Dearest family,
I am almost definitely the only American in this city, and out of the five people sitting in this LAN house, I know with certainty that I am the only native English speaker.
My new companion's name is Elder Pantoja. He looks Japanese, but he isn't. He's from some city that neither you nor I has ever heard of in northern Brazil. We have only been companions for a week, but things have already changed a lot. He works a lot differently than my last companion did. I'm still adjusting to his new way of teaching (he talks a lot, I talk a little, and this kid named Marco who always helps us doesn't talk at all) and making contacts. This situation has already presented some challenges. Brazilians from the north and northeastern regions of Brazil have a distinctive accent: their R's sound more like H's and their S's sound like Sh's. Although I can get by just fine with the language now, it can be pretty difficult to understand Elder Pantoja. I do my best to pick up on what he says and respond to him. It is really hard to just have a regular conversation, though. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; at least, it's easier for me to stay focused on the work now. But it's a lot less fun.
Everything seems quite a bit more challenging now because I really do feel alone. The only thing that I really have to cling to is my testimony, which happens to be growing a lot every day.
Elder Pantoja loves Josh Groban. He has a little MP3 player with a built-in speaker that he uses to play music in the mornings and at night. Not coincidentally, I have recently discovered that I hate Josh Groban. Ahem.
Like I said, Elder Pantoja works a little differently than my last companion. It seems like that could work out for the better, though, because we're already finding some good new people to teach. We taught the Restoration to a young couple on Saturday night, and I really think they could be baptized. They're smart enough to get it, I think. Unfortunately, they weren't able to go to church yesterday, but they said they could probably go to Conference next week.
Speaking of which, I don't think I've ever been so excited for Conference before. I'm probably only going to be able to watch one session (and in Portuguese, no less), but I don't care. I feel like I need that spiritual boost that comes from hearing the words of the prophet and apostles. If nothing else, I should be able to get a copy of the Liahona with all the conference talks in it. I seriously can't wait.
The Church is true, everyone. I mean, it really is.
I love all of you.
Tchau!
Elder Wings
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