Sept 25 2012 "Let it come, let it go!"

Hey ya’ll!  J  

It has been a crazy week this week.  Major ups and downs.  I’ll start with the temperature.  Ohhh my gosh! (ß yes, I was quoting Ashley) The first part of the week was SO hot.  The worst I have ever experienced.  It reminded me of the marching band competition where the blizzard came in, only instead of snow, it’s heat.  Muito loco quente.  But then, the last few days it has rained and rained, making it so wonderfully cool at night and beautiful in the morning (cause it washes the smog out of the air.)  The rain was also comforting to me 'cause I relate rain with fresh starts, and this week had some really rough days.  So it was a good reminder that tomorrow is another day, and I just need to do my best and keep on "keeping on."  In the moment though, it’s hard.

We got a new instructor named Irmao Ricardo.  He will only speak Portuguese to us, and it’s helping us learn a lot.  I already love him.  He reminds me a lot of Brother Koyle, Matthew Woodruff, and Shea Gibbons.  We also have more “investigators.”  It is really cool during study time to forget what I want to study for myself, and just focus on what will help the investigator’s needs.  I get frustrated though ’cause I know what the people need to hear, but I lack the language to help them. Argg!  I run out my woes on the track at gym time.  I just need to accept that the language will come.  Eventually.  J  We are making flashcards and that is helping a lot with the verbs.  And, despite feeling inadequate, and slow, sometimes we taught a really great teach (through the Training Resource Center)!  It went really well. Elder Barton and I are working way better as a team.  It’s great. And I recently discovered the beauty of two-word future conjugations!  J 

We got a new Elder last week.  His name is Elder Boam.  He didn’t get his Visa in time, so he spent the first two weeks in Provo.  He looks EXACTLY like Shane and Nathan McQuarrie’s brother!  J  We are now super good friends with our Brazilian roommates!  I’m at the point where I can talk with them about deep/special stuff.  It’s good.  Elder Santos calls me and Elder Barton “his amigos.”  J He always makes me happy after a hard day. They leave in one week. We’re gonna miss each other, but I got Elder Santos' address.  

On Sunday, we watched the Joseph Smith movie: Prophet of the Restoration.  It was SO great.  Really good for my testimony and adds to my excitement to preach the gospel. Shall we not go on in so great a cause?  God is so good to me, to all of us who are already apart of His fold.  May we strive to open our mouths when the opportunities arise.  Ah man.  I love it here.  P-Days are gold, but the rest of the week is good, too. J  I pray for ya’ll all the time! 

Love you so much!  Time is flying!  J
Love,
Elder David K. Bean

Sept 18, 2012 "Oi! Eu vivo!"

Oi!  Eu vivo!  [Hi!  I live!]

(First thing, I’m not allowed to receive packages here at the CTM, so wait till I’m at the mission home in mid-November and later.) 

Thank you so much to Elder Andrew Woodruff, Ashley Moody, Laura Williams, and meu mai for your letters!  J  They make me so happy, and I sent responses to ya’ll today!  This week went by SO fast.  Oh my.  It seriously was yesterday I was writing on my first P-day.  I’m learning more and more, not just Portuguese, but the simple purposes of missionary work.  I love it here, I can’t stress that enough.  I am so happy.  J  We’re learning more and more, and getting better at teaching.  We’ve been teaching our first “investigator,” his name is William.  He was having problems at first accepting the gospel as the one true church and a true prophet, but we helped him a lot.  He’s now committed to be baptized, and he believes in the Book of Mormon and in the Restoration, and so we’re pretty much done teaching him. *insert fist pump!* Success.  And we’ll get a new “investigator” tomorrow.  We also had our first TRC (Training Resource Center) where we teach other missionaries pretending to be investigators.  We also get recorded and receive feedback after watching ourselves teach.  It was really good, especially for being our first one.  We’ll do another one next week.

Our district is growing closer and becoming better friends.  Elder Lowe is our district leader and he is doing great things.  He’s taking charge and helping us make/reach our goals.  It’s great.  One thing we do to cope when we get overwhelmed is we have had a testimony meeting every week.  A mission is hard work, but it’s all worth it.  We are striving to focus more and work harder.

Yesterday was Sunday, and we all had to prepare talks on the Restoration, ’cause the branch president will randomly choose the speakers during the meeting.  I prepared a talk about following Joseph Smith’s pattern of receiving answers and stuff.  I wasn’t asked to speak, but it was good for me to write.  The Elders that did speak gave great talks.  Also, our district had to do a musical number, and I got to conduct/arrange/head that up.  It was Sweet Hour of Prayer. It went very well, and we sang it in Portuguese!  Which, by the way, I am understanding more and more! J  I had a Portuguese dream which was super exciting!  They say that’s a big step.  Okay, so this letter is really scatterbrained! 

So some more random stuff;

1) My new English scriptures have a printing mistake, the Book of Matthew chapters 4 to the end are missing.  I know I need the Book of Matthew, and that I’m not allowed packages here, so...we’ll work it out later.

2) I’m making great friends with the Brazilians!  J  It’s so cool.  “Molho de legal!”  And my best friend taught me a sick awesome way to tie a tie. 

3) We got Brazilian roommates!  At the beginning of last week.  Two of them.  One is very quiet.  I think I’ve heard him speak a total of five words.  But the other tries to talk to us.  At first, I think they hated us for being so gringo, but now we are way good friends.  There is still a language barrier, but we’re teaching each other.  The one guy knows and loves pretty much every band I love.  So cool!  We sang together Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, Train, Jason Mraz, etc. It was so surreal.  Music really is a Universal language.  And!  This Brazilian roommate says I’m way good at pronunciation. 

4) I fall asleep sometimes at the weirdest moments and the other elders think it is SO funny.  Haha  It is.  J

5) I got a haircut today and it looks so good!

6) Driving home from the temple is special because we drive through my area here in Sao Paolo Norte.  It’s our turf!  Our people!  Our responsibility to help as many of the thousands and thousands of people that pass us as I can.  It’s a little daunting, but way exciting too! 
7) I have seen God’s hand here, helping me in so many ways already.  He is SO mindful of us and He loves us so much.  Stay strong, write if you can, it’s the best, serve God, have faith.

Love you all,

Elder David Bean

Elders Woodruff and Bean in front of the Sao Paulo Temple Sept 18, 2012

David and Matthew have been friends since grade school.  Now, as missionaries serving in Brazil, they  stand outside the Sao Paulo Temple.  What joy for these two brethren!

P.S.  AHH MAN!!! J  This is a last minute addition: at the temple just now I saw, embraced, and talked with Elder Matthew Woodruff!!! J  God is good.  Elder Woodruff looks so great, he’s really happy. *  I can’t believe how much God loves me.  I saw Matthew here in Brazil!  We were in different sessions, but we talked in the Celestial Room and after.  Ah man! J What a tender mercy.  I don’t even know what else to say.  Only tears can express how I feel.  Love you Matthew.  YAHOOOO!!!

*And I had the feeling to bring my camera to the temple, and now I know why.

More photos from Week One in Brazil

Elder Bean and other new missionaries at the Sao Paulo airport Sept 5, 2012

Elder Bean and 4 other new missionaries  Sept 5, 2012

Sao Paulo is one of the most populated cities in the world.

Evening view of Sao Paulo

Morning dawns in Sao Paulo

Some of Elder David Bean's first photos in Brazil

This is a picture of Delta's online flight tracker.  If you look carefully, you can see Elder Bean's reflection of his camera as he took this picture.  Time left:  0:00  The flight had just arrived in Sao Paulo!

Elder Bean's first view of Brazil--from the window of the plane.

Sept 11, 2012 First week in Brazil

Meu Familia e Amigos!
Life is good.  Life is hard, but oh, so incredibly good.  It is so surreal to be here...As I write this letter, I'm sitting staring out the huge window in our room that looks out over the city of Sao Paulo.  We're on the top floor of the CTM, so the view is amazing.  My roommates and I stand by the window for good lengths of time, just gazing in awe.  It is so beautiful :) It seriously feels like a really long dream.  I mean, I'm on a mission, trying to learn Portuguese to tell the people here in Brazil their Father in Heaven loves them!  And the language is going pretty good.  It is definitely overwhelming at times, but I remind myself how much I've already learned.  I can pray, bear my testimony and make some conversation.  I also make up phrases like "molho de legal!" [kinda like "awesome/legit sauce"] and "legal Feijao!" [legal/legit Bean!] Haha :)  The Brazilians think it's really funny!  But yeah, the gift of tongues is kicking in little by little.  Every day I try to talk to Brazilian missionaries to learn and practice.  It's fun.

So!  Meu Distrito! :)  They are all so great.  My companion's name is Elder Barton.  He's cool and we're gonna work well together.  I already love my district.  We're so close already.  One of the sisters reminds me of Sam Acosta so much!  And I'm friends with a Brazilian version of Brady Winland! :) And I've been taught by a Brazilian Brother O'Conner!  It's crazy how much they are all the same! :)  There were about 18 of us that arrived together, and we were split into two districts.  Four of the guys in my district are all going to Sao Paulo Norte! :)  Some of us will probably be companions and such out in the field.  It's cool.  We all went to the temple today for our P-day.  It is beautiful.  Oh my gosh, really special.

Haha, so you know how I don't cry that much?  I'm very emotional, but I didn't cry that often?  Well, I'm the bawl baby here! :)  No shame, it's just interesting how often I tear up nowadays.  They're happy tears, though, so don't worry. :)  Although there was one day that was really hard for me, I was really down, and then I heard through the window someone in the courtyard whistling the song "Lights" by the Avrett Brothers!  (I immediately thought of Opie Arnold!)  That made my day Ha Ha!

As soon as we all arrived, we got a blue dot sticker on our name tags that means "We are new, so don't talk Portuguese to us, and please tell us where to go cause we're probably lost. Help."  I can't WAIT to take my blue dot off tomorrow.  I hope I can help the new batch of elders we get tomorrow as well as I was helped. I just can not wait to be able to speak this language better!  It is so much fun.

The food is amazing. 'Nough said.  And I'm gaining weight!  If the scale is correct, I'm at 150!!! :D Gym is fun.  I'm the king at pull-ups, and I'm getting very good at volleyball.  And every night at 9:00pm we get a snack that usually consists of a sandwich, a piece of fruit, and always a couple cups of hot chocolate. :)  Greatest idea ever.

The days are long but this first week was short.  Time for week #2.  Bring it.  Oh!!! And I see Mike Oaks almost every day!  On the first day we newbies were getting a tour of the neighborhood, and who do I see walking down the street?  Yeah, I freaked out.  It's awesome seeing him here, in Brazil. :)  Best thing ever.

Well, I love you all.  Write letters.  Kudos to Elder Matthew Woodruff, Miriam Blaser, meu mai (my mom), meu irma (my sister).  Obrigado!  :)  And be kind to one another. Tanner, Johnny, Seth, Nelson, Tyler--keep preparing.  Good Luck!  Voce e o caro!  :)

Love, Elder Bean

Sept 5, 2012




President Deign with newly arrived missionaries.  Elder Bean is on the second row, third from the right.

  Elder David Bean arrived Sept 5, 2012 in Sao Paulo at 8:12 in the morning BRT (Brazil Time), which would have been 5:12am in Utah) after 15 hours of travel: combining his flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, short layover, then flight to BRAZIL!  The staff at the Sao Paulo MTC took this photo of the new missionaries, and sent it.

Alma 17: 12-13, 2

12 And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.

13 And it came to pass when they had arrived in the borders of the land of the Lamanites, that they separated themselves and departed one from another, trusting in the Lord that they should meet again at the close of their harvest; for they supposed that great was the work which they had undertaken.

AND IN TWO YEARS...

2 ...Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.