I'M IN BRAZIL!!!

Ahh, I have so so so much I want to tell you. Thank you for your e-mail mom. I got it. Also, thank you for that letter you had waiting for me here at the CTM. Everyone in my district was wishing their mom was as awesome as mine. I really needed to have that letter the first couple days here though because it was SO long and SO difficult. They throw you right under the bus, no messing around. Our second day here we were already teaching and praying in portugese. It's a beautiful language and I can't believe how much I know. My Spanish is incredibly helpful because we have only had one grammar lesson and that was after about a week of already using it. Sometimes I feel like I am sort of lazy because I already know so much about Spanish so I don't have to study as hard, but I'm working on being less prideful and more diligent. I'm in a trio of companions. Sister Robinson (left of Laurel) and Sister Jackman (right of Laurel) are both SO great. I really am so blessed, we all get along so so well. Sis. R knows even more spanish than me and has a real passion for grammar so she helps me a ton. Sis. J is the most loving girl ever and always giving compliments which is really needed because learning a new language is really discouraging. Sis. J is really loud like me and we like to talk a lot and Sis. R can barely get a word in sometimes, but she is the sweetest girl ever and when we get her talking it's great. We've all gotten really close already talking about boys and other things that sister missionaries like to chat about. All of the elders in our district are wonderful boys. They really look out for us sisters. All of the sister missionaries are absolutely wonderful as well. There are only about 30 sisters in the CTM so we all get to know each other pretty well. The other 4 who have P day today showed us around Sao Paulo and we got to know them really well. We went to the temple this morning and I love it so much. Really, it's more beautiful than I ever imagined. There is tons of stained glass inside and the Spirit is so wonderful. It's really the most beautiful experience to be in there with so many missionaries and just feel the same wonderful feelings that are in the temple at home. It was by far the spiritual highlight of the CTM so far and we get to go every week. The CTM president, President Degn, is wonderful. He spoke to us about the atonement and it blew my mind. He pointed out 4 kinds of grace we receive through the atonement and I was so enlightened. My teachers are both Brazilian, one is a girl, one is a boy, they each come half the day. They are wonderful. We have a good time in class and learn tons while feeling super uplifted. It's really a rollercoaster of emotion here. But I haven't cried so I know tha it's more good than bad.

Half the missionaries here in the CTM are Brazilian so we get to sit with them at meals and practice our portugese. Mostly they just repeat things a million times to me and then I stare at them blankly and laugh and attempt saying things. It's weird how even when we can't understand each other we still build friendships. They pronounce my name Sister Oo-Jee and I really love it. It's even begun to catch on with the Americans. One funny moment was when some Brazilians came into our classroom and we were sort of talking to them and everyone has blue dots on their nametag the first week so that if you break rules people will cut you some slack so the Brazilians labeled us smurfs. So a kid in our class is all "Somos smurfs" using the verb ser instead of estar meaning that we are permanantly smurfs rather than temporarily. The Brazilian elder laughed real hard at us. Nobody really understood what was going on until after, but I was cracking up. Which goes to show the lack of humor here in the CTM. It's pretty serious a lot of the time. I've began befriending all of the loud, funny, outgoing missionaries because I need an outlet. Gym is like the best time because I get to yell and scream. I didn't realize how much I like being loud. I also noticed I talk really loud when I speak portugese which is embarrassing because all the native speakers turn and look at me just to see who is screaming such terrible grammar. We spend basically our entire day inside our classroom. It's really small. I'm adjusting to it though. Sometimes we can go outside to study which is wonderful.

The highlight of my CTM experience so far was on Sunday. Not just because Sundeays are the absolute best days in the world and super uplifting and lots of free time, but because at the beginning of the devotional we sang the Brazilian National Anthem. BEST ANTHEM EVER!!!! Oh and the native elder sitting right behind us was BELTING it so loud and proud and I was crying I was laughing so hard. It was a party in a song. If you haven't heard it, go look it up on youtube right now. It was such a good experience and rumor has it we get to sing it every week. I can barely keep up, but I do the best I can. Just like every hymn we sing. It will come. Having patience with the language is what everyone tells you to do nonstop so I'm not stressed about it. I'll just study and it will come. I know it will.

Elder Adams who is in our branch presidency graduated from SUU!! I was so happy. Another sister went there too. Sister Stewart, she knows Sam Taylor & Loryn, we had a nice bonding moment making that connection. Another elder in my district went there too, but we don't have mutual friends. At least not that we've found yet. Oh and Sister Ball went to high school with Eric Jones and he taught her to kayak just like he taught me so that was so fun to talk about him. Lots of great reminders of people I love at home! I'm really excited for Dan to come. Half my district is going to Santa Maria so that will be great that they'll serve with him.

There are a bunch of senior couples who work in the temple that come here on sundays and are in branch presidencies at the CTM. That would be such an ideal mission. Spend the week 8 hours a day in the temple!!

I'm out of time but I love you so so so so much and Brazil is wonderful and I'm loving it more every day, but it's challenging for sure!

Love, Sister Laurel Udy