Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009

Hey everybody,
I am having the time of my life! It’s hard and fun. I am doing great! Dad, I know it’s not about the numbers ha-ha. I hope I didn't come off that way. Lisianne, Marcos, Lucas, Larissa, Neli, Gabi, and now Rafael will all be baptized at the end of this month. I have been able to, for the most part, teach Rafael from the start. Apparently he tried to commit suicide a while ago or something like that. He was really depressed and hated his life. His friend was worried about him and invited him to church. They are in another ward. So we were sent to his house. When we showed up the first time we were planning on just teaching him but almost his entire family was sitting down ready to hear us when we showed up. We taught the first lesson to the entire family. I shared the first vision from memory and the spirit was so strong. I remember looking at everyone as I shared it and they were all listening intently to hear what I had to say. I was amazed at how interested they were. We continued to teach them and have been back 3 times. We went there yesterday and it was the craziest thing ever. We had told Rafael to read moroni 10 and pray about it. He told us that he received his answer. It’s a crazy story. He prayed about our message the first time and he said that he felt nothing, but after reading Moroni he prayed and felt very happy. He went to bed and had a dream that he was at some sort of church activity and he was happy and so was everyone around him. Suddenly everything went black and he heard a voice tell him that this wasn't a way to be happy it wasn't true and it couldn't ever happen. After he heard a louder and greater voice tell him, "my son, this is my church this is my way." He and the other six investigators will all be baptized at the end of November and I am excited. We are working hard, though numbers are not what matters they are there to help us evaluate how we are doing. Did we spend too much time at someone's house? Were we slacking? We have been working hard. This week we got 18 new investigators! Most of them seem very receptive to our message and I hope things work out really well.

As for pictures, I continue to try to take a lot. I found out that there is a place nearby that I can put my pictures on a CD. I will do that today and send you home a package of some sort. I don't know what I will put in it. Don't expect too much, pictures, a letter, and maybe something small.

I hope I don’t come off annoying by telling you what I would like you to send me but I really would like a good frisbee out here. Oh! and as for a soccer jersey I got the best deal ever. The members out here love me. I talk a lot and make a fool of myself quite a bit, but everyone loves it. I was explaining to Rafael’s family that I am still trying to learn Portuguese and I told them that whenever I don’t know what is going on I smile nod and say talvez (Maybe). Just after I said that, the father of the house came into the room and heard me explain more about learning Portuguese. He then began to talk to me very very fast and I didn’t understand a single word. I was completely clueless so I smiled and said "talvez" everyone started laughing very hard and I later found out that he was talking about how one of two things could happen. I could either go back home and never speak the language again and forget it or I could fall in love with a black women from Brazil and marry her and move out here. I had said 'maybe' to that.

The kid is doing better. His arms are all wrapped up and he lays around a lot. I am very scared for this week. Last week we did two divisions, or splits. I went with the zone leader, Elder green, to his area. I learned so much for him. He was talking to one lady and turned to me and said, 'give me something' I asked what he wanted and he said anything. So I pulled out the one thing I had left in my bag. It was a pamphlet of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He took it and somehow incorporated it into what he was saying. He told her to read and pray about it and set up an appointment for later. They very next day we did a district division. Because my companion is district leader, I have to do the divisions with him. I went with Elder Bostrom another American elder that has been here for about a year. Things were great and I helped teach the second lesson. I am scared for this week because this time I am going with Elder Sousa to his area. Elder Sousa arrived the same time I did. He is Brazilian and speaks no English. He knows the language but he is still a newbie. He will lead the music and I will follow. When we do a division, you sleep in the area you serve in for the day. I will spend a whole day and a whole night with him and my Portuguese is still pretty awful. I am terrified. It will be a great learning experience though.

Sorry I am not capitalizing everything, this keyboards shift button doesn’t work. I will now try to answer everybody’s questions. Mom, yes I am still getting along with my companion, we don’t really split up chores, we are both very efficient and we don’t need to split things up, we just do it. I see dishes in the sink, I clean them. Elder P. Silva is tricky. One morning I was eating breakfast and he was in the bathroom. He cleaned the entire bathroom! I thought he was about to take a shower. After breakfast I showered and came out to find that he had cleaned the entire fridge! What a beast! I thanked him and tried to straighten up some things. A typical schedule would be wake up at 6:30 and exercise and prepare for the day; I usually start some laundry, iron my shirt, and make sure I have everything for the day. I also shower and get dressed. At seven thirty we eat breakfast. Elder P. SIlva and I love to eat fried eggs; sometimes we make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. At 8:00 personal study. I usually prepare a talk in Portuguese in case I get unexpectedly asked to speak in church in front of everyone. I also read the book of Mormon in English and try to memorize d&c 4 in Portuguese. I finished the book of Mormon while I was in the ctm and have started over again. I am halfway through 2 Nephi. At 9:00 we start companion study; we practice teaching and read parts of preach my gospel and talk about it. This week we want to practice teaching the second lesson because it’s the hardest to teach. At 10:00 we have language study. I teach him English and he teaches me Portuguese. He has kind of let me take control of what we will learn because I created a language study plan for myself. Whatever topic I want to learn we teach each other. Tomorrow preposition, Friday, parts of the body, stuff like that. At 10:30 we pray and both bare are testimonies and leave for the day. We usually head to our lunch which is with a member. After lunch we go to any appointments and in-between appointments we knock on doors and visit less actives and soon to be baptized families. We go back home by nine, nine thirty if we are teaching, and we eat, plan, personal time and go to bed. I have set a goal to write in my journal every single day out here even if it is just a little and so far from august 26 until now I have written in it. The most unusual thing that I have seen so far is dead animals and some weird religion. There are dogs everywhere. I have run into dying animals and strays. Also there is some sort of religion that bangs on drums really loud and sacrifices animals by putting a goat or something on a table and everyone just stabs it and tears it apart with knives and stuff. I haven't seen it but I have heard it and asked other missionaries about it.

That address I gave you last time is where you should send everything. Sarah, I think whatever you sent me should get here. I will keep my eye out for it. Nothing crazy with the food yet, lots of rice and beans, my area is a small town, but it is fairly populated I guess. The ctm mothered us. It is much more difficult out here, but I love it.

Dad, I do not know if the people here sweep dirt, I haven’t seen it yet. Oh and about the jersey that I mentioned earlier, a member sold me a real jersey for 30 reais. He doesn't wear it anymore. It got an incredible deal. I am a gremista. It means I like the team gremio. A lady that we ate lunch with said that when I first get transferred and leave this area she will give me a gremio bomba (the metal straw that you drink chimarrão with). I will most likely stay with elder p. Silva in this area for this next transfer.

I love you all, and sometimes I get trunky when I think about what thing will be like when I get home or when I get to call you, but don’t worry I am focused and working hard. Tell john to check his e-mail!

Até Mais,
Elder Bullough