Called to Serve

Called to Serve
Montevideo, Uruguay West

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Last Email from the CCM

I don't have time to talk too much today, but this is my last email from Buenes Aries. My time here was awesome, it was exactly what I needed. I grew to love everyone here so very much that leaving on Tuesday will be really hard.
Yesterday we saw Elder Cook. We got to meet him and shake his hand; it was so great to be there with an apostle.
I go out proselyting one last time here so on Saturday pray a little harder for me, I will need it.
My Spanish is coming along great. My English is beginning to crumble so badly so Bridgette had better edit these emails accordingly.
I leave for Uruguay Tuesday morning around 4 so midnight for you people. We are flying so keep me in your prayers for that. It's one thing to fly on an American plane, it's another thing to fly on a 3rd world charter plane, but I have faith in all things.
We just got out of the temple. It may be awhile before I get to go again, so I made today extra special. I understood 98% of everything that was said, which for me is huge. I saw the difference from my first Spanish session, and I know that when I do what I am told and work to preach the gospel in Spanish, my tongue will be loosed and I will have whatsoever things I stand in need of.
Again I love everyone. I pray for you and I know that you pray for me, I can feel them in my life daily.
Love always,
Elder Brewer
This is when I first got off the plane. No one was there to pick us up from the airport. Then I found these 3 who only spoke Spanish from Mexico. It was a hard first day, but for the rest of the time that they were here they were my best friends ;)
my new district
 me and my favorite comp Elder Nelson, and our comps

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Argentina Temple

Ok, so here is a quick update. The weather is so so so so so so so cold!!!!!! I miss Arizona!! Whenever we get to use the computer I check and see what the weather is like back home, and you can definitely tell that its summer there and winter here. ;) It is always cloudy and rainy, we had really nice warm days when we first got here, so that made it nice. We are going to the temple later today, the temple is my favorite part. It is all in Spanish, but I learn even when I can't understand anything.
I have realized now and so much more then ever that the church is true no matter where you go, from Buenos Aries to New Zealand back home to Arizona, the church, this gospel, and Christ are the same yesterday, today and forever.
Proselyting was a blast, I loved it so much. We are getting a new area this Saturday so have me in your prayers for that. I have never been scared while I have been here, yes I have been in icky situations, but never scared. I know that this is just the beginning, and that I will have so many more awesome experiences to come.
It is getting down to the wire I have about 12 days left, the time has flown by. I don't know about you, but it has for me.  I am so blessed to be here. Not just on a mission, but here at the ccm. It is an extension of the temple and that is awesome. We are learning, living, and training here and in the temple. Like hello people that is pretty dang awesome! I am learning the language faster than I could have ever thought. I am loving the people deeper then I ever thought. I know that I will be home before I know it, so I will live it as best I can!
I love and pray about all of you. Read these letters at Grandpa's birthday camp. Let him and everyone else know that I love him and them so very much. Families are forever and this Gospel is true. I love pictures, so a group one of you camping will be much appreciated. ;)
You can fix the spelling as needed, I am in that awkward Spanish/English phase.
I love and pray for you always.
Elder Brewer

Thursday, May 9, 2013

More CCM

Ok, I am doing well, they cut down on the horse meats so that's good I guess  ;) I got a letter from Bridgette from when it was stamped till I got it was two weeks so just keep that in mind. My day to day life is very routine: Up at 6:30, breakfast at 7, class at 8. We just moved districts. My companero is no longer district leader so I have full power now. New Latinos are coming in today so we are switching rooms, so yeah. I have pictures so I will try to send them. We will see how that goes. My class district has 12 people in it. This group of people you stay with for your stay so we learn the language together, we prosalite together, so it was sad when we broke up the district of Nife that I was in. Now I am in Mormon. On Saturday we have prosaliting  so I am scared about that. It will just be me and Watkins- I thought that we would get a missionary who is out there but no its just going to be us. They drop us off and tell us to meet them somewhere that night, and good luck. So that will be interesting.
I read and pray so often, my life now it seems is one big prayer. My companion has not firm understanding in the gospel, so our lessions we teach are slow because I have to teach him how to teach, or what to teach. So that as been frustrating on me.
Elder Nelson though is my best friend here. We are chainging into the same room, so that's nice. We are going running together during actividad, which is everyday, so that's awesome. I am not afraid of being mugged or robbed. I am afraid they will take my backpack. We are going in to downtown Buenos Aires south, which from what my teacher said is like Harlem of New York.

I hear the train all the time, so I like that. The temple is closed till next week, so on Thursdays staring next week we will get to go, so that will be awesome.
 
My past room mates came from Chile, they came from such humble circumstances that I was amazed at their faith. They left on Tuesday to go out, they only spend 2 weeks here. So in the hallway of the doorms we sang called to serve. We filled the CCM. it was just awesome. Everything is in Spanish of course. The hymns they sing are just beautiful. I love the way Latins sing. We try but we fail.
 
I play in sacrament meetings when they need me to. I get to take as many showers as I can, which usually come to 3. One in the morning, one during actividad and one at night. I am getting as many showers in as I can till I am stuck with using a bucket
 
The CCM is like a hotel, but way poorer then what we are used to back in the states.
All the rooms are one floor and each side has a bathroom with showers, all stalled and what not. It's nice enough and clean, so I don't complain. An Elder from my district, Elder Brown, loves LOVES the bade. I don't know how you spell it, the European toilet thing. I guess they are a big thing down here. I like them well enough, it's definitely something you get used to, not something you can just jump right on and enjoy.
 
Vaya Con Dios is a saying I came up with while I was here. It means Go forth with God. I like it and use it in all that I do.
 
I love you so very much! All of you Dad, Dana, Kelsie, Jonny, and of course Kayson. I can get pictures so send them as well  ;)
 
Your son with love,
Elder Brewer

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Argentina MTC, aka CCM

Ok I don't have time to read anything so they let us print it out so I will read it when I print it. So I am here in Argentina, I love it here. The plane was a bit more stressfull then I wanted it to be. The keyboard is diffrent hear so if I misspell I'm sorry. I am settled in very nicely. Me and an Elder Brown from Utah are in the same district and we both struggle with Spanish so me and him are best friends. My compamion is Elder Watkins. He is from Nevada, and he is the district leader. I am the senior companero, so there is a bit of a power struggle between us. The CCM is what they call the MTC so I will as well. It is really, really small. It's really like a private school. There are only 80 of us here; 45 whites or Americans and 35 Latins. This is the first time in histroy that there as been this much of an outnumbering. My spanish is really bad, but I am working on it. I can say a prayer and now and I am learning how to translate what I want to say in a lesson into Spanish. The first day I got my companion, we were given a investigator, and had to teach them. I think I scared my companion I was crying because I was so frustrated at the fact that I can't speak what I want to. I dont like the no freedom bit; I have this companion next to me 24/7 and I am trying to get used to it. BIt he is awesome so I guess I can't complain too much. Everything is in Spanish here. I have yet to get rid of my headache that I have had since I arrived. We got to go to the temple so that was awesome. It is so beautiful. The temple is right outside my window, not 100ft away, so that is really awesome. During actividad, I run with Elder Nelson, Marys friend I was talking about. So we get to run around the temple and play volleyball and no one say anthing about it. It's like we are in an army and this is our HQ, wierd analogy but you get it.
Well I will talk about the food. It's better then alot of things, but way worse than everything else. The day I arrived it was hot I am tired and they had me a HOTTT bowl of soup. It took all I could to just say thank you. WE can HAVE SODA!! So I am happy on that end; we have had horse, cow stomach, and like horse intestine or something. I thought it was an egg, but no, no it was not an egg. I have two Latin companions who are from Chile, Elder Escubar and Elder Scotti, they are awesome. They help me with my spanish, and are very humble people, they leave in 4 days so we well get new Latins every 2 weeks. The Americans only come in every 6 weeks, so the group we have now is this American group. I like 90% of them so that is all good.
 
I miss everyone so so much, one hermana had a really hard time yesterday and me and my companero gave her a blessing, so that was awesome. I am glad that I am not that bad, I miss you all, but not to the point of not functioning. Being here I have learned that so many things don't matter; so many things are just unimportant. Only when I focus souly on what I need to do will I ever get things done.
 
I am about out of my time. Next weekend I get to go to  Buenos Aires to prosolote on Saturday, so pray for me, that day I might not get shot.
 
I love you so very much! please know that! I miss the trees, the mountains, the pond and yes the animals. I miss you and pray for you, please pray for me!
 
Till next Thursday,
 
Vaya con Dios!
 
Elder Brewer