Dearest family and friends,
Today is a
good day! After days of rain and lots of errands for the whole mission, p-day
has arrived and it is sunny and perfect.
This week
was crazy, that pretty much sums it up, but I will explain why. On Sunday
and Monday we were preparing everything for the transfer, I would list
everything but that would be very boring for you all. On Monday for lunch a
member from a neighboring ward did a huge churrasco for us. 12 hours...they
were cooking the meat for 12 hours. There was a ton of meat, but the main dish
was the rib "window", in other words, the whole ribs, without cuts or
anything, it was huge. Lidson, brother that made churrasco for us, literally
pulled those huge rib bones right out of the meat, it literally fell off the
bone. Needless to say, it was very good. He has a little campground place in
the middle of "Parque Harmonia". You have got to look up this park on
the internet. It is the Gaucho´s headquarters. The 20th of September is the day
that the gauchos remember as their almost independence day. Some time ago they
tried to free themselves from Brasil. But because of this everyone is in the
gaucho spirit. It was pretty cool. We used the time to buy some gaucho clothes.
I will send pics. But we bought alpargatas, like TOMS, the shoes, bombacha, the
pants, Lenço, the handkerchief, the cangol, or hat, the goiaca, or belt...and we
have boots that an elder from Arroio Grande, a distant area, is bringing to us.
We are officially gaucho. I think that I will switch clothes in the
airport on the way home for you all to see me...kidding! But it would be pretty
cool. But monday we bought these things, had lunch, and then went back to work,
and it was raining most of this time, heavy too. We will go back to the Parque
Harmonia today so Elder Tolentino can trade out his goiaca and lenço, belt and
handkerchief. I was thinking about buying a knife while we are there,
but I don´t want to spend any more money. But I still need my eagle
knife ;) wink wink. But we will get that together when we visit. I was
thinking the knife that has an armadillo tail for the handle, ha. They have
everything.
But
anyways, back to the story. On Monday we had everything ready for the transfer
the next day with an itinerary for the whole day, nothing would go wrong. But
it continued to rain and rain and rain, and we prayed and prayed and prayed.
The next day we went to the office early to go with President and Sister Castro
to pick up the new missionaries in the airport when we started to get a million
calls on both of our cell phones. It had been raining so much that the roads
from Pelotas
were closed. A side note- most of the missionaries are stationed close to Porto Alegre, the other huge group of missionaries is in Pelotas. This notice that
all of the missionaries from Pelotas that were
going to Porto Alegre
(those transferred, being called to leadership, trainers that were going to pick
up their new companions) was a little but worrisome as you can imagine. There
was actually a big group that was already about half way to Porto Alegre and had to go back. So we said a
silent prayer to ourselves and went to work administering. All of the trainers
could not pick up their new missionaries and those being transferred to Porto Alegre had to get a bus to Santa
Maria and then to Porto
Alegre. Several of these missionaries were being transferred to other places near to Porto
Alegre too. So we had a deadline to get them on a bus
at a certain hour. In this case we had to get all of the missionaries going to Pelotas, Cachoeira, and Rio Grande (with all of their luggage) on
buses at 4:00 in the afternoon. With 12 of them being new missionaries and
about 5 not knowing how to speak a lick of Portuguese. Well the trainings went
well, we actually dressed up as gauchos for the new ones so we could take
pictures and send them home to their families.
After
these trainings, Elder Tolentino and I are both feeling that the whole mission
is getting better. Our trainers and good, our leaders are good, the work is
going forth. We had and have a hand in this, but really, it is all due to the
Lord. In many ways the mission can work like a business, but we are not
salesman, we are not selling merchandise and learning techniques to just
convince the people. We are doing these things with the Spirit. This is why the
Church is so successful in whatever it does.
But
anyway...there were many missionaries at the bus station already waiting their
tickets and companions to leave at 4:00. Everyone was leaving the office at
3:35, all of the new ones and those that were there for the training with all
of their bags. The secretaries got a taxi with us to go flying to the bus
station. And it kept raining. We were frantic calling some of the zone and
travel leaders that were at the bus station to help get the missionaries in
front of their bus with luggage waiting to receive their ticket and get on. In
the meantime it was still raining...a lot, and our taxi was passing the Parque
Redenção going to the bus station, we were passing through about 2 feet of
disgusting sewer water. To give you an idea. The Parque Redenção is very
beautiful, but full of homeless people and can get pretty dirty. But right as
we were passing the brown water a bus passed by our taxi plowing through the
water...when I got into the taxi 5 minutes earlier the window was already
open with a guard to stop rain from entering...gallons of water poured into the
taxi for a solid 3 seconds...all on top of me in my suit and cell phone
organizing the transfer. I had brown water dripping off my head and was soaked
until my toes. Needless to say we all started to laugh our heads off. Even the
taxi driver had a good laugh! I think that the Lord must have sent that wave of
street water onto me to give us all a good laugh. i will be the first to admit
that it was hilarious. But all of the missionaries in the bus station were a
little more hesitant to give me a hug.
We got to
the bus station and sent everyone off onto their bus...it was a miracle. I
remember very clearly that we didn´t even have time to think, it was just all
happening and it all just came very naturally. Something would happen and i
just reacted, don´t get me wrong, it was very rushed, everything, but it was a
wonderful experience and we were able to send all of the missionaries off to
work and to meet their new companions. And it kept raining....
After the
transfer the rest of the week passed by in a blur. I can´t even remember
everything that happened after the transfer, i just know that I got sick,
just a cold, that is already gone basically and I am here right now
writing vocês...you all. But the transfer day was quite an experience. I
will always remember that day. I am very grateful that I have already
been, in part, prepared to handle situations like this. But, obviously, I
have a lot more to learn.
So we have
decided that we will not be visiting all of the zones these next few weeks but
3 specifically that are needing a lot more help. We will be going to Rio Grande this Thursday
and Frday to do a training for their zone and do splits with the leaders there
to see how their work and stewardship is. The next week will be Pelotas and the next will
be a zone close to here called Partenon. Every training will be specific to
that zone, what they are needing as a zone and as the leaders of that zone.
So I will give details on that this next week. Oh, and we will be
traveling to all of these training with President Castro, wow, I love that
guy. He is incredible. He is teaching Elder Tolentino and I many things. Especially
about leadership in the church. How his ward split when he was bishop and was
able to reach it´s old attendance(from before it split) in 5 to 6 months.
Wow....
Oh
and I got the package! I let Elder Tolentino pick out whichever tie he
wanted, he picked out the green and blue striped one...my favorite! But that’s
alright, he is a wonderful companion and friend. Oh and Brasilian customs
opened the package and then resealed it with tape saying that they opened
it...but I think I got everything. The pen drive arrived too,
Thanks!!! :)
So an
AP always stayed 6 months with President Swenson, but we don´t know how
President Castro is going to do this. Elder Tolentino is wanting to have a last
area and train and is giving hints to president so we will see. After this new
transfer he has 2 more before he goes home.
Elder
Tolentino liked your message dad, I didn´t even need to translate it, he
speaks and read English very well. But he wanted you to know that he is losing
weight! All of my companions usually get pretty healthy and start losing
weight. Elder De Oliveira, Elder Bezerra, Elder Singelo, And now Elder
Tolentino. Oh and Elder Singelo was called as a zone leader in Bage, he will do
that city good.
To answer
your question about work on our area, dad, it depends on the day. It is
hard to divide our time like this...the mission and our Area. We are still
trying to get the hang of it. President is teaching us a lot about this as his
time is divided between the mission and his wife and 3 kids...wow. Recently we
have had a lot of work to do with the mission and trainings so we have not had
so much time to teach. But a quick update, Jose', from Herbalife is now a dad
and wants to get married to be baptized...Love that guy he is very special.
Thiago has disappeared almost so we are trying to help him but we are now
teaching his uncle José Hermanez and family. I ask that you all pray for Rogério, Deise, and Guilherame. This
family is very special and could be baptized very quickly. Pray that they keep
progressing to be baptized on the 30th of this month. Them and that we could
find those that could be baptized would be a good focus of prayer :) With Pres.
Swenson he told the APs to put all of the focus on our area and baptizing and
Pres. Castro is wanting us to be more with the mission, we are juggling the two
and still learning a lot. and yes, we do a lot of street contacting but we are
trying to work a lot with the members to teach their friends.
I am
short on time, but Dad, I have already seen a young man of 23 years leave
behind all types of drugs, cigarettes, and liquor in 3 weeks because of the
Book of Mormon, it was always in his hand. When he wanted to do something bad,
he would read. Also The Book of Mormon is so perfect that many times when we
are teaching and presenting for these people, they already believe in it. But
the special thing about it, the thing truly special is the spirit that
testifies when we read and search it with an open heart. It is one thing to
believe in it and it is another to receive a testimony of it. The people that
not just read the Book of Mormon, but search it, these are the ones that
receive a testimony. When read, the Book of Mormon gives good advice, but when
studied and sought, we are taught from on high, The Spirit of the Lord descends
upon us to enlighten our minds, the veil becomes very thin in these
moments. We have
the promise of the Lord that those who read, lets change this word to study,
study this book, will receive the Holy Ghost to testify to them. Any one can do
it.
I bear my
testimony that the Book of Mormon comes from God. That it is a divine book. Not
written by just men, but by angels. Can we not consider someone held above the
rest because of their faith to see beyond the veil, angels? I know that it is
true.
I Love you
all and am very grateful for how much I have been blessed in my
life, I don´t know what I have done to deserve all of my blessings.
Elder
Bradley J. Dawson
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