I think this means they have way too much time on their hands. . .

Elders Ellis, Hamaker, Richardson

Moo

Yummy pastries. . . looks like custard and strawberries?

On the road again. . .

Hello Bob Esponge. Nice to meet you.

The ants go marching one by one, hurrah!

The ants go marching four by four. . .

This must be the Lord of the Rings facsimile.

Yep,

E ai, eu amo voces, entao e ai? Aqui em Americo Brasiliense tudo e muito bom. Temos muito trabalho pra nos. (Hey there, I love you! Here in Americo Brasiliense everything is very good. We have a lot a of work.)

Hey I'm happy as can be! I love being here, it's awesome!

Okay this last week was crazy. Ok every week stars with P-day! Yay! But this last week started the same. Then Terca-feirs (last Tuesday) we had Reuniao de Distrito (District Meeting) and we had to go to Araraquara (a nearby town) at night to sleep at our LZ's (Zone Leader) house and then get up at 3 to go to Ribeirao Preto for Conferencia!!! The last one with President Vieira. . . It was a good one though.

Ok then we got back here way late and then the next day was pretty normal but we were way tired, oh yeah we had to get our own lunch and we were waiting for money to come, but it never came, so we didn't get to work until like 3.

Then the resto of the week was normal, but we never got to anyone's houses. . . nobody was home. The Sabado (Saturday) we had a mini divisao (split) and had a 4 missionario almoco (lunch)! Then we tried to work, nobody was home and we watched the Brazil/Portugal game one Sexta-feira (Friday) too.

Then we had one of our investigators come to church, he is ready to be baptized but he was a little nervous, so we told him he could do it next week. He's pretty excited now. That's pretty much it.

Ok in some of these pictures there are ants, an area we go through that makes us feel like we are in Lord of the Rings or something, one with my trainer, Elder Ellis, Elder Hamaker, and Me! Elder Hamaker is like my Uncle on the mission, Elder Ellis is my Dad on the mission. Sisters get moms, Elders get dads. Your first comp is your dad, your second is your step-dad.

Oh yeah--I met SpongeBob, or Bob Esponge. So that's about it. . . I want to hear from you!

I am Elder Richardson, the only American here, and I end mine epistle, amen.

Love you guys, Eu to amo!

Elder Taylor Richardson

Evidently they never run out of animals in Brazil that want to know the truth.

E ai meu amigos em EUA! (Hey there my friends in the USA!)

Muito bom aqui. Eu gosto do Brasil. Oi vocês via Copo do Mundo? VAI LÁ BRASIL!!!!!!! (Very good here. I like Brazil. Did you see the World Cup? Go Brazil!—something like that . . .)

I will hit 4 months on Wednesday!!!!!! or Quarta-Feira!!!!!!!! (And it looks like he finally learned to tie that tie!)

Okay time for Inglês! Well okay this week we had a baptism, and because I am newer on the mission I got to do it. Her name is Irlaini Dos Santos De Deus. She is 13, and her best friend is a member who brings her to Church on Domingos.....

It’s been really hard this week, not because we are slacking or we hate each other.... in fact we do the opposite of that... Its because of the World Cup. I’m in Brasil where everyone freaks out! We are allowed to watch the games but after we just go home..... it’s like 6 when we get home... it’s for our safety, because people are drunk and stuff on the streets.... It’s pretty good though.... Lots of people aren’t on the streets or home because of this though, so it makes it hard for us to get work done. Normally we get work done but once the World Cup is over we will go back to normal.

Oh man, at one almoço (lunch) this last week my comp who is Brasilian told me that one thing was peixe..... which is fish, and I really don’t like fish, so I decided I’d brace myself for fish and then I took a bite and it tasted okay.... but not really fishy.... so then I looked at him and he said, it’s not peixe.... it was pretty funny!

Taylor has gained much. . . strength?

My comp is Elder Malaquias; he is from Curitiba and his whole family are members. Oh yeah he is 20 and has been on the mission for 10 months.

And we teach Inglês here and I was having the guys do sentences, using verbs I gave them and one guy wrote, “Shut up and drink your milk!” it was really funny!

Oh yeah on Saturday we went with the Branch President to help him and his wife clean the church and we needed to clean our baptimsimal "font" (it's more of a pool) and so we got in our normal clothes--I had on jeans and a t-shirt and a hat. And the branch president knows a little english and he said Holy Crap! when he saw me.... It was funny....

Not the vision that scared the Branch President, but it would scare most people. . .

And Brasil has won their 2 games in the Copo Do Mundo!!!!!! Vai Lá Brasil!!!!!!!

I am Elder Richardson, Cartographer, and Keymaster in Américo Brasiliense and I end mine epistle amen.

Love you guys um grande abraço! (a big hug!)

Elder Richardson

So tough, so very cool. . .

New companion, Elder Malaquias

Taylor--in front of some building? Their apartment?

Great road

Happy faces!


Taylor and mission president and wife

Laundry day. . .

Proud of his U of U jammies--said everyone else has BYU. . .

I believe this is the washing machine!

Todo mundo! (Everybody)
E ai? Beleza? Ótimo! Então, aqui é muito bom. (Hey there. Beauty “good”? Excellent! Then it is very good here.)
Sweet guys.
Well ok this is pretty good for me, now I´m not a new guy anymore and I´m understanding more and more..... I think I´m at like 60% now.... That´s awesome!

You know, I love being here it´s great! I got a new comp last week, his name is Elder Malaquias, he is Brasilian, and we do get along just fine... He does work different than Elder Ellis, but that´s ok. We are teaching a lot of people and still walking..... I´m at 87 kilos now...
That´s like 191 lbs.... That´s a lot less from when I started. If you look at my face now and from when I started, everyone says it´s thinner..... It makes me happy! and I´m still losing weight!

Man the World Cup started this week, for about the next month we won´t have a lot of work to do... but I did hear the coolest thing the other day.... Our National Anthem.... I actually stood in the store with my hand over my heart with everyone looking at me... I didn´t care.... Eu sou Americano! I am an American! I did get a tear in my eye from it too! I love my country!

Man everything is great here..... I love it....
This week was fairly uneventful, sorry guys......
I hope you are all having a good summer!
I am having a good winter!
I love you all!

I am Elder Richardson and I end mine epistle, amen.

Love ya!

Abraço! (hugs!)

Elder Richardson

My District--before transfers! Front: Elder Capone, S. Nacimento, S. Pietroski, E. Ribeiro>> Middle: E. Wesley, E. Sajnaj, E. Porter>> Back: E. Novaes, E. Sevy, E. Ellis, E. Fidelis, E. Richardson>> this goes from left to right.

me and Elder R. Sousa



It's me! Supermissionary--breaking through a wall.



Me, Sister Pietroski, Sister Nascimento, Elder Ellis

Oi pessoas!

Today is transfer day here in Brasil, so for those of you who know what that means and for those of you who don’t it means new comps! I did get a new comp today, he is Brasilian his name is Elder Malaquias. He is pretty cool from what I can tell. I don’t speak much Português and he doesn’t speak much Inglês so here we go for the next fairly silent 6 weeks of my life! I’m still here in Americo Brasiliense.

It was a crazy week, we went to Ribeirão Preto on Thursday and helped with transfers, well I didn’t do anything because it’s a “secret” so I just sat there and read church magazines..... wow..... but we did got to a churrasco (barbecue) which was really good!

Sister Pietroski and Sister Nascimento

a typical plate of food

Man the World Cup starts in about a week! We have permission to watch it!

Everything is going great! I hope to hear about your lives, you hear about mine weekly! I’m so glad I’m a missionary, this is awesome! Other than this it was a fairly uneventful week!

It’s been fairly cold here lately, so I’m actually wearing a sweater..... This is me and Elder Ellis.

I’m enjoying life here in Brasil, in a couple of weeks I will hit my 4 month mark, it’s possible I will only have 6 more weeks here..... but I’m not sure, it depends on me and my comp, how we get along, how well we do, stuff like that..... But for sure I will be here for a total of 3 months.....

I’m learning a lot, and I’m actually able to kinda understand my comp and other people.

Man guys, have a good summer vacation, good luck in college, preparing for your missions, and heck even in high school next fall! Oh and all you camp people, have fun!

Muito grande abraço para vocês! (I give you big hugs!)

I am Elder Richardson, Junior comp of Elder Malaquias, in Americo Brasiliense, SP Brasil and I end mine epistle, amen.

Love you guys! Elder Richardson!

These are the only bikes we get to ride!

Pessoas!!!!!!!!!

E ai? Beleza? (Hey there? Good?)

Ok I realized I graduated high school a year ago! ´09! I hope everyone is happy, I know I am!

Only one more week in this transfer! Then I may have a Brasilian companion then no more English.....crazy! I think I´ll get by.

Holy cow, we had Zone Conference this week, I got my bag and 12 letters! My family needs to put more space in between my letters........and my friends, you guys need to write more! I feel unloved! Ha ha, but still I would love to hear from you!

Everything is going great here, we didn´t have any big things happen except Conference, and that made the whole week fly by......we are working hard and having a great time!

Oh man the funniest thing that happened this week was the sisters in our district made us pudim (pudding)! Yay! and I told one sister I wanted her recipe... but I had to say it in Português, she´s Brasilian, and I said “Eu quer você” which means I want you. But I meant to say “Eu quer sua recita!” which is I want your recipe! It was really funny! Everything is great, I love what I´m doing! It´s so great!

Oh yeah, we met this dude again, we´ve talked to him before and he told me I have a lot of walking ahead of me and I´m going to China, apparently to preach after Brasil. He said my comp is now a citizen of Heaven and will preach in the US, and his wife will play the organ and have long hair.... and another lady told him he is going to heaven and so we figure he doesn´t need a visa now.... hahaha not a very good joke but ok. Oh yeah he started speaking in tongues too..... Pretty crazy.

I love it here. These pictures are of like our favorite family, actually it´s the daughter of the lady who we used her phone to call home (on Mother’s Day). Her name is Tamires and she is 7. She is way cool! So we were coloring together, it was fun.

And then there are some pictures of me cooking this morning’s biscuits and gravy. Well only the gravy. Maria, the Presidente de Ramos´ (President of the Branch) wife made us those (biscuits). We ate lunch with them on Sabado (Saturday). So she gave us food. So we had good food today!

(This jersey is for the Argentine team--a tribute to Taylor's dad!)

(I hope everyone notices this shirt--I love that my son bought an Italian jersey! Way to honor your mom--made me smile! For those of you who don't know, that where I served a mission!)

Everything is great here, I love being a missionary. I love you all!

My name is Elder Richardson, trainee of Elder Ellis, Missionary