Snail Mail dated 14 December '09

Well, we didn't get an email from E McGregor today, but we did get this letter in the mail this afternoon. Good, thing, cuz I needed my fix 
 ; )

Oi Familia!
Tudo Bem? So I'm here in Caxias, my new area, which is pretty sweet -- I'm liking it a lot thus far. It's a little hard to get around still because it's a grid (like Utah) without numbers or alphabet or anything useful to show you where you are (unlike Utah). So everything just kinda looks the same. It might take me a while to know where I'm going.

Elder Nogueira is my companion, who is from Sao Paulo. He's about 6'5" and looks about 23-24. But he's 19. He started his mission at 18 because his family knows people : ) Which reminds me, what part of Sao Paulo is Carol from? He knows SP pretty well, and it was one of the first questions he asked.

So Caxias is a pretty special area. It used to be the ZL's area, and it's the area that has the 4th most baptisms in the mission. E. Nogueira and I are both new here -- we're "re"-opening the area (meaning it wasn't closed, but that we're both new to the area). So yeah, we've both found ourselves in an interesting position -- we were both having a few : ) baptisms in our last areas, and we were put in an area with even greater potential. So we're rearing to show the trust put in us wasn't in vain. Because the Caxias area is actually two wards, we're missionaries for both (Caxias & Vila Sao Luiz). So, it's an area with lots of responsibility, especially because the old ZLs baptized two or three per week when they were here. Big mantle to take up! But we're ready to go. Elder Nogueira's got 10 months on his mission, and I've got a little more than 6 months. (Crazy, huh? 1/4 done? Where did that go?)

So this is a typical first encounter with a member:
"Oi Elder! Tudo bem? Seja bemvindo a nossa ala" (Welcome to our ward)
"Obrigado! To muito animado estar aqui" (Thank you - I'm really excited to be here!)
"De onde voce e?" (Where are you from?)
"California, nas Estados Unidos" (California - the United States)
"E? Americano? Fala bem Portugeus! Quanto temp tem na missao?" (Really? American? You speak Portuguese well! How long have you been on your mission?)
"Seis meses, on por ai" (Six months, or about that much)
"O que? Ja fala neste jeito? Parabens! (What? And you already speak in this manner? Congratulations!)

So, needless to say, I speak Portuguese pretty well for an American. (We were impressed to hear him on the phone - and we had something to compare it to - having already heard Carol, our '05 Brazilian exchange student speak with her family on the phone every week)

So I realized just now that this letter is full of GH (Gloria dos homens [pride, boastfulness])... I really didn't mean to do that, but that's just kind of what's going on right now. Yup ... Did I mention how much I love Alma 26:12? (this is the scripture Trent had put on his missionary plaque --"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.").

Anyway, love you guys! Hope all is well!
Be righteous and be excellent to each other!

Love,
Elder McGregor