Espioes da CIA

 It's all chill in Brasil

 The Financeiros

 Lago das Rosas!!

 The Forte Five

 In our apartment's elevator

I'm a chef! (nem perto kkkkk)

As we walk several miles each day from the office to our apartment to our lessons and so forth, we pass a few hundred cars. Every day at least somebody in one of these passing cars sticks their head out the window and yells something at us, pretty often obscene. I’m used to it. This week as we were returning home a car flew by and the driver yelled “ESPIOES DA CIA!” at us. “Spies from the CIA”. Hahahaha! I thought that was a good one.

After six months in the office, my weeks have become pretty “padrao”—patterned. I study the scriptures, get to the office, manage the finances, leave, proselyte for a few hours, and sleep. After 5 days of this, a P-Day and a Sunday, it all starts again. It’s great, but I’m soooo excited for the field again. Mais um mes!!! Woohoo!!!

This mission is really passing quickly. It’s already been 15 and a half months. WOW!

Here’s on thought I had this week: I now know the answer to the question, “What is my favorite book?” Until my mission I would have responded Harry Potter, Redwall, As a Man Thinketh, Anthem, or something like that, and it wouldn’t have been a very sure answer.

...Now the answer is clear: The Book of Mormon! It is absolutely my favorite book to read, and I am so grateful that the Lord revealed it to us in the latter days. No other book I've read has led me to feel the presence of the Holy Ghost or taught me about my purpose in this life and God's plan for me like the Book of Mormon has done. It's is the world's truest and purest book! I really liked Elder Stevenson's talk about it in conference. Bom demais!

Even though lately my weeks have been pretty normal, soon I'll have a lot to write about. Elder Aidukatis of the Seventy will visit our mission next month! We the staff will be pretty busy planning it all, but it'll be great. Whatever he says to us will be a big inspiration to me as I return to the field. I'm excited to hear it!

Well, another good week flew by. Voou mesmo. Tempo está passando rápido pra caramba. I'm grateful that I have seven and a half more months to preach the gospel in Brasil. This mission is the best!

Elder Anderson

A Thunderingly Great Week

 Manga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Making some eggs

 My half-organized, half-table study area

 It's P-Day!

 A zoeira com as letras magnéticas continua!

 It's Elder Murry

 These enganoso jellybeans are sacanagem pura!

 I got all the bad ones...

 Office life with Pres. Bührer!

 Zone meeting with President and Sister!

 This is a cool wall

 Loving Goiânia, with Bob Marley

 Opa

 St. Central

 Pequi—amazing! The Goiano loves it.

Rawrrrr

Boom! Tuesday night as we were finishing our evening planning the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard happened. It had to have been right above us; I didn’t only hear it, I felt it. It shook my soul, really was significant enough to put it as the start of my weekly letter. Crazy!

Mom, thanks so much for typing up my post each week. For deciphering my handwriting you deserve an award and for taking the time to type up these snapshots of my written letter you deserve another. Te amo!

This week was awesome! It was the best week in the field we’ve had for a lont time. It was also a good week in the office. With the workload being divided between Elder Murry and I, I have time to organize our work better and take some breaks during the day too. It’s nice.

I realize I use the word 'it' a lot as I write. Maybe it’s due to the lack I feel of it because there’s not an exactly equivalent word in Portuguese or maybe because it’s just so easy and itty. It. It. It. Kkkk! (hahaha!)

Wednesday we decided to pray before leaving the office and then analyze the map of Goiânia on the wall to see where we should go. We felt inspired to go to a certain bairro (a bairro is a small region of a city, Goiânia has a few hundred of them. It's comparable to a neighborhood, kind of, maybe.) and then to a certain road. We went straight there, and after knocking on doors for half an hour or so, we talked with a man returning home from work. We ended up talking with his young family for a while and marked to return and teach a lesson a couple of days afterward. Yesterday we had a great lesson about the Restoration with them, and they have a sincere desire to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if what we teach is true. We were surely guided right to them! There's hardly anything better than knowing the Lord is using me as an instrument to bring His Gospel to His children who are ready and waiting for it.

After two months of teaching Ítalo, who is really intelligent and knows the Bible well, he said in our lesson yesterday that he is convinced the Church is true. Que bênção! He understands the doctrine of the restoration and is developing his faith in the restored church. One of my favorite things on my mission is teach people who understand doctrine, are willing and open to learn more, and are diligently searching for the truth. Seeing him grasp the truths of the restoration of the gospel and the priesthood has been a wonderful experience.

Presidente Bührer walked into the office one day with açaí for us!!!!! It was incredible. Another day he walked into the office with root beer and dr. pepper for us! He had ordered a bunch online for his family haha. Working with him has been one of the greatest blessings of my mission, as was working with Presidente Kuceki. How I've been blessed!

It rained a lot this week, which was great because we had about 4 months without anything falling from the sky. It's helped cool things off a little too, although it's still quente demais. I guess it'd be best explained as "It's really, really, really hot here, but because of the recent rain it's only really, really hot now." I hope you guys are enjoying the cooling weather in the US! Que tenham uma semana abençoada.

Elder Anderson

Uma Transferencia Corrida

 Somos 3 no lan house agora!

 Eles continuam me zoando...

 Cake made by the famous E. Assunção

 Nossa! This was amazing

 Chimarrão

 Alllllllllll day

 Working hard (or hardly working...? haha!)

Almoço = Lunch

This week was just that—a busy transfer! We were in the office until late every day, and more than a few times we ran around like galinhas without cabesas. It’s Friday night right now and I’m excited for P-Day tomorrow so I can sleep a little (a lot).

I’m now training a new financial secretary—Elder Murry! For this transfer I’ll be in a “trio” with him and Elder Antumes. He’s already adjusting well. Ever since a few months ago I thought he would be the next one; I thought correctly, haha. He’s from Ohio and went to BYU for a year before his mission. We’ll both stay in the office the whole transfer, and I’m excited to get a lot of work done. As soon as he gets down the basic tasks, I’ll be able to focus on resolving tedious pending problems. Woohoo!

Portuguese is awesome!!! I just wanted to make that clear.

The great thing about lots of extra time in the office this week is that I was able to focus on completing my Harvard application. Two years after being declined I thought it was worth another shot. I have faith it will "dar certo!" (I’m very happy with the BYU option too of course).

Really this week was singly eventful. Outside of the transfer we didn't get a whole lot done. That's the way it has to be on transfer week! Anyway we're excited to resume normal work next week.

Here's a spiritual thought for the week: Moses 1:39. I'm really grateful for the inspired translation of the beginning of the Bible that Joseph Smith did. Just to have this verse it was worth it. "For behold, this is my work and my glory: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." I don't know if that's exactly how it is in English because I memorized it in Portuguese, but I think it's at least close. I'm really grateful that we know God's purpose—to help us become eternally happy. I'm also extremely grateful that He is so perfectly fulfilling it!

Elder Anderson

Que Semana Maravilhosa!

 Cutting my own hair: Before

 During

 After

 Elder Brandão na divisão

 Scrambled eggs and hot sauce—ótimo!

 CAIXA CHEGOU!!!!!!!!! (x4)

 Went straight for the good stuff

Letter from E. Nelson!

This week was otimo!!! There were a ton of good things that happened.

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS AWESOME!!! The Saturday afternoon session was the best I’ve ever seen in my life. What’s better than missionary work when on a mission—nothing! I left that session and went straight to the road absolutely fired up to invite people to hear the gospel and I talked to everyone I saw.  Man it was great! That session was a nitro-charged booster to my heart, might, mind, and strength that I was needing. I loved the Sunday afternoon session as well. Almost cried. Didn’t. I love you Mom! I think those might have been my favorite sessions because I watched them in English hehe.

I got a letter from Elder Nelson! He was one of my best friends from the MTC and had to return home because of a fractured wrist but was now reassigned to the Canada Toronto Mission. Good luck out there bro!

A caixa shegou! The package got here! The pictures will tell you that story. I love the pictures, candy, beef jerky!, letters, and dental floss (I was needing dental floss). I love you Mom, Dad, Dallin, Tyler, Heidi, Natalie, Katie, and Bryce! I miss you all!

I remember something funny from this week. It was from your email mom. You said that since Dallin left it’s “been real quiet with only 5 kids at home.” KKKKK! (Meaning hahahahaha in Portuguese) J

I read some scriptures this week that I really loved. The first was Titus 3:3-7. Go look it up! It will take 40 seconds and feed you spiritually for 4 hours. The second was Doctrine and Covenants 103:36. It’s short and I memorized it on Portuguese because that’s kind of my first language no. Good luck: “Toda vitoria e toda Gloria ser-vos-ao manifestadas por meio de vossa diligencia, fidelidad, e oracoes de fe.” There’s another 4 hours worth of spiritual…

…CHIMARRAO is an energizing, warming and nutritional tradition from the south of Brazil. We drink the hot herb-water about every day in the office. I sent a picture of it to you guys once. President and Sister Buhrer like it and have us a thermal garraga (I don’t know the best English word) so we could store and use heated water for the chimarrao all day long. It’s great and I want to take some back with me to the USA. 

Well, the time has come. President Bührer told me yesterday that the next transfer will be my last in the office. I'll train a new financial secretary and the return to the field. Woohoo! I'm excited. I've really loved my time in the office and am grateful for everything I have learned. I learned more in these months that will help me later in life than in any other equal period of my 19 years. I'll miss being close to Pres. Bührer but love working on the road and in homes all day. This mission is the best!

I love you all! Muito obrigado por tudo! 

Elder Anderson

Eleicoes!

 I'm using a faca because we don't have any colheres

 At church! (x2)

 Curti a camisa do Elder Assunção

 Bom dia, downtown Goiânia

 Some good comida Bahiana (x2)

 Com Elder Assunção!

 Mais pasta de amendoim integral!

 A letter I wrote for Elder Stafford to give to Eudes in Uberlândia

 Propagandas das eleições

 Papai Noel!

 Só zoeira com as letras magnéticas! kkkkkkkkk (x2)

Lanhouseando

Ta na hora para as eleicoes aqui em Goiania! It’s election time here in Goiania. The big thing here is running for “vereador” (city councilor). I’ve heard there’s over 700 candidates for the 35 spots (“spots” might not be the correct political term…I just don’t remember how to say that the best way in English”), and there’s tons of little campaign ads strewn across the sidewalks. I started a collection and in only two late-afternoons I’ve found about 50. The greatest one the other missionaries actually found for me; it says “Vereador Robert Papai Noel” or in English “City Councilor Robert Santa Claus” kkkkkk (meaning hahahaha). Vou incluir uma foto. Being that this blog is somewhat of a public platform, I think I should point out that I do not officially endorse any such candidate, even Santa Claus.

This was a cool week for a few reasons.

We started working in a new part of our area—Setor Central. It’s the very center of Goiania and although I had thought it’d be difficult, we’ve already found a good group of people to teach.

This week there was a leadership meeting and Elder Stafford, who’s now a zone leader in Uberlandia (in area Tibery! My second area), came. I had the chance to go on an exchange with him for almost an hour at the end of the day. We just walked around talking to people in the road. It was really great, and I learned a lot from him too. It was awesome counting our experiences that have happened since the day we left the Atlanta airport together.

At the beginning of the week I wasn't feeling great spiritually. I realized I wasn't working with real intent, wasn't really going 100%. When I came to fully realize that, I was sad. These are the only 2 years I have to fully dedicate my time to the Lord and I'm not fulfilling my calling to the highest degree. I realize I'm not perfect, nor does the Lord want me to be because I can't, but I can always strive harder, always. Thursday was one of the best days of my mission because I decided to try my absolute best all day. I loved it! Of course, I should have that attitude every day. I get close to being disappointed in myself when I realize that I don't have that 100% attitude 100% of the time, but I have to realize—and this is a hard thing for me to realize sometimes—that the pursuit of Christ-like perfection is lifelong. Certainly within in 2 years I won't even get close to reaching my full potential, even in 50! One thing I'm grateful to be learning here on my mission is that I don't need to expect perfection or even excellence from myself right now—the Lord knows we're so far from it that He gives us 80+yrs to work on getting a little bit close. Even then we can't. How much we need to rely on our Father in Heaven for our eternal progression and daily strength!

I'm so excited for general conference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love hearing the words from the living prophet and apostles. It'll start in about two hours here. Time has just absolutely flown since the last conference; I was in Araxá! Those were good times. We're going to bring a lot of investigators to watch conference too, which will be awesome. I hope you guys enjoy it as well! In English hahaha. I'll enjoy it in Brazilian Portuguese.

Elder Anderson