I'm not expecting to hear from Taylor this week since he's moving on--out to his mission. He leaves the CTM tomorrow. For those of you who have been there, you know that's both exciting and scary. There is a certain "safety" in the CTM (or the MTC in Provo) because you're schedule is totally set for you. At this point, you've been there the very longest and know the most of all the missionaries. Now, Taylor gets to start over--a new companion, a new city, a language that will not sound exactly like what they learned in the CTM; a whole new world.

I am hoping that because he has been there in Brazil with Brazilian teachers at the CTM, that the language won't sound as foreign as it would have had he stayed in Provo. And he's had opportunities to tract and teach. I hope that helps ease him into the real Brazilian life.

I am excited and nervous, too. I pray for his new companion that he'll be ready for Taylor--for a greenie who is very excited to be a missionary. I hope this young man will be enthusiastic and happy to be serving the Lord as a missionary. I hope he is willing to be a good teacher.

I hope sometime this week we'll get to hear something from Taylor; if so, I'll post it. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

OI OI OI!!!!!!!

Everyone this is my last week at the CTM!!!!!!!

I love it here but I´m happy I get to go out into the field, which is the part where everyone talks about!! It´s going to be awesome!

Last Friday we went Proselyting again! It was great—we passed out 9 Books of Mormon, and we saw 2 creepy gypsy/hobo ladies! The guy we met before, Paulo, wanted to go to church and hopefully he went, we gave him a Book of Mormon and he was excited it was in Português! Hopefully he talked to the missionaries in his area, he said he sees them all the time.... Yeah Proselyting was great and I´m so excited to leave and go to the field!

Elder Snyder my companion, got blood on his hand from this guy and we went to a Catholic Cathedral, it was really cool inside, I´ve never been in one before.... Some people looked at us funny but I loved it.

We went to the Temple again today it was great and it was the last time!

Para the Ladies, being a Sister missionary is really cool, just ask my mom! Usually the sisters are nice but there is this one who will actually put up with us and kick our trash at Voleibol and Baskete!

Elder Proulx is pretty nice too (he wanted some attention). Elder Hartman and Elder Perez are amazing! They are totally cool and they say hi! And Elder Briggs is super awesome!

I´m now the oldest at the CTM now!!!!! I love most of the food, we do get bread every meal and it´s awesome!

I love Português! It´s easy, it´s fun, and hard! ;) I can talk to people and understand a fair amount of it too! We sing in Português, And it´s great, I can BASICALLY teach all the lessons.....
Hey if you don´t hear from me next week it´s because I missed P-day, I´m transferring to the field so that´s why!

My new address is this:

Elder Taylor Cotton Richardson
Brasil Ribeirão Preto Mission
Rua Cerqueria Cesar, 481, Sala 606 Centro
14010-130 Ribeirão Preto - SP Brasil

Write to me!!!!! It´s just super cool being here, I love being a missionary, I love this work, I know what I´m doing is right, I love you all I love our Savior, Jesus Christ. You guys are great!!!! Oh guess what!!!! Elder Nelson of the 12 is coming tomorrow!!!!!!!! It´s going to be awesome!!!!

I love you!

Elder Taylor Richardson!

Picture of Sao Paulo.

OI OI OI OI OI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Todo é muito bom!!!!! Eu Gosto CTM! Hey everyone! I love being here, I love being a missionary!!!!

Wow this last week was fast! The funniest thing this week was getting letters from my brothers! My companion is great, he is a totally cool guy, I´m glad he is my companion!

Conference was great, everyone should re-listen to them or read them in the Ensign! Aqui in the CTM there are a good 400 or so missionaries, I think, you know me and my math....

Today we met with our Investigator, Paulo! He is reading the Book of Mormon and he has lots of questions!

There are 6 beds in our room but only 4 are being used and that´s ok.....

We are going proselyting this Friday again in the DOWNTOWN SÃO PAULO!!!!!! When we go to the Temple we just see city, but today we saw a barge... that was cool and a tug boat!

Everyone I absolutely love being a missionary! I love Brasil and Português! Everything is going great! I would enjoy letters from you people but por favor send them to the mission home from now on.... it would be a good idea but you can send them here and I will get them!

I´m having a great time here, this is the greatest thing I could be doing right now! I know what I´m doing is right and it´s amazing, I know our Savior lives and His Atonement helps us everyday! I know this is where I´m supposed to be, I need to teach the Gospel to the people of Brasil. I love this work already, it is so great!

I love you all! I miss you too!

Love, Elder Taylor Richardson

P.S. We write poems at night and read them! It´s fun!
P.S. For those of you that care and know me, I´ve lost over 15 pounds here!

OI PESSOAS!!!!!

Everything is muito bom in Brasil! I love being here. It is amazing!!! I’m so glad I’m a missionary. Ok the funniest thing this week was my companion when we were looking for a staircase and he wanted to know where it went and I said up and down and he said, but on the sign the stairs are going down.... It was funny. My new companion is awesome. My district is the same, but with my new companion. It’s all good here.

And I got hit in the face with a voleibol 3 times already!!!!

Conference was amazing!!!!!! Wow maybe it´s just me but I got so much out of it this year!!!! It was so amazing!!! I got 24 pages of notes. We watched all of the sessions. We got it live and in English.

We went to the temple today again, it´s great as always. I leave here on April 27, just so you know.

I love the food and everything... Best food I had this week was some fried pork.

Last week I went proselytizing!!! Yeah we do that here! I got to pass out 4 Books of Mormon! and today we gave another guy we met on the street last week one too! He spoke English and talked to us for about an hour..... It was awesome!

I get along with everyone in my district and my companion.... We are working on the 3 lesson in Português! We practice doing the lessons. It´s awesome! We don´t have to teach the lessons in any order, just to the needs of the person, but to be baptized, they need all 4.

Everyone I love you!

Have a wonderful week! Atê amanha . . . until next week.

Send me letters!!!!

--Elder Richardson