January 2, 2015

Oi Familia!!

How are you guys?  New Years was crazy here.  We had to go to bed and try to sleep through all the noise of the people and all the fireworks.  It was so crazy I've never experienced a city so loud! Brazilians are wild!  I wish I were able to go out there and enjoy the New Year celebrations, but we had to wake up at 630a bright and early.  One of the worst nights of sleep I have had here.  It was impossible to sleep, we didn't even do anything special that day.  It was just a normal day.

Received this picture email from Br. Fabiano saying:
 Hi mommys and daddys. We love you and we haven't
died here in Brazil yet! Talk to you guys friday!

I liked the pic's from the dunes.  Gavin seems like he's still getting a ton of air on that dirt bike, not! jk buddy, you can talk smack to me when I get home and you're a pro!  Dude your so spoiled, you even got a neck brace!

That's awesome that Joe is home from his mission.  So many people went to see him at the airport in that picture you sent-legit!! My homecoming better be a fiesta!

This week was weird, so many things happened.  Tuesday a ton of the American missionaries left.  My homie Elder M-the chillest kid here was one of them.  He told me to stay strong - haha!   Then on wednesday I got a new comp, Elder B from Colorado.  He is like the super mormon kid.  The kind people stereotype mormons for.  He came from the Provo MTC and he knows a lot of Portuguese.  As soon as I thought i was progressing-I guess not, cause this kid is fluent. He knows a lot about the gospel so that is a blessing.  It's helped me a lot working with him so it's probably a good thing I'm his comp now.  I'm just gonna try to absorb as much as I can.  He told me the craziest thing he's ever done in his life was drink 13 mountain dews in one night.  So sleep on that one tonight-hahah! Its not that bad.  We also got two new Brazilian roommates in our room, so now we maxed it out with 6 people.  It gets crazy.  One of them speaks really good english and the other one is 24yrs old.  He's a pretty big kid that fights MMA down here.  He goes hard at night and in the mornings he's doing sit-ups and push-ups.

So this week before I got my new comp - every missionary gets to go out proselyting at their 3 week mark.  We each got 2 BofM's and went as a district.  It was really cool but also really humbling, cause the people just talk so fast and you just have to nod and laugh sometimes - that's what I have learned. I was the first to pass out my book on the bus on the way to the bus station where we stay for 1 hour 30 min.  It was some kid that was 16 years old and played basketball.  It was cool how I could relate to him.  I ended up handing out 4 BofM's.  My companions are pretty talkative people but I guess they can't talk to new people as well, because they made me start the convo every time and I didn't mind it.  They probably knew if I started it they would listen, because I'm the best looking in the group-haha!  It was hard sometimes because you would try to talk to people and they wouldn't even look at you.  Then I kinda thought, if that was me at home I wouldn't either, haha!  Weird missionaries!!

Oh, I got a crazy story for you guys.  So at the bus stop we were talking to this one guy for a while.  We asked him if he believed in God.  He said oh yeah I do, I should be dead.  So he ended up showing us a scar on his head and then he lifted up his shirt and showed us another scar there.  I don't know if this guy got shot or stabbed, but he's like 50 cent or something.  Then I guess he had another scar below his belt line, I don't know,  I didn't look cause he took it all off - we all just freaked out.  Like 'chill man!' haha!

I did my first temple session in Portuguese.  It was so hard.  They are telling me what to say but like in sentences of words we haven't even learned yet.  I was like 'um pralavla at a time man, I can't handle that yet!'  I can't wait until I can though, thats gonna be so sweet! I have learned a lot being here lately.  I'm trying to read my scriptures as much as possible and study the language.  Chase told me to try and finish the BofM before I leave and that's what I am trying to do!  I have never really understood anything that much in the gospel because I think I never understood the true and sincere way to pray.  The only time in my life I have really felt strong answers were before my mission, when asking if I should go and the whole time I've been out on my mission.

I love you guys, thank you so much for all you guys have done for me.  I'm gonna go get some grub at a BBQ place outside of here.  I received your mail, thanks so much!  Tell everyone that I'm sending some out today through MissionTies.  The letters help a lot. Thanks for the Christmas letter and tell the Southwick's thanks for theirs too.  I read their letter like a week ago.  When I got it and then I was reading it again during class when I was writing letters and I just broke down.  I don't know why it hit me so hard, so I couldn't write them back that night.  So I'll write them next week.  

I love seeing all the pictures you send.  Kim was asking about the spiders here but I've only seen one. But the cockroaches here are crazy big and there are a million! I'm sending her a letter today.

eu ami voces.  todo voce rem um bom semana!!!

I love you all.  You all have a good week.

Elder Mauter