August 27th

( Last week James mentioned that Elder Holland was coming to speak at the MTC.)

Elder Holland's talk was really good!

 

He began saying "bom dia... Todo bom?.... muito bom...... maracuja (a fruit)..... guarana (a brazilian soda).... Don't tell me i don't know how to speak Portuguese" He didn't even speak on his original talk, but just "went where the spirit told him to go" as he said. He talked a lot about how we need to put everything we have into our missions and they will be sacred. We need to give so much to the lord and the people that we are "leaving our missions on a stretcher with tears in our eyes that we have to leave." he also talked about how this is the country for our spiritual birth and how we will forever look back on our missions for the rest of our lives. He talked about how every single one of his blessings in his life right now can be linked back to his willingness to serve a mission.

He even asked "In our purpose as missionaries, what does it mean when it says "invite others?" Of course I raised my hand and i said that it is for everyone. He said "yes!!" very loudly and then went on like a 20 minute tangent about how the story of Jesus teaching the woman at the well and the story of Jesus Christ teaching the Jewish priest (or someone else of high importance) are right beside each other in the bible. Overall, it was a good and typical elder Holland talk with a lot of crying, some jokes, and a lot of screaming, yelling, telling us (very loudly) that this is as close to real life as we get.

 

YEP! I am so excited to leave on Tuesday and actually go out into the field. A lot of people who have to fly again to different parts of Brazil are waking up at like 2 and 3 in the morning, but  my mission home is like a 3 hour bus ride from the MTC. 

I don't know what time I will be waking up, but it will be much later than that. My roommate is awesome. He's really quiet, but he's not stuck up at all. He laughs when we laugh and he has fun. He is fluent because he already spoke Spanish, which helps a lot. 

 

I don't know if i will get a p day next week because in the mission field,  p days are on Monday and I will be leaving on Tuesday. But the next time that I email i will try and attach photos and i will give you my new address!!

 

Love, Elder Moss 

August 20th

. The Book of Mormon experience was awesome! So much fun. Sao paulo is so cool, Brazilians are just so nice in general. Total, my companion and I gave out 4 Book of Mormons, 6 pass a long cards, and like 6 gospel pamphlets on the restoration and the plan of salvation. Some people turned and walked away faster when they saw our name tags, but most people were very receptive. It was really cool to see that real brazilians who spoke fluent portuguese all their life understood me, an american who has only spoken portuguese for 4 weeks. CRAZY. At the end of the outing, a group of high school girls (Brazilian) walked passed us screaming and holding up hand hearts yelling "AMERICAN BOYS WE LOVE YOU AMERICAN BOYS" in broken English haha. #Fangirling.

 

Anyways, we only have 2 weeks left in the CTM. There are 5 Americans who only have one. They have been here the longest, but after them, we have. I don't feel like I know enough to be some of the oldest and most experienced people here.

 

Our roommates left on Monday. People who show up already speaking fluent Portuguese only stay here for 2 weeks then they leave. Both English and Spanish speakers learning Portuguese stay here for 6 weeks, even though the Spanish speakers pick up on it much more quickly.

 

The weather is starting to get warmer!! its actually pretty hot outside right now. Nights are still kinda cold, the buildings here dont have built in heat, only ac.

 

I am so excited for tomorrow. Usually we have a devotional on Sunday and on Tuesday, but they canceled the devo for yesterday and put in on the schedule for Thursday -- Elder Jeffery R Holland is in Brazil and wants to come speak here. so tomorrow my companion and I will get front row seats to hear him speak! My companion plays the piano a lot at devotional so we just sit upfront all the time now. Afterwards, he will have a question and answer, then go around shaking hands with every missionary here. I am pumped

 

I am also pumped to get out of the mtc in two weeks. Its getting easier to speak, but I really just want to get out into the field. After giving out those Book of Mormons, I am so excited to actually start teaching investigators and getting to know the people of Brazil.

 

Love Elder Moss

August 13th

 It has been pretty uneventful here. I don't know the language as well as I would like, but I am getting there. We go to the temple every p day and we just got back.

 We got a new elder in our district so I didn't have to have 2 companions any more. It is much easier and so much more fun.  The new elder is really cool. He gets along with everyone and is a nice addition to the group. He is from Northern Virginia so we have another non-Utah Mormon in our group (not that there's anything wrong with Utah).

 Another week has come and gone.  Tomorrow we go to the police station to register with the police and then Friday we go out onto the streets and give away Book of Mormons to people in a park. I think we have like 1.5 hours to give away 2 books per missionary. 

It's odd seeing everyone that was here when we got here leave to go out into the field. That makes us the older people here that all the really new missionaries look up to. Its kind of stressful because our entire day is planned for us, and then they expect us to do all of these assignments in our "free time." I'm making it though. I wish I were just out in the field already. The MTC is fun, but at this point I feel like I will just learn everything faster and easier out there in the field. I have been talking with some temple workers, and they said Piracicaba is a really nice city with a lot of retired people. 

 

Anyways, not much is happening here. The weeks are starting to fly by--one p-day at a time. I hope everything is going well with Robert! tell him I said Good luck! 

Love, 

Elder Moss

August 6th

Life is cool here. It's a little chilly at night, and really hot during the day. So on p day, we go to the temple, then we email family and friends, and we also get to just walk around sao paulo (within the boundaries) and it is soo cool! you can get anything and everything for half the price of its american equal. Drivers here are ridiculous though. Its scary just crossing the street. Cars don't stop. buses don't use their breaks, and motorcycles just drive where ever they please.

 

We get a new companion today in our district, which means that I will only have one! because we had an odd amount of people, I have had two, which is harder because I have to follow two people around instead of just one.

 

Anyways, I wrote letters today and I will send them out in a few hours. I will reply to any letters I get in the mail! I figure if someone is taking time to write to me and think about me, I can do the same :)

 

Keep me updated on the puppies!!!

 

I am excited to eat dinner tonight, because the same with every Wednesday, its Pizza night!!!!!

 

Love Elder Moss