New Mailing Address - Santa Maria

Carsons mailing address has changed. He will be in Santa Maria on May 17! - see address in the right column!

A Few Pictures From the Sao Paulo MTC

 

Top picture:  The basketball court at the Sao Paulo MTC. Nice but the floors are cement.

2nd Pic: Me in front of the Sao  Paulo Temple. So nice!

3rd Pic:  Me and my companion buying guarana, 3 liters for only 2 rais!

4th Pic: Me and my roommates. So sweet!

Placed Six Books Of Mormon

Hi family! 

 

     Not a lot of time this week so it's gonna be short. Sorry. We have a random fireside, so hopefully it's an apostle or something. I leave the MTC next Tuesday, not sure what time yet. I found out that we fly to Porto Alegre, then take a 5 hour bus ride to Santa Maria.  Time has gone by soooo fast! it seriously feels like it's flying. I dream half the time in Portuguese now, it's so weird. 

     We went out into the streets yesterday to place Books of Mormon. I placed 6 and have a good feeling about most of them. I can understand the majority of what's going on, speaking is a little more difficult. I won't be able to email next week, so probably expect an email two weeks from today. My companion and I get along really well too. Time all feels like it's meshing together. I feel like I'm living Bill Murray's Groundhog Day!!! haha. The MTC is fun and all, but I need to go out and do some real work! I'm so pumped! So ya make sure you don't send packages or letters here anymore, I won't get them. You can sign up for that Mission Ties thing if you want. if you didn't get my little letter about it then look it up. it explains it all online. 

     We go out placing more Books of Mormon next Monday, then take off on Tuesday. I went out to eat at a burger joint today with my district, it was so good. I'm stoked to get my care package when I get out to the field! I'm gonna send off a SD card next week if I get a chance.... I have some pictures on it - but we can only use our cameras inside the MTC and only on p days. 

     The Temple here is amazing! I love doing endowment sessions. I only have a cough now, so that's good - . one week left! So stoked!!! I'll keep writing you when I can, keep writing me each week! 

 

I love and miss everyone!

Love,

       Elder shepherd

A Letter 4-16-12

Hey Family,

So yes, we did celebrate Easter here to answer moms question. Every Sunday we have church from 9-12 noon. It feels like every other day of the week though, other than P-day. Sorry my emails are short. We don't get enough time on the computers, and the keyboard here are not the same. My testimony is getting stronger here.  I'm growing more close to the Lord and His gospel. Taylor, you need to get really comfortable with your scriptures! That's one thing I definitely regret not doing. I've had such a change of heart and mind here, and I love the work.  The language is coming surprisingly easy to this point.  I can't wait to get out into the field. The food isn't too bad, the fruit is really good.. and vegetables are still bad.... weird. We eat 3 meals per day but dinner is at 4:30PM which is too early.
     Our MTC rooms have 3 double closets and 3 sets of bunk beds. Its hard because all of the beds are exactly 6 foot 1 inch and I'm 6' 2".  So I can't ever get really comfy.  Also it's sooooo hot in my room. The clock Val gave me has a thermostat on it and guess how hot it is,  80.4 degrees on a good night. So I sweat all night every night. Luckily I have the top bunk under a fan so it is a little better.  The MTC is actually called the CTM here (pronounced see - tee- emee).  P-Day is so fun! WE have a large area around that we are allowed to go to, including a little shop that is totally black market.  I got a soccer jersey and a Ferrari watch for several rais [brazilian money currently 1.75 rais = $1.00 dollar]  I downloaded church music before I left and the Brazilians love it. 
     Thanks for supporting me going on a mission.  I'll try to figure out how to send pictures cuz we're not supposed to on these old computers. And we can only use our camera's on P-Day.  That is SWEET that Konor [Frey] is going to Singapore! 
     I gave both Books of Mormon away on the airplanes. One guy was a dentist who spoke little English. I just told him who I was and showed him the Book and challenged him to read it.  The other was a younger guy who sat by me in the airport , he was amazed that I was leaving everything behind for 2 years.

Love,  
Your Son,

Elder Shepherd

Dad comment:
[Carsons dad challenged him to give away two Books of Mormon by the time he reached Brazil, but the catch was he had to testify of the book and  then tell them why he was on a mission and then challenge them to read it.  Nice job Carson!]

Back On His Feet!

Hey family!

     So I'm feelin better, just a cough now, it lasted about 5 days. I think I got a bug from the food here. The MTC is getting way boring and repetitive. Start sending ALL letters to my mission address. You can send them this week, as well as packages....send lots of those haha.  We take a super nice bus to the temple, it's about an hour drive cuz the traffic here is crazy. That's sweet that Chris [Keddington] got his call in high school. I haven't got any cookies from Mr. Cheney's cuz they're way too expensive. The area around here is cool, and if you buy anything Brazilian made, it's cheap. There are super cheesy Nike shoes up the street for 350 Rais. 

     The exchange rate right now between Dollars to Rais is about 1.75. So I made a lot of money coming here haha. not really. That's too bad Taylor didn't find his iPod.... I got the picture from Tate, it's SO cute.

My testimony is growing a ton here, and it's a blessing to have grown up in the gospel. It's amazing how everything I learned in primary is coming back to me haha. Everything being sent to my mission needs to be sent to the mission home. letters, packages...everything. I also want you to send stickers with my mission address on them so i don't have to write it out for every letter! Time is going by fast, so I'm looking forward to gettin out in the field and workin my butt off,  I'll be home before you know it! No big injuries right now for anyone at home so that's good! How's grandma? I miss you guys. 

I'll see ya'll soon!

Love,

Elder Shepherd........... and yes, I dream half the time in Portuguese now and mess up on letters a lot!

A visit from Elder Quentin L. Cook

      My companion, Elder Jensen, is from Pleasington California, and luckily this week another Elder came so I only have one companion again.  I am sicker than sick today so my email my not be too long. I think I got a bug in the food here last night, cuz I woke up with a massive fever in the middle of the night. 

     Elder Quentin L Cook, Apostle,   came and spoke to us yesterday. He gave a phenomenal talk about the importance of missionary work.  Basketball is still boring here, and the next best kids left for their missions today. The Sao Paulo Temple is beautiful, and I'm glad I get to listen to the session in English. I had the chills the whole time today during the session, so hopefully I get feeling better soon. I will definitely send longer emails once I'm out in the field. Sad news, I don't get to call home on mother's day.  

    I usually get your letters one week from when you send them. Ask a lot more questions in letters and less in emails. The language is coming along very well, I can almost always tell what's going on, I just haven't gotten the fluent speaking down quite yet.   

      Mail time for packages is generally 2 weeks. My letters will take 2 weeks to get to you guys. I miss everyone but I'm learning to love the MTC. We're going to tract our last 2 mondays in the MTC, so we haven't done any of that yet. My companions name is David Jensen, from Pleasington California. My other companion was from Idaho falls - his name is Ethan Kammerman. Sorry we don't have very long on the computers - I'll try to send more stuff via letters. My room here is hotter than hot. I wish they had better AC. I'm on the sixth floor which makes it hot! And we're not allowed to use the elevators. One of my suit cases got banged up during the flight, so it's kinda coming apart in the corner. I hope grandma is doing well, I'll have to write her in a little bit. Anything going on with VHS soccer? 

     It's a great experience constantly being around Brazilians all the time, and we're not allowed to speak English in the cafeteria which helps a lot. We have a certain distance away from the MTC we're allowed to go on P day, so you'll see pics when I send an SD card home. My whole district is sweet, our DL is 24 years old, graduated from college in psychology and he's from Minnesota. Everyone else is from California, Texas, Washington, and Oregon. I'll tell more specifics in letters. My testimony is growing sooooo strong in here. 

     Continue to pray twice a day and read the scriptures at least nightly and we'll be an extremely blessed family. I'm glad Sammie is alive too! She better be alive when I get home. Dad, read a talk by Van J Featherstone. it's all in portuguese, but i really liked it. You'll know which one it is when you see it. Just look through lds.org and google til you find it. I got that letter from Austin [Jelitto], I think it's a good idea to do that thing with all of the parents. Just attach whatever stories you want of mine into the thing. In the care package sent treats, and more Dayquil and Nyquil - that stuff is magic. My companion must have been super popular in high school, cuz he gets like 5 letters a day! That's what I need haha. Send some pictures in the mail....maybe 3 or 4 per letter so it can still bend. I'll probably send an SD card home next week. That's sweet that Tay's got a trainer now, hopefully he can get some sweet scholarship offers.  I love all of you!

Love,
    Elder Shepherd

Sao Paulo MTC Life .

Hey family! I was blessed with ANOTHER companion this week! Now I'm in a trio!!!! The language is coming along sooooo easy for some reason! Sorry emails will be short, but I wrote back a letter to all of you last night! so ask a lot more questions in letters and just tell more stories in emails. Sounds like Austin [Phelps]and Taylor are having fun! I just met a missionary going to Tanner Kearney's mission {Angola, Africa]. haha. surprisingly there is no one from Utah here. I wanna especially thank Tay for being a great example to me. He read his scriptures more than I ever did! That's gonna help him here a ton. Hailey good luck in your dance competition!! You'll do great! Just don't think about boys and you'll get a 10 score! haha. Is Sammie [our beagle] still alive??  Is she fatter??
      My routine: I wake up at six-thirty, then eat, we have classes for language til noon, then we eat. then classes for gospel study til about 5 ish, then eat. then we have companionship language study and what not til 9, then bed.  I hope everything is going well at home! I get time from 9:30 every night til 10:30 to write in my journal and write letters. but I never get mail. The MTC isn't bad though, and time goes by sooooo fast! It seriously feels  liike one big day, with p-day and Sundays coming in between long days. The Sao Paulo temple is beautiful, we go there every morning on p-day and do a session.
     The food here is getting old really fast haha. we eat the same thing every breakfast lunch and dinner, pretty much. Any one else opened a mission call recently? I have some sweet pictures! There's a black market shop across the street where I got 3 soccer jerseys and a watch [for cheap]!! Keep sending me letters cuz I have a lot more time to do those! I've tried about every trick to get pics onto these computers but they're like on ultra lock-down. The language is almost down, I can say a fluent prayer and testimony. and my testimony is growing soooo strong here after being here for so little time. Try to say a a family prayer every night, and read a scripture or two,  just one verse will bless so many.  I love you all,  Carson