See ya, CTM

Wow. I can't believe that I go into the campo (mission field) on Tuesday. The time flew by soooo fast here at the CTM, and I am so amazed at what just 6 short weeks does.

I think I'll escape the CTM 2 kg (4.5lbs) heavier than I came, which is actually a feat I'm proud of, considereing the food is so good and it's like a buffet at every meal... There's an Elder that's been here for 3 weeks and has gained 14 pounds, so comparatively I feel pretty good haha. For excercise, we don't have too much to work with because we're in the middle of a city, but there's a cute little track here that has about 60 meter sides, so I usually jog for a little, do an ab workout and then some sprints before going to play volleyball with my district. It's super fun, and I am so glad that we have at least some time to burn off all the food hahaha... I'm going to die on Tuesday, because I haven't really been walking very much, and we hardly see the sun (we're in class all day), so I bet my legs are going to fall off and I'm going to sunburn hard (but don't worry mom, I´ll wear sunscreen).

We went to the Campinas temple today for our last CTM p-day. It was super nice, because the ride is beautiful and smooth, and I was able to get some good rest in on the 2 hour drive. I know I say this every week, but I just love the temple. Everyone should go.

I'm so grateful that I was able to have the blessing of coming to this CTM for various reasons. First of all (probably the clearest) is for the Portuguese. The missionaries that spend 2 weeks in Provo before getting their visas are almost all soooo far behind in the language, it's so clear what even 2 weeks can do here, because we just live in it, and there's an opportunity all the time to speak with native Brazilians! Also, I know I came here to be with my amazing District. I seriously don't know what the CTM would've been like and how my spiritual growth would've differed had I not been able to be with Elders Hughes, Baker, Batten, and Sisters Chandler, Lund, Kinnaman, and Walker. I know the Lord puts us exactly where we need to be at exactly the right time, and I'm so amazed every day at how marvellous His plan is for each of us.

Love you all!!!

Elder Merrill