Email 3-24-2013

Elder Kyler’s letter               3-24-13

Okay, so I haven’t really had anything super crazy happen to me yet. But, we’re teaching tons of people. The baptism for M____ got rescheduled for Saturday, I’m so excited for that! It’s going to be super awesome.

So, we were at a work party for one of our lunch appointments, and we got a phone call to go to a house. I didn’t understand what was going on, so I just followed my Elder P____  :) . We got there, and there’s this boy on a bed shaking like crazy, and having a super difficult time breathing. We got him to sit up, count to 5. I was just praying the whole time that he would be okay. Then the elder’s quorum president gave him a blessing of comfort. Immediately after the blessing he calmed down. It was insane. He was able to talk and interact. It was so cool to see the work of our Heavenly Father like that. They were all so grateful he was okay, as was I.  What caused it, they think, was at the ward party they had churrasco, Brazilian Barbecue. And they think he ate way too much. Which I think we all did!

I’ve made a friend here. I don’t know his name, But I don’t think he even knows his own name. Every time we pass him in the street he walks up to us and starts talking to me. Not to Elder P____. It’s so funny. I don’t have any idea what he is saying. I can pick out some phrases and words, but it’s all history from there. He’s so nice. I always try to bring up the gospel, but he always has way too much to say.

I haven’t accustomed to the weather yet! Ha ha I don’t think I ever will. That’s funny about what Dad said about not needing water, just a bar of soap, but it’s true, I would be all rinsed off in no time at all too!!! I’m getting used to the sweat, and I think my body is too. I had this weird rash for a few days on my legs, I guess from sweat, but its gone now! But, what I’m not used to are the mosquitoes!!! Elder P____ thinks they just love my American blood. I use repellent every morning and every night, but it doesn’t seem to help.

And, I had a nasty blister on my foot. And it was just about to go away, then another one formed on top of it! AAHHH it doesn’t really hurt, its just uncomfortable, and annoying to have to deal with that while trying to work.

I was sitting on my bed reading the first letter you sent, I got to the part about Grannie, and I started thinking about home and all you guys. Then I started feeling sorry for myself, then I thought.. What am I doing... I’m on the Lords time. I can’t waste it sitting here feeling sorry for myself!! So I got up, and started reading my scriptures. I’ve started only studying in Português, I think it will help me learn much faster. I was talking to a lady yesterday and she said it’s going to be hard for me to learn, because everyone here talks wrong. For example, the words ``por causa que`` ends up being ``cowski`` it’s so hard to understand!

I’m doing more street contacts now, and teaching more of lessons; the gospel of Jesus Christ and the restoration. In my 12-week training program, those are the lessons they had me teach the past week. Elder P____ helps me out with that too. He’s great. The language is coming more and more every day. My companion and I can talk more, and relate to one another. It makes the mission more fun, when you can communicate with him. Ha ha. I’m loving my time here so far!

We have some more people we’re teaching, getting ready for baptism. They all have their issues, but when they’re ready, they’re ready.. I am having so much fun! I’m already learning more than I had ever imagined!!

The people are great. I’m getting used to the weather. We went to a medical store today, and they have a scale. I’ve lost 13 pounds since I’ve been in Brazil. That’s basically one a day! Probably all from sweating so much.

The members think I don’t like their food because I don’t eat as much as my comp. But I literally eat as much as I possibly can, to make them happy. Or else they get offended! All is well though!!! Things are great!!

I love you all!! Thanks for writing me :)
-Elder Kyler Blane Farr

***********************************************************************************

one more.. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH :)
that's all
Elder Farr

************************************************************************************

And, all of the computer stuff is in.. uhh guess what!! Português, so I’m not really sure how to send pics.  I’m glad you got my other ones though. :)   hope you like them!!   Ill try to send a few next week.   I’m so happy I’m here.   Feel free to read my letters as a mom, because that’s what you are! You’re MY mom.  I love you.   I love all of you!!   You’re the best family I could have ever asked for.. EVER!

Send my love to everyone else too please. My computer is being timed. I have like three minutes left so I’m going to keep typing until my time is up!  I love you. 

I still miss carpet though!! I can’t lay on the floor here because there’s ants and spiders. I bet I’ll never be scares of spiders in the US again because here, the spiders are like a million times bigger!   And almost every morning we wake up to a cockroach in the bathroom. One was HUGE!  I was scared to kill it.  This is one awesome experience.   I still miss each and every one of you, but I have some growing, understanding, learning to do. I need to have more experiences too!! I love it here.

Email 3-18-2013

Are you on?     It’s like 2 p.m here, I think…But it’s so much different here!!  It’s exactly how I imagined it to be… unfortunately!   I tried to imagine it to be the worst as possible so when I got here it wouldn’t be so bad.  It’s worse! Ha ha.  But that’s what makes it so great!!

Our apartment is pretty big I guess compared to the other.  But it’s sooo small.  One bedroom that could barely fit two beds.  But we only have one bed.  My companion sleeps in a rede (hammock) in the living room every night.  He hates it, but there’s no other choice until we can get a bed over there!!

Remember when I said than all of the trainers understand English?  Ha ha ha  they were wrong…. My companion is Elder P____, from Brasilia, Brazil.  He only knows how to say a couple of random phrases that have nothing to do with teaching the Gospel.  It’s so funny!! 

I have never wanted to just be able to talk this bad in my whole life!   I can’t say what’s on my mind.  He doesn’t understand me when I try to speak Portuguese.  Ha ha   He says people that come from the CTM in Brazil speak much better.  Which is funny because everyone in my MTC district said I spoke super well!!  He says I’m learning super fast.  I just want to be able to talk!! 

Also remember when I said all of the words we were saying before, we were saying wrong?  I thought I learned them right at the MTC.  NOPE!  The accent of the people here is so much different than we learned.  I feel like I’m trying to learn Portuguese again… from the beginning!!!  But it’s all good! 

So people ask me where I’m from and all that, but then they ask me when I used to do before my mission.  I try to explain to them that I worked in a restaurant.  I don’t know about the rest of Brazil, but here they don’t even know what a server does.  There are restaurants but they are like cafeteria style – like, you stand in a line and tell people what you want on your plate, and they put it on.  So then, I try to explain that my family owns a carpet cleaning and installing company.  They all get so confused.  Like they don’t know what carpet is or something.  The nice houses here have tile floors, everywhere.  And the poorer people just have concrete, all torn up, for the floor in their house.  We seriously don’t know what we have until it’s gone. 

All of the streets are dirt.  Some are made with rocks.  It’s crazy.  Elder P____ said this is one of the most poor areas here.  We don’t have a chapel.  We to to church in a duplex.  A church building is being constructed, but no one knows when it was started, or when it will be done!  Ha ha ha  Culture shock to the max….  

Sometimes I’ll be talking to people and I don’t know the word they’re saying, and they’ll try to say it in English.  But I don’t know they’re trying to speak English – I’ll still think they’re trying to speak Portuguese and they say, “Elder, you don’t speak English very well!”  It’s hilarious!  I love it!  I truly am learning so much out here; trying to adjust as best as possible.  J

As to the people – they’re great!  I love all of them.  They have basically nothing, and they’re willing to give us all they have.  For breakfast we usually eat bread, like a roll with butter on it.  Then for almoco (lunch) we eat with members.  So far, every house we’ve been to has rice, beans, spaghetti, some kind of mashed potato thing?  I don’t even know what it is, and some kind of meat; chicken or beef.  One house served us something and then asked if I like it?  I had no idea what it was.  They told me to eat it and have my companion explain what it is after we leave.  It was good but tasted kind of familiar but I didn’t know what it was.  It ended up being liver.  He expected me to freak out about it because his last companion wouldn’t eat it.  Ha ha ha   I was fine with it.  It tasted better than most of the things I’ve tried.  Not that the food is bad – it's kind of bland – but it’s still good.  I’m fine with it.

Most of the time they serve cashew fruit juice with meals too.  I didn’t even know this but the cashew nut grows under a fruit.  The fruit is awesome.  I love it  And guarana too.  I just bought a bottle of guarrana soda from the market!  Oh yeah, and for dinner, we eat whatever, like the equivalent of ramen noodles, or bread again.

During lunch I’ll eat a plate and be full and they tell me to eat more.  So I’ll stuff in another plate.  Then they tell me to eat more.  I have to tell them I’m full!  They’re like, “You’re big and you can’t eat a lot!”  Ha ha ha they’re so funny!  I think it’s because my companion can eat like 4 plates and still be hungry.  He’s super skinny and before his mission he played soccer (just like every single person here).  But he’s going to try and go pro after his mission.  I’m the second person he’s trained.  The other was American too, from Mesa actually.  People say, “Oh you’re from Arizona too!  You must be accustomed to the weather too then?  I have to explain that I’m from the cold part of the state.  And I am definitely not used to the weather. 

Remember when I said I’ve been sweating the whole time???  It hasn’t stopped.  I sweat in the shower, I sweat while I sleep, all the time, Non stop.  I’m basically always soaked.  Everyone thought I sweat a lot back home….ha ha ha   not even close!   I’m at a LAN house right now.  A place with computers and you pay by the hour to use.  It’s air conditioned, and I’m still sweating. 

It’s usually about….well one day it was 88 degrees with like 40-50 percent humidity.   It’s so ridiculous.  It’s supposedly the colder part of the year.  It rained yesterday morning, I think it was, and I was so excited because it wasn’t so hot outside.  WRONG… it was worse!   The humidity was ridiculous.  And rain = mud!  Considering all of the streets are dirt.  With rain, it gets muddy!!!  Not fun  ha ha ha

I sound so negative!  I don’t mean it that way.  I’m just saying it exactly how it is.  The people are so poor!  I never would have thought it would be this bad!  Unfortunately it is.  I love it though!  The people are so awesome.  The culture is different, but awesome at the same time.  I wouldn’t want to be anywhere but here, without the heat though, of course!  J  I just hope I get used to it fairly quick.

Our area is called Jatoba, one of the poorest.  And said to be one of the hardest to teach the Gospel.  We have one person with a definite Baptismal date, as long as she goes to church next Sunday.  We’ll go get here if we have to!!  Her name is M____.  She’s 17 and I don’t know a thing else about her.  She’s already been taught, she just needed to work out her schedule to be able to go to church.  It’s all good now, and she’s going to enter into this sacred Covenant with the Lord.

Today we went into the center of Fortaleza to go to the bank.  I don’t like it.  People walking everywhere… cars everywhere…  Everyone tries to sell me something.  Cause I’m American, they can obviously tell, they think I have so much money and want to buy everything they have.  It’s funny.  But, it’s fun.  I like our area much better than over there though.  Much more calm and chill.  Whenever we have to go somewhere far, we ride the bus.  It’s insane!!  I would rather walk!!  I honestly think I’m going to die every single time I get on it.  I need to become accustom to that too!!  My companion says I will.  Ha ha   We walk all day, every day.  Elder P____ says I’m going to go home brown, and skinny.  I use sunscreen, but it all comes off as soon as I step outside.

I just wrote my Mission President a letter all in Portuguese… It took forever!  I’m learning so much.. it’s great!  We will still only get an hour of email here though.  Maybe the new rule hasn’t hit here yet?  I ‘m not sure… ha ha  I’ve got a nice blister on my foot too, about the size of a 50 cent piece…right under my toes.  It’s great!!

I hope everything is going so well there.  I love you all so much.  I’m loving it here tons!

Con amor,    (with love)

-Elder Kyler Blane Farr

Email 3-12-2013

I’m here safely in Brazil! The plane ride was amazing. They just told us that we can only be in contact with family through e-mail though. So I guess forget about what I had said before about me being able to e-mail others!

I haven’t met my companion yet, but they said that all of the new trainers are Brazilian. I’m so excited to meet him and see what our living situations are like and where we live and what not!

The plane ride was awful, I wasn’t able to sleep at all unfortunately. We got confirmation from our mission president to watch Disney movies though.   So, that helped the time pass by quickly.

I’m so excited to be here!!!!! I don’t understand a thing.. But with a native companion it should come pretty quickly. Everyone is telling us that its cold outside compared to how it usually is, but I haven’t stopped sweating since we got here. Literally, we went to the mission home and I was drenched! It’s so gross. They require us to shower twice a day though so we can try and stay clean! Only cold showers though of course. :) Which I think will actually be nice with how hot it is!

President S____ and his wife are amazing! They’re nice.. from what we can understand of them. They just have some of the elders translate for us.   I’m sorry I didn’t get to call from Sao Paulo, we were so busy trying to get where we needed to.   We actually got lost like three times because we couldn’t understand where anyone was telling us to go!!   Ha ha   it was awesome......................

My bag broke again! Now the lever to roll the bag won’t extend out!   I’ll have to see about getting new ones here or something. Maybe I’ll be okay until I leave.   Depending on the transfer situations.   But, the trip was awesome. The people are awesome. The weather sucks. But I’m so happy to be here and finally learn this language and give Fortaleza my all! :)    

Estou animado porque estamos aqui finalmente.   (I’m excited because we’re finally here!)

I love you all, I’m so glad we got to talk on the phone!   P-day is Monday too just so you know. So, I might be hand washing some clothes until then!!   You’re all awesome. I love you all!   Can’t wait to hear from you again.

Love, 

-Elder Kyler Blane Farr

Email 3-4-2013

the pics are from the MTC.  He's sending me CA pics soon.  remember when they took the stuffing out of the bear and his good buddy Elder W____ got inside in it?!!!  One of my favorite pics is him in front of the Provo Temple holding the Flag of Brazil.

 

4 March 2013

 

So, guess what!?!? The R____ family changed their baptism to the 15th of March. So, I wont be able to attend. It kinda sucks! I wish so bad that I could be there and share this special time with them. But, it’s so awesome to see the progress that they're making! From not really knowing if they wanted anything to do with the Gospel, to going to church, making friends, and participating. I couldn't ask for anything better. I know this happens all the time when the missionary gets transferred before the baptisms. But I guess that's not what really matters! As long as they get baptized and make that covenant with the lord! They're great people though!

I am so happy that my visa came!! I sent some letters home, but I wrote them all except yours before my visa came. So, I didn't get a chance to mention it!   And, I forgot to send Steve and I's tic tac toe match.  But I sent it in the mail just now actually.   But I got news from everyone from my MTC district and they all got their VISAs too!   I’m so excited to see all of them again!   It's sad that I have to leave here though. The other missionaries are so flippin awesome!   I wish they could come too! 

 I can’t remember if I wrote or not about him before. But while I was on exchanges also, Elder J____ and I taught a lesson to a guy named L____, from Israel, and he’s Jewish, fluent in Hebrew.  But during the lesson on the restoration he was talking about how everything just made sense and how the church felt right.  And just how everything was so amazing.  I got to extend the Baptismal invitation.  That was an awesome experience!! He's getting baptized March 9th.   So, I definitely will get to go to his baptism! That will be awesome too!

Not a whole lot else happened this week. Well that was super, super exciting. We are still teaching the R____ family, we have been reading from the Book of Mormon with them and teaching the lessons.  Because they have a super hard time understanding the scripture language and need help with it. So, we help them out as best as we can! We tracted a whole bunch!   Got a few potentials and hopefully we will see them this week, or they will get contacted next transfer!

All is well!   I'm so happy!   I hope you get the letters soon.   I sent one to you and dad.  And, one to all my siblings too.   If you wouldn't mind giving them out to them I'd appreciate it! I don’t even know what to think right now! I'm so excited. But sad I’m leaving here.

Tomorrow we have an hour of time we get to spend on mormon.org.   (from Shannon – he made a great profile!!!)

I love you all!   I hope we get to talk in the Airport!!
_ELDER KYLER BLANE FARR

(From Shannon: I was working on the computer when he sent this so we got to e-mail chat for a few minutes.  It was perfectly awesome!  I was so excited; it took several hours to come back down out of the clouds!!)

Elder Farr's Brazil Mailing Address

This is the mission home address and only address we currently have.


Elder Kyler Blane Farr
Brazil Fortaleza Mission
Av. Santos Dumont, 1789-sala 1612
60150-160 Aldeota - Fortaleza - CE
BRAZIL

WOO HOO!!!!

Here's more good news..... he missed this year's carnival!!! So he'll only have to deal with one while on his mission!

Email 2-25-2013

Dear Family,    

                

So to answer your questions, I am in the Santiago Creek area.

We have dinner appointments pretty much every night. I think there have only been two or three nights where we didn't have an appointment.

We get $150 a month for food, laundry, and other necessities. They usually give debit cards for missionaries, but I'm only temporary so they give me cash! They have gas cards for each of the companion ships, and they take care of everything else, like rent and what not. When we don't have appointments, we eat pretty much whatever we want. Usually peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pastas like ramen or macaroni and cheese.. The normal unhealthy missionary foods. :) We all are recommended to take multivitamins too so we are getting some nutrients! Ha h ha

Arcadia isn't in our mission, I guess its north?? I'm not sure, I just asked one of my companions and that's what he said. But speaking of the R____ family, The Spanish speaking sisters are continuing to teach the dad, while we are teaching the mom and 2 boys in English, but when they were being taught the 3rd lesson, talking a little about baptism they expressed a desire for baptism!!! They accepted the invitation, and are on track to be baptized on March 10th! They're so excited, and so are we!! There is a Brother in our ward that used to be a Spanish teacher, so we are going to utilize his skills and help L___ (the father of the family) learn English!! They are such a great family, Its crazy how you can develop relationships with the people we teach in such a short amount of time! I love it!

We continue to visit with some of the nonmembers, they are starting a program where we teach the less active families all of the lessons, starting from lesson one! It's pretty fun actually, they get reminded of the things that we believe, and we get to practice teaching.

We were walking down a street this past week, just as it was getting dark, knocking doors and we got the feeling not to knock on a few doors. Three in a row. It was a weird feeling, I thought who are we to deny these people the opportunity to learn about the gospel by not knocking on their doors. We thought.. oh well, I guess we'll keep walking... We ended up walking by a motor home parked down the street a little ways right when a man poked his head out. We asked how he was doing, introduced ourselves and what not, Turns out, his business just went under, he lost his house, he’s a recovering alcoholic, he’s divorced, and lives in this motor home outside of his parents house! We just happened to skip those few houses and walk by right when he poked his head out.. What a coincidence! NOT!! Funny how the spirit works. He’s so busy. He has tons of bills, but he works at home depot, only part time. He's having a hard time trying to support only himself, and his daughter is with him on the weekends. We talked a little bit about the church, and shared a few scriptures about the atonement. We stopped by one time, he didn't have time to meet with us, but he said he’s beginning to read out of the bible more, Which is a start!! I know he needs the gospel, and he knows it too! He just needs a little push. But, it'll all work out.

When I was on exchanges with Elder J____ (one of the zone leaders) we had about an hour of open time in the evening. We pulled out the area book, and he said, "Farr pick a name" I was looking through the names and one stood out. I didn't know why... But, we stopped by that night, and all this guy could talk about is how he doesn't know his purpose here on earth! We shared some scriptures, he has already been taught the lessons a few months ago, but we set up a time for them to go back and talk about the Plan Of Salvation!! I don't know a better place to turn to find out our purposes in life than right to the scriptures! The timing was perfect,

We were tabling at Santa Ana College, where we set up a table and wait for people to come and talk to us. We were about to leave when elder J____ said, "we will leave when you hand out one more card" I was like.. Challenge accepted!! I asked one person as they walked by.. they said no.. Then another person turned it down. We were just about to forget about it when one girl was walking passed and I said, hey can I give you a card. She said, "umm sure I guess" I said, "its for a website called mormon.org, it talks all about Jesus Christ and how he has blessed peoples lives." Then I went on to ask her if she knew about the church. She didn't know a whole lot, so we set up an appointment to talk to her again! But, her mom wont accept visitors at her house, and this girl doesn't have a cell phone, so they set a time to meet at the church building, not really thinking she would show up, SHE DID, and she brought a friend! =) The zone leaders said it went well! It was awesome.

I really wanted to get these experiences written down! This is what missionary work is all about. Just like dad always tells me to follow the spirit. It obviously works! The gospel does definitely bless peoples life. I know it for a fact. That's why I'm here, to share it with people and have it bless their lives as it has mine! I love it here!!

The priest Quorum was asking where Kyler was?? I don't know who Kyler is.. But Elder Farr is here :) (from Shannon - D____ H____ has been Elder Ky's Priesthood leader for several years and is still currently YM's Pres. He writes to the missionaries each week and shares their letters and news with each other and the Priest's quorum. He loves these boys and they also have great love and honor for him! This is the sentence from D____ letter that Elder Ky is referring to - "ALL THE PRIESTS WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE WITH KYLER. :)" This had made me smile all day! I love it!!

com amor! Eu amo voces!! (with love! I love you guys!!) -----I still get some Portuguese in there sometimes! =)

-Elder Kyler Blane Farr

***********************************************************************************

I was just asking about dad in the hospital. Don’t worry about me! I know everything is okay!! :) Don’t be sorry!! Just got your letters.. reading them right now! love you!!

AND THE PACKAGE WAS AMAZING! HA HA everything was perfect! Coming in handy too!!! :)

I forgot about more of what we eat too.. we don’t JUST eat unhealthy food. I got applesauce and bananas too! Thanks for these letters! And sister C____ said you're so sweet and her daughter is named S____ too!! She’s so awesome!! :)

Love you so much!

:)