Your horticulture lesson for the week

"Wow this week has shot by...it´s been crazy...ok...zone conference is tomorrow...in Alegrete...2 hour bus ride!...YAY! and i did it twice already this week...about that...went on exchanges with the líderes de zona this week...like i said the zone is in alegrete...so it was a big long drive...worked there with elder andre...elder oliveria was here with elder cordeiro...anyway...was good...talked with american elders for the first time in like a month...that was good...everybody thinks i´m doing really well with the language...i guess...the brazillian comp is doing good... I will answer questions from dad:
How many members are active in your branch? 50 or 60
How many MP holders? 7 or 8 Have you spoken in church yet? no but its coming... i know it is Are the members helpful with referrals? mais ou menos(portuguese for so-so)...GIVE THE MISSIONARIES REFERRALS!!!! all of you out there in blog land...at home...share the gospel!
What time does it get light in the morning now and what time does it get dark at night? light at about 8:30 dark at 6
Are you still getting a lot of rain? not much

Is it getting colder? its really wierd...because monday-thursday was super hot....but now its fresca(portuguese for chilly) again...wierd
oh funny story...ate maracuja(passion fruit) and caqui (i don´t even know...looks like a tomato...but is not) for the first time this week...BOTH EXCELLENT!...and i know where cashews come from...a fruit...of the same name...tasted the juice...not very good...the fruit i don´t know...we´ll see

CASHEW FRUIT

The nut/seed is on the bottom has a shell/covering that

has the properites of poison ivy!

CAQUI FRUIT or JAPANESE PERSIMMON

Working hard and loving it...your favorite missionary in brazil...

ELDER JED BREINHOLT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another link off the chain...thanks for visiting Jed's Mission Blog!

OH THE JOY OF NEAR ELECTROCUTION

Can you see a resemblance between this and the self portrait above that Jed drew on his letter that he wrote to us from the Mission Home!
Elder Breinholt & Elder Cordeiro
Their apartment

We had a great e-mail from Jed today here are the highlights:

"ok this week was great...showers fixed...thats pretty great...the heating coil had come out...no connection...no heat. Anyway turns out that this week was really weird...correction...saturday was weird...

you see the morning i had gotten up to get a shower...this was after the shower was fixed and hot...got in...just got done shampooing my hair...when all of the sudden...there came a rather loud pop from the wall where the shower plugs in...not wanting to fry myself i quickly turned off the shower and got out...started getting ready...when another louder pop came from the same place... this time the power went off in the apartment...checked the breaker...nothing tripped...so elder cordeiro went down to the landlord to see...only the landlord wasn´t there...so we checked the main breaker for the whole apt. complex...only 2...and sure enough i had tripped the main breaker...this was caused by bad wiring...which was fixed today!

story 2...happened same day...saturday
we had an activity for mothers day at the church...so we start preparing for this activity...everything is fine and dandy...and when we are about to start the activity the power goes out...IN THE WHOLE CITY!...we sat for about 45 minutes with just the Emergency lights on...then it came back on...YAY...Not 5 minutes later it goes back off...we missionaries have to get home...this is like 8:00 at night...stays off for 30 minutes...on for 15...YAY...off again...and it was off for another hour while we walked home...weird

The Elder Breinholt Blog continues.....

Thanks for the visit!!

What to say?

This is a picture of Jed and Elder Stanfield from the MTC. Elder Stanfield is from Murray, Utah and they really got along great. He is in a different mission than Jed. Actually he's still in the MTC in Sao Paulo. They both liked the same things, music, movies etc. I like his choice in football teams! GO PATRIOTS!

This is the only picture he could get through. After talking for an hour yesterday it was really hard for him to come up with a letter to us this morning. I totally understand it was hard for me to write to him early this morning too. He is doing so great. Happy, healthy and loving Sao Gabriel. The hot water is broken in his apartment and he said the shower is like ice! BRRRR. I sent him 9 pictures of the kids various activities this past couple of weeks and he really liked those. Well that's about it for this week. Thanks for coming by the Blog.

I found this tribute to Sao Gabriel on YouTube it's pretty good.

He told us yesterday that they play the Accordian and Violin in their traditional music a lot and you can hear it in this video.

Dia Feliz Das Mães! *** Happy Mother's Day!

Who knew - today is Mother's Day in Brazil too! We were able to talk to Jed for an hour today it was WONDERFUL! We called him at the church house at 3:00 p.m. our time (6:00 p.m. his time) and he answered. It was so great to hear his voice. Well - actually we heard from him yesterday for about 2 1/2 minutes to make sure we had the correct phone number to call him today. It was a bit of a shock to hear him on the other end of the phone when I answered it yesterday afternoon. Abi talked to him first today because she had to go to work this afternoon after the yummy spaghetti dinner Tracy made (my choice I love spaghetti). Then Ben and Annie had a turn. Then Tracy and I each got on a phone and talked for about 40 minutes. Here is a bit of a recap of our conversation...

Language- Jed says he is so grateful that he is understanding just about everything even to the point that he isn't having to consciously translate what he hears already. He says he is still timid to talk but is getting a little more brave every day. His companion is Brazilian and so that helps. They study familiar scriptures and sing familiar hymns in Portuguese to help Jed out. He even says that occasionally there are a few words that he forgets in English already.

Companion - Elder Cordeiro is from Brazil and he goes home next transfer. He is the District Leader in Sao Gabriel. Jed says they get along very well and he is a great missionary. They work really hard. I prayed that Jed would get a great trainer that would know how to work and teach Jed how to the best missionary ever and my prayers were answered. Jed says their area is about 8 miles square and they walk it all. They have a goal of 10 contacts a day to increase their teaching pool. They both are very committed and have a great attitude. In Southern Brazil there is a lot of money and everyone thinks they have everything they need. He said it's a little like teaching here in our ward in Gillette.

The Church in Sao Gabriel - There are two branches in the area. Three sets of missionaries, Jed and Elder Cordeiro and two sets of Sister Missionaries. The Branches are small but they sign up to feed the Elders just like we do here in Gillette. Which brings me to the next topic...

The Food - They eat one meal a day with the members - the noon meal. Jed and Elder Cordeiro and one set of the Sister Missionaries eat together at a members home. He says he and his companion usually skip dinner and work right through. He loves beans and rice and the fruit is so good. They buy lots of magoes each week. He also is developing a taste for Chimarrão. It is made from some kind of dried grass and infused with hot water like you would tea but it is not tea and totally legal. It is quite a process and ritual to prepare and to drink. Google it if you want to know more. Even though it gets pretty cold there are still palm trees and he says everyone has an orange tree. He saw his first Avacado tree. They use avacados in a sweet dessert and put sugar and milk with them. His companion loves it and assures Jed he'll like it too. He hasn't had it yet. The term rodizio (as in Rodizio Grill) comes from Southern Brazil where Jed is and the type of restaurant that you get rodizio is a Chiausciria. Sao Gabriel is the "Capitol" of Chiausciria's. They're are 7-8 really good ones in Sao Gabriel. He is hoping they'll eat at one tomorrow for p-day.

Well there will be an e-mail tomorrow from him so I'll post again tomorrow.

Thanks for the visit!
Jed's Mom

New Address

Jed's address for letters...

Elder Jed Breinholt
Brazil Santa Maria Mission
Caixa Postal 0339
97001-970 - Santa Maria -RS
BRAZIL

Jed can receive e-mails from you but will not be able to answer them. He can only e-mail his parents. If you are interested in his e-mail address leave a comment and I'll send it to you. From his letter it appears that all letters and packages to go the mission office and they are distributed about 3 times a transfer so about every other week. Thank goodness for e-mail!

Jed's First Area - Sao Gabriel, RS

This was taken just outside of Sao Gabriel.

Looks a bit like Wyoming in the spring to me!!

I found this picture on the net.

Sao Gabriel is southwest of Santa Maria its population is approx. 68,000 people. The main source of income is cattle ranching and rice farming. Here are some great excerpts from Jeds

e-mail today, Monday is P-day and I get to talk to him next Sunday for Mothers Day! YEA! He sent all the information for our call next Sunday 3:00 p.m our time. 153 hours and 43 minutes but who's counting? ;o)

"Hello family...this is your in the brazil santa maria mission son...IT IS AWESOME! ok i will answer some questions then tell you about my week so far...btw p-days are on monday....
How was it meeting President and Sister Myrrha? Awesome...President Myrrha doesn´t speak alot of english...like none...but the food was good...spirit better...english none...
How do you like it? SÃO GABRIEL...AWESOME...three companionshps...2 of sisters...and us...everyone here is brazillian...all the missionaries...except for me...that is good for my language i guess. Tell us all about your companion? Elder Cordeiro....is brazillian...very...a tiny bit of english....good elder. Your apartment? suprisingly big... The weather? suprisingly cold...I'm going to look for a coat today.

Ok so it turns out i really am in the Wyoming of the south...after i got out of Porto Alegre there was nothing...FOR FOUR HOURS....then after i left santa maria THERE WAS NOTHING FOR FOUR HOURS....its crazy...but são gabriel is good...google earth it...smaller...but our area is huge...my feet are really sore alot....my portugese is getting better cause i have to speak it all the time....but its good...teaching lots...so its good...im not in the ctm anymore...by any stretch of the imagination....life is good...i tried to send pictures but at the internet place we are at...i cant do anything...stuff is so blocked up and i dont understand portugese.

I HAVE PRAYER CALUSES...patches of dry skin on my knees where i kneel...is everybody sending things to the mission now? i hope so because that is the fastest way...i think we are going to eat chiausciria soon...rodizio...but like native...they are every where down here....RICE AND BEANS ARE GOOD...at the ctm the were not as good...so much to tell you so little time....i dont know...have fun in wyoming...your getting warm im getting cold...but its good..."

Cordially...future dwight(that was for you abi)
ELDER JED BREINHOLT!

Welcome to Santa Maria!

I found these pictures on TrekEarth.com they all come from

Santa Maria, Brazil. Enjoy!!

Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul BRAZIL
Roping Guacho Style

We teased Jed that he was going to the Wyoming of Brazil.

I don't think we were too far off !

Cattle Drive!

This is called Two Men in Black and Green I think it looks like two Elders!

When it is larger you can tell they definately have suits & white shirts on.
Jed officially spent last night and today in Santa Maria. He will likely have been assigned his first area and companion today. I was pretty sure we wouldn't hear from him this week and not knowing what day is p-day is I'm not sure when we'll hear from him. Keep him in your prayers. If it comes true like all foreign speaking missionaries have said, I'm sure by now he's wondering what language it was that they taught him in the MTC! Mola Feliz!

Happy Spring! Although spring is a cruel joke in Wyoming. We are in a winter storm adivsory until Friday. We could have as much as 12 inches of snow by Friday! YIKES!