This packet is the first thing that I received when I got to the CTM. On the front, I found out who my companion would be (Elder Christensen) and what district I would be in (31A). I was then directed to my room on the fifth floor, where I met Elder Christensen. We then went to lunch out in the courtyard with all the other missionaries that had just arrived. Elder Christensen was awesome. He is from Oregon, and is also going to go to BYU. I really liked being his comp. We got along great and had a lot of fun together. Four days after we got to the CTM, we were called to be Zone Leaders together. It was definitely not a lot of responsibility, but I liked it. We got to meet with the CTM President, Presidente Milder and the other Zone Leaders each week. We were also able to organize the sacrament services.
São Paulo as seen from the CTM
This is my district. From left to right: Elder Christensen, Elder Dudley, Elder Wolcott, Elder Miller, Elder Satteson, Elder Frehner, Elder Hamblin, and Irmã Gabriela. We had another Elder in our district, Elder Merritt, but he went home due to really bad depression. It was really hard for our entire district. We all formed bonds so quickly. Elder Wolcott had been comps with Elder Merritt, and he was then put in a trio with Elder Christensen and me. I really liked him, too. He was from Washington, and was a huge football player. I truly loved all of the Elders in my district. I had so much fun with them. Our two teachers were the best teachers in the CTM, Irmã Gabriela and Irmão Andrade. This picture is with Irmã Gabriela. They were both incredible teachers of the gospel and Portuguese, as well as great examples. Irmã Gabriela served in the Brasil Salvador Mission, and Irmão Andrade served in Utah. They both had really fun personalities. We all got along great with them.
This is a group of some of the missionaries that arrived to the CTM at the same time as me. Presidente and Sister Milder are seated in the front. I didn’t really get to know President and Sister Milder because there were so many missionaries at the CTM, but they both seemed awesome. Presidente Milder would give us devotionals multiple times a week.
One thing that I liked doing in the CTM was drawing pictures of temples on our district classroom's whiteboard. I'd never really tried dioing anything like that, but they actually turned out pretty well. It was just something fun to do each day.
These are pictures of the places that I spent the most time at in the CTM. The interesting thing about the CTM in São Paulo is that it is pretty much just a five story building. There really aren't any grounds. The only time I spent outside for those six weeks was on the basketball court outside for one hour each day. I always had fun playing basketball with my district and other missionaries. Other than that, we were in our district classroom, the cafeteria, our dormitory room, the courtyard, or the computer lab. We also spent a good amount of time in the auditorium listening to devotionals or doing various activities. It was really weird to just be in one building for six weeks. The only break we had from being inside was on P-Day.
P-Days were awesome in the CTM. They were my favorite P-Days of my mission. The best part was waking up early each P-Day and going to the temple. It was so refreshing to be in the House of the Lord. It just gave me energy for the rest of my week. I could feel the Spirit very strongly inside, the same way I had felt when I had gone with my parents to the Philadelphia Temple. I could have spent hours there each time. I went to the Campinas Temple the first five P-Days. It was about two hours away from the CTM. It was always really fun to drive there in a big bus full of missionaries and get our first glimpses of Brasil. The first time we went, I had the unique opportunity to be an escort for an African Elder, Elder Merenje, who had not received his endowments yet. He was such a nice, polite, and friendly guy. I felt honored to be able to help him.
On my last P-Day in the CTM, we were able to go to the São Paulo Temple. I felt the same Spirit there. I really loved the woodworking inside the São Paulo Temple. It was really special to be there with my district for the last time. We had all grown so close together.
#3 - Elder Miller and I at the São Paulo Temple
#4 - Elder Christensen and I at the São Paulo Temple
#5 - Elder Hamblin and I at the São Paulo Temple
#6 - Elder Frehner and I at the São Paulo Temple
#7 - Elder Satteson and I at the São Paulo Temple
#8 - Elder Wolcott and I at the São Paulo Temple
Once we got back from the temple on P-Days, we were free to roam a few streets close to the CTM. It was really fun to be able to walk around on the streets. There were really fun souvenir shops, bread shops, pastelarías, futebol shops, and places to buy açaí. My district went with Irmão Andrade to buy açaí every P-Day. It's the best! One P-Day, I bought some amazing leather scripture cases and a super cool futebol jersey. The last P-Day in the CTM, my district went with both Irmão Andrade and Irmã Gabriela to a really fun padaría.
Just some of the guys from my district.
I really loved the CTM. I had a bunch of really unique experiences. I saved Elder Miller’s life when he choked at lunch and I had to give him the Heimlich Maneuver. I had to go to the hospital in the middle of one night because I got the sickest I had ever been in my life. I did my first day of proselyting one day when we all went to Avenida Paulista the Saturday of our fourth week. We listened to President Nelson speak over broadcast transmission when he came to Brasil. My district was the best. I really loved being with and making friends with all of the other missionaries. I ended up having three comps because Elder Smith was transferred to the São Paulo CTM from the Provo MTC part way through. I was split off from my trio with Elder Christensen and Elder Wolcott and was put with Elder Smith. It was kind of hard because I had really loved my previous companionship. I was excited to move on to teaching the gospel when I left the CTM, but I felt sad to leave the place where I had worked so hard to learn how to be a good missionary. I really loved how strongly the Spirit always was within the walls of the CTM. I loved my instructors. They really blessed my life. I will always remember them. I was always grateful to have gone to the CTM in São Paulo rather than Provo. I am sure the Provo CTM is great, but I feel like being in Brasil just gave my Portuguese an edge. By the time I left the CTM, I felt like I had learned a lot. I was definitely far from fluent, but I had acquired a solid foundation through diligence and the help of the Lord. I had also, and more importantly grown in my testimony of the Savior and I was excited to represent Him.
