Dear Family,
This week went a little bit better but not much haha. I'm beginning to understand people a little better but it's hard to get what they are saying completely, if that makes any sense. I'm still homesick but not as bad as I was last Monday. Once I can finally have a coherent conversation with the natives, I think my homesickness will go away completely lol.
I really like the ward here. The Chapel is new and there's only one ward using it. They built the Church planning for three wards haha so they project that there will be three wards soon. The members are really cool and there is a couple that speak English haha. I can understand better when they're giving talks and when the natives are teaching as well. The hardest people to understand are kids and the elderly just because they slur their words and mumble like crazy. Nobody in the ward plays the piano, so last week they sang the Hymns without the piano in sacrament meeting. But the Bishop here asked me to play the piano in sacrament meeting now Lol! Mom's wish came true.
They gave us a credit card when we got here. They didn't really explain about it very well though. It's in Reais, so when we take out money it's in Reais (which is obvious haha). They haven't said how much money is on it but I'm pretty sure they put money on it every month or week, something like that. This is something that I've been needing to ask the other Elders because the Mission President didn't explain it at all. I'll let you know next week. Are we supposed to pay rent or does the Church pay it with our money...not sure about that. I might be retarded but I have no idea. Also, I will get you guys pictures next week! I promise haha I completely forgot about them today.
The apartment we live in isn't too bad. It's above a bread store haha and is on a busy street, so people play really loud music and it wakes me up at night when they drive by. But I've gotten used to it. The toilets are stupid and there isn't a dryer so we just hang our clothes up to dry. But other than that the apartment is fine lol. I really like the roommates that I have. I can't ever understand my companion and he doesn't speak English at all, so yeah, there's not very much communication between us right now haha. He speaks a million miles an hour. But I really like the other two Elders that I live with. I love talking to missionaries who are from America because they speak Portuguese correctly and I can actually understand them. I talk to my roommate from California a lot and it's comforting because he speaks English and if I don't know something in Portuguese, I can just ask him and he understands lol.
We don't do much on P-Day. We're not allowed to play soccer and nobody plays basketball or volleyball. There's not very much to do around here because our area is mostly residential. There's a jungle type forest thing a few miles away that has monkeys and stuff in it but not much else lol. I've only had diarrhea a couple times because of the food I think Lolz. We have rice and beans and some type of meat every single day.
We are teaching a lot of lessons every day and they are going well. We have a baptismal date set for this girl named Hellen (pronounced el ang haha) who's about 15 years old for April 13. She didn't come to church this Sunday because it was Easter and she was traveling. My companion is timing my time on email and I literally want to punch him in the face. He is reading this right now haha but he can't read English so it's okay.
What's weird is that when we meet people and we ask them how they are doing, they say, estou bom, gracas Deus (which means I'm good, thank God). It's so weird haha that is like the most unnatural response ever. Anyways, my companion is freaking out and so I'll hurry and end this. I wan't to know what's new with your lives? I miss you guys so much! You have no idea at all how much.
Love you all so much! Hope you are all doing well. Love you so much! Eu amo voces!!!!!!!!!!!
Elder Colin Hanson
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