May 25, 2015 we eat and eat and eat :)

          Week 49

So, we went to the center last week and who did I see? My first Bishop! It was so cool! He helped me a lot in the first area. 

One day for lunch, somebody made fish. Well, I don´t like fish all that much. It was worse when you look in the pot and you see the entire fish, head and all. This family gets offended when you don´t take a lot of food, so I took an entire fish. (I haven´t had fish my entire mission). I was able to eat it slowly (minus the head, I didn´t eat. When they looked away, I threw it away). I got through lunch successfully.

My companion and I have began to run in the mornings. He wants to lose his belly before he gets home. Yes, he does need to start 9 months before he goes home.... We were super sore for the whole week. Our bodies have not ran in a long time. 

I feel bad that I didn´t do well in English when I was at home because I have had some people who are trying to get a job send me their papers to revise them. I did notice that almost every sentence was incomplete, but it took me forever to decide what was wrong with the sentence. I have never made so many corrections on a paper before... and i´m not even good!

Our house is always singing here. We´ve basically got a quartet and it has been some of our messages for the past week. We are singing the basic, I need thee every hour. (mom's note: Koby's companion, Elder Jimenez, is a professional guitarist and singer who played music for David Archuleta)

É isso...

Elder Koby Sullivan

​Falda´s food

​Eat more!

​Elder Jiménez is always excited to eat 

They come, they eat, they leave.

​cool pet turtle.

(mom's note: it is so nice to see such happiness in his eyes!)

He has been out almost 1 year. 

May 18, 2015 gave a talk in church spur of the moment, and food, food, and more food!

          48 weeks

So, I think that I can start counting down on the weeks that I have on the mission. 

When I got here in Piracicaba, the house was a mess. It looked like it hadn´t been cleaned in 10 years. So, Sister Canuto caught the house before the first P-Day and did not like it at all. We spent all day last week cleaning all sorts of grease on the walls and the floors. I can proudly say that we have a new clean home :)

We have a cool investigator. She makes us a bunch of really good food every night that we go there. We love eating, but she makes us a ton of food. We start with a chilean soup which fills us up really quick, then she gives us a spaggetti or a hamburger, and then she gives us some dessert. (She makes enough for each of us to have seconds of everything). We probably gain two pounds everytime we go there... One day we went and told her that we couldn't meet with her because we were too full from lunch. (We didn't say that we were too full). 

Yesterday at church, I was asked to give a talk. Unlike being a member and having a good week to write the talk, they asked me at church to give the talk that day....I was incredibly nervous. It's a good thing that the ward only has 70 people and not 500.

Another investigator, who just needs to get married and he will be baptized, gave us lunch yesterday. He made us Italian food because he part Italian. Then, He brought 6 liters of ice cream and almost forced us to eat all of it. We all almost threw up! If everyone keeps giving me food like this, I am going to explode! 

Elder Koby Sullivan

May 11, 2015 Koby's companion played guitar for David Archuleta in Chile!

           

         11 Months!!!

11 Months today!!! That means I am almost on the downhill part of the mission. I can see the top!

It was also really fun to talk with my family :)

The first thing that I noticed in this ward is that a lot of people speak English. About a week ago, they put in the newspaper that we are giving English lessons for free, so we have a ton of people coming to have this lesson. I taught the advanced class which was just teaching English from English. It went really well.

Last week, I learned how to open a coconut. It was really simple. Burn it, then throw it on the ground! Thank you Irmão Clovis :)

My shower is really different. In Brazil, the showers have an electrical cord that goes directly to the shower head. Is it safe?... I don´t know. Normally they work fine... Our shower head is a little broken. When we turn it on, we have to take a long rod and wack the shower head a few times until the electricity connects. Then, to turn it off, we have to use the rod to twist the handle because it has been electricuted during your shower and will give you a nice shock! 

My area is really rich. I thought that Pirassununga was rich, but then I got here and the houses have doubled in size! There are several private roads that we can´t go on....

My companion is really cool too. His name is Jiménez. He was starting to go professional in singing and guitar, but he decided to go on a mission first! Also, when he was in Chile, he played in the band with David Acheleta! He is on the videos of David singing! So cool. (David Archuleta served his mission in Chile where Jimenez lives.)

Elder Koby Sullivan


Last week´s trail

A part of the river.

My shoe.

Guilherme :)

Antonio and I

​I think that they are trying to grow the tree sideways....

And awesome family :) (I was teaching the man piano)

skype time!

SKYPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is before Kyson got on Skype with us and Koby.

All of Koby's roommates that passed by the computer would stop and count the heads on the screen. Other countries don't have such big families as we do in the US.

An inside joke is Section 139 of D&C that has not been translated into Portuguese yet. That's why American's have more than 4 kids and Brasilian's don't. Section 139 tells you to have more than 4 kids. lol

In this picture, Carl is talking on the phone with Kyson while he tries to figure out his password to get onto Skype with us. Carl got a phone call from Florida, but answered it anyway. It was Kyson calling on an American's cell phone he had gotten in LA before he moved to Brazil with his Brasilian wife and baby.

They finally get to see each other and exchange greetings in Portuguese.

Kyson is showing us the view from the 16th story he is on. He is trying to let us see the lightning.

The zone leader, Kyson, had to take several phone calls while we were on our Skype call...

FAMILY PIC!

Kyson's host gave him the same candy that I got today from church...

Brady Bunch!

Kyson needs to know if that's a bald spot.

No, it's blonde hair and is invisible when it is short.

Chicken BBQ pizza.

He turned off the video while he ate it, but he ate his chocolate cake in front of all of us!!!!!

None of us had eaten, we left church early to eat before they called,

but then they called an hour early!

Kyson says he will be home before the next Mother's Day,

and Koby says he will be home 3 days AFTER the next Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May 4, 2015 Surprise bday party!

          46 Weeks

This week was interesting.

First, we have transfers tomorrow. Where am I going? I am returning to Piracicaba! I will live with E. Lopes (I have been in the same ward as him for the past 6 months. I will see him finish his mission.) I don't remember my companion's name, but I know that he plays the piano and guitar extremely well. He plays professionally.

On Tuesday, I had many things happen. I discovered that my good shoes have a hole in the side that is slowly getting bigger each day.(My other shoes broke and Pirassununga doesn't have my size of shoe, but I am going to Piracicaba, so it will be easier to find shoes. Never buy american shoes....).

While I was walking gracefully, my bag fell to the floor.... The buckle on the strap of my bag has broken off, so I am now walking with my bag in my hands. I look like I am going to the temple everywhere I go. 

At the end of the day, E. Lopes told me that we were going to help a family move. I got to the house and there were people watching TV like they weren't about to do anything. They asked me for some help in another room, and when they opened the door, "Suprise!" They gave me a surprise birthday party. It was amazing. I felt so happy, but I had no idea how to react for the party... Lopes gave me a fancy watch. The next day Bianca and Lias gave me the coolest blue tie. 

Incredible. I am going back to Piracicaba. 

Elder Sullivan

My friends threw me a surprise party!!