Once again I find it so hard to put a whole weeks worth of adventures into one email so Ill start from the beginning. Pday last week we went to a local burger place and chowed down some amazing burgers. When you’ve been eating CTM food for 3 weeks, any outside food tastes like a million bucks.
Throughout the week we fell into a routine. Wake up, fight with our alarms, get dressed, go to breakfast, study, go to lunch, go to class, go to dinner and then go to our last class. Typing it out makes it seem super boring but if you guys had the opportunity to meet these people, spend every hour with them, feel the spirit they give off, you would understand why I love it here so much. My portuguese is coming along. Slowly but surely. I find myself being able to understand and listen pretty well, it’s just my vocabulary that needs work.
Now for one of the highlights. Our rooms were infested with mold and the spores from this mold got into our immune systems and we currently are in a life and death situation. Some Elders (such as myself) were able to stay safe from the spores but the others….not so lucky. The mold seems to turn them into a zombie. Ive been able to hold them off and found safety in one of the chapel rooms. Ill keep you updated.
In reality we found the mold and they had us change rooms which was awesome. we got an upgrade for sure. Later this day I was taking a shower and out of nowhere a water balloon came flying over the stall. It didnt pop so i put on my towel and took the balloon to find the person responsible. I searched far and wide and had no leads. But i did hear my companion Elder Thompson talking about how Elder Hoskins was acting so paranoid and hes walking around with a water balloon. So i assumed it was him, pulled him into the bathroom and nailed him with the balloon. Long story short it wasnt him but we had a good story.
Sunday night I was walking to my dorm and I got called into the Zone Leaders room and I learned we were having an underground semi illegal armwrestling competition. Of course i payed the 3 granola bar entrance fee and we had about 22 elders in this room waiting for the tournament to start. It was best of 3, left hand, right hand and then a tie breaker if necessary. For the first 4 rounds I won both Left and Right handed and I found myself in the finals against Elder Karlson. A elder from Norway who was in the military before he came here so ya hes a scary dude but genuinely an amazing guy. We turned off all the lights and hyped up the main event. Hoskins vs Karlson. We started left handed annnnnnd I won. Then right handed…..I won that too. so basically I am the 4th floor armwrestling champion!
Honestly I couldnt be happier here at the CTM. I have such a great district and I feel the spirit every day. This happyness doesnt come from lack of trials, because there are a handful of them, but from the perspective we choose to take on life. Look for the good and we will find it. The same works when we look for the bad we will find it as well. Make the change and choose to be happy.
Today for pday i got another soccer jersey for barcelona and I just got it cause it looks cool haha. We also went to a bakery and I got a whole entire Torta de Limao. Lemon pie. We stopped in a little shop for some Elders to get some sweets and i sat down and ate the whole pie by myself. It was awesome and we all were laughing when i finished it in about 7 minutes. Irmao Lacerda (Brother Lacerda my instructor) said that I am crazy but his grandma would love me. Its been an awesome week.
Ive always loved the rain. I love how it looks, how it smells, and how it feels. I thank my Heavenly Father for the amount of rain that we have in Brazil. It rains super often and I never get bored of it. I also love the leadership here. They really do love the Missionaries and do all they can to help them succeed.
Yall are the best and Ill keep you in my prayers!!
Keep Smiling
-Elder Hoskins
