could feel the spirit. After she finished Elder P. Silva bore his testimony and then told me to bare mine. I was surprised at what I was able to say. I said, "To be honest, I did not understand most of what you said, but I can feel the spirit here in your home and I can feel your love for missionaries and their work. I am grateful to be here and to share this gospel with others." I didn't say it fluently but it all came out faster than I thought. Everyone continued to talk and they started talking more and more to me about portuguese. I answered a man's riddle in portuguese which I thought was kind of cool. My companion didn't even know the answer and I answered in portuguese. Irma Kati wants me to sing her a hymn in english which will be kinda funny. I am going to sing Nearer my God to thee.
I forgot to mention that during the day sunday we had a zone conference and all of us met at a stake center and listened to RMs and some of the missionaries in our zone bare their testimony on missionary work and the importance of referrals from members. I encourage all members to provide referrals for the missionaries, whether they are in your ward boundaries or not. The missionaries will be able to pass the referral onto the missionaries in that area. It is great help and helps the missionaries at least get their foot in the door. Anyway, at this zone conference I was talking to Elder DeMille and Elder Castellanos for alot of the time. I had talked with some of the other missionaries a little bit too. Elder P. Silva later told me that when he was there 3 other missionaries had good things to say about me. This was great encouragement, I had been feeling down about the language and homesickness and how I would do as a missionary. Elder Green, one of our zone leaders, said that I am going to make an amazing missionary because of how funny and easy going I am. I don't panic, I try to talk whether or not I say it right and the members love it. Elder Bostrom, Elder P. Silva's former companion said that I speak portuguese way better than he did when he got here. Elder Fontes, the other zone leader, told him that I will be great and that I speak great portuguese. Elder P. Silva told me that I speak with very little American accent and am starting to sound Brazilian. These compliments boosted my confidence quite a bit.
Everybody loves soccer out here and everyone keeps asking me which team I like. I tell them, Gremio. Its one of the porto alegre teams. Elder P. Silva doesn't like them. He likes their rival, internaçional.
Anyway, Life is good. I am loving it.
Love you,
Elder Bullough
2nd letter.
Dad,
I have a new dad out here. Elder P. Silva. That is what your trainer is called I guess. I am his first son. He has been out for about a year. I love you man. Anyway, I need more short sleeve shirts, one had a pen explode all over it and the other had its pocket rip. I am not sure if you can send packages to this but here is the mission home address. If I find out a different address I will let you know.
Elder James Bullough
Brazil Porto Alegre North Mission
Av. Visconde de Macae. 245
Cristo Redentor
91350-290 - Porto Alegre - RS
Brazil
I need any kind of pen, it doesn't really matter. I am almost out of ink in all of the other ones. I dont understand this whole customs thing but someone got beef jerky while they were in the CTM so I don't know if it is allowed or not. Tell David and Jessica congrats for me. I meant to send you some pictures today but I left my camera at our house. CAN YOU PLEASE SEND ME A GOOD FRISBEE?! We have to use the kind that you get at a pet shop. No fun. Anyway, I do not live in a big city, just a small little town, I do speak the same language that I spoke at the ctm.
Love you man,
Elder Bullough
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