Ola! Boa Semana para Voces!

So if I could sum up this week I would say, Busy! Hands down the busiest I have ever had since coming to Fortaleza.  We had the goal to just keep working and working this week and thats what we did.  We taught 27 lessons and contacted nearly all of our new references.  It was pretty insane.  I think I came home every single night in a haze.  Just ready to take a shower and crawl into my bed or hammock, I bought one last week and have been using it reguarly.  It is definatly something to get used too :)

 

More recently, last night we had a fireside with the entire ward about missionary work.  We invited President and Sister Souza (Mission President) to come speak which was excellent.  I also had the oppurtunity to speak for the first 10 minutes which went well.  When I sat back down next to President he looked at me and said ´´I think you´ll be just fine with this language´´  It felt pretty good just being able to speak and not have to think too much on what I was trying to say.  Portugues is definatly a rock that I will be trying to lift these next two years but on the plus side I have a good grip for right now. 

 

I guess one of the reasons that I was so tired this week is that Elder Graff and I ran home 3 nights in a row.  We came out of a few of the lessons looking at our watches and seeing 9:05ish.  There was one side of area that takes about a 20-30 minute walk. One of the nights was especially funny when we started off walking fast and hoping that member would pass by and give us a ride.  Didn´t happen so I said ´´Elder you ready to run?´´ He that would be funny.  And then I just took off spirinting.  As we were running down the street I just kept hearing Elder Graff saying ´´I HATE YOU! I CAN´T BELIEVE I´M DOING THIS, I AM TOTALLY GOING TO WRITE ABOUT THIS IN MY JOURNAL!´´  I was running and laughing all in one.  I was all about being obiedient I guess.  We walked through the door right at 9:30 every night.  One of the many people that watched us run passed them said `´Robbed?´´ I said ´´No! Late!´´

 

I am liking this area alot. There are a lot of things to see and do.  Especially today,  I finally played BASKETBALL!. We only played for about 30 minutes because I felt like I was melting.  We are hoping to have a lot more success this week.  This will be week 6 of the transfer so that means this next saturday we will get the phone call to see if one of us will be leaving.  Elder Graff said I am going Assisent to the President, but jokingly! Hope your all doing well!

 

One thing that President said that was excellent last night to the members.  ´´We all have the same call to preach the gospel weather we have a badge or not.  Don´t put all the work on two 19 year-old boys´´  It was excellent so that goes for all of you!

Love you all, Have a good week!

 

Tchau!

Elder N. Anderson

I ATE A FISH HEAD

So this week was finally settling down as far as the crazyness, but then again life as a missionary is always crazy.  I have been started reading the New Testament and plan to finish that at my year mark.  It is one of my 6 month goals that I made for the next quarter of my mission as well as reading the Book of Mormon in Portguese and working up doing 50 pull-ups a day. For the record Missy I can do 10 :)

So where do I start...  Last Monday night our cell-phone had a melt down so this last week we have been sharing with the other Elders that live with us.  We figured that we had to contact one the seceretaries as soon as possible so Tuesday morning we woke up and ran to our Zone Leader´s house, so they could take the cellphone into the office.  I have haven´t ran in a while so it was pretty brutal.  When we got there, Our Zone Leader´s said that there was no need to run because we were having our District Meeting that day and that we would have had the chance to just give the cellphone there.  All that running for nothing ! haha 

It has been a week of contacting references for us.  We recieved 15 at church last week so this whole week it was contacting references and finding people that are ready to hear the gospel.  I also love teaching the first lesson because you can tell that people are so interested in what we have to say.  Especially, two americans that are speaking portugues and randomly show up at their door asking to come into their home.  Sometimes we have the best reactions, especially when they ask ´´So you have been in Brazil for a few years right!?`´ When I say 6 months they usually start saying ´´Nooo, your lieing, how do you know this language?´´ .  It is always interesting, but it opens up a good conversations of blessing from Heavenly Father. Wednesday we showed up at our lunch appointment, with the intent of eating really well.  Unfortunatley, the sister in our ward forgot but said she would make some really good for us.  When came out of the Kitchen I saw rice, beans, a fried egg, and a FISH HEAD!  I´m pretty sure that I screamed in the inside.  As we were saying a pray on the food I kept one eye open just making sure that it was  Fish head, Scanning it up and down and looking at its little mouth, which I´m pretty sure it was smiling at me.  I have never eaten fish head and hope that I never have to again.  The only thing I was saying in my head was ´´Your on a mission, your on a mission, your on a mission´´.  Wednesday, was also Brazilian Indepence day so that meant lots of people, lots of drinking, and lots of loud music the entire day.  It was crazy! Thursday I did another division with our district leader and his ´´trainee´´ I went to their area and was senior with his trainee.   It was interesting the area that they work in is really sketchy but we talked with a lot of people and last night when I was passing our numbers to our District Leader we said that the members of his ward really like me.  Also he said that a man who had been smoking for a while was following ´´Elder Anderson´s Way of giving up Smoking´´  haha it was something that I thought of really fast when we were teaching this man that he had to give up smoking. 

I guess the highlight of the week was running to church.  We had to get 5 ladies to church and they need a ride, so we went with the car to make sure it all went well.  When they got in the car, my comp and I looked at eachother and said that we would walk.  It was interesting when I looked at my watch and it was 8:50, church started at 9:00 and the chapel was about a 20 minute walk away.  We started out walking fast and then it turned into us spirinting down the street, hoping over a fence, and some random man pulling up in a car asking if we wanted a ride.  I guess he was watching us the entire time.  It was another one of those´´ Only on the Mission´´ experiences. 

I wake up to the airplanes every morning.  We literally live right next to the airport so it is a nice alarmclock in the morning.  My comp said this week, ´´hey elder, you know how far the airplane is?´´`I replied `´´How far?´´ His response ´´ 18 months´´.  I go to bed exhausted but feel really grateful for beeing here! I hope everyone is doing well! Love you all! Have a good week!

Love
Elder N. Anderson 

Hey Everyone, I got Transferred!

So this week was definatly crazy,  Not only was I thinking about the big wedding day but I was also in the middle of an Emergency Tranfer out of my area on Thursday.  Yes, I officially left Ipanema after 4 months.  The funny thing is I went in to that Area on an Emergency and came out on an Emergency.  Ironic neh?  So anyways this was my week. . .

 

I emailed President Souza on Monday explaining to him that Elder Boehm was continuing to be sick and it was starting to effect our work in that area.  I figured it was all apart of the mission so I was just sticking it out and hoping that it would get better.  We continued through out our week doing our normal routined stuff up until Wednesday afternoon.  It was interesting during those couple days but we recieved a phone call from Presidente Souza explaning that He thought it would be best for Elder Boehm to go to the office for the rest of the transfer.  I was a little confused at first because one, Presidente as using some words that I didn´t understand and two, I was freaking out inside.  We found out that it wasn´t for sure that I would be leaving. There has been a few tri´s in the mission (Companhionship of 3) and President wanted to figure those out.  So Wednesday we started to go say goodbye in the event that I would be leaving.  That night President called again and said that I would be leaving for sure on Thursday night so we had to make arrangments to leave.  We had to deap clean our apartment because Ipanema was officially being closed for the rest of the transfer.  All I can say is man! I hope I never have to close and area again!  After long goodbyes to a lot of the members and investigators we left Thursday night for Aldeota.  The car that all my stuff was in was packed with 6 suitcases and 4 people! I had suit cases on my lap for about 45 minutes and I am pretty sure my legs went number for 40 minutes.  After getting to Aldeota I met my new companion.  Elder Graff, From Alabama New Area - Expedicionários.  We arrived in the area that night and so everyone thats were I will be until further notice.  I honestly think I will be here through Christmas. 

 

Elder Graff has been out for about 14 months and we live in a house of 4 missionaries.  2 Brasileros and 2 Americanos.  It is a lot different but I am enjoing it.  One of the Brasilians was in the MTC with me at the same time so we were good friends before we even got to Fortaleza.  The area is HUGE! but it is super nice.  There are a lot of people to work with and right now our chapel is a ´´casapela´´ meaning it is not a chapel its a house made into a chapel.  They just divided this ward about 2 months ago and the new chapel is being built and should be done in November.  It is way different but I am liking it.  I was thinking that my language was going to slow down a lot, but it is actually that complete oppisite.  Even though I am with an American we still speak Portugues almost 100% of the time.  I have seen the improvement and it is nice being in a new area that don´t know that I am new from the beginning.  They talk to me like a regular person and yes, I am speaking really well now. 

 

Because I am in a new area this also means that I have to explain to people that I am not a brasilian! Everyone that I meet always starts with,  ´´So where you from?, São Paulo´´  They have the best reactions when I say ´´No, I am Americana.´´  It takes them a little while for them to believe me. 

 

This week was a highlighted one but I am glad to be here. We have a good member base and they are willing to help to us with anything.  Elder Graff is an awesome companion and we will be working our tails off in this area.  President Souza wants this area to grow like crazy so we have our work ahead of us.  I am excited for it all! 

 

Have a good week everyone!  I Love you! tchau

 

Elder N. Anderson