Week 9 - 16 November 2010

Elder Andrus didn’t get a P-day this week because he left the CTM in São Paulo to arrive at his mission area in Belém!

Week 8 - 9 November 2010

It’s my last p-day at the CTM!  Before I know it I’ll be up in the Amazon!  I’m crazy excited.  

So this week another great group of elders left, and I gave one of them my watch. So I  bought a new one from a lady down the street, and it’s pretty sweet.  It’s a white Nike watch.  I like it better than my other one haha.  So we got to go proselyting in downtown central São Paulo last Friday - it was way cool.  There were so many people, it was crazy. I think São Paulo is the 3rd largest city or something, and I can definitely see it because it was packed.  We were given 6 Books of Mormon to hand out, and we handed out all of them.  Some people actually came up to us and wanted it.  It was really cool but also so different from just around the CTM. Haha  Also, Elder Cook and I almost got hit by a motorcycle!  It was scary!  But it probably wasn’t as close as it felt, but it sure scared us both.  People just drive wherever they want here, and you really have to watch out.  Don’t worry though I’ll be safer next time haha.  Also you remember that CTR ring that doesn’t fit me anymore?  There is a Brazilian elder here named Elder de Lima, and he’s super cool.  His mom died a couple years ago, and his dad told him that if he went on a mission he would leave him, and yet he still made the decision to serve the Lord.  He’s amazing and he was leaving to the field today, so I gave him my ring.  He gave my a pin of the Recife Temple because that’s where he’s from.  So I’ll wear that on my suit jacket now.

Also about Brother Clark that works at the São Paulo temple - I talked to him today at the temple.  It’s crazy how small the world is!  He used to be the bishop of the Hylabos Ward I think he said, and he knows tons of people that I know, like the Swansons.  He told me he lived near Illahee and is pretty close with the Grotefend family too.  Too bad I’m leaving so soon because we could have talked a little more.  I’m not sure if you guys remember him as Bishop Clark, but he told me to tell you guys hi for him.  I’ve never met him before the temple here, but he’s really cool.

Also, today for lunch my district went to a Churrascaria here near the CTM (a churrasco is a barbeque).  It was so good!  It was exactly like Tocanos the all-you-can eat Brazilian Grill place in Utah, but this was legit Brazilian meat. Haha  It was so good and only about 15 reais, which is probably about 10 dollars.  For all the meat they give you it was definitely a good deal.  

Thanks for all the support and next time I’ll be in the Amazon!  Love you all so much.

-Elder Andrus

Week 7 - 2 November 2010

Hey everyone!  Another week just flew by!  It really is true that the days seem to drag on but the weeks fly by.  Today at the temple we went through a session in Portuguese because there was only like 8 or so Americans there.  It was cool.  We had those headphones to listen in English but I liked to try to understand the Portuguese.  It sure was tough though.  

So last Friday we had something called TRC, when families from the nearby ward here in Sao Paulo come to the CTM and play the role as investigators for us to practice.  It was a good experience trying to teach real Brasileiros.  We were recorded and monitored and everything, so it was pretty nerve racking.  But I think we did pretty well.  It was a pretty easy situation, so when we do it again on our last week here it’ll be tougher.  This week I got a letter from the Johnson’s and that was really nice!  So this one district here had the idea to write a ´´dear john´´ letter saying goodbye to English, so I wrote one too haha.  It’s just a nice reminder to me to always try and speak Portuguese first, then English.  On Friday night during my prayer before I went to bed, I started in English and about halfway through I found myself saying a lot of words in Portuguese instead! Haha  So I ended up just saying the rest in Portuguese.  That was really cool because that was one of the first times that I can remember where Portuguese actually started to take over a little bit.  If only it happened a little more often haha.  

So about Elder Bednar, he was actually in this area this week, right around the temple in Sao Paulo.  But he went and spoke with the elders in the Sao Paulo Norte Mission and didn’t come to the CTM!  Lame huh? Haha it’s okay - there are only like maybe 50 total missionaries here now, if that.  They say it’s one of the recording breaking lowest numbers here.  Even more of my Brasileiro amigos left this morning!  It’s real sad when a good bunch of Brasileiros leave.  Hopefully we’ll be able to see each other sometime after the mission.  Last night, one of the American districts here had a little funny ceremony and past a plant down to us.  Apparently this plant started about 30 weeks ago from a district who decided to plant a seed from the cafeteria in a cup.  Now it´s actually sprouting and growing haha.  So now it’s a thing that we’re going to pass down from district to district.  So funny.  One thing I would love for you guys to send me through missionties is ´´My Commission´´.  I read it in my farewell talk if you guys remember. That would be great to have.  Another thing I want is Nick Denny´s email or address or something if you guys could get that that would be wonderful.  Well that’s about it for this week.  Thanks for all the support and everything!

Eu amo vocês e obrigado por todas as coisas!  Muito amor do Brasil 

-Elder Andrus