Book Cover

I'm really happy with how the book cover turned out! I used Canva.com to create the design except for the "Brazil" part that I made in PowerPoint. Pretty simple stuff! It's amazing how much easier it is to do this on your own.

 

The book is complete!

I finished it and it's going to be published on May 1st!  I had originally planned on May 10th, but I finished it early and decided to push the date forward.  It's exciting to see and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

"What Brazil Did to My Hair: Thoughts on a Mormon Mission" will be available on Amazon Kindle and paperback

One Month Left

The countdown has begun! One month until the book goes live on Amazon!  I created the pre-order page and it is up and running.  The book will be available for download on May 10th.  I have also created my author page on Amazon.  Not much is on there right now, but hopefully it will eventually be the home to several books!

Completing the book

I've set a goal to finish the Mission Journal book by May 10th.  I have started the process to publish with Amazon Publisher and should be able to release the book in paperback and on the Kindle the same day.  I am nearly complete with the manuscript and am feeling pretty good about it!  We'll see if anyone ends up actually reading the thing!

Day 4

19 Sept 1998

Saturday

Day 4 – (if you are keeping track)

Today was a great day! My first Saturday in the MTC, and guess what I did – I went to class and ate! It feels like that is all we do, but it is going fast! We are learning the language quickly, and soon I will be writing in Portuguese! I think that I will write in two journals – one English, one Portuguese – but who knows!

I realized something new today – our afternoon class is actually 3 ½ hours long! It did go quickly, though, because we change subjects and take hourly breaks. I am really enjoying the learning experience along with the spiritual! It gets me excited to teach the Gospel, but it also gets me excited for college! I like to learn things quickly, but thoroughly! The spirit really helps in that process.

My Spanish is helping make Portuguese easier to learn, but the thing they say is that we pass up what I learned in High School by the second or third week! This truly is a great place for learning languages, and the programs they use are so inspired that it comes quickly. The greatest key is to always Speak Your Language (SYL), or as much as you know. This shows you where to improve, as well as helping in retention of what you learn. It is an amazing program, and when combined with the Spirit it can’t be beat!

Our district is getting along well, but we do have things we can work on. We will be setting goals and measuring our progress, so this should help. Other than that things are great! Boa noite!

Day 3

18 Sep 1998

Friday

Day three – Things are moving faster now! We had another full day, but it seems like we accomplish so much! This morning we had some preparation time and then went to a Large Group Meeting on The Great Plan of Salvation. After that I had my first gym time.  We went across the street to the field by the Temple and played Frisbee. It was strange wearing “normal clothes” after being in ties for a few days, but I’m sure it will be even stranger as time goes on! After lunch we had class, dinner, and class again. Each class is about 2 ½ hours long, so sometimes they drag on, but we change subjects often enough that they remain interesting.

I got my first package today! It was a box of cookies from the MTC Cookies Company. My mom’s friend Bonnie Flint sent it to me. They were good and freshly made today! I guess I am done writing, though, since it is time for bed! Boa noite! 

Ok, I decided to write more. My goal for the first few days should probably be to fill up at least two pages. I am not feeling as redundant today, so that is a good thing! I guess the only days that will be harder are the big letter writing days! Actually, they could be easier, though, because I will be thinking more and in my letters I have to cover an entire week! I have been tired the past few days but I’m sure I will get used to the schedule and waking up at 6:00!

The beds are different – after sleeping in a waterbed so long it is like being on a board! They are long, though, so that is nice!

 Well, now I am going to bed for real! I need some sleep – I have three long classes tomorrow!

Day 2

17 Sep 1998

Thursday

Day two – things went great today, but I am very tired!  We are going to bed earlier tonight, so tomorrow should be nice.  The most common saying here is “The days are long, but the weeks are short.”  So far, that seems to be true, but I won’t know until a few weeks have gone by!  I wrote a few letters today during my preparation time.  It was sort of weird, but more of a good thing.  I am excited about learning a language – we did quite a bit today in our classes.  We had three teachers today, and one of them is Brother Frost, who is married to Carolee Truman.  Since there are only six in our class, we have a lot of individual attention.

You know, I am feeling very redundant in my writing, because I wrote much of this in my letters.  I guess every other day that I don’t write letters will be easier.  We’ll wait until tomorrow to see how it goes!

September 16, 1998 - Day 1

My first entry in my Misison Journal, nearly 20 years ago:

September 16, 1998 

Wednesday

Today is a very important day in my life! I entered the MTC in preparations to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! It has been a wonderful experience so far, and I know there will be many more exciting and spiritual days! I am halting my writing in my other Journal, so for the next two years everything will be in here. It is exciting to think that the time is here! I have waited for this moment for years, and things couldn’t have gone any better! I am getting along great with my first companion – Elder Bugnet – and tonight I was called to be the district leader! We have six in our district, so it is fairly small, but it is a great group! I am over mail delivery & watching over the Elders in our district. My roommates are great – one of them is even obsessive-compulsive (well, slightly). It is going to be great! My companion is from Ogden – isn’t that funny? – and my suite roommates are from Hooper and Mesa, Arizona. We are all going to the same mission (if the Visas go through!) so that makes it exciting also.

Mission Journal - 20 Years Later

I've been meaning to start this project for nearly 20 years - longer than even blogs have existed haha! But the idea behind the book/journal has been in my mind for a long time, and it is finally time to get it down on paper. The source material is already written and typed - what is left is the organizing and contextualizing of the story.

My goal in writing is to share my experiences as an LDS (Mormon) Missionary in Brazil as well as my thoughts and experiences after my mission and how the mission shaped who I am today. It is written with a few different audiences in mind - first, myself and my family, second, prospective missionaries, and third, everyone else :) I hope it is valuable and I know that at least for me there will be a sense of accomplishment in finishing something I started so long ago. Enjoy!