2/24/10

Hey!
Ok so let's start with the bad news... I'm not sending any pictures this week becasue I don't have any pictues to send... actually I don't have any pictures at all! Today I was trying to change a setting on my camera and I accidentally erased ALL the pictures on my memory card! Almost 500 pictures! Its was all the pictures from two weeks before I left with my friends and pictures of the family and all the pictures that I've taken so far on the mission! I lost it! I was soooooo mad! But, what do you do. haha there's nothing I can do about it now. But a lot of the pictures that liked a lot I already sent to you, and I think you have been putting them on my blog. So if you wouldn't mind, it would be awesome if you could save all the picutes on my blog onto a cd or a flash drive or something and send it to me so I can put them back on my camera. THanks

Also, I hope that you havent sent measuring cups yet... There is a store in our area called Pão de Açucar that sells a ton of American stuff and I found measuring cups and the measuring cups for tbs and tsp. IT was kinda expensive... like 24 reais. But i figured it was faster and cheaper than waiting for you to send them to me. Also that store has American milk! (or milk that comes from a cow) Here the milk is so nasty and it just sits in a box on the shelves for like a year and its still good. And ive been longing for that good old whole milk that has to be refriderated and expires quickly. And I found it! Its sooooooo Good!!!!

My tennis shoes that I brought where already old and they are falling apart, so we went to the mall today and I bought some sweet shoes that were only 60 reais. Today ill get to try them out when I get completely embarassed again playing with the kids in the ward! There is 4 young men in this ward that play and the junior team of the pro teams here in São Paulo. They are rediculously good! But its super fun, im learning how to play from the best!

So the Brazilian mail system is terrible. This week I got 3 letters... 1 was sent in the beginning of December, the other was the beginning of January, and the other in the beginning of Feburuary. So If anyone has sent a letter and they have been waiting forever for a response, its probably because I havent gottten it yet. haha

Yesterday was so sweet. So When new missionaries get here, they arrive in the mission office the day before transfers and have trainings and lunch with the president and then at night they go and do visits with the elders that work in areas close to the office and then they go back to the office after and have pizza. Well guess what! Im one of those elders that works close to the office. So I worked with a new American and it was super fun! It was fun to see how much ive progressed becasue it was just 6 months ago that I was in his position. But something super cool - He was in the provo mtc, and he was in the same district as Chris Dellrie! Its funny how small the world is sometimes!

Today was transfers and me and my companion are going to stay for at least 6 more weeks! Which im super excited about! THis area is awesome! Today for breakfast I had a sasuage egg mcmuffin from McDonalds! It was awesome!!!!

Also I saw this sweet DVD calle "Reflections of Christ" by Mark Mabry. Its this american photographer that took pictures of events in the new testiment using people and its just a slideshow with music. Its super awesome and super powerful. I was sondering if you could try and find it and send it to me. Thanks!

Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen

2/17/2010

Me and my new companion Elder Sales, and a family of the ward.

Hello!
So this past thursday I was transfered. I got a new companion, Elder Sales. He is Brazilian and from Forteleza. Our area is so sweet! Its called Vila Sônia, and its like a ten minute walk from the São Paulo Temple. I seriously fell into heaven, this area is litterally a little America. We have a Walmart, and Mc Donalds, and Brazil's version of Costco, the Missoin office is right next to the temple. So I get my letters like right when they get here! There are like a billion Japanese people that live here. It's the neighborhood with the second most Japanese in Sao Paulo! Everyone is super rich and the ward is super strong! In São Roque there was 70-80 people that were at the sacrament meeting every week, and here in Vila Sônia its over 200! We have 4 ex-Stake Presidents, 5 ex-Mission Presidents, 15 ex-Bishops, and 1 Area 70 in the ward! It's super awesome! Everyone here is super excited to work with the missionaries! There are alot of hills but it will help me keep inshape, and i'll need it, because the lunches here are crazy! Its like a feast of super nice food everyday! Its so crazy!

So this used to be the Assistant to the President´s area but me and my companion are working here now, and the assistants don't have an area, they are just traveling assistants and they just do divisions with other areas every day. So we are still a little lost here. Its hard when you put two missionaries in an area where neither one knows anything! haha but we are getting to know the area and the people.

But it is so crazy here in the City, Sao Roque was so calm and the people on the street would actually stop to talk with me, everyone here is always running and they are always "late for something" There are so many cars and so much noise. But its way cool to have everything so close! (Walmart and Mcdonalds)

I'm so happy with this new area! Its so awesome!

Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen

A fun little drawing that I found in our apartment

2/10/10

Hey!


So the past two days have been crazy! Yesterday morning Me and my companion made curry for lunch and then we made M&M cookies for one of the recent converts of me and Elder Briggs, it was his birthday.

...But while we were making the cookies we got a phone call from the President..."Elder Schoen is being emergency transfered. You need to be at the mission office thursday morning at 11." ah! So yesterday I went and said goodbye to all the people in the ward and our investigators. It was super hard, Ive made alot of strong friendships here! ...So i have no idea where I will go. I heard that 5 new americans finally got their visas and so they are getting here tomorrow. So i think that is why i am getting transfered... my companion will train a new american. So tomorrow I will get a new companion and new area. Im excited!

Today we went to Sorocaba to play soccer and so that I could say by the the elders in our zone. When we were playing me and another Elder both went for a ball to hit it with our heads, but instead we hit each others heads and not the ball. I have alittle bit of a headache... But the elder that I bonked heads with split his forehead open and he had to go to the hospital... I think he is alright.

Other than that things are going great! Next week I will email and tell all about my new area!

Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen

2/3/10

Me and my hair cut. Extremely short, we went to the hair cutting school and it was only 3 dollars but it wasn't the best hair cut in the world! haha and my companion and 2 other elders in our district enjoying pizza after a hard day of work.

Hey!
Everything here in Brazil is going well! This week I will hit 7 months as a missionary! I can't believe how incredibly fast it's going!

Yesterday we did a division with the zone leaders which was super fun! It's always fun to switch things up for a day and see how it is in other areas, and then when we ended the division we bought pizza (picture included)

Tomorrow we will have zone conference which will be fun to see everyone and to get letters! im excited!

This Saturday we are going to have a baptism. Her name is Irací and she is 60 years old. We started teaching her back when I was with Elder Briggs and it was been a battle to get her to the point that she is ready to be baptized. But we have finally arrived! I'm super excited!

Other than that, things are going well! Sorry I don't have much more to say this week.

Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen