We LOVE our investigators!

Elder Dawson and Elder Lindsey in Porto Alegre for Zone Council.

Elder Dawson seeing old friends in the office.

Dear Home, (That should include about everyone)

Well I am great as always, another awesome week!

Claudio and Caia are great! Their baptism will be this Saturday at 19:30...is it weird that we use military time here? Ha I kind of like it. They went to church this Sunday and loved it. Elder Askonavieta is going to baptize them, we are super excited. Elder Askonavieta told us that he has another family that he wants us to teach after the baptism of Claudio and Caia too :) I am soo happy! Claudio and Caia actually offered to give us lunch this last Saturday. Before you all react to what it was that we ate, let me be the first to say that it was one of the best things that I ate here on the mission so far....cow tail! It was delicious!! I know what you are thinking, "first chicken heart, now cow tail, what’s next??" But it was actually really, really good! I did not have my camera with me or I would have taken a picture. There were actually several moments this past week when I wanted to take a few pictures but I did not have my camera with me. It is dangerous and we are told to not walk around with it but I will try to take more pics from here on out. They put the cow tail meat in a steamer and you steam it and then cook it with potatoes. I will have to cook some up for you all. The key is to clean off all of the fat and there is actually quite a bit of meat.

Kaué is going to be baptized, but probably not this week. We are not able to talk to him a whole lot but yesterday after church we were able to teach him some commandments. He frequented another church a long time and is now switching so it is a strange experience but he is adjusting well. We will go over and talk to him and his mom this week and see what happens because she is pretty strong in another church. But he wants to be baptized and he is feeling that it is the right thing to do. On our lesson on Sunday the Holy Ghost was present during his prayer and I asked him how he felt about all of this after the prayer and it was all pretty clear for him on what he should do. We are hoping that he will be a great example for his mom and 3 sisters and we can bring the whole family :) Another family! The gospel blesses everyone, but especially the family.

Marcos and Vanessa are well. Vanessa is still not able to see a whole lot but she went to church for the second time this last week. Marcos and her will be married here in 3 weeks and we are arranging the wedding :) haha missionary and wedding planner. What don’t you learn on your mission?? Marcos will be baptized on the 30th of this month :D   I am not sure if I told you all but we taught a family friend of Marcos that is really up there in another church close to here. We know that we should not argue, Paul was very clear about that in his letters to Timothy, so we testified and left. This friend was trying to turn Marcos away from us and the church but we visited Marcos and he stayed true to his testimony and everything that he has felt and seen. Watching Marcos in the Gospel Principles class is actually really funny, he looks more like an ancient member with all of the answers.

We love our investigators…

Oh and to answer your questions: we have a goal to do splits with Missionaries in our Zone at least one time a week to train and help out. Almost every missionary is his or her best when they are dividing, I don’t know why, but they are. So we are doing that quite a bit. I went on splits this last week with Elder Bordolli in Tres Vendas, it was really cool. I love elder Bordolli. I was his ZL when he got on the mission a year ago haha, he has now trained two times already....getting old on the mission, it’s really weird. 

Sam is looking great! You will have to tell him hi and send a big hug his way! Oh and a sorry because I never got to write him back haha.

Wow! People like to run into Brandon a lot! haha!  This week we were coming back from a service project with Elder Maiava and his new comp Elder H. Silva when we heard tires screeching, we looked behind us to see a car run a stop sign and hit a man on a motorcycle. We saw him do a giant cartwheel in the air and hit the ground. He sat up and looked to be stunned, he was full of adrenaline I imagine. But there were many people there helping him and it looked like he was going to be okay, that and there were many witnesses. We are actually advised to stay away from situations like this if able.

Happy Bday Zander!!!

Wow! Tell Dane Lundberg hello for me!!! I really do like that guy a lot, the whole family actually.

I am in Porto Alegre right now so I am sure that I will get that package here in a few days :) We are here for zone counsel and I am here right now to help out with a few things.

So the transfer ends on May 14th and my plane will leave on the 15th. Yeah! haha.

Well family and friends, thank you for all of the support, I love you all and I am thrilled to be here. I love what I am doing. I am so grateful for the testimony I have received in my youth that this is the church of Christ and that Joseph Smith was called of God. He truly was prophesied about by many, many prophets of old and he really did do more for the salvation of mankind than any other, save the Savior Jesus Christ. Christ lives and this is His work.

I love you all!

Elder Bradley Joseph Dawson