April 8, 2013 ~ Goiania Brazil Mission, Jardim Curitiba ~ Week 11

Dear Family,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel really bad that I didn't  send anything for Erik :( I honestly feel so so so bad but I haven't figured out the whole postal thing in Brazil yet. It's complicated and I don't know the words yet for postal service in Portuguese haha. But I FREAKING LOVE YOU ERIK! And I just barely got your letter you sent like 3 weeks ago haha. Also, letters in Brazil aren't delivered directly to the house, so I can't give you my address :( so just send letters & packages to the Mission office. I still haven't received your package and probably won't until next month because they give out the packages at zone meetings and I didn't get your package in our meeting on Friday. Haha sorry! 

Anyways! Portuguese is freaking hard. I don't feel like I'm progressing with the language like I should even though I study a ton every day. It's super frustrating! The native Brazilian missionaries make fun of the way I talk haha. 

This week we rescheduled the baptismal date with Hellen. She is scheduled to be baptized on April 20th now. Honestly, I hope that goes through because when we went to her house yesterday to take her to General Conference, she didn't want to go and was kind of weird about it. It was so strange because our last lesson with her was really great and the Spirit was strong. Anyway, she has to go to Church next week if she's going to be baptized on the 20th. 

Haha I honestly didn't even know it was Easter last week.  I guess Pascoa means Easter in Portuguese and I didn't know that's what people were saying lol. I felt like such a retard because I didn't know it was Easter until the next day:/  I'm struggling!

I really love being a missionary! The lessons with investigators are going really well!! We teach at least 4 lessons every day and most of the time, the people are accepting of what we teach. The biggest challenge is people say that they have to work on Sunday all the time. 

I am literally the only white person here haha other than a couple missionaries in my zone. It's awesome though. The Brazilians in Goiania are either black or like a typical Brazilian (mulatto) like Flavia.

We watched General Conference in Portuguese on Saturday and I didn't understand much haha.  But on Sunday, they let a few of the English speaking missionaries watch it in English. I miss English so much! I enjoyed Conference so much. My favorite talk was Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's. His talks are always amazing but this talk is my new favorite. I liked Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf's as well, it seems like they are always my favorite speakers at Conference. 

We can email friends and other missionaries starting next Monday! I'm so happy because it will be so much easier to communicate with a lot of friends & missionaries. Let Cooper know we can email again. Also, put it on Facebook that I WANT FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO EMAIL ME NOW!!!! This is the best way to talk to me once a week. The Goiania Brazil Mission just changed this rule and it sucks for this one missionary in our District lol because he goes home next Monday. ** Elder Colin Hanson's email: colin.hanson@myldsmail.net

I'm doing everything that you asked me in your email, Mom haha I promise! I know I said I'd send pictures but I don't have very many and they're not very interesting. I'll try send them next week. Desculpe!

                                             Colin won't send us any pictures :(

                            Elder Colin Hanson- So we don't forget what he looks like :/ 

That's crazy that Cody's going to Africa!!!! Tell him that he's going to love it and I'm super proud of him! That's weird that it's English speaking. Miranda is engaged!!! That's crazy haha. Congrats though!

Anyways! Love you guys so much and I miss you so much! Email me soon! Eu os amo muito!!

Elder Colin Hanson