Sunday, April 25, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
4-19-2010 Letter Home
Hey everybody! Man, my mission has taken one heck of a turn guys!
So Saturday night we are all getting new assignments and it comes to my turn and the District Leader says: "Elder Carpenter, you'll be going to Florestao with Elder Macaco. He's only been here one transfer and he's already Senior Companion. President really really likes him." Okay, interesting. Florestao? I was like, that's way in the interior! Way farther than Juazeiro do Norte. No one knew really anything about Elder Macaco or the area so I was just ready for a surprise the next morning and a surprise it was. I got to the city center where all us missionaries trade companions and everything and I'm talking with my group and my friends and Elder Boyd says, "Oh, Elder Macaco? He's awesome, dude! You've got a great companion." "Really?" I say, "You know if he's here yet?" He laughs and points upward towards this tree above me. Elder Macaco was climbing the tree above me! He totally surprised me and jumped down and man, he is an ugly really short little guy. He has an accent I completely do not understand and get this... he's entirely covered with hair. His whole body! He's got this dark brown hair over his entire face! It was kind of strange but, you know, I've gotten used to it. I cannot understand a WORD he says, he speaks in this loud, whooping accent. I have almost eight months on the mission but, Elder Macaco makes me feel like I've been here one day. He loves bananas, something he and I enjoy a lot. He needs like a banana every hour and if he doesn't get one, he dances around and beats his chest. "Dude, dude, calm down there's a fruit vendor right over there." I've had to get him to relax a lot, he's really energetic. We got on the bus that night, I got some rest, and the next day we got to our new area. Florestao. Mom, Dad, its exactly like how you picture the Amazon. Dirt roads, huge trees everywhere, and the crazy thing is, we LIVE in a tree. I'm not kidding, I sleep in a hammock up in a big tree and all of my things are still hanging by a rope right above me. Elder Macaco loves it, he's already spent a transfer here and knows everyone here. I think he might even be FROM Florestao, because the people here all look like him and have the same accent. He teaches all the lessons and I just smile and give the investigators bananas. Whatever, I'll get the language some day. The bugs are horrible here but, luckily, I don't know, Elder Macaco is pretty strange, he likes to pick the bugs out of my hair and eat them. Don't look at me I didn't encourage this behavior, and the first time I did it I totally got mad at him but I'm getting used to it. Yeah, so, just another week in Brazil, getting really strange but I'm kind of used to strange by now, ya know? It's going to be a wild transfer, that's for sure. What in the... sorry, Mom, Dad, Elder Macaco just pitched his computer monitor out the window, it looks like his video isn't sending after all this time. I've gotta go. That guy is crazy!!
I love you guys, have a great week!
Elder Carpenter
---
I love you guys, have a great week!
Elder Carpenter
---
So I thought I'd start you off with my late April Fools message...
Hehe, yeah, hope you thought it was funny.
This week was pretty good, working still as much as we can in Maracanau. We did some service this last Tuesday, helped a brother in the ward cut down some big banana trees in his backyard which was pretty cool. He hogged the machete, we just hauled the debris to the street. We then helped him pave a part of his backyard with some cement he had bought... just crushed some bricks, laid a layer of that down on the dirt, then poured the cement and flattened it with our feet. Way easier and more simple than how its done in the states, isn't it? I've finished my journal! August 25 to April 11, you all ready to be read every Family Home Evening for an hour. I want to pack a few more souvenir kinda stuff in the box, though, so it might take a bit. I made the brownies, finally, after a month practically! They were great, very awesome.
"Making Brownies"
Connor, glad you got a new companion, good luck to you, sir.
Connor, glad you got a new companion, good luck to you, sir.
I think we both will leave the mission extremely, extremely patient. Dealing with companions is like, the eternal struggle here on the mission, yo. Hope it turns out a great transfer though!
Grandma, thanks for the e-mail. Easter Pageant was great, huh? I always loved going to those with the family, very fun. The vitamins are still holding out, thanks so much, they are keeping me healthy. Thank you so much for your prayers, you are very special to me and I am very grateful for everything you do for me Grams. I love you Grandma, have a great week!
Thank you Aunt Karen for the talk you sent, I haven't read it yet but I will later, I'm sure its great. I love you so much, thanks for the news as well. Man, family just keeps on growing and growing...
Mom, Dad, Lynsey, Kaitlin, relatives and friends, I love you guys a lot, have a great week, I'm always thinking about ya.
Love love love!
- Elder Carpenter
Grandma, thanks for the e-mail. Easter Pageant was great, huh? I always loved going to those with the family, very fun. The vitamins are still holding out, thanks so much, they are keeping me healthy. Thank you so much for your prayers, you are very special to me and I am very grateful for everything you do for me Grams. I love you Grandma, have a great week!
Thank you Aunt Karen for the talk you sent, I haven't read it yet but I will later, I'm sure its great. I love you so much, thanks for the news as well. Man, family just keeps on growing and growing...
Mom, Dad, Lynsey, Kaitlin, relatives and friends, I love you guys a lot, have a great week, I'm always thinking about ya.
Love love love!
- Elder Carpenter
Monday, April 12, 2010
4-12-2010 Letter Home
To the Dark Side of the Moon and Back Again...
Hey everybody!!!
Finally an actual message from me, eh? I'm sorry about last week, there were things that were taking up my time and this time I'll explain it all.
So here's what happened. We had already received news about the next transfer on Saturday night. I would go to another area as a Senior Companion (!!!) and Elder Peres would be going to the interior in undoubtly the smallest, hottest little area in the mission. I was super excited, Elder Peres super sad, and then the other Elders told us that they were pranking us!! Haha, it was hilarious, I just needed to share that little joke, they didn't pull the reveal for a long time and when they did we were so surprised and everyone was laughing their heads off. What really was happening is I would stay here in Maracanau with Elder Peres one more transfer as Junior Companion! Yay!
Then Sunday arrives and we get to the chapel early to watch General Conference. My companion went to the chapel to watch Conference on the big screen with the other Brazilians, and I was left behind in the Bishop's Office to watch it in English (lucky me!). I am sitting there during Elder Uchtdorf's talk, the first one, when two Brazilian elders come in, from a neighboring area that doesn't have a satellite, Pacatuba. They were talking about the upcoming transfers and who would be where and the new companionships that would be created.
After the first session of Conference Elder Peres and I head out to some of our investigators that didn't come, to encourage them to go to the second session. We end up waiting outside for some teenage girls to get dressed to go with their family, and my companion and I are just sitting outside alone, each kind of in his own thoughts, and we begin talking again about upcoming transfers. Elder Peres seems pretty indifferent about it. He kind of just zones out, then our investigators come out and we march on back to the chapel.
Second session of conference passes. Elder Peres and I are out in the hall when everyone's leaving the building and I'm smiling and saying "Tchau" to everybody and suddenly I can tell Elder Peres seems upset, but then our investigators are there and we get to talking again.
Remember, its Easter, so we end up going to an after-conference Easter Party, a Chocolate Exchange, actually. Everyone bought a package of chocolate, and we picked names out of a box and traded it all. It was fun! Almost all the Elders were there and the house was full of members. Some of the elders start talking about transfers again and Elder Bernal, our District Leader, comes up to me and says that the President is thinking about trading me around, yada yada.
Elder Peres and I are walking back home and then I can tell he is really mad, my friend, my best companion so far, thought that I had been talking with the other Elders and conspiring with them to trade companions... he had it in his mind that I didn't like him and it got worse from there. He was upset. I am fresh from Conference, super spiritual, so I just talk calmly to him the whole time. "Elder Peres, just settle down. Let's say a prayer and let's talk about this. What did we learn about Brother Ryder that left the church because his name was spelled wrong? Dude, the Adversary is trying to split us a part. I didn't betray you, let's just talk this out." Oh man, it was terrible.
The first night I had the Spirit, I was certain that I hadn't done anything wrong. I was proud of my transfer, I had grown a lot! I was following the rules better than ever before, working every moment, feeling more spiritual. I felt the Lord was pleased with me. That was the first night. When I woke up on P-Day, I had lost it. I was depressed, really really depressed. I wasn't talking to my companion and he wasn't talking to me. I felt bad about myself, didn't know what to do... just really in a pit, as they say here. At e-mail time I just wrote to President to explain the situation.
I was laying on my bed after I used the e-mail, I had been praying a lot, and I decided, you know what, this is not who you are. You are better than this. You didn't do anything wrong. What can you do? I was hungry, and I realized... wait a minute, I could fast for the rest of the day. So I started a fast and it was hard. When we started working that night at 6:00, I was tired and hungry, and the tension was still there. It was not good, with little comments that wormed away in my head. Nossa. It was terrible. On our way home, we argued. I was mad. He was mad. We ended the night angry at each other once again.
Next morning, I decide not to talk to Elder Peres at all. I am determined to show him I am a good missionary. So everywhere we went, I spoke first to people. I left the message without consulting him, I prayed without letting anyone choosing, I walked ahead of him. I was just pumped to prove him wrong, doing everything as best and as obedient as possible. And then we sat down to plan the rest of the day... and the fast that I had gone through worked. We both agreed that we had acted wrongly, we had a responsibility to love each other and to work hard this transfer and that Satan was trying to break us apart. We had a short spiritual talk and then... it ended. Wow. It was awesome. We started working and by the end of the day we were joking around again. I've learned a lot from this experience. I feel much more confident about myself, much more confident in the Lord. I know He is watching out for me.
Shoot, that story took up all my writing time. I love you guys!
Hey, Connor, guess who's Senior this transfer? Elder Slagle, Elder Duvall, Elder McDonald, Elder
Foust, and Elder Ingersoll. Crazy man. Elder Foust and Elder Ingersoll are training again.
I have an awesome district. I love you man, hope this next transfer is better than the last.
I love you all! Thanks for all your letters and have a great week! More next time!
- Elder Carpenter
Hey everybody!!!
Finally an actual message from me, eh? I'm sorry about last week, there were things that were taking up my time and this time I'll explain it all.
So here's what happened. We had already received news about the next transfer on Saturday night. I would go to another area as a Senior Companion (!!!) and Elder Peres would be going to the interior in undoubtly the smallest, hottest little area in the mission. I was super excited, Elder Peres super sad, and then the other Elders told us that they were pranking us!! Haha, it was hilarious, I just needed to share that little joke, they didn't pull the reveal for a long time and when they did we were so surprised and everyone was laughing their heads off. What really was happening is I would stay here in Maracanau with Elder Peres one more transfer as Junior Companion! Yay!
Then Sunday arrives and we get to the chapel early to watch General Conference. My companion went to the chapel to watch Conference on the big screen with the other Brazilians, and I was left behind in the Bishop's Office to watch it in English (lucky me!). I am sitting there during Elder Uchtdorf's talk, the first one, when two Brazilian elders come in, from a neighboring area that doesn't have a satellite, Pacatuba. They were talking about the upcoming transfers and who would be where and the new companionships that would be created.
After the first session of Conference Elder Peres and I head out to some of our investigators that didn't come, to encourage them to go to the second session. We end up waiting outside for some teenage girls to get dressed to go with their family, and my companion and I are just sitting outside alone, each kind of in his own thoughts, and we begin talking again about upcoming transfers. Elder Peres seems pretty indifferent about it. He kind of just zones out, then our investigators come out and we march on back to the chapel.
Second session of conference passes. Elder Peres and I are out in the hall when everyone's leaving the building and I'm smiling and saying "Tchau" to everybody and suddenly I can tell Elder Peres seems upset, but then our investigators are there and we get to talking again.
Remember, its Easter, so we end up going to an after-conference Easter Party, a Chocolate Exchange, actually. Everyone bought a package of chocolate, and we picked names out of a box and traded it all. It was fun! Almost all the Elders were there and the house was full of members. Some of the elders start talking about transfers again and Elder Bernal, our District Leader, comes up to me and says that the President is thinking about trading me around, yada yada.
Elder Peres and I are walking back home and then I can tell he is really mad, my friend, my best companion so far, thought that I had been talking with the other Elders and conspiring with them to trade companions... he had it in his mind that I didn't like him and it got worse from there. He was upset. I am fresh from Conference, super spiritual, so I just talk calmly to him the whole time. "Elder Peres, just settle down. Let's say a prayer and let's talk about this. What did we learn about Brother Ryder that left the church because his name was spelled wrong? Dude, the Adversary is trying to split us a part. I didn't betray you, let's just talk this out." Oh man, it was terrible.
The first night I had the Spirit, I was certain that I hadn't done anything wrong. I was proud of my transfer, I had grown a lot! I was following the rules better than ever before, working every moment, feeling more spiritual. I felt the Lord was pleased with me. That was the first night. When I woke up on P-Day, I had lost it. I was depressed, really really depressed. I wasn't talking to my companion and he wasn't talking to me. I felt bad about myself, didn't know what to do... just really in a pit, as they say here. At e-mail time I just wrote to President to explain the situation.
I was laying on my bed after I used the e-mail, I had been praying a lot, and I decided, you know what, this is not who you are. You are better than this. You didn't do anything wrong. What can you do? I was hungry, and I realized... wait a minute, I could fast for the rest of the day. So I started a fast and it was hard. When we started working that night at 6:00, I was tired and hungry, and the tension was still there. It was not good, with little comments that wormed away in my head. Nossa. It was terrible. On our way home, we argued. I was mad. He was mad. We ended the night angry at each other once again.
Next morning, I decide not to talk to Elder Peres at all. I am determined to show him I am a good missionary. So everywhere we went, I spoke first to people. I left the message without consulting him, I prayed without letting anyone choosing, I walked ahead of him. I was just pumped to prove him wrong, doing everything as best and as obedient as possible. And then we sat down to plan the rest of the day... and the fast that I had gone through worked. We both agreed that we had acted wrongly, we had a responsibility to love each other and to work hard this transfer and that Satan was trying to break us apart. We had a short spiritual talk and then... it ended. Wow. It was awesome. We started working and by the end of the day we were joking around again. I've learned a lot from this experience. I feel much more confident about myself, much more confident in the Lord. I know He is watching out for me.
Shoot, that story took up all my writing time. I love you guys!
Hey, Connor, guess who's Senior this transfer? Elder Slagle, Elder Duvall, Elder McDonald, Elder
Foust, and Elder Ingersoll. Crazy man. Elder Foust and Elder Ingersoll are training again.
I have an awesome district. I love you man, hope this next transfer is better than the last.
I love you all! Thanks for all your letters and have a great week! More next time!
- Elder Carpenter
Monday, April 5, 2010
4-05-2010 Letter Home
Happy Easter!
I love you guys. I spent my time today reading your letters and I love you all, but please keep me in your prayers. I have a great April Fool's Joke too that I wanted to write but I didn't have enough time. I'll write it up next P-Day and you'll have to insert it where this e-mail would be. I was very thankful for all the awesome news and videos I got today.
The camera is fine now, and plus I put all my photos on a CD so I will send that to you guys with my journal in a couple weeks!! Unfortunately I didn't bring it with me this time so there's going to be another lack of media. Yeah, we emptied the font completely, cleaned it and then filled it up again. The water during the day is always lukewarm so it wasn't bad. About the shower water heaters on the mission, yeah, there is only one house somewhere in the mission that is rumored to have a hot water heater... looking forward to finding where it is and going to take a hot shower there, hah.
Woah, a new little cousin! That's awesome! Maybe you guys are there in Arizona right now!
Thank you so much for that awesome scripture and the kind, warm, wonderfully motherly comments. I needed those a lot and I love you so much, Mom. You make me feel like the person I need to be already and I am very grateful that I have you in my life. I love you!
You all are great and awesome and I love you I love you I love you so much! The mission is crazy!
Love,
Elder Carpenter
I love you guys. I spent my time today reading your letters and I love you all, but please keep me in your prayers. I have a great April Fool's Joke too that I wanted to write but I didn't have enough time. I'll write it up next P-Day and you'll have to insert it where this e-mail would be. I was very thankful for all the awesome news and videos I got today.
The camera is fine now, and plus I put all my photos on a CD so I will send that to you guys with my journal in a couple weeks!! Unfortunately I didn't bring it with me this time so there's going to be another lack of media. Yeah, we emptied the font completely, cleaned it and then filled it up again. The water during the day is always lukewarm so it wasn't bad. About the shower water heaters on the mission, yeah, there is only one house somewhere in the mission that is rumored to have a hot water heater... looking forward to finding where it is and going to take a hot shower there, hah.
Woah, a new little cousin! That's awesome! Maybe you guys are there in Arizona right now!
Thank you so much for that awesome scripture and the kind, warm, wonderfully motherly comments. I needed those a lot and I love you so much, Mom. You make me feel like the person I need to be already and I am very grateful that I have you in my life. I love you!
You all are great and awesome and I love you I love you I love you so much! The mission is crazy!
Love,
Elder Carpenter
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