I'm super excited for your Choose the Ride bike ride to the Portland temple this coming week. I wish I could be there - but I will pray for you guys, so when you get to mile 25 and can't go farther, just remember I'm here in Brasil praying for you!
So about your question about temples in Brasil, there was a time when it would take a trip of several days to get to the closest temple. The people in the north part of Brasil especially had to make a lot of sacrifice to make it to the temple, which is one of the reasons the dedication of the Manaus temple was a big deal. Today it's not as hard to get to the temple, but not anywhere as easy as it is in the States! To get to the temple would be a 2-3 hour drive by car from Botucatu or 4 hours by bus. I think the district here organizes a van to take people to the temple once every month. The people here don't make very much money, so going to the temple makes a considerable dent on their budget.
About Presidente Perrotti, I think he's a cool guy. He has that kind of youngish-stake-presidency countenance. He has a good sense of humor and jokes around with the missionaries, but he is also serious about the work. He has an energy about him that drives the people around him to do better. I've only talked with him briefly 3-4 times so I don't know much about him. Elder Hill says that he likes Pres. Perrotti, but he misses Pres Tanner as he was more like a 'grandpa' for the missionaries.
Ok, what do I want to talk about today?? Not very many awesome things have happened over the last 4 days. We have had a few negative and interesting things happen, which I hesitate to write about. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the exact same there in the Harmony Ward as it is in the tiny Botucatu 1st Branch...but the people are not! Sometimes things happen here in the church that would be considered out of place in the States, but it's just because the Church is mostly a first or second generation thing here. The processes, traditions, and etiquette we take for granted and are expected to know in the States are new to the people here. For example, yesterday during testimony meeting a lady got up just to ask the congregation for someone with the priesthood to go visit her grandson, who is going through a dark time and was in jail recently. I think she bore her testimony too, but I don't remember for sure. There was a comfort blessing given one time in Elder's quorum, and the president asked everyone in the room with the priesthood to join. So, we had 20 people gathered around the guy...we left some new investigators sitting there thinking what on earth. Things like that are done out of good intentions, but I just thought that was interesting. Some of the members here have some of the most powerful testimonies of the gospel I've ever seen. The youth like to hang out and goof around just like in the States.
So yeah, that's about all I have time to write! Eu amo vocês! Abração! [I love you! big hug!]
Elder Bradford
AJ out in the sticks of Botucatu
