Eu cai, e Nao Posso Levantar (2-24-14)

Bom Dia Meus Queridos how yall makin' out?

Well this week has been a good one.  It has been getting hotter after the nice cooling trend we had going on.  But that means more rain!  And my wife is going to be drop dead gorgeous because I am working hard, I pray a lot, I never drop my script, AND I got stuck in the rain 3 times this week (?? not quite sure what he's talking about here??).  Luckily there was a bus stop that we could camp out at each time.  But yeah, fun fun fun.  So we got dropped by Vera, an investigator, and I didn't even know she dropped us until planning a few days later when I said, "we should visit her".  Then Elder Thaigo is all like "NOOOOPPPEEE she dropped us" and I was all like "what?"  haha  But Vinicius and Jessica are progressing well and they are just waiting and saving money to pay the fees to finish the marriage process here.  Then after that they will get dunked haha.  SO EXCITED!!!

And  Pamela, a former less active, has returned to church and is reading the Book of Mormon and praying every day.  And she really likes me because we like the same music and I have lots of bandanas.  I guess they are like R$30 here and I said, "these are like .99 cents in the US".  She just about died.  She wants some haha.  And at her house is where I saw the pineapple and the snail the size of my hand.  And she has a SWEET view of Porto Alegre.  I need to get a better picture of it.  Other than that we really didn't see any other people.

We had to take Elder Thiago to the dentist and we did service all day Thursday.  We painted doors and around windows of a school.  Man, lead based paint and paint thinner smells really good haha.

Well I don't really have any funny stories for this week other than I freaked out over the snail.  Like "OH MY GOSH THIS IS SO LEGIT"!  And these Brazilians just look at me like, "oh my gosh, look at that freak freaking out over a snail."  And then I saw another one and we were with our zone leaders that they just laughed.  I then felt that I had to explain that Idaho, as beautiful as it is, does not have snails the size of my hand.  THE SIZE OF MY HAND!!!  So yeah, this is my life, just a small town boy living in Brazil haha.

Well, I love yall lots.  Stay classy, Fica tranquilo.

Elder Mackay

 The zone at Almoco during service

 Wild pineapple

Giant snail!!

 

Nos Temos Onibus De Novo!!!!! (2-17-14)

Oi todo mundo!

So just as the title reads...WE HAVE BUSES AGAIN!!!!!  IT IS SO GLORIOUS!!!!!  Which is great because we also went to the temple this week, but I will talk about that later.

So it has actually cooled down a bit, which has been amazing.  I don't sweat as much right now.  And as for our investigators, Lidia has stopped drinking cafe so she is getting baptized on Saturday!!!  And Vinicius and Jessica have their papers to get married!!!  So the only thhing that they have left to do is sign some papers in front of 2 witnesses (me and Elder Thiago) saying that they will get married 20 days later.  And after that they can get baptized!!!!!  And we are doing that paper thingy this week!  SO EXCITING!!!!  And Vinicius and Jessica came to church yesterday and Vinicius was wearing a shirt, tie, slacks, and church shoes!!  Everyone asked us, who is that new member couple right there?  And we were like those are our investigators haha.  So that was sweet.  Other than that there is nothing really to report on lessons.

We had crazy other stuff this week because on Thursday we worked the whole day in another area in our district.  And Wednesday we went to the temple.  Which is not actually in our mission.  SO I LEFT THE MISSION HAHAHAHA!!  But if you are serving in the city of Porto Alegre you can go as a zone to the temple every other transfer, or every 3 months.  And it was sweet!!!  I didn't understand much because of the Portugues but it was still sweet!  The Spirit is so strong when you are in the temple and I think it is just magnified when you are a missionary.  PICTURES TO FOLLOW!!  And this goes out to the members of Distrito Otiomo not in Porto Alegre Sul.  I have found the long lost comp of Elder Smith.  Sister Taylor and Elder Smith already know this but he is here.  He got his visa right before we went to the CTM haha.  Just thought yall would like to know haha.

Well this week was definitely a good one.  And this week will be good too with our baptism.

And here is some culture for yall.  Vinicius taught me this.  So daown in this state, Rio Grande do sul, there is a saying you say to your best bros, the closest of your friends who are dudes, and it is Meu bruxo.  Which translated into English is "my sorcerer".  IT IS SO GREAT!!!!  I LOVE IT!!!  But you only say it if you are a dude to your bros.  So keep that in mind.

Well, I love yall very much and I wish yall a otima semana!  Te amo e ate mais!

Elder Mackay

P.S.  And these go out to meus bruxos in North Metairie!!  Elder Walker you have inspired me.  And the Frukito is probably the best juice that I have ever tasted in my life!!  That and guarana sustain me haha.

 Elder Mackay and Elder Booren at the Porto Alegre Brasil temple.

 Elder Mackay at the temple

 Elder Mackay (2nd from right) at temple with most of the zone

 Elder Mackay

 Elder Mackay with a bottle of Frukito

Elder Mackay

I have been thrown LITERALLY into the fire (2-10-14)

Bom dia!

So just as the title implies...I am melting down here.  I think the only thing that is keeping my weight from not dropping drastically is the HUGE lunches we have and all the freaking biscoito I eat.  SO GOOD!!!  It has been like 40 to 43 celsius (104-109 degrees F).  And I don't know what that is in farenheit but it is pretty stinking hot.  Ad it isn't like in Louisiana where it is hot and you are like, "oh let's cool down in that walmart."  NO there is almost no AC here.  I walk from tree to tree, and that is how I survive.  And I have decided that at the first rumor of a zombie infestation I am going to Brasil, because everything has tall metal fences with barbed wire at the top. haha.

But this week was good, I had my first drunk Brazilian experience and also my first Brazilian cheek kiss experience.  SO AWKWARD!!!  But I didn't break any rules and did not participate!  But this investigator that tried to kiss me came to church, this actually happened at church, and she loved it!  And she has a baptism date of the 22nd so that is exciting.  And we have still been teaching Vinicius and Jessica and we taught about the gospel of Christ and the law of chastity, and it wasn't awkward!  Even though they are living together unmarried and have a 1 year old daughter.  Jessica is actually going today to get the process started for obtaining a marriage license!  They have a date of the 1st of March!  Vinicius wants me to baptize him!  Then we taught this 9 year old Lorenzo.  His whole family is less active and he has a date too, but I think that we should try to get the family reactivated first so that it is easier for him to come.  His Grandma has a strong testimony.  I don't know why she is less active.  She has cried in the 2 lessons that we have taught Lorenzo.  Well that is about it from the spiritual side of things.  Actually false, we are going to the temple on Wednesday so that will be sweet!  We are going as a zone all 2 districts...haha.  So that will be super sweet.

I am sorry that I have no pics.  It is so hot that I have no motivation, but there is some sick paintings on the sides of buildings that I need to get pics with.

And sad realization of the week.  When I come back to the States I will no longer like soda, because American soda is artificial garbage and Brazilian soda actually has real sugar and real juice in it.  Even Coke is good here.

Well that is it from the country of Brasil.  You know that you are in Brasil when everywhere you go you hear the radios playing the soccer fame of Gremio and International (the 2 soccer teams in Porto Alegre) haha.

I love yall.  Eu amo voces.  And stay classy!  Fica tranquilo!

Elder Mackay

Jaywalking Everywhere (2-3-14)

Just as the title implies there are no rules for jaywalking.  You just cross whenever you want to.  And it also seems like that motorcycles have no rules whatsoever.  They just weave between cars and so WAY faster than the speed limit.  It is an adventure.

Well this week has been good even though the selfish bus drivers of the city of Porto Alegre are on strike and thus rendering the bus system shot in the face.  Lots of members and investigators can't go to church or even work because of this.  So it is not fun.

But it was still a sweet week.  Vinicius and Jessica CAME TO CHURCH!!!  And they are so getting baptized after they tie the knot...they told us.  They are so legit, and they like have no problems with the Word of Wisdom.  They don't drink coffee and they don't even know what cha preto (black tea) is!!!  They just drink at social gatherings sometimes, BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD STOP!  AHHH it is sweet.  Then we had a less active named Pamela come to church and she hasn't been to church in almost 3 years.  FIST TO THE AIR!  And to top it all off yesterday we got a call at like 8:30 from an investigator asking where is everyone.  She thought church started in the evening.  So we told her it is in the mornings and she is all like, tudo bem, I'll go next Sunday and you can come over on Tuesday or Wednesday.  DOUBLE FIST TO THE AIR!!!  We had a lot of other sweet moments this week.  We had like 45 lessons or something like that.  WAY different from Louisiana, but don't worry my brothers!  I still know the struggle!  I was born in the struggle!  We even have this less active that really wants to feed my potatoes.  EVERY time we visit him he asks, does the gringo still want potatoes?  And I say, claro que sim!

Well, to answer some questions I've gotten.  Porto Alegre is in the south of Brasil, the southernmost part.  Here there are no mango trees that I have seen :( triste.  And knocking doors is fun.  You clap and if there are dogs barking you clap really loud and yell their name.  It is quite fun.

Well that is about all from Rio Grande do Sul.  I hope that yall stay warm and remember, stay classy and fica tranquilo!

AND TO ALL MY LOUISIANA BATON ROUGE BROS!!  There are METAIRIE DUCKS HERE!!!  Yeah, it was weird and the member we were visiting was looking at me like I was an idiot.  All I said was, Nos temos o mesmo prato em Louisiana, godo e feio.  haha.  I love this country.

Sorry about the lack of pics, I will do better!!!

I love you all!

Elder Mackay O Otimo, as Elder Thiago says

Metairie ducks in Brasil!!