Surgery done....

      This week was a little hectic. I ended up going to Santos for surgery so I took a 5 hour bus there and a 5 hour bus ride back so that wasnt super fun. Especially after. I was worn out but overall it was fine. I have stitches on one side of my mouth so I cant really eat very good. But I am managing. We didnt get a whole lot done this week.

      We only worked like one day cause we did a lot of running around. But we have 2 dates for baptisms on the 25th so hopefully those work out. But the other day we made a contact with some guy and he started telling us about his life and he is a recovering drug addict and a recovering alcoholic and he smokes like a chimney and to top it all off hes gay. Right after my companion said we will never get him to do anything. I took that as a challenge and we made a bet. We went back the next day and well lets just say he went to church with us yesterday. And Im 5 reais richer than I was before. But yeah nothing real exciting this week

     Other than surgery. Glad thats finally over with. Work here is pretty slow because everyone is pretty wealthy and they dont really want to listen to us. We have a favela in our area but we have another set of missionaries that go there for the most part so we basically just stay in this place closer to the beach where all of the rich people live.


      But we have a couple of investigators and things are going well with them. But yeah things are going good! Sorry its kind of short this week but not much to talk about.   But yeah things are going great! I hope everyone is doing well. Tell everybody hi!! I love you and have a great week! Love Colton

I loveee this place!

 

 

       Surgery didnt happen. But Sister Cabral wouldnt let me email you guys. I had to get some blood work done and we will go there on quarta to find out how it went. Sorry she said she would email you guys but I thought she would tell you some details... But yeah surgery wont happen till hopefully this week or beginning of next week. But last week was good!! I loveee this place. Like it is sick. We walk along the beach everyday to get to our areas and its just sick.

 

     The work is kind of hard because the people are rich and not as humble. But the members are really awesome. They help us a ton. We get references pretty much everyday. So thats nice. Because references are pretty much the only way to teach people here. We have one favela that is on the other side of our area (our area is big so thats a long ways away.) We go there every once in a while. Mostly if we feel like teaching a lesson or getting some investigators because everybody lets you in in favelas cause they are just poor and humble.

 

      But I love this place. Sao Sebastiao is awesome. I hope I stay here for at least a couple of transfers. My companion is awesome too. His name is Elder C. Machado. Hes one of the funny brazilians. I decided theres pretty much only 2 types of brazilians: Funny awesome ones and freakin weird ones. So far I have had both for companions. I like the funny ones a lot better. Things are going great here. Dont stress about the surgery. Like its not that big of a deal he acts like it will be quick and not too big of a deal. But if I get it this week Ill let you know how it went on monday.

 

      But yeah things are great here! I am loving it! I got your package on friday! I was super excited. I love everything in it. Thank you The frog was a nice touch. Anyway I hope everyone is doing great! Have a great week! Love you!

Love Colton

Surgery for my birthday

     Soo this was a busy week. I got transferred to Sao Sebastiao. This place is sick. Its right on the ocean and a bunch of people live on the mountains cause its kind of a valley thing and you can see all of the ships and just the horizon and the ocean just goes for forever and its just sick. But it took us about 3 days to get here. Pretty frustrating.

 

      We couldnt figure out where the keys to our house were so we were stuck sleeping in the office for about 3 days so that was fun. But we finally made it after a 5 hour bus ride. But this place is awesome. I like it a lot. Its a lot cleaner and nicer than vila aurea and there are some rich places right on the beach and its just a way cool place. Our church is literally about 30 feet away from the ocean. Its a converted mansion on the beach and there is a pool in the backyard where we baptize people. 

 

     My companion is a lot better than my last one. I like him a lot. But in other worse news we went to the doctor this morning and found a giant cyst in my mouth. Because of the infection. So he stuck a syringe in it and drained it out and it hurt freakin bad and we have to go back tomorrow. He said he is going to have to remove it surgically. Hence the 100$ I took out of the account. Sorry about that but we have to pay for some x rays and some medication and other stuff and its going to be about 100 us dollars. But I have to get surgery on my mouth. In Brasil. Yay. So Ill let you know how that goes. 

 

     I will try and let you know how that goes as soon as possible.. But yeah tomorrow is not going to be fun. The first time I ever get surgery is in Brasil....But the guy seems to know what he is doing and he speaks english so thats good because I dont know very many medical terms in portuguese.

 

 I forgot it was my birthday tomorrow until I saw your email. Happy birthday to me I guess...But Im really far away from the office now but we have a zone meeting on tomorrow so hopefully the zone leaders grabbed my package this week sometime. It might be there. I did a little math and I dont think it will be there for a couple more weeks but Ill cross my fingers. I have a bunch of pictures but everywhere I go they have the computers pretty well locked down so you cant really use flash drives and stuff. Its annoying.

 

 But I will try some other places and try and send some. But anyway I like the new area and everything! I just want to get these next couple of days over with.....But I hope you get feeling better soon! Infections suck. Apparently they can turn into giant cysts in your mouth. But other than that everything is good! Ill let you know how that goes! I love you! Have a great week! Tell everyone hi!

Love Colton

New Area.... New Companion...

      So today is my last day in this area. I'm going to Sao Sebastian. So the only things I've heard about this area are that it is one of the most beautiful areas in the mission and its right on the beach. And its a rich people area so stuff is going to be a little more expensive but hopefully since the people there have actual money they won't be wanting to steal my stuff and I can take some pictures and stuff. I am super excited.

      But it's a 3 hour bus ride from Santos which is where I will be staying for the next 3 days because we have a conference in a couple of days. And I'm already here so it would be stupid to go all the way there and just come back. But I'm super excited. I talked to my new companion and he's brazilian but I already forgot his name. But he seemed pretty cool. I realllly hope so. But as it turns out he has about the same amount of time on the mission as me. A little bit less. But he is my "trainer". So this should be interesting. But if hes cool I don't even care. It will be alright. Everyone is just very confused as to why I'm going to finish my training with some kid with about the same time as me.

     But I was talking to one of the elders and he said sometimes when greeniesaring good they end up together. I don't really know why. But I guess we're going to learn pretty quick. We don't really have a choice. We'll just have to see I guess. But yeah he's technically "finishing my training" but the only thing he has on me is the language. But I'm excited! Getting there is going to be an adventure. A member is going to help me get my bags to santos and I will take the bus there. But as for getting them to Sao Sebastian that should be interesting. Oh well. Adventures are good. But yeah just wrapping things up in ol Vila Aurea! Pretty excited about that...But this is going to be a super busy week! I'm excited! But I love you and I hope you have great week! Tell everybody hi and I love them!

Love Colton

Brazilian Birthday Boy!

Colton's upcoming Birthday featured in the Brazil Santos Mission Newsletter!

Transfer maybe??

Helloooo! This week has been a pretty good one. We have taught a lot of lessons and planned lots of activities for the ward and lots of other missionary stuff.  But no baptisms or anything. I don't think we are going to have one this transfer. But thats alright. Vila Aurea is a really hard area.  One of the hardest in the mission.  So my first transfer was awesome. Awful trainer, Awful area, and I've been sick pretty much the whole time. But oddly enough I don't hate my life. I feel like if I can deal with that a whole transfer than it can't get much worse.  Knock on wood

But I have learned a lot of portuguese.  Every once in a while someone catches me off guard with a phrase or a word but for the most part I am understanding.  So I definitely learned a lot this transfer if nothing else. I'm hoping for a better one next transfer.  Transfers are on the 22nd.  So this week. This will be my last email this transfer! And it sounds like I'm probably going to get a new trainer and hopefully a new area. But we'll see.

So sinus infection didn't go away. And Sister Cabral thinks it is turning into a sinus infection mixed with bronchitis which is great.  So I'm going to santos tomorrow to go to the doctor and find out whats wrong with me. Hopefully I can get some good antibiotics.  But for like the good stuff you have to pay here.

Also I think I'm getting a new name tag because no one can say Ransbottom here. The R makes an H sound in portuguese so its really confusing for them. I am soon to be Elder Chad. Thats a lot easier for them.  I'll keep you posted on that.  I think thats about all of the news for this week. Just wrapping this transfer up. Everybody gets pretty lazy toward the end of the transfer. But the little drug war is raging on so we can't go to half of our area anyways.

But yeah things are moving right along! I'm so grateful for you and everything you do!! Tell everybody hi! and tell dad to go wail on one of the electrics for me cause I'm missing that a lot right now.  Sometimes an acoustic just doesn't do it. And tell Dallin or Austin to learn how to play the drums cause somebody needs to play those.  And tell them while they are buying dirt bikes to start saving up for one for me.   Anyway tell everybody hi and have a good week. I love you! 

Elder Colton

Shootout!!

     Hellooooo everything is good here! Nothing super exciting is happening. We were supposed to have a baptism on Saturday but we went to the dudes house and he was smoking so maybe next week.  On Tuesday there was a huge shootout in one of the Favelas and we all had to go to our houses and hide. That was fun. We were pretty close when it started. So that was pretty scary.  Sorry mom I wasn´t going to tell you but that was like the only exciting thing that happened this week.  But apparently there is just kind of an ongoing war with the cops and the drug people here.  Brasil is great.

      Sorry I´m using a members computer and I forgot my camera so no pictures again.  Sorry I will try and send a bunch next week. But yeah pretty straightforward week.  Just walked around talking to brazilians about jesus.  In portuguese.  Just looking forward to this next transfer and crossing my fingers that I get a new trainer. I love the guy but he´s a wee bit worthless.  Oh well  I´m glad everyone is doing well. 

      Sorry this ones short this week but I will try and get some letters sent this week with a couple more details.  Im looking forward to that package! And yeah you can just send things to that address.  Tell dad to have fun at shutdown (hehe) tell him I´m heartbroken I´m not there. Anyways I hope everybody has a great week! 

Love Elder Ransbottom