From the MTC President

Dear Parents,

Sister Grahl and I are very happy to let you know that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil Missionary Training Center.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they begin their missionary experiences with us! We will surely take good care of your missionary.     
                                                                                                
The missionaries now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  Their branch presidents and wives will meet them this Sunday.  These wonderful couples are richly blessed as they work with, motivate, and interview the missionaries assigned to their branch.

The MTC has a physician to care for their health needs. We are also happy to report that the MTC food is plentiful, healthy and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Wednesday or Friday, depending on individual assignments.
Your missionary is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of many others. President Lorenzo Snow said: “There is no mortal man that is as interested in the success of an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord's children".  We love these missionaries as if they were our own.  We will watch over them carefully to ensure they are ready for a wonderful missionary experience after the rewarding time they will have in the MTC.

We thank you for preparing such a wonderful representative of the Lord.
Pres. Paulo R. Grahl and Sister Zuleika M. Grahl

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:  

PlEASE DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving, not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC, please understand that the package cannot be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.
WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to process this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

I Have Arrived!

Hey Mom and Dad, 

I just got to the MTC (they call it the CTM down here) about half an hour ago, it still doesn´t seem real that I´m out here. It´s actually pretty chilly in Sao Paulo, probably one of the few times I´ll be saying "I´m cold" for the next two years. 

Sao Paulo Brazil Missionary Training Center

I just got assigned my companion, his name is Elder Davenport and he´s from Arizona. We haven´t really had a chance to talk much yet but he seems like a cool guy. 

The trip here went well, after I went through security Brother Cannon was waiting by my gate because I guess he was leaving on another flight about an hour later and knew I would be leaving the 21st. It was good to see him and talk to him after a hard goodbye from the family. (A little tender mercy for Carson, but it did my heart good too.   It is what I need to see-- Tye wrap his arm around Carson when he got through security and walk him down the concourse to his gate.  It made it easier for me to walk away knowing it would be two years before I could put my arms around him again.)

Brother Tye Cannon
Elder Sork's Young Mens Leader

Getting to Atlanta was fine, the lady checking my passport took like 5 minutes just looking through it and asked if I had actually received a Visa from Brazil, which scared me but she eventually said I was good to go. I was alone in Atlanta for about an hour which was pretty lonely but pretty soon some other white shirts started showing up. By the end we had about 15 missionaries flying out to Brazil, I felt the spirit with all those other Elders knowing we are all making this sacrifice together to go teach the Gospel. 

I have noticed today, and yesterday as well, some blessings. First, even with how nervous I usually get I have been very comfortable, just a little nerves but from what I´m used to it is a huge blessing. I believe that to be a confirmation that what I am doing is right. Also, as of this morning my foot hasn´t been bothering me at all so hopefully that keeps up! My stomach is already having issues though so not looking forward to that. Hope the family is doing well, I won´t be able to write again until next Friday when my first P-Day will be. Miss you all!

Love,

Elder Sork

He is Off!

Yesterday morning we dropped Elder Sork off at the Portland airport.  How can you be so happy and so sad at the same time.

He was set apart to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Joao Pessoa Brazil mission by President Vern May.  The blessings he was given of success and health were comforting and will be nice to refer back to when things get tough, as they will.  Elder Sork did a very nice job speaking to the congregation of our ward, family and friends on Sunday - he was so polished and professional looking even after we all lost it trying to sing a musical number before he spoke.  He got up and called us all a bunch of babies!  I find it ironic that his first talk in church he couldn't get up and speak and was crying and now the roles are reversed.

He is more than ready to go out and conquer the world.  When I told him that as he was leaving he replied, "Not the world mom, just one country."  I reminded him:  "Remember who you are, what you stand for and who will be waiting for you to return home."

Good bye, my son - a piece of my heart is with you wherever you go!

Getting Ready to Go!

It takes a lot to get a missionary ready to go out and serve for two years!  Just getting the appropriate travel documents in line can be quite overwhelming.  Brazil will allow missionaries into the country if they have a current passport and a religious proselyting visa.  The passport was easy, the visa required a little more.  One of the requirements we had to meet to obtain the visa was to show proof that Carson had graduated with 4 years of religious education.  The church has an amazing seminary program.  For the last four years Carson has attended an early morning seminary class before starting his classes at the high school.  His transcript and graduation certificate from this program allowed him to obtain his visa.  After a drive up to Olympia to submit paperwork to the Secretary of State office and then a flight to San Francisco to the Brazilian consulate to present himself and his paperwork in person to the country of Brazil, Carson had all of his travel papers in order.

Visa Photo

Then the real work began:

Medical Forms had to be completed with his appropriate travel vaccinations complete and the pesky warts on the bottom of his feet taken care of.  The shots proved easier than the warts and we sent him off with the bottom of his foot looking horrible.  I am finding solace in the fact that he will be at the training center for 6 weeks with a medical facility before he has to start walking 10-12 miles a day on that foot.  I am sure it will heal by then.  (We have been treating these warts since FEBRUARY!!)

Dr. Sherilyn Foltz-Cook's torture chamber at Cascade Family Medicine 

Carson's left foot after his final treatment.
Stubborn Warts!!!

Now, think of getting ready for a trip to a foreign country without knowing exactly what your accommodations are going to be like for two years.  We planned for every scenario we could think of with a little help from other Brazil missionary Moms on Facebook and LOTS of packages from Amazon.  I feel confident he has everything he needs to be successful while he is away (that includes 2 years worth of deodorant &skin care products [which we hear are not very good in Brazil and super expensive], sunscreen since he will be so near the equator and Ultrathon bug repellant [again things that are best bought in the states], bed and bathroom linens, mosquito netting, three pairs of dress shoes and a pair of athletic shoes, 6 pairs of dress pants, 12 white shirts (and underclothing :) a few pairs of casual/athletic clothes, all of his books for study, a full fledged first aid kit, camera with batteries and SD cards, power converters, alarm clock, hangers...you get the idea)  I was told after about the 7th or 8th box from Amazon came that there was no way I was going to fit all that into his luggage.

Ron at Remington's CTR Clothing

When The Shoe Fits 
I know that if your feet aren't happy you aren't happy!
It is worth the expense.

Will it all fit?  Absolutely.
I am not sending him without any one of these items!

Challenge accepted!  I was even able to get in a family size jar of peanut butter in, which I hear is like gold over there.  There was room for a box of protein bars, but Carson didn't want them (I am sure he will be wishing he had them after a few days in).  I am proud to say his two checked bags were under 50 lbs (barely) and his carry-on bag and personal item were very manageable.

Now, I have nothing left to worry about, right?!!!???