Hello family and friends,

This week was great. It felt really short, but also really long. The days kind of mesh together. It is a weird feeling. Lots of studying and teaching. And a lot of Portuguese. By the end of the day, I am exhausted. haha

I forgot to say a few things about proselyting. There were some teenagers that had painted themselves silver and were juggling fire between cars when traffic was stopped and then people would pay them. Also, there are always people walking through traffic trying to sell things or wash your windows. Haha. There was this guy playing saxophone where we were proselyting. Everything from Christmas music to "Forever Young" He was super good, so it actually was nice to listen to. Haha. I am going again tomorrow so I am excited for what else I will see!

My district is a lot of fun. I am district leader. I basically just make sure everyone is on task and lead discussions and some studying, but that's about it. It is not too difficult. I also try to share thoughts with them every night from the scriptures. My district has 5 elders from Utah, one from Missouri, and one from Idaho. The ones from Idaho and Missouri are my companions. The one from Missouri is a little crazy. He definitely makes things interesting with random impressions and jokes and stuff. Haha. He says he might want to be an actor, and he would be pretty good at it. My other companion is cool. He likes grammar and chips, so every night he eats chips and reads his grammar book in bed. Haha. The rest of the district and the Brazilians and other people down here are awesome. They are so welcoming and I have made a lot of good friends.

As for the language, it is coming. A normal greeting is "Tudo bem" it is asked like a question and then responded just normally. It directly means "All is well". Other things are "Bom dia", "Boa tarde", and "Boa noite" which are good morning, afternoon, and night. To say goodbye is just "Tchau" or "Até mais" which means see you later kind of. Haha. We do language fasts where we just speak Portuguese which is exhausting, but effective.

I am really starting to love the culture, language, and people down here. It is such an amazing experience to be able to serve the Lord all day. It brings the Spirit and so much love into my life. I know that this work is so important and that The Church is true. It brings so much peace and happiness into my life and the message that we teach is simple but powerful. That through Christ, we can repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and live with our families together. That message has blessed my life, and it can bless every single person's life because through it we find happiness and joy. I love all the support I get from back home. Thank you all for everything you do for me and my family.

Tchau!

Elder Johnson