Area 1

From: Michael Tippetts [mailto:michael.tippetts@myldsmail.net] 
Sent: Monday, January 28, 2013 7:56 AM
To: francine@jweil.com
Subject:

Well things are goin great for me still. Had a lil conflicts with learnin the language because some people talk really fast without opening their mouths so it´s nearly impossible to understand them, but i have been getting to know some peope really well and they really want me and Elder B. Gomes to come back. They all have a really interesting story, and one even told us that he met some missionaries once and that he acted like a jerk to them, but now he wants to learn more about us. It´s so cool! And to answer your question, mom, It´s still a lil´ weird for me to be called Elder instead of Michael. Everyone here asks me what my name is for some reason. I like to play around and say Elder and they´re all like ´´NO YOUR REAL NAME!´´ so i say elder again. haha. Then i tell them my real name because they want to add me on facebook but i tell them i don´t have one currently.

Anywho, I don´t think this message will be that long but i´ll try to say as much as i can because some of the elders want to go to this one place where there´s proof that the book of mormon is true. It´s goin to be so cool! It´s a museam here that has ancient artifacts and other cool stuff and if you´ve read the book of mormon or the bible, these artifacts prove that they´re true books. I´ll be sure to steal some pics from some of the other elders. WE´re in a different emailing place and it so happens there´s not an SD card slot here! I was like are you kidding me!? so i´m goin to have to do it next week. Sorry.

Also I don´t know if anyone is recieving my emails that i email. (Send to both friends and family please). So will you send a mass email to everyone telling them to check they´re spam box? Also i haven´t had much time to write letters but my goal is to write some today! Also i´ll be sendin some brazilian money as well so you can put it on my desk or somethin. I´ve collected all the old money they used to have and all their new money. It´s pretty sweet! My plane is to tape it inside the envelope so no one steals them.

So yeah, How is everyone doin´? Things are gettin easier for me because i found out i tan very quickly. I already have a pretty good tan. If i was next to Becky i´d compare myself to her although i´d probably still be more white, i´d still say i´m tanner! But yeah i have a line of tan..ness on my neck and arms where my shirt would be haha. It kinda sucks. I can´t wait until we do service so i can get more tan around my neck and arms because the tan i have right now... if i were to wear a t-shirt, have my neck would be pale white haha!

Thanks for the email family! It´s always nice hearin from ya guys. I´m surprised i haven´t recieved some emails from friends since i can recieve emails from them but they just have to wait a lil longer for a letter from me. But i can send a letter whenever. I just have to write the letter on my p-day.

SO that was basically my week. All we did was teach people and we had one baptism which was really awesome! OH! and we´re teaching a really good family and they seem to like the message that we´re bringing them! I think things are goin really well for us now.

Just remember. I love ya guys tons and I´m still here through email if you want to contact me. Or by letters if you desire to contact me that way! Remember to stay positive! Take care. :)   I´ll write next week! Até mais! 

From: Michael Tippetts [mailto:michael.tippetts@myldsmail.net] 
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 9:19 AM
To: francine@jweil.com
Subject:

Well this week has gone freakishly fast! Like for real. The last two weeks have not even felt like one day in the MTC! Things are going well for me. My companion and i have been workin fairly hard and i think we´re still doing pretty well. It´s a lil hot here but i´m getting use to it as the days go by.

Currently i´m teaching english to a member and he seems to be pickin it up fairly well and it´s actually helpin me with my portuguese at the same time! It´s so interesting. I´ve already taught some some people and i bore my testimony at church yesterday too and to be honest i don´t really know what i said besides the fact that i talked about prayer. A couple of people came up to me and said thank you. It´s so intersting... whenever i´m teaching my mind is just open and i can just talk but whenever i´m not teaching and someone is talking to me it´s a lil difficult sometimes but i´m pickin up the language freakishly fast! Well at least that´s what i´m told. Both the brazilians and the north american that lives with me told me that it´s unreal how fast i have picked up portuguese and that i don´t have fear talkin to people in another language.

I´ve gotten some more great compliments this week too haha! One was that my eyes are really beautiful and another is that my skin looks beautiful as well. It´s kinda strange to me but it´s whatever. The funny thing is it´s usually from 60-70 year old grandmas. Sometimes it gets awkward but at least we´re able to make some type of conversation?

ANYWHO! i just wanted everyone to know things are goin well for me and that everything is good here. I haven´t encountered any nasty bugs yet and the spiders here are normal size. I´ve gotten bit on one toe twice now and it sucks to walk on it but it´s not really a big problem now. Also i get fed a lot here. LIke... a lot. Even the people we´re teaching and we´re talking to will just randomly give us food and pop. I still can´t believe people just give us stuff. LIke if we need water we can go to anyone´s house and ask for water and they´ll give it to us willingly! It´s crazy! Everyone here just helps each other! well... with water and dessert i should say. But yeah things here are awesome!.

I love you guys tons and i hope things are goin well for ya! Remember when you feel down to stay close to those who love ya! Love ya all! Take care and i´ll write ya guys another week! well next week! OH YEAH!!!!! My address is the mission home address. I see my zone leaders every 2 weeks so i get my mail every 2 weeks or so. I don´t have an address so you´ll have to keep sending it to the mission home so please tell everyone what the mission home address is because i don´t memorize it. sorry. But just send it to the mission home address and i´ll recieve it! It would mean a lot to me if ya can just write my mission home address on an email and forward it to everyone. Thanks for everything! Até mais!