Final Week in Vinhedo

Helllloooww Família!

I'm being transferred! I don't know where yet! Tomorrow, I'll find out if it's my destiny to stay here in Missão Brasil Campinas, or if I'm headed to the new Piracicaba mission! Also, Elder Zacheu will train a greenie [new missionary]! Yes, I was shocked, but he's super qualified...I know I didn't train him perfectly, but he's doing well and knows how to work. Also, Elder Gaines [another missionary in his apartment] is being transferred, which was even more surprising because he's only been in Vinhedo for one transfer.

I'm actually going to miss Vinhedo a lot. We've had a lot of success here. We've made a lot of friends. We've had a lot of trials. I have a lot of people to say goodbye to today. People who I may never see again during this life. There's Eurico and Simone and their family, Diógenes and Leia, Hiago and his family, Gabriel, Christian, Mazinho and Angela, Bishop Iglezia and his family...I hope there's time to talk to everyone.

I'm doing good, and I've learned a good deal here in Vinhedo, especially from Elder Zacheu. It was a little intimidating to train this young guy who already knows a good part about missionary work. We haven't always seen eye to eye, but he's a good guy who's out here for the right reasons. I've learned a lot about my own faults and what I can do to improve. There is really nothing like the mission to show you how imperfect you are! I was thinking about that. I think one success about the whole idea of the mission is that there is a clear bar placed waaay above our heads that we are expected to reach. We learn of others who reached that bar by reading their stories in the scriptures, and by studying the life of our Savior, the One who established the bar through his example. We learn how to reach the bar by applying the stuff in PMG [Preach My Gospel guide] and the missionary manual. I've never had such a high bar than when on this mission. And it's awesome because we see ourselves growing. Most don't actually touch the bar, but all missionaries end up growing. And it's the growth that matters.

Okay, have a great week!
Elder Bradgeefordgee

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AJ near central Vinhedo at Praça José Von Zuben square and 'The Fountain of Friendship'. The globe rotates on a column of water and has fiber-optic lights highlighting Brazil and Italy to pay tribute to the immigrants who built the history of Vinhedo.

May 27th letter

Hello my family!

Wow I was surprised to hear that the bishopric is going to change! Has it already been 5 1/2 years? It doesn't seem that long ago when Bishop McKague was called. Man it was so cool having him as our bishop. I wonder who will be the new head honcho of Harmony ward??

Me and Francisco

Saturday we visited Francisco. For about a month he has been staying at a ranch to help him with life. We visited him, and it was really cool! He has changed a lot. He's not just skin and bones anymore. He's got some meat on him. He's shaved and clean, doesn't stutter, acts normal -- he's the real Francisco again! He's loving it there. He'll stay another 5 months before heading back home. We went there with Brandão our Líder da Obra [local church leader] and his wife, as well as a previous bishop (just before the current one). He promised Francisco a job when his stay is over. I'm so happy for him!

Us, our Bishop, and Lavinia & family

We also had the baptism of Lavinia yesterday. She went to the baptism of Beatriz and felt the Spirit very strong, she then had the desire to be baptized! We talked a lot with her family, who is supportive of the decision. We taught her family too. The first lesson went very well and the Spirit was strong. At one point I wasn't even saying my own words, but the words that were coming to my head in the exact minute that I needed them. Kind of cool how the promises in the scriptures are fulfilled. Now if I could only be able to do this in every single lesson!!

We are also teaching this kid Gabriel who is super smart and has a looot of questions. Thanks for the love, and the prayers. Pray for Gabriel, he's needing them!

Elder Bradford

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The big guy who baptized Lavinia is a member of the ward who lives in the same bairro [neighborhood].
The other member in the suit is a recently returned missionary who helps us out a lot.

AJ, Francisco, and Elder Zacheu - the pictures below are of the ranch where Francisco is living

May 20th letter

Helllllooo,

Baptism of Beatriz

So all's going well with Hiago's family! Beatriz his sister was baptized yesterday. And this time their mom and dad went to church and the baptism! They are really supportive. They actually want to be baptized as well. We are also teaching one of Hiago's friends and one of Beatriz's friends. And they have a member who lives in front of their house who is helping a lot. The only hard thing is that the work schedule of Hiago and his mom have gotten a little difficult. We also found a few more families this week who are super cool, so the work is going well.

Yesterday, Eurico blessed the sacrament for the first time! Our bishop asked him last Sunday if he would do it, so Eurico spent the whole week practicing with the part in D&C that has the prayer, in a nervous fret. Then came Sunday and he asked that I bless with him to help him out, it was a little new for me also because there's a different routine for passing the sacrament than I'm used to. I told him to read the words real slow, but when he did it he seemed to be reading it as fast as he could, just to get it over with! But he got it right the first time! Man it reminds me of my first time, I think I was with Jacob Scoville or Conor Seat, I don't remember well but I remember that it was good that I had someone helping me out a lot.

In response to your questions, we do bus contacts every time we ride the bus, which is usually once per day.  That was my companion who took the picture [see last week's post].  He likes to take random photos of me. As far as I know, we don't have any senior couples in our mission. But I've also never seen the two counselors to our mission president so maybe we have some senior couples that I've never seen.

That's all for this week.
Elder Bradford

Mother's Day skype call & pictures

AJ & Elder Zacheu via Skype

AJ poses during our Skype call

We had a great conversation with AJ on Sunday for Mother's Day. A family that was recently baptized offered their home to him and his missionary companion to make Skype calls home. For those less familiar with an LDS mission, the missionaries are allowed to call/skype home twice a year - on Mother's Day and Christmas Day.  It was great to hear that AJ is doing well, and apparently he's gained some weight -- he mentioned needing to be better about turning down Brazilian desserts :-). I've included a couple of pics we took during our conversation, as well as some AJ sent the following day.

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I got caught by a candid camera on the ônibus [city bus] doing contacts

A family night we did with Hiago, his family, and a member family who lives on the other side of the road.

Hiago's Baptism!

May 6th letter

Oh glória [glory]!

So this week we had the baptism of the super special family Eurico, Simone, Lais and Melissa. It was cool. What else happened this week. Right, so Saturday before the baptism I did my very first baptismal interview with a rapaz [guy] named Wellington who got baptized yesterday. I was really fortunate that my first interview was also pretty easy. He already knew almost everything and was super excited to be baptized.

Something cool happened after the interview. We ended the interview with a prayer and then we left the room to talk to his mom, grandpa, and grandma who were waiting outside the house chatting with Elder Gaines. In that moment I felt like I should say something to them, and I announced that Wellington was prepared to be baptized and had had a change of heart. At first their reaction was one of doubt, as it seemed like he had been kind of a rebel and had done some damage in the family. Wellington stood there, looking down. His grandma looked at me and said 'Really?' I restated my position, telling them that I had perceived a change of heart. Then all of a sudden Wellington standing there burst into tears, and went to hug his grandma, crying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry". He then went and hugged his mom who by that time was tearing up. Elder Gaines and I just stood back and watched the family have this moment together. He hugged his grandpa, and then Elder Gaines, and then me. It was a cool experience. It makes me feel good that he must have had a spiritual experience or something during our interview, which is what really should happen. This is indeed true repentance. How will it be to run in tears to the arms of our Savior and give him a hug in the next life when we are made clean through his sacrifice?

Ok, gotta go. Can't wait till Sunday [Mother's Day skype call]!
Elder Bradford

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Só brancura [all whiteness]! From left to right: Elder Zacheu, me, Elder Aguileira, a woman from Louveira who
was baptized, a brother from the ward, Eurico & Simone's family, and Elder Gaines

The reception for Eurico and Simone's wedding (the morning of their baptism)