16 February Pictures

Here are some pictures that Elder Steele sent with his email this week!

16 Feb Email

Dear Family,

That's exciting that Hunter found my iPod. I was scared that I wouldn’t have it for when I come back.. It sounds like you were all having a fun, exciting weekend.

I want to let you all know that MyLDSMail was just upgraded and is now using Google’s email servers. I can (and could before) receive pictures and short video clips of the family. My inbox has something like 8 GB of storage so don’t worry about how many you send.

That is exciting that Logan got his ears pierced and that Delila is coming soon. Erin and Matt: I think it's weird that you are naming all your children after top songs. Don't you know that no one will remember the songs in 10 or 20 years (under my umbr-ella-ella-ella-ella + Hey there Delila).

This week was good. I took a two-hour bus ride to Caxias yesterday to go on divisions with the Zone Leaders. It was a good experience. The language is coming. Transfers are the Friday after this Friday. Maybe I will get a Brazillian companion. Maybe I will stay with my American here in Canela. I am pretty sure that we won't stay as a trio. That will be nice because sometimes both of my companions always walk really slow.

Carnival is big here in Brazil, but not that much in the south. They have the Olympics here, but the members don’t always leave the TVs on during lunch so we haven’t seen it much.

Mom: I think you said you were getting a package ready. Maybe you could send some maple extract. I will try to think of some other things if you still haven’t sent it by this next week. Could you look around for a quad set in Portuguese with a nice leather case? Maybe similar to the set I have now in english would be nice. I don’t know if they have them though.

Well I need to go now. I will send you a more updated email next week and spent less time on the pictures. I love you all. Have a great week.

Tchau,

Elder Steele

Cinnamon

This is last week's email. Sorry for the delay in posting... Hopefully we'll get another tomorrow!

Things are going great. The time keeps moving faster and faster. I hope to let you all know that I am already 10% of the way through my mission. But don’t worry, I’m not trunky. I feel pretty settled in already. This transfer already ends in 2 more weeks, which is really crazy (we have a 5 week transfer once a year).

Matt: The vocabulary can be difficult at times but I am almost able to understand about 50% of what people say. That's good enough right… Thanks for the advice about living with a companion. I know that I will have to save that for later. The chimmarroa is pretty good here. It's like the chimmarroa capitol of the world. I have all my own equipment. It was about 20 reais for all of it (13 or 14 american). We have some terere also that my companion had, but we just ran out and it’s hard to find here. I like it better cold and sweet. Haven’t been to a churrascaria for churrasco yet.

The first Sunday was great in the new building. The AC in the chapel is really nice. I think some of the members will dress warmer next week.

Mostly everyone here is white. You can probably find the percentages online somewhere.

We just buy bananas. Maybe when I get a brazillian companion he will be able to show me what is good.

MYLDSMail send me an email this week letting me know that they are upgrading their email client and using Google's servers. This will be good because the current email client doesn’t work that great.

They don’t have acai much here. It’s more from the north. Antarctica is my favorite brand of guaraná. I have heard of this brand called Guaraná Jesus. They only sell it in Rio. It’s supposed to be really good, though. They don’t have many street vendors here.

When you say that Hunter's iPod was stolen at Bristol last week you mean that my iPod was stolen at Bristol last week.

I don’t know what churches are really popular here.

Thanks for the recipes Erin. Its quarto e meia right now (4:30). I think I am currently 3 hours ahead of you.

I have tried cervada. It tastes like Corn Pops. I think it's made from the same plant. We give it to people so they will stop drinking coffee. Some like it, some don’t. I think that it tastes pretty good.

Savannah: Thanks for the email! Ask me more questions so that I can answer them. Good luck managing all your time. Try to have some fun once in a while

Mom: I already have all the hymns in Portuguese, as well as the Primary songs. Also, we get the Ensign here. You could send me some CDs. I haven’t gotten any packages. Do you know what the verdict was on the 2 that arrived to the CTM? I would like a Rubik's Cube. Some of the bus rides are really long here.

They have about 10 areas shut down because of the shortage of Elders here. We have a district here with 3 branches. I don’t work in the next town over, known as Gremado. That's a bigger town than Canela and is one of the biggest tourist towns in the south of Brazil. My time is up on the computer. I miss you all and love you.

Tchua – Elder Steele

Week Two

Hey family,

Glad to know that my packages arrived last week to the CTU. I don’t have any friends in the CTU that I can think of right now except for Aaron Swenson, but I do not know if he is there or in Provo. I know of one missionary there that will be coming to my mission and I would be able to get my packages as long as they got to the mission home. His name is Elder Bostrom. I only spoke with him once though. You be the judge as to whether to have them mailed back to yourself or given to the missionaries at the CTM. I don’t even know what was in them or who sent them.

I hope that your snow show this weekend goes great. Thanks for getting my Income Taxes all prepared. I took out around 150 reals from my debit card because I hadn’t received any money on my mission debit card because they weren’t expecting me here. All is well now. Let me know if you want me to send you anything from Brazil. Supposedly they have the 2nd best chocolate in the world here.

That’s exciting that the snow has been good so far this year at Bristol. Is the new chair lift up and running yet? It’s been pretty nice here the past 2 weeks. Only today and yesterday were a little warm. I like both of my companions a lot. They both like to work and my trainer is great. It’s hard having 2 English speaking companions as a language aspect but I feel I am learning more about the mission from them, being able to talk to them in English, than I would from having a Brazilian companion.

Hunter – that’s exciting that you’re having a good time on the slopes. When I get back you’ll almost be able to drive. That will be cool. Maybe you will pose a challenge for me on the ski slopes. Keep practicing.

Madison – Glad you got over the stomach flu. Being sick is never fun. That’s great that you can have fun swimming without your asthma getting in the way.

Canela is great. The president of the branch is really great here and he likes to help out with the missionaries a lot. He is only 25 too. The baptisms last Sunday were great. We ended up baptizing 4 new converts. My companion Elder Green said that it was the most people he had seen in white on his whole mission because there was also one member of the ward being baptized. The fifth baptism that we had planned for last Sunday was moved until next Sunday. We invited members of the ward to baptize all of the new converts to help strengthen their new membership.

I haven’t tried the chocolate yet. I think the name of the famous chocolateir here is Florybal.

We have about 90 active people in the ward. I get fed rice and beans and meat and Coke or Guaraná almost every lunch appointment.

Mom – That’s exciting that you have a teacher to help your work load as a seminary teacher. I am glad all of Grandma’s grandchildren are all coming out to help her out with her back pain. I hope that it can get easier for her. The food here is great, a lot better than the CTM. I haven’t had any Churrascaria yet but I think that the president of the branch is going to make some the next time we have lunch with them.

Erin – Last weekend was pretty packed. We spent a lot of time helping the president of the branch out with the new chapel and with the open house. The dedication was good. We still had church in the old rented apartment they had it at before. But next week will be nice. The chapel even has A/C! I am glad that Ella is learning to talk. Do you know that Ella means She or Her in Portuguese. Probable Matt named her that so that he would never forget. I am excited that when I return Ella will be 2 more years older than she was when I left and Delainey will be almost 2 também.

Matt – I can email you next week; send me a reminder email so that I can remember to do that next week. Thanks.

Anyways, this week has been great. We taught 19 lessons this week.

Mom or Erin – could you get me some recipes like crepes and other things that I could make for breakfast. We have an oven and stove and blender and lanche maker (a little sandwich grille thing). I made some crepes this morning which were good, but I just kind or threw some things in. I think that I am going to but a CD player next transfer or this transfer unless you sent me an iPod. I heard a rumor from Rem before I left that you were going to send me one. But if not I think CDs will be better because you can then just burn me cool CDs and send them to me fairly easily or even email me music and I might be able to burn them to CDs here.

Anyways I got to run. Next week I will send you an email when I get on so maybe we could email live for a little bit. I am not able to use any other email platforms or programs though. Tell Rem and Rose that I said Parabens on turning 17. Tell Grandma Edie and Grandpa Gerry that I said hello also. Wish her a happy birthday for me. I love you all. Tchua!

Com amor,
Elder Steele

P.S. - This week is a 5 week transfer.