Ollo, :) this is Elder Vernon! :)

I love how preparation day begins with going to the temple. The temple is the perfect place to start out the day. :) :) :)

Just :) for clarification, the people that I teach in the MTC are normally teachers or volunteers who most likely are Mormon already, and they normally act like people who they taught on their missions. For instance Marcos, the construction worker guy :) my companion and I were teaching is actually our teacher Irmao Paulich. We treat it as if it is real even though it is a role-play situation. :)

While :) teaching Marcos this week he started to keep his commitments! He read from the Book of Mormon (we challenged him to read in Enos since he wasn't praying; it was the part where Enos is hungry so he goes to hunt beasts in the wilderness, but he instead feels spiritual hunger and prays instead... when the Lord answers his prayer and forgives him of his mistakes and stuff). Marcos also started praying and even accepted the challenge to be baptized and follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Elder Hull and I also started teaching Joao (the a has a squiggly on it). He is a former professional flute player who became paralyzed in a car accident. Our first visit with him was short so we didn't teach a lesson but we did show him a hymn which he really liked and 1 Nephi1:20 where Nephi talks about the tender mercies of the Lord. Joao must of felt the spirit since our Portuguese is only broken present tense so far but he still agreed to another visit for us to teach him more about our church.

I like how we are teaching about the Gospel and the Savior in Portuguese already even though it is only our second week learning the language.

I saw Sister Hardy (from my seminary class) when my district walked around the Provo Temple on Sunday. I also saw Elder Gregorson who I worked in the Denver Temple with before leaving on my mission; it was funny :) :) since I saw him in the Missionary Bookstore and was thinking in my head "Hey! I know you!"

In my :) current personal reading of the Book of Mormon in English I am reading the war chapters! As strange as it is to say I love how those chapters in the Book of Mormon :) :) :)teach us about ourselves and our savior. For instance, when the Nephites start dissenting among themselves is when they start having problems with the Lamanites; and on the other hand when the Nephites are one in purpose and are all nice to each other and what not they are able to defeat the Lamanites by stratagem and (especially) with the Lord's help.

Tchau! Tchau! Pica-pau! (Bye! Bye! Woodpecker! in Portuguese!) :)

-Elder Vernon :D