I Made It

Elder DeGraw, Elder Smith (his companion) their 2 roomates in the back, the zone leaders in the front)

Kyle's study desk

Elder Smith from Minnesota with Kyle

Kyle's bed

Kyles apartment

Hey! 

Yeah I made it! I am in an area called Lago de Silverio. It is is a town called Jau. I had to drive 3 hours to get to my area. It is basically one of the farthest areas, on the border of my mission. So that was a fun drive! 

My last week was good, I hated saying goodbye to my district. I also was anxious about the change, and to see what was coming up next. The exit devotional was strange too. They divided all of us up in the auditorium. So that was super weird. The last week was a strange one because of the Coronavirus dilemma. They separated all of us, didn't have devotionals. All sorts of strange things went on. The morning we left was a sad one. I had to say goodbye to all my district, and everything felt so fast! One second we were all in the classroom playing signs and laughing and the next we were on a bus to different areas. But I was excited. Excited to see what was next. 

My luggage made it safely because we had our luggage with us on the bus the whole time. I appreciated having some time on the bus to sleep and get to know the Elder next to me. He was a Brazillian, and didn't speak much English. It was nice to get to know 

My mission president is cool. I can tell that he loves all of us, and that he cares so much. My interview with him was really cool and I loved President Barros testimony he shared with me. 

Because of the Coronavirus things are becoming crazy. Situations are changing really quick and I am still super confused. Hopefully we will know soon enough.

My companion's name is Elder Smith. He is from Minnesota and seems really cool. I can tell that he has the spirit with him and teaches with it too. 

I am feeling happy sometimes. I have been feeling a lot of anxiety. I am sure that is normal, it is just a feeling I haven't felt very often so its weird

I love you, And I love the whole family. You guys are so special to me and I hope that you are all safe. Keep me updated. I love getting emails and hearing from you guys. 

Eu amo voces

Elder DeGraw

Some additional information from our video chat: 

He lives with 2 Brazilians and his companion. 

He likes the humidity.

The houses have gates, so he and his companion stand at the gate and clap. Someone usually yells "Who is it?" and they answer "The Elders"... 

He has met drunks on the street every day that he has been there. He cant understand what they are saying, and was a little concerned when one grabbed him. 

The missionary that he sat by on the bus was in a gang before he left on his mission.

His area is shaped like a V... meaning that half the town in on one steep hill and half is on the other. He is walking up hills all day. 

He had 15 contacts yesterday (guess the word about social isolating hasnt really reached them yet) and was going out fro ice cream after our chat. 

He is LOVING Brazil and the people. They are humble and generous and kind. He is getting the language. There were even a couple times in our conversation that he had to stop and process the English word in his Portuguese-focused brain.

He has a baptism set for the 28th. He will likely not be there for it...

He was with the zone leaders when they got a text from the mission president saying that all American missionaries would most likely be sent home in the next week, to be reassigned in their home countries. The timing and details are unknown. He is pretty sad, but trusting God's plan. When he was set apart by the stake president, He was told that he would see members progressing and then see things happen to thwart that progress. He was told that that part of his mission would break his heart. In our conversation Kyle said, "We all thought that would be something else, not that my heart would be breaking because I had to come home." Its sad. 

Beginning Monday, they are to be on self-quarantine completely. They were given extra money to buy food and supplies. Kyle's companion and zone leaders decided that since they were likely going home in a week, they didn't need to... that is a decision that I pray they dont end up regretting. Kyle said they have a good supply of rice. 

Last Day

A picture that Elder Christofferson drew of their district

He wants to remember the beautiful view and sunsets he saw in the CTM. 

Kyle's district love each other so much that they decided they wanted to spend every holiday with each other. They had already spent Valentines together. They would be together for St Patricks Day, so in one weekend, they had Halloween, Easter, Christmas and New Years together. (back row: Elder Koford, Elder Funk, Elder Christofferson, Sister Rosenlund, Elder Keyser... front row: Elder Jones, Sister Preator, Sister Thomas, Elder DeGraw)

Sister Preator and Elder DeGraw dressed up for "halloween" 

Hey, Last day at the CTM! 

I am super excited to head out the field tomorrow, and I thought I would just tell you and the rest of the family about how much I love my district. 

I was blessed so much when it comes to my district here at the CTM. We all bonded immediately. It was such a great blessing to be able to have people I could turn to in case I needed them. I know that Heavenly Father gave me all these people  for a reason and I feel his love through my district. I am sad to leave because I know that I probably won't see some of these people for another two years.

I wanted to take some time to tell you all about everyone in my district-

Elder Funk is one of our zone leaders. He is funny, and really go at sports. I love his smile, the light that it brings to the room is so amazing. I also love his competitiveness he brings to physical activity, it makes me try harder and want to be better. 

Elder Jones is our other zone leader, and he reminds me so much of Kameron Meeker. It is nice to have a little bit of home here at the CTM. Elder Jones is super caring about all of our spiritual strength as well. It is nice to know he cares about our spirits

Sister Thomas is super sweet, I can see her care and love for everyone. She has a super funny laugh and it's always nice to hear. My favorite part of her is her care for all though, her little brother has special needs, and it shows through her that it doesn't matter who it is, she loves them nonetheless. 

Sister Preator is really fun. She is never afraid to show her true side and I love that. I bonded with her really well, and it was nice to know I had a friend to turn to. She would tell me all about the elders she had little "crushes" on at the CTM. It would always make me laugh, and I would tease her about it. Then she would always tease me about marissa. She loves to hear about us. She also asked me to give her a blessing yesterday so that was cool. 

Sister Rosenlund is super funny. I love her personality, she has kinda become the mom of the district. She always made sure to come and shoot some baskets with me, and I always appreciated that. She reminds me of everyone from Utah, and I love that so much too, It's been nice to have a piece of that too.

Elder Koford is super funny. He is from New York, and because of that has given me hope. He tells stories of his friends doing some crazy things, and how he would still not participate. And that gives me hope for my children as this world seems to get darker and darker. Elder Koford always brings a lighter feeling to the world, and I love the Joy he does.

Elder Christofferson (yes the grandson of Elder Christofferson) is super cool too. It is nice to have someone who shares a love for reading, and has knowledge of weird things like I do. He is super talented at the piano and so that is super super cool.

My companions are the best, and are definitely who I am going to miss the most. Elder Noble and Elder Keyser have blessed my life in so many different ways. I have loved to see the light and spirit they bring to our discussions. We can always joke around too, and have some fun when times seem difficult. I love them both so much and hope that I can serve with them again sometime. 

I love you mom, and I love the family as well. I hope you guys are all safe, and I pray for you every day. 

-Elder DeGraw

We sent Kyle an american pizza to celebrate his last week in the CTM. 

One month in Brazil!

We had the chance to video chat with Elder DeGraw yesterday! He looked great!

He said they spent the day at the Campinas Temple. He said that even though it is a couple hours there and a couple hours back, he appreciated the "down time" to close his eyes and just breath. He mentioned that its nice to be outside the walls of the CTM, even if its in a van. He told us that earlier this week, they were all excited because they were scheduled to travel in a van to a neighborhood where they could do some proselyting. He said they were all loaded in the van, when they were told that due to the Corona virus they were cancelling the trip in order to be precocious.

Elder DeGraw with his district visiting the Campinas temple on PDay.

Campinas Temple

 He told us about an orange fruit they serve there that the missionaries call "satan fruit"-- I'm pretty sure its papaya-- and I'm predicting Elder DeGraw will learn to love it over the next few months. He ate an entire bowl-full on a dare and said he only gagged a couple times.

Kyle with his Companions, Elder Noble & Elder Keyser

Elder DeGraw's 2 Brazilian roommates left, and were replaced by 2 new roommates from Brazil. He said that the down side of that is that he doesnt know them and so he has to be a little more careful about locking up his stuff. It is unfortunate, but there is a lot of theft at the CTM. Elder Christofferson had his credit card stolen. A sister in his district had her passport bag and all her cash (hundreds) taken the first week. Luckily we were warned about this ahead of time-- so Kyle was aware-- but its not fun to have to always be on guard. Each missionary has a safe, plus we sent Kyle with luggage locks. He said with the bars on the walls, the regimented routine/rules, same meals, and the fact that you have to lock up your stuff makes it feel a little prison-like. He has 2 weeks to go, and while he has really loved his time in the CTM, I think he is looking forward to getting to Piracicaba.

Week 3

Elder DeGraw is doing well. He is liking his companions and loving Brazil. He said that it’s been really rainy, which is keeping them from their exercise time, but he’s also enjoying playing games.

They have a shop across the street (Mr Cheney’s) that we ordered a milk shake for Kyle and then he went over there on his PDay to pick it up. So, hopefully he felt a little love from home. That is where the picture was from.

Week 2

Rainy day in Sao Paolo.

Elder DeGraw in his soccer jersey

Visit to the Campinas temple

Elder DeGraw with his companions and roomates

I {finally} got to video chat with Elder DeGraw yesterday. He said that that morning they went to the Campinas temple-- which is about 2 hours away-- and it was awesome, but as a result, he didnt have much time to do any of the ususal P-Day things. He hadn't even eaten anything other than breakfast because they were traveling. (It was almost 5:00 his time when he called). So... that means no email to post this week, but I wanted to share some of the info that he told me. He said the Campinas temple was beautiful. He liked it a bit more than the Sao Paolo one that he went to last week. He chose to do the session in Portuguese, and was able to follow along well enough.

I asked him about his trip down...

He said on the flight from Idaho Falls to SLC he met another missionary, Elder Christofferson (Elder D Todd Chirstofferson's grandson). When they got to the Salt Lake Airport, they said good-bye. Kyle then flew to JFK and then from JFK to Sao Paolo all on his own. His flight landed at 8 in the morning! Once he made it through customs, he ran into Elder Christofferson again. They waited and waited at the CTM pick up location, but no one was there. The two of them went to Burger King, and came to wait some more. Finally the transport van came-- it had been delayed due to the intruder at the CTM that morning. He said that the drivers are crazy and the traffic was crazy. He finally made it to the CTM around 4 pm. So, he wasn't there when the intruder broke in-- which Kyle said he was so grateful for because everyone who was there (basically everyone) has had to go for a psychological evaluation and (if needed) further counseling.

I asked him about the food...

He said they have panini or pancakes every breakfast. They don't have peanut butter in Brazil, so my parents sent Kyle with a bunch of little PB to-go packs. Kyle said he brought one down to have with his breakfast and everyone was coveting his peanut butter. For lunch they have the main meal. Beans and rice with some type of meat. He said it is good. Dinner they serve American food, but he said they aren't getting it quite right. Its "Brazilian American food". The worst thing hes had so far is hot dogs.

I asked about the CTM and a typical day...

He said they are supposed to speak Portuguese as much as possible. I could tell learning the language (and the pressure to learn the language) has been overwhelming to him. He feels like he isnt getting it as well as others are. I'm sure hes doing better than he realizes, but I feel concerned that my son who has always looked at life with a pretty easy breezy attitude is telling me he is really stressed. He said that they wake up at 6:30, but he is waking at 5:30 to try to study more. They get ready and have breakfast at 7:15. Class from 8:30- lunch, then more class until about 5:00. After 5, they have dinner, exercise, companionship study, etc.. They go to bed around 10:00.On most P-Days they can go out on the streets within a few parameters, and visit shops. He went across the street last week and bought a cookie that was as big as his head.

He said he rooms with his companions (Keyser and Noble) and 2 other missionaries-- one from Brazil and one from Bolivia. I asked their names and he said he didn't know. He said he isn't a huge fan of those two. Kyle has always been my kid who makes friends no matter where we are... so I was surprised by that info.

Lastly, he said that he has had a sore throat since he got there-- so hopefully that clears up!

It was mostly just good to see his smile and hear his laugh. I asked if he was happy and he quickly said yes! He is loving Brazil.

THAT'S MY BOY!

One Week Down...

Elder DeGraw with his district

Sao Paolo Temple

Elder Noble, Elder Keyser, & Elder DeGraw at the Sao Paolo Temple

The view from the CTM

Elder DeGraw with his district.

Hey, how are you doing? Sorry we don't have a ton of time to email so it won't be the longest email. But I wanted to let you all know that I love you.

I love Brazil so much so far. Yeah we get emails and can see them throughout the week. We just aren't allowed to respond to them. Which makes sense. It really helps a lot to be able to get updates throughout the week. 

I hurt my pinky playing basketball yesterday, its all bruised now and I can barely move it. But nothing to be worried about, its healing. We get to exercise everyday, except that when its raining we don't get to. So the other day we ended up playing uno with our whole district. That was really fun. I've found that I really love my district, and they've kinda became another family for me. 

How's home, has it felt weird without me there? Has the snow stopped or kept going? Also, I'm curious how Cameron is. 

My Portuguese is coming along well, but I feel very overwhelmed sometimes, like I have so much to learn in such a short time. And so my stress level has been very high, just because of that. But then I opened the package of goldfish that was hidden in my suitcase and it really helped. So I wanted to thank you (Mom) for that, it really has helped me out a lot. Class is cool too, and so I enjoy being in class

We went to the temple today and that was a cool experience to have. We got to do both baptisms and the endowment session. Everything was in English so it was easy to understand. It was easy to feel the spirit. And it was nice to get out into the streets, even if it was just inside of a van. 

I have been taking lots of pictures, but I don't have any way of sending them while I'm in the CTM. So I'll send them when I get out into the field. 

I love you so much.  I won't have time to email everyone. I will when I can. I am safe and feeling good. 

Love, 

Elder DeGraw

Ola From Brazil

Hello, 

Yesterday was a very eventful day. I don't have much time to write, because it's going to be a busy day. But I wanted to let you know that I arrived safely and tell you a bit about the first day. It was very confusing what we were supposed to do when we got here, but nothing too tricky. The hardest part is probably that almost everyone speaks in Portuguese. I have learned a bit more. One of my roommates, Elder Mattos, has been super helpful. He is super nice. Sleeping last night was super easy, it was the first time in my whole life that I didn't need a blanket of any sorts. I'm on the sixth floor and I wouldn't like it any other way. Climbing the stairs isn't my favorite but I love the view and can't wait to send you some of the pictures I took. I have two companions, Elder Noble and Elder Keyser. Elder Keyser's plane was delayed and so he didn't get here till 5:30 this morning. I like both of them, and they are both going to serve in the Piracicaba mission too. The intruder didn't affect my group at all, but the devotional was all about it. I love you Mom, tell the rest of the family that I love them too.

Elder DeGraw

Brazil Just Got Even Better, Because Now They Have Elder DeGraw!

 What an unforgettable day! Actually... What an unforgettable week! What an unforgettable month! What unforgettable 19 years!!! Being a witness to Kyle's life has been one of the crowning jewels of my life! He really is (and always has been) beyond anything I could have hoped a son would be. He is kind and confident. He is funny and joyful. He thinks deeply and feels emotion genuinely. He connects with people -- no matter where we are or what we are doing. He's fun! He's thoughtful. He's so smart and so spiritually strong. I adore him! He has amazed me since the day he was born, and yesterday was no different. I am amazed by the what it takes for a missionary to leave everything they know to step into the unknown-- astounding courage and faith fueled by testimony and selfless love. What a hard thing it is to watch (and experience), but one of the most exquisitely beautiful as well. To say I am proud of Kyle would be an enormous understatement!

Elder DeGraw flew out of the Idaho Falls airport bright and early (actually it was still dark and felt like the middle of the night) on the 4th. He flew to Salt Lake City, on to JFK airport in New York (he's ALWAYS wanted to visit NY-- but a 4 hour layover probably wasn't in his dream scenario), then took an all night flight to Sao Paolo Brazil. Ryan and I were tracking his flights all day. He arrived at 4:00 am (their time) after a LONG 24 hours. We still haven't heard from Elder DeGraw. We are anxious to hear about his travels, and his eventful day at the CTM-- and it sounds like it was one for the books for sure! This morning, a man invaded the Training Center, with a knife and the intent to kill the CTM President (Poor president, he's only been there for a month!). The military police were called in and the man tried to attack them and was killed. So-- welcome to Brazil kid! ("Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!). You can read more about it by clicking HERE.

We are excited to hear from Elder DeGraw (by excited I mean obsessively checking our emails). Over the past few months, as I've helped Kyle prepare to serve, there have been many stories and experiences shared with me that had me quite worried about sending my boy to Brazil. I joked that every time I learn something new about his mission my anxiety meter rises. BUT, there is a scripture found in Mormon 5:23 that speaks so much comfort to my mama heart. It says "Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?" I love that. Kyle is in God's hands. He's on the Lords errand, and Ive already seen Heavenly Father's tender care...

-Kyle was given the most wonderful blessing when he was set apart with many amazing promises, but the thing that I loved most was that some of the specific promises were almost word for word phrases from his patriarchal blessing. 2 different blessings, given at 2 different times by 2 different men. How is that so? because God knows Kyle and in both cases God spoke through the Holy Ghost to the men giving those blessings. 

-I was worried about Kyle flying alone (and for all I know he did). I felt a little frustration because every outgoing missionary I asked was connecting in Dallas. Over 21 missionaries. So, why was Kyle the only one going through NY? This morning I learned that the Dallas missionaries (who were supposed to arrive to the Sao Paolo airport the same time as Kyle)  had problems because of an unruly passenger who had to be arrested (yikes) and were diverted to Miami where they had to spend the night and most of today in the airport. They finally left this afternoon for Brazil and should get there after 5:00 tomorrow morning (over 24 hours after Kyle had already arrived)... tender mercy for our Elder! AND... Ive no doubt it was God's loving care that (for whatever unknown reason) diverted their flight and delayed their arrival. 

- The incident at the CTM will serve as a reminder to Elder DeGraw that he needs to do the things necessary to be safe in a place that can be dangerous. Perhaps that reminder will help keep Kyle safe over the next 2 years. It also strengthened our knowledge that God protects his missionaries. 

-On that same note, I know that while my son is there, the security in the CTM will likely be at the top of their game.

I am sure that Elder DeGraw has noticed God's hand as well and felt the sustaining and protective power of prayer (THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR HIM!) 

I'll give you the update as soon as we hear from Elder DeGraw! Hopefully tomorrow...

 Hugs to last 2 years...

one last look... I was so grateful he turned around and saw us. He was looking and looking in the wrong direction (thinking we left)-- I felt so relieved when he spotted us and we were able to blow kisses and "I love you's" and thumbs up one last time.

He's outta here...