CTM Week 3

Okay so I haven't read you letter yet because a lot has happened this so I'm going to write a bunch and then read. So this week was our third week and we got to go prostlyiting. They took us to down town  Sao paulo, to the financial district. SO we basically went to the Wall street of Brazil. They gave us each two copies of the book of mormon and said go for it. On the bus ride there sister smith gave out one and her companion gave out one too. So by time we got there they had given out half of their copies. Me and my companion walked for about 10 mins in one direction when we got there and kept asking people if they had a minute to talk but no one did. So we were wonding if we were even saying it right so we tried talking to one guy who was standing there but all he said was I'm working over and over again so we gave up and walked some more when we found some people handing out stuff, like flyiers and started talking to them. My companion took two and I took two and we started talking about the book of mormon. I think I got the general message across or I confused them like crazy but they understood who we were and what the Book of momron is at least. I handed out one to one of they guys and my companion gave one to each. It was cool to see how truely intereested they were in hearing our message and their genuine interest in what we were saying. Oh and brazilians are amazing, they are the nicest people ever. Even when you say something completely wrong they try to help you and don't laugh at all. So after that we still had one more copy to hand out so we crossed the street and walked the other way. If you look it up we started righ infront of their equivalent of central park but in sao paulo. We walked past a citi bank building which looked really cool and then I started talking to this one guy who was catholic, I testified about the book of mormon and asked if he wanted on, and then he spoke portuguese and the busses were coming and going and I have no idea what he said. So my companion talked to him for a little and I understood the genral gist of what they were saying but he said he would read the book and if he liked it he would give it to some one else too. So we spent about an hour in down town sao paulo and then our whole district got on the bus and while I was talking our teacher on the bus, our bus actually got hit by another bus behind it. No damage just pushed the bus about .5 foot forward. Then that night we were teaching an investigator (our teacher) who was having trouble with His friends making fun of him for being mormona and reading the book of Mormon. So we abandoned our lesson and went back to if the book of mormon was true or not. The spirit was awesome and I definitely had the gift of tounges beacuse I could speak so easily during that and it was a huge blessing. There is a huge difference when you have the spirit with youu and when you don't.

We have only been to the sao paulo temple and the campinas (only because they were cleaning the sao paulo temple) speaking of which today at the temple I was playing around with the listening device and trying to listen in portuguese and I can get most of what they are sayin, llike i understand I just don't think I can repeat back but the last week I'm at the ctm I'm going to try and do it in all portuguese. Brook can use my scriptures, thats fine. If she wants she can even use my older black  ones that are marked up. it's fine with me. So as for the letters they are actually super expensive so I only am probably going to be able to send like 5. Beacuse they are really expensive for some reason............idk why but I'll probably send more anyways.

Thanks for sending the debit card and are you sending my camera chord too? it's okay if you don't because I'll just buy a new one I was just wondering thought. The language is coming better, I can read pretty much any part of preach my gospel and anything that has to do with the gospel in portuguese, which is cool but at little frustrating because sometimes I struggle with talking but |I'm getting better. We stay with the same companion the entire time we are in the ctm. Mind blown about brooke and michael. That's sweet about having two general auhorities as well.

Oh so it would  be a huge blessing if someone could go in my cases of stuff in the garage and get my hymn book, the small english one, I sincerely miss english songs and if you could also find my color scripture markes too because I'm stuck with red right now.

That's cool about seeing rachel, I don't care who rights me but emails for you guys come first. I need to work on the letters for you guys but I'm supposed to only right on p-days so I'm trying to be obedient, I just need to actually have time to write instead of walking around casa verde wasting time like my comapnion wants to. But all is good and things are well. I miss you guys but there is no other place I'd rather be then here right now. It's so much fun and so amazing. I love you!!!

Elder Simonsen