Dear mom,
This week was a little less hard than last week haha. I can Skype you guys this next Monday around 6:30 pm my time because the internet house closes at 8 pm. I told Ally to set up an account and email it to me since she is pretty computer savvy and then on Monday night just be on your email at the same time in case there are technical difficulties. I also told ally 7pm so just let her know that it is 630 now please. I hope that everyone will be able make it.
So the day before yesterday I was having a difficult time with the language and so I was praying about it because I just want to be able to teach people. So then yesterday we were knocking doors and the first door I knocked there ended up being a daughter of the family that has been studying English for 6 years and so the father (who answered our clap) ran and got her and she was really excited to speak English with me and I was able to teach her in English and just translate a few words for her and she understood and was very grateful for the message and we are returning this Saturday to teach more. It was definitely an answer to my prayers. After that I was feeling very happy and I could speak and understand Portuguese much better after that. It was a very cool experience.
Then later that day we were stopping by our apartment and there was a guy leaving and he asked me if I was an American and where I was from. It turned out that he actually lived in York, Pennsylvania for 2 years! He’s a teacher and he wants to help me with my Portuguese. It was a very good day yesterday, and its days like that that makes it all worth it to be here. I know the lord is always looking out for me.
That’s pretty funny that no one recognized your hair haha. I’m looking forward to seeing your hair this Monday!
I’m sorry to hear about Jay Pfeiffer I know who he was but I did not know him very well. He must have been an amazing person though because I have never seen or heard of Brother McBride getting emotional.
That’s cool that Mike came over and fixed the radio. He’s a good person for sure. He’s always trying to fix things haha.
That’s sweet that Maddi’s getting a scholarship for her painting! I’m sure she’ll get a decent amount for it. So will it be hanging in the school then? Or where will it be displayed?
The baptism was good. I don’t know Wesley to well but he seems like he’s really into the gospel and he will stay active for sure. So I’m sure I’ll get to know him. There were like 20ish people at the baptism so it was good. I guess the water was super cold though but all was well.
I like that quote it is very true that we all have talents and abilities that are limitless but also they do wither away if we don’t use them. And what better way to use them then to bless the lives of the people around us. They are just like our testimonies. We are ether growing them or we are losing them. I hope that my bag of talents and abilities will bless the people of Campinas.
Hope everything keeps going well. Say strong and trust in the lord
Love,
Elder Raleigh
Dear dad,
It’s awesome that you got to visit family in Utah. And it’s good to hear that jess is gonna get some teaching experience. I’m sure everything will be fine moneywise. All she has to do is pay her tithing and trust in the lord and she´ll be taken care of.
This Monday I can Skype home at 630pm my time. I asked ally to set up an account for me and to email the password and username to me and then you guys just gotta be on your emails in case there are technical difficulties.
So the other day we were in our apt and my companion had this song that was English and he wanted me write the lyrics and while I was doing it he was just like ´oh fetch´´ and stood up and I looked at him and when I did I felt something crawling up my arm. It was a cockroach! Haha I jumped and it fell off my arm and on my lap and then I tried to get away and tripped over my chair and then over my companions chair. It was kinda funny. But now I know there are live cockroaches in my appt.
Sorry to hear about your food poisoning. That’s like the worst sickness I’ve ever had and it was terrible. It’s good that you’re okay now.
I think that I will learn Portuguese in less than a month. I’m already able to have a broken conversation with someone and I can teach the whole first lesson which we timed and it takes about 17 mins so I can talk in Portuguese for 17 minutes. It really is a blessing to have a Brazilian companion. And when were one the streets I can usually understand what people are saying when I ask them if I can share a message with them.
It was kinda funny the other day we were contacting people on the streets and normally people stop to talk to us but for some reason not a lot of people would stop to talk, in fact it seemed like they would speed up so after a while I just started to walk with them and talk. It was effective on one person who was kinda laughing at me when I was walking and talking poor Portuguese with her but she gave us her address and were gonna visit her house another day.
My companion saw those numbers that are your budget and he thought that it was your salary when I tried to explain it to him. Haha he thought I was a millionaire for a second. But that is awesome that you get to use that much money!
That’s sweet your training for a marathon! It’s funny cause Ally is actually going to do that too. But I will hold you accountable. I want to do a marathon when I get back. I don’t think it would be that hard. I walk like at least a marathon every day and sometimes we have to run and it’s not as hard anymore. So when I get home well have to do one together.
I had a pretty cool experience this week with prayer and getting an answer, but I sent it to mom so you’ll have to read her email. Hope everything goes well for Maddi in the talent show. It will be an awesome experience for sure.
Anyway I gotta go. I love you and keep you in my prayers.
Love,
Elder Raleigh