Dear Family!
I guess I owe you some explanations, about the pictures from last week! That drink that I am holding that looks like the goblet of fire is chimarrão. They all drink it down here! It is a very...natural? drink. It can be pretty bitter at times, but it is growing on me. The plate of black stuff with bananas in it is feijão! They all eat this here, I eat this every day. It is black beans, some real cheap meat, and other ingredients that I don´t know. But Elder Arauju says that his mom always used to put some bananas in it. Apparently a lot of people like this here; I am also drinking a smoothie I think. We make a lot of fruit smoothies for breakfast. We are actually going to central today to buy some granola to mix in them. The green writing on the wall was that laser that Brandon and Alyssa sent me. I did extended exposure and can write just about anything! 15 seconds of open shutter! I hope I covered everything! Ask if you have any other questions. Oh and the one with all the missionaries is our zone in our building, the stake center.
I am working on getting some pictures of our English class and investigators. Hopefully I will have some where we are wearing white soon! :) But as you can imagine it would be kinda of weird to pull out my camera at the end of a lesson and snap a picture... But I am working on it!
My week has gone well! Lots of rain and wind, but we got a day of sunshine too. It can be more difficult to encounter people in the rain, but just keep working! Missionary work is starting to progress here! All the focus is on the youth right now that we can´t get any adults at the activities, but this is starting to change. The area is being blessed. Com certeza, but we still have a lot more we can do to progress.
Sounds exciting there at home! And sounds like a lot of cool movies are coming out; I have the privilege of seeing the propagandas on the back of all the onibuses. So this is how it turns out, Ashley is the last one at home, you feel sad for her, and she gets everything her young heart could desire! Haha, well we all knew it would happen...kinda of happened to me too! But that is crazy that school is starting already for her! She is going to be crazy busy. Daniel may have paved the road, but I lined it with diamonds, ha. Joking! That is really exciting though, I always liked the beginning of the year. You are actually going to let her drive?! The mustang at that?! Well I am at the very bottom of Brazil so I think I should be safe... I think. Kidding, besides, this is good for you Ash, with no one else at home who is supposed to tease you? Brincadeira! Remember who you are, high school, although it has a lot of cool things, is a trap for a lot of kids. But you have never had a problem with that.
Wow, Tell Dougy and K dog I say hi! And I am sorry I harassed them so much, ha. But that is really exciting. I have a feeling that you are going to be informing me about a lot marriages around there in the next 20 months.
Wow Dan! That is an awesome experience to see someone that you helped go through the temple. I hope to do that one day. How was the trip? I´m sure Dan loved getting out of the heat. Wow, Adam is going to be busy with that rotation starting...today? But that is awesome, he will do great.
Bentz is in the MTC! Crazy! But that is way awesome, I am so excited for him and Erik, they are going to be great missionaries.
Ipanema is staying cool...and very wet. Humid climates are strange and very foreign for me. Whenever any one hears that I am from Arizona they say, 'Oh like the bangy bangy movies!', haha and they say that AZ had a dust storm! Crazy! What´s the deal with that?
Good call with the dogs. It would be hard getting a new dog after losing Toby like we did. Tyler Francis gets home that soon! Crazy! Oh and have him tell you about how crazy it must have been having that huge soccer tournament in Argentina! Although I was told they got out pretty fast.
So an update on all the people we are teaching right now:
Mateus- He has accepted all the lessons, just lacking tithing and fasting. But he should be baptized on the 27th! He was scheduled for the 2oth but he couldn´t go to church yesterday and he has to go 2 times.
Vitor- Vitor is not showing much interest, like he knows he should have the desire, but is lacking it. He has not been reading the Book of Mormon, so this past week we passed with Bruno, member, and testified of the BOM and its importance, I think we got our message across... ;)
Maria- This is sad, I know, but Maria is the first person to let us enter her house in 6 weeks! We found her ´clapping doors´ha. (we don't knock here, we clap). But she had the lessons a long long time ago and is now accepting them again. She lives with her son and 5 grand kids. She is very accepting and very nice. We have taught her about the Livro de Mormón and the restoration. She has accepted to be baptized the 27th if she receives her answer by then. Which she will if she reads and prays with the desire to know.
Just some things going on here...
We had a family night with Irmão Pedro and made pizzas! We had a bunch of different kinds, even chocolate and strawberries! My idea :) They are an awesome family. We did this yesterday night, while you all we getting together too! We now have these big posters outside the chapel for our English classes...we have already gotten a lot more people talking to us about it! The ward is now starting to take off! Starting, it is still leaving the paper and turning into activity, but it is happening. A lot of families are starting to give us referrals and we even got a referral from President Swenson the other day! Well I have to go, but thank you for everything. You are all great examples to me and I am trying to be the missionary you hope I am. Please pray for the people in our area, that they will gain the desire to learn of the truth. I love you all and am grateful for all the prayers!
Com Amor,
Elder Bradley Joseph Dawson
So the rapaz with the longboard, same one as Torrin, is Jamies, or junior. He is 20 and we are working with him to go on a mission. We are at the church on Friday night for their seminary. And the others are of me cutting my hair! Woo! I am getting pretty good...4 on top, 3 on the sides.
