Crisp Shirts, Traditions, the Best Chocolate Milk and... Two Weeks Left! (email w/pictures)

We commented on his tie photos last week:

Bryon: that is cool. I saw one like that the other day on-line but I've never seen anyone wear it that way. Is it the new rage or just a missionary thing?

Missionary thing. I learned it from an american mish who learned it from another brazilian mish who learned it originally from a mish from portugal. So it's like a little club here at the CTM--the people who know how to tie the "cross-over" knot. =]

Sandra: Your shirt looks crisp and clean - zis es gud. And Grandpa Fillerup would be proud of your pocket! hee hee How are you uploading pictures? Does someone have a cable?

Yees oh yees. I keep my shirts nice and clean, which includes liberally scrubbing the inside of the collars. I'm amazed at what accumulates there--I'm positive my neck isn't THAT dirty.

And the contents of my nerdy pocket are: My planner, verb conjugation card, verb practice drill card, white bible, and of course, nametag--Jesus picture on the back and all. I'm pretty much a legit misisonary by now. =]

Yeah, I borrowed Elder Mulvey's cable and hooked it up to a computer here at Cheney's. It's totally kosher as far as the rules go, don't worry

And Bryon's comment on last week's toga party picture:

How funny is that about the toga party. We did that when I was in the MTC as well. I wonder if it is just passed from one MTC generation to another or if it is the result of the next gen of missionaries doing what their parents did. Of course you never new I did that so it must the be the former or it's just a natural thing to do -- kind of like spontaneous combustion.
You seem to be comfortable with the language -- any struggles or are you feeling pretty confident?

They didn't say anything about it being a tradition, but it's quite possible they got the idea from someone older than them. Quite possible indeed. We've already acquired a Spongebob toy that's been past down from generation of leaving missionaries (on the fifth floor, at least) to a group of "cool" young'uns. So we've got to pass it once more before we leave. I asked them if they knew how long the tradition was, and they had no idea. So maybe it just happened, or maybe it's been going since the beginning of the CTM (or the beginning of Spongebob, whichever came first =]).
As far as the language goes, I feel like I'm probably in the top 20% of speakers, native brazilians aside, here at the CTM. So things are going well indeed. But humility is a Christlike attribute, and I know I've got a long way to go after I'm out of here. So yeah, I'm very excited to get into the field. 2 weeks left =]

And here are today's comments, questions, responses, etc:

Hello T!
Hey hey - we did not get a letter from you this week. They usually arrive on Monday. What up?

Sometimes that happens, according to some other missionaries (not getting weekly letters). Hopefully it shows up soon.

Dad is in NYC right now and will be home Thursday night. Katie's friends Emily and Heather are here from England.
It's been in the 100s for over a week now - so lots of swimming and staying indoors : )
Wow, sounds like a party in Sac. I'll let you know when I get to Rio when it gets really hot. We'll have a little competition, neh? (btw, neh is something brazilians say all the time at the end of their sentences. it basically means "isn't that right?" But you don't respond You just nod and they just keep going. Think Battleschool slang in Ender's Game. Orson Scott Card is pretty awesome, I think. He went to São Paulo on his mission, didn't he?)

(Orson Scott Card is an LDS author who has written some very popular books. I found this on Orson Scott Card serving in Brazil:

"Card decided to volunteer in Brazil as a Mormon missionary. He was there for two years in the early 1970s. While he was there, he fell in love with the Brazilian culture. Several of the cities where he served--Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Araraquara, Aracatuba, Campinas, and Itu--became settings for his novels, especially in his Shadow series." )

Questions for this week:
Dad would like you to take a little more time and give us a more detailed description of your day. What are you learning?, etc.

We get up at 6h30, get dressed, and go down to the classroom for personal study at 7h. I usually study Pregar Meu Evangelho (PME), in cunjunction with the english Preach My Gospel (PMG). It's a great way to get better at the language.
7h30 is desjejum (breakfast), which consists of hot chocolate, meat (ham or baloney) and cheese paninis (but very small--maybe the size of a computer mouse), and cereal if we're lucky. For some reason the other elders complain about breakfast, but I think it's easily the best meal of the day.
8h is companionship study, where we either practice street contacts or parts of lessons (generally).
8h30-12h30 is our first class with Irmão Nunes. Each class we have one grammar lesson about some facet of the português language. We then have a spiritual lesson, where we usually go in depth into a section of PMG, like "Ask Questions," or "Invite the Spirit." We'll then usually go to Lab, where we can use TALL, or a language program targeted towards missionaries. It's kinda cool, but it's repetetive and I don't get much out of it anymore. Then we'll usually go practice lessons or street contacts with other districts (role playing), which is great practice.
12h30 is almoço (lunch), which is the bigger meal of the day in Brazil. Rice and beans, some kind of meat, rolls, and a dessert made of--you guessed it ;)--gelatin. Good stuff.
13h30-17h is class again, with Irmão Perrupato. Same thing all over again. Yep =]
17h is jantar (dinner), which is similar to almoço, but a little smaller.
18h is Missionary Directed Study Time (MDST), which we have for an hour and a half and we study whatever we see fit. I usually read the scriptures or practice speaking.
19h30 is ginástico (see if you can guess that one ;]), and I play volleyball or basketball.
20h30 we get back and shower.
21h is daily planning session.
21h30 is our late snack which usually consists of some funny tasting cornbread and chocolate milk. Oh man, that stuff is so good. Definitely some of the best chocolate milk I've ever had.
22h is quiet time, and
22h30 is lights out.
They keep us busy =]

What are you learning, or have you learned, spiritually?
What teaching methods have you learned that you think you'll use?

Almost all spiritual learning comes from PMG/PME. It truly is an inspired book. It teaches solely about the gospel principles, which is, of course, the most important part of the gospel. We should live the gospel principles--fé em Jesus Cristo e em Sua Expiação (atonement), arrependimento, batismo, tendo o Espírito Santo, e perseverando até o fim--each day, nothing wavering. This is what we teach. The Restoration, the Plan of Salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The other two lessons are targeted towards helping investigators be obedient to God's commandments. That's about it. It's simple, but that's the way God's works come to pass.

Who is your favorite Elder in the CTM. Why? : )

Favorite Elder would have to be Elder Avamolifua, from San Jose (but he's samoan). He was a rap artist for seven years before he came on his mission. He's just really hilarious. And he's very vocally and poeticall gifted. Very awesome.

Any scriptures that have become more meaningful to you?

1 Nephi 3:7 is a great scripture both for Missionaries and investigators. D&C 130:20-21 is also a wonderful aid. All of the missionary chapters in Alma are great, especially the Alma and Amulek, and Ammon and Aaron.

Do you know where the vacuum is? jk !

Ah the vacuum--my greatest nemesis. We've got tile floors here at the CTM, so no vacuuming required =]

We love you lots and always look forward to hearing from you !!!
xoxo
Mom

Love you all! Have a good day/week!
Elder McGregor

Here's a photo of the disrict with Perrupato and Nunes

Here's a picture of me and my district's two insructors--Irmão Perrupato (PAY-hoo-PAH-too) on the left side of the photo (my right) [I believe this is the one who waxes on and on about what type of missionaries they should be] and Irmão Nunes (NOO-nes just as it appears) on the right side (my left)

And I cropped the tie in his one photo for a shot of the cool knot again this time with a striped tie. I couldn't find the way to tie this particular knot, but there are some pretty cool ones here: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=46474290

Sunsets, togas and ties (email)

Yay pictures!Two pretty awesome sunsets,

and a picture of a couple people from my district and an awesome group of missionaries going to Belêm. From left to right: Elder Brown (with the brown blanket), Elder Jensen, Elder Fogg, Elder Sperry (my comp), Elder Stailey, me, Elder Mulvey (from my district). We had a "toga party" before they left.

Good fun. =]

Enjoy!
PS, I tried to take a picture of the new knot I learned for my tie, but it didn't turn out very well. I'll try again next week.

So I guess there's no questions this week? If there are, email me them, and I'll get on later and answer them =]

-Elder McGregor

P.S. The subject of really good burgers and fries came up in our district the other day, and one of the Elders was talking about how much better 5 Guys Burgers and Fries was than In 'n' Out. So there you go. Sounds like a pretty ok idea to me =] (Bry has been checking out 5 Guys to see if he and some other investors want to bring one to the Sacto area)

And, in an email a couple of minutes later:

I was actually able to adjust the brightness and contrast on the tie knot picture, so there you go--pretty sweet, huh?

And here I tweaked it a little more in iPhoto so you can hopefully see what he's talking about:

Letter dated 8 July '09

Note: Katie liked Trent's cell phone better, so when he left she put her sim card in his and then promptly got the phone wet.

Dear Family,
Katie, you're such a stinker. I take such good care of my stuff, you get your hands on it for two weeks and it's broken? I also laüghed at the ümlat in Sprüngli's name, especially the way Katie writes it because it looks like a düfüs-y smiley face. Good stuff.

Leese, "Thank you" is actually pretty fun to say - "obrigado" (oh-bree-GAH-doh). But everyone in the district says oh-brihg-uh-doo, just cuz it's fun. I think it's pretty in Rio - I havent been there yet [she asked him if it was]. I've written in my journal quite a bit, too. Thanks for the picture - it's great.

So my P-Day is on Wednesday, as you well know, but I didn't get your letter until Wednesday the 1st, so I'm onl now able to send you this letter on July 8th. Hopefully future letters will be able to arrive even one day earlier; that way I'll be able to get a letter back to you right away.

Então, eu achei que eu escivía um parte de minha carta em português, por suas felicidades. Mas, eu som falo - lo bem queondo eu digo sobre o evangelho. Entâo eu esou provavelmente faendo muitos errores. LOL (eu nãusei isso em português). Eu espera ue tudos coisas sejam juito bom á lar. Eu vocês ama, e eu oro para vocês cada noite.

Tudo bem con meu companhero. Eu falo (better than) ele faz. Ele fala bem, contudo. Ele som precisa practical mais.

Eu so grato pelo oportunidade de servir, e eu ano ensanando o evangelho.

So there you go. Portuguese. Crazy, huh? And the best part is I don't have to memorize any discussions. Wewt. We learn the points of each lesson (for instance: Lesson One has "God is our Loving Heavenly Father, God blesses families, God reveals his Gospel in every dispensation, Crhist's ministry, the Great Apostasy, the Restoration, The Book of Mormon and Pray to know the truth). For all three major lessons and teach the points that we feel would help the person the most. It's a pretty great system. And I can do it in Portuguese. How sweet is that?
Well, I love you all very much and hope all is well at home.

Love,
Elder Trenton McGregor

S.F.T !
Okay, I'll try using my rusty old Spanish to translate his Portuguese and we'll see how it goes --


So now I'll write part of my letter in Portuguese, for your happiness (to make you happy). then something about it sounding best when he talks about the Gospel and there are probably some mistakes. LOL ("I don't know how to say this in Portuguese") I hope everything is going well with you.  I love you guys and pray for you every night.

Everything is good with my companion. I'm not sure on the rest of this paragraph ... 


I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve and I love teaching the Gospel. 

Anyone speak Portuguese? Frank? Apologies, too, that I may not have typed his Portuguese correctly as he writes in all caps and I don't know if I'm seeing it how it really is.

Photos via Monday's snail mail

Most of the District

left to right TOP: Elders Wilson, Hatch, Mulvey, Eyring

BOTTOM: me, Sperry (companion), Johnson, Murdock

This is our view from out of our window on the 5th (American 6th) floor. Cool stuff.

35 Days, Rants, and Defenestration ... Email 8 July '09

Okay, Trent's email started out with some witty banter about his pictures and congrats to his cousin who is getting married and a reference to a list of his gifts/talents that we made and sent him as part of our Family Home Evening.

Hey,
I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures, and I'm glad the portraits turned out well, haha. They better for how much we paid for them, right? ;)
Parabéns to Cousin Benten. That's pretty exciting for him. Do we know his fiance?
I think learning português has removed some english words from my brain, or Katie is still using her Davis vocab without a leash ;) Convivial? Why.... thank you? (Mr Davis is a high school Honors English teacher they both had)

-Besides Elder Didier, who else has come to give your weekly devotionals?

Um, no one super important. Generally they're mission presidents or area presidents. But they all give good talks.

-Are you in the CTM for eight weeks? or When do you leave for Rio?

About 8 weeks, yeah. 61 days. Today is day 35, so we're over halfway. Good stuff =]

-When do we stop sending letters to the CTM?

Um, just send letters until I find out what my new address will be (which I have no idea when I figure that out), and they'll forward the letters to my mission home if I've already transferred. Yep.

and from Kelsey!:

-What is the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with on your mission so far? (learning the language, companion, jet lag, missionary schedule, etc.).

I'm not really sure what the hardest thing has been... my second teacher, Irmão Perrupato (PAY-hoo-PAH-too) likes to go on long rants about what kind of missionaries we need to be. Like over 20 minutes of him just talking. And when you think he's about to finish he goes right on into a new tangent. And he's really good at catching you as you begin to fall asleep and throws whiteboard makers at you. And you can't interrupt him to tell him to stop because... you can't. It just doesn't work like that, haha. So the hardest thing I can think of at the moment is trying not to drop off while he's ranting. So hard. [Note: Trent can fall asleep ANYtime ANYwhere!]

-What is your favorite part of being a missionary?

This went unanswered. Perhaps he didn't see it in the midst of all the others!

-What is one of the funniest things that has happened in the CTM?

Funniest thing? We have this inside joke in our class about "defenestration," which is throwing something out of a window. It came about when someone said one day, "I'm gonna throw something out the window," and Elder Jibson, who is 26 and has a masters in Piano Performance and 2 Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and something else, says, "You're going to defenestrate something?" And we all just kind of stared at him, and he says, "What? That's the act of throwing something out of a window." Good stuff.
So one day we were learning something exceptionally hard (imperfect subjunctive. ridiculous), when suddenly, Elder Murdock stands up next to me and says, "This is ridiculously hard." And he starts walking toward the pencil sharpener, which happens to be right next to the window, and about three people and me all said at the same time, "Whoa, are you going to defenestrate yourself?" We were crying. It might have been funny just because we were all so ridiculously tired, but funny nonetheless.
So whenever we're exceptionally frustrated, we yell something about defenestration. "I'm going to defenestrate this grammar book," or "Perrupato, you're about this close from being defenestrated."

-And finally: how do you focus for so many hours of class every day!?!?
How do we focus? Truth is, it actually goes by really quickly. It's pretty crazy. I don't have any problems with it at all

Kels asked what we do on p-days, and I thought you might like this little tid-bit of information:

We walk around. We've gone to a rodizio twice--the restaurant is called Rodizio Grill or Tucanos in the states, but here Rodizio is just the style of restaurant--they bring around food to you and you tell them if you want it. They've got pizza rodizio, meat rodizio, all kinds of stuff. It's way good. Like, you could pay 20 bucks per person in the states for that kind of food, and it 13 reais (hey-ICE) for lunch, which is about 7 dollars. Goooood stuff. =]

Love you guys!
Paz e amor,

Elder McGregor

Trenton's mission plaque

Once we got Trent's portraits we put one on his plaque the ward had made. It's now hanging with the other two elders' from our ward in the hall at church.

We finally got T's mission portraits ...

Aaaaaw - what a handsome elder! : )