Day to Day:
Fransisca: So, everyone. Lemme tell you a story. I may have told part of this story before, but there is new information now. A while ago, President Marsh picked us up and we all drove together to zone conference, because we live very close to him. While driving, President Marsh said, "French Horn is 'trompa' in Portuguese, right, Elder Tolen? Because in December, we will have our mission zone conference and talent show for Christmas..."
Ever since, I have been looking for a horn without any luck. We even went to a music shop downtown, but they would have to order one in and it would cost me around $1,000 dollars. But, last week, while we were helping some members, one of the members said, "Let's go search online and see if we can find a horn." I had basically given up on finding one, but I agreed, and we looked. On a website kind of like Ebay, we found a horn at a good price. And, I ended up buying it! So, I currently have a French Horn in my possession! It has a pretty good sound. It is a single horn (which means it only has 3 rotors) with a removable bell. The brand says "Eastman," but, my horn teacher said Eastman has never made a single (3 rotor) horn with a removable bell. She said there are a lot of pirated horns our there, so it may say "Eastman," but it is entirely possible that it isn't. She said it is probably a Brazilian brand. I named the horn Fransisca.
Performance Opportunities: Another story. So, a few days ago, before our English class, I was playing hymns in the chapel on my horn and my companion was playing with me on piano. A lady came up to me whom I haven't met before. She said she was from another ward. And she said, "I was talking to President Marsh a while ago, but he wasn't sure if you were gonna be able to get a horn or not, but now that I see you have one, would you be willing to play at the stake Christmas program on Sunday?" I accepted. On Saturday, there was a rehearsal and on Sunday was the performance. I played 2 verses of "Angels We Have Heard On High" with another Elder playing with me on piano. I also played with the choir and piano (and congregation on first verse) on "Silent Night." I felt kind of special. People treated me like I was a guest artist or something. For example, the piano player was confirming with me: "So, I will play the introduction and then you will come in on the verse?" I said yes, and he called to the director and told her. She looked at me and said "You can play wherever you want to play!" The only thing she requested was that I play loud. After the show, I received multiple compliments from people, including President and Sister Marsh. It was really fun!
One of the Elders we live with also bought a cello, so I´m writing a duet for us to play at the mission Christmas conference. With all of these Christmas performances, it feels like I'm back home again! 
6 Months!: So, can you all believe that I have already reached my 6 month mark on the mission? Time is going so fast! I can´t believe it! I'm already 25 percent done with my mission. How strange!
Spiritual Stuff:
"You´re American.":The highlight of this week is just a pretty cool experience my companion and I had. One day, while we were walking, a lady passed us and said, "Voces tem um livro?" (Do you guys have a book?) "Sim!" We responded. "Eu posso ter um?" (Can I have one?) After I gave her a Book of Mormon, she looked and me, pointed at me and said "... You´re American." I said "Yes. You speak English!" Then we conversed for a little bit and got her information. She told us she read the Book of Mormon a while ago, but she's a teacher and sometimes the kids talk about Book of Mormon stories and she wants to understand. She was a very sweet lady, and it was a cool experience!
Testimony: I want to testify to all of you about miracles. They are real. I mean, the Lord provided a French Horn for me in Brazil, for one example! I promise you all if you have faith, if you pray, if you are obedient, if you fast, if you study the scriptures, you can experience life changing miracles. I know this to be true! Keep going and trust in God!
I love you all so much! Send me emails! I wanna talk to you guys!
-Love, Elder Tolen
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