Olá from Brazil
Hello family and friends,
This is Elder Hiatt, currently training to serve a mission in São Paulo Brazil. I will be sending these emails once a week for the next two years. If you don´t want to receive these, know someone else who wants to get them, or have anything else you want to tell me, you can contact me at john.hiatt@missionary.org. Thank you!
On with the report. Last Tuesday, I arrived at the Denver International Airport ready to depart on my first ever flight, alone, to a different country. (By way of Dallas, Texas.) There were no other missionaries on my flight, but the person next to me was very nice. Upon arriving at Dallas, waiting for my second flight, I met many more missionaries, also serving in Brazil. All of the missionaries from the Salt Lake area came through on the same flight, so there were a lot. Then we departed for a nine and a half hour flight all the way into São Paulo.
In São Paulo on Wednesday morning, we were met at the airport by my sister, who is serving in the São Paulo South mission. She gave me a chocolate bar with cookies embedded into it. Then all the new missionaries loaded into a bus to go on to the missionary training center where we will spend the next six (now five) weeks.
In the missionary training center (called the MTC in English or CTM for Centro do Treinamente Missionários in Portuguese), I was assigned to a trio rather than the normal two person companionship. My district (local group of missionaries) had twelve missionaries: Me, my companions Elder Phipps and Elder Selvage, Elder Decker, Elder Stirling, Elder Barrick, our district leader Elder Breinholt, Elder Hale, Elder Seeley, Sister Pugliano, Sister May, and Sister Gilmore. The sisters were in a trio as well, so our district had two trios. That is uncommon.
On the second day, we started learning Portuguese. Being in Brazil, all of the staff and half of the missionaries speak Portuguese natively, and some of those don´t speak any English, so learning that is important. Also, having time to (attempt to) talk with native speakers really helps with learning to understand what people are saying even with a one-week vocabulary. On Saturday and Sunday, I attempted to speak only Portuguese, and succeeded, although communicating with my companions was difficult.
And some bad news. From the beginning, Elder Decker was very homesick, and yesterday he went home. His companion, Elder Sterling, stayed with Elder Breinholt and Elder Barrick for some time, so we had three trios for a few hours, and then Elder Selvage was assigned to be his companion so we only have one now. I only have Elder Phipps with me now. Hopefully Elder Decker will be the only one of us to go home early.
Brazil is great. It does actually get cold down here occasionally, especially at night, so blankets and sometimes sweaters are needed. It is also usually very hot. Weather is unpredictable. (It´s almost like most places in the United States.)
Many of you have noticed that I have a unique accent in English. According to one of my teachers, who is a native Brazilian, in Portuguese I have the exact same accent. I still don´t know how or why.
Learning Portuguese is going well. As I said, I spent a couple days only speaking Portuguese. I think me and my companion Elder Phipps are the best at speaking Portuguese in our district. We aren´t great yet, but we can almost carry on a conversation. This is not a Portuguese class you could take in school, it is a lifestyle that requires learning and studying constantly. And, with the gifts of the Spirit, it works. We can learn a language to competence in six weeks.
A few times, we have had the opportunity to attempt to teach a person who is interested in the church (actually our teacher, but shhhhh...) in Portuguese. Mistakes are made pretty much every time, but eventually the intended meaning does get across. The second time I taught, I knocked on the door very hard, so we joke about busting down the door now.
I don´t know what else to say to you this week, and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you,
Elder Hiatt
This is Elder Hiatt, currently training to serve a mission in São Paulo Brazil. I will be sending these emails once a week for the next two years. If you don´t want to receive these, know someone else who wants to get them, or have anything else you want to tell me, you can contact me at john.hiatt@missionary.org. Thank you!
On with the report. Last Tuesday, I arrived at the Denver International Airport ready to depart on my first ever flight, alone, to a different country. (By way of Dallas, Texas.) There were no other missionaries on my flight, but the person next to me was very nice. Upon arriving at Dallas, waiting for my second flight, I met many more missionaries, also serving in Brazil. All of the missionaries from the Salt Lake area came through on the same flight, so there were a lot. Then we departed for a nine and a half hour flight all the way into São Paulo.
In São Paulo on Wednesday morning, we were met at the airport by my sister, who is serving in the São Paulo South mission. She gave me a chocolate bar with cookies embedded into it. Then all the new missionaries loaded into a bus to go on to the missionary training center where we will spend the next six (now five) weeks.
In the missionary training center (called the MTC in English or CTM for Centro do Treinamente Missionários in Portuguese), I was assigned to a trio rather than the normal two person companionship. My district (local group of missionaries) had twelve missionaries: Me, my companions Elder Phipps and Elder Selvage, Elder Decker, Elder Stirling, Elder Barrick, our district leader Elder Breinholt, Elder Hale, Elder Seeley, Sister Pugliano, Sister May, and Sister Gilmore. The sisters were in a trio as well, so our district had two trios. That is uncommon.
On the second day, we started learning Portuguese. Being in Brazil, all of the staff and half of the missionaries speak Portuguese natively, and some of those don´t speak any English, so learning that is important. Also, having time to (attempt to) talk with native speakers really helps with learning to understand what people are saying even with a one-week vocabulary. On Saturday and Sunday, I attempted to speak only Portuguese, and succeeded, although communicating with my companions was difficult.
And some bad news. From the beginning, Elder Decker was very homesick, and yesterday he went home. His companion, Elder Sterling, stayed with Elder Breinholt and Elder Barrick for some time, so we had three trios for a few hours, and then Elder Selvage was assigned to be his companion so we only have one now. I only have Elder Phipps with me now. Hopefully Elder Decker will be the only one of us to go home early.
Brazil is great. It does actually get cold down here occasionally, especially at night, so blankets and sometimes sweaters are needed. It is also usually very hot. Weather is unpredictable. (It´s almost like most places in the United States.)
Many of you have noticed that I have a unique accent in English. According to one of my teachers, who is a native Brazilian, in Portuguese I have the exact same accent. I still don´t know how or why.
Learning Portuguese is going well. As I said, I spent a couple days only speaking Portuguese. I think me and my companion Elder Phipps are the best at speaking Portuguese in our district. We aren´t great yet, but we can almost carry on a conversation. This is not a Portuguese class you could take in school, it is a lifestyle that requires learning and studying constantly. And, with the gifts of the Spirit, it works. We can learn a language to competence in six weeks.
A few times, we have had the opportunity to attempt to teach a person who is interested in the church (actually our teacher, but shhhhh...) in Portuguese. Mistakes are made pretty much every time, but eventually the intended meaning does get across. The second time I taught, I knocked on the door very hard, so we joke about busting down the door now.
I don´t know what else to say to you this week, and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you,
Elder Hiatt
Comments
Post a Comment