Office Elders at the Botanical Garden in Porto Alegre

Meus Queridos,

This may be a strange time to write or receive a letter, but we will be helping President with a ton of things for transfers all day so we will be writing right now. We actually were told to change our p-day this week, we had it yesterday and I will be sending some awesome photos of what we did.

Zone conference was able to help a lot of missionaries! It is always a pleasure to look at the weekly results Monday morning and see that we were able to help and make a difference :) It is one of the best feelings serving as an assistant. 

Yes, E. Tolentino will be leaving the office, almost 99% sure of that. He wants to leave and train in his last two transfers. I am his third companion from AZ so he will have to visit Arizona one day! In about an hour we will find out everything about the transfer and give our suggestions. I don’t know how it worked when a few of you were serving missions, but we give suggestions a week ahead of time of who could become a leader and things like that and then President thinks and prays to know what he should do. We will then enter his office, see the transfer (that is a big board on his office wall) and give a few ideas. President has been very inspired with these first transfers of his. That is easy to see.

So yesterday for p-day, we cleaned our house (you will be happy to know that I am the cleanest Mom:) ), I got my hair cut (I didn’t cut it myself because we have transfers and I didn’t want to mess up) ,then we went to the Jardim Botânico, Botanical Garden, which was a very nice time to relax. We got to see all of the different types of vegetation that they have here in Brasil and some weird animals! The jardim botânico was awesome because it was just this little piece of jungle in the middle of the city. I will send some pics. We went with Elder Fernandes and Elder Kunzler. We then walked to our commitment in the center. We walked about an hour and a half..ha. I am fighting to use the same 2 pairs of shoes my whole mission. There is no way that I am going to buy new ones! They are holding up nicely.

The weather here is a little cold one day and then hot the next, but it is definitely getting into summer very fast, yesterday we spent most of the day all sweaty. I know that sounds gross, but that’s our life here for half the year.

Speaking of the political race, I received my ballot! I will be voting, don’t worry. A lot of people make commentaries about the political race here, and I can’t talk politics so it gets kind of frustrating sometimes. A few nights ago a woman, during a lesson, went off saying horrible things and insulting the US. I just kept quiet and brought us back onto the subject we were teaching. But she recognized that she was wrong and apologized. Things like this always happen and are happening with more frequency. As for the polls, we really do have to take into consideration all of the people that showed up to vote for Obama the last time all at once, no one was expecting that. It could very well happen again. I predict that it will. What a lot of people have to understand is that this is not an election of race, but of ideas and morals. You want racism to end? Then stop feeding it. I am anxious to talk politics at home.

What I would tell a high school senior doing mission prep? This is the work of The Lord, not ours. This work is the most serious thing in the world. Everyday it is becoming more challenging and in need of servants more mature, more ready, more dedicated. The mission is not just another pass in life, another thing to mark off the check list and it certainly should not be treated lightly. Something I could never understand was the difference between animation, happiness, the fire to do the work, and taking this work, in fact everything of the Lord, seriously. How can we be animated, laugh and be a good example and be so serious understanding that this work is much bigger than anyone of us? Elder Holland was an excellent example of this in his visit here. He was a very, very happy person that played around with us, but I have never seen anyone become so serious when talking about the errands of the Lord. This work is not ours, these two years or 18 months are not ours. We are saying that we will be tools in the hands of the Lord for this time and leave everything, family, friends, school, hobbies, and personal thoughts, at home. On the mission these things work against us. We must become sanctified and consecrated, leaving behind all affairs. This work is not ours, but the Lord’s. That is what I would say to someone preparing to serve a mission, they need to become mature, and fast.

I have not been able to talk to Leonell or his family dad, but I have gotten to see pictures from two weeks ago when he baptized his son and daughter. :)

Oh and sweets with meat is not a regular thing here dad, just there at the Lobão. But you got it, you explained the lobão perfectly.

Abby is giving her farewell talk?? Wow! Tell her I said good luck. Oh and to not worry about the congregation of 400 that is going to be watching, haha. Kidding, it will be great.

This week I was able to see how the enemy is working against those that are close to entering into his...rebanho...translation please! Our friend Juan is amazing, he recently had a little boy. He is ready and waiting to be baptized, he will get married to his girlfriend, and then baptized. Recently we have been feeling that we need to visit him a little extra, and it is a good thing that we did. The enemy has been attacking him from all sides and it is one of the saddest things that we have seen! The most horrible things are happening and it is testing his faith. We were able to stay by his side and help him, spiritually nourishing him to recover his faith and forces to stay away from sin and temptation.....

Well I started writing this in the morning and am now coming back to finish and put up pics...One of the perks is I already know who will be my companion! He only has 3 transfers left on the mission so I could stay with him 1 transfer and then he could train the next in 2 or I could stay with him 2 and he could train the next assistant in 1 or....well there are a lot of options. But I am so excited!! He won’t find out until Sunday night.

Well that is all I have for now!

Thank you for the letters and thanks for the letter and tie, Brandon and "Lys"!

I love you all and I will tell you all how transfers went in one week! :)

Elder Bradley J. Dawson