FETCH. NO TIME. Until next week!

In the Field - GUITAR SPOON!

Yeessss, that's the beautiful Brazilian background I'm giving you this week. Nice bit of photography, huh? I love the nature stuff around here. Climbing that mountain was fetching awesome. :D 

Be jealous. I've got some excellent pictures. ;D

And lookie here. It's me! Sloooowly going bald...**sigh** Yeah. Things are going to be very different once all is said and done here in Brazil. I'm probably gonna have a slightly different pronounciation in my English, too. Prof. Sant'anna (somebody poke her on Facebook!), have you ever talked to a Northeasterner's accent here? I've heard just about every kind right now, and I have to say that what I learned from you is very different from here. 

Another interesting thing about this new transfer (yes, new transfer!) is that I'm working for the first time with a branch in the LDS church. It's very different - the Church has rented out a house for use by the members, and they've worked hard to make it stand out in the square it resides in. Gotta take a photo! It's very humble here. I love the people, and I'm super grateful for the supporting members that are dedicated to living the standards they believe in. Also, for those back in Siqueira: I found David's dad, Diogo (sp?) Oliveira, and his brother, who trained my old professor Irmão Vander back in the São Paulo CTM! Woo! I'm discovering the world of the Church is really quite small here. I think I like it.

Just to make a random change of subject (and to address the title of this post), two words: guitar spoon. Vested in bandanna and P-Day clothes, this is the ultimate expression of awesomeness that I feel like publishing to the world when I baptize two weeks in a ROW. Baptism's no small thing - I'm watching it change lives! It's so awesome to see the difference we're making for the people here. 

Well, gotta run, gente. But it was great to blab a little big here on the blog. Gonna run and take care of the rest of P-Day. Don't forget to write! Tchau!

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Well, this sucks. I took a ton of awesome pictures today, but I don't have my converter...because this P-day was awesome! We (the entire Zona Lagarto) went hiking up a...well, it's not a mountain up to Utah standards, but I guess that's the word for it. Great cardiac workout, whatever the case. And amazing scenery. Next week: epic post of plants and rocks.

In other news, I have info for everyone on the transfer that's under way! I'm now in Itabaiana, which is still in Sergipe. The house is CRAZY CLEAN. The ceiling, floor, and walls are all white tile, and rather new, which I think is an interesting trade for not getting a third floor and lots of wind like in Siqueira. I'm serving with a Brazilian Elder named Elder Maze - who's my grandpa.

That's right. My grandpa is now my stepfather.

Oh. Wait. Sorry, new Translate gadget's not gonna help you with that, is it? :P In the field, we refer to our trainers as our "father", and the companion after that "stepfather". My old man Elder Biddulph was born with the aid of this curious Elder, who's very well practiced with missionary tasks and has more than a year here working in his native language. He's also very fluent in English because of his study habits, which makes him a good asset for learning how to do this whole deal. Woo! I just hope I can catch up with the increased speed of Portuguese I'm hearing...I'm still feeling retarded sometimes as I realize that the entire sentence somebody said at me didn't make sense because I got distracted by a stray thought or word I didn't recognize. 

*siiiigh* But still the work goes on! I promise I'll have lots of pictures (with interesting thoughts attached) next week. I'm hoping to learn a lot this transfer, and to add a lot of cool stuff to my journal! In the meantime...gotta run! Tchau, gente!

Listen up, people.

Alright, crew. I've decided that while emails are awesome, something needs to change if I'm to avoid problems like I had before. So, here's my proposition: more viewing of the blog. I'm more than willing to send emails to people, but when there are problems with the content I'm posting I want the solution to be simpler and faster than it was today. SO. I shall do the following for now:

http://erichgubler.blogspot.com.br/2012/05/end-of-beginning.html

Savvy? I can't post tons of content and pictures and please both my mish buddies and the blog server's email standards. So I'll just have to think the next week while I get a new companion and area. In the meantime...Mother's Day approaches!

-Erich

NOTICE: This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.

The End of the Beginning

Alright. So, there was an issue last week I wasn't aware of - and that was the email size for the blog was exceeded because of the photos I attached! Sofetch. I get to start over, and repaste stuff. Never fear, new content is always here!

~~~~

See the title? That's right. Elder Holland said that to us as a mission. And man was that talk AWESOME. Despite having to endure 10 hours total on a bus, being host to 20 in a house ill-suited for such a purpose, and having a rather large headache, going to the mission headquarters to see the world's most fiery Apostle of Christ was fantastic. I think I'm just gonna paste my favorite quotes here:


"[T]his work is [the most important thing you'll do in your life]...because you are apostles. I'm an Apostle with an uppercase 'A', and you're the apostles with a lowercase 'a'...the difference being I have to die to get released from my calling."


He told us that we're doing what he does every day - we're working to bring people to the restored gospel. What he does is in the end no different from what we are doing right now, and that was an interesting thought to chew on. I'm a fetching apostle? He went further to illustrate the dedication necessary to this work with a personal statement:


"My life is like my shoes. When they're worn out, God can throw 'em away."

Whoa.

Big deep breath.

Think about that for a minute there.

Yeah, he's hardcore. But that's excellent, because that's the sort of dedication we need to have as missionaries. And while the details aren't appropriate for the blog, I'm gonna remember that discourse for a long time. Especially because I wrote four effin' pages about it in my journal. :D It was super-beef soup for my missionary soul. I also got to see Elder Taylor! Oi, Hinkleys - I found your man. What do you want me to do with him?

Something that's also a nice booster for the work here (and relative to the people back and home too!) is the receipt of a package from the Slate Canyon 8th Ward Primary - my home ward! I got tons of chocolate and Reese's...and I'll guiltily admit that it all got eaten within three days.

Home ward, I love you! Thank you so much for the delicious goodies!

Speaking of goodies, I've also been drinking some Crystal Light that my Mom sent me with the first package. When I start the day:

...and when I end the day:

And yes. That's a fricking glass Coke bottle. Weird, huh? They're so common here, but I never really remember seeing them in the US.

Aw. Man. So much stuff to discuss...but time's running out! I gotta go now, people. BUT. As always...send me something! I have updated the "How Do I Write Gubler?" page in accordance with the most up-to-date info - including my snail mail and GVoice, for those who are interested in leaving me voice mail. It's an interesting idea I'm thinking of keeping...but we'll see how it works.Don't forget that y'all are awesome! Keep it real!

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NEW POST!

NEW TRANSFER!

AND NEW COMPANION! COMPLETE WITH NEW AREA!

Come one, come all, as mission life for Elder Erich Gubler drastically changes!

But first...let's review the facts.

Coconut.

First off is that I, Elder Gubler, fetching love coconut milk. It's so easy and cheap, and it's good if you've got some frustrations. There's lots of good food here in Brazil. There's things I'm gonna miss about it when all said and done. Which also leads me to this...I'm kind of sad, for several reasons. I had to ditch an investigator that has been one of my absolute favorites so far and is complete UCAS material. Yes, I said it: UCAS material. This sucks. As missionaries, dropping people that refuse to progress is something we have to do and unfortunately rather common in an open-hearted country where one-shot investigators abound. I love you investigators who are interested in Americans, speaking English, and studying this interesting new subject we present to you (which is a lot - go through at least a dozen every week). But if you can't fulfill your commitments and go to fetching church, we can't fetching baptize you, because you're not progressing! Insert big sad face here!

Second is that my training is ending. AWWW FETCH. My time with my semi-spiritual dad is coming to a  close, starting tomorrow! I have no idea who my next companion (my stepdad, so to say) is or where I'll be serving with him, but I have a feeling that it will be difficult to fill the gap left by the incredible Elder Biddulph:

The son and his father, in their beautifully exchanged ties. I wrote on E. B's (blue one), "God help the man who defiles the spirit of work invested in this tie."

E. B, I'm gonna fetching miss you. Don't forget to check the blog every once in awhile! We'll be sure to meet again in Utah, if not on the mission. I'm not TOO worried about it...because he left me the hereditary tie. I'm wearing it right now. And I'm wearing it in that picture. Never shall I forget this Elder...and always shall I strive to have his same work ethic.

Of course, let's not forget my fantastic place of birth here on the mission! Siqueira Campos, don't forget me! Because I'll be back. And I'll be better than I was. At the very least, I'll be staying here in the state of Sergipe - I wasn't told to go to Maceió for the transfer meeting. All them details will be posted next Monday!

In the meantime, here's this week selection of assorted goodies:

• I fetching made a correction in the introduction of a big Portuguese dictionary I've got here. They misspelled the word "grega", which means "Greek".
• I realize now that religious nerds don't bother me now. Scary.
• Got a cool Hot Wheels car from a young boy in the area who really wanted to give me a good sendaway present - and he did! Hot Wheels is a big deal here. Thanks, Washington! Take care of your mom, and tell 'em I said "Oi!".

Oof. Next week's gonna be crazy. But just know that y'all are awesome! Don't forget to shoot me something! I translated the How to Write page the best I could - anybody see any errors? Don't forget to subscribe to the blog, in case you haven't done so - because emails in your inbox really CAN keep you updated. ;)