Hiyah from São Paulo, Brazil.

The CTM (that's portuguese for MTC) is huge, and crazy. Apparently it's one of the largest LDS buildings outside of the states. Cool Beans right?

Anyway, I officially know that prtuguese is a real pain to learn. Four years of Spanish kind of helps, but it is also the opposite. Basically, portuguese is a french style of Spanish, and it is a completely different way of pronouncing practically every letter. The way they teach is interesting too. Just in this first week my companion and I have learned to pray, bear our testimonies, and we have taught two investigators. Que legal! (How cool!) The atmosphere here is really an interesting one. You are surrounded by hundreds of people from several countries, all speaking different languages, but all coming for one purpose: to preach the word of God unto the nations and bring others closer to Christ.

I'm going to skip the 10 hour flight stories and save you the trouble. When I got here, it didn't feel any different from Colorado. Turns out, this is one of the hottest and dryest winters in Brazil. So naturally it is about twenty degrees hotter and alot mioster than when I arrived. :T' <- Sweaty Emoticon. São Paulo is quite incredible. The city is gigantic and there are high rises as far as the eye can see, even when in flight. The driving is probably the only thing that makes me realize I'm in another country. As you go down the road, you will hear alot of quick horn honking, which means that someone is switching lanes abruptly. Essentially, it's like blaring your horn, turning into the next lane and hoping nobody hits you as you do this. Another thing, which may or may not be true, I heard that if you hit a pedestrian with your car, it's not punishable by law unless you stop. Thus, cars naturally have the right of way on all streets. Imagine that.

Anyway, I, a lowly servant of the lord, am toiling away in study and prayer in order to better prepare myself to teach with confidence and knowledge, and do it in Portuguese. I only get 30 minutes to write here at the CTM, so I'll say just a few more things. One is that the Brazil national Hymn sounds so much cooler than ours, and I'm officially adopting it, even though I have yet to understand the lyrics. >:D Two is taht prayer and study, when combined are a true force that can build upon the very foundations of your education. Finally, Charity is everything. Without Christlike love for one another, we become nothing but creatures destined to thrive in sorrow or greed for the rest of our lives.

Thanks for all the prayers and the help you all have given me.

Sincerely Elder Angus.

P.S. Postage trakes 2 weeks+ to get here so DON'T send letters. E-mail me. But if you do send letters, send them to my mission address instead of the CTM, otherwise they will be returned if I've already left for the field. :'(