One week later....

December 15, 2014
 Well, as I promised, I have soem interesting things to put in this email!
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> This week brought a lot of news, including new companion, having to know where things are and who people are, and new people as well that we´re teaching! My companion is Elder Vasconselos, from Forteleza. Yes his accent is way different, but the grammar and overall language is the same. He has some different slang, but I dont really understand much slang anyways haha so it doesnt matter much. But he´s pretty cool. It´s the first time Ive really experienced Brazil culture in full swing, because elder Oelkers was american, and I was always with him. But now I dont even have the option to speak english to him. This is a good thing because Ill become more used to hearing and speaking with a native, because it´s a lot different when youre speaking portuguese with an American. He can pretty much understand everything you say, even if its a little off. Now if I speak with errors he wont understand, which is good haha but it also means Ive come to apreciate a lot of things that I took for granted before. Among these things is 1) America, and our assumed culture. 2) American humor haha little things that most Americans would think are funny, I think a lot of Brasilians dont think are funny. 3) I dont know why, but Ive just come to love the USA during my time away from anybody fromthe USA. I love the USA!!!
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> But a really cool thing this week: We were talking to people and clapping in front of houses when we met a man who lived in the US for 16 years, who spoke English. He was Brazilian but more or less spoke English. It was a really weird thing because he wanted me to speak English but when I tried my mind kept saying NO you have to think eat and sleep Portguguese! I had a hard time with it, which made me happy because it means that Im learning to process things in portuguese. We´re going to go back to his house and maybe Ill practice a little english first!
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> We also had soem bomb lessons with Marcia e Diogo, Fernando, and Pamela this week, among others, but we´re focusing on these people this week most. Pamela, who has more sincerity than probably any other person ive met on my mission, is going to get baptized soon. She has lived an interesting life, and has had struggles, but now she really understands the importance of following the example of Jesus Christ in our lives, even if it´s hard. She had a really spiritual experience when we were there, when she told the story of how she knows God lives. Its moments like these that you live for on a mission, when people have real experiences that shape and change their lives. I think this has been the theme of this week- people having real questions and real experiences with God that have helped them grow and progress as sons and daughters of God on the earth. As missionaries we get to help people focus on things that truly matter, and it´s been a really gratifying week because of this.
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> I love you all! thank you for the prayers and emails, they are helping a ton!
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> PS keep praying for my portuguese haha
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> PS mom as far as skype goes we will skype whatever time we want on Christmas, but we have a rule of no more than 40 minutes. I think it´s ridiculous but it exists haha but whats the time difference, do you know? Im in the Ribeirao Preto region but not sure if Birigui is different. Can you look it up?
> Love,
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> Elder Hirschi