New companion

Welp, I gots me a new companion. Of course it´s my luck that he´s a native brasilian. There is good and bad in this. I only speak portuguese, day, night, always so that´s cool. I have trouble getting my mind going int he morning because I still dream in english for now, but I am learning a lot from him. The bad is that, like many new missionaries, I liked my trainer more. The cultural differences that are present are hilarious as long as I remember just to laugh, but really frustrating and annoying if I don´t remember that.

But I wanted to take the advice of David Scott and many others and just destroy my negative feelings toward him with service. So I woke up the first day and made him amazing banana pancakes, american style, with my precious store of real store bought mrs. butterworth´s maple syrup that I got out from another missionary. It´s approximately a year old, but it´s still got some flavor to it. but anyways, I made him a big ol´ pancake, cooked with love and lots of butter, with the perfect amount of sugary elixer, and he accepted saying ``oh cool, I´ll eat it soon.´´ Well he made some chocolate milk for himself, ate some bread and then stared at it for a while. It was cold by now. So he put it in the fridge. I ended up eating it that night because he was like ``oh I´m starving´´ and I responded with ``oh cool, you still have that pancake.´´ and he ate a slice of plain bread instead. It´s cool though because it was surpisingly good after a whole day in the fridge. The syrup absorbed in and crystalized a little. mmmm...

I am making a lot of french toast that he won´t eat too. And I decided this is actually such a blessing, because I get all the pancakes and french toast that I can make. I think I´m gonna make a thing kind of like flan too, but we´ll see if he´ll eat that.

It´s cool though because I am learning a lot about how to look to the best part of someone. I´ll ask him questions to break the silence like ``so what did you like to do before the mish?´´ and he´ll answer ``work.´´

``Oh cool, but what did you do with your friends...?´´ ``I don´t have friends. I work.´´

The thing he does like to talk about is when he might recieve a leadership position. Topic of choice for brasilian elders: how if you´re a leader your a better missionary. I thought about opening the scriptures to slam this concept, but whatever. No need. I can´t even hardly speak portuguese, let alone teach him life lessons. I´ll just continue to eat my pancakes. I am however reading the book that the church uses to help people with addiction recovery, ``he did deliver me from bondage.´´ I think it would be a testimony building for anyone, having an addiction or not, and being a member or not. It´s good for me because I´m addicted to not liking my companion, so I´m applying it as best as I can and trying to kick that habit. Let´s see what happens... haha.

But I am jealous of the Denmark gang. I was sure that I was going to serve up in that area, speaking ``blingen-blurgen´´ but whatevs. Brazil is honestly so fun. I read a scripture today that I can´t recall off the top of my head, but you guys can look it up. D&C 59:18-20. Talks about the stuff that we have here on the earth like the animals and the trees are here because our Father in heaven gave us stuff to please our eye, just so that we could be happy. I know that sounds really granola-ey, but hey that´s me sometimes. I went out to the anterior of the city to find a someone out into the jungle and it was soooo quiet. In the city something is always happening, but in the trees there was just me, my comp, and lots of cool stuff to look at. The earth is really such an amazing place that we don´t get to experience very much because we have a lot of stuff to worry about. Walking through that jungle and seeing people who don´t have a whole lot of worry even though they don´t have a whole lot of money was an interesting experience, especially because they make this really good juice out of sugar cane. Really, really tall sugar cane.

But anyways, love you guys. I hope someone sends me maple extract in abundance. For now I am using sweetened condensed milk, or home made caramel, or brigadeiro, or whatever else I think of / make. The people here are really cool. Everyonce in a while I teach someone or go out and find someone to help them, and the changes that occur are heart-deep. Their eyes have a new light. Who can really say, but I think I´m seeing life long changes. Keep it classy at home, and always remember, this is my hat now.

this is totally my hat.

I think I just ran over a small bus,
Scott