12/02/2013 Letter

Oí, 

A day in the life of Elder Pachner:

Sundays and p-days don't really differ all that much! On Sundays we have church at 8:30 and they do their classes in reverse order so sacrament is last...I play piano for sacrament and then we have lunch at the house of a member (like everyday) and then we go out and work and return home at 7 to plan for the week! 

P-day we wake up and study for the 3 hours like normal and then until 6:00 pm the day is ours. We go to the store, we go and write emails, go to the post office all that jazz!

Hmmmm soo this week has been really cool!  We have had cool experiences with the spirit! One of the amazing things that happened was we went to go get ice cream....I will explain! We had a district meeting so we were in Criciuma and afterwards we took the bus back to Araranguá; After we got off the bus I just kept thinking....I want ice cream! and then Elder Arine says....I want ice cream! SO we went to the first stand and got ice cream and the lady there was like hey I have seen you guys around and I am curious about religion! What do you do? So we explained to her about the church a little bit and she said she wants to hear more about the church! And she made an appointment with us for the next day!!!!!! So we went and taught her and she literally has a heart of gold! Like she is the nicest friendliest person I have ever met!!!!!! So she is now a progressing investigator all because the spirit told us to go get ice cream! :) 

I started writing in my journal how I saw God's hand in my life and it is pretty great so far! I love looking at how the Spirit has helped me! 

hahahahahahhaha we had a super funny thing happen! so there is a member who came this Sunday....he is a tad eccentric and he got up to bear his testimony on the true meaning of Christmas! he declared SANTA CLAUS IS NOT REAL!!!! hahahhahahaha i started to die! all the kids were like what????? and not only did he say it once but he kept on repeating it! sooooo all the kids in the Araranguá branch now know that Santa Claus is not real!

Another cool thing! We taught an investigator and she said she was just feeling the spirit super strongly! I am so glad for this! She marked a date for baptism in January but we are going to try and change that. This was the first visit! She just said that her heart was beating really fast and that she felt so hot but it was a good feeling at the same time! :) Amazing! I couldnt stop smiling!!!! IT JUST MAKES ME SOOOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I told her that I couldn't stop smiling because she was feeling the spirit and it just makes me happy! Ahhh i love being a missionary! 

We had a missionary return from the field here too! there was a party and we went but the whole time I was just thinking about you guys! I miss you guys but I know that this work is so worth it! It is more than worth it to me!

I love you all! Mom, about the call, we can Skype which costs no money so don't worry about it! And I expect to receive more information about that on  Wednesday with our zone conference!

Also, sorry I keep asking for things but everything is like a bajillion dollars here! just a flashlight like the one you got me before my mission started! Elder Arine really wants one so if you could he would die for joy!

I love you all!!!! And I hope all is well!! I sent a mail letter....so no idea when that will get there but i hope you guys like it :) Love you with all my heart!

Elder Pachner

11/25/2013 Email Exchange

Parents (P):  Hi Kade! I looked up Barranca and Criciuma on a map.  Barranca came up at being next to Paraguay, and Criciuma below Florianolopis.   What is your exact address?  We don't know where you are.

Thanks!!

Mom

Elder Pachner (EP):   Wait are you on right now :)   Because if you are we can talk back and forth by email like this!! Its okay :)

P:  Yes

EP: Yeah!!!!!  Hi ;)

P:  So where are you?

EP: I am in Araranguá. It is a city that is really close to the state Rio Grande De Sol.   My area is monstrous!!!!!! We are in charge of about 5 different cities!!! More like towns but still we have to take a charter bus to get to one of them!!

P: What is the weather like? Have you received any of the packages we sent?

EP:  I have not! However our leader de zone says that I have 4 or 5 letters and I will be receiving those tomorrow at district meeting!!!!

P:  So can we write to you directly where you are, or do we have to keep sending to the mission office?

EP:   You have to write directly to the mission office...I don’t really know why but It’s a rule!  I am living in an apartment building.......you should see the electrical work.....ummmmmmmmm scary!!!   But we keep ourselves safe and it is super funny! I like feel the need to clean everything! 

P:  Except for your room probably!  

EP:  True my room is the most messy!  Did you just receive pictures from me?

P: Are you getting enough to eat?  Do you need money?  Is there a good way to get money to you?

EP: The only way to really get money to me is to send it in a card...one guy in the ctm had his mom disguise it in a card which was pretty legit! And if you could send me a little money that would be great because I need money for small things for you guys and for a piano book because I am teaching about 12 kids now! :P   It’s so strange,  everyone looks at me here because I am exotic.....I am like James Bond....but my accent isn’t as cool because apparently it just sounds like I mumble :P

EP  Sends this picture and asks:   Do you think that this is a picture of bananas or a cockroach! :P

P: US dollars or a prepaid visa?  We saw the cockroach...looks pretty big!!  James Bond huh?  Are you taller than like everybody?

EP:   I am not taller than everyone but I am defiantly really tall! :P     Food, I am eating fine!! We have lunch with a member everyday and then we eat spaghetti for dinner every night! The other day this one lady gave me a half a banana cake bread....it was soooooooo good!!! I almost died! 

 P:   I am soooo glad dad's spaghetti diet prepared you for your mission.  Hahaaha    So the main meal is lunch?

EP:   hahahah for reals!   The main meal is pasta with rice and a form of meat...and always coke or fanta...but it tastes really weird here because the water and the sugar is different :P

P: That's interesting.  I would think coke is coke.  Is the water filtered?  Can you drink from the tap in your apartment?

EP:  I have too....I was using a filtered water bottle that they gave to me in the MTC but apparently here in my mission you can’t use them because Pres. Fernandes thinks they cause cancer so yeah..Ii drink from the tap but its kinda unavoidable because when you ask for water at members houses too you have to drink for the tap

P:  Where do you get the computer you use to email?

EP:  We go to this place called lan house...we have to pay about 2.50 reais but it is covered by mission funds.

P:   In this huge area you cover how many wards are there?  Are there lots of members?

EP   : Only one branch but that is okay,  we are working on building it! I think by the end of December we will have 6 baptisms! And there are about 60 active members

P:   Wow!  Where does the church meet?  Someone' house?   Are you teaching piano to members or non-members?

EP:   Members! But I am hoping to attract non members too! Especially to English class!    Tomorrow we are actually going to a school to speak to them for English

P:  Do you have a time limit on the computer?  Can you send us "a day in the life of" for a normal Sunday, P-day, and regular day in your next letter?

EP:   Yes, I have a time limit of an hour

P:  Your companion is from Brazil right?

EP:  Yup! He is from São Paulo! He is engaged!!!!

P:   Wow...that must be tough.  How long has he been out?  

EP:   7 months.   Do you want a real letter or to continue this?

P:   Both of course!   ;-)

EP:   Ahhh,  well that will be difficult but as long as you don’t mind being cc in the copy that  I am sending to Rachel in between messages to you  :P

P:   We will take anything!  Are you healthy?  Do you feel good or are you still adjusting to the diet?

EP:   Every once and a while my stomach decides to kill me, but other than that I am okay!! I don’t know what it is but something really destroys my insides when I eat it!

EP:  Did you see my 50 pounds of bananas!  It was just growing in a tree along to road so we took it home :)

P:  That is a lot of bananas!  

 P:   So how do you get investigators?  Do you have to tract or are you working the members?

EP:   Tracting!   Every day we tract some! Last week we actually taught some 30 lessons and the week before was 42! We talk to everyone! We knock doors make contacts in the street! Its weird here there are gates in front of everywhere so you have to clap your hands and that is knocking but if you are really familiar you can walk to the door and knock...its different

P:  That is a lot of lessons.  Are people receptive?   Mom says that you look like you have lost weight...are you eating enough?

EP:    Yes! Everyone is super nice....they will all talk to you.....getting them to believe it is the hard part.  Catholicism has a strong hold here and… I gained weight! I gained about 10 in the ctm but yeah I am slowly losing weight here but I am also walking 15-20 miles a day!

P: How many bananas do you eat a day!  Where do you get those?

EP: I eat at least 2 a day! and we just saw them in a tree!

EP:   Dad you blessing of me before I came out here was totally true! You said I would teach people primarily through the Old and New Testament  and that is just what I am doing! Everyone is Catholic and everyone believes a lot in the bible so we use it!  It’s really different though because It’s only the bibilia sagrada which is a catholic bible so some of the verses are different! But it is still sacred.   The church isn’t allowed to print the King James version here so they don’t have the JS translations.

P:   It is amazing how blessings work and how precise that they can be!  So you have to use the catholic version of the bible when you teach?  I have a friend at work that is catholic and I'm learning a lot about his church (as he learns about mine).  I find that the Catholic faithful are amazing people who have a lot of faith.

EP:   Btw remember to read D&C 31   I know that these blessings were given to me and I know that they are a comfort to me!  I am reading the LOM in Portuguese and the BOM in English side by side and I am understanding most of it without using the BOM! :)

P: Do you bike at all or just bus from major place to major place and then walk from there?  How often do you go on splits with other members of your district or zone?

EP: I have never gone on a slip here...we actually aren’t allowed to have bikes and we don’t have enough money to use the buses all the time! So we walk

P:   I'll read it as soon as we are done.  I have been re-reading the conference talks and it was truly an amazing conference...so many talks spoke to my heart and I felt like they were directed at our family.  

EP:   During prayer I pray for our families.....and then for the Buxtons....and then for the Greenwoods....and then I realize that I include the world because all families need these blessings!

EP: Okay unfortunately it has now been an hour! I love talking to you guys! And I can’t wait to get my mail tomorrow! I have already learned a lot about myself and I can’t wait to discover more!  Mom, I love you with all my heart! I know that I will see you and you will be waiting at the end of the terminal when I fly home from my mission! I know this! I love you so much!

Dad, I love you soo much too! You have taught me how to be a man, and every day I try to live how you taught me! To work until the work is finish and not just finished but near perfect! I love you and I know you are a righteous holder of the power and authority to act in God’s name. I love you! I miss you guys but don’t worry I am not home sick! I was the first day but I am fine now! I sang the song Come Come Ye saints...think about that song! Dad I know you are probably feeling scared and a little powerless to help mom but remember this...in Isaiah 41: 10 and in 2 Nephi chapter 4 verse 24ish I think God gives us afflictions to strengthen us! You are already so strong in this gospel everything I think about you serving your mission with only a year of church amazes me! You inspire me to be the best missionary I can be! I love you!

Send me pictures of the family :) and ask if Madison is getting my emails too!

Love, Elder Kade Joseph Drag racer Pachner

Nov. 18, 2013

For any of you that are interested in writing Kade directly, here are his addresses:

kade.pachner@myldsmail.net

If you would like to mail Elder Pachner, or send a package, please send to the following:

Elder Kade Pachner

Brazil Florianopolis Mission

R. Feliciano Nunes Pires, 42

Centro

88015-220 Florianopolis - SC

Brazil

This is last week's letter.

      This week has been pretty good! I have to tell you about something Hiliarius I heard! It was night time and we were getting ready for bed adn the window was open when what did I hear.....What Does The Fox Say!!!! Here in Brazil!!!!! I died! I just started laughing so hard and rolling around on my bed and my companion just looked at me like I was crazy! It was super funny to me!

      And then one day when we were walking in Barranca I saw this gigantic lizard!!! I freaked out a little bit and we heard it running off through the brush and Elder Arenie asked me what it was and I told him it was a huge lizard!! He asked how big and I like yelled in portuguese big enough to eat a chiwah wah....which was super funny at the time and we just kinda died laughing for a little while :P

      On the more informational side I am teaching piano to like everyone here!!! They all think piano is just amazing and so I figured I could teach it  to them! I am super graetful that you guys made me take piano lessons!! Seriously! It is helping all the kids like me in the branch here!

      Also we taught our first investigator! I tried teaching her and all she said what that she couldn't understand what I was saying because of my accent........I was really put out...but the next day we were on a bus to Criciuma (we had a meeting with Presidente Fernades) and some lady sat next to me! And I debated in my head if I was going to talk to her on not....and then the thought came to my mind about the scripture in D&C about opening your mouth and it shall be filled....so I did! And by no means was it perfect portuguse but it  was a good lesson and now she has a Book of Mormon and we are teaching her the lessons! Also I was able to talk to this other guy on the bus about the gospel and I gave him the first lesson all by myself!! :) It was cool he had actually helped construct the temple in Curitiba!

      What else! WE have like 14 investigators! I love that :)   This is like amazing! Everyone in our district is jealous :P   We are doing great here!

      Sunday I learned something new...I was thinking about how I wanted to bear my testimony to the branch when lo and behold the person conducting the meeting was like now we would like to invite Elder Pachner up to bear his testimony :P   I did and what I learned is that a testimony doesn't have to be complex or long to be good.  I gave a short and simple testimony and I felt the spirit strongly :) It was a great opportunity and one that I am grateful for!
   
      I know that my Father in Heaven loves me and I know that he loves you too! :)   It brings me incredible peace to think that all this life is is a test...and that if we are faithful we can live for ETERNITY together! :)    I want this so bad and I want to give this to others as well! I love you all!!! Be Happy and know that God lives and watches over you!

Love, Elder Pachner

Words of wisdom for a guy at the CTM! Always remember you have two names on your name tag....that of your Savior and that of you family...never do anything that would dishonor either of them

This is a picture of the rickety bridge that he has to cross over a river of green water.

11/11/13 Letter (First Letter From Florianopolis)

Hey!!!!!!!!

I am having a great time here!!!!! I am learning a whole lot all at once!!! Everyday I get a  lot better at Portuguese and I can have conversations with the people here!!! The first thing my trainer (Elder Arnie a Brazilian) Said was that I had some pretty good Portuguese!!! I was excited about that! He told me that I talked way better than the first american he trained! 

Ummm other things about the first day here....well I was told to take a taxi to the bus station, buy a ticket to some city i couldn't pronounce.....then once i got to this city i had to also buy another ticket and  then arrive at my area. ararangua! .............yeah all by my self.....it was so extremely scary! I had no idea what was going on!! I actually got off at the first stop, which happened to be the wrong city, but the bus driver wouldn't give me my bags because he knew that I was in the wrong place!! I was pretty relieved about that!! So then some nice British lady helped me buy my ticket at the other city and that's where I met my companion and I have been okay ever since! 

So far we have 6 new investigators!! Which is like crazy! and we helped an inactive family come back to church!!! I was stoked about that because we were only suppose to get one inactive for month but we already have two!!!! and it was only the first week!!! 

First day in the field....it was pretty rough....my companion only speaks limited English and there was just alot going on! so my first day that I have really been home sick on the mission...after that though It was been great. We have lunch with the members and everyone is really surprised by my Portuguese! We are actually setting up a free English class so that we can find more people to teach!!! It has been pretty cool!! The craziest thing that I have eaten is a banana....so it is all going pretty great over here :P I am not even the picky eater! My companion has already told the members of the ward he doesn't eat beans, fruit, or sweets!!! Which is crazy in my book!!! Everything here is like a billion and one dollars!!! They have a 30% tax on everything!!!!! It is rough! We get about 220 reals every month to eat so we eat alright! Hmmm well I have to wash all my fruit and drink from a special water-bottle so I don't get some random disease but its all good!!! So far we walk about 20 miles a day! So it is actually not bad!! These first pictures are from Provo and these later ones are from Brazil!!!! I love it here!!! Portuguese is such a pretty language! 

I did not receive any packages....but the mtc in Brazil does not receive them! so that could have been the problem! My new address is the address you have in the mission call packet...it has the florianopolis misison office and thats where all the letters go and then they get distributed to all the missionaries! Monday is my new p-day!!! So its all good here!!! 

Tell me all about what is going on at home :) I miss you guys and hope you are having a great time!!! Also read the letter I attached to the next email! It has all the funny stories from my stay at the mtc :P and tell me what you want to know about brazil!! It is like the land of puppies! THere are puppies everywhere here!!!!! seriously you can´t go five feet down the street without seeing a puppie!!!! It is ridicoulous!!! and there are lizards here about 1 meter in length....aphhhhhhhh i dont like them! me and my comp were down at the river taking pictures with him camera and all the sudden a huge thing moved in the grass and I was like what the heck was that and he said cachorro....which means dog.....and I was like yeah right...so now whenever we hear something that we dont know we just yell cachorro!!! :P

I love you all so very much!!!!! I am so glad I am serving here in brazil and that you are my family :)

Ohhh and I already know what I want for christmas.......peanut butter!!!!!!! and gatorade mix! Thats all I want :P you dont even have to send me a coat or sweaters! Just peanut butter :) 

Love Elder Pachner

Elder Pachner Letter from 10/16/2013.

HIIIIII :) I am so glad that you guys signed up for mission ties!!! now I don't have to send about 4 dollars worth of letters :) I have been having a good week!!! It is so crazy this Friday we are going out into Sao  Paulo center and are going to be proselytizing for real !!!!!! ;) I know isn't it awesome. 

Today I decided that I was going to give up speaking English ..yeah I know that is really kind of scary and seems like a super big task but I know that the Lord will help me as I do my best to become like Him and put my all into the language.  

My investigator is being baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (well my fake investigator who is my teacher) and it was super cool!!!! We were teaching and we felt impressed to ask him so we did! His baptism date is on the 12 of November  Also had another experience that wasn't so cool but it helped me learn a lot. So my comp and I were preparing for a lesson and everyone else had already gone and so they were being a little rowdy and talking and singing all sorts of stuff....and i got carried away and didn't focus on rereading my lesson. Then when it came to be our turn to teach we went to go into the lesson and I just didn't feel the spirit very strong. It was like a pointless lesson because we didn't even really get to teach our investigator very much....it just showed me that I need to do my part if I want the Lord to help me! Lesson Learned. 

Also this week i watched the 17 miracles !! So amazing sometimes i forget how much more people gave for me to be a part of this church. I decided that I want to be humble like Levi Savage, to always press onward like the little small guy Simon  and to have charity for all those around me like George  It just really impressed me how extremely Christlike those early saints were! I am so very grateful for all that they went through for me. 

What else happened this week...Um we got some new room mates who are Brazilian so we are trying to teach them English !! Next week they are going to pray in English so please pray for them!!! I am just so very happy to be here. I feel like I have been for like many years and then i realize yesterday was the half way point!!!! Ridiculous I know !!!!! We have classes for like 12 hours a day! I use to think that I studied hard......no comparison to the extreme amount I study here on the mission!! I have 3 out of the 13 articles of faith down and I am trying to have them all memorized by the time I am done!!! :) 

So what has been going on at home?? Ohhh and today we were in the temple and we had sometime so we got to do baptisms.  It was cool because I got to preform some of them in Portuguese so it was a big help to practicing for when I am out in the field! Today we have a special devotional broadcast from the Provo mtc and I am betting that it is going to be either Elder Holland or President Uchtdorf speaking.  If you have the conference ensign  could you send me one :) I really want to reread the talks!!! I found an amazing scripture; d and c 122 7 at the end....I give you all these things for your good. I know that I have been through tough times and one of the questions that an investigator asked was why does God allow suffering? I used that scripture and said if God made life easy would we have learned anything?  God gives us trials that we might become better and over come them. Deus da nos dificil tempos porque ele quer nos tornar-se melhor e venemos isso tempos. that sentence is Portuguese more or less!! I am feeling like i can kinda understand when people are talking so hopefully I will become more proficient as I work at it :)

I love all of you so very much :)

Elder Pachner

PS: 

I remember some other stuff :) also we watched this short video on the atonement...it just talked about how we are now representing Jesus Christ and how some missionaries ask sometimes why missions are hard....the Apostles responded if it was hard for Jesus,  a perfect missionary,  what made you think it was going to be easy for you. They said that every time you are tired, disheartened, pushed to hard, turned down, hit, spat upon....remember the Savior....when you think you have done enough and you deserve a rest....think of the Savior think of how He never gave up for you and still continues to never give up on you! think about how he never had rest. They said on a mission you have to go through a small portion of what Jesus went through to become like Him and bring souls unto Christ  It was amazing! I felt the spirit super strongly as they talked about it! Make sure you watch this video called "The Spirit" by David A Bednar...It changed how I though about the Holy Ghost and my relationship with him. I am so very glad  to be here! my teachers are amazing!! I wouldn't have traded any experience at college for what i am learning right here in Brazil!!!

10/09/13 Letter from Kade while in the MTC:

HIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!! Boa Tarde!

Conference was the most amazing thing in the whole world!!! IT was sooo amazing! When the opening prayer was said and the speaker prayed to bless the missionaries all around the world with the spirit I literally felt the spirit come! Such a cool way to see that prays are really answered! :) 

I am so happy here!!! It is extremely hard. Everyday seems like an eternity and a second at the same time!! all the days blend together but when you have been here a week it feels like a year! I am sending you letters today!!! Two! and I hope they will be able to make it to the US in about 3 weeks! did you get the thing from mission ties about sending me emails and they print them out at letters so I can read them throughout the week? 

More about conference though! I had such a cool experience with just listening to it. I don't think i have ever listened that hard to anything in my life!! When we sang called to serve you could feel the spirit just filling up the entire room!!! Please pray for me and my comp....its kinda rough right now for me so if you could pray that I could be nice to him that would be great :) So I was teaching a new investigator and we were talking about the restoration and everything and when it came time to bear my testimony I told him this. Eu sei que eu pode viver com meu familia em vida eterna. Eu sei que deus ama mi e ele querer me para voltar com ele. Eu sei que o livro de mormon e verdade. Eu sei que e verdade. After i said that small testimony I knew that it was true and that I can live with my family forever! You have no idea what a comfort that is to me! That because Jesus atoned for our sins we can live with him for all eternity in HAPPINESS! such a cool thing! I am working on become more humble and gaining increased charity for my fellow man! 

Have you ever thought about charity? it is really hard to come by and even harder to gain! so i have been reading Moroni 7 to try and help me learn about it so i can become it. Today we went to the temple and i bought this awesome picture book that I can use for all my lessons!!! It has pictures from the creation bible book of Mormon and the restoration!!! I was so very excited about it!!! It has been sooooooooo funny! when we first got the the ctm they gave us all a paper entitled lock your heart.....pretty much saying you better not fall in love while you are here... so anytime a guy goes up to talk to a sister missionary my comp always screams lock you heart elder....kinda funny :P Anyways my heart is so very locked....Truth be told i don't even really notice girls like that here. I am so totally focused all the time that there really is nothing else to think about! Just yesterday I carried out a conversation with a native Brazilian for about 30 at breakfast!!! 

I am soooo pumped!! I mean all i know are gospel words but i have been sorta able to apply what i have learned! It was super cool! We actually are teaching another investigator tonight! plan of salvation we are breaking up into 4 parts because i never really realized how much information is in the plan of salvation before i tried to teach it....it is soo much!!

Anyways I was soooooo happy with general conference....so many of the talks applied to us and i just know that the Lord can communicate to us through impressions we receive as we listen to his words through the Apostles and Prophets. I also thought of something else as I was listening....women really do bring the spirit like amazingly strong. Elders are just different than sisters and Sometimes i really do wish i had sisters in my classes because of the amazing spirit that they bring. 

Another funny thing... my comp dropped his scriptures and some sisters that were walking by were like "ohh no your wife just got uglier" and then i said the harder you work the prettier your wife.... and then they told me no that it is the more you pray the prettier you wife! I was like awesome ... I pray about every single 10 seconds of the day so my wife is going to be a goddess :P It was just funny! 

Sometimes it is really stressful here but those are the times that you have to think like President Monson and say "shall i falter or shall i finish' That is awesome!!! :) i love him so much he is super inspirational. 

So the food here is kinda funky....but i eat it so i figure it is all in good practice!!! Have you sent me any letters??? I would love to hear from all of you not just mom and dad :) 

Another way i saw prayer answered was the first day i got here i felt so overwhelmed and just so inadequate so as soon as my new comp left the room i knelt and prayed....And as soon as I was done with the prayer I felt peace! It was the best thing in the world :) I know that my Father in Heaven knows me on a personal level. One last thing we watched this video about the atonement. It was saying that some missionaries ask why it is so hard serve a mission. And the Apostles answered that if the Savior, a perfect missionary, had such a hard time, what makes you ever think that yours would be easier? They said whenever you are tired or just feel like you have done enough....remember the Savior.. There is always someone else to teach there is always someone else to be given the opportunity to everlasting life through you so when you are tired and done remember the Savior. remember that He was nailed to the cross for you so you could share this gospel and bring souls unto Him. I love my Savior! I know that He lives and I know that I will live with Him again As i strive to learn to become like Him

 

I love you also very much and I want you to know I know my Redeemer lives.

 

Love, Elder Pachner

MTC Letter

     Hey!!! Frist P-day so I am able to write to you guys for about 45 min...so excuse all the mistakes in the typing. So yes the travel was super tough but I think i am getting over it okay! Today we went to the Sao Paulo temple which is my new favorite temple! 

     So about the language yes it is super hard but I know that the Lord is helping me so incredibly much to learn the language. Not only Portuguese but the language of the spirit. There is a certain spirit here that I have only felt in one other place...the temple! It is pure learning and we are all progressing at such a fast rate!!! 

   We are allowed to go outside of the MTC here and walk around the city for a little bit!!!! It was kinda scary and really different but fun like an adventure at the same time!!! I am so very excited about the work! I love Portuguese! IT is a really beautiful language and I cant wait to be fluent in it!! Today we went out to go get churrios which happen to be the bestest thing in the whole entire world! then we went to the store and bought hangers and got soccer jerseys because they are cheap now before the world cup but as soon as it starts they are going to jump in prices! 

     I have had some really cool spiritual experiences. Did i tell you that we started teaching on the Friday after we got into the MTC in Provo in Portuguese? it was really scary but i felt the spirit strongly. It helped me know what to say and even though i couldn't always find the right words I knew the pescidsador (investigator) knew what I meant and felt the spirit. I realize now that I have a very strong testimony of families! I am so very grateful that I will be sealed to you forever and know that If we live righteously we will be together for all eternity! I know that my trust in God has increased as i have had to totally rely on him to help me learn this crazy new language in a totally crazy land!!. I am so happy to be a part of this gospel and I know that I am doing all that the Lord wants me to do. I know that God answers prayers! 

     The food is not soo bad.....it is at least edible :) I try really hard to try everything at least once and right now I am not to terribly sick!! How is everything at home? By the way the mtc (ctm) down here doesn't accept packages...i think? and the shoes are great but I am going to need another pair so one can dry out while i wear the other ones. 

     I am so humbled when I look at all those around me who have come from all over the world to serve a mission and I learn what they have had to give up to come on a mission I realize how great life in america really is. The people here are so nice! today we had people just come up to us on the street and try talking to us!!!! They are much more humble here in Brazil as apposed to America.

hahahahahaha i learned something kinda funny too!!!! so i was nervous once we got off the airplane so I was snapping my fingers and clapping my hands and just kinda fidgeting........until someone told me that is how you call prostitutes in Brazil,,,,,,,,haaahahah it was just kinda funny to think i had been doing that! 

    Our teacher in Provo told us something before we left....he said look at the pre-mortal life.....it was huge wasn't it....he says all we did when we were there was learn. He then said don't you think that the Lord would have taught you Portuguese before you came to this earth...don't you think that you are learning it so fast is  because you already know it you just need the spirit to help take the veil from off you mind so that you can RELEARN it faster? We just felt the spirit as he talked and I know what he was saying was true!!!  I love you all soo very much!!!!! I will have another p-day on Wednesday so expect an email from me then!!!! :) I really am so very excited to be here and happy to be serving the Lord..

one more thing the Sunday devotional at the mtc was the most amazing thing in the world. I felt the spirit so strongly ....It was such a powerful experience as I listened to talks about the temple and women and how sacred they both are!!

      :) it is very funny the day we got here we got a thing that we had to read about locking your heart so you wouldn't fall in love with the girls hahahahahah it was kinda funny :P

Love, Elder Pachner