Carlettos

While I was serving my LDS mission in Brazil, I met and became great friends with an amazing family - the Carlettos. I love them so much! They helped me feel welcome in a very different country where I was dealing with a new language, food, culture, etc... Really they become my family in Brazil. I even stayed with them while I dealt with a terrible infection on my foot and sweet Ines drove me to and from the hospital twice a day, every day. When my dad came to pick me up, they drove us all around Brazil, over to the Iguacu falls, we did a little shopping in Paraguay, we had such a great time - they were amazing.

Then when I came home, their oldest daughter Paula came to live with my family for a year. We had a lot of fun together. She hung out with Hema and I all the time while we were dating. She named her sweet daughter after me. She is truly a sister!

After Hema and I were married their youngest daughter Natalia came and stayed with us for a year. It was so much fun having her stay with us! Now she is married and living nearby here in Utah. 

Naturally I was thrilled to know that Ines and Carletto were coming to Utah for Christmas. We had them over for dinner and had so much fun reminiscing about my mission and the wonderful country of Brazil. Man I really do hope I get a chance to go back someday. There will always be special place in my heart for Brazil. One thing for sure though, my Portuguese has really gotten rusty! I need to get practicing up! Luckily Natalia is just 20 minutes away!

Here are a few pictures from the Carlettos visit.

Eduardo, Natalia, Carletto, Ines and Me

The kids being showered with gifts from Brazil!

The kids showing off their goods!
I think we've watched Rio about 8 times in the last week!

Little Nativity inside a pine seed from Brazil.
It's about 1 1/2 inches long. Perfectly Adorable!

It was so wonderful to catch up with the Carletto family! I love them! One day I hope I get to post pictures on here of my trip to visit them in Brazil!! Until then, estou com muitas saudades!!!