We (Kevin's family) are going to be following Kevin's Mission through this blog format. Facebook was nice (and we will continue to use it), but hopefully, this blog will allow us to share a little more detail and some pictures that Kevin shares with us periodically.
We had a wonderful Christmas Day phone call with Kevin and we asked him a ton of questions! Here are some of them and his reply:
1 - How did you celebrate your first Christmas in Brazil?
Earlier in the week, he and his companion took a bus to Itabuna - a city outside of Vitoria da Conquista - for a special mission Zone Conference/Christmas Party. He met up with his first companion, Elder Morris, when they were both at the CTM in Sao Paulo. They had several meetings, one with Elder Zwick (from the Seventy) and lots of good food and conversation. He received most of the packages that we sent him.
On Christmas Eve he and his companion traveled to another part of the city to attend a Ward Christmas Party. They didn't arrive until 10:30 PM! They spent the night in the city, and he was able to visit with another American missionary - in English! He and his comp rode the bus back to their apartment and looked forward to our phone call that evening. Kevin also said that he loved the Christmas Tree Countdown Calendar and all the wonderful quotes and words of encouragement that friends and family sent to him. It sounds like he actually opened them one day at a time! (Thank you all for contributing your part to his Christmas Tree!)
2- How is the food?
"Lunch is the main meal of the day and we eat with the members of the ward each day. We have beans and rice everyday! The area that we live in right now is a little more affluent so we eat more pasta/casseroles, chicken, beef. There are a lot of cattle in the city...literally!! We always have fruit. I love the fruit - especially the pineapple, mango, watermelon and fresh juices." (He says he hasn't had the açai fruit yet! He also says he doesn't do any cooking. Apparently, his two native companions don't cook either. Breakfast consists of "cookies".....and he won't drink the milk. He doesn't trust it. He drinks a lot of water, fruit juices and soda.)
3- What is the weirdest food you've eaten?
" ..not many weird things....chicken heart on shish kabob....another elder ate some chicken feet, rat and turtle."
4 - What is your apartment like? Neighbors?
View from the apartment
Kitchen - clothes washer to left of fridge
"It's just a regular missionary apartment....with Easter yellow and purple walls...2 bedrooms!" He has "neighbors above us......a lady sings very loudly everyday!" (At the next transfer, the missionaries in this area will move into a new apartment. He doesn't know if he will be moving...however he will be getting a new companion as his current companion is at the end of his mission and will be going home (to Rio de Janerio). Kevin shared a few pictures of his apartment. He included a pic of his washer...says the machine does not agitate and they have to hang their laundry to dry.)
5- Transportation?
"We cannot ride bikes....the traffic is too busy. We walk everywhere we go."
Reservoir
We were walking to a members home
and came up to a chasm in the road...
6- Shelly wanted to know about the bugs:
"I have seen 2-3 inch spiders, baby scorpions and lots of ants."
7- How is the language coming?
"The language is entirely phonetic: i=ee, e=eh, r=h, verbs are difficult to figure out." (It is the verbs that make it hard for him to communicate with the people. He says he is coming along. He also says that it is easier to read Portuguese even with a dictionary. He accepted his Mission President's challenge to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. He read it in portuguese!)
8 - What do you do on P-day?
"Email family and friends, laundry, read, help the sister missionaries, shop and relax. One time I played soccer with my district for about 5 hours and got extremely sunburned!"
Coffin shopping...??? Havin' some fun....!!!
