10/26 Last Week in the CTM

Ah, my dear family. Its game time. I get really nervous for game time. its stressful... Especially this week. Much went on. No way will i have time to tell all that i want to tell. But thank you all for the countless letters and emails, they really help. Yes Di keeping fwding me emails, i take pictures of them and read them later! Im extremely clever i know. So, this week. Ill start from the top. I just got back from a churrascaria (tucanos) WOW. it makes our wussy little brazilian meat shops seem like macdonalds (which is like high high class expensive restaurent here, yeah, they~re all messed up.) It was so ridiculously good, i am so packed with odd meats that ive never heard of before.. and it was about a third of the price. legit. I just threw in a big load of laundry,... doin laundry yourself sucks. every time im like wait a minute, where the freak is di!!
I had scotty cut my hair this week so i dont look like a freak anymore... we have realized that our time together is quickly dwindling. a little depressing. This has been a wierd last week, it will be long. class kinda sucks cause we dont have anything left to learn.. we have learned everything, now we just need to be thrown into the fire. As far as info i dont have any more than you. i find out my flight plans next monday. It just sucks cause it will for sure be early in the morning.. and you guys are five hours back so i probably wont be able to call home, it would be in the middle of the night. Maybe ill call and leave a message or something. I also have no idea how long till i will be able to email again, since tuesday is my p day. It sucks. It could be two weeks... Not happy. STOKED to see if i can find a macdonalds at the airport though, i will pay 20 reijais for a sausage mcgriddle without even blinking twice. american food is hard to come by... That being said i have learned to love this food.. i said a little more about that in my letter, but beans and rice have just become part of life now.
Other stuff. Portuguese is coming. Two things i heard a lot of this week... how old are you? (for some reason people think i am like 23.. go figure) and do you speak spanish? Supposedly spanish is a lot easier to learn than portuguese. (from the brazilians) there are a lot less rule changes, and the conjugations stay the same more. But its still tough to kick my spanish accent. It is cool though i was flipping through a spanish bom today and read the whole introduction, once i feel at all confortable with portuguese i will probably start trying to read in spanish. i sent dad a little note in port. just to see how much of it he could understand.. im curious.
Thanks for the update on the sports! i had on my little note to ask for some more updates! ha, it was funny the first two weeks i got like a full page synopsis on byu then less... and less.. then none. they must really suck. I love the sports info and gossip columns though. Wy, and occasional newspaper article in the letters you never send me wouldnt hurt.. Just kidding. you do write. its colin that doesnt like me. write me a letter you little twat!
As far as things i need. NOTHING. please dont spend any more money on me.. stuff is surprisingly expensive here... and i nearly punched a whole in the wall when i found out my stupid candy store had a 10 rejai charge for every purchase... freaking brazilians.. But i would love some pictures of my friends... i literlaly brought no pictures, maybe some of my pictures from the album pre- mish...? I would like some of those, any pictures really, i love pictures. just dont send me like 5 of the same one!! haha, i got like 3 or 4 of literally the same one of leyla, love her, but thats excessive.
So, anyone know what 180 pound alex looks like? Cause you will... i have no idea what happened. I guess its the trade off for liking the food.. But i definatley weighed myself last night and that was the verdict. yikes. I still have a fantastic body though.. so dont worry. I am still president of the awesome body club.. Not sure if ive told you about that. we have weekly conferences in the shower, presidency meetings, ititiation. its legit. so far its comprised of me, byron, moake, and blackhurst. ill send pics. let me know if anyone wants to join and ill get you an application form. Wy, love the hair. its hot. not as good as mine... but still pretty tight.
The humidity here is getting crazy!! just the last couple of weeks.. byron summed it up perfectly when he said i love getting out of the shower and still feeling like your in one. its nuts. Other funny thing, so i was in class a couple days ago and smelled a very familiar smell. I looked outside and saw them pouring! me and byron were both like burning concrete! (he worked a little contruction too) I was yellnig at them your doing in wrong! freaking brazil! I miss contruction... And i NEVER thoguht i would ay that..
Dad to answer your question ive taken a little break from mr talmage and jesus the christ. were on a trial serperation. we both needed a little space. instead i am reading nossa busca para felicidage (our search for happiness) by ballard and it is fantastic. Takes me a while to read cause there is a lot of different words that i have to look up. But its good. ive also started the D C i think i mentioned that- legit. and i am re reading the book of mormon, but in portuguese.. i am in like the 7th chapter.
Wow, ive made it this far without even talking about my proselyting experience. wow, is all i can say. Who knew that casa verde (}here) is like the nicest part of sao paulo. you couldnt tell by seeing, until you go to the centro. I saw crazy crazy things... It is a dirty new york. A few of my favorites... Going down an alley FILLED with dark dudes with big beards sitting on their cardboard who for sure havent showed this year.. selling all kinds of wierd odd smelling things, then when a cop drives by you blink twice and they are ALL gone. Seeing a dude limping down the stairs with a full on broken leg, bleeding everywhere bone and all, i nearly threw up. Talking with a big group of black dudes blasting their reggae smoking weed and skating. They loved me. Not sure if they are going to read my book of mormon... it is a very very very very different place than i have ever seen. wow, culture shock- understatement. So awesome though, aside from those guys i literally think every person i contacted will at least read the introduction. We had some really good conversations. Missionary work is fun. Im stoked. one week from today i will be doing the real thing. Scary. But excited. i love you all. keep the letters coming, keep praying that i understand this riciculous language. Keep praying for me. This church is true. It has to be. -Al

10/19/10

Dear family, Well, i made it another week without killing my companion, i still dont understand a word of portuguese, and i got a haircut mop job that makes me look like a russian homesless man, but... thats a mission right. So, i was looking at some of the pictures from the airport that day, and i was amazed that i was smiling in most of them.. i will never forget the feeling of feeling like i AM going to throw up for about 6 hours. in talking with people here its been established i had the worst possible departure situation known to man. }To answer some questions. I will have no way of knowing about my departure stuff until literally the day before i leave. its crazy. i only have 1 p day left here!! }Yeah i would probably stop mailing stuff here by next week... but anything they get here theyll just send to my mission so its not tha tbig of a deal. Christmas stuff.. i will write a letter. i need to think about it. but i would love a photo album of some sort, and american candy you can stuff in, and a missionary journal. like, a real one. i write in a notebook... Ugh, i alwasy forget questions once im here. its stressful..Dads- yeah i was informed a few days before moake arrived, ha, everyone has pretty much been on high alert for the name moake for the last 7 weeks. so i found out probably before he did. and no, he is literally with me 24/7. its sweet. we have a couple different missions in our destrict. about provo... seriously, its a joke. i have NO idea what they teach down there.. but its not portuguese. thats all ill say. that was crazy to hear steves trial is another year... wow. Let me just take a mintue and talk to my best friend, and my brother... adam lewis. The email today made me cry thinking about how proud i would have been of your talk, and your time it is to finally serve. i thought about you all week ad, i pray for you daily, and i am so excited for you. i love you more than you could ever know, and i know you will be blessed this week. good luck. im proud of you. Ugh, a mission is so wierd. i talk to people that have been here like 2 weeks and they say names of moveis that im like wait, what? ive never heard of that... you really like think that nothing changes since you left, its like i put you guys on pause and everything should be the same, but its not. wierd. That said HA, braves. just kidding brit. i owe you ten bucks. my dear father will get that to you, he still owes me ten from the adam lewis wweight bet. So one thing that has definately improved with scotty is gym time. us and elder blackhurst have had a lot of fun playing some real basketball for the first time in a long time... Its wierd having him here though, brings back a whole flood of memories of friends..and ive realized that i need to be a lot more tolerant of some of the wierdos i meet here.. at some point you just have to accept that not everyone is as cool as your friends.. Another thing i realized is how LITTLE i know about the gospel.. weve gotten into a few deep deep doctrinal discussions this week and it hurts my head... i literally had no idea some things. its crazy. this world is nuts, and the next one is even crazier. The humidity is REALLY kicking up. we all noticed it this week. it just feels like you have like water on top of you ALL the time... i noticed my gum started turning into like jello... no worries i still eat it. thanks for the gift card too di! too much money but thanks so much! Bad thing this week was my knee is bugging again... i can NOT kneel.. its annoying. We got proselyting again this friday, except this one, in the centro of sao paulo... not gonna lie, dont love proselyting. one of my least favorite things to do.. but it will be really cool to see the center of sao paulo. Oh and i dont know if i ever answered you di i do not care if letters are typed or handwritten.. frankly i dont really care about the hand written and i get more info in typed. This week we taught a lot of lessons... i like teaching. i was frustrated though because literally probalby 5 brazilians asked if i spoke spanish.. i had no idea but apparently im not speaking much portuguese.. i insert a lot of spanish words. this language crap is difficult. I was so happy to hear and see about cole. congratulations buddy. im exited for you. ill never forget that oppoutunity to go through with nana and wayne. Well.... im sorry i know this letter was extremely jumbled. ad, i love ya man. i have another letter on the way. know how many ´people you have rooting for you. fam, i love you so much. 2 more weeks! nuts. -elder allred

10/12/10

Oi familia! Wow, it is really good to hear that the tibby got sold, i was starting to get a little worried about it. i did Not want you guys to have to deal with that during the winter. good deal. i had no idea i would be a little sad though... good memories with that car. and yeah, please put maaybe a 100 or so into my account. i go through money a little faster than i thought. ihad to buy some nicer scriptures (another unfortunate non-luxary of being iin provo) and that set me back about 120 reijais. But, as you said SCOTT IS HERE. I cant even tell you how happy i was. i dont care if satan himself shows up during this next 3 weeks it could not dull my spirits.. its so fun. and WOW, provo is different. i will explain more about that in a minute... i have no idea what they have been learning over there. So, im not sure how but i neglected you tell you that last week was our proselyting week! its kind of a big deal here... It went okay, except that i found out i dont speak a word of portuguese. wow, really frustrating. this langugage stuff has so many ups and downs, but when you actually have to do the real thing... SO difficult. its okay, i know it will come, im just not patient. because i know i am still WAY ahead of the curve, i just want it to be faster. I got out all 6 of my books, and got a taste of the real thing... its very hard, and very scary. but a nice change of pace from class all day long. Dad, i wish i coudl have wished you a happier birthday. i ate you almond bar in memory of you. it was delcious. I think im starting to figure out this food stuff... your son is becoming less picky. ive been eating a lot of beans and it in turn has returned my bowell movement close to normal. and we actually had 2 lunches in a row early in the week that were SO good. churrasco and then like a chinese chicken wierd thing. these people can cook meat, thats for sure. now they just need to learn evertyhing else. It was a wierd week running the show... i kept like waitiing for elder burright to come tell everybody what to do. but hes not there! and my roomates left this morning... it is CRAZY how close you can get to these guys in just 3 weeks... its so hard to say goodbye. im running out of ties to give them!! and the wierdest thing is the batch that comes this thurs will be the ones that leave with uS! last night i spent all night on my bed with scott and my írmao (brother) (elder melo) of this group. his name is elder avila, looking at pictures and talking. he saw one of our house, and said ohhhh igreja muito bonita!! i had to correct him and say nooo thats my house. he didnt believe me. i am so blessed. i put that picture away. He woke me up at 3 this morning to give me a hug. he was almost crying... kissed me a few too many time. but i will miss that guy. a lot. i sent a few pictueres of him. (oh yeah i found a place to develop pictures! it looks like hes selling cocaine.. not film, but it worked) so hopefully i can get those sent out today. I continute to buy delicious cakes, and name them bonifacio. i love that guy. ill have to send a picture of him. every time i pass him i chant u.s.a.!! u.s.a!! and then he calls me an ignorant american... Adam, me and scott read you letter together Sat night, (hope thats okay) and laughed our pants off. I have one on the way to you, hopefully it reaches before you leave, so you can see the pics too, if not ill have di drop it off. love you. so we did get two other new guys to my district with Scott. were now the biggest district here. one is WAY cool and the other is a wierdo. big surprise. gotta learn to love (or not hate) people. and understand that not everyone is as cool as your friends. Thanks for the package and the pictures! I got that and 6 letters (nice work people) Wednesday night! Mail is wierd. very inconsistent. i got dads and wyatts dear elders last night. i love letters. Okay... so a couple things in letters that made me LAUGH my head off. a. dads trade. if you did that, i am going to kill you. deangelo is the man. patience. darren sucks. DONT DO THAT TRADE!!!!!! b. wyatt, the water baloons. oh my gosh. dads letter was priceless. wy that was a total flashback to junior high to me. funny too because you probably got my letter that said have fun...just not too much fun. funny funny. reminded me of larry lawrences talk in conference.. i nodded off when he said he was talking to parents but then he mentioned sleepovers and i couldnt help but to think of wy, i know you were probably just grimacing as he said that, but hes right. its absoluteley true. hey, and someone tell adam to email me!! i dont have his email! i love you all. keep the letters and the prayers coming. good job selling my car. so glad scott is here. missions are hard. love you. chels just cause you have a kid doesnt mean you dont have to write me back, britt too. -elder al

Another Temple Picture

10/5/2010

Familia- Whew. it was good to hear from you. I am so glad to hear everythign went well with Leila. I was worried, sort of, all week. I saw the pictueres. shes a midget, big shocker. Pretty dang cute though, im so happy for you two. i am just sad i am not going to be there to watch Brit~s attempt at fatherhood.. just kidding. youll be great man, sounds like you already are.
Guys, conference was awesome. I really wish i could go through talk by talk like i had everyone do in district meeting yesterday- here were a few of my favroites. cladia m. costa sat sesh- awesome talk about prophets (common theme? yeah.) from brazil, and mentioned my missionary scripture! hollands made me cry a little, usually does, and i LOVED mervyn be arnolds talk in the sunday session. in priesthood my favorite talk was the english dude- kearon. was that awesome or what boys? wish i had my notes with me i forgot them, had a whole bunch more to say. gotta say i wouldnt have used to be excited to sit through 10 hours of conference in a hard wooden chair, but i loved every minute, it was like a vacation. and of course monsons words were as good as always.
for starters, i have sent TWO letters to cole, so dont give me that crap, and did you not get my one for jace? i hope so. mail here is kinda scketchy, so i worry. this week. good week? sort of. i didnt progress a whole lot in the language. i was a teacher this week. for reals. guys my comp is strugglin, and he doesnt seem to be near as worried about it as i think he should be. so it bugs me. the things he asks me... seriuosly. i spend our comp study teachign him portuguese. its a lot of fun. ive also conceded to go to choir practice with him.. i held out for a long time, but i finally just said screw it. its actually been good though, the one time of the week i can be alone, so i go in the corner and study. its helped. we got our new gym done this week, not really a gym, its a room with a bowflex or two, but ill take it. i have no idea why but i could NOT sleep this week. so wierd, and frustrating, cause the first 3 weeks i slept like a baby. di, im going to put all my shirts in a HOT wash today, i hope this is not a tragic idea. but i cant take them any more. they are just too massive.
today was bittersweet... love p day. but my `parent`district left today. i had no idea i would grow this close to people here. i was completely content to remain antisocial. but i nearly cried today when elder burright woke me up at 3 to give me a hug and some advice. we used to always talk about how there could not be a greater feeling than getting on that plane to see your fam in two years.. this morning he looked at me and said you listen ,you CAN NOT have a single regret when you get on that plane. okay? ive been thinking about that all day. last night they performed their `ritual`of the passing down of the famous pete the plant. it was retarted and childish, they flashsed on and off the lights and knighted me worthy to recieve it, then painted my thumb green. again, childish and dumb but they type of wierd missionary tradition ill never forget. its kinda cool.. started as a stolen seed from the cafeteria.. been passed down to one person for 36 weeks. i will treat it as my child.
so i think i told you abuot my delicious cake? i cant wait to send you pictures of it. i named it this week. his name is bonifacio. there is this hilarious teacher here that i am way tight with, we are always fighting about whose country is better, he is black. and his name is bonafacio. so i told him i named my cake after him cause its black, from brazil, and not as good as america. he still wont play me one on one.. apparently hes good. no one is good in brazil.
this freakin place is crazy. none of you have ever seen rain. i can tell you that much. it will be like perfectly calm one minute, and then suddently just POURING. its the wierdest thing, and it can pretty much rain all day here, no exaggerration. saw some more humbling things today... kids playing in the dirt on a piece of a couch. heart breaking. so grateful to be from where i am. i told you about the language. comp still just really struggling. im trying to progress, i HAVE to start thinking it portuguese rather than englihs, cause the structure just doesnt make sense. you cant translate word for word. my teachers and pres pratt told me yesterday i have to stop saving elder harker, i have to just let him struggle and find his words when we teach, instead of just jumping in when he gives me the helpless look.
so did you guys change hours at conference? you did i think? so now its five hours? man, just think, when i am waking up every morning at 630 wyatt will just be coming home from pennys house... i laughed hard about the police thing. i mentioned something liek that in the letter im sending to him today. I was looking through pics on my camera yesterday and could not believe some from the airport.. it is seriusly a miracle i am smiling in most of them, because i will never forget the feeling that i was GOING to throw up all over all of you for that entire two hours.
i sitll love brazilians. and for some strange reason they LOVE me. as my buddy put it `for reals i think brazilians just have a natural crush on you..`for some reason i find ways to have inside joke with all these guys. they are so easy to get along with. i didnt think i could like this new district as much as the old one with elder melo but i think im even closer. its wierd. i was probably sent here for a reason or something...
i love you all. so much. send more letters. email rocks but i have to read so fast. i probably miss so much and it makes me sad. happy birthday dad. i bought you this delicious almond bar but i have no idea how i can send it. i love you. -al

From a senior couple in Al's mission

Dear Missionary Parent,



Thank you so much for sending your son to Brazil to serve the Lord. It is our pleasure as a missionary couple to work with him each Sunday at the São Paulo MTC as his branch president and wife. You should know that he is doing GREAT! He is progressing at a miraculous rate in his knowledge of the gospel and in learning Portuguese. Each Tuesday, on his P-day, he goes to the São Paulo Temple. More often than not Sister Pratt and I are able to attend with him. This morning we snapped a couple of pictures of him with his MTC District after the temple session. Don’t they look great?



Thanks again for your faith and support of your son. He’s amazing!



Elder & Sister Pratt

Senior Couple

São Paulo Interlagos Mission