Bradley's 4-16-12 Letter just arrived! It's ONE YEAR this Friday!!

Hi Fam!

Happy Birthday Mom and Adam! I am so sorry that i forgot to say that last week! I got home after we sent our emails and realized that it was this past week! Make sure to send a pic from the suns game!

So my new companion, the last pic, is Elder Bezerra! He is from Rio Grande do Norte, Natal. His accent is so funny too!! I love it. He is an amazing elder, we are great friends already. And we are having alot of success together. He has already made me kuzkuz several times. It is a tradicional dish on the north side of Brasil. It is flakes of corn in a special cooker and you can add whatever you want, it is good with some butter and sausage. kuzkuz is that yellow powder looking stuff in the pic.

I am also sending a picture with elder De Oliveira at the bus station before he went home. Sad day. Everyone i know on the mission is going home! oh well!

Thiago is doing well. Yesterday at church he was looking very sad, it was easy to tell that something wasn´t right. Later that night on splits with Fabio, we went to his house to talk. He is having some difficulties with his faith and testimony in some things. He is so worried and looking so hard that it was literally hurting him. I won´t go into the details, but the spirit told me to share some scriptures with him and give him a blessing. I am not exactly sure what that blessing was for him, but it was a powerful experience for me. The subject of which i was to speak entered into me, i knew what i should say. I know Thiago will be an incredible missionary and testimony one day because of this. If we suffer all these things with faith, patience, and persistence, it will serve for our wellbeing. We are excited and anxious to see if his baptism will be this friday at 6:30 or no. He and Estefani will be baptized at the same meeting. :) All of your prayers for him to receive an answer and stay strong with his faith will be greatly appreciated. Please remember him in every prayer.

Estefani is doing great! We are setting up a wedding for her parents Isabel(member) and Josemar too! That should be fun!

Yesterday we were at the choiir practice, our branch needs our voices...if they need me, they must be hurting :) but during the practice a young man of 16 years entered and sat down. I have never seen him before, but i half walked, half ran to the bench where he sat. His name is Josue, he was passing, heard the singing and the piano and fealt that he should enter. He was feeling the spirit very strongly. It was hitting me like a brick wall. He fealt it too, and commented on the peace, the undescribable feeling he was having. He just smiled with a loss of words. I taught him about the restoration while all of the choir and my companion were singing hyms to invite the spirit and eagerly watching. It was a moment very spiritual. Because of a family situation, we cannot visit him at home, he does not have a phone, and just promised that he would return for the baptism on friday. He accepted a Book of Mormon and promised to read and pray about it. I love my life as a representative of Jesus Christ. I am without a doubt that this is the church of Jesus Christ. That Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Christ the Savior. and that the Book of Mormon are the words of Christ.

We taught Lindomar this week too. It was raining like crazy with alot of wind and my umbrella was broken due to the wind, but we saw his door open and decided to return(we had already tried to visit earlier that day). He accepted us in, even though i was very wet. To be short due to time, he had a problem with idols, we were very honest to our purpose and showed some scriptures that would help. He told us that he had never had an experience like this talking about God and what he expects of us. He is eagerly going to read the book of mormon.

I love you all and am without a doubt that this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, There is no way for someone to deny this when the Spirit testifies of this.

Love Elder Bradley J Dawson

April 9, 2012

(Bradley talks about pictures, but forgot to attach them or they didn't come through.  Hopefully, we will get them next week)

Dear Family!

So, Elder Oliveira is going to be transferred tomorrow and I am going to stay! The other missionaries in the pictures are Elder Videira and Elder Bordolli, from Argentina.  They are serving in Belem Novo and excellent missionaries! The Easter sucker was a present because we had a competition with our work...we won :) The churrasco was yesterday…At Fabio´s house!  This guy is the man. He helps us out alot! Oh and look at all the chicken heart ;) and the little thing that looks like an embryo is a nut of some kind that we eat at Thiago´s house! Pretty good! It just looks really funny :)

Easter was wonderful! We even got some goodies from the branch :)  Friday we had a great activity in the branch. We had a lot of member and nonmembers! Oh and Thiago brought his sister and friends! Pretty soon we will be teaching that whole house :)

I think that covers the pictures...I hope!

Easter sounds like it was awesome for you all! For good friday everyone here eats fish...and mostly they don´t eat meat. It is a Catholic thing that has turned into tradition. There is no doctrine behind it. How could there? But needless to say, we ate fish for lunch Saturday!! It was the first time in a long time, and it was sooo good. Wow, I miss fish! But it was funny, because that night we had the Branch activity with little churrasco spits! There is another church, one that just yells and yells, on the side of ours. But it was funny because everyone that passed gave dirty looks because we were eating meat on Good Friday. But everyone enjoyed it and it was a great time for our investigators to make friendship with the members!

This Sunday we had 3 speakers that dominated and Thiago loved it! We got a bunch of candy, and I gave out a bunch of dum dums!

Thiago is the man. When we teach something, it is like he already knows, it is like the veil is very thin for him! I guess that would be the aspect of an elite and the spirit in this work. When we teach or talk about a principle, he understands and accepts everything. He really felt the spirit at general conference too. Something interesting- when we talked about the Plan of salvation, he found it very interesting, because the translation of his Bible is different.  This is a real problem here. The scriptures about the degrees of glory were different. But we were able to explain a little bit about the Bible and the problems that happened through the years, and the importance of the Book Of Mormon! Oh and he is already at Ether 3.... Yeah, he is the man :) He is a great friend!

The responsibilities here are going great! It is really helping me to learn more and feel more love for everyone. Like you said Dad, love for the people you are serving and leading, is the first step. I thought I didn’t have time left before...but now, bah! I am so busy now! But I love it! This transfer passed sooo fast!

I was able to learn a lot this week about our Savior Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. I love Easter. These last few days are the most important in all history. Without those, we would not be here, we would have no purpose.

I love you all, and I love my Savior.

Elder Dawson

April 2, 2012

Oi!
Alright, I get it, happy April fools day! No way Ashley will get that mustang! You can´t fool me. But the pictures are pretty sweet! I don´t want to think about what I will have at home when i get there...I am trusting you with this decision!! :)

So General conference was great! Elder Holland was my favorite as always, he just dominates everytime. He calls everyone to repentance. Unfortunately I did not get to see the Priesthood sesssion, but we will get to read it and someone from the Stake is going to put it on dvd for us. The first and second session we watched at the Ipanema chapel, we brought with us Iara, the mom of Ana Paula that was baptized recently. She is the one in those pics with a lady dying her hair, ha, I thought it was funny. I don´t think she was ready for the picture. But the First Sunday session we watched with a family that is less active, and has a daughter that was never baptized! Isabel, the mom, and Estefani, is her little girl. We watched that at a member´s house off his laptop hooked up to the tv. Then we went to get Thiago and got a bus to the Ipanema chapel to watch the last session. It was perfect, Thiago got to see a real chapel and he loved it. That guy is an elite. He is passing alot of time with us too.

Thiago has 21 years, and is currently not working but is looking. He lives with his grandma, but on the same land as his mom, sister, uncle and their kids. Another thing I love about Brasil, the whole family stays right there! We went to the end of the world looking for an address that didn´t exist and I did a contact with him! He is reading praying and activily searching. Friday night he went to our branch family night with his sister Rafaela and loved it.  Today he went to a zone pday to play soccer, billiards, and eat churrasco. And in another hour we will do a family night with him at Iara and Ana Paula´s house.

So the pday today...we talked to a member in another ward and he arranged for us to go to his ...club?? i don´t know what you would call it. But there was a big soccer field, a place to sit and eat and a pool table. It was great, our zone accomplished a goal so we did this! It was $5 from every missionary. After playing soccer for 3 hours I am dead, woo!

The English class is excellent.  This morning Thiago, Alexandre (a friend of Thiago), Ilda, and Taçiara went. They are all learning great and it is a fun class! Thiago already speaks english very well, so he is mostly helping the others! We have our classes every Monday and Saturday morning at 9 until 10:30.  My responsabilities here are great! It is hard to keep up with the work in your area sometimes becuase you are taking care of everyone else, ha, but we find a way. My companion is good, he ends his mission in May.

Your Elder Carter there looks like he has really left a mark! The people we meet on the mission leave a mark on us too! Because of the transfer, Ana Paula and her mom are very worried, already cried a little bit! Iara would have a son that is our age and she feels the loss of his presence, but fills it with us. That and Ana´s dad left them some time ago. They are a family very special. They already are planning on visiting arizona in 2015! Ha!

I would like to wish Daniel and Brandon good luck!! I am praying for your success!!

The ***************** as the prom gift will be sweet.  Everyone is going to love that! Why didn´t i think of that!?!? You might want to erase this so no one knows...

Cristiano and Daiana are good. Their work break is over and it is getting very hard to encounter them, but i will give an update on that later!

We met Isabel and Samuel, less actives, that will be returning, well at least Isabel.  Estefani, who we will baptize at the end of this month :) Yesterday she asked if I have a girlfriend, haha.

Hope you like the picture of the triple banana!! :) it was delicious!

I love you all!

Love, Elder Bradley J Dawson

March 26, 2012

Oi!

Everything is great here in Túnel Verde! Loving life. And yes mom, i am getting fed, the grocery store is close to home, and our apartment is spick and span. a really good apartment too. In another continent and still checking if i am making my bed ;) ha.

This weekeng for conference we will be able to watch at the church building in Ipanema. So excited! If we are accompanying someone we can go to the Saturday sessions and we will just have to waite until the Liahona gets here for the Priesthood session.

The hunger games movie must have been pretty incredible! How was Dr. House? He was the trainer right? I bet they will already have the second one when i get back! Ha!

I liked the picture of Lucy´s cast! That is too funny. And they decorated it! Ha.

Prom was cool just to show up and then leave, it is not a friendly environment in the least. 

Ashley with another stang?! Ha, i don´t know what kind of car you should get, one that will last the longest, but still get me dates after the mish ;).

Route 66 is really good! I have ate there 2 times. But it is a little pricy. And the chicken heart is good. I am telling you right now, i am going to cook some up for you at home!

So i am not sure if the package arrived still, but i will have to buy another flashdirve here dad, The price is basically the same. That way i can take more photos.

Winter is arriving! It is starting to get cold at night and slowly staying cold for a little longer every day.

So this week we started a english class!! Every saturday and monday at 9 in the morning we are teaching two people from the other elders in belem novo and getting a few more too.

This week was great! We already have to go because of the time! The internet place closes here in 2 minutes!

I love you all and remembering you in my prayers! 

Love,

Elder Bradley J. Dawson

March 19, 2012

Hey there!!

Yes, this area reminds me a little of mexico too, but still has  something way different. And the humidity , mom, don´t even mention it haha. You can take a shower, but never dry off! Ha, it is the most incredible thing i have ever seen! But it rained a bit this week and since it is not getting so hot! We only wear our suits for special meetings or conferences and winter, other than that you would just melt right out of it, ha.

Yes, i am in a branch now, but it is very strong and so so so very close to turning into a ward. I love this place.

Wow! I just showed Elder Oliveira the picture of all the snow and he couldn´t believe it! I couldn´t believe it! Hey, but winter is coming up here shortly for me :) But i think i have been mutated by the sun here, the slightest cold, and i´m freezing! Oh well, just got to adapt again. It is a different world here because no one has air conditioning. So the heat is normal!

Bah, that is way cool that Tyler is now a married man, so fast too! Ha maybe i´ll get lucky too!

Thanks for all of the bday wishes! I got daniel and liz´s package when i got in this area haha. Thanks guys! I know you wanted all of the boncy balls to go everywhere, but it didn´t work! :) Oh and mom, i loved the taffy from dland!!! For my bday a recent convert, Ana Paula, and her family bought two huge pizzas and cake! It was way good. The pizza here is completley different. We had Chicken heart, 4 cheese, roots of...something, and 5 other types! They even sang happy birthday in english, haha. Love that family. I will send pics this next week, this computer doesn´t have the input i need.

Hey can you give a big hug to the Kormans and Evans!! I loved the poster!! We will have to hang out when i get back. Who knows, go to dland.

Alexandra Lundberg is engaged?! I never even got a dear john!!! And the worst, i am getting this news from my parents, ugh. Well so much for my plan B, ha! Congrats Alexandra!! I am still expecting that dear john...and those cookies that never got to the mtc ha, i know you ate them.

Oh the hunger games! The Jogos Vorazes! I have been seeing posters on the busses for that! Go see it mom! it looks way good! But enders game will be better for sure. Those books were epic.

Tunel verde is the name of our work area, the name of the neighborhood where we work is Ponta Grossa and Chapeu do Sol. They are super good areas to work. We found many new people to teach, and are anxious to acompany them!

The Edson family is reading, we just had to help them a little with prayer. And we met a new couple that is really amazing. Their names are Cristiano and Daiana. They are not married, but want to! It was a street contact two weeks ago and we passed today, when we marked, and it was great! Super open! Just a hard schedul to accompany them.

Alright, this is for all the men in the family.  I am working towards more baptisms. When you find people, what is the best way to take them until baptism? I beleive it is accompaning them daily or every other day to really receive an answer and visits with members.. any ideas? It can be short an dsimple!

I love you all and will fill you in on things to come! The other internet place was closed and we are going to work!!

Com Amor!

Elder Bradley J. Dawson

March 12, 2012

Hey Family!
Wow, life is pretty busy as you can imagine. But I am loving it! Wouldn´t trade it for anything. And more than anything, I am loving this area and our branch. And our zone too! This is a great opportunity!

 

Kyle, You are the man! I know that you are going to love the mission. It is the best place for you to be and although we help people to find Christ, we find Him ourselves, just a little more, every day. I know you will be an awesome missionary.

Ashley your prom pics were really great! You looked beautiful!  You look like a woman already. And you are lucky, i have never been to ahso!

 

Wow, club 33 mom! That is pretty cool. Did you take pictures? Were you allowed to take pictures?? I would have loved that place. I think i am turning into a Doug Evans...ha! Did they have a bunch of historicall disney stuff? What was there??? Tell Waddie hi.  I recently got a letter from her.

 

Happy bday Zander man!! 3 years old?! Bah, i am  not eve3n going to recognize the kid when i get home! Does he have a bike?

 

Wow, Tyler gives hope to all missionaries, ha. I feel like he got home yesterday!! Parabens cara!!

 

Going to the Temple with the Elders tomorrow sounds like a great idea! Oh i miss the Temple sooo much! I was wondering when the next temple trip here is. I want to go again with President and Sister Swenson before they leave.

 

Ha, maybe i don´t have to do anything special on my birthday! There is a part member, recent convert family in our branch that apparently loves me because they made lasagna for us 2 days ago and are going to get some pizza and ice cream for me tomorrow, i denied and denied, but they want to! I don´t know if you have seen the pizza here...but it is something else. I will take a picture.

 

Daniel Costa is a good kid and really amazing.

 

Oh and daylight savings time ended about 3 weeks ago. it is 4:51 right now.

 

So this week we were able to have some success! Oh and i did my first baptismal interview with Alan! That was a special exérience. He was baptized on saturday. And while I was there in Belem Novo on splits I had some funny experiences. Lets just say that some girls started talking to us on one end of the bus stop and by the time they got their bus I had my feet half way off the other end...yeah. One day you can read my journal to see all the crazy things that happened there. Like about the Jehovas witness which is weird because usually they evade us.

 

We started teaching a really special famil; Edson, Regina and Gabriela,8.  It was interesting, we were melting on Saturday. As we passed by this house I remembered that we had done a contact there, the car was there too. So we knocked and entered! It was great! Not only because it was the only house in the neighborhood with air conditioning, but the family was very receptive and we are currently praying for them to remember to pray, and read the Book of Mormon. If they do this then they will receive a n answer for sure!

 

Another person is Adão...or Adam. His wife, who was a member died 9 years ago and he was going to be baptised but moved and lost contact....and we bumped into him :) Really we were helping a new Argentinian Elder break his fear of street contacts and it was his contact! He was way excited and hasn´t had a problem since :)

 

Our district and zone mtgs are every tuesday, if we don´t have another meeting.  We prepair and train the missionaries on something there.

 

I love you all and I really have to go due to time!

Love, Elder Bradley J. Dawson

 

PS. Enjoy the map of our area! :)

March 5, 2012

Hey!

Wow, so you all already know where i am! That is crazy! I am in Túnel Verde, at the bottom of Porto Alegre. It is not that big of a place, but i love it. I have actually already passed a nights here on splits. It is the area right below Ipanema, crazy! But i used to do splits here because it is the area of the zone leaders....suprise!! Ha. Usually President calls an elder to let him know about the new position. But i showed up to the bus station in Porto Alegre with everyone saying congrats! Including Elder Arauju who went home last week. I am way excited and humbled by this opportunity.

Oh Daniel, i am going to miss that guy! And everyone else! The picture with the 2 young men are his brothers. the married couple is Nair and Flavio and with the hot sauce is with my new companion elder Oliveira.

Elder Oliveira was in this same zone when i got on the mission, but i didn´t really know him, and then he was my zone leader in Bagé, so i already know him! He is from Pará. It should  be great working with him.

Wow, Mom, you are just out partying all the time now huh!? I hope you are enjoying club 33 and the most magical place on Earth! Tell Waddie hi and give her a firm handshake :) Are you going to read this on your phone? That would be cool. Just don´t cry in front of all those people....ha!

The baptism of Danusa was great! I am glad you liked the pics! It was a special experience. And yes dad, i was not to eager to leave that ward or area, it was gold, pure gold. ha But hey, why can´t every area be that way! I am quickly falling in love with our area and branch here.

Oh and that was cool that you have already looked up the area, but are you sure that you researched the right place??? I have seen one road here with trees hanging over it and was not as epic as you made it sound...ha. This branch is right below the Ipanema ward, if that will help. The other day at our District/zone meeting i actually got to talk to one of the members from Ipanema, that was way cool. And i don´t think that we have any huge buildings in our area. I will be sure to send another picture of my area with the maps and everything to give you an idea of our exact area. Oh and i got the V-day package and one from Daniel and Liz! Thank you!!! I am loving it. Is that d-land taffy? It is incredible.

The branch here is excellent, i love it. It is full of members that are actively working to improve themselves and this branch. It is so easy to see when a member is doing the things that they need to do and doing their visits every month. We have a family night of our branch every week too. I left a message and we had some great games. Our elders quorumn president is a convert of 8 months that is on fire, his councelor, Fabio, is the man. He served a mission some time ago and is married with a cute little girl. All in all, i am so excited to help turn this branch into a ward, it is so very close.

Dad the picnic in the park activity sounds like it was a giant success. I am so jealous too. I am going to copy the words of the mission president. I want you to bottle up that energy and send it fed ex to our mission. That is so awesome that so many pepole got to see the church like this and meet so many members. Got pics? Just a few.

Well this wednesday we had a meeting at the mission office with President and Sister Swenson, the assistants and all the zone leaders, that was a way good meeting where i learned a lot. When we were leaving it started to rain like crazy. But i got to dry off on the big bus ride :) Friday we had a district meeting and the rest of the time, we are running our tails off working in our area and thinking about how to help our zone!

I will be sure to tell you a whole lot more about the area, members and some new investigators this next week!,Just know that i am keeping busy and loving this!

Love, 

Elder Bradley J. Dawson