AI FRIENDS too! You're great! Much love to you too, and do you realize there's a hole in my heart where you used to be, and trying to fill it is like trying to dribble a football...with a foot?
So. Brasil is great. My Portuguese? Not so. Oh well...I'll speech the language real good one day.
This last week has been a rip-roaring crazy time...I don't even know where to start...well turns out that I'll be giving a talk this week in Church, in Portuguese, of course. Almost had to give it with 2 hours notice yesterday, but someone saved me. It's a good thing I've got some prepared talks ready in Portuguese already, so this time...I'll blow them away. Who knows? I might even shed a few tears, yell a little bit, crack a joke and bust up the whole crowd ;) But probably not, seeing as it's Portuguese. I'll probably cry, at least, maybe wee a little bit.
Not everybody in the mission has been doing so good, though. An elder in the mission, just this last week got robbed. At least, he thought he got robbed, but in reality, he had absolutely no idea the Brasilero was joking about how all Americans are rich. Not even close. The 2 elders got inside me man's house during proselyting and knocking doors, while he was cutting meat, with a big bloody knife, of course. He started joking to the one elder that Americans are rich, gesturing by waving his knife around a wee bit, and managed to convince the elder that he was being robbed at knife-point. He of course panicked, like I just might... and left the house in a hurry. Ah, poor sucker, that bloody knife'll getcha every time.
I'm also a poor idiotic American when it comes down to it, though, because I did a no-no just last night. GAH! Yeah, so frustrating. Went by an investigator's house with a few elders just to drop by and say hi, and when I shook the hand of the 16-year old, said, "Oi, Ladrão, tudo bem?" just very lightly and casually, like chill friends do, ya know. As it is, turns out that translates, "Hey thief, what 's good?" And you're NOT supposed to call people ladrões to their faces here, NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT! It's a good thing he's not affiliated with gangs, or real life thieves, and that we're already pretty close...or I might have one less kneecap, or maybe he would have just written me a strongly-worded letter to let out angry feelings in a non-violent way, the way gentlemen do.
NO. DON'T CALL PEOPLE LADRÕES! Bad. I, of course, apologized. Seriously, this investigator's way chill, and I just felt like dirt-not scared-after I called him a thief.
I'm also learning a lot about how the church is actually slightly different in different cultures of the world. The gospel's teachings are all the same, obviously, but dances, for example, are very different. For one, the youth dances they have here are cool (I was able to attend one a couple nights past to get some contacts), as in they have modern music, and it's in English, and it's CLEAN too! Almost IMPOSSIBLE combination, seriously. For two, the youth actaully all dance! That's cool! And three...........the missionaries can dance TOOO! But only at the smaller dances, that only have youth from the area the missionaries are serving in. Soooo...I may just, you know, to help get contacts, and be productive, you know, to build the kingdom of the Lord on the earth and stuff, do a windmill, breakdance a little. Just a little though. Because, if I do more than just a little, that would be like, bad, because then I'd be like, Ceasar, who we all know, conquered WAY too many countries, and people eventually just saw him as a jerk that just liked to show off and prove he was better than everyone else. Idiot.
Alright, I'm gonna conclude this email right quick with some AWESOME news! So, Elder Marques and I (my new companheiro) have 3 or 4 upcoming baptisms in the next couple weeks, and I'm PSYCHED, because they're good people, and they actually care! How cool is that! People, that care! That's Katy Perry with real talent, unbelievable!
Alright, done!
Até mais, I love you all!
Especially the following beings:
Christopher Reneer, Annamarie Reneer, Meghan Christensen, Skyler Christensen, Abby Christensen, Caitlin Reneer, Brianna Reneer, Elizabeth Noel Fantastic Sassy-pants Mad Swag Justin Biebeer Loving Reneer, and Jacob Reneer (who I will now be bragging about to the Brasilians here with regards to his futebol talent)
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