Adam's First Area - Ancheita

This is Adam's email from his first area.  I looked up Ancheita online and so I have added a few pictures of the area to this email.  My questions are in brackets.

[How many missionaries flew to Vitoria with you today?]  There were 14 missionaries that flew out total to Vitória.

[Did you stay at the mission home or go straight out to your first area?]  I went straight to my first area, my first area is called Ancheita.

Shrine of the Blessed Jose
Anchieta gate access

Late afternoon on the beach of Anchieta

[Who is your new companion?]  My new companion is Elder Turley, he is from Utah.

[What area are you in and what is it like?] Where we are is right on the beach.  It is really pretty I will put pictures on later on in my emails.

[What is where you are living like?] Our appartment is pretty small.

River that runs through the
City of Anchieta

Just to let you know I will only get it packages at transfers, hey its also the same with mail too.  I guess that President Pickett made a rule that missionaries can only email their immediate family, so could you pass that on.  Sorry that really stinks, I will definitely reply to every letter I get, but it will be after 10 or so weeks that you will get a reply to the letter. 
 
I am loving the area, there isn't a baptismal font here so we get to baptize in the ocean, and we have a baptism scheduled for next week, and I guess that I get to be the one to perform it.  I am really excited for and I hope that I can perform that baptism.  I love the people around here, they are really cool, I just wish that I could communicate more with them than I can. My companion is awesome! I am really tired from all of the walking that I am doing now, but it is so much fun.  I can't wait until I can say more.  I miss everyone and love you all.  Seu Filho Elder Adam McBarron

Edge of the beach in Anchieta

End of the afternoon with
panoramic beach of Ancheita

Elder McBarron arrives in Vitoria!

We are very grateful to have Elder McBarron with us in the Brazil Vitória Mission. He arrived yesterday from the CTM in São Paulo. Although a little tired due to an early plane flight, he was anxious to begin his service in the mission field. In the late morning following his arrival, we had a brief training session followed by lunch. Attached is a picture taken in the chapel where our meeting was held. Once again, it was a pleasure getting to know your son. We know that he is going to be a great missionary here in the Vitória Mission.

President and Sister Pickett

p.s. Monday is our Preparation Day. As such, you should expect an email this coming Monday!!

6/15/11 Email

My week was really good, I didn't really have much going on this past week. Our district got 5 new missionaries, 2 of which are going to Vitoria with us. I probably won't find out where I will be going to until I get to the mission home. I am so excited to be leaving the CTM and I can't wait for the field. I will be flying there because it would be a 5 hour bus ride from Sao Paulo to Vitoria.

[Can you have a conversation in Portuguese now?] I can have a very simple conversation, but not much after that.  I can talk to them about the church and other than that, nothing.

[Are the other Vitoria missionaries that you arrived with leaving with you next week?]  Yes all of the Vitoria missionaries will be leaving at the same time, even the ones that just arrived from Provo that spent their MTC time there.

[What are the most important things you have learned in the CTM?]  The most important thing that I have learned here is the importance of following the spirit and having the spirit with you at all times.

[Are you feeling prepared to head out into the mission field?]  I am prepared to head out to the mission field, but not totally.  I still need to work on the language, but I have also recognized that its not always the best speaking missionary that can teach, but the missionary that speaks the best from the heart.  I have learned that if you can only say simple sentences and you truly mean them with all your heart then that is when the spirit will truly speak to the hearts of the people, and from there, I can continue to work on my language skills.  But that has been told to me that that will come in time, and that I will be able to speak fluently by my sixth month.

I miss everyone back home and love you all.  I hope that you are all doing well.  I am excited to be able to email more people and I can't wait for my first p-day out in the field.  I don't know when that will be though, so if I don't reply for a while to your next email don't worry, its because I didn't have a p-day next week.  My best of wishes to everyone. Sua filho (your son) Elder Adam McBarron

Letter Received 6/4/11

Dear Minha Familia,

Eu grato com voces.  Eu amo voces.  Pretty impressive huh?  Well I couldn't figure out how to say I miss you all in Portuguese.  So pretty much what it says is that I am grateful for you all and I love you all.  I know this isn't very long but I felt that I should send this to you.  Sincerely yours, Elder Adam McBarron

Adam included these photos in his letter:

The airplane he flew on to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

His view from his room at the CTM.

His name tag in Portuguese.

Studying in his room, his companion, Elder Spencer, took this photo.

6/8/11 Email

I am doing really well, in about a week you should start sending me letters at the mission home, but if you forget, they will forward the letters to me from the CTM.  We had a sweet thunderstorm yesterday, I really enjoyed it.

[When does your new mission president start?]  My new mission president starts the day that I was supposed to report to the field, Junho 28th.

[Have you learned much about him?]  The only thing that I have learned about him is that he does not speak any English at all.

[How did your street contacts go in Sao Paulo?]  The street contacts went really well,  I was able to give out a Book of Mormon, which was pretty cool.  I gave it to a guy whose name was Mateo.

[Where are your other roommates from and what are they like?]  My companion is from Puyallup, and then my other 2 roommates are from Spokane.  One of my roommates that is from Spokane is kind of like me, and my companion and his companion are kind of our opposites.

[Any pranks in the CTM, or is everyone more serious?]  We have played some pranks, within our district and some on other districts.  One that happen the other night was that we have bunkbeds, and we took out the support for the top bed and just laid the mattress back on top of it and when they sat down on the bed, they and the mattress went straight down.  I actually didn't take part in the prank, I was just a spectator.  We play pranks pretty much almost every other day.

[What has been your best day at the CTM so far?]  My best day so far would have to be either the street contacts in Sao Paulo, or every p-day when we go to the temple.

I really enjoyed the package thank you!   There were 18 cookies, a thing of Pringles, 2 packs of peanut m&ms, a Snickers bar, 2 things of envelopes, a sheet of stamps, and a jar of creamy peanut butter. Thank you!  Love you guys and miss you, please pass that message around.

New Photos from the CTM

Adam is in the middle

Adam is 1st on the left back row

One of Adam's teachers at the CTM posted these pictures online.

6/1/11 Email from the CTM

This week's email from Adam, my questions are in brackets.

It has already been a month, and I am getting anxious to get out to the field.  I will be leaving the CTM a week early because of the change in my mission president taking place on the 28th when i was supposed to head out.  I got the letter saying that I could pick up my package on friday so I will be picking it up today. 

[What kinds of things do you do during your workouts?]  We run for 5 to 10 mins and either lift weights or play volleyball or sometimes both for our workouts. 

[What did you learn in your classes this past week that made an impact on you?]  I learned how to make street contacts this last week, which is good because this friday I am going to have to go out into Sao Paulo for about an hour and a half and make street contacts as part of my CTM training.

[What was the funniest moment or moments you've had in the CTM so far?]  My funniest moments are pretty much just talking with some of the elders that are here at the CTM or just hanging out with the elders in my district, there are just too many things rushing through my brain to say any of them and I don't have enough time to put them down either.

[What is your favorite thing to say in Portuguese?]  My favorite thing to say in in Portuguese is água-viva which means jelly fish, don't ask me why I just think that it is kind of funny.

[How many different teachers do you have and what do they teach?]  I have 2 different teachers and they teach Portuguese and gospel, for both of them, and they are really cool people.

[Any spiritual impressions this week?]  I didn't really have any spiritual impressions this week that I could put on here.

I miss you all and I really enjoy the letters and cards! love you guys and miss you, could you pass that on to everyone for me please!