Otímo Semana no Brasil!

Well, I surviverd my first full week in Brazil and some really cool stuff happened! But before I get to that, Carson!!! Congratulations for getting the crystal apple! Thats legit! I got that too you know... haha! And thats so cool that Connor got a drivers license... dont die. And mom, I am good with stuff that I have here, I dont need much. I only have one jacket, the black one that I have been wearing, the grey one is a member of the wards jacket that he let me borrow until I bought my own!

 

Anyways, about my week, it has been really good! I have gotten to the point where I can understand almost everythring when people talk about gospel topics! My accent is still terrible, and everybody knows that I am a gringo, but Im learning! At the begginning of this traqnsfer me and Elder Menezes actually oipened up this area that Im in and so we do alot of street contacting and everybody sayssssss their interested, and then we look for their adress and it doesnt exist... haha so we do alot of walking!

 

Another thing that happened this week is we were running to catch the bus and I totally tripped and fell in front of a ton of people, and the side of my pants ripped so, that was exciting!

 

 Haha, but one realllllly awesome thing that happened this week. We were going to visit a woman named Veronica and her daughter and we started teaching and she kept looking at my saying words that I didnt understand at all. Well, we taught the lesson, and when we got out of the lesson Elder Menezes explanied to me that she was saying that she recognized me from somewhere. She didnt know where but she had seen me before. Crazy stuff right?! She remembers me from somewhere but I have only been here a few days and never had seen her! I know Brazil is defniately the place I need to be! She wasnt crazy at all either! Completely sane! THEN! The next day we were teaching a super sweet older lady named Geni and as we were leaving (I could understand this time) she said, she recognized me and Elder Menezes as servants of Christ when she saw us! Very cool experience!

 

We also are building a house! Yes, 4 missionaries are trying to build a house... asnd it is actually going really well. The bishop and first counselor help with the plumbing, but the rest is pretty much up to us! We are building it for this family that is a little bit in need. Thennn we found out that another family needs help building a house, so we are going to help them too! I am goiung to be a legit house builder! Haha

 

But thats all for now! I will send pictures next week, I dont really have a ton from this week that are super good, and it takes alot of time, so I will send alot more next week! I love you all! Have a great week!

Som um brazileiro!

Oi!!! Well, this was my first week in Brazil and it is so awesome!!! First of all let me tell you about my first day! We arrived in São Paulo and I got off the airplane and heard people speaking Português... could understand a word here and there... yep...  haha. But then we flew to Porto Alegre and I got off the airplane... and I really couldnt understand a word!!! The accents in Porto Alegre are soooooo weiirrrrd!!!! Very Italian sounding, but I couldnt understand anything!!! We went to meet our mission president, Persident Castro and he speaks Spanish and Português but not English! So that was kinda exciting! He spoke really slow for me!

 

I met my companion, Elder Menezes and he is very cool! He is from São Paulo and speaks very very little English, so he is helping me learn Português pretty quick! We got on a bus and drove to our area which is in a town about 4 hours South of Porto Alegre called Capão do Leão! Its like a little farm town that is pretty poor, but is beautiful! Sometimes I feel like I am in a jungle in Brazil, and other times I feel like Im on some farm in Poland or Germany or something! I would say a majority of the people here a white so it is an interesting combination! Also, horses and cows just chill on the roads eating grass and walking around and whatnot! I live just outside of the city Pelotas in a bario called Jardim America, and it is well... Pretty poor. Dirt roads, tiny houses and whatnot. Connor and Carson, it looks alot like that map on modern warfare called favella er something. But its okay! I love it! We take a bus and walk everywhere but I dont mind!

 

The ward is awesome too! Its crazy because they are so poor but so generous! The other night the bishop fed us churrasco and chimarrão! The churrasco is amazing and the chimarraõ you hav to get used to... But I actually like it! Its like grass/hay with hot water. Its weird... But we eat feijão and arroz every single day! (Beans and Rice) And I love it!!!

 

Um a few other things, it is soooo cold and everone says it gets colder! Its colder here then in Porto Alegre! So, I had to buy a jacket as you probably noticed mom and dad. It was a bit expensive but ti was either buy an expensive jacket that I didnt like or buy a little more expensive jacket tht I did like!

 

My Portugues is getting a little better, just give me a few weeks! But I love you all! I will update more next week! Im glad to hear all is well at home! I also need to send my pictures in a powerpoint or otherwise it goes too slow!

Brazil!

Elder Hoopes received his Visa and is now in Brazil!
He left on Monday and arrived around 8am on Tuesday.
This is the reason for no email this week!

The mailing address for his mission office is...
Elder Hunter Curtis Hoopes
Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission
Av. Princesa Isabel, 342-B
Santana
90620-970 Porto Alegre- RS
Brazil

#10

Hey everybody!!! How is everybody doing?! So the reason I am emailing today is because we went to the Houston temple today so PDay was on Tuesday! It was incredible! I loved it so much! Definitely one of the highlights so far! But this has been an awesome week for a few reasons!

First of all, we met an awesome awesome awesome person named Nelson! He is 22 years old, and is such a cool nice kid! We met him when we were backing out the car and he started talking to us about how he saw us around and for some reason he wanted to be doing what we were doing and that just the day before he had been thinking about his purpose in life! Like, that's the best question to get as a missionary! And so we had him come to a scripture study class that our ward has on Wednesday nights and he absolutely loved it! And then, he came to church on Sunday and the ward (which normally wasn't too excited about missionary work) was so nice and friendly to him! So he is golden and is such a good friend, but the story gets even crazier! While we were teaching him his aunt walked inside and we had talked to her the week before but didn't know they were related! So hopefully we get to teach them both! So that was super exciting!! 

Also, I dont know if I have ever told you about Tracy and Dennis, I think I did, but they are this couple that are baptist, but more importantly they really are trying to do what is right. They just want to follow Jesus Christ. So on my first or second day out here we went to their house and I gave Tracy a blessing because she was sick, and it helped her get better. But we met with her and Dennis on Sunday and taught an awesome lesson that I could tell they loved and she confessed that when we came over the first time she had tried to hide from us, but something told her that we were servants of Christ and that she should talk to us, after which we gave her a blessing which was amazing to her and testified to her that we were servants of Christ. Wow, I like couldn't stop smiling it was awesome! 

I have seen so many miracles out here, I know its what I should be doing right now, even though its hard sometimes. Anyways, I hope all is well back home! Connor that is so cool about volleyball going to state! Honestly, that is so exciting good job! 

About my Visa, I should find out tomorrow if Im staying or going! Oh and I get to skype next week on Mothers day! I am doing it from our friend Jason Lowrys apartment and it will be at around 11 o clock Arizona time!!! 

I love and miss you all, and hope you are having a great week! Que tenha uma boa semana! (PS i will send pictures in a few minutes!!)

-Elder Hoopes