Sent: Wed 1/19/2011 9:02 AM
Hi Mom!
I hope youre doing fantastic, and that everybodys all safe and sound. Its just been hot here, so theres nothing to worry about on my end.
I'm so behind everything; we use candy bar phones here and can only call missionaries in our district, zone, the assistants, secretaries and President and Sister Cordon. But I dont keep the phone with me, so Im not too worried about it. We use payphones a lot, but almost all of them are broken here.Im really learning patience with everything, and I think Im improving. These last few days have been tough, but Im working on it. And were doing well, teaching a lot and have a baptism this weekend, for sure!! Ill send you pictures next week. Im so excited!! Love you!!!!!
Love, Eric
Hi Dad!
I´m staying dry, actually, we haven´t had rain in over a week, and it´s been HOT. Makes it tough to be on the street, especially because my new companion likes to go from one bairro (neighborhood, but it´s a little more involved. I´ll explain it better later) on one end of the city to another on the other. I´d say we´ve been walking an average of 8-10 miles per day, minimum, but I´m used to it. And I´m down to 89 kilos! I think you guys might have a hard time recognizing me when I get back! I think it´ll slow down soon though; my goal for the mission is to be at 75 when I get home. We´ll see what happens, but if I walk like I have been it isn´t out of the question! My pants are already loose and I´ve had to cut some of the material off of my belt to use it.
On a more spiritual note, we have a baptism this weekend, for sure! Her name´s Sônia Mara, and she´s really great. Elder Barbosa and I had been trying to teach her since my second day in the field, and we finally managed to do so a few days before Christmas, which tells you something. But, after 15 weeks of chasing her, she´ll be entering the waters, and with any luck I could be the one doing it! It´s been so great to see how this gospel changes people; her husband was an abusive drug user, and she was living in what she described as hell for months until she moved into a little house with her and her 2 year old son. When we started teaching her for real, we found out she was jobless, and I prayed for days to find something for her to support herself, because she was still depending on him at that point. Then, one day, we were leaving the house when I saw a sign asking for waitresses at a pizzeria. I told her about it, and at first she rejected it, but later she told me she took it, and now everything´s going great for her! She told us she wants a new start for her life, and that´s exactly what she´s getting. I love this gospel and now have an even stronger testimony that God answers prayers. If you need anything, ask with a sincere heart and He´ll give it to you in His time. I know that better than ever, because I pray for this woman almost every hour of every day, and the Lord has given her what she needs. I love you dad, and I hope you guys have a great week.
Love, Eric
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Week Twenty Three
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 7:01 AM
Hey mom,
How have you guys been? It seems like it was yesterday that we talked; I think this mission is starting to pick up speed.
This week has been good already; President Cordon came to Prudentópolis Sunday to interview us and look at our apartment, with Sister Cordon and two of their kids! Lucky for us, we cleaned and have been keeping it that way. It was really great to see him, and the next day we went to Ponta Grossa for a leadership meeting for Elder V. Almeida and I saw them all again. And Elder Stevenson! It was really awesome to see them, especially because usually it´s with a bunch of missionaries. This time it was just us. They have four kids, but one just got back from a mission and is studying already, and the other´s a little older, so only their daughter and youngest son are here in Brasil. But she´s 17 and graduating, so she´ll be headed to college soon too. I actually went with them to their area, which was interesting.
But other than that, it´s work as always. We´re finding some really great people to teach, and it´s really been good to get to know the area again. Having a new companion makes you see the area with different eyes. Anything new happening? I hope things are good. I love you !!!!!
Hi Dad!
It sounds like you guys are back to the old routine, which I´m sure you appreciate. Congratulations on the calling, I´m sure it´ll be really great for you! Changes changes, but that´s what happens when you´re out of the loop for a while.
We´re still prepping for the couple missionary, but they called and said it´ll probably be next week. Again. So we´ll wait. Again. Patience is sometimes an issue for me, which I´m sure is a shocker. We´re getting three missionaries who´ve been serving in the US this week! So great! And hopefully more, because more than 10 areas would close if we lost missionaries without gaining any. But it´s great because we´re already receiving blessings!
It´s awesome that you´re still getting orders and stuff, and that you have a project if it slows down! I´m so grateful for all that the Lord is giving you guys. Now I know for sure I´m not the only one getting blessed. This mission is so much different than what I thought, but I´m already so much different than I thought that I can understand that the Lord changes you here, if you let him. Some days it´s work, but I`m just letting God take me where He will. I love you!!!!
Hey mom,
How have you guys been? It seems like it was yesterday that we talked; I think this mission is starting to pick up speed.
This week has been good already; President Cordon came to Prudentópolis Sunday to interview us and look at our apartment, with Sister Cordon and two of their kids! Lucky for us, we cleaned and have been keeping it that way. It was really great to see him, and the next day we went to Ponta Grossa for a leadership meeting for Elder V. Almeida and I saw them all again. And Elder Stevenson! It was really awesome to see them, especially because usually it´s with a bunch of missionaries. This time it was just us. They have four kids, but one just got back from a mission and is studying already, and the other´s a little older, so only their daughter and youngest son are here in Brasil. But she´s 17 and graduating, so she´ll be headed to college soon too. I actually went with them to their area, which was interesting.
But other than that, it´s work as always. We´re finding some really great people to teach, and it´s really been good to get to know the area again. Having a new companion makes you see the area with different eyes. Anything new happening? I hope things are good. I love you !!!!!
Hi Dad!
It sounds like you guys are back to the old routine, which I´m sure you appreciate. Congratulations on the calling, I´m sure it´ll be really great for you! Changes changes, but that´s what happens when you´re out of the loop for a while.
We´re still prepping for the couple missionary, but they called and said it´ll probably be next week. Again. So we´ll wait. Again. Patience is sometimes an issue for me, which I´m sure is a shocker. We´re getting three missionaries who´ve been serving in the US this week! So great! And hopefully more, because more than 10 areas would close if we lost missionaries without gaining any. But it´s great because we´re already receiving blessings!
It´s awesome that you´re still getting orders and stuff, and that you have a project if it slows down! I´m so grateful for all that the Lord is giving you guys. Now I know for sure I´m not the only one getting blessed. This mission is so much different than what I thought, but I´m already so much different than I thought that I can understand that the Lord changes you here, if you let him. Some days it´s work, but I`m just letting God take me where He will. I love you!!!!
Week Twenty Two
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2011 9:55 AM
Hi Mom!
I´m good, just trying to get everything organized, because the couple missionaries should be coming this next week! I´ve been working well with Elder V. Almeida so far; he works really hard so it makes it easy. I´m learning a lot about how to teach in a different way and also how to adjust when things change. We´ll be losing 21 missionaries at the end of this transfer, and we have 15 waiting to receive visas in Provo. If they don´t make it, lots of areas will close, but we´ve fasted and we have faith.
Oh and I wanted your help: do you think you could write your experience as a seminary teacher, like how you felt when you got the call and stuff down and send it to me? There´s a member here who´s received that calling, but she doesn´t know if she´ll accept it yet. It doesn´t start until March because of school holidays, but I know she´d appreciate it. Her husband speaks English so he can translate.
I love you Mom
Hi Dad!
Happy new year! I hope you guys had fun! It´s actually a really big deal here, so we got to enjoy some good food and fireworks, too. We´re working hard as always here, but in a different way. Having different companions makes a lot more sense now that I´ve actually changed. You can learn a lot from one person, but each of us has something different to bring to the work, which can help us all be better. He´s different but it´s not too tough to handle. When you don´t have a choice it simplifies things. He´s really a good guy though, so that makes it easy. I´m just saying necessity is a good teacher either way. It should make marriage easy; you get to pick!
They may have to close some missions if they can´t get more missionaries. I heard that they´re inviting more Elders from Argentina, Paraguay and places like that to come here, but I have no idea.
It´s getting warmer, but I don´t know if we´ve reached the peak of the heat yet or not. We´ll see how it goes, but I´m ready for anything. It doesn´t get hotter than like 95, so we should be fine.
I hope all´s well. I love you!!!!!
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
I´m good, just trying to get everything organized, because the couple missionaries should be coming this next week! I´ve been working well with Elder V. Almeida so far; he works really hard so it makes it easy. I´m learning a lot about how to teach in a different way and also how to adjust when things change. We´ll be losing 21 missionaries at the end of this transfer, and we have 15 waiting to receive visas in Provo. If they don´t make it, lots of areas will close, but we´ve fasted and we have faith.
Oh and I wanted your help: do you think you could write your experience as a seminary teacher, like how you felt when you got the call and stuff down and send it to me? There´s a member here who´s received that calling, but she doesn´t know if she´ll accept it yet. It doesn´t start until March because of school holidays, but I know she´d appreciate it. Her husband speaks English so he can translate.
I love you Mom
Hi Dad!
Happy new year! I hope you guys had fun! It´s actually a really big deal here, so we got to enjoy some good food and fireworks, too. We´re working hard as always here, but in a different way. Having different companions makes a lot more sense now that I´ve actually changed. You can learn a lot from one person, but each of us has something different to bring to the work, which can help us all be better. He´s different but it´s not too tough to handle. When you don´t have a choice it simplifies things. He´s really a good guy though, so that makes it easy. I´m just saying necessity is a good teacher either way. It should make marriage easy; you get to pick!
They may have to close some missions if they can´t get more missionaries. I heard that they´re inviting more Elders from Argentina, Paraguay and places like that to come here, but I have no idea.
It´s getting warmer, but I don´t know if we´ve reached the peak of the heat yet or not. We´ll see how it goes, but I´m ready for anything. It doesn´t get hotter than like 95, so we should be fine.
I hope all´s well. I love you!!!!!
Love, Eric
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Week Twenty One - New Companion
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 8:29 AM
Hi Mom!
I´m staying in Prudentópolis for another transfer, but Elder Barbosa is now a Zone Leader! I´m really excited for him, because he worked so hard for it.
My new companion´s name is Elder V. Almeida, a Brasilian from Belém (bethlehem in Portuguese, cool huh?). That´s the part of Brasil everyone thinks of, I think. Jungle and stuff. But he´s really cool. Elder Barbosa´s got 9 months left, and my new companion one transfer more than that. So I have brasilians with experience basically.
I´m excited to get to work, even though people are still travelling. This week will be tough too, because the new year is a big deal here. Like huge, I guess. But I´m ready to get back to it. Talking to you guys was great, and I´m glad you´re all well.
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
I´m staying in Prudentópolis for another transfer, but Elder Barbosa is now a Zone Leader! I´m really excited for him, because he worked so hard for it.
My new companion´s name is Elder V. Almeida, a Brasilian from Belém (bethlehem in Portuguese, cool huh?). That´s the part of Brasil everyone thinks of, I think. Jungle and stuff. But he´s really cool. Elder Barbosa´s got 9 months left, and my new companion one transfer more than that. So I have brasilians with experience basically.
I´m excited to get to work, even though people are still travelling. This week will be tough too, because the new year is a big deal here. Like huge, I guess. But I´m ready to get back to it. Talking to you guys was great, and I´m glad you´re all well.
Love, Eric
Week Twenty
Sent: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 12:28:01
Hi Mom!
I don´t have a lot of time to talk, but I needed to let you know that you guys will have to call me. I´ll call you the night before or something to give you the number, and then later you can call me. Sorry to bother you but I wanted to be able to talk to the guys up there more quickly.
It was a really great Christmas conference, but Saturday will be way better.
Love you!!!!
-Eric
Sent: Wed 12/22/2010 7:26 AM
Hi Mom!
So I know I said I wouldn´t be on today but they let us anyway, which is good. How are things? I don´t really have a ton to say, but I am excited to talk to you guys. We aren´t sure where we´ll be spending Christmas. What we can do is, if I end up staying in Prudentópolis, I can call Friday and we can set it up. If not, I´ll call right before I want you guys to to give you the number. Does that work?
I love you!!!!!
-Eric
Hi Dad!
I´m good, it´s kind of tough trying to find people right now, because everyone´s traveling for the holidays. Here everyone heads to the beach, it´s weird! But we´re doing well, and hoping to find some really great people today.
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
I don´t have a lot of time to talk, but I needed to let you know that you guys will have to call me. I´ll call you the night before or something to give you the number, and then later you can call me. Sorry to bother you but I wanted to be able to talk to the guys up there more quickly.
It was a really great Christmas conference, but Saturday will be way better.
Love you!!!!
-Eric
Sent: Wed 12/22/2010 7:26 AM
Hi Mom!
So I know I said I wouldn´t be on today but they let us anyway, which is good. How are things? I don´t really have a ton to say, but I am excited to talk to you guys. We aren´t sure where we´ll be spending Christmas. What we can do is, if I end up staying in Prudentópolis, I can call Friday and we can set it up. If not, I´ll call right before I want you guys to to give you the number. Does that work?
I love you!!!!!
-Eric
Hi Dad!
I´m good, it´s kind of tough trying to find people right now, because everyone´s traveling for the holidays. Here everyone heads to the beach, it´s weird! But we´re doing well, and hoping to find some really great people today.
Love, Eric
Week Nineteen
Sent: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 7:59 AM
Hi Mom!
I hope all´s well at home. I´m not sure if I´ll get your gift if it just cleared customs, but for sure I´ll get my first one. Who knows, being on a lag makes it kinda tough to tell what´s going to happen. As far as the call goes, it´s fourty-five minutes, and I´ll call you guys, so I wanted to see when would be good for you. I think the time lag is around 6 hours; what time is it now? Oh, and next week we won´t have p-day on wednesday, because of the mission conference tomorrow. It won´t be too long to wait, will it? It sounds like you guys are all doing great, and I hope that the holidays aren´t too crazy of a time for things.
I´ll be sure to call right on time, if not a bit earlier. If it´s a ton early I´ll ask President if I can email, but I really am excited to hear how things are going in your own voices! I´m not sure if I remember how they sound! I love you so much!!!!!!! Have a great week!!!!! Love you!!!!!
Hi Dad!
Things here have been pretty rainy, actually. I think the heat will come next week. We´ll see though; it´ll be so strange to have a hot Christmas. Right now I feel a little more in my element, because I´m actually wearing a sweater. As far as getting people to church, rain is actually the big deterrent, more than the heat. In the heat it´s almost guaranteed you´ll have people on the street, rain is a different story. But we´re working, and we´ll be getting some help, because the President of the district basically chewed everyone out in Sacrament meeting because some of the families have children that are less than reverent. We´re expecting some changes, at least; we´ve marked with some of the Elders´ Quorum members to make visits with us, so we´ll see what happens.
I´m pretty familiar with the negative here, Catholics in Prudentópolis are pretty bigoted about people of other faiths. The people are nice until you start to talk about religion. Then things can get rude. But I´m learning to deal with rejection, which is a step for me, at least!
I love you and hope to hear from you soon! I told mom that next week I won´t have p-day because of Christmas. Love you!!!
Hi Mom!
I hope all´s well at home. I´m not sure if I´ll get your gift if it just cleared customs, but for sure I´ll get my first one. Who knows, being on a lag makes it kinda tough to tell what´s going to happen. As far as the call goes, it´s fourty-five minutes, and I´ll call you guys, so I wanted to see when would be good for you. I think the time lag is around 6 hours; what time is it now? Oh, and next week we won´t have p-day on wednesday, because of the mission conference tomorrow. It won´t be too long to wait, will it? It sounds like you guys are all doing great, and I hope that the holidays aren´t too crazy of a time for things.
I´ll be sure to call right on time, if not a bit earlier. If it´s a ton early I´ll ask President if I can email, but I really am excited to hear how things are going in your own voices! I´m not sure if I remember how they sound! I love you so much!!!!!!! Have a great week!!!!! Love you!!!!!
Hi Dad!
Things here have been pretty rainy, actually. I think the heat will come next week. We´ll see though; it´ll be so strange to have a hot Christmas. Right now I feel a little more in my element, because I´m actually wearing a sweater. As far as getting people to church, rain is actually the big deterrent, more than the heat. In the heat it´s almost guaranteed you´ll have people on the street, rain is a different story. But we´re working, and we´ll be getting some help, because the President of the district basically chewed everyone out in Sacrament meeting because some of the families have children that are less than reverent. We´re expecting some changes, at least; we´ve marked with some of the Elders´ Quorum members to make visits with us, so we´ll see what happens.
I´m pretty familiar with the negative here, Catholics in Prudentópolis are pretty bigoted about people of other faiths. The people are nice until you start to talk about religion. Then things can get rude. But I´m learning to deal with rejection, which is a step for me, at least!
I love you and hope to hear from you soon! I told mom that next week I won´t have p-day because of Christmas. Love you!!!
Week Eighteen
Sent: Wednesday, December 08, 2010 8:12 AM
Hi Mom!
This week´s flying by, I can´t believe it´s P-day already! Only 17 more days and we´ll be talking on the phone. I can´t believe that I´ve already been out here for four months. It feels like more sometimes, but others it feels like a week or two. I´ve been out in the field for two months already, too! Everyone always says that the time passes quickly on the mission, but I guess that I never really thought about it. It feels like I´ve just written you guys!
I hope you guys are doing ok up there, and that the holidays aren´t wearing you out too much. Things are busy here for the people in the city, which can make it more difficult to find people when they´re in their houses, but we´re still doing really well. The goal for the mission is 21 lessons each week for each companionship, and we haven´t reached it yet, but I know we will this time around. I´m starting to understand more about the attitude I need to have as a missionary. There were times when it was hard to want to work or talk to people because a lot of people say no, but now, I just want to work so that the people here have the chance to receive the Restored Gospel of Christ. It´s really been rewarding this week to work for the sake of saving souls, and not for getting numbers or baptizing so many people. It´s been great, because I usually am totally spent by P-day, and now I´m just ready to continue working.
We can´t really work on the days close to Christmas I would assume, but we´ll try. Schools here don´t close until the 22nd, so people will still be around, but some close on the 18th and there´s a few other factors so we´ll see. We get to stay out until 11 on Christmas Eve if we have a ride, so that´ll be fun. If we have a ride. Not sure what Christmas will be like.
I miss you guys a lot, but I know that you´re doing fine and that we´ll all be blessed as we do what the Lord has asked of us. And sometimes, even if we are doing all of the right things, we´ll still be challenged in ways we don´t understand, but as it says in Mosiah 23:21, we´re tried to test our patience and our faith. I know that as we continue to put our trust in the Lord and work, even if it is difficult, we´ll be able to bear all of the burdens that are placed upon us. I´m already a different person because of this mission, and I know I´ll continue to change, spiritually, mentally, and physically as well (I´ve already lost 10 kilos!) I love you Mom, and I hope you´re having an awesome Christmas season. I know it´s your favorite :)
Love, Eric
Hey Dad!
I´m glad to hear that things are going well, even if it´s a little chilly. You can send some of it our way, I´m sure they´d appreciate it. This week´s been more rainy than hot; we had about half the people we normally have at church because it was raining so hard. I never thought that that could impede someone, but I guess if you´re walking and some of the roads aren´t paved it could be a problem. There are so many things that I never considered before because of the life that we lead in the United States, even the poor people! It´s crazy to think that up there, everyone has water to drink, but the people here have to buy tanks to put on the top of their house to be the source of their plumbing. It´s not everyone that has that kind of a situation, but it´s still so different to think that things we never even think about become huge issues here. There are days when half the city doesn´t have water, and the other half has water that isn´t safe. I´m learning to be so grateful for the things I have.
We don´t really have a ward council, but we meet with the branch president and the elders´ quorum president every Sunday morning, when we´re not visiting investigators´ houses to invite them to church. Church starts at 9, but we´re usually there at around 8, and we usually stay until around 1, but it depends on if we´re cooking our own lunch or not. The main stays for food are rice, beans, and pasta (I´ve made lasagna a few times, but it´s usually just spaghetti. Nothing too strange yet.) I´m looking forward to trying some more authentic Brasilian food soon. A lot of people here are Ukranian, and one of the members knows how to cook Ukranian food, so I might learn from her one day when we have time!
We´re still working hard out here, and I think things are going to be great this Christmas. We´re working hard with involving the members in the work, and it´s been going really well. Do the missionaries do a lot of divisions with the members at home? It´s really a great opportunity to get to know new people and it strengthens your testimony, too. I´m really glad to hear some people have accepted the gospel there, that´s awesome! I hope everyone helps them stay strong in the church, a lot of the problem here was that the members struggled with integrating the new converts. We´re working to change that, though.
I love you dad!
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
This week´s flying by, I can´t believe it´s P-day already! Only 17 more days and we´ll be talking on the phone. I can´t believe that I´ve already been out here for four months. It feels like more sometimes, but others it feels like a week or two. I´ve been out in the field for two months already, too! Everyone always says that the time passes quickly on the mission, but I guess that I never really thought about it. It feels like I´ve just written you guys!
I hope you guys are doing ok up there, and that the holidays aren´t wearing you out too much. Things are busy here for the people in the city, which can make it more difficult to find people when they´re in their houses, but we´re still doing really well. The goal for the mission is 21 lessons each week for each companionship, and we haven´t reached it yet, but I know we will this time around. I´m starting to understand more about the attitude I need to have as a missionary. There were times when it was hard to want to work or talk to people because a lot of people say no, but now, I just want to work so that the people here have the chance to receive the Restored Gospel of Christ. It´s really been rewarding this week to work for the sake of saving souls, and not for getting numbers or baptizing so many people. It´s been great, because I usually am totally spent by P-day, and now I´m just ready to continue working.
We can´t really work on the days close to Christmas I would assume, but we´ll try. Schools here don´t close until the 22nd, so people will still be around, but some close on the 18th and there´s a few other factors so we´ll see. We get to stay out until 11 on Christmas Eve if we have a ride, so that´ll be fun. If we have a ride. Not sure what Christmas will be like.
I miss you guys a lot, but I know that you´re doing fine and that we´ll all be blessed as we do what the Lord has asked of us. And sometimes, even if we are doing all of the right things, we´ll still be challenged in ways we don´t understand, but as it says in Mosiah 23:21, we´re tried to test our patience and our faith. I know that as we continue to put our trust in the Lord and work, even if it is difficult, we´ll be able to bear all of the burdens that are placed upon us. I´m already a different person because of this mission, and I know I´ll continue to change, spiritually, mentally, and physically as well (I´ve already lost 10 kilos!) I love you Mom, and I hope you´re having an awesome Christmas season. I know it´s your favorite :)
Love, Eric
Hey Dad!
I´m glad to hear that things are going well, even if it´s a little chilly. You can send some of it our way, I´m sure they´d appreciate it. This week´s been more rainy than hot; we had about half the people we normally have at church because it was raining so hard. I never thought that that could impede someone, but I guess if you´re walking and some of the roads aren´t paved it could be a problem. There are so many things that I never considered before because of the life that we lead in the United States, even the poor people! It´s crazy to think that up there, everyone has water to drink, but the people here have to buy tanks to put on the top of their house to be the source of their plumbing. It´s not everyone that has that kind of a situation, but it´s still so different to think that things we never even think about become huge issues here. There are days when half the city doesn´t have water, and the other half has water that isn´t safe. I´m learning to be so grateful for the things I have.
We don´t really have a ward council, but we meet with the branch president and the elders´ quorum president every Sunday morning, when we´re not visiting investigators´ houses to invite them to church. Church starts at 9, but we´re usually there at around 8, and we usually stay until around 1, but it depends on if we´re cooking our own lunch or not. The main stays for food are rice, beans, and pasta (I´ve made lasagna a few times, but it´s usually just spaghetti. Nothing too strange yet.) I´m looking forward to trying some more authentic Brasilian food soon. A lot of people here are Ukranian, and one of the members knows how to cook Ukranian food, so I might learn from her one day when we have time!
We´re still working hard out here, and I think things are going to be great this Christmas. We´re working hard with involving the members in the work, and it´s been going really well. Do the missionaries do a lot of divisions with the members at home? It´s really a great opportunity to get to know new people and it strengthens your testimony, too. I´m really glad to hear some people have accepted the gospel there, that´s awesome! I hope everyone helps them stay strong in the church, a lot of the problem here was that the members struggled with integrating the new converts. We´re working to change that, though.
I love you dad!
Love, Eric
Week Seventeen
Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2010 9:27 AM
Hi Mom!
Things are going well here; the couple missionaries are here to look at apartments, so we´ve spent most of our P-day helping them. I think the other part will be spent at a funeral, because one of the members passed away from lung cancer last night. She wasn´t active, but it was tough because she had lots of troubles with chemo. Her daughter was starting to reactivate, and I hope this doesn´t derail her, but we´re just here to help them cope for now, I guess. It´s kind of a weird situation, to be honest.
It´s been raining a lot at night, but we don´t catch it a lot in the morning. It´s getting hotter and hotter every day; I´m sure you´d love it. In a white shirt and tie, it´s a little more difficult, but I´m managing. I found out that the transfer isn´t until after Christmas, so I´m not sure what I`ll do with the other package. I also found out that I have 45 minutes to talk to you guys, so that´ll be good. For now, not a lot to report, just that we´re working. How are things with you guys?
I love you a lot and can´t wait to talk on the phone! Have an awesome week and try not to flood the house with Christmas decorations, ok? Love you!!!!!
Eric
Hi Dad!
It´s pretty tough to stay cool here, so we just try to teach as much as we can, because then we´re not out in the heat! The people here will give you some water, even if you don´t go into their house, so we stay pretty well hydrated at least. If we ask, they always give it to us. I think they think we´re nuts for walking in the heat, because it gets tough to find people on the streets at times.
It sounds like the weather´s starting to get how it usually does, which is kind of nice for me, but I think I like the cold better. I can at least add clothes if I need to. It´ll probably get cold right around fourth of july!
I love you a ton!!!
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
Things are going well here; the couple missionaries are here to look at apartments, so we´ve spent most of our P-day helping them. I think the other part will be spent at a funeral, because one of the members passed away from lung cancer last night. She wasn´t active, but it was tough because she had lots of troubles with chemo. Her daughter was starting to reactivate, and I hope this doesn´t derail her, but we´re just here to help them cope for now, I guess. It´s kind of a weird situation, to be honest.
It´s been raining a lot at night, but we don´t catch it a lot in the morning. It´s getting hotter and hotter every day; I´m sure you´d love it. In a white shirt and tie, it´s a little more difficult, but I´m managing. I found out that the transfer isn´t until after Christmas, so I´m not sure what I`ll do with the other package. I also found out that I have 45 minutes to talk to you guys, so that´ll be good. For now, not a lot to report, just that we´re working. How are things with you guys?
I love you a lot and can´t wait to talk on the phone! Have an awesome week and try not to flood the house with Christmas decorations, ok? Love you!!!!!
Eric
Hi Dad!
It´s pretty tough to stay cool here, so we just try to teach as much as we can, because then we´re not out in the heat! The people here will give you some water, even if you don´t go into their house, so we stay pretty well hydrated at least. If we ask, they always give it to us. I think they think we´re nuts for walking in the heat, because it gets tough to find people on the streets at times.
It sounds like the weather´s starting to get how it usually does, which is kind of nice for me, but I think I like the cold better. I can at least add clothes if I need to. It´ll probably get cold right around fourth of july!
I love you a ton!!!
Love, Eric
Week Sixteen
Sent: Wed 11/24/2010 7:51 AM
Hey everyone!
I hope you´re all enjoying the cold, because it´s anything but down in Brazil! My mission is the Brazil Curitiba mission, which is a part of the state of Paraná. The mission goes from the city of Guarapuava all the way to the beach, Paranagua. The biggest city in our mission is Curitiba, and it has about 1.6 million people. Right now, I´m serving in what´s called the Interiór, in a city called Prudentópolis.
There are a lot of European people that live in this area; some of you probably look more like Brasilians than they do! The people here are really kind, and almost always willing to talk to you. Lots of people will stop in the middle of the road just to talk for a few minutes!
The members here are really great, too. We´re just a branch down here, but they really are a family. Two of the sisters have 6 kids each, and sometimes Primary gets a little rowdy, but I´m sure that never happens there. We meet in a building that used to be a school, but we´re working hard to get a chapel built in the city. There´s lots of really cool places to put one, so hopefully we reach our goal soon.
The coolest part about this area is the Waterfalls. We have at least six in the area, and we get to go to one for a district activity soon, which I´m really excited for. I´ll try to send pictures when we go, it´s going to be great! I hope you´re all doing well, and that you know that this church is true. Keep saying your prayers and reading your scriptures and you´ll gain a strong testimony of that, too. Happy Thanksgiving!
Elder Eric Dohrman
Hi Mom!
Holy Cow, things are so different there! I´m pretty sure people would flip out if there was any snow here. It´s been pretty hot this week, but the last couple days have had rain, which is nice. The only problem is that the rain tends to hang in the air, which makes it really hot and humid. I´m getting used to it, though; and who knows, I´ve only got three and a half (more or less) weeks left in the transfer and I could go anywhere! I´ll probably stick around here, though, because Elder Barbosa´s probably going to be zone leader and they´d like to have someone here who knows the area to help the couple missionaries get started. We found out they won´t get here until january, which is kind of a bummer, but they´re headed down next week to look at some places to live. They´re pretty experienced, but they´re really excited to work, so it´ll be good. And the sister served in Italy, which is sweet!
We haven´t planned anything for Thanksgiving because they don´t celebrate it here, and because we´ll be doing a division with the Zone leaders. Not a big deal though, I don´t really like eating a lot. All of the other Elders eat tons, but I haven´t really developed an incredibly large appetite. I´ve actually lost 7 kilos already, so we´ll see what happens. 1 Kilo is 2.2 pounds.
Love you!!!!!
Hi Dad!
Hope you´re doing great. Things are a little warmer down here, not sure exactly how warm because it´s all in Celsius and I never check because it´d just depress me. The photos Mom sent were nuts! That´s what we get for having a mild winter last year. Brasilians celebrate christmas kinda like us: They already have decorations up. I think the first day I saw it was November 5th. Not sure, but it was close to that. I´m excited because we have a mission conference the 16th of december, and it should be awesome! This transfer is only 5 weeks long, we found out, so the guys headed home can get there in time for Christmas. Other than that, nothing big. I met up with my CTM district in Curitiba friday, and they´re all doing really well! Speaking well, too. It was cool to see them.
As far as primary goes, we don´t have classes like valiant 8 and stuff, because we´re so small, so the nursery age kids, sunbeams and everybody else are all together. They wear a lot of the same clothes we do, but more shorts and dresses and stuff. Most of them wear flip flops, too, because some of our members don´t have a lot of money to buy strong sandals or tennis shoes. We sing the same songs and learn the same things, too. I´ll send a picture soon, I haven´t really found a good place to take a picture yet. I´m looking, though!
No we don´t have AC, only mansions here have air conditioning.. I don´t really think about speaking anymore until I make a mistake, but I still read the book of mormon in portuguese aloud to get better and lose my accent.
Love you tons!!!!
Love Eric
Hey everyone!
I hope you´re all enjoying the cold, because it´s anything but down in Brazil! My mission is the Brazil Curitiba mission, which is a part of the state of Paraná. The mission goes from the city of Guarapuava all the way to the beach, Paranagua. The biggest city in our mission is Curitiba, and it has about 1.6 million people. Right now, I´m serving in what´s called the Interiór, in a city called Prudentópolis.
There are a lot of European people that live in this area; some of you probably look more like Brasilians than they do! The people here are really kind, and almost always willing to talk to you. Lots of people will stop in the middle of the road just to talk for a few minutes!
The members here are really great, too. We´re just a branch down here, but they really are a family. Two of the sisters have 6 kids each, and sometimes Primary gets a little rowdy, but I´m sure that never happens there. We meet in a building that used to be a school, but we´re working hard to get a chapel built in the city. There´s lots of really cool places to put one, so hopefully we reach our goal soon.
The coolest part about this area is the Waterfalls. We have at least six in the area, and we get to go to one for a district activity soon, which I´m really excited for. I´ll try to send pictures when we go, it´s going to be great! I hope you´re all doing well, and that you know that this church is true. Keep saying your prayers and reading your scriptures and you´ll gain a strong testimony of that, too. Happy Thanksgiving!
Elder Eric Dohrman
Hi Mom!
Holy Cow, things are so different there! I´m pretty sure people would flip out if there was any snow here. It´s been pretty hot this week, but the last couple days have had rain, which is nice. The only problem is that the rain tends to hang in the air, which makes it really hot and humid. I´m getting used to it, though; and who knows, I´ve only got three and a half (more or less) weeks left in the transfer and I could go anywhere! I´ll probably stick around here, though, because Elder Barbosa´s probably going to be zone leader and they´d like to have someone here who knows the area to help the couple missionaries get started. We found out they won´t get here until january, which is kind of a bummer, but they´re headed down next week to look at some places to live. They´re pretty experienced, but they´re really excited to work, so it´ll be good. And the sister served in Italy, which is sweet!
We haven´t planned anything for Thanksgiving because they don´t celebrate it here, and because we´ll be doing a division with the Zone leaders. Not a big deal though, I don´t really like eating a lot. All of the other Elders eat tons, but I haven´t really developed an incredibly large appetite. I´ve actually lost 7 kilos already, so we´ll see what happens. 1 Kilo is 2.2 pounds.
Love you!!!!!
Hi Dad!
Hope you´re doing great. Things are a little warmer down here, not sure exactly how warm because it´s all in Celsius and I never check because it´d just depress me. The photos Mom sent were nuts! That´s what we get for having a mild winter last year. Brasilians celebrate christmas kinda like us: They already have decorations up. I think the first day I saw it was November 5th. Not sure, but it was close to that. I´m excited because we have a mission conference the 16th of december, and it should be awesome! This transfer is only 5 weeks long, we found out, so the guys headed home can get there in time for Christmas. Other than that, nothing big. I met up with my CTM district in Curitiba friday, and they´re all doing really well! Speaking well, too. It was cool to see them.
As far as primary goes, we don´t have classes like valiant 8 and stuff, because we´re so small, so the nursery age kids, sunbeams and everybody else are all together. They wear a lot of the same clothes we do, but more shorts and dresses and stuff. Most of them wear flip flops, too, because some of our members don´t have a lot of money to buy strong sandals or tennis shoes. We sing the same songs and learn the same things, too. I´ll send a picture soon, I haven´t really found a good place to take a picture yet. I´m looking, though!
No we don´t have AC, only mansions here have air conditioning.. I don´t really think about speaking anymore until I make a mistake, but I still read the book of mormon in portuguese aloud to get better and lose my accent.
Love you tons!!!!
Love Eric
Week Fifteen
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2010 9:20 AM
Hi Mom!
I´m still in Prudentópolis with Elder Barbosa, so we´ve got the same routine as before for a little longer. That means Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here, which is cool. They don´t celebrate Thanksgiving but I think I´ll do something.
We´re working on having 10 people baptized on Christmas Day, so that´s what we´ve been thinking about this week. We´ve got some lofty goals, but we´re working hard to achieve them. We lost 12 leaders this week; 10 zone leaders, one AP, and a district leader I think. I´m not sure who goes next but I think big changes have come and will keep coming. We´ll have to see what happens, I guess.
I´m getting pretty good at making lasagna; I made it for one of our investigators today. She´s really great, and she´s actually come to church, which is awesome. We´re really working hard now to make things happen.
I love you tons!
Love, Eric
Hi Dad!
It sounds like winter´s already there, which is so weird because it´s been getting hotter and hotter here! And it rains super hard too, which I guess is a sign of Spring. I´m not sure what to think, but I´m going to roll with it and work nonetheless. I can already tell I´m gonna be a pansy when I get back; it hasn´t even been close to freezing and I´m getting cold.
But a little more about Prudentópolis: It´s pretty big, and there´s a lot of cobblestone streets. But the cobblestone´s more like brick that was laid all crazy, and there´s slightly jagged points sticking up in the road. Not enough to pop a tire, but painful when you walk sometimes. There´s a ton of trees, and some are a lot like pine (if you look up tree and Paraná on google, you´ll probably find a weird looking tree that kinda looks like a pine, and there are a lot of those. They´re actually part of the pine family, which is cool. Abucaria I think.) so it looks like the Northwest every now and then. One spot looked just like Pullman, because of the wheat fields. There are two huge churches, both Catholic, and on the weekends everyone goes to mass, then hits the streets to go get drunk. Interesting, huh?
I gave a talk this weekend! I dunno if they understood it, but I felt good about it. I think I´ll give the same one again my last Sunday in the field, if I can; just to see how far I´ve come.
You can buy filtered water, so I´ve been fine. I´m starting to get less and less worried about things, which is nice, and I´m excited to keep working in Prudentópolis and give you guys more good updates!
I love you dad, and have a great week!
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
I´m still in Prudentópolis with Elder Barbosa, so we´ve got the same routine as before for a little longer. That means Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here, which is cool. They don´t celebrate Thanksgiving but I think I´ll do something.
We´re working on having 10 people baptized on Christmas Day, so that´s what we´ve been thinking about this week. We´ve got some lofty goals, but we´re working hard to achieve them. We lost 12 leaders this week; 10 zone leaders, one AP, and a district leader I think. I´m not sure who goes next but I think big changes have come and will keep coming. We´ll have to see what happens, I guess.
I´m getting pretty good at making lasagna; I made it for one of our investigators today. She´s really great, and she´s actually come to church, which is awesome. We´re really working hard now to make things happen.
I love you tons!
Love, Eric
Hi Dad!
It sounds like winter´s already there, which is so weird because it´s been getting hotter and hotter here! And it rains super hard too, which I guess is a sign of Spring. I´m not sure what to think, but I´m going to roll with it and work nonetheless. I can already tell I´m gonna be a pansy when I get back; it hasn´t even been close to freezing and I´m getting cold.
But a little more about Prudentópolis: It´s pretty big, and there´s a lot of cobblestone streets. But the cobblestone´s more like brick that was laid all crazy, and there´s slightly jagged points sticking up in the road. Not enough to pop a tire, but painful when you walk sometimes. There´s a ton of trees, and some are a lot like pine (if you look up tree and Paraná on google, you´ll probably find a weird looking tree that kinda looks like a pine, and there are a lot of those. They´re actually part of the pine family, which is cool. Abucaria I think.) so it looks like the Northwest every now and then. One spot looked just like Pullman, because of the wheat fields. There are two huge churches, both Catholic, and on the weekends everyone goes to mass, then hits the streets to go get drunk. Interesting, huh?
I gave a talk this weekend! I dunno if they understood it, but I felt good about it. I think I´ll give the same one again my last Sunday in the field, if I can; just to see how far I´ve come.
You can buy filtered water, so I´ve been fine. I´m starting to get less and less worried about things, which is nice, and I´m excited to keep working in Prudentópolis and give you guys more good updates!
I love you dad, and have a great week!
Love, Eric
Week Fourteen
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 8:00 AM
Hi Mom!!
Sorry I didn´t write this morning, we had an activity as a zone here in Prudentópolis so our schedule´s all mixed up. We´re also doing divisions with the zone leaders, so that should be interesting. I´ll be Elder Sousa´s companion, and this will probably be one of his last divisons, because he leaves next week. I think in total 15 people are headed out this transfer, and we´re only getting 8 more, so that´s a little discouraging. We have the largest mission in Brasil in terms of areas, but we´re way below our complement of missionaries, almost 50 I think.
A senior couple is coming to Prudentópolis, too, so we´re going to be dividing the area at some point. That should be interesting, because the city´s not huge but it doesn´t have public transportation, so people have to walk everywhere if they don´t have a car or motorcycle. I´m not sure how the area will be split, but it could end up leaving us with an area with a lot of people really far from the church, which makes it tough for people to make it to church on Sundays. That´s not an excuse, though. We´ll keep working. I really have no idea if I´ll stay; I´m just going to go with it and keep working. It´s easier that way. The transfers are next wednesday, so we´ll see what happens then. Our schedule is so weird because appointments fall through all the time, and we don´t really get the chance to adapt a lot, we just go to our plan B and C.
Lunch usually is at a member´s house, and they call to cancel, so that´s OK, and we make sure to organize ourselves so we aren´t running from one side of town to the other (when we can.) I guess they probably are getting stronger, I don´t really notice because Elder Barbosa is still way faster than I am when it comes to walking.
I´m working hard, and I know that you guys are behind me, so know that I really do appreciate all that you do. I love you!
Love Eric
Hi Dad!
It´s been incredibly hot here, but yesterday it rained SO hard! The wind was so strong we had to hide out under an awning against a wall for like 15 minutes! I definitely put that in my journal. I think we´re into Spring here, summer is like January and Febuary as far as I can tell. We´ve been working really hard, and we´re starting to have a little success, which is good. I think going to this area was a blessing, because I´m definitely grateful to the Lord for all of the things that he does for me. Transfers are next wednesday, so I´ve got at least one week with Elder Barbosa.
On that note, I was reading in Ether 12 about faith, and it had a reference to Hebrews 11:7 (7-40). It´s a really great chapter, and it helped me to see that the stories that we read in the scriptures, oftentimes, are about the ordinary people having the faith to do extraordinary things. The key, however, is that we act, not just wait for a miracle to happen. I think that´s where people falter. I dunno, I just thought that I´d share.
I hope you´re doing great, and that things are busy enough to be satisfying but slow enough to be fun, too. I love you dad, and I hope to hear from you again soon!!
Love Eric
Hi Mom!!
Sorry I didn´t write this morning, we had an activity as a zone here in Prudentópolis so our schedule´s all mixed up. We´re also doing divisions with the zone leaders, so that should be interesting. I´ll be Elder Sousa´s companion, and this will probably be one of his last divisons, because he leaves next week. I think in total 15 people are headed out this transfer, and we´re only getting 8 more, so that´s a little discouraging. We have the largest mission in Brasil in terms of areas, but we´re way below our complement of missionaries, almost 50 I think.
A senior couple is coming to Prudentópolis, too, so we´re going to be dividing the area at some point. That should be interesting, because the city´s not huge but it doesn´t have public transportation, so people have to walk everywhere if they don´t have a car or motorcycle. I´m not sure how the area will be split, but it could end up leaving us with an area with a lot of people really far from the church, which makes it tough for people to make it to church on Sundays. That´s not an excuse, though. We´ll keep working. I really have no idea if I´ll stay; I´m just going to go with it and keep working. It´s easier that way. The transfers are next wednesday, so we´ll see what happens then. Our schedule is so weird because appointments fall through all the time, and we don´t really get the chance to adapt a lot, we just go to our plan B and C.
Lunch usually is at a member´s house, and they call to cancel, so that´s OK, and we make sure to organize ourselves so we aren´t running from one side of town to the other (when we can.) I guess they probably are getting stronger, I don´t really notice because Elder Barbosa is still way faster than I am when it comes to walking.
I´m working hard, and I know that you guys are behind me, so know that I really do appreciate all that you do. I love you!
Love Eric
Hi Dad!
It´s been incredibly hot here, but yesterday it rained SO hard! The wind was so strong we had to hide out under an awning against a wall for like 15 minutes! I definitely put that in my journal. I think we´re into Spring here, summer is like January and Febuary as far as I can tell. We´ve been working really hard, and we´re starting to have a little success, which is good. I think going to this area was a blessing, because I´m definitely grateful to the Lord for all of the things that he does for me. Transfers are next wednesday, so I´ve got at least one week with Elder Barbosa.
On that note, I was reading in Ether 12 about faith, and it had a reference to Hebrews 11:7 (7-40). It´s a really great chapter, and it helped me to see that the stories that we read in the scriptures, oftentimes, are about the ordinary people having the faith to do extraordinary things. The key, however, is that we act, not just wait for a miracle to happen. I think that´s where people falter. I dunno, I just thought that I´d share.
I hope you´re doing great, and that things are busy enough to be satisfying but slow enough to be fun, too. I love you dad, and I hope to hear from you again soon!!
Love Eric
Week Thirteen
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 6:59 AM
Hi Mom!
It´s getting pretty hot here, and I think it´s only going to get hotter. We´ll see, who knows where I´ll be. I´m pretty sure that Elder Barbosa will get transferred, so I´ll either have a new companion here or a new companion somewhere else. We´ll see what happens.
Do you have a super simple cookie recipe? We want to make some for one of our investigators. We have eggs, flour, butter, and sugar, and milk. How are things?
So the pictures: There´s my CTM district, a few of the professors: Petente´s the one in green, I didn´t get one of Irma Camila, but Anderson´s the one in the big group that´s kinda dark, his girlfriend, Irma Cardoso, is the lighter girl, his roommate´s the darker guy, and the darker girl´s Irma Fiallo. They´re all really cool. The other pictures are some of the city, one of my companion, some of the churches here, and other stuff. I haven´t taken a lot, but I do have more, so I´ll send them when I get a bigger group. I think the transfer should be interesting, not sure yet.
I love you mom.
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
It´s getting pretty hot here, and I think it´s only going to get hotter. We´ll see, who knows where I´ll be. I´m pretty sure that Elder Barbosa will get transferred, so I´ll either have a new companion here or a new companion somewhere else. We´ll see what happens.
Do you have a super simple cookie recipe? We want to make some for one of our investigators. We have eggs, flour, butter, and sugar, and milk. How are things?
So the pictures: There´s my CTM district, a few of the professors: Petente´s the one in green, I didn´t get one of Irma Camila, but Anderson´s the one in the big group that´s kinda dark, his girlfriend, Irma Cardoso, is the lighter girl, his roommate´s the darker guy, and the darker girl´s Irma Fiallo. They´re all really cool. The other pictures are some of the city, one of my companion, some of the churches here, and other stuff. I haven´t taken a lot, but I do have more, so I´ll send them when I get a bigger group. I think the transfer should be interesting, not sure yet.
I love you mom.
Love, Eric
Week Twelve
Sent: Wed 10/27/2010 7:21 AM
Hi Mom!
We´re here early so Elder Barbosa can do some stuff. We didn´t have any baptisms this week, but that´s OK because we had a training with the Mission President, his wife and the AP´s Monday that was really great! They´re all so nice, and it´s really great to get to know them. They really do feel like parents while I´m so far away from you guys.
The system for zone conferences has changed now; before it was once a transfer, but now it´s about once every three months or so. We got to have one Monday because our zone is so small that a leadership meeting would´ve consisted of three people, so we were super lucky. I´m getting better with the language every day, and I´m starting to notice it become a problem less and less. Understanding some people is still a challenge, and I still don´t catch every word, but I´m really doing my best. The President and the rest of the group say that I´m doing incredibly well, which reminds me that I´ve only been in the field for three weeks. It seems like so much longer than that!
I´m not exactly positive what´s going to happen, but I think that Elder Barbosa will probably be a Zone Leader somewhere next transfer, which means that I´ll have a different trainer. I´m not excited about it, but if that´s what needs to happen, I understand. There´s a set of goals we have to complete in order to show that you´re qualified to become Senior Companion, and I´m working to complete that this transfer, but it doesn´t mean that I will be or that I particularly want to be. I´m just trying to do whatever I can to help the mission.
I love you and hope to hear from you!
Love, Eric
Hi Mom!
We´re here early so Elder Barbosa can do some stuff. We didn´t have any baptisms this week, but that´s OK because we had a training with the Mission President, his wife and the AP´s Monday that was really great! They´re all so nice, and it´s really great to get to know them. They really do feel like parents while I´m so far away from you guys.
The system for zone conferences has changed now; before it was once a transfer, but now it´s about once every three months or so. We got to have one Monday because our zone is so small that a leadership meeting would´ve consisted of three people, so we were super lucky. I´m getting better with the language every day, and I´m starting to notice it become a problem less and less. Understanding some people is still a challenge, and I still don´t catch every word, but I´m really doing my best. The President and the rest of the group say that I´m doing incredibly well, which reminds me that I´ve only been in the field for three weeks. It seems like so much longer than that!
I´m not exactly positive what´s going to happen, but I think that Elder Barbosa will probably be a Zone Leader somewhere next transfer, which means that I´ll have a different trainer. I´m not excited about it, but if that´s what needs to happen, I understand. There´s a set of goals we have to complete in order to show that you´re qualified to become Senior Companion, and I´m working to complete that this transfer, but it doesn´t mean that I will be or that I particularly want to be. I´m just trying to do whatever I can to help the mission.
I love you and hope to hear from you!
Love, Eric
Week Eleven
Sent: Wed 10/20/2010 9:41 AM
Hi Mom
Having such a long P-day makes it tough to have a specific time to get to the computer. We had quite a few things to buy today, so we had to make some adjustments. It´s starting to really heat up here now, we moved our clocks forward for sure this time (last time was weird, not sure what happened) and I dunno if you guys moved yours back yet but the gap could be really big. I´m going to have to start getting used to walking a lot in the heat, but I think I´ll be fine.
The four dates that we had marked fell through, but I guess that happens. I kind of forgot that it took Mike almost a month after his date was marked to actually be baptized. I´m going to work as hard as I can to find people who are ready to hear the gospel and prepare them as well as I can. I´m starting to get used to life here, so that´s making things easier. Of course, I could be in a whole new area in about three weeks, but who knows. Apparently, 15 Brasileiros are leaving this transfer, and 10 or so of them were district leaders, zone leaders, trainers, and one of the Assistants is leaving, too. I guess really big changes are about to happen, so I´m really not sure what to think. We´ll see how it goes.
We marked three more dates, but now that I know what happens, I think I´ll only start including the baptisms. We have a goal as a mission to contact 15 people each day, and I´m trying really hard and getting closer to a consistent 15. I´ve only hit it once, but I´m usually good for around 10 or so. That´s not good enough, but I´m improving.
Next week, President Cordon is coming to our Zone to train us! I´m really excited. It should be a really great time and I´m sure I´ll learn a lot.
If you get the chance, tell the bishop or someone to tell the congregation to work with the missionaries there. It´s really a huge help to have the members behind us, giving us referrals, feeding us and other stuff too. And if you guys have them over, try and think of someone that they could talk to. It´s a really big help and I know that it´s tough, but everyone deserves to hear the gospel, even if you think they´ll say no. I love you mom, have a great week!!
Love, Eric
Hi Mom
Having such a long P-day makes it tough to have a specific time to get to the computer. We had quite a few things to buy today, so we had to make some adjustments. It´s starting to really heat up here now, we moved our clocks forward for sure this time (last time was weird, not sure what happened) and I dunno if you guys moved yours back yet but the gap could be really big. I´m going to have to start getting used to walking a lot in the heat, but I think I´ll be fine.
The four dates that we had marked fell through, but I guess that happens. I kind of forgot that it took Mike almost a month after his date was marked to actually be baptized. I´m going to work as hard as I can to find people who are ready to hear the gospel and prepare them as well as I can. I´m starting to get used to life here, so that´s making things easier. Of course, I could be in a whole new area in about three weeks, but who knows. Apparently, 15 Brasileiros are leaving this transfer, and 10 or so of them were district leaders, zone leaders, trainers, and one of the Assistants is leaving, too. I guess really big changes are about to happen, so I´m really not sure what to think. We´ll see how it goes.
We marked three more dates, but now that I know what happens, I think I´ll only start including the baptisms. We have a goal as a mission to contact 15 people each day, and I´m trying really hard and getting closer to a consistent 15. I´ve only hit it once, but I´m usually good for around 10 or so. That´s not good enough, but I´m improving.
Next week, President Cordon is coming to our Zone to train us! I´m really excited. It should be a really great time and I´m sure I´ll learn a lot.
If you get the chance, tell the bishop or someone to tell the congregation to work with the missionaries there. It´s really a huge help to have the members behind us, giving us referrals, feeding us and other stuff too. And if you guys have them over, try and think of someone that they could talk to. It´s a really big help and I know that it´s tough, but everyone deserves to hear the gospel, even if you think they´ll say no. I love you mom, have a great week!!
Love, Eric
Week Ten
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 7:22 AM
Hi Mom!
I hope that all´s well. I´ve got my address for you, so here it is:
Elder Eric Dohrman
Praça Joseph Smith 15
Portão
Caixa Postal 80610-210
Curitiba-PR
Brasil
Prudentópolis is an interesting city; it´s pretty big (well probably not but when you walk everywhere it seems that way) and there are a lot of people that live here. On the weekends, the street we live on, São João, is full of people partying. It kinda reminds me of Pullman, only there are a lot more young people. It´s kind of weird seeing girls that would still be in 8th or 9th grade walking around with the adults at night, but I guess that´s how the culture is.
The people here are really willing to talk to you, though, even if they don´t agree. I talked to a Jehova´s Witness yesterday! She declined to have us visit.
We have people on date for baptism! 3! Well, four, but I don´t know when the fourth will be baptized because she has to get married and her husband isn´t exactly the most receptive. He struggles with some of the commandments and I think he doesn´t want to change. Their daughter will get baptized this weekend, though. I´m praying for it.
The other two, Elder Barbosa invited on our first visit! It was crazy; we were talking about the Restoration, and after he talked about the First Vision he invited them and they both said yes! I didn´t think it was possible, but the Spirit was so strong, it was incredible. I´m excited to see how that happens in other situations, too.
Our Mission President´s really new. He’s American and he served in Argentina, but his wife served in Portugal! They´re super awesome, and it´s funny because they speak Portuguese really well but in kind of a strange accent. Not that I have any room to talk.
I hope all´s well, and you´re staying comfortably busy. I love you and I`m doing some pretty interesting things here! I love you Mom.
Love, Eric
Hi Dad!
I don´t know what time it is there, but we may or may not need to change our watches for summer at some point, and I don´t know when daylight savings time is but that could put a huge gap in time between us. Either way, it´ll be good.
It´s so weird to hear that it´s winter there! The only really crazy thing we´ve had is rain. And by rain, I mean torrential downpour. We´ve spent a lot of the last week jumping from town to town, because Elder Barbosa is the District Leader and has to go to leadership meetings and baptismal interviews and stuff. I did my first Divisão last week! That´s a split, exchange whatever you want to call it. It was pretty cool, and I´ve been teaching big parts of lessons too! It´s tough at times to understand people, but I try really hard, and not hearing English at all is helping. I just have to reprogram my brain, I guess.
My schedule´s nothing particularly insane: Wake up at 6:30, stretch and do some pushups and situps and stuff, shower, shave, eat, get dressed and, when we´re not going to catch the bus to Irati or Guarapuava (the other cities in the Zone), we get to do personal study and companionship study. Today, we even had time for language study, which was me reading aloud with a pen inbetween my teeth. Apparently, this helps remove my sotaque, or accent. English is in the front of your mouth, and Portuguese is in the throat, so having the pen makes me keep my tongue toward the back and speak more like a Braslieiro.
Then we go to lunch with a member, typically, and teach for the rest of the day. We have a goal as a mission for 15 contacts and 5 addresses each day, which I haven´t hit yet, but I´m trying really hard. We´re teaching a lot of people, so we don´t spend a lot of time on the street doing contacts. That isn´t any excuse, though. I did a few contacts by myself, too! It was scary, but I did what I could and got a couple addresses out of it, too.
I´m not sure if I´ll have time to do a big email, but we have three people on date for baptism! We had four, but the mom of one of them isn´t actually married to her husband, which is a big problem here, so we need to get it all taken care of beforehand. I think that we can get the daughter baptized this weekend though. I´m definitely praying for it.
Our church building used to be a school, so it´s kinda weirdly set up and isn´t very big. We only had about 30 people in Sacrament meeting, which was tough, but we already have people committed to come this week. I´ll be praying!
I hope you´re not too busy, but I´m glad you do have things to do! I love you and I´ll keep in touch with everything!
Love Eric
Hi Mom!
I hope that all´s well. I´ve got my address for you, so here it is:
Elder Eric Dohrman
Praça Joseph Smith 15
Portão
Caixa Postal 80610-210
Curitiba-PR
Brasil
Prudentópolis is an interesting city; it´s pretty big (well probably not but when you walk everywhere it seems that way) and there are a lot of people that live here. On the weekends, the street we live on, São João, is full of people partying. It kinda reminds me of Pullman, only there are a lot more young people. It´s kind of weird seeing girls that would still be in 8th or 9th grade walking around with the adults at night, but I guess that´s how the culture is.
The people here are really willing to talk to you, though, even if they don´t agree. I talked to a Jehova´s Witness yesterday! She declined to have us visit.
We have people on date for baptism! 3! Well, four, but I don´t know when the fourth will be baptized because she has to get married and her husband isn´t exactly the most receptive. He struggles with some of the commandments and I think he doesn´t want to change. Their daughter will get baptized this weekend, though. I´m praying for it.
The other two, Elder Barbosa invited on our first visit! It was crazy; we were talking about the Restoration, and after he talked about the First Vision he invited them and they both said yes! I didn´t think it was possible, but the Spirit was so strong, it was incredible. I´m excited to see how that happens in other situations, too.
Our Mission President´s really new. He’s American and he served in Argentina, but his wife served in Portugal! They´re super awesome, and it´s funny because they speak Portuguese really well but in kind of a strange accent. Not that I have any room to talk.
I hope all´s well, and you´re staying comfortably busy. I love you and I`m doing some pretty interesting things here! I love you Mom.
Love, Eric
Hi Dad!
I don´t know what time it is there, but we may or may not need to change our watches for summer at some point, and I don´t know when daylight savings time is but that could put a huge gap in time between us. Either way, it´ll be good.
It´s so weird to hear that it´s winter there! The only really crazy thing we´ve had is rain. And by rain, I mean torrential downpour. We´ve spent a lot of the last week jumping from town to town, because Elder Barbosa is the District Leader and has to go to leadership meetings and baptismal interviews and stuff. I did my first Divisão last week! That´s a split, exchange whatever you want to call it. It was pretty cool, and I´ve been teaching big parts of lessons too! It´s tough at times to understand people, but I try really hard, and not hearing English at all is helping. I just have to reprogram my brain, I guess.
My schedule´s nothing particularly insane: Wake up at 6:30, stretch and do some pushups and situps and stuff, shower, shave, eat, get dressed and, when we´re not going to catch the bus to Irati or Guarapuava (the other cities in the Zone), we get to do personal study and companionship study. Today, we even had time for language study, which was me reading aloud with a pen inbetween my teeth. Apparently, this helps remove my sotaque, or accent. English is in the front of your mouth, and Portuguese is in the throat, so having the pen makes me keep my tongue toward the back and speak more like a Braslieiro.
Then we go to lunch with a member, typically, and teach for the rest of the day. We have a goal as a mission for 15 contacts and 5 addresses each day, which I haven´t hit yet, but I´m trying really hard. We´re teaching a lot of people, so we don´t spend a lot of time on the street doing contacts. That isn´t any excuse, though. I did a few contacts by myself, too! It was scary, but I did what I could and got a couple addresses out of it, too.
I´m not sure if I´ll have time to do a big email, but we have three people on date for baptism! We had four, but the mom of one of them isn´t actually married to her husband, which is a big problem here, so we need to get it all taken care of beforehand. I think that we can get the daughter baptized this weekend though. I´m definitely praying for it.
Our church building used to be a school, so it´s kinda weirdly set up and isn´t very big. We only had about 30 people in Sacrament meeting, which was tough, but we already have people committed to come this week. I´ll be praying!
I hope you´re not too busy, but I´m glad you do have things to do! I love you and I´ll keep in touch with everything!
Love Eric
Week Nine - Heading into the field
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 11:18 AM
Hey everyone! I hope you´re all doing great and that you´ve had a good week so far. Wednesday is my new pday now, so that´s when I´ll be writing. I have a lot to say, so this should be a long letter. And I have an hour to do emails now, which is great!
I left the CTM yesterday at 5:30 in the morning, meaning I had to get up an hour and a half earlier than I usually do after hardly being able to sleep the night before and get on a bus to wait for my flight, which departed at 10:15. Needless to say it was a long wait. One of the elders in our district left his passport at the CTM, but I´m certain that he´s safe somewhere in the Brasilia mission now. The flight was only an hour long, but it was so crazy to actually be on my way to my mission! I was freaking out by the time that we met my mission president, his wife and the assistants. They´re all so great; President and Sister Cordon really have a love for the work.
From there we had lunch at the mission home, had a sort of orientation and did interviews. It was so crazy to see American missionaries that can speak Portuguese really well, like fluently! It´s just another testament to how real this work is and how the Lord helps those who need it. There are 11 people that came with me to Curitiba, the five elders in my district and six brasilians. Once all of the interviews were done, we headed to the Barigüi Capela to find out who our trainers would be and to what areas we´re going.
So once we get all settled into the chapel and have a prayer and stuff, we start transfer calls. The president said he would start with the people leaving the city of Curitiba and going to what they call the Interiór, which I find strange because it´s actually the exterior, but at any rate I was called first. I knew I would be, too, but I was called to go to the city of Prudentópolis, which is where I am right now, writing this email. The city doesn´t have a ward or stake, only what they call a district and a congregation of between 40 and 60 people, if I understand my companion correctly.
My trainer´s name is Elder Barbosa, and he´s the leader of our district as well as my treinador. He doesn´t speak English, which is interesting, but I think it´ll be good. We´re the only missionaries in Prudentópolis, and the city has about 15,000 people in it. It´s very interesting to be in my new area, but I´m glad I am now, because last night was insane. I had to run to try and catch a bus to the city (with all my bags) which we missed, then I took a ridiculously long bus ride to the mission office until one group of secretaries took me back to their apartment, where I slept.
One of the assistants, Elder Young, got up in front of everyone on one of the buses and started preaching, too! It was insane. Then I had to try and get addresses for people, which I did get one but most people either weren´t listening or said no. In both of the cabs that we took, he did the same thing. I guess that´s what it takes to be successful out here: talking to everyone, even if you can´t speak the language well.
I´m here now, and I don´t know what exactly is in store for us, but I´ll keep you updated! I love you all, and testify that God lives, Jesus Christ is His son, and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth again. Have a great week!
-Elder Eric Dohrman
Mom-
There´s a lot of cobblestone streets, and it seems like the people here are very nice. My house is huge; there´s 3 bathrooms and tons of room for everything. Elder Barbosa cooked today. He´s been out for around a year I guess, and he´s also the district leader. I drank the water but I took some pills so I think I´ll be ok. I hope, at least. Worst case I´ll be sick for a few days, but I don´t want to waste any time. We have a referral to go see today, too! It´s pretty exciting that we actually have stuff to plan now.
There´s a lot of immigrants here, and lots all around the south, I guess. It should be interesting to see what exactly will go on. Oh, and I have a washer and dryer, but it looks like we won´t use the dryer a lot. It´s crazy though; everything´s so different! They really tried to Americanize the CTM.
I love you!!
-Eric
Hi dad!
I hope you´re well. I´m sure mom sent you the email, but I want to make sure I write you too. My new p-day´s Wednesday, so that´s when I´ll write from now on. I think I´ll like that better anyway.
So it´s really cool being outside of Curitiba for my first area, but at the same time, I´m super nervous. Elders Burright, Croskrey, and Robinson are all in the city in various neighborhoods, but Elder Stevenson´s in Ponta Grossa, which is a two hour trip, and I´m in Prudentópolis, which is a three hour bus ride from the city. I´m in the Guarapuava zone, which is the farthest west, and we´re the only missionaries in the entire town! It should be a really interesting experience.
I hope that work´s still steady and that you guys are getting everything done that you need to! I´ll be praying for you! I love you a lot Dad, and hope you´re doing really well. I´ll write again soon!
Love, Elder Eric Dohrman
Hey everyone! I hope you´re all doing great and that you´ve had a good week so far. Wednesday is my new pday now, so that´s when I´ll be writing. I have a lot to say, so this should be a long letter. And I have an hour to do emails now, which is great!
I left the CTM yesterday at 5:30 in the morning, meaning I had to get up an hour and a half earlier than I usually do after hardly being able to sleep the night before and get on a bus to wait for my flight, which departed at 10:15. Needless to say it was a long wait. One of the elders in our district left his passport at the CTM, but I´m certain that he´s safe somewhere in the Brasilia mission now. The flight was only an hour long, but it was so crazy to actually be on my way to my mission! I was freaking out by the time that we met my mission president, his wife and the assistants. They´re all so great; President and Sister Cordon really have a love for the work.
From there we had lunch at the mission home, had a sort of orientation and did interviews. It was so crazy to see American missionaries that can speak Portuguese really well, like fluently! It´s just another testament to how real this work is and how the Lord helps those who need it. There are 11 people that came with me to Curitiba, the five elders in my district and six brasilians. Once all of the interviews were done, we headed to the Barigüi Capela to find out who our trainers would be and to what areas we´re going.
So once we get all settled into the chapel and have a prayer and stuff, we start transfer calls. The president said he would start with the people leaving the city of Curitiba and going to what they call the Interiór, which I find strange because it´s actually the exterior, but at any rate I was called first. I knew I would be, too, but I was called to go to the city of Prudentópolis, which is where I am right now, writing this email. The city doesn´t have a ward or stake, only what they call a district and a congregation of between 40 and 60 people, if I understand my companion correctly.
My trainer´s name is Elder Barbosa, and he´s the leader of our district as well as my treinador. He doesn´t speak English, which is interesting, but I think it´ll be good. We´re the only missionaries in Prudentópolis, and the city has about 15,000 people in it. It´s very interesting to be in my new area, but I´m glad I am now, because last night was insane. I had to run to try and catch a bus to the city (with all my bags) which we missed, then I took a ridiculously long bus ride to the mission office until one group of secretaries took me back to their apartment, where I slept.
One of the assistants, Elder Young, got up in front of everyone on one of the buses and started preaching, too! It was insane. Then I had to try and get addresses for people, which I did get one but most people either weren´t listening or said no. In both of the cabs that we took, he did the same thing. I guess that´s what it takes to be successful out here: talking to everyone, even if you can´t speak the language well.
I´m here now, and I don´t know what exactly is in store for us, but I´ll keep you updated! I love you all, and testify that God lives, Jesus Christ is His son, and that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth again. Have a great week!
-Elder Eric Dohrman
Mom-
There´s a lot of cobblestone streets, and it seems like the people here are very nice. My house is huge; there´s 3 bathrooms and tons of room for everything. Elder Barbosa cooked today. He´s been out for around a year I guess, and he´s also the district leader. I drank the water but I took some pills so I think I´ll be ok. I hope, at least. Worst case I´ll be sick for a few days, but I don´t want to waste any time. We have a referral to go see today, too! It´s pretty exciting that we actually have stuff to plan now.
There´s a lot of immigrants here, and lots all around the south, I guess. It should be interesting to see what exactly will go on. Oh, and I have a washer and dryer, but it looks like we won´t use the dryer a lot. It´s crazy though; everything´s so different! They really tried to Americanize the CTM.
I love you!!
-Eric
Hi dad!
I hope you´re well. I´m sure mom sent you the email, but I want to make sure I write you too. My new p-day´s Wednesday, so that´s when I´ll write from now on. I think I´ll like that better anyway.
So it´s really cool being outside of Curitiba for my first area, but at the same time, I´m super nervous. Elders Burright, Croskrey, and Robinson are all in the city in various neighborhoods, but Elder Stevenson´s in Ponta Grossa, which is a two hour trip, and I´m in Prudentópolis, which is a three hour bus ride from the city. I´m in the Guarapuava zone, which is the farthest west, and we´re the only missionaries in the entire town! It should be a really interesting experience.
I hope that work´s still steady and that you guys are getting everything done that you need to! I´ll be praying for you! I love you a lot Dad, and hope you´re doing really well. I´ll write again soon!
Love, Elder Eric Dohrman
Week Eight
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 10:51 AM
Hi mom!
I´m glad things have been going well for you guys! This week is really strange, because it´s our last at the CTM, but it´s been really great and I know we´ll push through to the end. I can´t believe that we´ve been here for 2 months already! I´m so excited for conference this weekend!! It´s going to be so cool to experience it as a missionary. How are things on a more recent note? We went proselyting on Friday in the center of São Paulo; it was crazy! This city is so BIG, I almost forgot because we´re in the same building all day long. We were contacting on this bridge, and there were so many people there moving so fast that it was a little overwhelming at first, but I said a prayer with Elder Stevenson and we got to work. It went so well! We talked to some families, which are like the bread and butter of missionaries, and we handed out Books of Mormon, too. I don´t know if they´ll lead to anything, but it was good to know we gave people the opportunity. I´m so excited for the field!! Elder Stevenson, Three other elders in my district, five brasileiros and I will leave for Curitiba October 5th. I´m excited to be out there and find out what it´s going to be like, but I´m a little apprehensive still. I do know I´m ready to leave the CTM, that´s for sure. Portuguese is coming, but I think I´m going to be learning a lot once I get into the field.
I love you mom, and hope you have a great week.
-Eric
Hi dad!
Everything´s going well here, it´s my last P-day at the CTM, which is kind of weird but really cool at the same time. I´ve gotten a lot of your letters, I´m not sure how many you´ve sent but I really appreciate it. It´s been nice to have some mail. I´m still stuffed up and stuff but I´m sure I´ll acclimate soon, the weather just changed from dry to wet, so that will take some time. I´m sure I´ll be fine in time for the field. We´re all getting ready to go, and it´s kind of hard to wait, but we know there´s a reason we´re here this last week, so we´re working with it. I don´t know anything about what will happen next week beyond guesses from our instructors, but we´ll figure it out when we get there. I´ve realized there´s not a whole lot of use in speculating when you´re going to be undergoing changes on a semi-consistent basis. It´s been really good to be at the CTM though; I´ve liked it. Oh and last Friday we went proselyting in downtown São Paulo! It was so intense; that make me feel like a real missionary. We talked to quite a few people, a lot that weren´t interested but some that were, and they got our Books of Mormon, it was so cool! And we found out that even though our Portuguese isn´t perfect, we could explain what we wanted. It was so great!! I love you dad and I´ll be in touch next week from the Field! Have a great week!!!
-Eric
Hi mom!
I´m glad things have been going well for you guys! This week is really strange, because it´s our last at the CTM, but it´s been really great and I know we´ll push through to the end. I can´t believe that we´ve been here for 2 months already! I´m so excited for conference this weekend!! It´s going to be so cool to experience it as a missionary. How are things on a more recent note? We went proselyting on Friday in the center of São Paulo; it was crazy! This city is so BIG, I almost forgot because we´re in the same building all day long. We were contacting on this bridge, and there were so many people there moving so fast that it was a little overwhelming at first, but I said a prayer with Elder Stevenson and we got to work. It went so well! We talked to some families, which are like the bread and butter of missionaries, and we handed out Books of Mormon, too. I don´t know if they´ll lead to anything, but it was good to know we gave people the opportunity. I´m so excited for the field!! Elder Stevenson, Three other elders in my district, five brasileiros and I will leave for Curitiba October 5th. I´m excited to be out there and find out what it´s going to be like, but I´m a little apprehensive still. I do know I´m ready to leave the CTM, that´s for sure. Portuguese is coming, but I think I´m going to be learning a lot once I get into the field.
I love you mom, and hope you have a great week.
-Eric
Hi dad!
Everything´s going well here, it´s my last P-day at the CTM, which is kind of weird but really cool at the same time. I´ve gotten a lot of your letters, I´m not sure how many you´ve sent but I really appreciate it. It´s been nice to have some mail. I´m still stuffed up and stuff but I´m sure I´ll acclimate soon, the weather just changed from dry to wet, so that will take some time. I´m sure I´ll be fine in time for the field. We´re all getting ready to go, and it´s kind of hard to wait, but we know there´s a reason we´re here this last week, so we´re working with it. I don´t know anything about what will happen next week beyond guesses from our instructors, but we´ll figure it out when we get there. I´ve realized there´s not a whole lot of use in speculating when you´re going to be undergoing changes on a semi-consistent basis. It´s been really good to be at the CTM though; I´ve liked it. Oh and last Friday we went proselyting in downtown São Paulo! It was so intense; that make me feel like a real missionary. We talked to quite a few people, a lot that weren´t interested but some that were, and they got our Books of Mormon, it was so cool! And we found out that even though our Portuguese isn´t perfect, we could explain what we wanted. It was so great!! I love you dad and I´ll be in touch next week from the Field! Have a great week!!!
-Eric
Week Seven - Happy Birthday Elder Dohrman
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 10:08 AM
Hi Mom!
I got one of your letters and one from dad, so they´re coming through. And I got my package too! That was the best present you could´ve given me, seriously. If I get one of those every christmas and birthday I´ll be happy. It makes me so glad to have you guys standing behind me back at home. Things here are fine, we went to the Churrascaria today for lunch and it was so good! The people come by your table and cut meat off of these sword-like things and then they have a salad bar that you can go to, too. I had Wild Boar, lots of steaks and stuff and I even had Chicken Hearts! They were actually pretty good. It was a fun experience, and really cheap too! The only thing that wasn´t fantastic was the fact that you had to pay for drinks no matter what; even water´s not free. The food was so worth it though, we spent like an hour eating! I´ve really enjoyed my birthday so far, and we always have a devotional tuesday nights on top of going to the temple this morning, so my birthday´s going to be a fun and spiritually uplifting one. I love you mom. I miss you guys a lot, but now I´ve got lots of pictures to keep me company. Let me know what´s happening!
-Eric
Hi dad!
My birthday so far´s been really great. I got your letter and I´m sending one out soon, so I´ll have some stuff to share that´s basically the same as what I email you. I got the book too; that was the best present you could give me. It makes me smile just thinking about everyone at home, and it makes me proud to be a part of the family. I don´t know if I´ll have a washer or not, I´m hoping so but I have no way of knowing. As far as my trainer goes, I´m not sure but one of my professors seems to think that I´m for sure going to get a Brasileiro for a companion. I wouldn´t mind, but that means I´m going to be teaching him a lot of english very very fast. We got a lot of new American elders this last week, and we heard that 30 more visas got cleared, so that´ll be good. I´m sure we´ll get some more Brasileiro/as this week too; they´re always coming in on time. I hope everything´s going well. I. I love you so much, and I´m so thankful that I have people around that love me.
Have a great week!!
-Eric
Hi Mom!
I got one of your letters and one from dad, so they´re coming through. And I got my package too! That was the best present you could´ve given me, seriously. If I get one of those every christmas and birthday I´ll be happy. It makes me so glad to have you guys standing behind me back at home. Things here are fine, we went to the Churrascaria today for lunch and it was so good! The people come by your table and cut meat off of these sword-like things and then they have a salad bar that you can go to, too. I had Wild Boar, lots of steaks and stuff and I even had Chicken Hearts! They were actually pretty good. It was a fun experience, and really cheap too! The only thing that wasn´t fantastic was the fact that you had to pay for drinks no matter what; even water´s not free. The food was so worth it though, we spent like an hour eating! I´ve really enjoyed my birthday so far, and we always have a devotional tuesday nights on top of going to the temple this morning, so my birthday´s going to be a fun and spiritually uplifting one. I love you mom. I miss you guys a lot, but now I´ve got lots of pictures to keep me company. Let me know what´s happening!
-Eric
Hi dad!
My birthday so far´s been really great. I got your letter and I´m sending one out soon, so I´ll have some stuff to share that´s basically the same as what I email you. I got the book too; that was the best present you could give me. It makes me smile just thinking about everyone at home, and it makes me proud to be a part of the family. I don´t know if I´ll have a washer or not, I´m hoping so but I have no way of knowing. As far as my trainer goes, I´m not sure but one of my professors seems to think that I´m for sure going to get a Brasileiro for a companion. I wouldn´t mind, but that means I´m going to be teaching him a lot of english very very fast. We got a lot of new American elders this last week, and we heard that 30 more visas got cleared, so that´ll be good. I´m sure we´ll get some more Brasileiro/as this week too; they´re always coming in on time. I hope everything´s going well. I. I love you so much, and I´m so thankful that I have people around that love me.
Have a great week!!
-Eric
Week Six
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 9:12 AM
I´m doing fine, just trying to get the last of the stuffy nose gone, but I´ll get over it. I´m sure that that´s the way it´ll be once I get into the field. My week was pretty good, but kinda scary because we went out on the street to proselyte on Friday! It was cool because we got to see how much Portuguese we knew, but at the same time it was tough because we still have so much to learn! The only problem was that they couldn´t help us fix our Portuguese because they didn´t know what I was trying to say. But it was good. The experiences were really great though. We gave out 7 Books of Mormon and contacted about 40 people, which was under our goal of 50 but was still pretty good. I loved being able to teach the people and it was cool to see how the people needed it. It made me super excited for the field! I´m not as worried as I thought I´d be, and I know the field will help me to learn way way way faster. I love you and hope you have a good week!
Eric
I´m doing fine, just trying to get the last of the stuffy nose gone, but I´ll get over it. I´m sure that that´s the way it´ll be once I get into the field. My week was pretty good, but kinda scary because we went out on the street to proselyte on Friday! It was cool because we got to see how much Portuguese we knew, but at the same time it was tough because we still have so much to learn! The only problem was that they couldn´t help us fix our Portuguese because they didn´t know what I was trying to say. But it was good. The experiences were really great though. We gave out 7 Books of Mormon and contacted about 40 people, which was under our goal of 50 but was still pretty good. I loved being able to teach the people and it was cool to see how the people needed it. It made me super excited for the field! I´m not as worried as I thought I´d be, and I know the field will help me to learn way way way faster. I love you and hope you have a good week!
Eric
Week Five
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 9:13 AM
Hey everyone!
I hope that you´re all doing well and that things in the US aren´t as crazy as I hear from the Brasilians. Did Obama really declare the war in Iraq over? I guess it´s not really that important for me, since I´m a little removed from the situation. Anyway, not much was different this week. My P-day was moved to Wednesday because September 7th is Brasil´s independence day, and the temple we visit was closed. That´s why this is a day late. We did get a new professor last week, and when we taught Brasilian missionaries I realized I could understand almost all of what they were saying! Some stuff I just inferred out of context, but for the most part I knew what they said! It was really cool, and it makes me super excited for what´s to come. Friday, we´re going to hand out Books of Mormon to people in Casa Verde, the neighborhood that the CTM is located in. It should be an interesting experience, to say the least! I´ll definitely have more to report next week, so until then, stay safe and know that I love you. Feel free to email whenever you want, and I´ll do my best to reply.
With Love, Eric
Hi mom!
Sorry I didn´t email yesterday, our P-day was moved because September 7th is apparently independence day for Brasil, and the temple was closed. I´m doing well, and I got one of your letters! I´ll probably get the other one soon, and hopefully the package too. Thanks again for sending something, you really didn´t have to. It´s pretty crazy to think we´ve been here 35 days already, but I´m getting pretty excited about the work. They say it´s slow in Curitiba, but they still have a baptism every week! It´s so crazy to be in such a different environment for the church, and I really like that I´m called to where I am. They say it´s the best city to live in out of all of Brasil! The language is going well. The São Paulo temple was closed for cleaning for a couple weeks, so we´ve been to Campinas twice and São Paulo three times. Tell the family hi for me. How are you guys? I hope I catch you this time, if not, I love you and have a great week!
Love Eric
Hey everyone!
I hope that you´re all doing well and that things in the US aren´t as crazy as I hear from the Brasilians. Did Obama really declare the war in Iraq over? I guess it´s not really that important for me, since I´m a little removed from the situation. Anyway, not much was different this week. My P-day was moved to Wednesday because September 7th is Brasil´s independence day, and the temple we visit was closed. That´s why this is a day late. We did get a new professor last week, and when we taught Brasilian missionaries I realized I could understand almost all of what they were saying! Some stuff I just inferred out of context, but for the most part I knew what they said! It was really cool, and it makes me super excited for what´s to come. Friday, we´re going to hand out Books of Mormon to people in Casa Verde, the neighborhood that the CTM is located in. It should be an interesting experience, to say the least! I´ll definitely have more to report next week, so until then, stay safe and know that I love you. Feel free to email whenever you want, and I´ll do my best to reply.
With Love, Eric
Hi mom!
Sorry I didn´t email yesterday, our P-day was moved because September 7th is apparently independence day for Brasil, and the temple was closed. I´m doing well, and I got one of your letters! I´ll probably get the other one soon, and hopefully the package too. Thanks again for sending something, you really didn´t have to. It´s pretty crazy to think we´ve been here 35 days already, but I´m getting pretty excited about the work. They say it´s slow in Curitiba, but they still have a baptism every week! It´s so crazy to be in such a different environment for the church, and I really like that I´m called to where I am. They say it´s the best city to live in out of all of Brasil! The language is going well. The São Paulo temple was closed for cleaning for a couple weeks, so we´ve been to Campinas twice and São Paulo three times. Tell the family hi for me. How are you guys? I hope I catch you this time, if not, I love you and have a great week!
Love Eric
Week Four
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 9:24 AM
I guess I don´t know how many people actually read this, but hey all the same. Things are starting to get into a routine here, and though I do get a little stir crazy, I´m still learning a lot. I was called to be the district leader last week, meaning that the six missionaries I have class with are kinda led by me, more or less. It´s a lot of work, but really rewarding. I hope everyone´s doing well and that you´re all safe and happy. As far as new stuff to report, I´m still bad at Portuguese, but I thought I´d try and testify so you know how exactly I´m spending my time here: Eu sei que o evangelho de Jesus Cristo foi restaurado na terra por Joseph Smith, e Eu estou servindo aqui no Brasil para ensinar muitas pessoas sobre isso. Eu sei que O Livro de Mórmon é verdadeiro, e todas pessoas podem saber isso também. Eu amo minha familia, e digo estas coisas em nome de Jesus Cristo, amém. Talk to you next week!!
-Elder Eric Dohrman
Hi mom!
I haven´t gotten your letter yet, but I´m on the lookout! Mail comes at around dinner, so it might be here today, who knows. It´s starting to heat up here, but the mornings are usually pretty overcast. I´m fairly certain I won´t need anything for warmth, I do just fine and I´ll acclimate. I´m excited to get my package; I hope it isn´t expensive to ship! I hope things are going ok on your guy´s end, and I´m hoping you guys aren´t putting your lives on hold for me. Have fun, enjoy yourselves, and look forward to hearing from me, I guess. I´m safe and sound down here, and the Lord´s going to bless all of us in the coming months. I wanted to tell you we´re singing prelude music as a district tonight at devotional, so that will be cool. They always have translators there to help us or the brazilians understand when we talk, it´s really cool. Hope to hear from you soon;
I love you!!
-Eric
Hi Dad!
I am getting anxious for the field, but I´m certainly not ready to jump out and speak Portuguese to people. The next few weeks will definitely help with that, though; we´ve set a goal as a district to not speak English from 6am to lunch every morning from now on. We break the rules when we go to the temple and on Sundays, but other than that, we try to be strict. Each English word we say costs us 10 squats, unless we say more than ten words at once, and then it´s only 40 total. Being district leader is tough, because I help set the goals and that means I need to be the example and get it done, but having all of these motivated Elders around me really does help. It´s great to see how each of them is learning. I hope that you guys all have an awesome week, and expect another letter soon! I haven´t received any from you guys yet, but I´ll be looking every day!
Love you, Dad!
-Eric
I guess I don´t know how many people actually read this, but hey all the same. Things are starting to get into a routine here, and though I do get a little stir crazy, I´m still learning a lot. I was called to be the district leader last week, meaning that the six missionaries I have class with are kinda led by me, more or less. It´s a lot of work, but really rewarding. I hope everyone´s doing well and that you´re all safe and happy. As far as new stuff to report, I´m still bad at Portuguese, but I thought I´d try and testify so you know how exactly I´m spending my time here: Eu sei que o evangelho de Jesus Cristo foi restaurado na terra por Joseph Smith, e Eu estou servindo aqui no Brasil para ensinar muitas pessoas sobre isso. Eu sei que O Livro de Mórmon é verdadeiro, e todas pessoas podem saber isso também. Eu amo minha familia, e digo estas coisas em nome de Jesus Cristo, amém. Talk to you next week!!
-Elder Eric Dohrman
Hi mom!
I haven´t gotten your letter yet, but I´m on the lookout! Mail comes at around dinner, so it might be here today, who knows. It´s starting to heat up here, but the mornings are usually pretty overcast. I´m fairly certain I won´t need anything for warmth, I do just fine and I´ll acclimate. I´m excited to get my package; I hope it isn´t expensive to ship! I hope things are going ok on your guy´s end, and I´m hoping you guys aren´t putting your lives on hold for me. Have fun, enjoy yourselves, and look forward to hearing from me, I guess. I´m safe and sound down here, and the Lord´s going to bless all of us in the coming months. I wanted to tell you we´re singing prelude music as a district tonight at devotional, so that will be cool. They always have translators there to help us or the brazilians understand when we talk, it´s really cool. Hope to hear from you soon;
I love you!!
-Eric
Hi Dad!
I am getting anxious for the field, but I´m certainly not ready to jump out and speak Portuguese to people. The next few weeks will definitely help with that, though; we´ve set a goal as a district to not speak English from 6am to lunch every morning from now on. We break the rules when we go to the temple and on Sundays, but other than that, we try to be strict. Each English word we say costs us 10 squats, unless we say more than ten words at once, and then it´s only 40 total. Being district leader is tough, because I help set the goals and that means I need to be the example and get it done, but having all of these motivated Elders around me really does help. It´s great to see how each of them is learning. I hope that you guys all have an awesome week, and expect another letter soon! I haven´t received any from you guys yet, but I´ll be looking every day!
Love you, Dad!
-Eric
Week Three
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 9:39 AM
Hi mom!
I hope you´re doing well. As far as I know, the CTM can receive packages, they just give you a slip in the mailbox and you pick it up in the mailroom. If i´m not in the CTM anymore then they won´t forward packages, but beyond that I haven´t heard. I hope that things are normal for you, and I´m doing fine, so don´t worry about me. Just look forward to all of the cool stuff that I´m going to be telling you soon! By the way, have you received my letters yet? I hope they get there safe. And look up pasteis (or pastels in America); you should definitely sell them at the bakery. Super unhealthy, but delicious. Don´t worry about how long it takes to write me or even writing me. Emails are just fine, and most of the time I have to email is spent talking to you, so I´m more than happy to communicate that way. I wanted to make sure you knew I had everything under control. I love you, and will write again soon.
Love, Eric
Hi Dad!
I hope you´re well. It sounds like things are going great at home, which is good to hear. I´m hoping there´s a sense of normalcy coming back to the house, because I don´t want you guys to have to worry about me. Things here have been good, the weather was cold for Brasil last week, but is starting to heat up now. I´m getting along really well with the other elders; we´re growing really close already and I know we´ll be friends after the mission. I forgot to tell Mom this, but Elder Burright was called to be Assistant to the Branch President, so I´m the new District Leader. It´s a little more responsibility, but I think it´ll be a good opportunity to serve the other elders and improve my leadership skills, in case I´m called in the field. The language is going well, and I´m starting to understand, but they still speak so fast! We have a Brasilian companionship in our room now taking up the two empty beds, and I can understand them and reply a lot of the time, but they think I know way more than I do and start talking super fast, which gets me confused. Overall though, I´d say I´m really starting to pick it up. Hopefully, by the time I leave the CTM, I´ll at least be proficient in the language. One of the districts on our floor just left, and a few of them are going to Curitiba, which was cool but kinda sad. It´s crazy that in a few weeks that´ll be us! The weird thing is that it felt like the end, when it´s really just the beginning of their time in the field and their time on the mission. Being at the CTM creates a weird mindset that is hard to describe, but I´m really enjoying it, despite still being stuffed up. I love you Dad, and I´m doing just fine, so don´t worry about me. Let me know what´s going on with everything, and I´ll do the same. I didn´t write a letter today, but I will for sure next week, and hopefully something new will have happened. Have a good rest of the week!
Love, Eric
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