Photo Proof She Made It

Dear Parents,

Sister Swensen 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 full-time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife who is a nurse. We are also happy to report that the cafeteria 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 eitherWednesday 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.

President Robert Swensen and Sister Julie Swensen

She Made it to the CTM!

So, I've been sending Nicole an email every day and she hasn't had a chance to look at them yet. At least they gave her a few minutes to let me know she made it to the CTM. Yay!! Hopefully I'll get her mailing address soon. 

Here's what she wrote:

Mom! I literally have no time to read these...they're only giving me a couple of minutes to write and tell you that I made it to the CTM safely. You should be getting an email pretty soon with a picture. I feel super alone here right now because literally EVERYONE I arrived with have served for 6 months to a year already, and everyone here knows Portuguese. I'm really out of my element, but I'll learn quickly. It's gonna be great. My companion has already been here for a couple weeks, but she went through the same thing I am, so we're on the same page. I'll get to meet her soon. Love and miss you lots! Tchau!

On Her Way to Brazil

Well she's on her way to the Sao Paulo CTM. Apparently that's what they call the MTC. She called me from the airport this morning and sounds so good! She is learning a lot and can teach a lesson and pray in Portuguese. Amazing!

Her P-Day is today, but she won't be able to email since she is traveling. She is alone until Atlanta and should meet up with another sister missionary there. I'm nervous about her making such a long and complicated international trip, but I know she's being watched over.

So, if you had planned to use the awesome MTC Delivery service for her, don't. She is already gone and won't get the letter I sent her today. Thanks for all of your love and concern!

MTC Address and Other Blogs

Here is Nicole's address at the Provo MTC:
Sister Nicole LeAnne Neal
APR01 BRA-BELM
2007 N 900 E Unit 61
Provo, UT 84602

Also, here is a site that will deliver letters to missionaries in the MTC for free! So instead of them waiting for snail mail or for their P-day to check their email, your letter can get to her the same day. There are also a variety of care packages that can be sent, for a fee, if you feel so inclined. http://mtcdelivery.com/ There are a couple of other sites listed on the sidebar that provide a similar service.

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Thank you for your support!

Nicole's Missionary Blog

I created this blog so you can read Nicole's letters home and see her pictures all in one place. I will update her mailing address as I know it. Her email address is nicole.neal@myldsmail.net if you want to send her an email.

She is supposed to be at the MTC in Provo by now, but I won't know until she sends me an email. I will post here when I know more. Thanks for checking in!