The real letter - Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thank you for your letters and support.  A mission changes a person.  I have barely been out here 2 weeks and yet I feel like my whole life has changed and that I am changing with it.

The big things happening here are that we finally have 2 progressing investigators.  We have 1 who was a referral and he is progressing super fast.  The other is a woman who was not progressing for a long time who finally went to church.  This is big deal for us and them, however I know that the lord put us in a place to teach and progress many more people.  Something I learned in the MTC was that the Sister Missionaries are way better missionaries than the Elders and that we need to work hard to get to where they are.

Even though I am still a newb, I have been trying to work with my companion so that we will follow the rules more closely and teach with more power, spirit, and love.  It is not easy to do.  I don´t know the language and all of the things I need to teach, and my companion has been out here for a long time and he knows the language and what points to teach but it will still take lots of work on both our ends to become master teachers.

Somethings I have learned.
1. Preach my gospel is incredible.  If I am able to follow that book and its teachings very closely I will have a good foot in being a missionary.  Only problem is that the book has so much information and so much skills to learn that I feel like it would take a lifetime to learn all of them plus I need to learn Portuguese.

2. The people in the world are prepared to receive the restored gospel but there are more distractions and reasons to say no than ever.  I think that many people think that happiness that they want will come through things like TV or other activities with no real value but to distract.  (Every one here no matter how poor has a TV and a cell phone)

3. The closer you follow the Missionary hand book in the mission the more preoccupied on good work you will be and the better you will feel through the day.  There is so much to do to just to prepare to teach others that if you don´t get yourself prepared and stay focused through the day on the gospel and helping others than it is easy to think about things with no meaning.  The rules were not given to us just for fun.

4. Brazilians are laid back.  This is both a blessing and a curse.  They will accept you in their homes but they don´t always feel like they need to change things in their life.

5. You can´t change just because you want to or that an experience will change you.  You have to act.

6.  Good mothers who have the gospel are essential for a house.  I have seen such diversity from the people who do not have the gospel in their lives to those that do and even similar in wealth people have totally different moods in their houses.

7. Parenting is a sacred calling and I am sad to see those who do not do as much as they could.  I am grateful for the great parents I have.

These are some things i have learned and there will be more things.  So much to learn.

Thanks for your support.  I will write you next week unless something unplanned happens.
I hope you enjoy the photos.  I will try my best to work hard and be a good missionary keep on supporting me. 

Love Elder Kramer

These are some cool photos of the places I have passed.  I work closer to the cities more densely populated than Cromwell in people per foot.  It is very interesting seeing the beautiful Brazil and then going to the cities an towns where they are not so nice.  The things of god and the things of man are totally different.

About the time I was not writting to you and some letters to members of the family - Tuesday, November 15, 2011

First of all it was great to hear about the family.  Great that Jefferson is back and that N´krysta is 17 years of age.  Crazy.  Glad for the letters and support.

It was a huge change from the CTM to the field.  CTM is how they do MTC.  In Portuguese they describe the object after they say what the object is.

Originally, the day before I left the CTM, I was supposed to go to the center of Sao Paulo and hand out Books of Mormon, however, instead we listened to a talk given by Elder Evans.  The talk was great because of the significance it gave to Missionaries and what we need to do.

The next morning we woke up at 3:40 a.m and left on a bus at 5 a.m to go to the airport.  I had my first taste of a real Brazilian public restroom.  They are not the nicest of places. 

When I arrived in Porto Alegre we were meet by the mission president and some missionaries.  I got to ride with a Elder Peterson who only had one day left on his mission.  He was awesome.  He became friends with he driver and got the drivers name and address in a matter of minutes.  We went to the mission office and dropped our stuff off and then went to a buffet to eat.  It was very nice to eat some good food and talk to Elder Peterson.  Lots of fun.  Afterwords we got our stuff, had some interviews and then left to the bus station.  I had a 4 hour bus ride to my first area called Bosque.  On the trip I learned lots talking to a Elder Black.  The big city our town is next to is called Passo Fundo.  After we arrived,  I met up with my new companion named Elder Cefalo.  We went to our apartment and then had my fist night in the field.  Our apartment was a lot cleaner than I expected most missionaries to have it but still not quite up to standards.  Our entire apartment is about the size of Mom and dad's bedroom.  The size is not that big of a deal but it makes some things difficult.  The way we live is closer to a weird combination of camping and living in a modern world.  The only hot water we have is from the shower and we are not really supposed to drink the water here.  We were given water bottles with filters in them at the CTM which makes us able to have water anywhere.  

 

My first day of actual work was a little strange.  We ate lunch with member (rice and beans is always at lunch.  lunch is the biggest meal of the day here.) and then we walked for a long time to go into another area to get to a bank.  My companion had a conference in Porto Alegre the next day and needed money.  So we got money and went and bought Bus Tickets.  That took up lots of our day.  We then went to teach some people.  I don´t really understand what the people say but I can get general meanings out of what they say.

The next day my companion left for Porto Alegre and I left with my new Temp Companion to his area which is 2 hours away from Passo Fundo to an even more remote random city.  I had a great time with him we arrived in his area and I was able to teach some English to some little kids during his English class at the church.

 

The next day (Elder Dowden) and I (November 11) went to a remote very poor town to teach.  This was one of the places with known "not good water".  It was a great day because the people there were actually interested in what we had to say and Elder Dowden is a great teacher.  He let me bear my testimony often and it was a good chance to get used to speaking with natives.

 

 

Saturday 12 -  I went back to Bosque.  For some reason when ever I am in our residence I get homesick.  I like going and working more than being in the apartment.  Around here we walk and walk.  Even though there are tons of people here it takes a long time to get from appointment to appointment.  We ended up walking around for  3 hours because all of the people we wanted to go see were busy or were not home.

Sunday 13- The building we go to is pretty old and they are supposed to fix it up in the near future.  The members are great and even though I really don´t understand them I know they are very kind and like missionaries a lot.

These last two days have been hard but are getting better.  The people here are very kind but they don´t like changing their ways.  We really don´t have any progressing investigators right now but we are trying to change that.  Hopefully things will get better on that part.  It the great work when me and my companion are doing the things we are supposed to.

This is pretty much what is on my mind now.  It was great to read all of your emails.  Always busy here.  I can´t wait to understand and speak the language. 

 

My scripture can be Alma 48:17 if you need a picture of me then hopefully one of those I sent you could work.  Maybe just crop it or something.

We are not really supposed to carry cameras around here just for safety reasons so maybe I won´t have as many pictures as I expected to have.  Who knows?  I still have 2 years.  Keep on praying to give me the strength to go throughout my day and be fully plunged into the work.  My area is super hilly and it is a workout.  L think David had something like that in the Canary Islands.

Love lots and I will keep sending you letters on P -days (Tuesdays for me) Love lots. (Tell grandpa thanks for the letters he sends me.)

Love Lots Elder Kramer

Hello the snow covered family - Tuesday, November 1, 2011

How is it going?

 

It was crazy to hear about the snow fall in October.  Things down here are not to bad.  Pretty nice weather.

 

It is great to hear about Jefferson coming home.

Almost out of the CTM, it is very exciting.  I didn´t realize about Nicole even putting in her papers. 

Do you know anything about Drew Owens going on a mission.  I thought I heard a rumour awhile back. 

 

Here has been lots of fun.  The food is great and the building is nice.  The showers are not that good and we need to conserve paper towels and water.

 

Inside the CTM we are cut off from the world.  I live on the 6 floor (really the 7th in America) you realize that there is much poor and much poorly built buildings.

 

This Monday we were able to go out and proselyte on the streets.  It was a great experience.  Next Monday we are going to go the the middle of São Paulo and do the same thing.  It sounds very exciting.  We are able to leave the CTM on P-days too around here.  I love talking to the Brazilians here and when they say I have great Portuguese but I really know they are just being nice.  It is interesting because our sacrament meeting is just in English and so is the temple in English to accommodate the missionaries from the United States.  The people who I have met here in the CTM are very friendly and all good people.

 

Only 6 days until I leave to the field!

 

I am very excited.  Not sure how it will turn out but it will be an experience.

 

Love

ELDER KRAMER