1/20/09
Ola
So yeah no new transfer, I’m staying one more transfer or so here in Caragutá. Elder Stefanini as well, So this will be fun.
We had a lot more success getting people to church this week we had 4 investigators there this week, still protesting, they love church once they get there just not going its lame……………
So nothing new happened this week. Well president closed my zone we merged with Saude. It has 24 missionaries now…. It had 10…… he closed 4 zones now there’s only 11 zones.
So to answer dad’s questions I see President Richardson about 2-3 times a transfer. As far as I know he likes me, I don’t know why he wouldn’t…. um I weight something like 175lbs or so now that’s only like 20 since I left, but I’ve been working out a lot in the mornings lately so it looks a lot more drastic. Yes 6 times a week I have a huge lunch with members that make me eat so much food….. yes I have enough money. I think that’s all of your questions.
So the hot dogs here come with some interesting things on them 1.its the hot dog and bun. 2. it has mashed potatoes 3. Mayonnaise 4. Corn 5. Fried potato strips 5. Mozzarella cheese…. Yeah it’s as gross as it sounds……
Some sister tried to feed me cow spine last week….. I became a vegetarian for a meal…. It smelled so bad. That’s really it for the nasty foods this week that I can think of…
Well I don’t really know what else to say so I’m going to go now
Until next week
Elder Linford!

6th pday second transfer
HI
So we went downtown today again, it was fun saw some historic sites, saw the Brazilian stock market, and the São Paulo Capitol.
Um yeah not a whole lot to report on, this computers being gay so no pictures this week.
It’s hot like really hot!
We are working a lot. But there’s this little detail that really stinks NO ONE WILL GO TO CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I kid you not to get one person to church Sunday .(the only one that went!) I carried him out of his house till he said he would walk! He likes church a lot. He is just like the rest of the wonderful people here.
Next p-day is Transfer day. NO mom I do NOT know yet if I’ll move! I’ll find out Monday morning. So next Tuesday when you get my email y’all will know.
PS there’s 6 weeks to every! Transfer so if you want to know when transfers are just look at the title of my email……………
It’s a nice 37 degrees Celsius right now that’s hot lol
Well that’s about it I got t0 write my letter to President right now so I’m

January 6, 2009
Dear family,

Whats up???? From what I hear Christmas was a blast up there in Dallas. Well my Christmas was awesome too when you get the memory card with the video of us opening Christmas you’ll laugh. The tree we found in the trash so it is about 100times cooler!
So pictures from last pday

Well this week was a bad week to teach, all of our good investigators were out of town, (everyone goes to the beach for new years, and not for the sun…….) and with New Year’s well it was extremely hard to teach and sleep. New Years Eve was something out of the streets of Iraq. It was livable till about 11:30-1:30 a loud fireworks show went on right over our house, and with everything being concrete it echoed very loudly so I got to bed like 2 ish it stunk a lot I was angry because I like my sleep.

I’m glad to hear everything went well with all of you guy’s I’m sending you all hand written letters soon, the Pearson family I have already done, (I’m going in age order sorry Michelle) so like a couple of months ish.
Well things are going great here we just got 2 really great references from the bishopric, they can be baptized it just depends if we can get them before this transfer ends….

Well I love you all lots and wish you all the best!, and I want a copy of the family picture soon, and I want to see pics of mom and big Al I hear they are dropping more weight than me???
Love Elder Linford

January 09
HI!

SO this week was pretty much just another week here in Brazil. We worked a lot got rained on a lot my shoes are still wet actually. But it was a lot of fun, we just gave up and put our umbrellas away because of the rain was so hard.

We are going to have a baptism this Sunday and one next Sunday so were pretty excited. The weather here is pretty much like Texas with its randomness. One day 95 next 72 its pretty much makes me feel like I’m at home. But Texas gets way hotter.

So I really don`t have a whole lot of new news. Other then let me give you a short history of our fast and testimony meeting.
Fabao- he is mentality hand capped sang a hymn as a testimony.
A 5 year bore his testimony about Adam and Eve
A member of the ward said, ”brothers and sisters I`ve got a sin to confess, I have committed adultery, with the Relief Society president” she then stands up, calls him a nice name and liar, and he said, “no no no I committed it in my mind” yeah that was a pretty awesome Sunday.... i`m still laughing lol.

Yeah thats about it

OH MOM EAT SOME FREAKING FOOD! You look way to skinny!
Elder LINFORD

November 08

I love it here, oh well! We got pushed back 2 weeks with Denise, Giberto and Delise’s baptism, sadly. but they are excited so December 7 is our goal!!

Marcelo is on track (as long as he stays away from those cigarettes) for this Sunday so I’m supper excited, he’s good!

This week has been a super crazy one to say the least! Yesterday we did splits, Elder Vargus (who speaks little to no English) came to my area and I had to lead the work, and lessons and I still don’t know a lot of Portuguese so that was difficult but he loved it he told me I’m doing an amazing job. I know my area, the lessons, the investigators, and enough Portuguese to communicate everything I wanted to say (which isn’t true). Elder Vargus is an amazing missionary I learned a lot from him in that short time yesterday! Funny story his girlfriend put her papers in after he left and she got called to the São Paulo south mission tabêm hahaha pretty funny she leaves at the end of this transfer its been funny to hear all the jokes people make lol.

We are hitting a giant wall in the form of no one is home mid day, it’s hard to find work to do then, and its sucking all of our energy. It’s really stinky. We have come up with some ideas of what to do but it’s hard because no one is home! And if we find someone home, it’s a women alone so we can’t teach them Oh and as I speak the movie Armageddon is on at the tv at the lan house, it’s weird to hear different voices lol.

Christmas day…my phone call will happen! I’m not too sure yet what time I’ll have to work that out with a member in all that

Carrie, Melissa, and I use mission ties, I write my friend via it because I cannot email them. Tell Laurie she can use it I don’t think the whole family knows about it.

Life’s pretty awesome here in Brazil. I’m working hard studying hard and following all the rules, even the ones I think are pointless!

Which brings me to my second point, I don’t wanna hear about someone not liking a church leader, I’m dealing with that everyday so I won’t be very nice, it’s so retarded that people just stop going to church because the bishop didn’t shake his hand when he came into elders quorum 25 minutes late!! Brazilians look for reason not to go to church our ward has about 400 members in it, less then 50 active, its gay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TO CHURCH EVERYONE! Alright I’m done with that rant


Gorbi, Mission is awesome you’ll love it! Its also the hardest thing you’ll have ever done though, especially the mtc, those 9 weeks felt like 9 years I’ve been out for 5 weeks and it feels like 2 days its crazy!!

Well I think I gotta go I love you all and wish you the best and I pray for you all and I know you do the same!!

Oh and I loved that story about Josh!!! Blessings are freaking awesome I had to give a lot lately luckily all in English I haven’t had to butcher portugues blessing yet lol. Its just so awesome being a priesthood holder!!

Oh random thought I really wanna see Big Al baptize Caroline!!! For some reason I keep thinking about that story…it will be “delicious” I want Caroline’s point of view too, I know that’s like forever from now but it popped into my head!

I love you all and until next week everyone stay safe and don’t do stupid things

Elder Linford

Family how is it going!!>???!!?!?!??!

Don't send me letter past Oct 18th to CTM as much as I would like them lol
Dad, parts of the CTM have AC classrooms and the auditorium and The offices
Pass along to the Ellingsons that President Farreow is Canadian. He is in my branch president.

Okay so this week has been, well a unique one to say the least. On Monday my companion and 3 other elders were feeling homesick/just down and they were crazy out of it. My companion just wanted a blessing of comfort, and that was unique. It was the first one I had ever done and as soon as I put my hands on his head the spirit came into the room so strong, I mean, you already feel the spirit a lot in the CTM but it was like the celestial room strong… it was amazing. it was really cool, and that was on top of an amazing spiritual testimony meeting Sunday. I love it when the spirit is just so strong. It is so amazing. I can’t really put it into words, but it was really amazing.
Things are going great here every day. I love it here. It is not that the learning is that great, but it is what it is. I’ve really learned to study hard and with results. 14 hours in a room plus lots of prayers, seem to do that. And I really can’t wait to get into the field.
Tho I may not be able to speak well, but I know I’ll love it I can’t wait to get out and teach!
Friday we get to go out again and proselyte. That’s going to be fun. I feel like I can communicate so much better this time around!!! I really can’t wait I also can’t wait till it’s going to be amazing!
Well i don’t know what else to say so I’m going to go stay good I love you all
Elder Linford

Hello,
Well okay I leave in 3 days and I’m excited about that. This week has been a lot of meetings and stuff, I’m getting excited. I AM 100% HEALTHY so need to worry about that :)
Now that I don't have to email everyone back you guys can continue to email me.....
We went to the São Paulo temple today for the last time as a District. I’m going to miss these guys they’re pretty awesome, the spirit they carry with them all the time makes me happy. We also had exit interviews with the branch president and he told me if I live up to my goals that I’ve set I’ll get all the slacker companions. BUT it'll be the best thing of my life. I’m so excited to get out there. I don’t feel good about Portuguese at all, but I’m done here in the CTM. I know I’ll leave it all out on the street, so yeah the next email you get I’ll have lots of stories about my first weeks and my companion, I’m hoping for a Brazilian so I can leave Portuguese faster!
That stinks about good old BYU?? But I did call it down here in Brazil. Oh and Texas winning again helps make them look legit, and the big 12 south has 4 out of its 6 teams in the top 8??? Dad how’s your pac-10 doing???? Oh wait only 2 teams ranked :))) (doctor Linford puts up the ranks weekly) well I know its early but not even the sec looks as strong as the big 12 south. So we’ll see
This week just flew by. I sent some pictures home of our going away party( it’s all mixed up with some from the Mission President. conference.) oh I missed Elder Richard G Scott by about 3 hours on Saturday, that stinks but I’m ready to get out of here.
So yeah I’ll let you guys go but you can all email because i can write you back. Okay well bye I love you all
ELDER LINFORD!