This is my second-to-last P-day at the CTM! I’ve been here for about 50 days. As of today my district has become the oldest in our hallway. Strange to be the “Seniors” here. It finally happened, and in the last few days it really started to hit me that I’d be in the field very shortly. Ten days left here. Ten days to do everything I can to prepare myself for the challenges an emissary of Jesus Christ will face. It’s a lot of responsibility… I’m in awe that Jesus Christ trusts me enough to preach His gospel. Can I do what He wants me to do? Can I help in some way to bring salvation to a handful of souls? Can we, an army of nineteen and twenty-something year-olds DO THIS? Crazy crazy crazy. And despite my awe, I do not have a doubt that I can. This is all going to work and it’s going to work well, because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. Heavenly Father will answer our prayers, the Atonement of Jesus Christ will make up for our weaknesses, and the Holy Ghost will buoy up our efforts with His power as long as we are working our hardest, being obedient, and keeping our eyes single to the glory of God.
Elder Connor, Elder Lima and Elder Brendon
I’ve been using a lot of time studying the scriptures, Preach My Gospel, and watching instructional videos in the computer labs. I don’t feel as urgent to learn Portuguese as I used to. I feel that with the Portuguese I do know now, that learning the language will be very manageable when I’m spending every day with a Brazilian companion and talking to Brazilians on the street. I’m going to be fluent, I know I can do it with the help of the Holy Ghost! But I’m going to have much less time to study the Gospel. That’s where my priorities are right now. After that, I want to just finish my time here in the CTM strong, and lift up my companion, Elder Clay, and our district, as much as possible.
Shall I tell what happened this week?
Remember how I said I bought that sugarcane juice from that street vendor? Well, I actually bought a liter bottle because it was so good. I kept the bottle in my closet overnight because I wanted to drink a little every night, draw it out over the week. So, I wake up Wednesday morning, open up my closet to get dressed and…. something’s wrong with this sugarcane juice. Yes, it had gone bad. The usually delicious cool froth had turned into what looked like a layer of pond scum on top and there were chunks of green throughout the juice. No! I had spent the equivalent of four dollars on that thing. So I took it to the cafeteria and asked the kind workers there in simple Portuguese, if they had a strainer (corador/filtro). No luck. Hmmm… I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t throw four dollars down the drain. Luckily, I had washed my shirts the day before. So I took one of my white shirts and fashioned a crude filter with a spare plastic cup. (I can just imagine Dad putting his face in his hands right now). But, I’ll tell you, it worked! It took half an hour and my white shirt had gunk all over it and a huge lime green stain, but I hand-washed it in a sink with soap, threw it in the dryer, and for all I know I am wearing it now, it looks like all the rest (except for a faint lime hue….no, I’m kidding).
So the sugarcane juice was saved! But it really wasn’t, because I suspect the juice itself had been spoiled overnight, didn’t taste very good, but I still drank it all out of stubbornness to accept defeat. At least I didn’t get sick (unless deadly, sugary bacteria are building up in my stomach as we speak, biding their time).
Have had a great series of volleyball games. I’m becoming quite good. I’m going to miss daily volleyball when I’m in the field.
We just had an interesting Brazilian holiday a couple of days ago called “The Day of the Children”. We don’t know how it’s normally celebrated amongst the people, but apparently it involves giving candy to children. No candy for us, though, but I did get to eat some ice cream at lunch. It was funny… the cafeteria staff all dressed up as clowns and there were balloons all over being used as decorations. Probably a thousand. Interesting divergence from the routine here.
Did you know that I am one of about 4,100 LDS missionaries in Brazil? 60% American, 40% Brazileiro. Not too many people get to experience this. I’m lucky.
Our Brazilian roommates left this morning. Elder Neves Dos Santos and Elder Souza. I will miss them a lot. We bonded. They were cool people.
Hey Lynsey, how are those CD’s you are recording with Wyatt going? Some good stuff, I hope? What are you most interested in the Gospel, right now, or what are you studying? I’d like to send you some scripture references.
Kaitlin, what’s up with your Indian princess costume? Halloween is so close! Do you have it already? I think it’s going to look great. Remember when you dressed up as a “bandita” with that big Mexican hat and we went trick-or-treating, just you and me, at your old school? That was so fun! You always have the best costumes.
Hey, uncle Kevin, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging email. General Conference was great and the notes I took are going to be looked at frequently. I loved hearing President Monson, it was so cool to be given advice by a prophet of God.
I can’t wait for the field and when I can get in the swing of things, just focusing on people all day. I hope I can lose myself out there. I really want to. Cool stuff about studying the Book of Mormon and geography. I wish I could have the resources to do the same, I forgot so much about where everything was, but I guess I should focus on missionary work, though.
Congrats again with Jonah! Good name! Can’t wait to see him in two years. I love you guys so much! Thanks for keeping in touch.
South American people are awesome!
Well, I gotta wrap this up…. Hopefully more next week. I hope things are going well in the United States and elsewhere! Have a great seven days everybody!
Love,
Your friend, brother, relative, and son,
Elder Brendon Carpenter
--------- short email received earlier that day
Hey everybody! Elder Carpenter here.
Lynsey, that drawing/painting is incredible! ' some really good perspective there and I love the colors. Great job! I hope art class is fun and you are learning some cool new skills. That Young Women´s award thing is pretty sweet, too, I bet you worked hard to get it.
Hey Kaitlin! No, haven't baptized anyone yet, I am still in training, but in two weeks I'll start baptizing people. Hundreds of people! The kids in Brazil are a lot like American kids, from what I've seen. Some are just a little bit poorer than us. I just saw a little boy kicking a soccer ball made out of a bunch of rolled up garbage bags in the street. Neat, huh? One time when we were walking on the streets, looking for people to talk to, we passed a gate and inside were four little boys with no shirts on playing tag. We said "Oi! Tudo Bem!" to them and they all looked at us and stopped playing because they didn't know who we are. I just told them to have a good day and gave them a big smile and they waved goodbye to me. So yes, Brazilian kids are friendly! Good job on learning stuff in school, that must be so fun!
More interesting stuff included in my letter. I want to send some photos to you and read some other letters, so I apologize if this is very short. Thank you so much for the pictures! I loved seeing all of you. :) They dont take much time to load, only to send.
Much love! I am thinking of you all! Fifty day mark today, by the way!
Your son, brother and friend,
Elder Brendon Carpenter
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