This week we heard lots of gun shots...

Dec. 30, 2013
       I can't believe the Steelers almost came back from their terrible start, haha. How’s BYU basketball?? and that made me laugh when you told me that people throw firecrackers at Shane on the trains haha..(Shane is in Belgium) O the life of a missionary, and I know how he feels to not have money.. I haven’t had money for a week and a half now.. all I have is 2 cards.. but around here no one takes cards... and the bank is like 2 hours away and we never have free time. sooo its quite the situation haha... 
       So the good news is I haven’t seen the bat in our house since Fridayish... Elder Chaves named him Brucey... like Bruce Wayne from Batman.. but he’s Brazilian so its Brucey.. so its kinda like having a pet.. sometimes it feels more like a zoo though with the cockroaches and ants as well. Speaking of pets... if you have to cut the wings of the birds to hunt them doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose of hunting? might as well take Bandit into Giant Eagle and let him pick out whichever chicken he thinks smells best haha.
       Cole’s taller than Jackson now in that picture! Better start practicing more basketball for next season.  
       This week we heard lots of gun shots.. my companion said thats normal.. people sometimes kill other people to take their drugs around here.. I've learned that anything goes in this part of brazil. For example.. This week this lady came up to us while we were on the sidewalk and started singing in some language we weren’t sure what it was.. something about love... but she was wearing plastic bags on her arms and over her hair and had all these things written on her in pen.. and when she left I asked Elder Lima if that was normal in Brazil, and he just laughed and said no only in Ceará. But the members here are way nice. Yesterday we stopped by the house of one of the member's in our ward to get an address.. and it turned out to be a feast of chocolate cake and this really fancy juice stuff... and they wouldn’t let us stop eating.. after the second piece of cake and cup of juice I told her I was satisfied and I didn’t want to eat all their cake.. but she proceeded to put more food on my plate and pour me more juice haha, it was really good though. Well that’s about all I got for now.. O tell May I see Tampico juice here all the time and it reminds me of the meals at her house,haha good times. Well I’ll talk to you guys next week. Tchau! 

Love, Elder Oogie (pronunciation for Udy in Brazil)

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Ants all over the door

Dec. 23, 2014

View of Fortaleza from mission home
Oiii I hope you’re not sick... so to answer your question I am in... well I don’t exactly know because I can’t really understand much... talking Portuguese here compared to talking at the CTM is like speaking English in America compared to speaking English with a fish haha... so  I think I know how Shane feels... its really hard to understand people.. My companion is pretty much a perfect missionary tho so it's all good... he’s from misnsdfs idk how to spell it but its next to sao paulo.. its like in a volcano so maybe Jackson knows.. maybe its minas gerais.. I’m not sure.. but he’s way good at teaching and he knows English pretty much fluently so he helps me with words I don’t know, but besides that we speak only Portuguese. He’s teaching me alot, but it’s still really hard.
     Our apartment isn’t super nice, but its not bad. There’s only 2 or so bats that live in our bathroom so it could be worse haha. The one night that we came home.. we walked into our room and there were ants just all over the door.. probably about 50.. so I looked at my companion and asked him if that’s normal in Brasil.. I guess it’s not, so that’s a relief haha, so then we looked at the other side of the door and there was a hole like the size of a baseball and just piles of ants crawling out.. so you know I was kinda bothered by the ant farm living in our door, but I figured I’d just get out some bug spray and spray around the edges of my bed and it would all be good cuz my beds like 8 feet away from the door so it would be fine... but then I looked up and there was like 30 of these gigantic mega ants flying around the light in our room.. these things were like each bigger than an inch.. and apparently ants here in Brasil have wings haha.. so we ended up moving our beds to another part of the apartment where there are less ants haha.. 
So my area is pretty small.. like I walk from one side to the other and it feels like I’m walking across Poplar Forest. Our ward is way strong tho.. I think there’s like 150 people?.. Church was rough tho... even my Brazillian companion leaned over to me during one of the classes and said he couldn’t understand their accent very well...so ya after 3 hours of focusing to try and understand you get pretty tired haha but the ward is way strong so it’s all good... I’ll figure out how to speak eventually... there was a ward activity the other day and there was like a good 70 people there it was cool and like 30 youth... I was playing basketball with them, it was a good time.. people here are pretty bad at basketball haha but I guess most people in America are pretty bad at soccer. O and no I don’t have a hammock, that would be pretty sweet tho.. most the houses we visit have one hanging in front of their TV but we don’t have one... maybe I’ll buy one eventually.. kinda difficult right now tho because I ran out of money haha I have like 75 real... and some boot money but that’s American haha and in this part of the state they don’t even take cards let alone american money... but the bright side is every day for lunch we get fed piles of food for lunch.. they just tell me to keep eating haha. I think it might be becuase they want to say something to me and they think that’s about all I can understand in their accent... which is probably true. So one of the members here sent you a message on facebook yesterday for me about using skype today... cuz I guess we can’t on Christmas.. but I guess you didn’t get the message.. but it’s all good because no one here has microphones... we checked like every lan house haha so I guess we’re going to be calling our families instead.. so I’ll tell you tomorrow when it’ll will be, but it’ll be Christmas I know that..  but I'll email you tomorrow more about it so make sure you check you email/facebook . Enjoy Christmas! I’ll talk to you guys soon! 


Love, Elder Udy

I've accepted the fact I'm going to eat beans for the next 2 years

Dec. 13, 2013

Haha I laughed when I read who the 3 wise men are (Branch Presidency).. It sounds like a really good Christmas party though.. things seem like they’re just getting better and better in Slippery Rock... O and I really liked that letter I got from the branch this week with everyone’s notes on it.. I read them all like 5 times haha and as always I like getting letters from you too :) That’s crazy that Elder Colvin’s companion played with Taysom Hill.. How is BYU football doing? Are they going to get a good bowl game this year? and that looked like fun cutting the Christmas trees. Thats crazy that Marshall isn’t allowed to skype! His mission president must be crazy strict! haha I heard mine’s pretty cool. All the elders that come here from Fortaleza say he’s awesome so hopefully I’ll be able to work something out to skype. Im so excited to get out of here and go to Fortaleza, idk how Jackson did this for 9 weeks, haha all the days just meshh together cuz they’re all the exact same thing except I know a little more every day haha. Thats awesome that Jordan got his visa! I bet he’ll love it in Manaus even if Florida was nice. And ya I’ve just accepted the fact that I’m going to be eating these beans for the next two years.. as long as I don’t have to eat the sobre mesas they serve at the CTM :)... O and ya there’s 3 others in my district going to Fortaleza. I’ll point them out in a picture next week when we are allowed to send pictures. O and the scriptures I’m talking about are the kind with the nice leather covers like all our english ones, not like the paper back ones missionaries hand out because all you can buy here are the paper back ones. But I’ll check the mission office. Well that’s about all I got.. Feliz Natal! Tchau :)


Elder Udy

My Portuguese is getting better

Dec. 6, 2013

Boooooaaa tarde. So the scripture I want on my plaque is D&C 50: 28-30. Sorry I didn’t send it sooner, haha and tell Jordan Manaus (Brazil) will be awesome. One of our instructors told us that when he was on his mission there, him and his companion went to establish the church in a native village and baptized 200 people in 1 week.. that’s crazy. 
O also I wanted to know if you could buy me a Portuguese triple :) (I figured out how to make smilies)... like one with the nice leather covers like my English quad... if u don't want to, that’s fine. I’ll understand since I’m the middle child, I don’t expect much.. but if u send me one I’ll be eternally grateful :) and plus I kinda already got the case haha.. 
So it sounds like dad’s getting pretty soft with the lights. My companion said the lights at his house give temple square a run for their money. He said they use so many lights that his mom can’t use the toaster cuz there’s not enough power or something haha.. 
    So I don’t really have too much to tell you yet since everyday is spent in a classroom pretty much all day haha, but my Portuguese is getting way better but then when I hear some of the missionaries talk that are from Fortaleza, it sounds like a different language sometimes cuz of their accent haha. 
So for Christmas they put lights around the courtyard. I’ll send u a picture in 2 weeks.. but it was night time and all the missionaries were out there and we were all counting down for when these Christmas lights turned on, and when we finished counting down, the amount of lights that turned on was probably about the same as our front yard.. but all the missionaries still went nuts haha,we’re deprived of change.. after sitting in the same room for 5 weeks the courtyard with some Christmas lights is pretty much life changing.

Elder Udy and Elder Cavalier

    So ya, I don’t know how you manage to know about my life before I tell you, but handing out the Book of Mormons was cool. I didn’t really know how to say much, haha but I gave it my best and they seemed to understand, so the Spirit must speak Porutuese haha. Some of them seemed really interested... but then again it was kinda hard to tell haha, but it made me excited to go to Fortaleza to teach real people. 
Good luck this week with Cole’s homework.. and tell Jackson good luck with finals idk when that is, but it’s probably soon. Tenha um bom dia! Tchau!

Elder Udy


Video Tyler enjoyed….JEFFREY R. HOLLAND - A Obra Missionária e a Expiação

We had Thanksgiving here

Nov. 29, 2013

Hey everyone, how's America???? We had Thanksgiving here and had all this good food. It was awesome cuz usually we have beans, lunch and dinner, and these weird desserts.. the other day we had this dessert that tasted like tar.. so the sisters said they’d give one of the elders in our district 4 churrios from the place across the street if we ate the whole desert.. so one of the elders tried to eat it..took one spoonful.. and he was on his knees throwing up 10 minutes later haha..

Courtyard at the CTM


We got all these new missionaries from Mozambique this week. They’re pretty cool. Oh, can you send me that talk that I gave before I left? You guys got so much snow! Did Dad make Cole scrape the ice off the driveway until it looks like it does in summer? Oh and thanks for all the letters.. Every time I get a real live letter in the mail it’s like Christmasx2, haha. Oh and it turns out I didn’t forget my shampoo.. I just didn’t realize that big black bag was my bathroom bag until this week haha.. and I haven’t bought much outside the CTM, but today we’re going to some food place thats all you can eat for like 8 American bucks so that’s not bad. I tried to send you this video we watched this week it was pretty sweet. But these brazil computers are still blowin’ my mind so idk if it worked, haha. I can’t wait for Christmas tho! I’ll finally have more email time, haha. eu preciso ir, tchau! com amor, 



Elder Udy

I got to give one of the blessings...

Nov. 22, 2013
Elder Udy with his district

Elder Udy with his district
  OOOOOiiiiiIIiiiiIii como vai??? haha its about time that computer died maybe you can buy a new one, if the truck every gets sold, but that prob won't happen so maybe u better stick with the laptop haha, and what are they doing with the old Sheetz? and that made me sad when I read that Slippery Rock lost, but there’s still next year. And I remember watching that BYU center kid (Mika) play when I watched the Lone Peak state championship game. He dunked like 4 times haha. He was a man amongst boys.. and ya I’ve been thinking of scriptures for my plaque, but I’ll have one for sure next week.
So I’ll tell you about the CTM haha... it’s pretty awesome here. It’s almost like being in the temple 24/7 ...except with lots of beans haha.. The other day one of the elders in my district found a staple in his beans haha, it was pretty funny.. so last p-day was a holiday and like all the stores were closed, and I think I forgot my shampoo at home cuz it’s not in my bags.. so I’ve been using facewash as shampoo and soap for like... 2 and a half weeks haha. But we’re pretty much always busy here, like always. I try to find time to do laundry, but I’m scared cuz then I’ll have to iron my shirts.. and I know people say the mission is hard, but I never really realized how hard it could be until I had to try to iron.. that’s a trial of faith if I ever saw one! Oh and it seems like everyone I talk to knows Jackson, haha.  One of the instructors and the lady across the street that gave me a cookie knew him too.

Me and Jackson's teacher at the CTM
     Also my companion's name is Elder Abernathy
 But he’s from DC and he’s determined to be a Ranger one day.. it’s like some special branch of the military.. he’s told us all about it haha. Oh and he’s our district leader too. And the basketball courts here are a little weak, but I guess you can’t expect much, haha, and everyone in my district is pretty bad at sports haha except for the big guy, elder Bradly. He was state champ in PA for wrestling heavy weight so he’s pretty athletic.

 So this week like everyone in our district was struggling because learning Portuguese is like trying to earn an Accounting major at BYU in one year.. and part of our district was getting sick.. so one of the sisters asked for a blessing.. which led to all the sisters asking for blessings haha. But it was awesome. I got to give one of the blessings, and it was amazing. I felt the spirit so strong and all the words that God wanted me to say just came straight into my head, it was awesome. And she like started crying after, idk it was pretty cool (I have to throw that word in a couple times each week for Wade and Jackson). Anyways thats all I got for this week. I’ll tell you more next week, but we only get a little time to email so I’ll talk to you later. Eu amo voices

Elder Udy

To learn more about priesthood blessings like the blessing Elder Udy gave the sister missionary, you can go to the following link  http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#blessings-of-the-priesthood    

The Brazilians are super nice


Nov. 15, 2013

Hey mom, I dont have much time cuz I thought we had more time but apparently not but I gotta go. I’ll email more next week. Tell that to Dad too. The Brazilians are super nice, they’re always trying to help me.  But I really gotta go. I’ll send a nice long email next week. I thought we had more time.. These Brazilian key boards are blowing my mind, chao! sorry I didn’t have more time (frowny face that I don’t know how to make on this keyboard), but I’m doing good.

Elder Udy

(He must have responded to all his friends emails before he got to ours and then ran out of time.  Looking forward to next week!  Ty's mom)

Arrived in Sao Paulo Brazil!


Nov. 6, 2013
Missionaries that arrived to Sao Paulo Missionary Training Center on Nov. 6, 2013


Oi,

So they let us email on our first day. I didn’t’ know that, but I’ll take it. So the plane ride was pretty much forever and the leg room was worse than sitting behind dad in the car. But on the way to Brazil I sat next to this cool Brazilian lady who I talked to a lot.. Well kind of she didn’t really speak English well, and I don’t speak Portuguese at al, but we tried to talk a lot, haha. Anyways she told me she really wanted to fix this clock she had, and I told her she could use apoxy glue. I’m still not sure that’s how it’s spelled. But then she asked me to send her a link that she could find it at online or where to buy it in Brazil. So mom I know you love talking to the missionary moms so much, so maybe you could ask them if there’s somewhere here where you can buy some kind of strong glue like epoxy.. But anyways we kept talking (or trying to talk) and eventually I gave her one of the Book of Mormons Dad gave me before I left and told her it would help her learn English. I’m really strugglin with these keyboards. I’ve had about 4 times where I wanted to put a smilie face or something but I didn’t know how. But anyways, Brazil’s pretty sweet. There’s like 15 ppl who showed up with me. So that was nice. And I drank from the water fountain and haven’t gotten worms yet so that’s good too! But I think the water here is purified. Well I gotta go... I’m not really sure when p-day is. I think it might be on Friday or next Wednesday or Monday... I guess we will find out soon, haha. Talk to you soon!

Elder Tyler Udy