Things I Have Learned

Hello all!

What a great week it has been in Brazil!!!

Things I have learned:

• 1.     I will spend the next two years of my life in a constant sweat.
• 2.     Ants will be an ever present in my life also (shower, dinner table, bedroom, everywhere) and other bugs
• 3.     I really am in another country
• 4.     Brazilians are the nicest people ever
• 5.     Bus rides = no room... seriously
• 6.     Fruit here is amazing thus juice is too
• 7.     My Portuguese is worse than the 6 year old kid that was picking on me.
• 8.     Clothes really aren’t necessary if you are Brazilian
• 9.     There is no such thing as too much PDA...   like it can’t get worse.
• 10.  The church is true no matter where you are!!!

Well I have learned a lot in the few days I have been here.  But the most important is that I am so excited to be here and Brazil is amazing.  I’m sad that I have already been out five months and only get another 19 here.

On Tuesday I got here and started sweating... immediately.  I found out Brazilians drive insane and motorcycle drivers are even more insane BUT they have fewer accidents then we do.  I have decided that if we just let people drive how they want we will have fewer accidents.  When I got to the apartment I found out that transfers are next Tuesday so I will just be staying with the assistants until then.  (They also have the nicest apt in the mission) so  things will be interesting.  Let’s just say Park City was not the best preparation for a mission in Brazil. 

So I have been in the city of Salvador living a very nice life. Next week I will get my area and my trainer, I am very excited.  Some fun things that have happened this week....  I was walking down the street and this little kid calls me A-hole!!! I was like elder what did he say?  He said don’t worry about it. I was like no what he said! And he told me that he called me an A-hole. This kid was…8?   It was pretty funny. 

Showers are also the best part of the day....  I just stand there under the cold water and it feels so good.  Ha-ha  

Oh we walk a lot here... like a lot a lot.  I am so sore I’m pretty sure instead of getting out of shape like most missionaries do I will get in better shape.  I walked up the longest stair case in Salvador and just about had a heart attack! Ha-ha not really but it was bad.

The food and juice here is amazing so many different kinds and it all is so good.  If it wasn’t so hot here I would think I had died and gone to heaven. 

Well the missionaries here are amazing, hard working, and funny.   It is great. It is a reality here that we can baptize weekly if we work hard.  So I am pretty excited.

Everything is great here I already love the people and the culture and I’m sure it will just become more intense as I learn how to speak the language!!  Ha-ha it is so funny we went to an Avella which is pretty much shacks crammed together on the hillside where thousands of people live and these three kids were picking on my Portuguese hard core.  But it is way fun.

I hope all is well in the states and that you know I love you!!

Love,

Elder Mender