Letter From Mike Oct, 24, 2007

WOO HOO Moms rock!!! Mom you are swell!! I´m swell!! We´re all swell!!! This week was a doozy. Running running running, work work work, but it flies. I can´t believe I´m here agan, emailing you. WE got a firm baptism this Saturday with a little 11 year old girl named Luanna!! She´s awesome! Can´t wait to see her be baptized! Elder Jensen and I are champs. There I said it. We´re dominating the mission. We got 25 lessons last week and 100 contacts. DOMINATION!!! Did splits with the Zone leader these last couple of days. He goes home in three weeks and is trunky to the max. He lives in Morgan. Good guy though. Things here are good though. We´re having so much fun doing this work. Portuguese is finally sinking in. I´m doing so much better this week with it. English is a lot funner, but learning a new language is awesome... Rio. HA! What haven´t I seen? Drag queens, gay old men, bums naked on the street, breast feeding during lessons (more than you´d think). Brazil has it all. Today it´s soaking wet. Bucketfuls of rain, everywhere. Bought a big pimp umbrella AFTER I ran through the Centro trying to find one. And this guy gypped me. Shorted me two reals I realized when I left. Oh well.....I never know what to say when I write you guys. Love you all. That picture of Em and You is something else. You two together...The foremost ladies in my life haha I´m really really glad that you´re keeping in touch with her. Please don´t let that stop :) WEll I´m still normal. ?Haven´t turned gay or anything yet. still the same me. But speaking in a different language to strangers on the street everyday. We have mission conference next week and I am totally pronto for that. Presidente is a CHAMP!! Can´t wait to hear from him. Church was way funny. Bunch of teenege girls asking me where I was from, how old I was and if I have a girlfriend. HA They quickly scattered when I informed them all that I did indeed haha.....How is everyone? What are the haps? D leading assemblies. Totally jealous. Ken? Davis dance? Man, I never got asked to one of those. Crap. La Fou? How is La fou? Heavelny father does answer prayers......WELLL Family I´m grandiose. I encourage you all to serve a mission because there´s nothing else like it. It´s an adventure already and the next twenty two months is gonna be rad!!! I love you all and am doing fine. I weigh 60 kilos wet and with a quad, but I´m swell. I picture you guys praying for me all the time ad reflect on many a funny memory daily!! Write me always and spread the love throughout the world!!! Tchau!
Elder Brother (Bear) Son Michael

Letter from Mike Oct. 17, 07

Holy shmoly here I am!!

How are all of you? From the sound (and look) of it, you guys all sound swell...Ken. ? Guitar. Sexy indeed. Unparalleled....Everyone else? What´s the haps? Sound like football is domination this year. Well I´m in bloody Niteroi. That´s my zone. Fonseca is my area, and it´s a dandy. Lots of really humble humble homes. Antonio Carlos literally lives in a cave. It´s amazing. I asked him if I could go back and pictures, and he said anytime. Can´t wait to show you guys. We´re all so blessed...We have a house with who know´s how many rooms! They have 1!just everyone be thankful for what the Lord has seen fit to bless us with. We have amazing blessings.... well no Baptisms this last Saturday ,but this coming one we have at least one. Vera, and she´s a champ. It´s going to be so great to see her start her new life in the church. well LOTS has happened, and I have to save a lot of it for two years, but ?I have a goal to write in journal every night, and I´ll tell you all the crazy crazy happenings haha The priesthood. BAM! A blessing indeed. Elder Jensen and I gave four blessings this week, one just this morning. Such a blessing. Dad thanks for always being a righteous example for me there. We had Zone Meeting this morning and Dad I got your letter that you wrote on the first I think. Thanks a lot. Before I forget, my new address is as follows:

Elder M Young
Alameda São Boa Ventura 419
Apto. 1004
Fonseca Niteroi RJ
24130-005 Brazil

So do it to eh? start um up and keep um coming. Oh also Dad, if you get time, will you go through my emails and reply to anyone that emailed me that I can´t mail them? Tell them anything they need to know, address, etc. Thanks so much.....
HEY! Bry Cunningham...Anyone remember him? Son of Rueben? He´s my district leader! Carazzy eh? Small world.....Our apartment, yes, crappy city haha Cockroaches the size of twinkies haha Way funny to see in the shower haha.....Uhmmm...Cate is freakin adorable. Can´t believe it...She´s got my heart haha Don´t really know what to tell you guys. I have everything ? I need. In the mission, we can´t drink coke, and we can only listen to church endorsed music, aka Tab choir. That´s a toughie, but I´m doing it. Drinking Guarana Atartica with every meal, so go out and buy a bottle and toast to me. It´s swell. I would say that´s the biggest miracle I´ve seen yet. The Lord helping me with food. I eat everything and anything they give me. I´ve had some downright crappy desserts, but they are so humble, and you HAVE to eat it haha Crazy. The Lord as truly loosed my tongue isn that aspect.....The language haha Dad maybe it went the same way for you. I can understand nearly everything, but speaking is a whole different story. Really tough. I´m learning a ton though, and I just have to remember here a little there a little....I love you all. Especially mom and dad haha Hope you´re all great. Missions are the best thing. I´ve never done anytnear this cool, and I hope you guys are all looking forward to it for yourselves. It´s tough in every aspect, but the blessings are undescribable. I love you all, hope to hear from you, and will write you next week. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Elder Mike Y

Learn Portuguese - Lesson #1

Portuguese Language Lesson 1

Article - definite: o - the

Nouns: places in the city

* restaurante - restaurant
* edificio - building
* mercado - supermarket
* jardim - garden

Verb: é - is

Adjectives:

* grande - big
* pequeno - small

Sentences:

* O restaurante é pequeno.
* O edificio é grande.
* O mercado é grande.
* O jardim é pequeno

Copyright 2006 Maria Oliveira. All rights reserved.

Learn Portuguese - Lesson #2

Portuguese Language Lesson 2

Article - definite: a - the

Nouns: places in the city

* casa - house
* igreja- church
* escola - school
* loja - store

Verb: é - is

Adjectives:

* grande - big
* pequena - small

Sentences:

* A casa é pequena.
* A igreja é grande.
* A escola é pequena.
* A loja é pequena.

Copyright 2006 Maria Oliveira. All rights reserved.

Learn Portuguese - Lesson #3

Portuguese Language Lesson 3

Article - definite: a - the

Nouns: places in the city

* praia - beach
* cidade - city
* estatua - statue
* farmacia - pharmacy

Verb: é - is

Adjectives:

* grande - big
* pequena - small

Sentences:

* A praia é grande.
* A cidade é grande.
* A farmacia é pequena.
* A estatua é pequena.

Learn Portuguese with Maria Oliveira Language Learning.
Copyright 2006 Maria Oliveira. All rights reserved.

Learn Portuguese - Lesson #4

Portuguese Language Lesson 4

Article - definite: o - the

Nouns: places in the city

* banco - bank
* hotel - hotel
* hospital - hospital

Verb: está - is

Adjectives:

* aberto - open
* fechado - closed

Sentences:

* O banco está aberto.
* O hospital está aberto.
* O hotel está fechado.

Learn Portuguese with Maria Oliveira Language Learning.
Copyright 2006 Maria Oliveira. All rights reserved.

Photos of Niteroi, not from Michael

Mike arrives in Rio! Oct. 10, 07

Went and taught with the assistants in the most humble places I´ve ever been. And it shows. These people just open their doors. Every other one opened yesterday and I taught five first lessons and one guy, on his one room home, told me he´d like to be baptized after I told him that being a member of the church is the first step in being with your family forever. It was amazing. Well we had transfer meeting this morning and I got my comp, Elder Jensen from Utah. He´s sweet. Domination at Portuguese. Our apartment...Well, we´re missionaries with not a penny to our name, but it´s cool.... It´s hotter that hades everywhere, all the time, but I´m trying to get used to it. The President and his wife are champs. The first thing she did is give me a pillow haha But I love them. Been eating beans, rice, salad, and other stuff todos os dias and I´m learning to like it....Well, I can´t drink coke haha but I can´t email anyone but family either. So much going on in my head. Things here are crazy. REAL missionary work is awesome. Teaching someone and seeing them feel the spirit is awesome. We have a baptism at the end of this week I think, so SWEET!!! I have to go, but thanks so much for all your prayers. I need them int his crazy city of RJ. Love you all.