Two Down, Twelve to Go

This week two of our Elders in our district got their visas and flew down to Sao Paulo! Elder Kupp and Elder Karren. I was very excited for them and I am very excited for the day when I get called to the travel office. Every time our district hears the intercom  beap, we all jump and wait, but still only two of us have left. And we have so much fun all the time, our teacher challenged all of us to memorize Joseph Smith's first vision in Portuguese by this Saturday! I think I have it, but my pronunciation may still need some work.

Today is our second, "jejum de ingles" or "English fast." All of us go for three hours without speaking any English and only using Portuguese! It is sooo hard sometimes to say what you want, but my Portuguese class from before is definitely coming in handy and all of us are communicating in short choppy sentences and using charades a lot. :)

I was grateful though when I talked to some of the Elders going to Hungary, and it made me feel for you, Jason, because I cannot imagine how they ever master that language! There are so many crazy rules!

We taught our second lesson in the Teaching Resource Center this week, and it went soooo well! And I could understand almost everything the volunteer said, I'm so glad it's getting easier. But each week we have to prepare a talk in Portuguese for Sunday and when we get to the meeting, our branch president announces who will be speaking, so we never know until then! It is great motivation to make sure your talk sounds good!

This Wednesday when all of the new missionaries came in, my friend Leda Stolp who is going to serve in Albuquerque came! I was so happy to see her. We also got a new roommate, Sister Richardson from Texas. She is so nice and is fluent in Spanish, so that will definitely help her learn quickly the Portuguese. President Uchtdorf came to visit all the new missionaries, and because my companions and I always go to 6 am gym, we didn't get to see him when he visited everyone playing basketball! What a shame! :) But it was ok. Well, until next week! :D