Top of the Morning to ya...

Dear Family and Friends,

I am doing well. I love it here in the CTM, although I have been having a tough time. I have been working a lot and the language is coming, although not as fast as I had hoped, but everyone says that after this week it will take off like a rocket. I have lost 9 pounds since I entered 3 weeks ago. Do not worry about me Mom I am eating a lot; I have been working out 50 minutes five times a weeks. I am losing it the correct and healthy way.

Like I said I was having a difficult time, nothing that would keep me from striving to do the work which I have been called to do, but I felt lonely in heart. Having prayed a great deal I received an answer while at Sunday School class. Our Branch president, President Van Orman, quoted scripture from 1 Nephi 20:10 which states, ´´I have refined thee, I have chosen thee from the furnace of affliction.`` I knew right then all the lonely feelings which I had been feeling were only to create me into something better than I was at the time, and those feelings went away and I was filled with great feelings of joy. Like the millstone that was around my neck came off.

On a more lighter not I did make a huge mistake with the language the other day to answer Erynn´s question. While in line for food they were serving chicken so I was excited because the chicken here is some of the best I have every had. I yelled out Galhna!!! (I am not sure if I spelled that correctly) then said to the lunch lady duas galhnas por favor!! Galhna is a live chicken to come find out, and in Brazil calling a woman a galhna is like calling her the village bike or a slut, so I asked for two sluts. The cooked meat of a chicken is frango. I know now not to make that mistake twice.

Also to answer your question Seth, Elder Sam Matthews in my roommate. He is a great guy. Funny, full of life, well that was until he got sick and has been pretty miserable other wise, but he is feeling much better. I have never felt better physically. The guy I work out with is Elder Kayma. We call him the flyin' Hawaiian. He was studying to be come a work out trainer or something to the effect and he works me out hard. I feel great.

Alyson, so your new car is cute... how fun. I hope you really like it. I sure you a Kris are loving it. I would have thought you were going to get a minivan or something like that.

I would love to get letter from you all. They are nice and make the days a whole lot better. Also you can send me stuff to the CTM. Just not after my 6th week here. There is a good chance by the time it get down here I will be in Santa Maria. That day cannot come soon enough.

Dad, thank you for fixing my car. I hope you two are getting along. The city is huge. It is a great contrast of prospective's. The rich and the poor live with one another. Their housing bump. Tall rich apartment towers next to shanty towns. The traffic is the worst I have every seen, but everyone is so friendly about it. People wave each other in all the time. No one is ever nasty or mean about being cut off. It is a weird system which works well.

Today I had to go visit the police to register with them as a legal foreigner.

The São Paulo temple is beautiful. It is in the middle of the city almost. There is a large gate around it. It also shares the same plot of land as a stake center and Church Head Quarters in South America. They call Brazil the Second Nation of the Church because there are more members here than anywhere else save it be America.

The food is good. More or Less anyway.

Again I love you all, I miss you, but I know what I am doing is something worth while on a grand prospective which cannot be denied.

Love always,

Elder Caleb S. Carriere.

ps Eyrnn I do remember being taped to the box. I giggle every time I see that picture.

pps Seth Forward this email to all the family if you would. Also tell everyone in the ward that I love them and I got some of there letters I am assuming there are more to come.

psss. I will have to mail you guys the photos they are not wanting to load onto the computer. They will be forth coming.