Tuesday, April 24, 2012

We received a bunch of letters today - one addressed to each of us personally - his dad, me, Taylor, Sydney, and Grandma and Grandpa!  It was fun to share what he wrote each of us.  Here are some of the things he wrote in my letter ...

"I have found one interesting thing about writing letters to people during my mission. That I love to write letters and that I never tell anyone person the same stories except for the big important ones. Other than that I have experiences that I share with different people and every letter is a different angle and I think that it is fun.  Brazil is a lot like Europe.  The buildings, the structures, the way people drive, how the people spend their time ...  They paint things bright funny colors.  Its about the partying and the fun not the house or the quality of living.  I find it really interesting.  Everything here has a gate!  Not to mention what looks like one house usually leads into 10 houses and you just clap or holler a name to get them to come out.  Everything here is concrete, and these really wimpy looking bricks.  They throw up 20 story buildings like gingerbread houses.  It is pretty impressive.  I find it fascinating.  I have decided that I want to take an architecture class.

"I think you would like Brazil.  Its not too hot and its not too cold and you can wear whatever you want all year round, but for me I would rather have the heat and cold and the country than be in a huge over populated city with really bad traffic and the only problem is that unless you buy american products, Brazilian products are {not very good}... They have some really good fruit here.  I am sure Brazil has something else good that is produced here but I have no idea how Sao Paulo ever made it to being the 3rd largest city in the world.  It is weird though.  The oranges here are green and yellow.  I have never seen an orange one.  I am gonna drop a lot of weight on my mission I can just tell but I would mind being about 160 or 170 again :)  That means I will lose 80lbs. during my mission.  That would be a little strange.  I would come back a whole new person or lack of a whole person. hehehe.

"Other than the little frustrations life is good.  I am learning more about the gospel everyday and my patience and capacity to just let things go is growing immensely not to mention trying to be optimistic has been a trial but all I have to do is think about what sharing this message with people could do to change their lives.  I wish I could speak Portuguese fluently already cause I would be so much more effective and be making so much more of a difference here but I truly am doing my best and I am learning to accept that, which is definitely one of those mountains Elder Eyring spoke about.  Also Mosiah 4:27 is a good part to remember when trying to accept that your best is accepted."

Mosiah 4:27  And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.