Cool Events...No pics...

Family and Friends,

So I did some really cool things this week and took a lot of photos, but the computer that I’m using right now isn’t reading my card and I don’t want to pay more to use another machine. But I had a good Christmas. Well, it was really Christmas just to me, because nobody was celebrating it. But at least I got to talk to you guys, and that was awesome! I made a short Christmas video and took some pics as well. I would like to give a shoutout to all the people that sent me stuff. The Howards, The Gilleys, the Baums, Nana and Pops, Nana Raine and Pops Ralph, Aunt Carolyn, the Kelly’s, and aaaaalllll the letters from the family! Thank you so much!

This morning we went to some caves with really big Mineral crystals, cool lights and really cool other structures, along with some Nephite writings. A lot of really cool photos. I will definitely send them next week. We took some other Elders in our zone too. Cool experience.

I am happy to hear that everyone had a good Christmas. I am so happy to know that next Christmas I will be home with you guys.................. AND THERE BETTER BE EGG NOG!!!!!!

At least I don’t feel entirely away from the cold weather. I happened to pick up a head cold in these past few days.

Anyways, I love and miss you guys!!!!

Feliz Ano Novo!!!! Eu Amo vocês!!!

God Speed

Elder Smidt X

Don't you want a little taste of the glory?

17-12-2012

Oh Mylanta!! This week has been nuts! But before I explain, let me resolve all of the questions and doubts.

First off, Coley and Jason will not have a boy, nor a girl. It will be a man just in a babies form, but he will be advanced with a full grown handlebar mustache, already wearing a Harley Davidson leather vest.

As for the Christmas call- Mom and Dad, you guys need to call me at this number: 37-3774-5048, and I’m pretty sure you need to put a 55 in front of the whole number for it to reach Brazil from the States. You will need to call me at 4 o'clock my time. The call can only be 40 minutes. My companion will be talking from 3 o´clock until 3:40. Next p-day will not be on Monday, it will be on Christmas day. I hope that I will also get to email you guys along with the call, but that is if we can find an internet café open.

Nice warm, balmy climate? Not quite mom, but nice try. I would take snow any day over this. But its all good.

This week there will be no pics because I forgot my camera, but my camera that I got is really nice. At least I think it is. The lady gave me a 150 reais discount which is like 75 dollars. It is a Sony, with Carl Zeiss lenses and a large LCD screen and 14.4 mega pixels. It seems really nice. Black and sleek. Has a lot of really cool features too.

Mom, I don’t really like to talk too much about the number of Baptisms I’ve had because in some areas its a lot and for other missions it is close to none. So I know that by saying my numbers I will either look like a rookie or I will look like I’m boasting. But thankfully with the Lords help, I have brought 24 people now unto the waters.

Well, let me explain why this week has been so crazy! First of all, Elder T Santos and I were able to bring 9 people to the Sacrament meeting this last week and we had 4 baptisms planned for this upcoming Sunday. Would be sweet, right? 4 baptisms right before Christmas? Yeah, I was excited, but then yesterday, I received a call from the President asking how the work was going here. I told him that Elder Santos and I were really starting to pick things up, and that my companion was finally adjusting to the mission. But the whole time I was talking to him I was nervous, because the President only makes personal calls for "big deal" things; usually it’s bad news. If it’s ever normal news, the Zone leaders call us to tell us something. Anyways, the president congratulated me on my work and then told me that he felt I needed to be called as Zone Leader. I accepted my calling humbly and almost didn’t sleep at all last night. I was up till 11:30 pm packing my stuff, and I left to catch a bus this morning heading to Belo Horizonte at 5 am. My new companion is Elder Cansino and we are both the Zone Leader's here for 28 missionaries. Everyone has been telling me that its really rare to be called to Zone  Leader with only one year on the mission. All of the District Leaders here have more time than me on the mission. There are over 150 missionaries on the mission and 16 zone leaders, or 8 companionships. I do not say this to brag at all, rather I say all this to let you know how unprepared and inadequate I feel, and how much I am in need of your prayers.... right now....

My new area is Sete Lagoas (seven lakes) and is sooo beautiful. There are palm trees everywhere and a lot of lakes. There are 7 big lakes, but also a lot of small lakes or big ponds everywhere. But it is surprisingly not too humid. I think that I am going to like it here. 

I have to go, but I love you all and miss you a ton.

I love you guys a bunch!! Until next week!!!

God Speed,

Elder Smidt X

Year One...

10-12-2012

Well, this Friday, I will have done it. My one year mark. I really wanted to think of something clever to write like a lot of missionaries do for their one year mark. After much thought and effort, this is what I came up with...

.....

It turned out that I wasn't able to come up with anything clever. To tell the truth, this week doesn't feel all that different to me. It just feels like another week doing the same things: no extra privileges, no parties, no celebrations, except for one thing. Some immature missionaries like to burn a tie or a shirt or something childish like that. I decided to do something a little more manly and went boar hunting in the jungle, where I caught myself a prize winning 213 pound hog using sheer strength, speed, and intelligence. Then I skinned it with my bare hands.

Things are going good with my new companion. Sometimes he is a little slow to accept feedback, but we are starting to really pick things up. We both tend to laugh a lot which is good.

FYI- I'm cool with whatever for the Iron Man. I just want to make sure that the Family Reunion works out.  

This week we heard gun shots really close to us. The first time, we were walking down an Alley and were called by a lady to come and enter into her house. Not a few minutes later, somebody was shot in the alley. The other instance, we were in our apartment about to leave and I decided to use the bathroom real quick before we left. While I was in there, we heard gun shots. Somebody got shot and died right in front of our apartment; both instances could have been us. I'm grateful that it wasn't. I told my companion that I had never had anything like that happen to me yet, I told him that he was cursedJ. But the crime rates here are rising fast, I don't know why. So, what did I do? I got to preaching MORE about the Book of Mormon. I even went up onto a bridge and called the people unto repentance, then as they were getting ready to shoot me, I pulled off a "Samuel the Lamanite" move, and hop skipped out of there.

Yesterday was testimony meeting in church (since the week before we had a Stake conference) and it was really good. We brought a family that really liked it. But during the meeting, it sounded like a McDonalds Play House because of how noisy the kids were. So I went up there and bore my testimony about how grateful I am to be able to participate in the sacrament meeting every week, and to feel the presence of the holy ghost, and then I told everyone that there are other people that feel the same way and look forward to the meeting every week. Then I said that we need to maintain this sweet spirit and have reverence, and we need to control our little ones and have them focus as well. After that it was quiet….but I don't think I was the popular one, nobody talked to me afterward... Oh well, I couldn't deny that impression I felt!

I am missing snow right now almost more than anything else!!!

I love you and miss you all!

God Speed!

Elder Smidt X

New Companion...

3-12-2012

Family,

Why is Griffin such an idiot? He doesn’t even ever eat the Twinkies, he just hides them from me until it’s too late. By the way, I got the Baum’s package this week and I ate the air heads and the pop rocks, but I am waiting to open the other things. Can’t wait. My companion thought that the pop rocks were very interesting. He had never seen or heard of pop rocks before. Like I said, having pop rocks here in Brazil is about as cool as the cats pajamas.

Happy Birthday Bret! I hope you have a wonderful day and that you send me a piece of cake... I wish I could say I’m just kidding, but that would be lying.

I freakin almost DIED when you were talking about how you smoked a turkey this year, and then when you were talking about ribs, that did it for me. GAME OVER!

From what I’ve seen on cameras here, (I have only looked at one store) it would be 250 US dollars. I’m sure I could find one cheaper though, maybe not. Let me know ASAP.

Yes, I got a new companion, my first Brazilian companion that is taller than me. His name is Elder T. Santos. Fresh!!! Greenie! I’m training this young scally-wag to be an awesome missionary. He is really nice, eager about the work, and funny, just has a lot to learn. We are still in the same area and I feel I could be staying here for a while.

Saturday, I got hit with a high fever of 102.8 degrees. I wasn’t feeling a little bit in the dumps, I felt like the dumps where shoved into my head. Luckily it was only in the head, no vomiting or anything. That morning when the alarm clock went off for the other Elders in our house (I had been lying in bed awake waiting for them because I couldn’t sleep) I immediately asked for a blessing. I was given one but Sister Fortunato wanted me to go to the hospital in Belo Horizonte, so we went there, but by the time we arrived my fever was almost completely gone. That doesn’t happen people. That was priesthood power in action! I just hope that the president didn’t think I was just trying to get out of work. 

Nossa, only eleven more days until I hit my half way mark. Its crazy to think about.

Dad, your letter also just about killed me off, all this stuff is sounding so exciting, its like playing candy land.... don’t know where I was going with that one, but let’s just say that it is one sweet, sweet ride my friend.

I can’t wait to hear your guys voices here in a few weeks!

Love you all!

God speed

(Pics: Thanks giving meal! me playing with some neighborhood dogs that follow us around EVERYWHERE)

Elder Smidt X