Week 17

How's it going everyone??

Ha ha. First of all it is so freaking hot here, it is crazy. I think I might just die. And they still haven't fixed nothing in our house so it is still freaking cold water. But that is kinda nice now with it as hot as it is. It's like 35 degrees (I am assuming this is Celsius, which means 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and like 90 percent humidity. Ha ha. Like you know it's humid when you get in bed at night and the sheets and blankets are just wet!

But anyways, I want to start my email off with a challenge. I started reading the Book of Mormon I Portuguese last week so I have a little head start, but I challenge all of you to read the Book of Mormon and we will see who can get done first (I am so going to beat him!) Ha ha. I'm not good at Portuguese yet so I only get like 2 chapters or 3 done a day. But that doesn't matter to me because I still think that I can beat all of you :)! So it's a challenge and it's on. Ha ha. I hope all of you out there accepts it and let me know how you are doing in your emails and I will let you know how I am doing. Right now I am on 1 Nephi 14, so I have a head start, but let's do this. :)!

So I'm pretty sure that I am starving. In Brasil they only eat lunch, like lunch is their biggest meal rather than dinner. They like never eat breakfast or dinner, just lunch. So I just walk around all day and have nothing in my system other than the lunch that I ate. Ha ha. Since I have been here I went from 190 pounds to . . . are you ready for this . . . 172 pounds. So I have lost 18 pounds since I have been here. It's so dang hard. We get 100 reais every 15 days and just to buy a toothbrush, it is 18 and a loaf of bread is 8 reais. And let's not even get into the cheese or meat, because that's in the 20s for like a tiny amount. It stinks. I can't even buy that because for a bus it's 3 and we have to go to the church on Sunday, so there and back is 6. And then we go to the church on p-day so that's another 6 and then we go to Sao Bernardo on Tuesday for District and that's another 6. And then we have like interviews and zone conference and everything. It's super hard. I like never have any money. Me and Elder Teixeira are going to talk to President though so we should hopefully get some things worked out. (So when you look at it, almost half of his money is going toward bus fair. Hopefully he gets the package I sent soon!)

So everything with my visa is just fine. Me and Elder Garrett, the other greengo that I went with, just went beast mode and got 17 contacts in one day all by ourselves. Ha. It was hilarious because we got addressed and everything and Elder Steil and Elder Teixeira when we got home were like, wow! And they were surprised that we made it to the police headquarters by ourselves too - with just the instructions that they gave us. I thank Grandpa Balch for my good sense in direction. From all of the times out hiking in West Water and stuff and I think that's where my sense of direction started. I got us there and back with no problem and that's like taking a bus then getting on the subway then getting on the train back a little ways and then walking to headquarters. And then going all the way back! So I thought that it was pretty good to be able to do that, even though I have only been here for a month. Ha ha.

So pretty much I understand everything that people are saying, not 100%, but I would say about 80% and I love it. Speaking is still super hard. I can usually get my point across, but I can't get into detail and stuff. But it's good though because I can understand most of the stuff that goes on in lessons that are like gospel talk and I can talk back with that, but once it gets into like just conversational talk - WOW, that's hard. Ha ha. But I will get there sooner or later. I have faith in the Lord and I pray about it and fast about it all of the time. So I'm sure that I will learn it fast. I mean it hasn't even been 1 transfer yet! So I thank my Heavenly Father for the knowledge that I have right now.

I know I suck at spelling and stuff, but now that it is Portuguese all of the time, and no English what so ever - including writing - it's hard to spell and it's hard to even talk in English the one time a week that I can - at District meeting. Ha ha. I'm forgetting all of my English vocabulary! But I'm taking that as a good sign. Ha ha.

So pretty much this week has just been an exhausting week. Like Brasil's roads are ridiculous. Like you are just climbing up an down mountains pretty much all the time. It's crazy, but everything is going well and I can't wait til I get that package from my momma, ha ha, because I'm dying for some good ol North American stuff.

I wish I could just type all day and tell you everything, because you wouldn't believe the miracles that happen everyday. But, I just don't have time. Ha ha. So I hope all is well in the good ol USA!! I love all of you and hope that you have an amazing week!!

Peace until next week!!

Tchou. Love,
Elder Blake

 

If you zoom in on the far left, there is the city - Sao Bernardo. That is where I am.