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

It always gets better!!!

    

     Things are just as busy as ever here! I cant believe its already P day again.  We have taught a ton of lessons this week and we just have a lot of investigators. We have baptism dates for 3 of them.  I really like emailing because I get sick of Portuguese.  Sorry if I write Portuguese things.  Its kind of taking over my brain.  But yeah things are good.  We have one investigator named Angelo who I honestly think we will never baptize cause hes stubborn but he likes us and keeps asking us to come back.  And hes cool so I'm having a hard time letting him go. We call people like him molly investigators because they just don't progress.

     I'm am picking up Portuguese really quickly.  I'm not trying to brag but I just look at the other kids who got here at the same time as me and they cant even understand me half the time because they don't speak enough.  I feel the lords hand in every single thing I do here.  I know he is helping me with the language more and more every day because it is very necessary that I know I to speak Portuguese right now.  The gift of tongues is very real.

     Nothing real exciting happened. Guitar lessons are way fun though.  We just choose a song to learn every week together and its always American because they love American music here.  There's one kid that has a lot of potential. Hopefully I can stay in this area for at least one more transfer and help them as much as I can.

     IT ALWAYS GETS BETTER.  That phrase is very true I learn that every day here on the mission.  But Yeah sorry I don't really have any cool stories or anything this week. Pretty straightforward.  Just trying to figure out Brasil.  Which I will probably never do. This is a weird country with a lot of problems but there are some awesome people here and that's all that matters.  I am doing good no serious problems. Just doing the best I can! Tell everybody I love them so much and I miss you guys! Time is flying and we are just super busy! I'm glad you finally got my letters.  Mail is a joke here.  I'll try and keep sending more. But I hope everybody has a great week!!

     2 scriptures you can look up Jude 1:22 just kind of explains why I'm here. I read that one the other day.  I really like that one.  And I think its Alma 4:27 I like that one too.  And Moroni 10 something. They're all just kind of about charity.  Those are good ones. Sorry I have a bunch written down I just don't have them with me.  I'll bring them next time.  Anyway have a great week!!!!!

Love Elder Ransbottom
 

 

Hollanday!

    

    
       This week was super busy.  So on Tuesday we had hollanday (thats what we called it).  Elder holland came and spoke to us as a mission and we each got to shake his hand it was really cool.  He touched my hair and said hows that red hair?  I just said super rare here.  and he laughed.  I have another sinus infection so I needed to get ammoxcacillan or however you spell that and apparently all healthcare here is free.  I didnt pay for the doctor or the medicine.  It was great.  But their clinics and stuff are a joke so socialista medicine is a terrible idea.  Tell that to Obama if you run into him.

      We have taught a ton of lessons.  We went from no investigators to about 10 in a week and a half.  Its been busy.  Im picking up portuguese quite well because I dont really have any other choice.  I have given three blessings in portuguese so far.  The other day we were talking to some lady and showed her a bunch of stuff and taught her a bunch of stuff and set a baptism date right there.  It was funny.  But like a good kind of funny. 

      I am going to start teaching a guitar class on thursday nights at the church and I help teach an english class on saturdays.  I like that a lot.  The members here are awesome.  A lot of people have guitars here but dont know how to play them so I made a class.  My companions name is Macedo i dont know if i told you that.  He has minor autism so its kind of difficult.  I do most of the talking during lessons and stuff even though hes the brazilian.  It doesnt make any sense.  But its forcing me to learn the language quick so thats good. Our apartment is small but good.  It has two bedrooms one bathroom.  We have 4 elders living there.  Youll have to tell debbie our bathroom is the same setup as hers were.  Shock showers and all.  the shower and the bathroom are right by each other.

       Anyways I think thats about all of the News for this week.  Just moving right along here.  Super busy.  Its good though. I cant get pictures to work again.  Computers here suck so bad.  Ill try again next week.  I dont really have any interesting ones anyway.  Ill try and take more. But yeah if you can send me something for music for my birthday I would love that.   I can buy a speaker here if you cant get me one.  Just put any efy and classical music on there.  Like moonlight sonata and bachs cello suíte for sure. And bridge over troubled water by simon and Garfunkel. And just any church music that is good.  But things are going great!! I will talk to you next week I hope you have a great week! I love you! tell everyone hi!

     Love Elder Ransbottom

Vila Area

     Its been a crazy week! Im using a brazilian keyboard so sorry if my grammar sucks. Also this is the first english i have written slash spoken in a while so bear with me.  Im glad things are going well. Ill just give you the rundown.  So there are parts of Santos that are really nice. nice beach nice houses etc. I am not in one of those places.  It is the straight up and down ghetto.  but our apartment is fine so im good with it.  The people here are reallly nice.  I had my first day of church in the field yesterday and everyone in the ward is so great.  They dont have hardly anything but they are just happy.  it blows my mind.  All of the houses are pretty much cement boxes with tile on the floor.  but everyone somehow has a flatscreen tv. There are some better homes around my area but for the most part its pretty rough.

 

     But I dont mind it here.  The people are great.  My area is called Vila Área. Right before I got here all of the missionaries were fubecas (bad missionaries) and they lost all of their investigators and for the most part its all farely new missionaries here.  So theres a lot of work to do but its alright its good to stay busy.  And we are busy. My companions name is elder macedo.  He is really cool.  He speaks some english but not very well.  We help each other learn.  I can understand almost everything people say to me I just dont have a huge vocabulary so im doing okay with the language. 

 

     But my favorite news of this week is one of the elders in my apartment has a guitar!! that was very exciting.  Also i found out we can have guitars.  I probably wont worry about it this transfer because we have one but Ill keep you posted.  That sucks that summer is over.  You can just write brazil on letters to me.  Just send them to the mission home.  I got your package!!  It got here safe and sound. I really appreciate everything.  Especially the abundance of my favorite candy.  I was missing those a lot.

 

     But yeah things are going good! There are very cool things happening out here.  The church is true.  You can make a blog.  Thats fine. Im gonna try and send some pictures this week.  As far as my birthday I know thats a ways out but could you send me like an mp3 player and pictures of the family? thats all i really want.  maybe some candy.  We have a nice washer but no dryer. Just clothes lines.  I live with one other companionship. One of the elders is a cousin of one of joy larsens grand daughters that I went to school with.  Small world.

 

     Im using a members computer and its taking forever to upload pictures so ill just have to send them next week or something sorry.  I hope that gives you a decent idea of my life right now. A wee bit hectic.  But good.  You were too good to me.  Im starting to figure out how good I had it back home.  I really appreciate everything you do.  I love you!! I hope you have a great week.  Tell everybody Hi and that I love them!! 

Last week of MTC!

Things are still going great! just truckin along.  Just trying to hurry and finish learning portuguese before I leave next week.  Last week in the mtc!! everyone tells us we won't know what anyones saying till our first transfer anyway.  Yeah my companion still thinks i'm british.  I'm getting really good at talking with a british accent.

 

  Sounds like things are going great!! same old here. I don't really have any stories to tell yet.  I talked to a lady at the temple today and she told me in Santos there is lots of beaches, food, and baptisms.  What more could a missionary want.  I'm soo excited.  Everyone I talk to about santos just says "bonito prius"  which means beautiful beaches.  But I'm pretty sure we leave tuesday morning.  I don't know for sure yet.  I'm super excited. 

 

 We teach fake investigators everyday here and then we have two instructors one in the morning and one in the evening.  So I'm picking up portuguese pretty quick.  I can understand most of what people say to me and speak enough to get by.  It sounds like mail takes about 3 weeks to get to you from here.  But it only takes about 7-8 days to get from you to me. I sent some letters a couple weeks ago so hopefully they will be there soon.  But yeah things are going great! tell austin I read his message and tell him hi.  Last week in the mtc!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Love you! tell everybody hi Elder Ransbottom

Caminas Temple

     This week we went to the Campinas temple and it was way cool.  The sao paulo one is getting cleaned.  I like campinas it was nice to get out of the ghetto and see a little more of brasil.  Campinas was nice.  We got a new companion so now im in a trio.  I've been talking with a british accent when I speak english and everyone is in on it so he thinks I'm british.  Its pretty funny

 

     Not much else has happened.  Just studying and sleeping and eating.  Just wrapping up our time here at the mtc.  Time has flown.  I'm so stoked to get out of here.  It's nice and all but I've had enough.  Sorry not much to say right now but I'll have some good stories once I get out to the field.  Me and my district of nine elders has to sing at the devotional on sunday.  We're actually good.  Everyone in my district can sing its pretty  cool.  Sister hale the lady in charge of music heard us singing high school musical songs and told us she wanted us to sing.  So that should be interesting.

 

   But yeah Im just truckin along down here in ol brasil! things are good! I'll keep an eye out for that package when I get to o campo.  (thats portuguese for the field). Anyway glad to hear things are going good!! things are great here! tell everybody hi! I love you! talk to you next week!!

 

   Elder Ransbottom

More MTC!

      The language is going good.  I can finally communicate.  I'll see if that package is there when I get there.  There's not much to tell.  ITs just the same thing different day here.  Study and sleep.  We went to the temple this morning and I really like the Sao Paulo temple.  I wish I could see Robyn and Kent.  Tell them Hi! alright well I sent you a letter with some more details about things so hopefully that gets there pretty soon.  Sorry I never have enough time.  Tell everybody Hi! Everythings going great though! I already love it. Tell everybody hi!

     love you Elder Ransbottom

MTC

     Everything went smooth with the flight. We got off the plane and into the airport and everything was in portuguese.  Sao Paulo is a bigger city than I thought.  There's skyscrapers and everything everywhere.  Its kind of baptism by fire around here.  They don't let us speak english very often so its been pretty hard but we are learning fast.

 

     Its kind of the same thing every day here.  We just wake up eat breakfast study and then a teacher  comes and teaches us portuguese and then we eat lunch.  After lunch we prepare a lesson in portuguese every day for a fake investigator.  Then we study more and exercise and just go to bed. On tuesdays and sundays we have devotionals.  I have learned a lot of portuguese in not very much time though.  My companion is kind of weird but he's alright.  He's from Nampa Idaho

 

     The MTC is in a ghetto but the people are pretty nice here.  Everyone has been telling me Santos is really nice though.  They don't really speak english so they just say "Beaches".  Letters take about 2-3 weeks to get here I've heard.  As far as the retainer goes I'm not sure how.  I would say just mail it a couple weeks before I get out of the MTC that way hopefully I'll be in the field by then.  I'll keep you posted. 

 

    The temple here is awesome.  Everything is a lot harder in portuguese.  We take our passports to the police in a couple weeks.  Sorry I don't have very much time but I'll try to tell you as much as I can.  It's fine that I didn't have temple shoes because they give them to us for free.  Wednesdays are my P day.  I hope things are going good.  Sorry thats kind of a short run down but I'll try and write you a letter and tell you more next week.  I love you and I'll talk to you next week! Tell everybody hi and that I love them!!

I Made It !!!!

     In case you missed the first letters we decided to post them as well, here you go from the beginning ............

 

     It's been a long time coming but I made it.  After the first plane ride we had like 6 minutes till the next one boarded so we just hurry and ate and I didn't have time to call you.  There was only one more elder going to Brazil from Salt Lake and then 7 or 8 more were at Atlanta.  The second flight was long and super boring.  We changed our money at the airport and then left for the MTC.  The MTC is nice but it's in the middle of the freakin ghetto.  I don't really have any funny stories yet.  Everything went smooth.  I haven't really slept yet but things are going good so far but I love you and I'll talk to you on Monday!

     Elder Ransbottom

The Beginning of the Blog!

     Things are just as busy as ever here! I cant believe its already P day again.  We have taught a ton of lessons this week and we just have a lot of investigators. We have baptism dates for 3 of them.  I really like emailing because I get sick of Portuguese.  Sorry if I write Portuguese things.  Its kind of taking over my brain.  But yeah things are good.  We have one investigator named Angelo who I honestly think we will never baptize cause hes stubborn but he likes us and keeps asking us to come back.  And hes cool so I'm having a hard time letting him go. We call people like him molly investigators because they just don't progress.

     I'm am picking up Portuguese really quickly.  I'm not trying to brag but I just look at the other kids who got here at the same time as me and they cant even understand me half the time because they don't speak enough.  I feel the lords hand in every single thing I do here.  I know he is helping me with the language more and more every day because it is very necessary that I know I to speak Portuguese right now.  The gift of tongues is very real.

     Nothing real exciting happened. Guitar lessons are way fun though.  We just choose a song to learn every week together and its always American because they love American music here.  There's one kid that has a lot of potential. Hopefully I can stay in this area for at least one more transfer and help them as much as I can.

     IT ALWAYS GETS BETTER.  That phrase is very true I learn that every day here on the mission.  But Yeah sorry I don't really have any cool stories or anything this week. Pretty straightforward.  Just trying to figure out Brasil.  Which I will probably never do. This is a weird country with a lot of problems but there are some awesome people here and that's all that matters.  I am doing good no serious problems. Just doing the best I can! Tell everybody I love them so much and I miss you guys! Time is flying and we are just super busy! I'm glad you finally got my letters.  Mail is a joke here.  I'll try and keep sending more. But I hope everybody has a great week!!

     2 scriptures you can look up Jude 1:22 just kind of explains why I'm here. I read that one the other day.  I really like that one.  And I think its Alma 4:27 I like that one too.  And Moroni 10 something. They're all just kind of about charity.  Those are good ones. Sorry I have a bunch written down I just don't have them with me.  I'll bring them next time.  Anyway have a great week!!!!!

Love Elder Ransbottom