July 2, 2013

Hello Family!

Well lets see i'll try and pack everything in that I can in the time I have. First of all I hope my spelling is alright because it is already going down the drain due to my portugese haha. Well my comp Elder Hillman is from Orem, Utah. He is a really good guy and I'm enjoying being with him.  Elder Gunther (district leader) is from utah too and he along with the other five elders are going to Cape Verde. Elder Roberts is from arizona and going to Mozambique with us. There are four sisters all going to portugal. We all get along so well which is nice but sometimes especially if the sisters are gone we tend to get off task. We pretty much study and eat all day. Haha but I love studying because it is so fun to learn the language. Don't get me wrong, I can get very frustrated but its still going! Umm on friday we taught our first lesson in Portugese and saturday our second and so on. We teach a lesson everyday except sunday and p day. The first lesson was hard but still good. They get better as we go! I can almost teach a whole lesson without my notes which is a huge blessing from the Lord. I can pray, bare a simple testimony, and have a good conversation in portugese. Spanish definitely helped in the sense that i know how to conjugate really well so tell senhor preator thanks haha. Sometimes i get a little mixed up between spanish and portugese words but thats getting better as I go. I've seen tchae a bunch now and he's doing really well and chelsea says to tell darcee hi! I see her all the time haha. I can't believe how the time goes here. Its weird and the only way to describe it is that the hours pass like days and the days pass like hours. We are pretty much going all day long and then by 9:30 when we get back to our rooms we read letters and all that and we're exhausted and ready for bed! But i really do love it here. My teachers name is irmao chamberlain. Irmaou means brother. But he is really cool. He comes and teaches three hours a day and the rest of the day we study on our own or with our comps and other members of the distrito. Umm sundays are really awesome with the temple walk and all that and devotionals. The only thing i don't like is we're the only continental speaking district in the zone so when we go to sacrament meeting we have to put up with their weird pronunciations, but i guess i can live with them ;) Our zone leaders are seriously so cool. They love helping us and they come check on us and they are just awesome. Gym time is way fun. We really look forward to it everyday. I have a elder in the district who reminds me a lot of Marshall haha. Oh i did get your huge package of letters and loved them all! Oh tell Jamie she can send as many letters as she wants. How are all the girlies doing? I miss everyone! But I know i'm being truly uplifted because I am always ready to learn and when i think i have no energy i find some more. The spirit is so important. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that but dang, i'm telling ya he's great! I am always striving to learn more of the language but not because I need it, its for the lords investigators. The most frustrating feeling is when you go to teach and you don't know how to say something. But we also have learned people aren't converted because of us, they are converted because of the spirit so that makes up for our language barier. I dont think that is spelled right. I'm already starting to dream portugese words haha. And my goal is to read the book of mormon in portugese by the time I leave the MTC. So in portugese the letter "s" is pronounced "sh" if its before a consanant or at the end of the sentence and so i find myself pronouncing all s's with the sh even in english haha. Dang i'm pounding out a letter right now! Haha anyways, i'm glad to hear sophie is doing better! Poor thing but i'm glad she's feeling better. Everyone gets along really well here which is nice. Oh i didn't have to speak on sunday which is so nice and next week is fast and testimony meeting but the week after we all have to be prepared with a five minute talk in portugese cause you never know who is going to get picked. Oh my gosh, P-days are so awesome. First of all you can take a nap which was the best feeling ever and we got our laundry done. When it was done I felt like a kid on christmas morning! haha. Umm I'm not homesick really which is nice because i can really focus on the work. I mean i miss you guys but at the same time the letters are enough for me. I'm going to make it to say the least ;) There are really cool elders in our zone who help us out when we need it. Next week i promise i'll send pictures i just don't wanna do it today. Gym time is so much fun! I look forward to it everyday. I go and play basketball and its super nice to be able to have a break in the middle of the day. Except monday, we have it in the morning then and that kinda stinks haha. Well what else to say... Tell everyone thanks so much for all the letters and everything! Tell darc thanks for all that stuff she sent! Umm also, pdays and after 9 30 is awesome because we can change into normal clothes haha. Oh our zone is so luck we get to wake up every morning at 6 instead of 6 30!! haha. Tomorrow i'm gonna be brave and try and go the whole lesson without notes... we'll see how it goes. There is a really cool elder named elder brock who i talk to quite a bit and he inspired me to try and do that haha. Lets see, tonight I get to go chill until 4 which is when dinner is and then we have a devotional at 7. P days are really chill. Umm maybe I'll teach you some portugese. To say hi or hello you can so ola or oi! Tudo bem? means hows it going and you can answer with the same thing. Umm oh ya if "e" is at the end of the word you dont really pronounce it. Tarde sounds more like tard. That kinda thing. I have a lot to learn but I have more to be thankful for for all that I have learned. The food is pretty good here! And its extremely hot but luckily we only have to wear suit coats at meetings and sunday. The buildings are kinda air conditioned haha. Wow I sure wrote a lot. Tell the whole fam I love them and cant wait to hear how things are going! I love getting letters so don't be afraid to send em. I can write any day I have time but don't expect an answer right away. I will have plenty of time every tuesday to email though. Everyone gets jealous when you get a package or a letter so i've been like racking em up like crazy. Everyone loves getting mail though haha. Time is flying by though! I'll be in mozambique in no time. Oh by the way derrick, thanks for the short letter. I'm glad to see you are already taking care of business now that i'm gone. Don't get too crazy while I'm gone. I'll be waiting to hear about all your girlfriends ;) hahahahaha. I miss you bud! anways i better get an email sent out to the big group so until next tuesday or if you write me a letter i'll answer before then! Boa sorte! (Good luck). I love you all so so much!!

Elder Lynn