Pictures!

So you´ve asked a couple times about what a day is like here, and it´s pretty much the same every day. We´re up at 630 (slightly comical since we all set our alarms, and they´re about 2 minutes apart from each other), the showers have stalls so it´s not like an open locker room. Go down 6 flights of steps to get to breakfast in the cafeteria (there´s a small pic on Sam´s facebook of that), then personal study for an hour. Class after that from 830-12 with our morning instructor, Bro Lopez, lunch after that, comp study for an hour, gym for an hour, more personal study or MDT (missionary determined time. Get to choose what to do), dinner, night class, snack, then bed. That´s pretty much the routine every day, just throw in a couple firesides every now and then. Today was pretty different though since it was pday. We couldn´t go to the temple this morning so we had a lot of spare time. Got up at 630 like always, then Elder Sturgis worked out on the track for a while before breakfast. We were way tired after though so we slept for another two hours haha. After writing our letters we got to go into the city which is pretty cool, like I´ve said it feels good to get out of the CTM. Our boundaries are small, but there´s enough there to keep us occupied. As of last night I can carry a conversation in Portuguese too, which makes it that much more exciting. You don´t feel too timid buying things, talking to people, etc. Oh that reminds me! Last night for class, during the last hour we practiced doing street contacts with a Brazilian district. There´s a garden area in the middle of the CTM, and by the time we went down they were all there waiting for us trying to act like people would out on the street.




I´m not gonna lie, it was straight up intimidating at first! Our Brazilian roomies were part of that district so they were the first we talked to, it was kinda rough but we got the point across. Then just like last week listening in class, something just clicked with the next person I talked to. Our instructor had actually just split me and my companion so we could work solo, so i walked up to this one guy and held a good 10 minute conversation. IT WAS AMAZING! I don´t remember the Elder´s name, but he asked if I was leaving next week because I was speaking well enough to be out there! It was incredible, opened my eyes yet again to how much the Lord is looking out for us as missionaries, and the blessings he gives as we do our part. I was honestly saying words I couldn´t remember the meaning to. Elder Adams came up to me after and said ´dude, was that just the spirit with you? Tell me that was the spirit or I´m punching your valle victorian face!´