Elder Tylor Houghtaling: April 2016

Brazil, São Paulo West Mission
São Paulo, Brazil

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Tuesday, April 26, 2016 - Thursday, April 28, 2016

Once Tylor arrived in Atlanta, he met five other elders traveling to Brazil. Their seats were grouped together. While at the Atlanta airport, Elder Kyle Burt let Tylor and the other elders call their moms using his phone to let them know they arrived in Atlanta safely. Hearing Tylor's voice and that he was OK and happy made me so much happier! While talking with him, Tylor said he had Chick Filet while at the Detroit Airport. Kyle also took this picture of Tylor and him sitting next to each other on the flight from Atlanta to São Paulo, Brazil. Kyle's mom, Paula Burt, made sure I saw this!

It is so wonderful that I was able to meet Paula Burt and another mom, Maria Wright, whose son is Michael Wright. Our sons were called to the same mission, Brazil, São Paulo West, to report to the Brazil MTC on April 27, 2016 at 10:00 AM. We met because of the video of Tylor opening his mission call that I posted on YouTube. Paula and Michael both contacted me. Now the moms and sons can experience this together as good friends. Being Brazillian, Paula has given me such great Brazil advice for Tylor!

When Tylor arrived in Brazil, he sent me this email:
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Elder Houghtaling's Email
Wednesday, April 27 at 11:13 AM

Hey Mom! Hey Family!

Just letting you know that I am here safe and sound with all of my luggage here intact. The drivers down here are nuts... There are motorcyclists that speed between cars using the dashed lines as their lanes. The flight from Atlanta to SP was really long and uncomfortable, but I´m here and relatively well rested. My prep-days are on Wednesdays so you can hope to here from me in a week. There were six elders with me to SP but I can´t remember their names, so I will be sure to get them for you by next week.

Love you!
Tylor Houghtaling

Then today the Mission President emailed the families the following:
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Mission President's Email
Thursday, April 28 at 2:56 PM

Your missionary's arrival at the Brazil MTC

Dear Parents,

Sister Grahl 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 MTC 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 either Wednesday 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 if an elder when he is preaching the Gospel as is the Lord who sent him to preach the Gospel 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.

Pres. Paulo R. Grahl and Sister Zuleika M. Grahl

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

PlEASE DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving, not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC, please understand that the package cannot be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you.

WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers. The cost to process this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.

Tylor would love to hear from you: tylor.houghtaling@myldsmail.net

As the date of Tylor's departure drew near, much of the preparations were already complete. Thankfully, Tylor received his Brazil Visa about one month before his mission start date. I thank Pauline Jensen for giving me good paperwork advice to make this happen. She has been so helpful with this and other mission preparation items.

Tylor's last day of work was April 1st. He loved his job and the people he worked with, but he is looking forward to the new experiences he will gain in Brazil.

Going to the Detroit Temple on April 9th meant a lot to him. Spending time with family was something he loved. We now know where to have the best macaroni and cheese... at the Clarkston Union in Clarkston, Michigan. Thank you to Wendi for suggesting this!