Happy Birthday Papa Stevenson!!
And happy New Year for everyone else :)
Before
you start asking, I received a package from Adam and Nicole a few days
ago and the two packages from Dad and Mom yesterday :) Merry Christmas!
haha, I loved everything! Oh and Elder Singelo was very very pleased, he
is telling me to say thank you a million times, haha. Elder Fernandes
and Elder Kunzler were very pleased as well. Oh and the best of all was
that I was not charged anything and Brazilian customs did not open
anything!
New year was great! We were able to visit a few people but everyone went to the beach on the eastern coast of the city of Porto Alegre was pretty empty this last week. We spent New years eve...until 9:30, with Bishop Isaías and his family. His son returned from the mission in Florianópolis a little time ago. It was very neat to see his family and how the Gospel has helped them. He is serving as Bishop in a Ward with 10 ex Bishops haha. That could be a little stressful... But new years here is a big party. Everyone dresses in all white and goes to the beach, if it is close by, or they have a party, the same as us. But new years eve and day everyone was dressed in white. I guess that would be the big difference. But the two days were regular work days for us.
New year was great! We were able to visit a few people but everyone went to the beach on the eastern coast of the city of Porto Alegre was pretty empty this last week. We spent New years eve...until 9:30, with Bishop Isaías and his family. His son returned from the mission in Florianópolis a little time ago. It was very neat to see his family and how the Gospel has helped them. He is serving as Bishop in a Ward with 10 ex Bishops haha. That could be a little stressful... But new years here is a big party. Everyone dresses in all white and goes to the beach, if it is close by, or they have a party, the same as us. But new years eve and day everyone was dressed in white. I guess that would be the big difference. But the two days were regular work days for us.
Mexico sounds like it was fantastic!! You will have to enjoy Mexico
without me in April ;) ha ha. I will be practicing my Spanish until
that day comes. I was able to practice a little of the conjugation with
Sister Castro yesterday too. A funny story... I was preparing for the
Zone Council that will be on Tuesday when President called me in to ask
something. While I was in his office, He, Sister Castro, and their son,
Gabriel were all there cleaning his office. It was cool because they
started talking to me about life, what I would do, my plans for the
future. President joked around about them visiting me and my wife and
kids in a few years, haha. Gabriel is going to do a foreign exchange
program and I offered him a room. But at one point I told President that
he was saying the same things that you say, mom, everything about my
future, my wife and family, ha. But it was a good conversation, but a
little different from our normal conversations.
I am
excited to see Ashley´s senior pics, I will be sure to not show them to
anybody around here, that is for sure. Tell Ashley thank you for the email..oh wait. Kidding! But it would
be nice... a little email from her during the week ;) Oh, and she is not
allowed to talk to or date any guy that has already served a mission
until I get home. Its not just any RM that I will approve of.
Alright
alright, I was not that skinny as Santa Claus! I am weighing
156lbs...that is about the same when I left I believe. But don´t worry I
am trying to put on some weight so you can all stay calm over there. I
am going to start waking up a little earlier I think to be able to do
many exercises. I want to put on muscle weight, not fat.
Oh, and before I forget, Elder Fernandes is now with Elder Gomes and Elder Kunzler is with Elder Demars.
Oh,
and a little surprise for you all...Elder Bednar will visit our mission
on the 26th!!!!!! wooo!!!! I don´t know if I will be an AP then, but I
am very excited!!
Elder Sanchez, or Leo as you guys know him, is a crack up. I love
this guy, he is super funny and it is good working with him, he is very
honest and humble.
Luis is going to be baptized on
the 19th!!! Yes! We are very excited for him :):) He has come a long
way. He is almost stopped with coffee too. His friend, Daniel is going to
be baptized too. We are hoping for the same day, but it will probably
be in another few weeks.
We are planning many things for the Mission and several trainings
that we will be traveling to give in several areas of the Mission over
the next few months. I don´t know if I will be part of this or not, but
it is fun to see the future of the Mission. President Castro has a very
wide vision of this work and our Mission. I am very grateful for him.
I loved that message that you all created about my shoes. I hope to
one day show much more than my shoes to the Savior as a sacrifice of my
work. I know that this is His work. My testimony of the Savior has
grown so much during these months on the mission. I feel like I was lost
once but now I know the way. I feel that way every time I feel a
progression in my faith and salvation. These last two days the words of
Isaiah are in my mind. "orai e vigiai" I believe it is pray and watch in
English. There are many traps today and we really must orar e vigiar
everyday.
I love you all and will talk to you in a week!
Elder Bradley J. Dawson
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