Carsons First Email From Brazil

Well this is my first email, and there's so much to say! 

The plane to Brazil was soooooo long so I hated it... but I'm here safely! I hope you got my picture from the MTC people. How is everyone! Sorry there isn't a question mark on this weird keyboard. So the language is coming along really well, it's super similar to Spanish, My companion is Elder Jensen! He's from California, and he's super cool. The food here is really good, but breakfast is weird. We have paninis every day for breakfast, and lunch is the biggest meal in Brazil. We have rice and beans for all 3 meals, plus usually a meat of some kind. also.... LOTS OF WATERMELON!!  yeah the fruit is basically amazing. I can't really attach pictures because it takes forever... so sorry! I'll try and mail them to you, but it'll be hard because we can't send letters here unless we walk way up the street on p-day. and I only get 20 minutes to email. What's everyone up to?? Has Tay wrecked the car yet? I found the question mark. haha but yeah is the car all in one piece? 

My district is sweet. Sao Paulo is huge!!!! It took us like 45 minutes to get from the airport to the MTC... so that was bad. But there are sky scrapers everywhere. I'll work on finding out how to send you guys pictures cuz i have a lot. These computers are on super lock down, so we can only get on like 3 programs, and can't attach any files on this stupid email. Funniest thing about the MTC is that we're not allowed to play soccer during gym class. They said that they used to be able to, but that the Brazilians get way to intense and fight. So we can only play volleyball and basketball. My companion is also going to Santa Maria which is cool! I sent you a letter. You have to priority mail everything to me to get it here in a week... if not then it'll take about 3 to 4 weeks. All my roommates don't sleep cuz the Brazilians here i guess are used to getting 4 to 5 hours a sleep every night. also,  I hate to wake up at 6:30 every morning haha. I'm blessed to have such a fantastic family. I'll send again next week! I love you!

Elder Shepherd

Carsons MTC Companion Elder Jensen:

Carson Arrives at the Sao Paulo MTC

     I thought I would share what we received via form email from the MTC. Of note, MTC President and Sister Degn are from Wellsville, Utah (next to Logan) and have been in their callings for two months.
 Dear Parents,
We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time. We promise to take good care of your missionary.
They now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  The branch presidents and their wives, will soon give them a second greeting.  These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop as they embrace and watch over the missionaries.
The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good.
Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments.
Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others.  We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote by President Lorenzo Snow: “ There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".
Please accept our love,
President Ralph Degn and Sister Mary Ann Degn

 ADDITIONAL  information . . .  

DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC and it arrives after your missionary has left for the field, please understand that the package can not be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.
WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to get this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

We received this picture in that email: 
 

CARSON FINALLY ON HIS WAY

     A week ago, 3/28/12, Carson had news he would be going to the MTC in Provo as his Visa had not arrived. On Thursday after receiving this notice, Carsons Visa did show up. On Friday we received the airline tickets, passport etc.  The Stake President scheduled to set Carson apart at 8:30PM Tuesday 4/3/12.  President Morris did a wonderful job setting Carson apart as a missionary!

      We showed up at the airport Wednesday,  Terminal 2, Delta Airlines ticket counter at 8:45AM.  Lots of emotion as we packed everyone in the Suburban,  9 of us; almost enough seat belts for everyone!  Carson was to fly out at 11AM so we had plenty of time. A Delta employee came over to give us a hand. He politely asked for Carsons Passport which he then scanned in the kiosk to get a boarding pass. The machine did not recognize Carsons ID, which happens frequently, so the gentlemen walked us over to the ticket counter.  We handed Carsons passport to the agent who began searching for Carsons boarding pass. She paused, then kept tapping away at her computer. She appeared to be puzzled. I thought, "oh, oh, there is a problem". After a minute or so the agent looked up and said, matter of fact, "He was supposed to leave yesterday!"   We looked at each other, with  that "surprised look".  "What? Uh, no one bothered to read the paperwork?", I inquired.  Dad, it won't help to get mad. OK. This clearly had happened before. The agent asked us to wait a minute while she made a call. Within seconds, literally, she typed away at her computer then looked up and said, I have him booked on the 1:55PM flight today.  He will have only a two hour layover instead of the five and half hour layover he had anticipated.  Whew, disaster averted.
   
      We had the privilege of taking Carson out for a smoothie with the 8 of us in tow! We went back home to pick up a missed item and found ourselves back at the airport, hugging, crying and wishing Carson a safe trip to Brazil!  What a day.  At 8PM Carson called us from Atlanta.  He told us two missionaries from the Provo MTC were on the flight, they too had missed their flight the day before. We were happy to hear he would have some company going down to Sao Paulo; [I think he was too!] Come to find out the documentation that we had received was vague at best, the only indication Carson was to leave on Tuesday was the reference that he would arrive in the MTC in Sao Paulo on 4/4.  I had a nice conversation with the missionary dept.

     On his flight to Atlanta, Carson also flew with three Sister Missionaries heading to Argentina from the MTC in Provo.  In the Atlanta airport, Elder Zwick , of the Seventy,  happened to be walking past the missionaries so he stopped and talked with them, offering some positive encouragement. And so his missionary adventure begins...