Panulimate Day with Elder Zequini

Dear Family, Friends, and everyone in between,

It has continued to rain with growing frequency. I was told by one of the members that this is normal for spring in Rio Grande do Sul. I am just glad all the hot days of spring are more or less behind me now. Although I will be expecting much warmer days ahead come summer, but I will keep that in the back of my mind.

 This is the country side outside of Sao Luiz

This is what the roads are like.

As you might have guessed it is my pan ultimate day with Elder Zequini as my companion. He will be moving on and be the Zone Leader of a city near the border of Uruguay (I think that is how it is spelled). I will be staying in São Luiz Gonzaga, well sort of. I will go to Santa Maria and meet my new companion. His name is Elder Matos. I do not know anything about him other than that his is a cool guy and that he is Black or so they say. They have a different definition of Black than we do, but I will assume that he is. Everyone says that I am lucky to have him as my new companion, so I am looking forward to it.

This was an eventful week, sort of. Sunday was good. Really good. The family that we have been teaching is making great strides to becoming baptized. Even in the pouring rain they made it to Church. Well my companion and I went on divisions while he and a member of the branch went and picked them up. The fact of the matter is that they came.

Here are some pictures of the Family.

 Henrique

Savene

Tainara

Also on Sunday, I had my first true churrasco ( Barbeque of the gáucho). It was really good although I am eating way too much carbs and meat. Rice with every meal and lots of meat. I still am 20 pounds lighter than I was, but I am somewhat nervous that I will gain it all back and then some. Well, knock on wood.

I also in the same event ate something a little strange, but not as strange as chicken heart. It had the pleasure, or whatever you would like to call it, of eating barbecued kidney. It was good. I would not like to have it again, but of all the tastes it could have had it was good. It did not taste like I would have imagined an organ meant to filter out your blood to make urine would taste like.

The English class I am teaching

We do not have any baptisms yet, but we are working hard, and I know with out a shadow of a doubt that that family will be baptized.

I also received a bunch of letters today so I have to start writing. I again want to thank you all for your love and support and I will talk to you all later.

Love,

Elder Caleb S. Carriere

One Month and 3 Days...

Dear family and friends and those who read my blog,

It has been one month and three days since I left the CTM and entered the mission field. It is strange that I have been out for so long. I know this is a cliche to say but, I feels like it was only yesterday that I was sitting at home with you all.

Nothing especially exciting has happened. I am teaching. The progress in this city is slow, but we are making it.

Oh, there was something last week noteworthy. I had my first zone conference. I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot, and I got to talk with my mission president once more, and in Portuguese. Believe it or not I am actually finally starting to get a hold of the language. I just need now to learn more vocab and work on pronunciation then I will be like a really Brasileiro. But forming my thoughts is coming much more quickly. I am really loving it.

This here have cooled down some. Most of last week it rained, and when I say it rained, it truly rain. It rained every day with out fail and most off the day. There was only 10 hours one day when it was not raining. But I liked it. I finally got to use that rain coat. It works great by the way.

Well life rolls on. I will talk to you all later.

Love,

Elder Caleb S. Carriere

My Feet Hurt...

This is the fruit of my labors... OUCH

My Companion, Trainer and other stuff....

 Elder Zequini

Sleeping

This is what we do to Companions (house guests) we don't like. BEWARE

It is on fire, if you look really hard you can see the flame right about its chest.

Here is a video of the Fire Roach

This is how we teach the Plan of Salvation

 

This is me drinking my tea

 

Sure is some fancy soap you got there Elder!

Mission Photos Volume II

The following are pictures  from the end of my stay at the CTM.... Hope you enjoy

 Elder Burt

Elder Koelher

Elder Laird

Elder Morris

Elder Rowely and I with Elder Wiscomb

Elder Titus

 Elders Ellis, Burt, Titus, Hyde and Myself

Elder Fujimoto jumps high, Asians can Fly

(sorry the video is on its side, I am still learning how to use this thing)

Elder Workman

Goodfellas

Guys in my District

Irrnaos Guilherme and Melo

My District

Guiherme's Final Words to my District before we all left the CTM

Elder Ellis and I

 

 Elder Zimmerman

The Oliveras Family

 Pensive Caleb

Goodbye Sao Paulo....HELLO....

Santa Maria

and

Rio Grande do Sul

Elder Anthon Taylor

Elder Hill, we were packed in like Sardines

Video of My Apartment

Another week in Paradise

Well. This week was just as hot until about Saturday and Sunday when it started to rain and cool down a lot. I have to say I really love the rain, but the conditions of the streets are such that when it rains it is terrible to walk in. Most of the roads that we were walking on were dirt that had turned into mud, but whatever; when in Rome.

 

 

(Brazilian countryside)

Things with the Language are coming along. I am starting to understand more and more each day. I actually had my first dream in Portuguese the other night. Well sort of, I was actually the only one talking in Portuguese, everyone else would respond in English, but it is a step in the right direction. I am studying more of the Language than I had previously, but not as much as I would like.

I had my first companion exchange. It works somewhat differently than in the United States. I actually had to travel by bus to a city called Santa Angelo, and there the division, as it is called, began. My companion for three days was Elder Borges. He is from Salvador Brazil. Which is half way between Reicife and Rio de Janeiro. He is also on of my two Zone Leaders. He is a cool guy. He taught me a lot in the two and a half days I was his companion.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel. The family that I had been teaching,

Luiz, Vania, Bruna, Savene, Tainara, and Henrique

and that I sent pictures of to Seth, who should have put them on the Blog but has not yet, are finally looking like they are going to be baptized. The parents are finally going to be married, some time in the next 30 days. My companion and I are shooting for the 12th of December as their baptismal date. I am so happy. All the effort is finally looking like it is going to pay off in the end.

Oh, I have also some more good news. I have lost 21 pounds in total since I arrived in Brazil. I started out at 192 and now weight 171. Things are looking good for me, I feel better, and everything is going great. Mom, do not worry I am eating three meals a day and drinking at least a gallon of water a day if not more. Alyson, I would like it if you would send me that workout you were talking about. I think it is from P90X. The jail cell work out? I think that is what it is called. I do not remember it was so long ago.

I am also going to be sending Amelia and Ashton a present soon. I think I might send it to Mom first and have her mail it to you guys because I do know what the postage of shipping baby bottles is here in Brazil. The reason I will send you baby bottles is because they are really cheap here. The other reason is that there are two soccer teams here in Rio Grande do Sul that people really love. Grêmio

and Internacional.

They are rivals, much like the Boston Red Socks and the New York Yankees. I have been told it is much more than that however. There is a drugstore near my appartment that sells baby bottles with their teams emblems on them, and I thought that would be a good gift for the kids. So the question is who gets Grêmio which is blue, and who gets Internacional who is red? I will let you guys decide. Which child looks better in which color and I will then send it to mom and if she is willing send it to the two of you.

I am doing really well otherwise. I would love to hear more from you guys. Let me know whats new and what not. How is Seth liking his new job? I hope he is.

Well, I bet be getting off now.

Love

Elder Caleb S. Carriere