Hello, friends and family!

So this week I wrote a lot more about the CTM (What the MTC is called here). The beds are pretty small. My head is against the wall and my feet are still hanging off the bed on the other side. I am still surprisingly able to sleep, though. Haha. The showers seem to have two settings, the fire of Mount Doom or the Ice of Hoth. Every few seconds I can get somewhere in between. haha. The food here is a ham and cheese sandwich for breakfast and rice, beans, and meat for lunch and dinner. There is always fruit that is really good. The drinks are really good also. Juice and Guarana (Brazilian soda)

The entire CTM is part of the choir. So we practice before the devotionals and then just sing to ourselves. Haha. It is fun and hard to sing in Portuguese. We sang the Brasilian national anthem when Elder Anderson came because it was the same day as Brasil's independence day.

The stairs here are killer. I walk up and down 6 floors just to get to my room. And I thought the stairs at Orem High were bad. haha

My shoes killed my feet the first couple of days, but they have broken in and feel so good now. P-day is super cool. We go to the temple and take a lot of pictures. Then, we write emails and go out into the city. I bought cookies, candy (which is different, but really good), and some food. When we have more time I will probably get a cheeseburger (which they spell as x-burger)

I am really loving being here. My scriptures are getting marked up. I like teaching and I am getting better at it. The language is super hard and a huge barrier, but with the Lord's help, it is getting much better.

I miss the mountains. There was a video of the Temples in Utah playing in the lobby of the CTM and seeing Timp made me a little homesick, but other than that I am holding up super well. The Lord truly does strengthen those he calls. We have three Brazilians in our dorm room. The one speaks really good English, but the other two barely speak. They are funny, though. It definitely does help with the Portuguese having actual Brazilians to talk to all the time. The one Brazilian that speaks good English always makes our beds and says it was the Holy Ghost. Haha.

We did splits with Brazilians this week, so we had to plan and teach a lesson with someone who doesn't speak any English. It is really good practice, but super hard. Every lesson I get better, though. Every day feels like a week, but every week feels like a day.

The Lord truly strengthened and blessed me this week. I feel the spirit so strongly and without it, there is no way I could learn the language this quickly. It is extremely challenging every day, but it is also super rewarding. I feel so much love for everyone and the tender mercies of The Lord are abundant. I can't wait for another week of learning, teaching, being humbled, and growing closer to The Lord.

One last thing, I want to say Happy Birthday to my dad! It is today (September 16) and he is one of the best examples, mentors, and friends in my life. I am so grateful for everything he has done for me and I love him so much.

Tchau!

Elder Johnson

Any return emails or just emails, in general, can come straight to me at johnson.jonathan@myldsmail.net instead of going through my dad who is sending these out. Thank you for all your love and support!