Father/Daughter Exchange

July 20, 2014

From: Adrienne Ventura <adrienne.ventura@myldsmail.net>

Subject: Re: Happy July 21st

Date: July 21, 2014 9:21:43 AM MDT

To: Dan Ventura <ventura@cs.byu.edu>

Yay! You finally got my letter ! I actually got your postcard last monday so it was pretty fast, thanks!

The thing you asked about a couple of weeks ago, noticing a certian word/phrase etc. and then noticing that people use it all the time and wondering why they didn't use it a week ago? Hahaha that happens to me all the time! But it's cool because it means that I'm learning more and more. I then experiment with incorporating all the new stuff into my language. . . it's great:)

Also, remeber Branca e Ari? Well, the other day we were at their house and Branco wanted to get a pot down out of the top cupboard. " Ventura, vem ca, voce esta mais alto do que eu, pode pegar para mim?" I looked at Sister Cox and triuphantly said, "this is the first time in my life that this has happened to me!" Really though i think i've grown, I'm serious. I'm taller than sister Cox, and basically everyone here and When Sister Burte saw me for the first time a month or so ago she said i look taller to her! Really,  I know you're laughing right now, but just wait and see! I think I'm not stumpy anymore, kind of sad huh?

I love you Dad! I can't wait to read your letter!

Love,

Adrienne

Dear Sister Mun,

How was your week?  It is always great to see some pictures of you and the people you are doing stuff with, and it's so exciting to hear that you got a new mattress.  Sweet!  As for eating gross food, don't give up.  I'm confident there's something in your future worth mentioning, so keep your chin up!  The only thing people talk to me about any more is, "how is Adrienne doing?"  Everyone is always wanting to know what you are up to, how your language is coming, how you like Brazil, if you are having a good experience, etc.  Since we were in Island Park last fast Sunday, I didn't get to do a report, so people are just desperate.  I'll try to do you justice next time.

Thanks for the birthday card!  It finally got here on, I think, Tuesday, only something like five weeks after you mailed it.  I thought Brazil was a fairly civilized country, but holy cow, that's some pretty slow mail.  And you'd even written "Priority" on the front with a little box around it.  Don't those people read?  I think maybe the problem is that you should have written "Prioridade" instead.  That probably would have shaved off like three weeks.  Anyway, it was a very nice letter, and I loved it.  Thank you, thank you.  You are so right about how lucky we are, and doing what you are doing now is a perfect way to really, really see it, isn't it? And, it doesn't matter if you go to Syracuse or Curitiba, you will still see it.  I also sent you a postcard a few weeks ago (not five though), so maybe you'll get it someday; of course, it has to go through the mission home, so that's probably up to six weeks transit time, so you may have to wait a bit yet.

Today in church we heard from Katy (Devenport) and Hunter, who both just got back from their missions this week.  It was a good meeting, and they both spoke about how the gospel changes people and how they can go from being not happy to being happy.  Kind of interestingly, that's exactly what I spoke about when I had my homecoming.  Actually, it is probably the most common topic for homecomings (or WhatUps?, as I like to call them) ever.  It's really what you go on a mission for, right?  And, one of the people that gets to see how to be happy is you, yourself, the missionary, and for a lot of us, that never know any different, at least some of that comes by seeing what you've never been able to see before---how blessed you are, just like you were saying in my birthday letter.  Anyway, I think they were both really good missionaries, and I wished we'd had more time to hear from them.  Doing two on one day (plus a baby blessing and a choir number) is just too much.  In a couple of weeks, Josh Chhsholme is going to be talking to us (WhatUp?) the same day that Jenica Chhsholme also talks to us (PeaceOut -- she is going to Michigan or something like that).  Crazy.

This week for mutual we had a combined activity for which we hiked up to the grotto in Payson canyon.  Since Marcia had a tennis match that night, I took the Boo Bear and the Doops with me.  No one fell and got maimed, and after I talked the Doops up the first steep part, he was good to go, and we had a fun time hiking around up there on the steep, slippery, dusty slopes.  Then, on Thursday, Marcia had a "visiting teaching" lunch, so she dropped those little folks off at my office for a couple of hours.  We went to lunch at---guess where---Chick-fil-a!  We reminisced about all the good times you had cutting chicken there, enjoyed some tasty sandwiches, and then got icecream and ate it out on the quad to finish things off in style.  It was a fine little lunch date, and they spent the last bit before they got picked back up drawing on my white board while I tried to get some stuff done.  Then on Friday, more tennis lessons, so I got to take them to swimming lessons at the out-of-control house in Elkridge.  I took some work to do while they were having lessons, but I just wound up watching them the whole time instead.  Over all, a good week with the little folks, I have to say.

Speaking of good weeks, I hope you've had a good one (I guess we'll see in a few hours) and that you have another great one this upcoming week.  I'm very proud of you, and I know you are doing good things and becoming an even better person and helping other people become better people as well.  Your companion is lucky to have you, and your investigators are lucky to have you, and the members there are lucky to have you!  And I'm lucky to have you, too.  I love you.

Vai com Deus,

Dad