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
