...and Olá Brasil!

[Shari here.  Ben-Daniel emailed us that he would call us from one of the airports he was in on Tuesday as he traveled to Brazil.  Here are some snippets from our conversation.]

Reflections on the Houston South Mission

• Highlights were the temple trips and a good relationship with President Ashton.
• He is sad to leave all the friends he's made in this mission.  He really enjoyed all the people in Houston--excepting a few "street beggars with drug-fried brains."

I asked him about the different areas he'd served in.

• He liked Richmond, the area in which he served around Christmastime.  He was part of a trio of missionaries with whom he got along well.  He also particularly liked the ward mission leader and ward members in this area.
• Sugarland was memorable for Palm Royale Street.  He says it's a very wealthy area (big oil money) with "ridiculously big mansions."  He had a good companion here, but he said that people were rarely home.  Occasionally they would find an at-home spouse "but they were never interested in talking." He said the ward wasn't terrifically active with missionary work either.  The mission president had both him and his companion transferred elsewhere and "pink-washed" the area (translation: bring in the sister missionaries).  :)
• He said his fifth area, Brazosport, was one of his favorites.  He and his companion worked near Lake Jackson.  (Although he took a moment to complain that a town would be called "Lake Jackson" when no lake named "Jackson" existed.)  When I asked him why this was a favorite area, he said because there were tons of people who wanted to take the lessons.  He loved teaching there.
• The last area he mentioned was Memorial, where he spent the last couple of months.  He really enjoyed his companion, Elder Carter, here.  Both of them left at the same time--Ben-Daniel to go to Brazil and Elder Carter to go home at the end of his mission.  He said that the area was being "white-washed." (Translation: both missionaries are departing and a complete new set are coming in.)

He thought he would be able to call us again from the airport in Atlanta, but ended up not having enough time.  He did meet a man named Mike in the terminal (a hospital CEO from Utah) who took his picture and kindly texted it to us:

On his way to Brazil!

This morning he emailed us from the missionary training center in Sao Paulo.  Here's what he said:

Just wanted to let you know I made it safely here! I'm in the MTC right now. 

I didn't take the one-hour time difference in Atlanta into account, so I didn't have time to call from there. Sorry about that!

I think you got the picture that guy sent of me. I ran into a party of Utah hospital CEO's who were members and they bought me dinner. So my last American meal was PF Chang's--ha ha Chinese food!

It's a little weird being in the MTC again. I kind of wish they'd just send me straight into the field, but I know I'll need the help with the language. 

I don't know when P-day is yet but you'll hear from me!

love, 

Elder Duffin