Week 6 from Elder Nick Olsen and Elder Eric Olsen

Here is Nick's weekly e-mail:

Dear Pais,
First of all, my enter button doesnt work again haha sorry. Also where the heck was the email from mom!? She doesn't love me anymore huh? Figures, tudo bem. So anyway yes I'm getting ready to leave here. I'm about the most experienced missionary here, since I've been in the CTM for 5 weeks already, but my Portuguese still isnt good! This week we started getting loads of American visa waiters, like 20 last week and I think 20 more this week, but they're all pretty bad at Portuguese haha which is funny for me. Also Dad do you know Savior Redeemer of My Soul? Like not the version in the hymnbook but the one in 17 Milagres? (yes we watched that again) Because you should totally do it its sweet. The great thing about going to the CTM here in Brazil is you get to hear what Brazilians actually say. So I've learned some things: one is saying bem all the time. Bem means well, but you can like put it in front of any adjective like bem rapido or bem simples or bem dificil, stuff like that. For some reason I think its really funny! Another thing they say is isso, which means that thing. But like if youre trying to explain something and then the person gets it, or if you ask a question and they answer it right, you go "iiiiissssssssssssssoooooo" haha theyre hilarious. ALSO on Sexta fiera we went proselyting in the city! We went out into the thick of it to hand out 6 books of mormon. Starting on the bus ride there! I realized that the hardest thing for me right now is vocabulario because people talk about things that arent O Evangelho de Jesus Christo... Imagine that! People having other things in their lives! So weird! Haha but anyway being companhieros with Elder Olsen is pretty sweet, it's been much easier to teach and stuff. Both of our """""invesitagators""""" are being baptised this Saturday! And also we got 2 new sisters and they have been talking about their boyfriends non stop so I can only pray to The Lord, day and night, basically every hour, that that will stop. Other than that all its pretty much routine, sorry my letters are sempre all over the place. Today for nosso ultima P-day were going to a shohaskeria (serio no idea how to spell that) but its just like a real life Brazilian Steakhouse so Im psyched. The Spirit is so strong here though, you have to want it and search for it but then its easy to find. I miss yall a bunch! I'm worried about going to the field, but I know O Senhor will help me get into the swing of it. Can't wait to hear from you. Love you, Elder Olsen
OH PS I MET A GUY WHO WENT TO GOIANIA AND he said that the Goiania mission is like the cowboys of Brasil and also that they had baptisms every single week!


And here is Eric's!:

Greetings from beautiful Sao Paulo!

 

I am glad to say that this was the last full week in the MTC! I know I needed the time here, and that I was able to understand more fully my purpose and the ways in which I should work, but I am so ready to get to Vitoria.

 

...partially because we went proselyting this week, and it was so cool! Before I went I was thinking a lot about that movie The Best Two Years - how they end up giving out 60 Books of Mormon in a week and it is such an accomplishment! I expected it to be difficult. They gave us each 3 Books and sent us on a ppublic bus - with our instructor - to the middle of Sao Paulo - o centro da cidade. Elder Olsen was an example for Elder Jackson and I - he had no fear and promptly sat with somebody and started talking! I followed suit and talked to a man about whatever I could manage... which was mostly just asking questions, haha. But we all gave out a Book on the bus, and then we gave out the other 6 within 30 minutes. And we thought we couldnt speak Portuguese! Although I realized after that it was mostly us talking and not having to understand what other people said - which is the hard part - they could still understand our message.

 

Unfortunately it has been a pretty regular week other than that. The best way for us to practice our language right now is to converse with the Brazileiros here, but they are always in class, so we have to settle for the instructors. They use smaller words and talk slower, so it is not as difficult, but Portuguese is always a challenge...

 

We had a devotional given on Tuesday by an church General Authority Area 70 for Brazil. He gave his entire address in Portuguese. They allowed us to have headphones for a translation, but we listened and understood most of it without! Again, he was using that slow church-talk voice, but I still count it as a victory.

 

A lot of Americans started showing up all of a sudden. They have a new program, that every American that was serving in the field and gets a visa must spend two weeks in the MTC here before going to the field. I feel bad for them. You can tell they just want to get out of here! Plus they all look super old... But they are all helpful and give us advice on the field!

 

I realized JUST THIS WEEK that I am here to serve others, not myself! Well, I kind of knew it before, but I still had moments where I thought of myself first. I realized everything I do is for others. Shoudl be for others. I loved something I heard from President Eyring this week (rough paraphrase) - The Savior is the ultimate example of selfless service. When I feel myself ready to shun the work, or I hear my body cry out for rest, I give myself this rallying cry - Remember Him.

 

I hope whoever reads this remembers the Savior this week! He is the only way to Eternal Life and everlasting joy.

 

Elder Eric Olsen