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diff --git a/src/md/20_Dans_Mission_in_Brazil.md b/src/md/20_Dans_Mission_in_Brazil.md deleted file mode 100644 index e512825..0000000 --- a/src/md/20_Dans_Mission_in_Brazil.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,200 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Dan's Mission in Brazil ---- - -It's been over 47 years since I left home to go preach the gospel in -Brazil. When it's been that long since a person has done something, it -has "old geezer" written all over it. I guess instead of avoiding the -truth I'll embrace my geezerhood and try to make the best of it.\ -\ -Back in those days when a young man started to plan for college and a -mission, you had to be 19 to even apply to go on a mission for the -church. I was only 17 when I graduated from Ridgefield High school, so -the only option was college. I attended one year at Clark Community -College in Vancouver and then a second year of university at BYU, -majoring in Electrical Engineering. During the summer of 1975, I decided -to take a 30 day desert survival course and then go on my mission. I had -already received my mission call to Brazil before leaving for the -deserts of Southern Utah.\ -\ -I believe it was late October when I entered the language training -mission (LTM). I stayed there for the next 4 months, learning the -missionary lessons and the Brazilian language. Normally, the time in the -LTM was only 2 months, but Brazil was very slow at approving our visas, -so we got an extra two months to learn the language as we waited for -Brazil to finish the paperwork. - -{width="5.697916666666667in" -height="3.7937412510936133in" alt=""} - -This is Allen Hall, where we lived. It was located on the lower campus -at BYU. The much bigger Missionary Training Center near the Provo temple -didn't exist yet. - -{width="5.75in" -height="3.828639545056868in" alt=""} - -This is my district of fellow Elders. We studied together for many hours -a day while the snow fell outside. - -{width="5.934569116360455in" -height="3.875in" alt=""} - -Elder Marcus, my first companion, is sitting beside me on our bunk bed. - -{width="6.007950568678915in" -height="4.020833333333333in" alt=""} - -Here, I'm trying out my gangsta door approach. It was eventually -abandoned as unlikely to be effective. - -{width="5.661654636920385in" -height="3.75in" alt=""} - -Another lighter moment just before lights out. Many of these elders had -not yet adjusted to wearing their garments at night. - -{width="5.72745406824147in" -height="3.8229166666666665in" alt=""} - -This is a farewell party for the Fonseca district. We were jealous -because they received their visas, but we were still marooned at the LTM -for a while. - -One memory I have of this time was the bitter-sweet experience of -spending Christmas at the LTM. I missed my family and President Lee, who -signed my mission call, passed away the day after Christmas. We sang a -lot of Christmas carols together and felt a wonderful spirit of serving -together in the LTM.\ -\ -When my visa was finally approved, I flew from Salt Lake City to Sao -Paolo, Brazil. I then flew to Porto Alegre and finally took a bus to my -first assignment in a city called Criciuma. I left Salt Lake City -wearing three white shirts because I didn't have room for them in my -suitcase. I arrived in Brazil in the middle of their summer. I thought I -was going to perish of heat exhaustion. - -{width="5.75in" -height="3.837965879265092in" alt=""} - -Here I am in the city of Criciuma. It was a smallish city out in the -country where most of the people were simple farmers. While there, my -district of elders went on a P-day trip to the catholic mission ruins of -Sao Miguel. - -{width="5.634399606299213in" -height="3.7708333333333335in" alt=""} - -Here are a few of us posing by the ruins. The guy on the right had a -special talent. He could say the entire pledge of allegiance with one -burp. It came in quite handy when knocking on doors. - -{width="5.682471566054243in" -height="3.8020833333333335in" alt=""} - -Here, I'm pretending to be a statue of a saint. - -{width="5.625in" -height="3.764542869641295in" alt=""} - -Now I'm practicing my Samuel the Lamanite approach. Fortunately, no one -was shooting arrows at me. - -{width="5.677083333333333in" -height="3.7999726596675414in" alt=""} - -Elder Webb was my first companion in Brazil. He taught me how to be an -awesome missionary. - -{width="5.479166666666667in" -height="8.047525153105862in" alt=""} - -I also served in a small city called Alegrete. Four of us lived in a -room we rented from this kind old lady and her son, who was somewhat -mentally retarded. They had a little dog who was loaded with fleas that -often ended up in my bed. - -My last city of service was Porto Alegre, a large and busy city of -nearly a million people. - -{width="6.211654636920385in" -height="4.114583333333333in" alt=""} - -My last companion was a native Brazilian named Edson de Marques. We -taught a young couple who were baptized shortly before I came home. - -{width="5.166666666666667in" -height="7.960839895013123in" alt=""} - -This is Elder de Marques with the young couple. His name was Ademir -Pinto Ribeiro and her name was Iara. Ademir is wearing an authentic -Brazilian pala that was made for me to bring home. - -In those days, missionaries were allowed to do some extra travelling on -the way back to their homes. I jumped at the chance to take about a week -to see some amazing sights on the way back to the USA. My travelling -companion and I made three main stops: Foz do Iguacu, a huge waterfall -at the border with Paraguay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Machu Picchu, -Peru. - -{width="6.431814304461942in" -height="4.260416666666667in" alt=""} - -I took this picture of Machu Picchu. It was amazing and worth every bit -of effort to travel there, but it caused some big worries in the end. - -For some reason I'll never understand, the airlines overbooked the -flights leaving the Peruvian city of Cuzco, near Machu Picchu. We missed -our flight to Lima and had to stay an extra day in Cuzco. The next day, -the Peruvian military flew us out in a paratrooper airplane. I remember -sitting in mesh netting seats holding a little tube for oxygen and -wondering if I would ever get home again. I missed the big welcome my -family had planned for me at the Portland airport and I couldn't even -get word to them about the delay. I arrived in Portland the next day -with 1 dime in my pocket and was picked up by just my mother. It wasn't -the big reception I could have had, but I was certainly glad to be back -home again.\ -\ -One of the last memories of my mission was of a sacrament meeting where -I was asked to speak in the Porto Alegre ward. After finishing my talk, -I sat down next to the stake president on the stand. He leaned over to -me and whispered in my ear, "Voce fala portugues melhor do que a maioria -dos brasileiros." Translated, this was, "You speak Portuguese better -than the majority of native Brazilians." I can't describe how amazing it -was to receive this complement from a highly educated Brazilian. -Although this was not my only goal for going to Brazil, I really enjoyed -learning a foreign language and I put a lot of effort into it. I read a -lot of Portuguese novels and comic books on my P-days and paid attention -to the native accent when I talked to the people there. This complement -took little effort to give, but made a huge difference in my life and my -own self-confidence. It is a great example of how a tiny bit of -thoughtfulness can lift someone else immeasurably. I have never -forgotten the complement and the power of giving them to those who -deserve it. |