This is it!

130607, 78.36 km. Well, this is the end... My mission is over... It feels so weird. Not real at all. I worked pretty normally this past week. Nothing really interesting happened this past week. We did have an english party though. There was an english teacher who wanted our help with some of her students, so that was pretty fun. There wasn't really any other goodbye parties though, since I've only been here for a month or so. I also gave a talk in church about the Atonement. It was alright but very on the fly, since they gave me more or less an hour to plan what I was going to say and I was trying to take care of the people at church at the same time. Also, funny/sad story: A less active that we have been working with promised on Friday to come to church. Yesterday he went to church but with the wrong intention... He went to the bishop and asked his name to be removed from the records... It was very strange, because he always seemed happy when we came over...

See you all (or at least most of you) in 5 days!!!

-Elder Michael Carlson

The Last Week is Coming!

149708, 89.82 km. It was an overall good week. It was also kind of crazy. Tuesday, another Elder from the house had to go to João Pessoa to renew his visa, so I went on an exchange + trio with one of the zone leaders. It was pretty crazy. Then, on Wednesday, we had to wait for this Elder to get home (we started waiting at 3 but he got there at 5). But, good news, Ednalva was baptized yesterday. After much tribulations and much negative talk from her family members, she overcame it all. It was very good. Also, we had apartment inspections with the President. WE PASSED! We aren't slobs! This morning, we had a leadership meeting which was pretty good. I gave a very good message about how the mission is like an airplane (it was mostly a joke but it turned out alright). Also, another Elder brought a typical Uruguaian dessert called "pasta flora" I think...

Love you all! See you in a bit

-Elder Michael Carlson

CORN NIGHT!!!

127738, 76.64 km. By far the best part of the week was a corn night we had during the week. I have never before seen so many corn-based foods. There were at least 10 different corny foods. There were two tables overflowing with corn. There were about 12 people there and we only ate about half the food. It was nuts (actually, it was corn...). Another thing that happened: We had ward conference yesterday and a new bishop was called. He was actually part of a different ward, so we don't know him but he seems like a cool guy. Also, we sang the prelude to the conference (us being the missionaries). We did alright but I was super nervous. Also, I broke a record this past week. One day, nothing was going right, all our appointments were falling through, so, I walked a total of 20 km in one day. I was really tired the next day... Also, we met a woman that really isn't a woman. So that was really weird (and to be honest a little scary). But, overall, this was a pretty good week. It's crazy to think that my mission is almost over. The life I've been living for the past two years is about to end. It's an odd thought. Also, hope you enjoy the pictures. It was in a pizza place we went to last week. It was a lot of fun.

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[Michael included a bit more information as answers to questions we asked him]

[Is it still raining a lot? You haven't sunk into the mud yet, have you?]

It's stopped raining so much. There's still some showers but it's not too bad. There were a couple times I got pretty close to sinking (there's some very large dirt roads in our area) but fortunately, my shoes also happen to act as boats (they're good shoes).

[Did you have any investigators or less-actives come to church yesterday?]

We did have a less active/recent convert come. She really hasn't come for the past month or so because stuff keeps coming up and getting in her way. No one else came because it was raining really hard when it was time to go to church.

[Is there anything on your 'Brazil bucket list' that you're going to try before you leave?]

Not really. there is one food that I wanted to try, not eat, but at least try. It's called "buchada" (boo-shah-dah) It's made out of goat intestine.

Week of Rain

143260, 85.95km. We had a lot of rain this past week but it was good. Paraíba needs lots of rain. Also, this was a week of firsts and lasts. I had my last fast Sunday in Brazil. I had my last Zone meeting. But, I hitchhiked for the first time in my life. We have to walk for 40-60 min in the dark at 8:30 at night, so we decided to start asking for rides from people. Most people are pretty nice about it though. And we don't have to walk so far, which is the best part. Also, for the first time in about 5 years (or more) I'm less than 200 pounds. It was nuts when I found out. Also, another story: We were just walking along one day and all of a sudden, all these kids started running out into the streets waving their shirts or towels in the air. I was really confused. Then I figured out what it was. After it rains for 3 straight days, this type of ant with wings, called "Tanajura", comes out of the ground and starts flying all over the place. So these kids would hit the ants with their towels and put the fallen ones into bottles. Then they would take off the butt-part and fry it in butter. They say it's delicious but Mom always told to not eat ants. Also, this past week, I tried to make pineapple freezer jam but it didn't go down too well. It turned out to be pineapple soup with a gelatinous taste. But it was fun to make at least... Another thing that happened this past week was that I was made leadership! Assistant! To the zone leaders. I give trainings during all the meetings and I just help them sometimes. It's pretty funny. And, happy flag day for those of you that are into that kind of stuff.

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[Michael sent us a bit more information about his current area in another email]

So, my area and my ward are called "Prata". Here, the neighborhoods (bairros in Portuguese) have different names, so all my areas have the name of the neighborhood that the ward is in, except for this one. Prata is actually part of a different stake. I don't know why... But, where I work is called "Catingueira" (kaching-gay-rah) and "Bairro da Cidade" (bye-who dah si-dah-gee). It's a pretty humble area. Most of the houses have at most 3 rooms (bedroom, kitchen and bathroom). There's lots of dirt roads (that are turning to mud with these rains). The housing is based more on where the chapel is, so the chapel is really close to our house but the area is really, REALLY far away.

Last Month!

122319 steps, 73.39 km. It doesn't seem real that it's really ending like that. It's going really fast. This week was pretty good, though. I made pretzel dogs today. Also, to explain why I'm emailing so late: my email was having some problems, so I made some phone calls and they told me to try later. So I got home and we decided to work through the afternoon, because our area is so far away. So, I only had time right now. So there's that. Let's see... It was a full week, We talked with a lot of our investigators, unfortunately, no one went to church, because it was raining sunday morning. OH! I also gave a talk in church. About service. I had to prepare it in about 15 minutes... I gave the example of Dad, how he always works and helps other people no matter what. I remember one time that we had to set up tables in the church and Dad asked me if I'd help him. I responded no and ran off. So he had to do it by himslef, with a really bad hernia, but he didn't complain (at least that I remember). He always helps people, no matter what his circumstances are. He's a good dad.

Love you all! Don't forget to send me requests for brazil stuffs. this could be your only chance!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Ya' Never Know

Well, the week started off normal enough. After my trial with the hospital and sleeping a lot, we went to a FHE. All of a sudden, we got a phone call. One of the other Elders would be transferred to Prata. Then, our cell phone starts to ring... What could it be? Elder Carlson is being transferred to Prata and the other elder is staying... So, I packed up my bags and left on Tuesday for my new area. My new companion is Elder Cajamarca (from Colombia), he's also the DL. We live with the ZLs, Elders Perkins (from virginia) and Barboza (from Uruguay). Prata is in Campina Grande but only just. Our area, we have to walk for about 40-50 minutes just to get to the beginning. But, after going to the hospital, the doctor told me to stay inside for 4 days. It was the worst. We found 2 members to stay with us (one at the house with me and the other teaching with my comp). I did a lot of sleeping, cleaning, and nothing. Finally, on Saturday, I was able to leave to teach, which was quite nice after so long. Sunday, we had the baptism of a young man named Jefferson, who I taught once. I like this ward, it's a nice ward and the people with who I am living are a lot nicer than the last ones. It's going to be a good transfer. Three things: 1.) HAPPY late BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! 2.) There is a member here who puts designs on ties for about $10, so if any of you want one, draw your design in paint and send it to me. 3.) Anyone have any specific souvenieer requests? Soccer Jerseys, sandals, flags?

Hey, love you all!!!

-Elder Michael Carlson

In Queimadas

In Prata

A Week of Hospitals

84042 steps, 50.42km. Well, this past week was very full. On Tuesday, I got sick again, and since I already would pass by the hospital because of a district meeting, I went and try to fix me. They gave me an IV and told me they don't know what I had. Then I went home. I got better after sleeping for quite a while. Then, I worked normally throughout the week. One funny thing that happened: As we were walking one day, we passed by two girls and after we passed, one of them shouted, "What beautiful eyes!" So we turned around and invited them to church. It was pretty great. Also, yesterday, Vania was baptized, which was great. Then, to explain why I'm emailing so late: Yesterday, I got really sick. I had a really bad fever and I was all sore. So, after the baptism ended at 8 PM, I went to the hospital. It's just that we had to wait for someone to take us there since the busses had already stopped. We had to wait until about 11 PM for him to take us. So we got to the hospital at 11:30 and they gave me 3 IVs. I was finished about 1 AM, so we had to sleep there at the hospital. We slept in some arm chairs with the lights on all night. It was pretty horrible. I did not sleep well. Then, in the morning, I had to do a blood exam. So, they took my blood and I waited for the results. And I waited and waited and waited. Then, after 3 hours of waiting, they told me that their machine was broken and the results would only come tomorrow. Then, we went and saw a member that works close by the hospital. When we got back, we tried to send emails but all the places were closed. So, we went to the apartment and I took a nap. It was very nice. I slept very hard. Then, we passed by one of the places to send emails and then after half an hour the guy had to leave, so we had to go somewhere else in order to finish our emailing. It was a very crazy week overall. But that's the mission. Also, there was transfers this past week, but everyone with whom I am living is staying. There wasn't any changes. I'm sad and happy about it. I am happy that I didn't leave.

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[In a separate email, Michael told us about a family he's working with]

One family that we've been working with (that we found this past week) is a mother, father and boy of 14 years. The mother has been looking for the true church in order to stay in it and she feels very strongly that it is this one. They're a great family with a lot of potential.

[We also received some pictures from the mother of Michael's previous companion]

Butterflies and Flower-Kissers

88551, 53.13. So, to explain the subject, there are lots of butterflies and hummingbirds here in Queimadas (I've just forgotten to say anything until now) and the literal translation for the word in portuguese for hummingbird is flower-kisser. This week was pretty good - kinda normal. We did have a zone conference where we talked about how all we should do is baptize. Then, I went on an exchange with a missionary from my MTC group, Elder Anderson. It was a pretty great exchange, he's a good missionary. And in the middle of it, the AP's said that they were going to do an exchange with us. So, I went with one and wandered around trying to find people to teach. It was pretty nuts. We also went to a really far away birthday party (45 min walking), that was pretty fun. They had a barbeque and everything. Also, for some reason, I got really, really sick on Sunday. I have no idea why. I had a fever and pains all over the place. But then I took some drugs and it was all better. And now, today, I don't have any more symptoms. I guess it was some nasty food poisoning. One more thing: This is the last week people should send mail if they want to be certain that I will receive it. All mail is very appreciated.

I hope you all have a great week!

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Sunset in Queimadas

The city of Queimadas

Happy Star Wars Day!

80204, 48.12. So, I am convinced that the mail system here in Brazil is directly controlled by God. He holds back the letters for exactly when we need them. This past week, I was the envy of all the missionaries, receiving a grand total of 16 letters! I was in much need of that love, so it was very good. Also, Matt sent me a talk titled, "Is It Worth It?" Which, not only did I need to read but an investigator that we have really needed to hear the message it contained. Another funny thing that happened: I got a bit sick. It was a nasty cold, so I went to the hospital, like Sister told me to. When I got there, I had to wait over an hour just to talk to the doctor. I told him my symptoms, runny nose, headache, weakness. He told me that I had a virus and I would take an IV, then take a day of rest. It was the first IV of my life. They're kinda obsessed with them here. They say, oh you have a cold? Take an IV. Oh, you got hit by a car? Take an IV. Your son is sick? Take an IV. It wasnt too bad but it took a while. Then the day after, I had to stay inside, which was pretty weird. I think its one of the only times I've stayed inside because I was sick. It was a very full week.

Also, HAPPY 30TH ANNIVERSARY PARENTS!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[A note of explanation: We have a family joke on the 4th day of the month saying 'May the fourth be with you' instead of 'May the force be with you'.]

[Michael shared a couple more things with us in a separate email. The first was that he had a good meeting with the mission president this past week and that he 'enjoyed it quite a lot'. One of the things his mission president told him was that 'The more difficult your mission is, the more blessings you will receive afterwards.' Michael also told us about the young man who is the Ward Mission Leader in their ward. He's preparing to serve a mission himself so he helps the full-time missionaries quite a lot.]

What a Trunky Week

85092 steps, 51.05 km. So, to start off the week, I got my flight plan to go home. Then, a sister misisonary from this ward got home and I saw her take off her nametag. Then I heard her homecoming talk. I was just thinking about when that'll be me, in 2 months. But, it was a pretty good week overall. It rained a couple days, which was quite needed and also helped to cool down the rest of the week. One other thing, a member gave me a physics book in Portuguese for me to study. So, I've been studying it for my language study and it's been quite fun. I've learned a lot. This past week, we've really just been trying to find good people to teach. One really cool experience: We went to visit a man (less-active) 2 weeks ago. He was drunk and being threatened by his wife with a knife. It was a kinda scary situation. This week, he came to church, dressed up with a tie and everything and hadn't had a drink for a week. He looked really happy. It makes everything worth it when you can see the difference you make in people's lives.

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Queimadas!

111485 steps, 66.89 km. Well, this week was quite interesting. We have been trying to get this area off the ground but we ran into trials very early on. My companion got dengue and couldn't leave the house for 3 days. So I left with members every day. Which was quite good. Also, we've been trying to find people to teach but most everybody here is decidedly Catholic. It is quite hot here. Church was good though. Even if it was quite small. We were able to bring quite a few people to church and from what I heard they all liked it. To explain the photos: The first one is at a pizza buffet for my birthday. The man on the right is a member who helped us out all the time. On my plate is banana pizza. Who'da thought? The second one is us with the bishop of my past ward. He was pretty awesome. The third is a picture of a little lizard I found in the apartment. They're everywhere here in brazil.

Have a great week!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[Michael received his flight itinerary this week. He will arrive home on July 3. Woohoo!!!]

[We asked Michael about the ward in Queimadas. He said:]

Yesterday, the attendance was 58 people. It's a small ward. We meet in an apartment-style building. A lot of the leadership is from 18 year-olds. It's mostly the young people who are active in the church.

Yet Another Week in the Mission

84576 steps 50.74 km. Well, my 95% certainty that I would stay apparently wasn't enough. I got transferred. I don't know why. From all my areas, I've stayed in one for more than 2-3 months. And that one was in the United States. The past week was a hard one. We finished my birthday without much celebration, we saw a horse farm and watched a horse lose his man parts. Very interesting and quite gross. We went through the week, visiting with a bunch of people and letting Elder Hubbard say bye to them. Then, Sunday evening, against all odds, came the call that I would be transferred. I am now in a small city outside of Campina Grande called Queimadas, which being interpreted is "burned ones". It really lives up to its name. It is quite hot here. My companion, Elder Gonzalez is from Chile and has a year on the mission. I am also living with Elder Clark (from Utah) and Elder Loaiza. We live in a very small apartment with bunk beds and no water. I am loving my life...

Love ya,

-Elder Michael Carlson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

82136, 49.28. IT'S MY BIRFDAY! I have eaten cake and opened presents, so it's official. This past week was very full. One thing I must explain is the Brazilian way of celebrating Easter. The Easter Sunday isn't really that important, it's the entire passion week. So, all week long, nobody can eat meat, just fish. I'm not really sure why but it's a thing. And, everyone gets really drunk on wine instead of beer. Then, on Sunday, instead of having plastic eggs filled with candy hidden around the house, they just have one really big chocolate egg that they give to the children. Not nearly as fun. So, after much tribulation, we finally had Carla's baptism. We were going to have it on Saturday at 7 after the Conference sessions, but when we went to look at the water we had put in the font that morning, it was all gone! There was another Elder that had had a baptism between the two sessions and he had drained all the water. And, the water rationing had started, so we couldn't just fill it up again... The next day, we found out that the church has a very large water storage system, so we were able to fill the font. But then two other missionaries also had baptisms, but they hadn't prepared anything. So, instead of going with the program that we had already planned, they decided to throw it away and make everything up on the spot. It was very stressful and frustrating. But, now it's done. Conference was really good though. Talked a lot about marriage and how to avoid worldly fear. I learned quite a lot. One funny thing: When President Monson talked about his story of his mission interview, I thought to myself, "Have I had the ministring of angels?" The answer came quite rapidly: Just my parents!

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[In a separate email, Michael told us what he was planning to do for his birthday today]

Tonight we're going to a pizza place and I'm going to eat their pizza buffet for free! (my favorite)

[We also asked him about transfers next week]

President made a rule that missionaries are going to stay in their areas for at least 6 months, so I'm 95% sure that I'm going to end my mission here.

Yet More Horses and Temptations

61365, 36.81. We saw some horses the other day. It was on a horse farm or something. Elder Hubbard was pretty happy. It was a lot of horses. And, the temptations: I received my birthday package and the presents have been staring at me this entire week. Also, in the package, I got a box of brownie mix. I wanted to make peanut butter brownies. I had looked at my presents and I determined what three were, a bar of toblerone, a tie and a bottle of peanut butter. So I opened the last one just to find that it was not, in fact, peanut butter, but "european cookie spread". I was quite confused. I tried it and it was pretty strange at first, but turns out, I like it. I made the brownies normal style and they were pretty delicious. Other than that, our week was pretty normal... Sorry...

Love you all! Until next week!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Flooded House and St Patrick's Day

88922 steps or 53.35 km. So, to explain the title, St. Patty's day Elder Hubbard and I wore green ties (no one else did but I didn't see any other Americans that day). On Saturday, we never have water (water rationing), so we use the washing machine to store water and use the drain tube to get it out. Then, this morning another Elder we live with started washing his clothes and then left with his companion. Only, he hadn't put the tube back where it should have been. So, when the water started draining, it just drained on the floor. So Elder Hubbard and I had to clean up the all the water. It's just that we have no floor drains in our house, so we had to push all that water across the house and down the stairs. It was a lot of work. Fortunately we were there and were able to take care of it quickly. Also, I forgot to mention this in my last letter but there was a young man who was baptized last week and was confirmed yesterday. His name is Gabriel. He was able to drop coffee, which was quite a challenge for him, but now, he no longer has the desire to drink it. Also, we have an investigator named Geraldo. We've been working with him for a while. He's been able to drop coffee and alcohol with our help, which was a big change in his life. But he's not sure if he wants to be baptized. He has very strong Catholic family pressures to not be baptized. But, we're still working with him. Overall, it's been a good week.

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[We received a couple of pictures of Michael with his companion from his companion's mom]

Crazy Week

97721 steps or 58.63 km. So this week, I got 8 letters, which was pretty great. I rather enjoyed it. However, one of them was dated from the 3rd of November. I honestly don't know how letters can be so held back. Also, we had a member go teaching with us 3 different days this week, so that was pretty great. During one lesson with a less active, the phone just started exploding. The secretaries were asking which airport that I wanted to arrive home at (trunkiness ensued). Then, the president called, telling me he had a package for me in Campina Grande, but in a different chapel and that I should come get it, but we couldn't go, so we had to find someone else to grab it for us. It finally all worked out in the end. So, I got my birthday package, which was quite nice. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to open it though. Church was really good this past week. Someone shared a story of a small cow who wanted to eat wheat (which would kill it), so she threw rocks at it until it ran away from the wheat but then she came back and the cow had eaten so much that it was too late. And how sometimes, we need to accept the spiritual rocks to help us to avoid killing ourselves spiritually.

Overall, it was a pretty good week.

Love you all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[We asked Michael a couple of questions in a separate email and these are his answers]

[What are your three favorite things about Brazil so far?]

First: I like that there are people who are open to listen to what we have to say (a lot more than in the US). Second: They have a lot of crazy fruits that I like but that I've never heard about before. Third: If you ever wanted a tan, Brazil is the place.

[What did you do (or are you doing) for P-Day this week?]

We buy stuff in the center and we make our food. Then usually we laze around until we leave to go teaching. Today, I'm going to try and take to stains off my shirts - if I'm lucky.

Half a Week but Quite Busy

100466 steps or 60.27 km. So, despite being just half a week, we had quite a few things to do. First off, I experienced my first thunderstorm here in Brazil. It just kind of happened. I was unaware that they had them here. Then we went to a rodeo (my companion is a straight up cowboy), where we watched people on horses grabbing cow tails and using the tails to roll them to the ground. It was pretty intense. Then, right afterward, we helped someone with a move-in. I carried lots of heavy things. Then, the next day, we (the four misisonaries) cleaned the entire big church that 3 wards meet in, completely alone. It was a lot of work. I'm still a little sore from it. Then, the next day, I got a package from home with s'mores ingredients, so we had a s'mores party. The 2 non-americans in my house were like, "we have no idea why we're eating this crazy creation, but it's delicious!" It was a lot of fun and everyone enjoyed it. Then, on Sunday, we went to church. It was good. I was pretty lost the entire time. I had no idea who was who, but the classes were good.Well, that's about the summary of my half-week.

Love you all, until the next!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[In a separate email, Michael told us that the four missionaries in his current area live in an apartment above a construction/grocery store. We're not sure what a contraction/grocery store is but we'll ask him that next week.]

Transfers Come Once Again

103751 steps, 62.25 km. So, this past week was pretty crazy. It was kinda normal until Monday. At 7:30 PM, we found out that us 4 missionaries would leave Catolé and that 4 sisters would take our place. Tuesday morning, I went to the doctor to get my ingrown toenail taken care of (all better without any major surgery like last time). So, after that, we were getting ready to leave Wednesday morning (when normal transfers take place). Then, at noon, the assistants called to let us know that the sisters would be arriving Tuesday at 8 PM and we had to be out of the house, completely gone before then. So, we had to cancel all the appointments for Tuesday in order to pack and clean the house before they arrived. Then we realized, "Where will we go?" So we had to take all of our bags and go to another area's apartment. So, that night it was 10 missionaries in an apartment with only 5 beds. So, I slept on the floor and did not sleep well. It was just great. And so, Elder Cardoso was transferred to João Pessoa and I was transferred to Liberdade (the other zone of Campina Grande). I'm companions with Elder Hubbard (from Oregon), who is going to go home at the end of this transfer. Also living with us is Elder Beserra, from Brazil and Elder Vasques, from Peru. I'm already completely unpacked but ready to sleep.

Have a great week all y'alls!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Another Week!

89327 steps or 53.59 km. Once again, I am left with not much time to write this email. Sorry everyone... But this week was pretty great. Nothing really happened for Carnaval because everyone had left town to go to the beach. Campina Grande was pretty dead for the first half of the week. Also, we didn't have water from Friday until Monday evening. There was a switch for the water that someone had turned off. So after climbing up on the roof and doing some ridiculous things to satisfy our water needs, we discovered this switch right in front of our house. Super easy to turn on but it had been buried in dirt. We had a water party when it came back. Also, we had a very convincing and logical lesson with someone but they just said, "Wow, that makes sense and I don't agree with everything in my church but I'm never gonna change churches." It made me sad.

For another week,

-Elder Michael Carlson

Merry Presidents Day!

102397 steps, 61.43 km. We had a pretty good week. I took my first bucket shower. I was just there and I put on soap, then all of a sudden, there wasn't any water coming out. So I had to call for my companion to get some water from outside in a bucket. It was quite the interesting experience. We also had a mission conference. One thing that I learned was that in the church, we gain our salvation, but it is only through the works in the temple that we gain our exaltation. It was pretty interesting. Sorry, I don't have much time today. Love you all and thanks for the support!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Interviews and a Very Full Saturday

105756 steps, 63.45 km. So, this past week, we had interviews with the president, where I learned some interesting things. It was my companion's birthday yesterday. Fortunately, we avoided being egged (a popular Brazilian custom for birthdays) and had a huge lunch of tacos at the stake president's house. Saturday was a pretty crazy day this past week. We had appointments every hour of the day. We were almost running from one thing to another. We taught a bunch of great lessons and we had a couple people in church (which we haven't had in quite a long time). We had a full, rewarding week and now I shall rest much today. We played volleyball this morning with some members of the ward, which was fun. I lost the first game but it was a close loss. Then the second game, my team won 15-3, which was gratifying. But then I didn't play anymore because I hurt my toe this past week. OH! Something that I forgot. We also had a service project on Saturday. We took the roof tiles off a house, cleaned the tiles, replaced the woodwork of the roof and then put the tiles back on. It was heavy, dirty work but we got it done in the end. It was nice to be able to help someone like that.

Until next week,

-Elder Michael Carlson

A Week of Cutting

90477 steps, 54.28 km. This week was full of two kinds of cutting. The first (and funner) was cutting down some banana trees. I was able to use my lumberjacking skills, with the aid of a giant machete to help one of the ward members. It was quite fun and I felt very manly afterward. The second (and a lot sadder) was cutting the people who wouldn't progress or who didn't want to. We had to cut a lot of the people we were teaching because they wouldn't do anything. It's always a sad thing to have to do that but like a tree pruned grows better, I'm hoping that our area will grow and flower soon. We did have some good lessons with some good people but I have yet to see many fruits of these lessons. This week was a lot of walking. And sorry Mom, but I haven't been taking a lot of pictures. It's hard to bring my camera. I don't want to get robbed. I'll try harder this week though.

Love y'all!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Another Half-Week

100342 steps 60.20 km. We walked a lot this past week. It was crazy. Not a whole lot happened, it was a pretty slow week. But, we did play volleyball this morning which was pretty fun but I think I burned the bottom of my feet on the hot sand. Also, I found an interesting story that prompted a question. This story is in Isaiah. King Hezekiah is sick and he wants to be healed, so God says that he'll be healed and as a sign, the sun will go back by 10 degrees. So, as a physicist, I was thinking about the acceleration that would involve. The earth is moving really fast, like 2,000 km/hr so, for it to stop like that and return 10 degrees, I think everything on the earth would be completely destroyed. I didn't do the actual math but it would be probable on the order of 10-20 g's of rotational acceleration... When I die and can see everything, I'm going to watch how that went down, because I'm really curious as to how everything isn't dead. Think about that one this week... Well, that's about all I've got.

Until next week!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[Michael shared a couple of insights as answers to questions in a separate email]

[Tell us about your new area. What are the shops like? Where do you buy bananas (and other things)? Are there parks and trees in town? Do they have any fountains or statues?]
It's a pretty rich area where everyone already knows the church or is already baptized and doesn't go to church. We have nearly 600 members in the ward and only 70 go to church... The shops are mostly just small grocery stores. If you want to buy anything, you have to go to the center. There are lots of malls there for some reason. There's a little market at the end of our street where we buy most of our stuff. There's a few trees and a park, that we actually played volleyball there this morning. Fountains and statues, not really...

[Do you ride the bus, get rides with members, or mostly still walk everywhere?]
We take the bus if we leave our area (for meetings and stuff), but other than that, we walk and we walk and we walk.

[Michael also sent us the following addendum]
So, I actually did the math related to it and I found out much different results. Assuming that it takes 10 seconds for it to happen, everything would be subject to about 232 g's of acceleration, which for a 160 lbs person, is about 36,500 pounds of force...

Another Transfer Come and Gone

Well, the transfers have come and passed and I get to stay here one more transfer in Catole. 96752 steps, 58.05 KM. It was a pretty good week. We found some more people to teach, which was nice, but we still don't have many people who are actually solid. One funny thing that happened this past week was that we were teaching an older woman and we suddenly hear a knock at the door. She opens it up and who do we find? The Jehova's Witnesses there! When they saw us sitting there, their faces just dropped. It was great. It was a pretty normal week, with not much to report. Sorry parents...

Love you all, until Monday!

-Elder Michael Carlson

Second Week of 2015!

93099 steps or 55.85 km. This past week was pretty normal. We talked with a lot of less actives and new people. There were a couple days that were happily too busy. We couldn't get to all of our appointments sometimes. It was crazy. I saw two really funny t-shirts this past week: "Bite Me NOW!" (a rather large woman) and a man wearing "Pluto (1930- 2006) Revolve in Peace" Sorry, this letter is pretty short... Not much to report. My next p-day will be on Wednesday, so don't be worried when I don't email until then.

Until next week!

-Elder Michael Carlson

New Years!

92060 steps 55.23 KM. This past week was new years and to celebrate, I slept. I slept through all the insanely loud music outside my window. I slept through all the fireworks going off. I slept through the other missionaries waking up and celebrating. It was glorious. Also, we were teaching a girl who's 13. At the end of the lesson, I went to shake her hand but then she went in for a hug, so I threw my hands up like, "What are you doing?!?" She got really scared and said, "Am I not allowed to do that? I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I laughed a lot and it was rather hilarious. We also did a service project where we carried construction debris to a "dump" (empty lot) using wheel barrows. I forgot to put on sunscreen and I got burnt pretty good. But I've been using lots of aloe vera and sunscreen since then. It was rather fun, breaking stuff and just doing manual labor. But I'm paying the price now. Other than that, It was just a pretty normal week.

Happy new year!

-Elder Michael Carlson

[When asked "Have you had any interesting cultural experiences as a result of having a Brazilian companion?", Michael responded with the following experience]

He's been able to help with a lot of the cultural things that I should and should not say. One time, we were in a store and I wanted to get money back at the cashier, so I asked him if I could but I used the wrong word, that sounds very similar, that actually means "to steal". He responded, "You could if you wanted but you'd go to prison." We had a good laugh about that one.