3rd Email 12/2/08

From: Bryan Barney
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 9:10 AM

AUGH.

Stupid mail system just deleted the last 8 minutes of my letter. ARGH.

Sorry for messing up the letter. The keyboards here in Brazil are a little iffy, especially the one I was using. I'm trying to type this as fast as I can, too, because I've got less than 45 minutes now to do it, because it somehow ate the message I was typing.

I won't be sending out letters this week, because I need to conserve Reis. I have about 30, (it cost 720 to mail all of last weeks four letters), and I get paid again next week, but I still have to pay to get some photos developed and some e-mail sent.

I can't wait to hear how everyone's Thanksgiving went. Ours was good. We had a big lunch with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and even cranberry sauce. The real big deal though was the chocolate cake, since it was solid and edible, whereas most desserts so far have been well . . . pudding or jello. I'm still adapting to Brazillian fare, but I can at least eat the beans and rice now. It's interesting, every once in a while some really asianesque stuff pops up in the cafeteria, because there are a lot of Japanese people here in Brazil.

Today we went to the Campinas Temple, and it was nice. It is a very small Temple. I thought that the Provo one was small, but Campinas's is very, very small indeed. That's okay, though. It was still very beautiful. Next week we get to go proselyting again, and maybe we'll even go to see the Sao Paulo Temple!

I got a letter from you Friday, the one with a note from Colin. I also got a Christmas card from Grampa! These made the day that much better. We went proselyting, and it was very, very good. We met one man who had read the BOok of Mormon, but hadn't prayed about it because he worried that he was unworthy to talk to God, and he was afraid to go to church, because of how he looked, but, with much help from our teacher, we managed to tell him that it didn't matter how he looked, and that he should pray.

We met a lady who knew we were representatives of Christ, and her whole face lit up when we gave her a Book of Mormon, told her it was for her and was free. It was a really nice experience. We met one man, though, an old guy, who somehow got real set off by something, and went on this big Portuguese rant about how he didn't like the Church, Joseph Smith was Satan, and we were all going to Hell. Because I don't speak Portuguese well, I'm also pretty sure he had some strange idea that Jesus WAS the Bible. I'm not sure. All I said to him was my testimony, since it was more or less all I COULD say, haha.

But all in all it was a lot of fun. I've begun taking extra help with my Portuguese, so that I can speak it and understand it better. I've been doing a little reading out of my Portuguese scriptures, and that seems to be going pretty well. I understand maybe 4/10 words, more if I read the verse in English, first.

We don't have to LEARN the Brazillian National Anthem, we all just WANT to, because after the American and French, it has to be the coolest one in the world, and as far as just the tune goes, it probably has the Star Spangled Banner and Marseilles beat. It's awesome fast and full of hard words to say, let alone sing. It is my personal goal to have it down by the end of my mission. We sing it every Sunday at the start of Fireside.

I can sort of write in Portuguese, too. But only sort of. It's all kind of muddling together in my head right now, but I'm trying. I won't write anything here, because it would just take too much of my time. Right now we're waiting for photos to develop, then we have about oh, eight bazillion other things to do, because my pokey companion got roped into them by our Brazillian roomies.

It's sort of a trial for me at the moment. In Provo I got along great with my companion, and we just really seemed in sync. Here, I'm striving real hard to get that with my present companions, to make us all move on time and in unison. We seem perpetually late, and eternally delayed. I don't know what to do about it. They're good guys, just REAL SLOW.

I have 4 weeks, technically, left in the MTC. This is the start of Week 5 of 9, and then I am off to the field. I have heard only a little about Goiania. I only know 3 people other than me who are going there. My companion, Elder Lewis (who is still in Provo), Elder Clark (my present district leader's companion), and Sister Judd, who is in a different distract than us. Apparently, outside of the city of Goiania, and Brasilia, there are no big towns in Goias, but rather, it's a big farmland, and they don't have a soccer team. I am also told that the air is very dry, and that it's pretty hot. I hear tell Pres. Tobias is pretty tough, but that Sis. Tobias is as sweet as can be, haha.

Whatever the case, I'm excited. I can't wait for the day I can speak, understand, read, and write Portuguese. And I know it's a big laugh back home to say that they speak Portuguese here in Brazil, but there are a number of Brazillians who like to say that no, they speak Brazillian. This is because Brazillian Portuguese is the difference between I don't know, Canadian English and British English. Everything seems pronounced differently. Everything!

I still have not got your package yet. No idea why. Did you send it to the CTM, or to my mission office? If it went to the office I won't get it till I hit the field, but that's okay. There are not Temples in the Goiania Mission, but the pants etcetera will be nice for baptisms.

I have a Christmas List, and by that I mean things I'd like sent to me around Christmas, so I can get them at the Mission office in the Field (since I leave about a week after Christmas), but it isn't very long.

1. MORE TIES.

2. A small set of the approved Missionary Library, if it's available. If it's not, I can just kick myself for not shelling the 6 bucks to get it when I had the chance. Oh well.

3. The camera Matt has. A film camera is kind of, well, let me put it like this. Digital cameras aren't allowed outside the CTM walls for us, because of the fear of robbery, but the film camera? They said that I could take it out, haha.

That's about it, then. I'm going to have to finish up here in about 10 minutes and then wait FOREVER for my companions to finish up. I hope everything is going well for everyone back in the States. I don't really know what's going on there. Which is probably just as well. There was someone Friday while we were proselyting who wanted to trash talk about American Politics and we were all just like Eh, I you know more than we do about what's going on there, probably.

"Hey!" I said, "I finally figured out where the Brazillians have been hiding my quote button!"

The last thing I recal hearing about American news was off the Mormon.org newsroom, and it was just about the riots and stuff about prop 8, so it wasn't very interesting.

I know a little about what's happening HERE, though. Apparently the state of Santa Catarina is suffering major floods. The Missionaries who were supposed to leave for there had to wait an extra week, and apparently only service is being performed in some places, it's become so dangerous. I also saw a big huge life jacket on a statue of the 1st Emperor of Brazil, which was apparently some manner of protest, but I don't know. I don't WANT to know much about politics.

Oh, I think there were fires somewhere when I left the country, and they mentioned that the gas industry might need bailing out, too. Or was it cars? Yeah, automobiles, I think, since gas was down to like, 196 when we left Provo. But whatever, just little things I'm remembering.

All is well here. I love you all, and I hope everyone is okay back there. Thank you for sending me that picture of Chingu, he looks very silly in it. I have to finish now, so that I can make sure the sill e-mail ends. I sure hope this reaches you this time. I don't know WHY I'm having so much trouble sending e-mails these days.

Ah, well. I love you all, stay safe.

With love,
Bryan.