December 19, 2011

Dear Fam,

Christmas is still way far away! You don’t need details on the phone call yet....(and now imagine that i am begging) Please don’t kill me, but i don’t have the details yet! It looks like it will be just a phone call, but i am looking at the options. We have arranged with a member, but his internet is really slow and does not have a web cam. But i was going to call anyways, with or without webcam, because it would be really obnoxious talking only through the internet. But if skype doesn’t work really, i was thinking my old gmail.  But it looks like i will call early this week with all the details, don’t worry! I want you all to go to church and especially let dad sing in a quartet, should be awesome! And, based on when I received your email dad, looks like it is a 5 hour difference here. So i could call at night, which would be afternoon for you all. But I will let you know this week!...Hello, this is mike from the Arizona Republic in regards to your account....don’t hang-up mom! ha. I won’t be cruel.

Wow! Torrin is in the Mtc! How crazy! I will be sure to send him a letter asap. He will love it. The Lundbergs are pros at this by now, but let them know that he is in the best place right now. How long will he be in the Mtc? 2 months right? The portugués and the spanish missionaries like to try and confuse each other and do contacts with the other...but it didn’t work with me! I knew them both, ha! But someone was speaking spanish with me the other day and it was way confusing, i understood just about everything, but still hard.

The pics were great! The house really looks amazing! and that is awesome looking at all the missionary plaques up there.  Oh, and tell Bishop Edwards, My travel buddy, Sister Edwards, and the whole Edwards clan hi!

Wow, one year ago we were sailing for mexico , haha. That is weird, it feels like a lifetime ago! That is still crazy, Christmas day we were swinging through the jungles in mexico .

Mom, summer right now is actually pretty cool! It is different and new. But I still laugh every time i see a man dressed up as Santa sweating to death. Poor guy. He has got to be losing weight like crazy! And yeah there are a lot of different constellations here, it is pretty cool, but I haven’t looked at them very closely or anything yet. I tried taking a picture of them, but it doesn’t come out right.

The Christmas party looks like it was awesome, and Brother Holmgren looked like the real deal! You too dad, I hope you realize that you will be stuck as Santa at Mtn. Ridge for years to come.  Your elders went to the party too?! What is all of this about! Ha, i saw the picture, their belts are practically breaking! Joking. But that is awesome. Keep on treating them nice, i am awaiting the karma. ha. Mom, you have a Bradley shrine? what is this?! I have a few choice scriptures i would like to share with you, but I will give  you the chance to burn the shrine and repent this week. :) What is the shrine?

I bet Dan and Nicole did awesome! I would love to read their talks. Hint hint. I would send my talk about tithing...but i didn’t write anything. ha! And i am awaiting the day when i get sit next to those little munchkins again.

Oh and I am game for another cruise when I come back mom, I was thinking the Mediterranean sea ??? :)

Go Ashley go! Get every scholarship you can! This is the time to do it, don’t wait until senior year. All the really good ones are early, like right now. You will do great Sis, good luck! Praying for ya! I always hated group projects because of that too, I like doing them alone.

The Christmas festivities sound great! Rudolph’s express should be a hit. When you are at cafe rumba send them a hug for me...except Fernando. Kidding! And tell them that i am homesick for a baja quesadilla with beef, green chilis, baja sauce, and the orange hot sauce. mmmm. And the super nachos.

So this week we started teaching a very special family, Simone, the mom, is a member less active and is addicted to drugs, her mom, Maria, has some health problems that prevent her from walking and darnlei, son of simone, has about 12 years and has already placed in 3 or 4 skate championships. We are helping them get back on the right path. When i first talked to simone she said that she didn’t believe in God because her 15 year old daughter passed away 2 years ago. It was rather unexpected. But we are helping them build their faith and stop with all off the harmful substances. Prayers headed their way would be helpful.

Gabriel, 15 years old, is having trouble reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. He has waited some time and says that he has lost interest in reading everything. He recognizes it as a problem, but after this and reading the talk by elder Arder from the past general conference, laziness really is a sin, you are allowing satan to enter and perturb all of your righteous plans. We are helping him to read, but ultimately it comes from him.

We helped Dilson and Lara paint their house this week and it was great! We are still trying to help them receive an answer.

I am so grateful for you all and am so glad that you all are well! How is the health of everyone there? Really, I want to know.

This a special time of year when we can give our all to the Savior!

Love you all and don’t worry, I am working on the phone call!

Elder Bradley Joseph Dawson