Montazuma's Revenge

Hey everyone,

 

It was so good to hear from you all. I am doing quite well. I am sorry to say that I did not climb the mountain today. I had a bad case of montazuma's revenge last night and really I am not up for it, also one of the families that we are teaching wants to take us out and see some of the more touristy things that are around here, so we decided that would be better. 

 

I am fine. This week was kind of a race for us. We are teaching a lot.  Thank goodness, and we are finding some great people to teaching. For instance we were knocking doors and we did not enter a single one, until the second to last house.  Them we meet José Henique, he also did not let us in, but he said " Hey I really want to hear what you have to say, come back tomorrow, and you guys really need to come back tomorrow."  With such an invitation who can resist.  We went back around two o'clock in the afternoon.  He really was excited to see us,and we taught the first lesson, up until the book of mormon, we marked to teach that part with him, and his wife who was working at the time.  I am very excited for this family.  I will keep you all posted about what happens with this man.

 

I am happy to say that my hands are alot better. I remembered something that Dad once said, that maybe it has something to do with my nail bitting habit.  I stopped bitting my nails, and my hands are much better.  They are not yet 100% but compared with what they had been there is a night and day difference.

 

My camera is broken.  There is something wrong with the zoom. Evidently that is a common defect with the camera.  I had a companion that had the same camera and the same problem.  I had it sent to a place to be fixed. They fixed the problem, and shortly their after it broke again, when I tried to use the zoom.  They will fixed it again free of charge, but I am not sure how long that will last.  I am also having one of my suits trailored. I lost 32 pounds and it is really big on me and one of the sisters in the ward is a seamstress.  I hope that everything turns out alright. 

 

Well gang, I really do not have much else to say other than I love you and I will talk to you guys soon on Christmas.  I will have more stuff to say to you all when that time get closer. Also please send me my partiarical blessing. I would really like to read it.

 

Love,

 

Elder Caleb S. Carriere

Wedding Bells

Blog time,

Hey everyone, I am doing great.  I am still in Santa Maria and loving every minute of it.  My companion and I are getting along just great, and we are teaching a good number of people. Once more we paid for a wedding.  It is really expensive to get hitch in Brazil.  It is a 160 plus reais.  Which does not seem like a lot to you and me , but to a people who are lucky to make 500 reais a month it is a lot.  I understand now why people do not get married here. It is a long and annoying process.  First there is the whole dating thing, then getting the engagment. After the engagment the people have to get their birth certificates, which has to be from the city of birth and a new copy.  So for instance if you are no longer living in the city of your birth  you have to call up the "Cartório" which is the centralized records for that city.  Give them your name and date of birth and the name and date of birth of your parents.  Wait a day or two and you got yourself and new updated birth certificate.  Then after that you enter in to the marrige at the Cartório in the city which you are curently living.  Then give them those things plus a couple of documents and they put you in line to be married, which means that they  will announce in the in the city news paper about the wedding so that someone could says, "wait a minute! That is my wife!" or something one those lines.  Wait 15-30 days after that when a Justice of the Peace is availible and poof, Wedding Brazilian style.  Therefore I doubt that I will ever marry a Brazilian. It is too much of a process.

I am fine, my companion and I went and climbed the mountain once more. I think that it might turn into a weekly thing for us. I feel good about it.  I am not as tired as I was last time, although I think that the sun took more out of me than the climb. I am a little red. Not a whole lot I used sun screen.  By the way if someone would like to send me more sun block, preferably one that is sweat proof, that would be  great.  I have one tube left.

Well family I hope you all are doing really well, and a getting ready for Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I will talk to you guys soon.

Love,

Elder Caleb S. Carriere