September 19, 2011

Dear Fam,

Hellloooooo fromm................Tiarujú, Báje! I got on a shuttle bus with Elder Ewer Tuesday at 18:00 and arrived here about midnight...it has been a tiring week! But I am way down there. Next to the border of Uruguay. President Swenson told me that it is the most gaucho city in our mission. And I am loving it! It is green country for miles and gauchos everywhere!

My new companion is Elder Júlio Cesar from Minus Gerais. He is returning home in January. He is a great Elder! We are already having some great work. A new companionship is like a pair of fresh legs, we are hitting the ground running!

We live in the middle of the city, literally the main street, and walk a little bit for our area which is the southern part of the area I believe. I would send you some pictures but these computers don´t accept the sd card. But we live on (Sete de Setembro) and (Bento Gonçalves) we live across from another larger apartment of 4 elders. Our district, and zone, has 10 elders. Our Ward is awesome; we had Stake Conference too though so I have no idea who is actually in our Ward! But there was this little man their named Vanderlei who is not totally all there.  But just imagine, I show up to a new Ward during Stake Conference and this little man starts hugging and tickling me! Ha! Welcome to Báje! It was pretty funny...and very unexpected.

But like I said, this is definitely a gaucho city. Everyone is riding horses and dressed up all day! We had churrasco and chimarrão yesterday for lunch too ha. But everything here is all about tradition. This week is the week of the Farroupilha. A big celebration of the Gaucho in preparation for the twentieth of September which commemorates when they tried to separate from Brazil... yes, they celebrate a war lost. But don´t tell them that! Oh and don´t worry, I am learning the ways of churrasco for the future.

But the work here is definitely progressing here in this little time. We have found many new investigators and staying sharp.

On the contrary Dad, I got soft! And now I am fit again! You better believe that I am making the most of those 30 minutes in the morning. But workout videos? Cool! How is it going? Oh and abacates are out of season now, but I am eating a lot of pancho now! It is their version of hot dogs...but better! I like the uruguiano the most, it has bacon.

Wow! President Sorenson was awesome, it will be weird to return home to a new Stake President, but he will be wonderful too.

That is neat that you had those visitors at Stake Conference, we had a counselor of President Swenson and part of the Porto Alegre Temple Presidency.

Wow, I am glad Norma is closer to family and doing well. That is great that Jim could work in the temple for so long, I hope to do that someday, I feel saudades for the temple!

Have fun with all that work Ash! You already know this, but with those activities it is pretty impossible to make everyone happy. There will always be those that love it and hate it. But you are doing great work, don´t forget about prom too :) Oh and tell Dougy hi for me, then take that little noise machine he has and hide it under his chair so he sets it off when he sits down. One time it only went off during the middle of a test in one of his classes, it was great.

Adam is performing surgeries through robots now?! Way cool! I knew that they had them, but not that they are now training medical students! Oh and congrats and the little boy Nicole and Dan! Oh little Bradley Joseph Hunter will be a stud, that is for sure. ;)

And I am enjoying cooking, mom. It is actually pretty relaxing. Strange, right?

Torrin was sustained today, wow, that is awesome! It will be way cool to when you send a picture of all of our missionary plaques... :)

A little about Báje, it has been around for 200 years as of a month ago and it is very relaxed here. People actually stop and talk to you too, that is a good change! It is a definitely a town in the country. And I love it! Everyone is very relaxed and mostly open so we enter a lot of houses.

Thank you for all of the love and support! Your prayers are much appreciated and I always remember you all in mine.

Com amor,

Elder Bradley J. Dawson