22nd Week Out, 2nd week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

 Dear family and friends;

This week made me love Brazil even more!  The food here is amazing!  Man we eat sooooooooo well.  I can honestly say the food here in Brazil is WAY better than in America!  You all are missing out and I’m sorry for your loss!

This week I went on an exchange for 3 days in Elder Donis´s area because my companion Elder Huang had to go to Fortaleza for Visa problems.  Elder Donis is 18 years old, and he’s almost been out on his mission for a year.  He is Hispanic so he didn’t speak any English.  It was a good experience for me to learn Portuguese because my companion does speak English sometimes.  Also, I have 2 other missionaries in my home that speak English, but in elder Donis`s home they are all Hispanic and speak no English.  His area is a lot poorer than my area.  We had lunch in this one members home and they had nothing.   There was holes in their roof; they had basically no furniture; but despite everything they prepared a meal for us in their small kitchen and it wasn’t much.  I felt so terrible because she had 7 children to feed.

When you eat at members homes here in Brazil, they always let you get food first.  They will drink water and let you drink all the juice/soda that they have.  They will let you sit around their table if they have one, and they will sit on the ground.  So at this particular lunch, all the other Elders took a lot of food, and their's was like none... left so I took just a little.  I really never realized how much I had until I came here.  In Brazil, people will make around R$15,000 which is only $5,000 when you convert it to American dollars.  That’s nothing, but people live of it here, somehow.  Also out here in Brazil they really make anything you can think of.  Everyone’s house is usually converted into a shop or a workplace where they create fake jewelry, cheap watches, etc.

This week we had a meeting with our District President about our area becoming a Stake.  We are not a stake right no, just a district.  It's amazing to see the work and how fast it is moving out here and that I get to be a part of it!

I love my life and thank you for all of your love and support!

Impressions of Juazeiro Brazil

1. I use the train out here for transportation sometimes and the windows are ALL cracked because kids throw rocks at it when it goes through town.
2. In Brazil if you live in America your pretty much rich because of the exchange rate.
3. when I walk around the streets of Brazil, little kids come up to me all the time and say Fala Ingles! (speak English)

Address:

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

(Note mail in Brazil is regulated as you might have heard, packages and even letters have a high chance of being opened if you do not cover the letter or package in pictures of Jesus and the Catholic Mary. Shipping takes about a month time sometimes longer.

21st Week Out, 1st week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

Dear family and friends;

Things have been crazy!  Forgive me for my spelling because I no longer have time or auto spell.  I didn't get the opportunity to have a p-day last week because I left The MTC for Fortaleza the day of my P-day.

Anyways, I'm here now!  I was called to serve in Juazeiro!  For my first area, me and my companion will be opening up a new area!  It was a 400 mile trip to this area!  I was on the bus for 10 hours!  My companions name is Elder Huang.  He is Korean but lives in the U.S. (Chicago).   He does speak English, but only when I completely can't understand something, which happens a lot!

The language is definitely something I'm struggling with but I knew I would.  I know Heavenly Father will help me to learn the language in time, but for now I'm not understanding a lot.

Brazil is definitely a culture change!  We have big meals for lunch with members and then don't eat  dinner.  When I say big, meals I mean big!  We eat with 2 other sets of elders and a set of sister missionaries every day!  That's 8 missionaries, and they always stuff us!  They will always say "comi mais elder!" Its rude to not have seconds out here!  Most of the time they don't have enough seats for everyone so they will let all the missionaries sit around their small table and they will eat on the ground!

It's very poor out here!  Dinner is not a thing.  We can buy a snack but no one eats dinner.  Our house is apparently the nicest in the mission so I guess I lucked out.  We live in the house with 2 other sets of missionaries.  One set is our Zone Leaders and they are American, and the other are Brazilians.

I no longer have warm showers!  Cold showers are rough and I don't think I will ever get used to them! I also don't have a dryer here, so I have to dry my clothes on the line.  Everyone does it here.

I really love it here in Brazil though!  The people are so nice!  The work is moving fast in Brazil and we  have already set nine baptismal dates this week!

Houses out here are amazing.  No one has grass or front yards or back yards.  It's just a bunch of houses connected, and all the houses are no longer than two car lengths, so when you are walking, you will pass by two houses every second!  It's so beautiful because the sidewalks are made of broken tile or random things.  Every house is a different color, shape, size, quality.  It's beautiful and makes walking not a burden.  I must have walked 40 miles these last couple days but I love it!  By the end of the day I'm ready to go to sleep!  I can say that for sure!

I'm working so hard!  My Portuguese is improving so much.  I love my life.  I love all that I have.   This experience is definitely humbling me!

Thank you for all of your love and support!  I wish I had more time but I don't!

Impressions of Juazeiro, Brazil

1. EVERYONE is catholic and I mean everyone
2. Turns out they were teaching me Japanese in the MTC and not Portuguese. (Jk)
3. No more paved roads!  All roads are made of crushed rocks and some type of cement.
4. I walked into the supermarket for the first time and had no clue what I was looking at!

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

(Note mail in Brazil is regulated as you might have heard, packages and even letters have a high chance of being opened if you do not cover the letter or package in pictures of Jesus and the Catholic Mary. Shipping takes about a month time sometimes longer.

20th Week Out, Day two in Fortaleza, Brazil Mission.

We received no letter from Elder Horton this week.

Brennen arrived in Fortaleza Brazil this morning! This day ended his 2nd week at Brazil MTC!

We received just a picture from the mission president and his wife of Brennen arriving at the airport safely.  No letter.

19th Week Out, 1st Week in Brazil, Sao Paulo MTC (or CTM)

Dear family and friends;

Yes it is true... I am IN BRAZIL!  I'm in the Sao Paulo MTC!  I will be here for 2 weeks to refresh my Portuguese.  I have now been to both MTC´s!  I can definitely say that the Sao Paulo MTC is wayyyyy nicer!  Everyone here is Brazilian so now Americans are in the minority!  I remember seeing all the different nationalities at the MTC in Provo, and some of them couldn't understand English, so for devotionals and meetings, they had to have headphones and someone translate. Yeah... I'M the one using the headphones now!  Everyone speaks Portuguese and it's forcing me to use it ALL the time!  I can't believe in just one week how much more Portuguese I know!  I know the gift of tongues is real!  

Elder Kessel is my companion again!  If you don't remember, he was my companion in the Provo MTC the first time so it's crazy that we have served together 2 times now!  We have 2 other roommates in our room one is Spanish (Elder Almeida) that speaks Portuguese and the other is a native Brazillian (Elder Prado)!  They both know no English!  They are legit!   They sit with us for meals all the time and we are always having conversations in Portuguese and I can actually understand them! 

One of the different things about the Sao Paulo MTC is we actually go "off campus" here!  We go and teach people all around the city!  I had 2 opportunities this past week to hop on the bus with four "O Livro de Mormons" and go out around the city and teach people about the Book of Mormon!  A lot of people struggle with talking to people and will come back and didn't even give one away.  But the 1st day, I placed 5 out of 4 Book of Mormons in 2 hours!  The 5th I grabbed from one of the other Elders in my district who couldn't give it away.  We were on the bus ride back and I gave it to a person.  The second day I ended up giving out 11 Book of Mormons in under 2 hours!  How... I started off by placing my 4 very fast and then I gave all my companions away because he struggles with talking to people.  Then on the bus ride back, I ended up talking with more people all over the bus and ask other elders for their Book of Mormons because they just stood on the bus waiting to go home.  Not to mention, all these conversations were all 100% in Portuguese.  Heavenly Father has helped me to be very outgoing.  To anyone that knows me... I'm not afraid to go out and do mostly anything!  The way I like to say it...  "We need to be lovingly BOLD!" 

I don't have much time to email here in the MTC.  I'm back on the 45 minute max, and I'm not even allowed to send pictures!  I have so much more I could talk about but no time. 

I love my life!  I know my Heavenly Father is with me, helping me be the missionary he wants me to be!  I love you all and thanks for all your love and support!

Impressions of Sao Paulo Brazil

1. The roads out here are FREAKING crazy and when I say that, this must be one of the craziest if not the craziest places in the world!.
2. Most of the cars out here are small.  Probably to get through traffic
3. Everyone drives bumper to bumper, LITERALLY!
4. There's TONS of people on motorcycles mobbing through traffic.  They even have a motorcycle area right before the crosswalk!  So it's funny, when you're waiting at a red light, all the motorcycles will maneuver through traffic to the front of the cars, and when the light turns green green... you just see a million bikes take off.
5. I even saw a driver pull over in the middle of the freeway so that he could stop and take a pee.
6. There all the most randoms car companies!?

My address:

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

(Note mail in Brazil is regulated as you might have heard, packages and even letters have a high chance of being opened if you do not cover the letter or package in pictures of Jesus and the Catholic Mary. Shipping takes about a month time sometimes longer.

Brennen Arrived in Sao Paulo Brazil Mission Training Center on June 16, 2015

Dear Parents;

Sister Swensen and I are very happy to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil Missionary Training Center.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they begin their missionary experiences with us. We will surely take good care of your missionary.  
                                                                                                   

The missionaries now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  Their branch presidents and wives, will meet them this Sunday.  These wonderful couples are richly blessed as they work with, motivate, and interview the missionaries assigned to their branch.

The MTC has a full-time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife who is a nurse. We are also happy to report that the cafeteria food is plentiful, healthy and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Wednesday or Friday, depending on individual assignments.

Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of many others. President Lorenzo Snow said: “There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".  We love these missionaries as if they were our own.  We will watch over them carefully to ensure they are ready for a wonderful missionary experience after the rewarding time they will have in the MTC.

We thank you for preparing such a wonderful representative of the Lord.

President Robert Swensen and Sister Julie Swensen

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION . . .  

PLEASE DO NOT SEND PACKAGES to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC, please understand that the package cannot be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.

WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE SENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to process this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

Email news from Church Headquarters, Diane Hansen, who is the Church Missionary Travel Coordinator.

Kevin asked the church's Mission Travel Coordinator about flight plans to Fortaleza and was informed  that they do not have those travel plans for Fortaleza yet as they will be going to the MTC in San Paulo, Brazil for a short Language Training Course.  He will stay there two weeks.

We noticed on the flight plans that Elder Kessel will be sitting right next to Brennen on the plane ride down.  Elder Kessel was Brennen's first companion in the Provo MTC.