This week was quite the cool week, we almost had a baptism and she should be baptized this week, we are doing all we can, working, working, and I have decided that a South American mission is completely different from one in the United States. We got to watch a show called "The District" a couple weeks ago and if we were doing here, what the missionaries were doing there, it would be really weird. The way we talk to people here is different, I don't know how to explain it but Brazil is a different beast, and a really happy, upbeat culture.
We had a crazy, cool, cultural thing at "Festa Junina". It is a big party where everybody celebrates the North and brings out their inner hick. It would be like if we in Washington had a day to celebrate the deep South, and wore overalls, and straw hats and blacked out a couple teeth, and cooked some alligator on the BBQ. Just imagine the life of "Waterboy" and make a huge festival out of it! That is what we did on Saturday and it was really fun. Yesterday we went to a huge MG (Mormon gathering), it reminded me of my old MG's at my house. There was about 40 people in a little house and we ate food and had a great time and then we found out that the reason for the party was this guy wanted to propose to his girlfriend so that was way cool. It was the first time I had every seen anything like that so it was a blast.
I am thinking about buying a harmonica and learning to play it. I would like to play music and I can't really take a piano around with me-so I am going to try this and see how it goes. Well, those were the highlights of my week, and I am just living my life and geting better. I am finally finding out what goals would be good for me, because I have been thinking about them a lot and know what I want to get out of this mission. We will see how that goes for me, I am excited to continue learning and growing out here in Brazil.
Jordan in Rio
Friday, July 29, 2011
Letter July 18-encantado 3
This week has been kind of a short week for missionary work, we had interviews and district meetings and things like that, but work has been going well and this week we are going to throw a twist of sacrifice on the work, and fast a couple days and pray harder and find some service to do. We are already doing everything else we can.
This week we have a little Festa Junina, that is when people in Rio have a day when they celebrante the people in the North and wear strange clothes and make crazy food and things like that. We are having one this Saturday at church and I am way stoked because we will get to meet a lot of new people and have a party. We are currently teaching some very quality people. Quality means that people are actually interested and want to know for themselves and are willing to study and pray. All the people we have are good in this sort of way.
This P-day I invited our district missionaries to have a fun day. This is because some people just sleep on P-day and that is BORING. I invited them to come over and we will have a rummy party (the card game) and also a potluck. We are making cake and others are bringing stuff as well so it should be a blast. Last P day we had rummy night with just the people in our apartment and I dominated everybody!!!
This area is wonderful, it is small, so we get less blisters on our feet. The people are nice, and the members enjoy us, so all together we are having a good time here. As for me, I can understand pretty much everything in Portuguese, and for the most part my talking is pretty good, it is just hard to conjugate the two types of past tense, but I am learning and getting a little better each day.
I also got some sort of sickness this week, it started with a headache and moved to body pain and I got dizzy and could feel a pulse in my head and have a little fever. The next day my body hurt but not as bad, and it just kept getting better, now I am almost better. Hope all is well, keep me posted.
This week we have a little Festa Junina, that is when people in Rio have a day when they celebrante the people in the North and wear strange clothes and make crazy food and things like that. We are having one this Saturday at church and I am way stoked because we will get to meet a lot of new people and have a party. We are currently teaching some very quality people. Quality means that people are actually interested and want to know for themselves and are willing to study and pray. All the people we have are good in this sort of way.
This P-day I invited our district missionaries to have a fun day. This is because some people just sleep on P-day and that is BORING. I invited them to come over and we will have a rummy party (the card game) and also a potluck. We are making cake and others are bringing stuff as well so it should be a blast. Last P day we had rummy night with just the people in our apartment and I dominated everybody!!!
This area is wonderful, it is small, so we get less blisters on our feet. The people are nice, and the members enjoy us, so all together we are having a good time here. As for me, I can understand pretty much everything in Portuguese, and for the most part my talking is pretty good, it is just hard to conjugate the two types of past tense, but I am learning and getting a little better each day.
I also got some sort of sickness this week, it started with a headache and moved to body pain and I got dizzy and could feel a pulse in my head and have a little fever. The next day my body hurt but not as bad, and it just kept getting better, now I am almost better. Hope all is well, keep me posted.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Encantando-July 11, 2011
I hope all is well at Dworshak! It was wet and cold this week, I bought a coat because it was too cold, who would have ever thought I would need a coat in RIO? This has been a great week. We brought 4 people to church; someones friend, a mom and daughter, and another person. I am so excited for this week because I have lots of teaching and talking Portuguese. The mom and daughter are way cool and when we go there they always make us good food. They have prayed about the church and are very receptive to everything. We are having family night with them tonight and that should be wonderful too. The ward I am in is great. There are 5 ward missionaries and 3 of them really help us out, we are looking for more people to teach and that will be good.
Our apartment is wonderful, we make breakfast every day, we make pancakes, french toast, eggs maloco (my invention), and avacado-it is way different then the ones back home, you eat it sweet and it is the size of about 3 avacados. We cook a lot in our place. We have 3 Americans and 1 Brazilian living here and it is usually the other way around. Today is P-day and we are going to play some cards, it is crazy fun. We taught the Brazilian to say the cards names in English so we can all play in either language. My comp and I are doing good together. I am good with people and being organized and in some ways creative, and he is good at everything else. We get along well and usually end up talking about history and stuff like that. It is amazing how many facts I know, I don't remember how I learned most of them, but it is good. My old comp is still living in this place too and we are like twins; we always think the same things and say the same lines, it is soooo weird! His great grandpa made all the Browning guns, so we have decided that if we have time in the future we would go and re-make the good old Browning lever action shotgun! YES that would be a fun gun. I will send some pictures soon of me and my area and I am expecting pictures from Dworshak!
Our apartment is wonderful, we make breakfast every day, we make pancakes, french toast, eggs maloco (my invention), and avacado-it is way different then the ones back home, you eat it sweet and it is the size of about 3 avacados. We cook a lot in our place. We have 3 Americans and 1 Brazilian living here and it is usually the other way around. Today is P-day and we are going to play some cards, it is crazy fun. We taught the Brazilian to say the cards names in English so we can all play in either language. My comp and I are doing good together. I am good with people and being organized and in some ways creative, and he is good at everything else. We get along well and usually end up talking about history and stuff like that. It is amazing how many facts I know, I don't remember how I learned most of them, but it is good. My old comp is still living in this place too and we are like twins; we always think the same things and say the same lines, it is soooo weird! His great grandpa made all the Browning guns, so we have decided that if we have time in the future we would go and re-make the good old Browning lever action shotgun! YES that would be a fun gun. I will send some pictures soon of me and my area and I am expecting pictures from Dworshak!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Jordans letter 7/4/2011-Encantando
Hey surprise, I got transfers again and a new companion again!! We are living in the same building still but have different companions and different areas. My new comp is named Elder Clegg and he is from PG Utah and he is a little trecky/dungeons and dragonish, I am having to learn how to have a conversation with him but all is well. We should do well and we get along well. My last area Iraja was shut down again. I have no idea why but it must have been shut for a reason so who knows....
We had something crazy happen the other day-we were out teaching in what we thought was a calm favella when all of a sudden EVERYBODY starts shooting around us at the police. We were pretty much at the top of the hill and everyone below us had a gun and was shooting. The mom of the family told us to come in and we got to teach about 3 families so that was great. So many good things and we were safe, but we will be careful next time when we walk up a hill!
We are about ready to start our area over again-it is a good area and we need to find out what we need to do here to help out. We have some ideas so we will see how they work out. So, I have had 3 transfers, 3 areas, and 3 American companions (in 3 months?). That is very rare for a missionary around here but I am fine and I am going to experience all of Rio! Today it is raining and the 4th of July. The 3 Americans in our apartment sang the national anthem and did the pledge of allegiance while the 1 Brazilian got to watch!! Ha ha. He will learn!
So I am wondering which places in Rio did Uncle Marcus serve?
We had something crazy happen the other day-we were out teaching in what we thought was a calm favella when all of a sudden EVERYBODY starts shooting around us at the police. We were pretty much at the top of the hill and everyone below us had a gun and was shooting. The mom of the family told us to come in and we got to teach about 3 families so that was great. So many good things and we were safe, but we will be careful next time when we walk up a hill!
We are about ready to start our area over again-it is a good area and we need to find out what we need to do here to help out. We have some ideas so we will see how they work out. So, I have had 3 transfers, 3 areas, and 3 American companions (in 3 months?). That is very rare for a missionary around here but I am fine and I am going to experience all of Rio! Today it is raining and the 4th of July. The 3 Americans in our apartment sang the national anthem and did the pledge of allegiance while the 1 Brazilian got to watch!! Ha ha. He will learn!
So I am wondering which places in Rio did Uncle Marcus serve?
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