Monday, September 26, 2011

First Letter from Vitoria

September 26, 2011

Dear Mom,

Well, first off I’m in Rio de Janero in a city called Campos. It is 5 hours away from Vitoria by bus. It was pretty exciting and I’ll share my first day experience. I woke up at 4:45 to get ready and weigh my bags. We took the bus to go to the airport. We got to the airport and I called you. Then I got on the airplane fly to Vitoria. It took 1 hour; they fed us breakfast, which was weird. I was like - the plane flight is an hour long – freak! We landed and we walked off the runway and in to the airport. In the airport were four missionaries waiting for us. Elder Hill, Elder Leo and Elder Barr and one other. I can’t remember his name. They were smiling. I was like- “thank you”. People don’t smile in the MTC. It’s a depressing place! But Elder Hall is from Lindon, Utah; Elder Barr from Texas; and Elder Leo is from Brazil somewhere, but was born in Italy. He speaks Portuguese, Italian and English, crazy. But then we drive to a chapel where we wait outside for like 10 minutes and then the doors open and out walk 5 trainers and the Mission President and his wife. We all hug, and we have no clue who our trainers are, but anyway we go in to a meeting, we get our mission credit cards and all this stuff and then we eat lunch. Lunch is amazing here! I’m in love with it! I can’t get enough. We secretly plan our day out so we are at member’s houses at night time, because they love to feed us.

But anyways, then we have interviews with President. He speaks little to no English, but he asked me, “Elder Pellegrini, are you keeping the commandments?” I said, “Yes”. “Is there anything you need help with?” I said, “No”. “OK, I’ll see you in Campos on the 12th of October for zone meeting”. OK, then we found out where our areas are. I’m in Campos. It’s in the very south of our mission. Me and Elder Tanner are pretty close. He is right across the bridge from me. Then we go to the bus station. We are told not to tell anyone where we’re going. I was like alright. Then we got in to a huge group of missionaries and started yelling the mission song, which is pretty cool. But then they announce the trainers and new missionary companionships.

Elder Hansen is my new companion. He is from Southern California - Moreno Valley- he is pretty cool! But he goes to some gay college in Southern Utah, it’s called like some gay name. I think its Southern Utah University. Ya, he goes to SUU. He went there my senior year in high school. Crazy right? But anyways, he only has 3 transfers left, so I told him to come to your house for Sunday dinners.
Our house is ghetto, but I’ve learned to love it! We have a ward here. It is pretty nice. The members are awesome, except a guy told me yesterday he was going to gut me if I didn’t learn Portuguese soon. All we do is walk by the way. I’ve taken one bus and that was coming to Campos. We walk everywhere except we are in a rich ward and we get a lot of rides too. I got one blister this week, no big deal!
I love everyone I meet here. We have been teaching a lot i guess. I don’t know what a lot is, but we clap doors a lot. We had no investigators when we got here and we had to start from nothing. We didn’t have a ward list, we didn’t have any numbers and I don’t know Portuguese. That’s a problem!

Mail can’t come to the house. It goes to the mission home and every time we have a zone conference or something I get it. The reason Elder McBarron lives really close to Vitoria like 5 minutes, so he just gets it when ever. Dad I watched your thing loved it and thank you love you guys! Talk to you next week! Keep reading and loving the gospel!!!!

Love,

Elder Pellegrini

Monday, September 19, 2011

September 14, 2011

Dear family,

Well, last P-Day at the MTC. It is pretty crazy, but I’m excited to be out of here. Well you asked some questions so here are the answers:

1. Elder Tanner is pretty cool. He is a really fast learner, unlike me. So I’m struggling, but it’s OK. We are finally getting good at teaching together and now in 6 days we won’t be together anymore.

2. The people in my district are:

a. Elder Furrows - Roberts, Idaho
b. Elder Brown - Salt Lake City
c. Elder Tanner - Seattle
d. Elder Litchfeild - Oregon
e. Elder Hill - Bayside, California

3. I leave on Tuesday, sometime in the morning. I find it out on Monday in an all Portuguese meeting. So we will see how that goes. Oh, also I don’t want to get mine or your hopes up or anything, but you might be receiving a call from me early Monday morning.

4. I play volleyball everyday I dominate it pretty much.

5. (What do you do on P-Day?) We go to the temple, we go to the candy store, we go to the post office, that’s about it.

6. My branch president is President Woffinden. He is from Orange County and he is pretty cool. He is on his 3 year of a 2 year mission call (mom note: I wonder if that is the 2nd year of a 3 year mission call).

7. I really like the people who left 2 weeks ago that’s where Elder Clive was and he is super cool. He goes to BYU. But I also like the district who got here right after us, they are awesome.

8. What I would like is a journal just like the one i have now for notes and stuff during like firesides, and a flash drive to put all my pictures on just in case my camera gets stolen, and candy, oh, and my fake wallet please. I don’t really need anything idk.

Oh will you guys go to missionties and change my address to the Vitoria place and please send me some letters, cause I really do love to hear from you guys. I haven’t heard from you guys in 2 weeks, it was pretty rough. (Matt is answering questions from a letter I sent him this week – I think they lose track of time in the MTC), but i love to hear from Lecia and KC. Sorry I haven’t had time to write back. But I will soon and please keep sending them, I love to hear from you. But mom, will you send me those pictures of everyone the day I left for the MTC with Landon and Lecia and all those. I think you can do it through mission ties. Please pray for me a lot, I need it. I have prayed so much here. I love you guys so much. I miss you, but I know I need to be here. I know I’ve been called by a prophet of God, and I know God has me here right now for a reason and that is to teach the gospel. Oh, I finished the Book of Mormon this week, it was good. I have been praying a lot and I’m excited to go to the field. I love you guys. Stay safe please and remember to pray!

Love,

Elder Pellegrini

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

September 6, 2011

Dear family,

So p day was changed to Tuesday this week because of Brazil Independence Day, so I didn’t get an e-mail. But that’s cool; I’ll just tell you about my week. On Saturday we got to teach real members from the wards around the CTM, that’s crazy, right? It was so hard, but so awesome at the same time, I loved it.

Well on Sunday the boy who got his leg cut off in our mission was in the CTM with his family. They bore their testimony and it was so good. Then I got a chance to talk with them afterwards. I bore my testimony, probably the last time I will in English for two years, that’s cool.

After church we ate lunch I went upstairs and I took like a 30 minute nap and Elder Clive woke me up. So I was going to take a shower, I was walking to the bathroom with my shirt off and only shorts on and my branch president walked around the corner. It was pretty awkward. He was just like, “Hey Elder Pellegrini, can we talk?” I was like, “Yaaa… just let me put a shirt on”. So I did and we talked. He told me since Elder Matthew’s was leaving and there was no AP, Elder Furrows would be made AP and he wanted me to be the new district leader. So I accepted. I didn’t really have a choice, haha! But I am happy about it. It should be a good experience. We are almost out of the CTM. Two weeks from today, that’s crazy! In 4 days I will have my call for 8 months! That is ridiculous. It seems like just yesterday I opened my call and i was sitting there freaking out about going to Brazil. Now I’m here.

Well mom like 2 e-mails ago you said you were going to send me a letter with a scripture in it. I never got it. I don’t know if you sent it or not. Well what is going on at home? This next Monday we are going proselyting around the CTM and then on the next Friday we are going proselyting in downtown Sao Paulo. It’s crazy, I don’t know anything I’m going to be done for. Ha! Elder Matthews and them left today and their teacher went with them to the airport and apparently he saw Justin Beiber. He is doing a concert in Rio and Porto Allegre this weekend. So Lecia met the prophet. I’m jealous. I leave on a mission, then he comes to Cedar. Its whatever! Well have a good week!

Love,

Elder Pellegrini