Letter from the 25th of July

7/25/2011
Dearest Family,

Happy Pioneer Day.  Our devotional for Pioneer Day was yesterday.  It was on how missionaries are modern day pioneers.  The speaker was a director of some kind of the church commercials.  We watched a bunch.  They were funny and inspirational.  We also sang pioneer hymns.  Other than that and having no hot water like the pioneers that was the only difference from any other Sunday.

I'm glad you had fun in California.  I just got all the pictures and I'm very appreciative.  I enjoyed myself here in the dorms/not Marriott.  We don't have a swimming pool.  You'll have to writes lots this week.  Impressed with how many letters I've written?  I told you I'd write anyone back.  Sorry about not writing [a handwritten letter - we received an email] last week.  I am going through stamps.  I can buy them here though.  I was also making an attempt to preserve my hand.  Every Monday I write letters for literally hours.  I do need to work out a system for how to write you all.  Brazil will be different too.  That you for the goodies this last week.  Very, very appreciated.

So how is everyone doing?  Including cousins and Buddy.  This week our zone leaders and Elder Osnkt and Kline from my district left.  We sang them off as we usually do.  It was sad, but happy.  I'm sure they're enjoying Brazil.  The temple opens up tomorrow so we didn't get to go today.  But we will next week.  Two more elders from our branch got their visas.  They leave on August 3, an important day.

So I mentioned that our investigator is going to be baptized which is exciting.  Our other investigator isn't going as well.  He's coming along though.  I forgot to mention that one elder, Elder Freestone, from the district that just left with the zone leaders got reassigned to Baton Rogue, Louisiana while he waits.  That would be a cool place to wait.

So anyways, Miguel was really interested in modern prophets.  We gave him Ensign/Liahona articles to read. The testimony of the prophets about Christ in that Christ Ensign from 2008 was very influential.  That you for those, mother.  Because of those I was able to look them up in Portuguese.

This week in class we learned possessives, commands, and subjunctive.  We now know present, imperfect, preterite, and all those. I've memorize all the irregulars - well the main ones - for present, imperfect and preterite.  We're working on memorizing Joseph Smith's words for the First Vision in Portuguese.  We've already got the purpose down.

Well I love you all very much.  And I miss each one of you.  I wish I had the time to write each of you all long letters.  Oh also I sang in church yesterday.  Elder Morrey, Elder Hutchins, Sister Ricks, Sister Smith, Sister Doyce, and I sang "How Great Thou Art."

Eu amo voces.  Lembre-me.
Elder Reeve Sudweeks