Semana #1!! The start
Hello loved ones. So far my mission has been absolutely wild. Although i have been missing all of you very much i have felt so many tender mercies already it just makes me so exited to continue on this journey. On the first night during the plane ride i was having a very hard time. I was praying for God to give me some sort of feeling or something i could look to for strength. As soon as i finished my prayer i looked up and the napkin the lady gave me with my drink said "the world is better with you out in it." Right in that moment i knew i was supposed to be serving regardless of how hard it got.
When we landed it took forever to get out of the airport and then forever for our bus to come. I slept the whole bus ride to the MTC. When we arrived at the MTC some random kid looks at me like he knows me and goes DUDE i totally know you after staring at me for like 20 seconds. He goes i’ve seen you in all these super rad videos on youtube. it was the strangest thing and then I asked him where he was from and he told me Virginia and that he watches Micah Browns videos all the time hahah like what the freak. Some random kid from Virginia. It made me feel right at home and made me miss all you guys especially my close buddies. I love you guys so much and you are all in my prayers every minute. After that i walked down the hall and this other kid goes where are you guys from so i told him Alpine Utah and he goes do you know Calvin Huish and i was like alright what the cuss is going on. Then he told me he was best friends with Sam Jensen at BYU. Such a small world.
Mom i miss you far more than anyone and i am so grateful for all of the little things you do for me. I love you. Also, 3 people have asked me about paingamez and it surprises me every time hahah. Small freaking world.
On Friday morning I asked Elder Fuller for a blessing. Right when I woke up i was so sad and feeling inadequate and super home sick and he told me that he was super grateful for my attitude and that he knows I was supposed to be here. The first thing he told me in the blessing was that I need to remember the words of President Bentley as i got set apart and specifically that i needed to remember that he told me my family would be okay. He had no clue what President Bentley said to me in my setting apart which is such a testimony builder. God told him exactly what he needed to say to me and exactly what i needed to hear. Also he blessed me with an increased dose of the Spirit and the ability to learn the Portuguese language quickly.
There are so many elders here that make me feel at home and feel less homesick. I brag to everyone about how i have the best parents by far and everyone thinks dad is the coolest man on the planet after telling them about mountain climbing and also everyone is so jealous of me because i am the healthiest person in my district by far. My district leader is kind of a hard nose but patience is a virtue. I can learn to deal with all kinds of people.
Portuguese is so beautiful at times but also so stressful. We taught our first lesson to someone in the MTC on Friday and it went well. Dome de Linguas (the gift of tongues) is real (:
Today I got super homesick and really opened up to my companieros and they all pitched in and got me a ton of candy and put it under my pillow and seriously made me feel like i was right at home. The Lord is looking out for me so greatly. I busted out the CD player and am playing some William Joseph Hymns and all of my companions are so stoked on it. Mom you are the greatest mom on this whole entire earth. Seriously greater than any mom to ever walk the earth. Better than Eve. No that isn’t sacrilegious.
Monday was a super amazing day because it was the day that I started to pick up Portuguese very well. I talked to some Brasileros in the bathroom and i could actually understand them and it went so freaking good. My companion and I are getting along super well. His name is Elder McBride and he’s a super nice kid from Cache Valley. Elder Wall (the one who recognized me from the videos) is always asking me about my friends, and on the real, i love all of the memories we’ve had. Every single one of you brings so much to my life and I know there are so many memories to come.
Todos voces amo (i love you all, in Portuguese…i’m pretty sure.... conjugating is hard)
But on the real I am already exited to get out and teach the amazing people of Brazil. I have so much love for them, just gotta learn Portuguese (;
Go make someones day this week and don’t forget to say your prayers hehehe.
PLEASE WRITE! proskelley@myldsmail.net
Love,
Elder Roskelley
p.s. FYI. . . Porter said, while in the São Paulo MTC for the next 5 weeks, his P-day is on Wednesday, but that is also their temple day so he was allowed to email us this morning. (Tuesday)
**HE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!