23 March 2010

Here is Jonathan's email from this week - Enjoy!

Subject: 2 weeks until transfers

Dear Family,

It sounds like Washington DC was great. Thanks for all the pictures. I am glad that Dad is back on his feet and that Remington made a few bucks selling the dirtbike. Not much has happened this past week.

I saw on the numbers that the 2 children of the family in my last area were baptized. All that is left now is the father, but he never really seemed too interested when I was there.

I have Sarah's christmas present. I just need to find time and figure out the best way to send it. I think that I will send 1 package home and then you can forward on her present. Do you guys want anything in particular from Brazil? Matt might be able to suggest some things for me to send also. It's exciting that Erin's baby is almost due again!

This past Sunday we went to the group meeting instead of the Hamburgo Velho ward. There were about 15 or 20 people there. I gave a short talk just saying who I was and where I was from and a little bit about how family prayer is important. Not much else happened this week.

The pictures:
One is of the bairro of Kephas

One is of the little boy that lives below us and always brings his toys up to our porch

[Apparently he didn't send this picture, though he thought he did?]

The last one is of me and this guy on the street that said he was a member. He was telling us a story about how he took on 40 people that were all trying to kill him, and that he killed them all and was only left with big scars on his left arm and 3 knife wounds on his chest right next to his heart. I don't know if it's true though. He said he also is an airplane pilot. I don't know if I believe that. He had a pistol on him, also. I didn't get a close enough look to see the make and model.

[And he didn't talk about this picture at all:]

Until next week!

Com amor, Elder Steele

9 March - Ola

Dear family,

This week has gone by pretty fast. Dad - i´m still not bumping 1/4 yet. I just barely pushed 1/8th. We have zone conference tomorrow which should be fun. My area is actually called hamburgo velho not novo hamburgo velho. Novo hamburgo is the name of the city though. The ward and the group meet at the same time. I haven't been to the group yet but this sunday I think we are going to do splits during church and I will go to the group. Thats great that you have had a break in the weather. Its been really hot here lately. I think in the 80's or 90's. The time is starting to fly. What room is liz taking when she moves home? Thats exciting that matt and erins family's baby is almost here. To answer matts question - I have a cell phone, and we walk everywhere here. Our house is in another area too, so every morning and every night we walk almost 2 kilometers to our area. I don't think I could do that preaching on the bus. I might start laughing and no one would take me seriously. See if you can make your visual aids the size of a Book of Mormon. It is nice to be able to leave them inside of my scriptures or inside of the lesson pamphlet. Good luck to zach on the interview. I will be praying for him. How is liz doing? Has she moved home yet? Mom - Maybe if you could fit could you get me a pair of size medium basketball shorts. I gave away my other pair in the CTM and they only have weird ones here. How is grandma and grandpa doing. I dont think I have heard from Grandma jeusky either. Send me an update.
Its 6 30 here and I have to go now. I will try to write a little longer next week. I love you all.

com amor,

Elder Steele

2 March Email

The following is an email sent 2 March:

Don't have much time to email at all today. I have been transferred to Novo Hamburgo Velho which covers 2 areas (novo hamburgo velho and novo hamburgo campo bom). Campo Bom has been closed for a few months due to a shortage of missionaries in our mission. The bus ride was 2 hours to the Rodoviaria (bus station) and then about an hour to novo hamburgo. Our area covers the hamburgo velho ward and the campo bom group (30 or so people i think.) I don't know how long I will be here for. My last companion, Elder Green, stayed in Canela to train an Elder Lynn who is the brother of another elder in our mission. We walk a lot. During transfers I got some of the remnants of the packages that were sent to the CTM for me. Please send my thanks to Chuck and the Ward primary for those (the CTM gave all of the edible items to the Americans there). I don't know how long I will be staying here for. The next transfer only ends in a week. My companion is Brazillian and his name is Elder L. De Oliveira. He is from natal. He has been a little slack the past 3 days but i think we will change that soon. anyway my time is up here at the LAN house. I will respond to your emails next week. Thanks though.

Tchau, Love you all

23 February

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been busy. During the week of 23 February, Jonathan spent his online time emailing Remington back and forth. He did respond to a personal email of mine as well. The following is an email from my mom from that week:

Hi Everyone,

Jon did not send us an e-mail this week, instead he spent over an hour e-mail/texting Remington. It is a slow process - and we know how talkative boys can be .... ;-)

Here are a few things I found out. Transfers are on Friday. Jon currently only has one companion, as his other companion had an emergency transfer to buenos aires, where Jon thinks another Elder who came into the Porto Alegre Mission the same time he did, got homesick, and went home.

Jon just got his hair cut. They also had a time change, so he is only 2 hours ahead of us, and when our time changes, he will only be 1 hour ahead.

And here is the personal email he sent me that week:

We had a Family night yesterday with the branch president and some other families in the ward. It was about choices and was really good. Choices in life are really important. They have mardi gras here to. Its called carnival and is way bigger than in the states. they party really hard in the northern parts of brasil though. When will you finish your masters? i have 25 min left at the lan house if you want to chat.

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