07/29/09 Email

Hey this week has been really good. Minus the rain everyday, all day we have been doing a lot of work. We are working with a lot of young men and its fun because we are playing soccer today! YEAH! If we win then we get to teach them so it will be definitely a battle We recruited a member in a different ward to play with us and he plays for the Corintians Junior team. So he´s pretty legit I hear.
This past Saturday we had an event in our chapel that was for the pregnant moms in Uberaba and it went great. We had like 50 moms there and they had a couple of lessons and talks. It was good.
But other than that just the same old stuff. I have been doing a lot of the planning and so I don't have much time to study as much as I would like but we are teaching a bunch. We broke Elder Groesbeck´s record and taught 19 lessons last week so that's cool. We have 4 marked for baptism on the 15 and so we will see what happens Well not much this week but I will talk to you more next week. Thanks for everything. Love you!
Elder Mitchell

07/22/09 Email

Hey this week has been great! We have already taught 8 lessons, 4 Monday and 4 Tuesday. We have been doing a lot of work with our less actives and trying to help them out a lot. We have this family that is just so awesome that we are trying to get to church. They have 8 kids and I see them everywhere I go. Its crazy because they are always like hey speak English. How do you say this how do you say that? LOL and its so hard sometimes because I rarely speak English that its just umm... But its okay.
We marked 3 dates this week already and they are all 18 and 22. Its really cool. We are trying to get a soccer match going again on Tuesday nights but we still haven't found a leader to open the courts yet so we are still working on that because we are teaching a lot of people who like to play. But one day it will work out.
Things here are good. Just been working hard on patience. A lot of people are ignorant and it's just sad that they say they are Christians and are so rude. IDK but if a Christian is a person who follows Christ, I doubt they would be acting a fool. But it's okay. I have been reading a lot about how to be more like a representative of Christ. It's good. I am a lot better now than I was before I got to Brazil, so that's good. We are having an activity this week and we can't do a lot. It's a government thing they are holding at our church building. So we have to spend 5 hours hoping and wishing that people ask us who we are and ask for more information. It will be 80 mothers from the area for some activity. I don't know what for sure but its supposed to be nice for them.
As for the week, it's been good. We met 3 boys that are 17-19 years old and they were super cool. It was really cool to talk to them about life and help them out. We have their number and just haven't called yet so I will let you know how it goes with them. We had an activity here in Guabirotuba with our district and we ate missionary stew, played basketball and I cut peoples hair. It was fun.
Well that's all for me this week. Talk to you later. Thanks for the prayers!

Elder Mitchell

07/15/09 Email

Hey! Thanks for the package, its awesome. I am listening to the music right now! But things here are great. We have been doing work here. We taught 19 lessons in the past week and Monday we had 6 in one day. Usually we do only like 10 a week but things are diff now.
I guess I never really talked about what I am doing here and why I am here. I am in Brasil to help people find faith in Christ and help them change their lives to become more like our Savior like He has asked many times in the Bible. "Become perfect as I and as my Father in heaven are". To do this we must follow His instructions He gives and to remember Him in all we do. But we walk around trying to invite others to hear our message. And these messages are called lessons. These lessons range from - Restoration, Plan of Salvation, Gospel of Christ, and the commandments. But yeah, that's what I'm doing. We have different areas here and I am working in Guabirotuba, but I could go anywhere in the south east of the state of Parana here in Brasil.
Well this week has started great. Monday we had a Family Home Evening(a program to help build families) with AniMeri, Carlos and their kids and I spoke on the atonement and how it has blessed our lives. We returned Tuesday and she told me that there was something about my message, not that I was speaking broken Portuguese but that the spirit was talking to her and she started talking about how I have blessed them. They call me "Anjo Americano" - American Angel. Its awesome to be able to touch a family this way.
It really made me think about how big of an impact we truly have. Just being a friend makes a big difference in another's life.
My partner here is cool. He is still learning the language and now I don't have much time to study because I am planning every night for like a hour for the next day. Kinda stinks but its okay.
Today we are going to the Temple (a very beautiful and sacred place where members go and learn and make promises with our heavenly Father.) with a Catholic Teacher(Salete) should be an awesome day.
Well got to go. Thanks everyone who has written this past week to my mom and has sent mail (Scott, Aunta Nita, The Other Mitchells, Yolie, Bishop Doyle.) I look forward from hearing from everyone! And I will write you back as well.
Have a great week!
Elder Mitchell

07/08/09 email

Hey it is another day and its pretty exciting. I have a new companion. His name is Elder Groesbeck. And yeah he is from Utah but he only lived there for 2 years. He moved from California where he spent a lot of his life. He likes dancing and hip hop lol. He asked me about soul food. I laughed. But I am in the same area in Guabirotuba and he has been out for a little bit longer than a year.
But everything here is going well, hope to get better. This week we didn't really do much because Elder Rodrigues has been sick. It's been hard, he couldn't do a lot of walking so I went with a member and we just went and did the lessons while he rested. The language has been getting better everyday. I just got to use it more often.
Yeah I heard about the Michael Jackson Memorial yesterday. I thought it would be good, and the Usher song was good I'm guessing. That's cool. He did influence a lot of people and I'm sure many people will remember him for years to come. It's sad how many people were talking down on him, though, and now its like hmm.
But things here are definitely going well. Not much going on like I said but hope everything is well there. I just bought a new dictionary that's in Portuguese, so that's nice. Our small dictionaries didn't have a lot of words and just translated the words. Now my new one just explains them in Portuguese so it helps me learn a lot better.
And I blew a tire lol. You remember how all my cleats have a hole in the side of them. I think there is something wrong with the way I walk or something because I now have a hole in the side of my shoes lol. Its crazy. I was trying to last til the 14 because that would be 5 month mark. But its alright. The mission has some shoes for 35 reais. 17$ American. So I'll probably try those out. Well have a good week. Talk to you later.
Love ya.
Elder Mitchell

07/01/09 email

Hey everyone,
Mom, yeah I know Elder Madrid. He got stuck at the airport on our way to Curitiba. So he had to wait for like 2 hours for the next plane. Sad news. But its alright. You are also talking to another mom. I forgot his name, but he came up to me at the Zone Conference and was like your mom is talking to my mom. I was like O? Cool lol. I didn't know what to say.

But things here are good. We are going paintballing today. YEAH!! For our zone activity we are going, but its like 2 hrs away and so I'm doing all this now because I wont have time later to get on the net. But as for the shoes lol. I am still using the same shoes that I have and they aren't in horrible shape so its all good. 200 dollar shoes? Elder Cox was telling me about some shoes policemen use that are only like 100 and they lasted this guy in his ward 6 yrs of police duty. So IDK. I will find out next time I see Elder Cox.

100 degree weather there? Aw sorry, here its like 12 celsius. Not too bad. But it was super cold like 3 cels. a couple of days ago. Very sad that its Brasil right? But its okay. Everything is all good.

Umm. New and exciting. Not really. I only have a couple days left with Elder Rodrigues and things are a lot better now than they were before. I really did learn a lot. And I have improved my language a lot but I just don't notice because everyone is fluent here so I'm comparing my language with theirs. Is that fair? LOL O I don't know if I am moving or not, I will find out this up coming Monday and I will let you know the details on Wednesday. But we just found that out so I decided to let you know. It will be really strange to stay companions for this long. So that's the reason I figure. I guess I don't really know but I am guessing. We think that I will be moving areas but not for sure.

I like that quote you sent, Set Your Goals High Enough To Inspire You And Low Enough To Encourage You. very true.

But things here have been pretty slow since last time I talked to you. Just went on division with some members and I got a chance to go out with Diogo (He returned from Rio de Janeiro last yr) and he is visiting America for 6 months this August. But it was nice to hear about things and to see how a mission should be. It's really crazy the first few weeks but when you get to hear other stories it's great.

I have been playing the piano on my pdays and I have the right hand down pretty good by itself and the left hand by itself. But when I try to put them together :( not so great. But I guess we will just see what happens.

Hey I just found out that Elder Madrid is moving missions. He is in the Londrina mission now. They changed the borders of the mission. Now I wont be able to visit Foz de Iguaçu. This is the great waterfalls they have here in the State of Parana. Disappointing. But its okay.

And I heard bout the game on Sunday. Didn't get to watch it but that's crazy that America has been doing so well this year. But it wasn't too crazy here. I guess it wasn't like a big deal here cuz it was the US and it was a close match so they were scared at first lol. They thought they were going to kill us. But they didn't. Can't wait til next year for the World CUP!!

And thanks. Its going to be fun to paintball. People are talking a lot of mess too lol. Well that's pretty much it for me here. Not much goin on but have a great week. Love you.

Elder Mitchell