So, I'm being transferred! After a very short stay in Piracicaba I'm already leaving. I don't know to where yet. Honestly, I've been a little down and out these last few weeks - we haven't been seeing any success whatsoever in Santa Rosa, and there were also some problems with the family of L...but, I think this change will be good for me. I was a little worried (well, maybe a lot worried) that Elder McCann would be transferred and I would be the one left in charge of knowing the area - the roads, the buses, the members...I had kind of prepared myself mentally for it, but I didn't even expect that I would be the one to go. Maybe God's giving me another opportunity to really focus during the work and put into memory the roads and names that I should remember.
[AJ's thoughts on reverence in sacrament meetings on Sundays, per a question from his Dad on the topic] By being reverent, we show God that we love him and respect him, and we are more able to feel the Spirit and receive revelation. It is also of greater importance to us as missionaries because without the Spirit we are useless in God's hands. For me, the sacrament has become much more important. Because in the mission field I make mistakes every day, and it feels great to sit in the chapel every Sunday and just start the week over and brush off the dust. When I take the sacrament I think to myself, right now I am a new missionary, this week I will work harder. So those moments during the sacrament have become a bigger deal to me, and if there isn't reverence during those moments, it gets harder to concentrate on the purpose of the sacrament, and thus harder to enjoy the blessings that it has to offer.
Regarding Dia de Graças [Thanksgiving], it is somewhat known here in Brasil, but no one celebrates it. I have hardly seen any Americans in Brasil (in fact I haven't seen one in Piracicaba) so I would guess the Americans that do live here celebrate Thanksgiving just to keep the American tradition going.
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| AJ having a 'snack' of cockroaches ;-) |
Also, about "oppa gangnam style" - it's really popular here! We hear it at least once every day, whether its cars passing by blasting music or the radio playing in the stores. That, and that one song "just call me baby" or something.
Ok, sorry for the short email, we had a churrasco [barbecue] again today so we're short on time - I'm also going to pass by and say goodbye to some folks here in Piracicaba.
Tchau Tchau! Muito Obrigado pelos emails! [Bye Bye! Thank you for your emails!]
Elder Bradford
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| Our zone [of missionaries] in Piracicaba! (It was also the birthday of Elder Sego there in the middle) |
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| We did a Family Home Evening night with a family new in the church and the Bishop's family. We played this one game where you put a paper on your forehead with something unknown to you written on it, and you have to ask questions in order to figure out what it is. We got the papers on everyone's forehead and then I pulled out the camera "E agora, a gente tira foto!" [And now, we take a picture!] I got them good. :D |
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| So right now we're working with a lady called D to quit smoking. She has some mental problems too so it's making it a little difficult. Here's a picture of the cigarettes we took from her house the first day. Her motivation to quit smoking? The 'L&M' on the cigarette box are coincidentally the initials of a relative of hers that if I'm not mistaken died from cigarette use. |
