Monday 21 November 2011 - "Two Portuguese speaking Elders named Mullins"

Dear family,

How are all of you? I did get your care pack, it is awesome. I still have chips and salsa and I’m saving the IBC for Thanksgiving lol. I got so many letters this week. lol I got some from grandma and grandpa, you all, grandma Virgie, and one big one from seminary with letters from most of the seminary class.

SYL last week turned more into a really super ESYL (Effective SYL) which is basically using it as much as you can, but still using some English. So this week I'm setting the goal again and going to work hard to SYL all the time.

November 14, 2011 email - "Walk Around the Temple"

Bom dia familia

I’m doing well! This week I’m trying to SYL the ENTIRE WEEK!! Today will be the hardest because it’s Pday, so pray for my success please!!

Yesterday was like the best day ever!!! The talks were really great, but the very best part was when Elder Stradley and I went on the Sunday walk. Our district had gone without us. So we went as they were coming back. It’s been kind of wet out, it rained yesterday, so they didn’t stay as long as they could. So Elder Stradley and I went ran into a good friend of ours Vanhin Edwards, he's going to Finland and will leave about the same time as us… Then we stopped to talk to the Anziani, the Italian Elders, in our branch who came the same day as us. When we were about to leave, we start walking the way we came. All of the sudden I get the feeling/idea to go the other way around the temple

Monday, November 7, 2011

Another email from Aric!

Ola Familia!

Tudo Bem? Tudo Bem para mim! Everything is going well that is... lol

I mailed off some photos on thursday, we get prints super cheap, and every week we get $6 on our church cards for free spending. I plan to send the memory card home this week, though i might do it sooner if the store has memory cards to buy.

Anyways, things are great even when its hard to think it is. I'm learning so much and becoming more and more at easy with talking with strangers and things. Portugues is coming along really well,  I haven't quite hit the wall I think, but even when I do its more like a loop where I learn a ton or become a little more fluent with what ive learned then learn a little more and so on.

Being here at the MTC has totally given me a lot of direction for my life perspective as far as things I