Benedito

"The investigators we have are really cool, especially this guy named Benedito. He is progressing really well, and seems to like and understand all that were teaching him, but we just gotta get him to commit to baptism pretty soon. Benedito has a rediculously sweet record collection, with the Stones and Beatles and stuff of that nature. I want to ask him to just jam to it."

Curtis is still into his music even though he can't listen to it right now. He has been sending a weekly email with a song lyric as the subject. I wonder how long it will be before he runs out of lyrics and has to use church hymns!

Aparecida Basilica

"Everyone, if you get a chance, do an internet search on Google for the Aparecida Basilica. It's a giant, I mean smurfin' huge, Catholic cathedral that is in Guaratingata. That's Elder Camerons area. We can't go in it though, because some old missionaries took pictures in places they weren't supposed to, so now missonaries are banned. Dad, we will check it out when you come down. Read all about it though, it has a crazy history and Elder Pieper (who has been in) says it's complete with a healing room inside. And a miracle room. Ah, those cooky Catholics are up to no good. Way funny. So everything is good here, not too much news to report. I love it here and me and Elder Pieper are having fun, and workin' hard."

Curtis is already making sightseeing plans for me when I come to pick him up in February 2007. I'm looking forward to it.

Good Eatin' In Brazil

"I had a delicous cold salty pancake covered in rice, black beans, and sloppy joe sauce the other day. So, so delicous, seriously. And one more thing, tell everyone to go to the store, Albertson's or something, and buy Guarana. It's what I drink everyday; I have more of it than water. Warn future missionaries serving in Brazil of its delicousness and tell them to start getting used to it now. You as the family try some as well."

Guaraná (paullinea cupana) is a tropical plant with small red fruit with a high caffeine content. The people of the Amazon region in Brazil chew guaraná seeds as a source of energy or drink the powder dissolved in water. In the US, guaraná can be found in powdered form in health food stores. What most Americans don't know is that guaraná is also a very popular soft drink in Brazil. It tastes a bit like Cream Soda.

Where Exactly Is Curtis?

Some of you might be wondering "Where exactly is Curtis?"











He is 6,127 miles from Ogden, Utah on the east side of South America. He is in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.





He is in the city of Cruzeiro. It is located between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It's about 40 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.




(click on the images for a better view)

Cruzeiro

Curtis is now in a city named Cruzeiro, about four hours northeast of Sao Paulo. It's a small city by Brazilian standards - only 90,000 people. I've tried to find more information about Cruzeiro on the internet but all I can find is soccer information. I'll ask Curtis for more details.

"Think of Sao Paulo being like SLC, and think of Cruzeiro being like Vernal or Moab or something. Hotter, more rural with no skyscrapers or anything, but a cool town none the less. It has its own futebol club and whatnot, but I hear that down in the city of Sao Paulo is where its at. I guess I don't know yet but I like working out here and probably will work out here for the next 4 months or so."

"Brazil is the bomb-diggity"

That's a quote from Curtis. I think it means he loves it there. He's only been out of the CTM for a week but says it's going to get better and better. He has an apartment but says it's more like a small house - kitchen, front room, bedroom, and bathroom. But no carpet, just lots of tile. He has a video of the apartment along with several hundred pictures that he will send home soon. His Portuguese is getting better but it's still frustrating at times.

For Behold, His Mission is Given Him and It Shall Not Be Given Him Again - Doctorine & Covenants.

Curtis says that serving on a mission has made him a better person. His testimony, love of the Gospel, and love for his family and friends has grown. He's loving life and having fun. I'm proud of him for his enthusiasm and dedication.

Jordan Wilson

Curtis wants everyone to know that his friend Jordan got his mission call to the Italy Rome mission. He leaves for the MTC on June 15. He sent Curtis a tape of him opening his mission call. Everyone on the tape was cheering and it reminded Curtis of his mission call. It made Curtis a little emotional but makes him realize how much he loves his friends.

This is Jordan's mailing address in Italy:

Elder Jordan Wilson
La Missione Italiana di Roma
C.P. 11/282 Montesacro
00141 Rome
Italy

Leaving the CTM

Today is April 5th and if I have counted the days correctly Curtis should be finished with the CTM. Now it's time to put to use all the things he has learned while sitting in class eleven hours a day. I wonder how he will do living in the city. Will he be able to speak the language well enough to communicate with the Brazilian people? Will he do alright living on his own for the first time? Will he be safe now that he's not within the confines of the CTM? I wish I could pickup the phone and talk to him and make sure everything is OK, but I'm sure he will be just fine. I hope to get an email from him tomorrow telling me where he's at and who his companion is. I miss him.