Dear Family,
Another transfer almost down,
I would have to agree, time is flying by! I had an issue with the computers
this week so it will be a little short this week.
I am so happy to hear things
are going well at home! I
wish I could see the quilts, come to water polo practice, see these friends and acquaintances you are all working with, an enormous belly, and ALL my wonderful FAMILY! But I to know that I should be here in Brazil, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't having fun. Mom and Dad I hope you have fun in Atlanta and Ty don´t have too much fun with Darren all weekend! I love and miss you all.
wish I could see the quilts, come to water polo practice, see these friends and acquaintances you are all working with, an enormous belly, and ALL my wonderful FAMILY! But I to know that I should be here in Brazil, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't having fun. Mom and Dad I hope you have fun in Atlanta and Ty don´t have too much fun with Darren all weekend! I love and miss you all.
In terms of the day to day
life here in Brazil I seriously have fun just soaking it all in. We wake up,
every morning, at six thirty and hit our knees. After we catapult into morning exercises
and try to purge ourselves of the groggy feeling we tend to get as
missionaries. We never rest.
Immediately from there we prepare,
teeth, breakfast, shower, etc. I usually try to be studying by 7:45 to get
everything I want to study in, and still tend to come up short! Companion study
follows which includes prayer, training movies for the new missionaries like
myself, and mock teaching. It is a really enlightening time. And then we walk
out of the house. Literally on of my very favorite parts of the day. I'm fresh,
the weather is mild, and it is not an uncommon occurrence to hear a rooster
crow. On the streets of Brazil, usually cobblestone and uneven, you can see
anything from a Range rover, to a hand-made horse-drawn buggy. What actually surprised
me however was the mixture of old world and new. We really do live in a city,
yet most houses/buildings aren´t air-conditioned. Our apartment is on the
second floor and it, like most of the city, has an earthy, yet modern feel at
the same time. (Rua Bahia 869 Guarapuava) We have most comforts of the US yet
nothing is the same. Oh, and yes, we do in fact eat rice and beans for lunch
everyday, usually accompanied by pasta, some assorted flavor of tang or soda
called Guarana, meat, and a vegetable. My body has adjusted to the schedule and
now I eat about three full plates everyday at lunch, I´m a legend of the lunch table
with the missionaries I live with now! But as missionaries, we walk the
streets, sweat, and travel from place to place inviting people to accept and
live the most amazing and important principles this world, or the next, has to
offer. We teach messages about Christ, and His restored Gospel, His prophets,
and the workings of a very living God. We help people change. I am having an
adventure of a lifetime and I cant help but stop and think several times a day
thoughts like, wow I am in Brazil. I see changes made in my life and the lives
of others every day, testimonies of the truthfulness of our message, and really
can´t get enough. I love and miss you all, but don't worry, I am doing very
very well.
Love,
Elder Showalter