25 March 2009

Oi! I am so glad to be sitting back at this computer again. I just love to write to you. I have been told I have a couple of letters, but I cannot read them just yet because the pictures that came with them are not yet printed, so I will have to comment on them next week.

I sent my first letters using MissionTies today, so I will see just how well that works. I have now been in Brazil for three weeks, and I have three weeks left. I am slightly less sick of the rice and beans this week than I was last week.

The weirdest thing has been happening to me. In those *cough* rare *cough* times that I end up talking about other things besides the Gospel and Portuguese, I have been unable to remember the names of actors and actresses. I'll think and I'll think and I'll think, and the names will be on the tip of my tongue, and then when I have completely moved on to something unrelated, the names will come to me. It took me a full two hours to remember Alan Rickman, and Audrey Hepburn didn't come to me until I woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night.

On the more misionary-related front, things are going well. Sorry, still no baptisms to report, but I went proselyting again on Friday, and it was fun. Elder Pond and I gave away three Books of Mormon and about twenty pass-along cards. We are in the middle of trying to tech the 2nd lesson in Portuguese now. It is hard, but it is a lot of fun. We have been trying to speak as much Portuguese as possible (just not in emails home  :)  ).

It has been an interesting little journey for both Elder Pond and I. We are each other's second companion, and it's a little akward to leave your first companion behind. It helps, though, that we have a lot in common. We both are pretty obedient, punctual, and the like, and we both were in high school Drama productions. He grew up and lives in Colorado where he lives on a farm, his sister is also serving a mission here in Brazil, and they entered the CTM on the same day. She is a very sweet person.

I sometimes feel that Portuguese is an easier language to speak than to study. We study and study all day long until the language is coming out of our ears, and then we try to speak it. All of us feel humbled that the Lord felt we could learn a new language on top of the doctrine.

I had to give a talk this last Sunday on Knowledge. It was interesting writing a talk where you also need to apply it to missionary work and how each person in the room can apply personally to their lives. My main point was this: Seeking knowledge is a commandment. If knowledge is a commandment, then it must be necessary for exhaltation. If knowledge is necessary for exhaltation, then it must be preached to the people. And if it must be preached to the people, then it must be had, understood, and preached by the missionaries, the Lord's messengers. People choose to seek knowledge in different aspects of life, but as long as it is knowledge in a worthy field, it will help us in the next life, just as Joseph Smith said.

I assure you that your prayers are being heard. I am learning Portuguese way faster than I learned Spanish or ASL. I try to keep busy, and the Lord makes up wherever my own ability is lacking (whcih is pretty much everywhere). It has been an intersting experience singing in the CTM choir. Sister Christoffersen, who runs it, made a comment in her short talk on Sunday night that was interesting, and I noticed it myself when I sang on Tuesday night. Many of us in the choir are lacking in musical ability, and practice rarely sees us making a song perfect, but when it comes time to sing, something happens. Elders and Sisters harmonize, and the room is filled with a wonderful Spirit. The CTM is a place set apart from the world, just like a chapel. Satan cannot dwell here, and the Spirit always does. When we sing, we do not sing alone. Helping us along the way are unseen, but felt, forces for good. When we sing, angels sing with us. It is a most amazing thing. It is a most humbling thing. This Church is true. I know it is; otherwise, I would not have come out to serve a mission. The Lord is helping us here to grow into His servants.

Now for an interesting thought: In my study of the Old Testament, I came across a scripture that could possibly refer to the Nephites. It is is 2 Kings 19, I think. Hezekiah (not Zedekiah), the King of Judah, prays that his people will be spared. This is only a few decades before Lehi and company left Jerusalem. The Lord tells him that a remnant of Judah will survive, and that it will not only survive, it will thrive. The Lehites thrived in the Americas. The kingdom of Judah in the Middle East never thrived again. Pretty cool, huh? The book of Mormon is true after all :P .

I hope everything is well for you at home. Let people know that I really, really enjoy receiving letters. Please let me know how the Lord has blessed you at home. I will write again next week. I love you.

18 March 2009

Hi Everyone,

I'm still not sure what to write about. Things are still pretty normal here in the CTM. I have just under four weeks left before I get shipped out into the mission field. It turns out that the week I stayed home counts as my first week in the MTC, so 1 week home + 2 weeks Provo + 2 weeks São Paulo + 4 weeks left in São Paulo = 9 weeks in training.

The cookies here at Mr. Cheney Cookies are really good (and almost Lyn-appropriate size-wise). Jay bought me a couple of small care packages with cookies and American candy. The recipes are the same as at the Cookie Cookery, so I guess Lyn was right about our cookies not needing to be so small.

There *is* air conditioning at the CTM, but only in the classrooms, cafeteria, and auditorium. It has been nowhere near as hot as it was my first week, though. The stores here are open to the air. Even the ones with normal entrance doors keep them open. If you ever come to Brazil, don't rent a car. Traffic is wild.

I am dying, dying, dying for American food. There is a hamburger stand at the corner that my district ate at today. Pretty good. Not 100% American, but still good. Bishop Cheney made a comment in a previous letter that I was probably tired of rice and beans. If you run into him, let him know he was right! Rice and beans twice a day really gets to you. Potatoes are a gem when they're served.

But enough about food, you want to know about life, right? Tomorrow we'll be tested on how well we can teach the first lesson in Portuguese. Elder Pond and I are pretty good, if I say so myself, but we still have a long way to go (like the whole Portuguese language).

I know we're supposed to leave behind all worries about family and country, but my district always tries to weasle information out of our teachers. Word around here is that JP Morgan & Chase went under. True? I don't know. Don't tell me. Just laugh to yourselves if I've been hearing bad news.

Again, here I am with fifteen minutes to spare, and I don't know what to write about. I do miss you all very much. I'm glad to hear that Vinnie is doing okay. I haven't heard about him in some time, and I was starting to think that he died since I asked you not to write about anyhting bad that was happening. That would be the best way to do it: just not mention him for two years.

MissionTies seems to be very reliable. Sometimes letters take two days to arrive instead of one. I should start using it to send letters home, that way I won't have to send out all my top-secret information through family emails.

I think the hardest thing about learning in the CTM now is staying on task. After four hours of continuous study, it's too easy to drift off talking about other things. I'm starting to count the times we end up talking about the last days. Some of the less common topics are U.S. news and hidden Nephite treasure in Utah (don't ask). I try to be a voice of reason if at all possible ( "It says here in the scriptures..." ), but I think I should just spend more time focusing on the language and the Gospel.

Again, I had a spiritual thought, but I didn't bring any materials with me, so I promise, promise, promise that next time will be the time. My Old Testament study is going well. Trust me, there are plenty of interesting treasures hidden in there. For something good, try looking around 1 Kings 18 for a story about the King of Syria and Ahab, the King of Israel.

The time has come to log off, but I want you all to know how much I love you. Thank you so much for supporting me here is Brazil. This place works like clockwork. I know the Lord is behind it. I know he loves each of us more than we can know, and I know he will return. Have a great week!

4 March 2009

Hi Everyone,
I am sorry I didn't call in the wee hours of the morning like I said I would. The phones down here in Brazil are a real pain to mess with. I found out Brazil time where I will be for the next two years is actually six hours ahead of PDT. I don't know if they observe Daylight Savings Time. I still would have called about 2am or 3am because our flight was delayed 1 1/2 hours after everyone had boarded. Staying in a plane for twelve hours is not my idea of fun.
However, I am loving it down here in Brazil. It is now 9:00pm and a humid 88 degrees F. in my room. My new companion is Elder Pond, who was in another district in Provo for the last two weeks. Elder Kariya should now be in the middle of the international flight along with the other half of my old district.
I absolutely love it here. The MTC (or CTM, in Portuguese) is much smaller than the one in Provo, and the rules are much less strict. The CTM provides much less service than the MTC, so we are allowed on our P-Day to go about the surrounding neighborhoods including Mr. Cheney's Cookies. My Preparation Day will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, so I will not be able to email until then.
I still miss you all, and I think of you everyday. I know the Lord has blessed me to come to Brazil. I know this is His Gospel, His Church, and His Work. My purpose is to "convidar as pessoas a achegarem-se a Christo, ajudondo-as a receber o evangelho restaurado por meio da fe em Jusus Christo e em sua expiacao, de arrepentimento, de baptismo, de se receler o dom do Espirito Santo e de perseverar ate o fin." (Corrections were made on the spot, :))

My Love to All,
Elder Daniel Floyd

Hello,

Brazil is great! I have now been here for a week, and I am loving it. As I said in my letter you, it is really hot and humid here, but I am getting used to it. Contrary to popular (aka ''Lyn's :P ) opinion, it is possible to get used to the heat and humidity without air conditioning. It is raining here in São Paulo today, but it is a warm rain.

I wish I knew what to tell you about life here in São Paulo, but you know me: I need someone to ask me the right questions to give some good answers. The food is good, but I am starting to tire of rice and beans every day (and I mean twice a day, every day). We actually had fried chicken and mashed potatoes here yesterday, and it was a gift sent from heaven. Jay really was right that they serve ham and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, but at least it is good ham and cheese. I have not had a warm breakfast since I got here, just cold cereal, fruit, and ham and cheese sandwiches. But, like I said, the food is really good.

It has been really interesting here at Mr. Cheney Cookies. I met Izabel, who said she was expecting me. Tell Jay I got here all right. I dropped off the maple extract today. I sold half of it for R$40 since I bought it for $40 at home.

Dad asked a question about Brazilian companions. In the MTC, Americans and Brazilians are kept in seperate districts, so I will not have a Brazilian companion until I get out in the field. I would send pictures, but I am not quite sure how to do that right now, so please give me some time. My companion here is Elder Pond, and the other members of my district are Elder LeBaron (the District Leader), Elder Cox, Elder Arroyo, and Elder Mitchell. I like the smaller district size better than the larger one in Provo. Our teachers are Irmão Perropato and Irmã De Santana. They are great. Also, I get 45 minutes of email time here instead of 30!

I love it here in Brazil. The MTC here is set apart from the world, and the Spirit of the Lord dwells there and oversees both the teaching and the learning of the missionaries. I know this is where the Lord wants me to be. I know he has called me to Brazil for a reason. I was going to share a more specific spiritual thought, but I forgot to bring my materials with me, so my testimony will have to do. Jesus is the Christ, and all things were created by Him (Ephesians 3:9, Hebrews 1:2). I love learning the language, and I love learning the doctrine. Please send my love to all who come within the sound of your voice. Know that I love and miss each of you and that your support drives me forward here in São Paulo.

Bishop: I have a few extra minutes here after writing my family, so I think I can spare some time for you :P . This Portuguese keyboard takes a little getting used to (I still cannot find any quotes), but it makes it easier to use accents, tildas, and cedillas.  My Portuguese is not so great (and even then, it is all gospel related), but I will give it a try. Olá, amigo! Todo bem? Eu gosto o CTM muito e a comida é bom. Sou trabalhendo duro e aprendendo a lingua. Obrigado por a hinário; eu uso-lo todo o tempo. Eu sei que a igreja de jesus cristo dos santos dos últimos dias é verdadeiro e que Jesus Cristo vive. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, amém.

27 February 2009

Hey, it's me! It's my first real P-day, so I'm able to finally set up an email account, but I only have 30 minutes (yes, it will lock me out if I'm on for longer). I was going to write and let you know some good news, but this will be much quicker: I GOT MY VISA! In fact, my whole district got their visas, including Elders LeBaron and Livengood, who have been waiting two weeks and three weeks, repectively.

This means I get to have a five-minute call with you! I will be calling at about 5:45 PM this Sunday, so I'd appreciate it if everyone could be home. I will be leaving for Brazil on Tuesday morning, and I get to call you as much as I want from the airports, and I will be traveling all day, so I'll give you more info on that when I call on Sunday. I won't be able to check email until my next p-day, so if the Sunday call time won't work for you, please send me a Dear Elder before noon tomorrow. The elders that will be going to Brazil on the same flights as me are Elders Cox, Arroyo, Young, Mitchell, and LeBaron.

Other than the visa miracle, things have been going great. I love getting letters from you and hearing about things that are going on at home. Things have been great here. I'm learning the language: Bom dia!

Somehow, somebody found out I play the piano, so I've been asked to play for Sacrament and Priesthood Meeting this Sunday before I leave Provo. The firesides and devotionals here are amazing. No general authorities yet, which probably means never, but I'm okay with that.

How are things going with the blog? Have you put any of my letters up yet? I love the work I'm doing here, and I know it's the Lord's work.

I got to go to the Provo Temple earlier today with my branch. It was awesome getting to go through a different temple. It was my first experience staying in one room the whole time.

I've got ten minutes left, and I'm not sure what to write. Keep missionties.com in mind when you want to write me in Brazil. I know it will make Dear Elder look like a luxury, but I think it's the next best thing to use besides email (and I only get to check that once a week).

It has been really interesting and challenging being called as a district leader in the MTC. I have the conduct all the disctrict meetings and lead by example. I think the hardest part about it is reminding people about the rules while not acting like a parent. I have been praying hard for guidance and direction, and going to the House of the Lord really helped. I think I do pretty good at keeping the rules. They are a little different here at the MTC than in the mission field, but they are good. It was a little akward being called as a DL because the day after my call, Elders Livengood and LeBaron were moved to our district because everyone else in their districts had received their visas, and they had been in the MTC for one and two weeks, repectively. They are a great example for the district, and I think they are really helping out some of our "down" missionaries.

My companion, Elder Kariya, is great. He is going to the Brazil Sao Paulo mission. He will be leaving here and little after me, so I am not sure if we will still be companions in the Brazil MTC.

Eu sei que o livro de mormon é verdadeiro e que Jesus Cristo vive. Se amo. Em nome de Jesus Cristo, amém.