Hello my friends in Gringolândia!

Ok this week was hard, everything fell, no one was home, no one wanted to hear our message, it was crazy and whenever we decided to make contacts no one was on the streets!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so hard to work. Things are going well though.... But we kept at it and managed to do what we needed to do!

Oh man this week when we were walking we passed by a store and a lady was undressing a mannequin... but she pulled down the pants right in front of us and started to lift up the shirt too... it was pretty funny.

We also met the Churro Man, it’s like the Ice Cream Man. They drive around in an old hippie van and have an announcement saying they have Churros! It was pretty neat!
This week during one of our lunches I met a member that looks just like Barney Fife. It was so hard not to laugh.

Oh yeah this week Elder Passos and I were talking about whatever and I happened to mention that we have church dances so he wanted to know the differences... I told him that we needed a dance card and he laughed for about 5 minutes!

We also made Yakissoba, which was really good especially because we made it at home and from molho (gravy) that we bought at the store.

Oh our investigator Nice (pronounced Nee see) is almost done with smoking; she is only smoking maybe 6 or less a day now and last week it was more than 40! She is really excited! Now all we have to do is get her to church and get married, you can’t live with someone and not be married..... Everything will work out just fine! Hopefully this week or next.

Well that’s about it, I can’t think of much more that happened this past week, so I guess I’ll say good-bye!

I am Elder Richardson, The Gringo, Keymaster, Mestre de Contatos (Master of Contacts), and I end mine epistle, amen.

Elder Passos making a face.
Stormy weather.
After the storm?
Little parrots.
View from Taylor's balcony--I think.

muh muh muh muh muh, muh muh muh muh muh muh MISSIONARIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well my friends on the other side of the PLANET! How is everything? Everything is good here, we actually did work!!!! Finally!

Yes I have a good comp! His name is Elder Passos, again, I said this already! But we worked. He only has one more month than me on the mission and we get along just great! He is from São Paulo, right next to the Temple in fact.

Ok I have pictures from the last little while! My camera is having problems so if I don't send a lot of pictures, that's why.

Everything is going well here. We baptized a little girl who is 9 and her name is Kristina. Her family is inactive, but we are working to get them back to Church. Her dad wants to stop drinking, and he is doing it! We have a couple of investigators that have problems with smoking, but we are working on some goals with them!

One lady is really liking it all and she wanted to get rid of some Catholic statues and pictures of her boyfriend, because he said they don't matter to him, so she felt like it was bad to have them in the house so she gave them to us!

Here in my area, it's very hilly. We walk a lot, one day, I think it was Thursday, everything fell and so we did contacts até o pó! I don´t know how to translate that! (Translator says "until the dust" so maybe until they went home?) I don't remember, honestly. So then we tried and tried to visit people and then at about 6, when you want to give up, everything goes right.

Man we have mountains here, it was cool to see that after 8 months! Yeah I've almost been here for 8 months now! Oh we have wild parrots here, they are little green ones.

Everything is going great--it's a little rainy today, but that's ok. I'm learning how to teach better and everything, the português is coming along great! Man, this is a good area! Everything is going great! Well that about sums it up.

So I am Elder Richardson, Keymaster, THE American in São João da Boa Vista, and I end mine epistle, amen.

Well Hello USA! I’m here and ALIVE! I have a new comp, his name is Elder Passos and he is from São Paulo. My new area is called São João da Boa Vista. I’ve heard this guy is good, so I’m in for work! Yay work!

This is my comp’s first time to be senior, I do believe. Yeah, I’m a little too excited to work I think. He said he already likes me because Elder Ellis was my trainer. I’m super stoked so yeah we will get some stuff done, I’ll have some good stories in the next weeks...

Sorry still no pictures, I just got here in the city about maybe a half hour ago so I didn’t have time to find all the stuff I need for pictures.

Well the last week in São Joaquim da Barra was ok, it rained a lot again and we spent 2 days in Franca because we had interviews with our Presidente. Our bus left at 9:30 and Presidente was originally going to get there at 8 but didn’t until 9, so we missed our bus. Then the LZ’s had lunch for us in their area which was forever and a half away, so we didn’t get there until 3.... our bus left at 4 so we ended up staying with them for the night and it rained like no other man!

Interviews with the Presidente were good. And at interviews that means MAIL!!!!!!!!! Elder Walker got a package of candy and so some of the sisters wanted to see what he got, and Walker said to Sister Pietróski I have a present for you and he had a RING POP!!!! and so he “proposed” to her! It was so funny!

I did a division with Elder Israel and it turns out that he likes Gun’s N’ Roses so that’s all we talked about all day!

OK I got up at 5 today so I could get here at 1! And then it was just me and 2 sisters.... hee hee hee! One is actually and old friend, Sister Nascimento.... it was good to see her again. I got to my new area by bus and taxi.

I had a fun time in São Joaquim da Barra, but now it’s time for a new area with a new comp. I’m super excited, everyone that has passed here loved it! I really think this next transfer will be good, and if we stay for more, well then 2 or more will be good!

Oh one thing I noticed about Brasil is if you ask for a cup of water they will only get one for the person that asked, then they will ask the other person if you want one.....

I hope everyone is doing well, because if I am then you should be too! I hope you are happy!

Oh people, if you were planning on sending Christmas cards.... or letters or packages to anyone, I would do it now....... Remember I did work for UPS last year and we started in October. SO if you want them there on time be smart and send them now! (Major hint . . .)

I am Elder Richardson, it’s what I do, I carry chapstick in my pocket, and I end mine epistle, amen.

P.S. And is Brother Epperson lying to me, or are there actually 4 girls that are 20 and quadruplets that live just down the street from us? and they go to the U? and are boyfriendless? (Hmm, what do you think? That does sound like Brother Epperson . . .)

Like there was this one time and I was laying on my bed and a spider was hanging above my face and I was all like’ poosh’ and then he fell... on my face and I was like ‘ahhh spider’ and he was like ...... ‘ahhh Kyle’ and ..... spider.... and That was TOTALLY KYLE! TOTALLY!

Hi guys......

Well this last week was nuts. It rained until Friday! My shoes actually stayed dry, I think they are waterproof and if I remember right Dad sprayed them... .So it was hard to talk to people because no one was out on the road and no one was home for some reason.

Well we had a member girl come with us and she beat me in doing contacts in one day! She got 66 and I got 62. This is a little more than a normal number if you are really trying to do contacts in one day, you really only need 80 per week. Nayra is a 15-year old ward missionary so she could go with us. I told her I’d get her ice cream if she beat me.

I found out I really miss Conference. We got to see one session at a member’s house. His name is Milton and we used his daughter's laptop and heard the first session. Sometimes the branch president will get a bus for the members to go to the bigger city, but that didn’t happen.

Oh when I was talking to people I got a flat out no and when I asked why the lady told me.... I don’t know why you can’t visit me, just no. It was totally funky..... oh no pictures this week either..... the other lan house ( where we do internet) wasn’t open so we came here.

We usually go to Franca (the neighboring, larger city) because we have District Meeting that night, but this week we'll go on Wednesday and then have interviews on Thursday with the Mission President. (Then transfers are next week.)

My comp is still the same... I’ve tried to like him but now I’m to the point where the littlest thing bugs me..... he told our LZ that our numbers are down because of me! that I’m not doing anything! Which is a lie, I’m doing it all! The LZs came to do interviews and my comp went off and Elder Walker and I went off. Walker works so I wanted to get some work done and asked if we could do some contacts.... and that turned out to be good because the LZ asked Walker to “spy” on me to see if I was working or not, because my comp is notorious for being a fubeca and pretty much the crappiest missionary in my mission. So I totally saved myself from getting chewed out or getting burned as we call it......

Oh yeah next week I might not get to email you guys so don’t cry if I don’t it all depends on transfers... if I stay or leave or what...... so anywho I don’t remember much more.

Hooray for PIZZA DAY!!!!!

I am Elder Richardson and I am the Keymaster and master cartographer, I am a Legend, and I end mine epistle, Amen

P.S. I remember my first day in public school I was very scared of getting pummeled and sure enough I did at first recess I got pegged in the head by a big red ball it stung with my head hung back to class with a bloody nose and soon it was lunchtime...

Mom said I should ask how poor kids could get fed so I got a book of tickets and a schedule and it read:

Monday -- Hot dog
Tuesday -- Taco
Wednesday -- Hamburgers and Chocolate milk
Thursday -- Sloppy Joes and Doritos in a bag
Friday was PIZZA DAY the best day of the week!


(For those of you who don't know, this is from a song. . .)