Greetings from Apucarana: October 3, 2012

Dear Everyone,

In the field I get one hour for email/computer on p-day!!!!  Just a heads up before I start talking about the field. Letters from the mission home get delivered to me once every three weeks to a month. Letters don't get sent directly to us at our apartment, at least not in the area that I am in.  For packages I would talk with Sister Tavares because I have no idea how that works,

Então....(so) it has been a crazy week with lots of photos taken (I’ll send some to you in my email next p-day when I remember my camera)!

Let’s start at the beginning.  We went proselyting one last time on Monday at the CTM but this time we took a city bus to downtown São Paulo and proselyted there! It was pretty sweet! One experience that was really touching was the first person that Elder S. and I talked with was this young man and after talking with him a bit he wanted to know some more so we taught him a mini super short 5‑minute version of the first lesson (First Vision and the Book of Mormon, etc.). By the way, the spirit helped us out a lot, I know, because we were speaking much better Portuguese than either of us knew and one of us always understood what he was saying! The spirit was really working overtime to make sure we didn´t screw this one up.  At the end he asked us if he could have a second copy of the Book of Mormon so he could share it with his friend as well!! It was really cool!

And now the part you have been waiting for the past 9 weeks!

Yesterday, Tuesday, (seems like a week ago) we woke up at 3:12 to get ready and head out for the airport by 4.  We had a one-hour plane ride and landed in Londrina at 7:30 in the morning with Pres. and Sister Tavares waiting for us with the APs and the secretaries! They are really awesome! I am really glad that I have Pres. and Sister Tavares!  So, next we went to their house/apartment and had some bread and jam and butter for breakfast (it was really good) and talked about the doctrine of Christ and had interviews with the president which was awesome. Then we had this really yummy lunch that they made for us with the missionaries who would be our future trainers but we didn't know who would be our trainers. Then we talked some more and FINALLY they told us who our trainers were going to be for the next 12 weeks! (It was so hard to listen to 12 hours of Portuguese after getting 4 hours of sleep so by the time they got to this point I was already so tired and dead it was not even funny. I am surprised that my brain did not ooze out my ears because it was so mushy!)

Anyway, my trainer for the next 12 weeks is: Elder W. He is really cool! He has been out 10 months and he is from Las Vegas!! Yeah I got an American trainer! I am his first American companion! I feel so lucky to be with him, he is such a great example to me already and he helps me a lot with learning the language and learning how to be a missionary as well. We are laboring in the Eldorado area of Apucarana about 2.5 hours from Londrina! Our first night there we got right to work, of course! We went to the branch president´s house and to various members and recent converts! I shared a quick spiritual thought with a recent convert. And after that we did some street contacting and got 3 addresses from people to come back and teach them later! Then I got to unpack for like 5 minutes, plan, and get ready for bed. There are a total of 4 elders in the apartment. I don't remember the other elders names but I´ll get that to you on p-day. One of them I knew from the CTM (he left my third week there) and is Brazilian. We have a good group.

I was so overwhelmed by yesterday but I am so thankful for my great companion who is helping me adapt and grow accustomed to my new lifestyle. Today we are teaching 7 or 8 lessons and our goal is to find 4 (I think) new investigators today as well. Talk about a little bit of a running start!

So a little info about where I live. We live above an auto repair shop and right across the street is a pretty big cemetery with this giant Jesus statue. The apartment is alright. I won't go into much detail and freak you out but it is clean and has plenty of space! I am already almost used to the change in living quarters! We eat a lot of bread and have a great view out of our kitchen window over the valley! It is pretty good! Our area is a more poor area that is for sure but it isn't too bad.

It isn't even that hot here, and not even summer yet but it sure feels that way! I am a little overwhelmed by the whole being in the field part and having my whole world change in the blink of an eye, but I have already felt the blessings from the Lord in my short time here in the field! And I know that this will be the hardest thing that I will ever do in my entire life but I also know that this will be the best thing that I will ever do in my life as well! I do love being a missionary and I already love the people in my area! This is going to be a great 12 weeks!

BTW, Elder S. also got an American companion who is really cool, Elder P. I believe but he is serving in the northernmost part of the mission, so he is pretty far away.

Lots of Love!

Elder Cummings