Let me start by saying that:
-yes, Brasil is as beautiful as everyone says it is, at least where I am right now.
-yes, the traveling to finally get to Brasil, and then finally to my area, Sao Mateus, was absolutely killer.
-no, my companion does not speak English. He knows a few words and phrases, but every day is like a giant game of charades.
-yes, I am adjusting. Slowly. I think it´s safe to say that this has been the hardest week of my mission, and probably the hardest week of my life, BUT
-yes, I trust the Lord, and know that He has a plan for me here, and will give me aid. (Proverbs 3: 5-6)
-yes the people here are incredible and welcoming, and loving and so much fun, even if we have to work hard to understand each other.
-yes, they baptize a lot here. We had two this weekend! and one that fell through.
-no, I don´t understand most of the things people say, and that´s the hardest part, as well as the fact that I can´t teach the way I could in Texas, or express myself to people. It´s hard when you work for three months to get to the point where you feel like you can teach okay, and then slide backwards this far in teaching capability. However, if the Lord wants me in Brasil, then I will serve in Brasil. No matter how hard I know it will be at first.
That being said, let me say that I know I´m going to love it here. My area, Sao Mateus 1, has two parts: The actual city/town of Sao Mateus, which has lots of little shops, a park, a cemetery (right in front of our apartment), and some other small and very modest houses. The other part is just outside of Sao Mateus, and I don´t really remember the name of it, but it´s beautiful Brazilian countryside, with so many trees, and sand roads, and little houses and hills.
Like I said, we had two baptisms this weekend. One was a man named Cleder, and his daughter, Maryangela. Oh! I forgot. My first full day in Sao Mateus, we went to two weddings. Not ceremonies, but at an office, where the vows are read, and the papers are signed, without all the big ceremonious stuff. Just really simple. Cleder was one of the two couples getting married that day. The next day, he was baptized, and the day after that, he received the Priesthood, and baptized his daughter. They are an awesome family, and we all love having them in the ward.
Other than that, we´ve been trying to get settled in, and it´s taking some time to get used to the huge difference between missions (Elder Stilson served in Colorado, and is going through the same thing). The main hurdle is Portuguese. Once we can get that down, we´ll be good to go. I don´t really have much more to say this week because most of the week was spent traveling and getting our companions and getting visa things squared away. I really am so happy to be in Brasil. I miss my mission and companions from when I was in Galveston, but I know by the time I leave this area, I will have had experiences that I will miss, too. It´s like they say: It doesn´t matter where you serve, what matters is that you´re serving. I love you all so much, and I´ll see you all soon!
com amor,
-Elder Crapo
After corresponding back and forth a bit, I gleaned a bit more info.
His companions name is Elder Moroni. Moroni is his first name but that's what he uses. He is from São Paulo, Brazil.
He also said this:
Elder Stilson's companion is from the south of Brazil, and speaks very good English. His name is Elder Torres. They live in the same apartment as us, and when he's with us, he's a lot of help, so at least I'm not completely lost all the time.
View from the mission home window in Vitoria
View from the hotel I stayed in my first night in Brazil
View from the apartment in Sao Mateus.
(notice the beautiful countryside in the background, with the cemetery in the foreground) ;)
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