Alô família!
So, I'm being transferred to another area! Wow that was fast! I didn't see a lot of success here in Campinas 3rd Ward, so I hope the next Elder knows better than I how to get this ward into gear and help have some baptisms! Also Presidente Perrotti called today to tell me that I'll now be Zone Leader in my new area. Uuuuuuhhhhh. So, I'm like, okay here we go! Many things are changing because this transfer three more zones have been added to our mission.
Also, there was this other weird thing that happened. We taught this one lady Lorraine on Quarta [Wednesday], and it was a good 1st lesson and we left a Livro de Mórmon [Book of Mormon]. Then on Quinta [Thursday] we had a multi-zone conference, and President showed inspirational clips from the movies Peaceful Warrior and Coach Carter about focus and fear. I learned about some things I need to do to change myself, and I also got to thinking about how much faith I really have. I was kind of having doubts Sexta [Friday] morning, about my purpose. Then we go over to our meeting with Lorraine. She told us that she did read part of the Livro de Mórmon, but that some weird things happened in their house. Her baby son appeared dead in a photo that she and her husband were looking at. When she was recording her son at one moment appeared like light things whirling around him in the film. There must have been other things that she didn't tell us. So she and her husband got freaked out and spent the night in a hotel. When we met with her on Sexta she was returning home for the first time since Quarta afternoon. So I was like, what the heck. That's weird. But I decided to be faithful and I told her that it was the enemy's way of trying to scare her from getting to know the Livro de Mórmon and the church. We entered the house and I gave a prayer to bless and protect the house. I don't know if I actually performed the ordinance of dedicating their house, because I've never seen it done, but it was a faithful prayer none the less. She told us that she wanted to go to church Sunday. When we went to pick her up on Sunday she wasn't there. She isn't answering her telephone. So it's being a faith-trying experience. I wont even be able to see how the story ends.
But yeah, I'm just excited to know where I'll be going, we'll see what challenges come up. Someone told me the other day that I have only 5 transfers left before my mission is over. I didn't believe it until I counted. Man it's crazy how fast time on a mission passes. I just want time to go a little slower! I have sooo much to learn still!! AAAAAAHHH!!! I appreciate your continued prayers for me!
Elder Bradford
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
July 9th letter
Hehe, sorry for late letter and not writing until today! We had a meeting yesterday with all the Zone and District leaders and a couple Sisters. Two Sisters were called to be Sister Treinadores [trainers], meaning they will do training and exchanges with the other Sisters in the entire mission. Kind of like the Assistants to the President, but with the focus on Sisters. But yeah the meeting was pretty cool, I learned a lot.
Elder Christiansen and I made a list of things to sacrifice from for 40 days. Can you believe that I still inadvertently hum music? But thankfully it's usually hymns. Well, I put that on the list among other things. I'm trying hard this week to forget my will and do everything by God's will. I was reading this talk, I'll have to send you a copy, it talks about how there are missionaries who change their behavior to obey God's will, and there are few who change who they ARE, their personality and desires, to fulfill God's will. I've changed my behavior for the most part, but I'm looking to change a little of who I am too, so hopefully this week can be a great start to do that. Why would I want to change who I am? Well, because if I can find a way to be exactly who God needs me to be right now, then He will put the people in our path to teach and baptize.
Right after I emailed you guys last week, Juliana called us to say that her work is being really hurried and she'd be unable to meet with us that week. So I was like okay, but thinking that by some means we would meet with her. But we called several times last week and every time was like, sorry but it's not going to work out because they're still working me really hard, but I'll go Sunday. Well, Sunday came and we were anxiously waiting for her, we waited until 10 minutes before sacrament meeting (we have it as the last meeting of our church block) and then we called her. She said that she had to go to work in a few minutes and told us that she'll get in contact with us when her schedule opens up. Soooo, I don't know what to think. Maybe our work was just to find her and God wants another missionary to teach her.
About your questions, Presidente Perrotti told us there are some 20 missionaries in-field or in the MTC called to our mission, but they are stuck in the US because of the visa issue. Also, there have been some CRAZY protests in São Paulo and Rio, and here in Campinas there have been some stuff downtown, but I haven't seen anything in our area. The Presidente just told us to stay clear of the protests.
Have an awesome week!
Elder Bradford
Elder Christiansen and I made a list of things to sacrifice from for 40 days. Can you believe that I still inadvertently hum music? But thankfully it's usually hymns. Well, I put that on the list among other things. I'm trying hard this week to forget my will and do everything by God's will. I was reading this talk, I'll have to send you a copy, it talks about how there are missionaries who change their behavior to obey God's will, and there are few who change who they ARE, their personality and desires, to fulfill God's will. I've changed my behavior for the most part, but I'm looking to change a little of who I am too, so hopefully this week can be a great start to do that. Why would I want to change who I am? Well, because if I can find a way to be exactly who God needs me to be right now, then He will put the people in our path to teach and baptize.
Right after I emailed you guys last week, Juliana called us to say that her work is being really hurried and she'd be unable to meet with us that week. So I was like okay, but thinking that by some means we would meet with her. But we called several times last week and every time was like, sorry but it's not going to work out because they're still working me really hard, but I'll go Sunday. Well, Sunday came and we were anxiously waiting for her, we waited until 10 minutes before sacrament meeting (we have it as the last meeting of our church block) and then we called her. She said that she had to go to work in a few minutes and told us that she'll get in contact with us when her schedule opens up. Soooo, I don't know what to think. Maybe our work was just to find her and God wants another missionary to teach her.
About your questions, Presidente Perrotti told us there are some 20 missionaries in-field or in the MTC called to our mission, but they are stuck in the US because of the visa issue. Also, there have been some CRAZY protests in São Paulo and Rio, and here in Campinas there have been some stuff downtown, but I haven't seen anything in our area. The Presidente just told us to stay clear of the protests.
Have an awesome week!
Elder Bradford
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| Batismo! it was of Ruth. She invited a lot of family and some neighbors too! It was a very spiritual service. |
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| Elder Christiansen, Ruth, and AJ |
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| We did some spoof pictures for a multi-zone conference about how not to do personal study :-) |
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
July 1st letter
Hello!
So you're probably a little confused by the subject line of my email: "outdoor (pronounced ouch-door) = billboard" [AJ's subject line each week is a Portuguese-to-English translation of a word or phrase]. Brasilians use some English words as part of their normal vocabulary. But they don't always mean the same thing in English. For example 'shopping' is a word used here which means mall. The word 'show' can mean a show or it can mean a large display of something, or just mean something really exciting. 'Feedback' is also used and means feedback. Car washes are called 'Lava Car'. So that's kind of cool.
The lady that we're teaching right now, Ruth, told us that she has always passed by the church near where we live and intended to make a visit someday to see what it was like. We are also teaching this girl Juliana who told us that, even though she doesn't live very close by, she has always wanted to visit there someday. She is awesome. We taught her the first lesson on Friday and she stayed up until 3am reading 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon. When we returned on Saturday and asked her what she thought of the book, she said it was incredible, and that she felt part of the multitude when Christ visited the Nephites. When we went to pick her up for church she was already outside waiting for us. Finally! I'm very glad God blessed us with someone who's willing to go the extra mile.
Regarding the English class I mentioned and had pics of last week, we have about 4-8 people attend every week. We teach from a pre-made English course, but we usually end up deviating and responding to the many questions the classmates have. It's pretty fun.
Hey sorry, but it's going to be difficult to send long emails for the time being because I'm also sending stuff to my district and I'm working on a document to organize things as district leader. So, it may be awhile before I have more time to sit down and write epic stories!
Eu AMO vocês! FIRME FORTE!! [I LOVE you! Be STEADFAST and STRONG!]
Elder Bradford
So you're probably a little confused by the subject line of my email: "outdoor (pronounced ouch-door) = billboard" [AJ's subject line each week is a Portuguese-to-English translation of a word or phrase]. Brasilians use some English words as part of their normal vocabulary. But they don't always mean the same thing in English. For example 'shopping' is a word used here which means mall. The word 'show' can mean a show or it can mean a large display of something, or just mean something really exciting. 'Feedback' is also used and means feedback. Car washes are called 'Lava Car'. So that's kind of cool.
The lady that we're teaching right now, Ruth, told us that she has always passed by the church near where we live and intended to make a visit someday to see what it was like. We are also teaching this girl Juliana who told us that, even though she doesn't live very close by, she has always wanted to visit there someday. She is awesome. We taught her the first lesson on Friday and she stayed up until 3am reading 3 Nephi 11 in the Book of Mormon. When we returned on Saturday and asked her what she thought of the book, she said it was incredible, and that she felt part of the multitude when Christ visited the Nephites. When we went to pick her up for church she was already outside waiting for us. Finally! I'm very glad God blessed us with someone who's willing to go the extra mile.
Regarding the English class I mentioned and had pics of last week, we have about 4-8 people attend every week. We teach from a pre-made English course, but we usually end up deviating and responding to the many questions the classmates have. It's pretty fun.
Hey sorry, but it's going to be difficult to send long emails for the time being because I'm also sending stuff to my district and I'm working on a document to organize things as district leader. So, it may be awhile before I have more time to sit down and write epic stories!
Eu AMO vocês! FIRME FORTE!! [I LOVE you! Be STEADFAST and STRONG!]
Elder Bradford
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| This is a Brasilian hot dog!!! |
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
June 24th letter
Yeah!
So, our Mission President changed our email time from 120 to 90 mins, so maybe there have been missionaries who've been spending their whole preparation day on the computer, or perhaps he sees it as a waste of time to spend that long on the computer. He actually wanted it to be only 1 hour, but the missionaries who are his assistants didn't like that idea!
We weren't able to watch the missionary broadcast because we thought it was just a regional thing and we had to go home and do planning. I didn't even know that there was a broadcast until after church when a member called us to ask us to pass by at night during it and return a tie Elder Christiansen had borrowed. But that's good that you guys liked it! Go out there and find someone to baptize!
So this week, we had people come to church! It was interesting because we were searching these last few weeks for people in one neighborhood over there, one over here, but really the one neighborhood with the elect right now are right here next to the church building [near where they live]! Working next to the church almost never fails! We just were trying hard to work with some people here and there, but as we were doing contacts we found more people here close by. Also on sexta-feira [Friday] we felt like we should knock doors on the same street as the church building and we met a few cool people. We ended up teaching an elderly lady and her daughter who runs a beauty salon, and the mom attended church (her name is Ruth). We also taught a group of three teenager guys...it was a spiritual lesson and two of them went to church yesterday, so that was cool.
In Brazil the youth of the church really stand out. Because from what I've seen it is very common for the girls to wear immodest clothing and the guys to listen to Braslian Funk (basically the worst music in the universe) and drink and smoke and stuff. And the Law of Chastity is also a big problem. So, to see a youth keeping God's standards is cool - it's something for which the youth in Brasil are sometimes admired, but too often teased by their peers.
Yeash, our time is already esgotou [gone] so until next week! Eu AMO vocês [I love you guys]!
Elder Bradford
So, our Mission President changed our email time from 120 to 90 mins, so maybe there have been missionaries who've been spending their whole preparation day on the computer, or perhaps he sees it as a waste of time to spend that long on the computer. He actually wanted it to be only 1 hour, but the missionaries who are his assistants didn't like that idea!
We weren't able to watch the missionary broadcast because we thought it was just a regional thing and we had to go home and do planning. I didn't even know that there was a broadcast until after church when a member called us to ask us to pass by at night during it and return a tie Elder Christiansen had borrowed. But that's good that you guys liked it! Go out there and find someone to baptize!
So this week, we had people come to church! It was interesting because we were searching these last few weeks for people in one neighborhood over there, one over here, but really the one neighborhood with the elect right now are right here next to the church building [near where they live]! Working next to the church almost never fails! We just were trying hard to work with some people here and there, but as we were doing contacts we found more people here close by. Also on sexta-feira [Friday] we felt like we should knock doors on the same street as the church building and we met a few cool people. We ended up teaching an elderly lady and her daughter who runs a beauty salon, and the mom attended church (her name is Ruth). We also taught a group of three teenager guys...it was a spiritual lesson and two of them went to church yesterday, so that was cool.
In Brazil the youth of the church really stand out. Because from what I've seen it is very common for the girls to wear immodest clothing and the guys to listen to Braslian Funk (basically the worst music in the universe) and drink and smoke and stuff. And the Law of Chastity is also a big problem. So, to see a youth keeping God's standards is cool - it's something for which the youth in Brasil are sometimes admired, but too often teased by their peers.
Yeash, our time is already esgotou [gone] so until next week! Eu AMO vocês [I love you guys]!
Elder Bradford
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| Pics from our aula de inglês [English course they're teaching - looks like AJ is the 'pin-the-sticker-on-the-missionary'] |
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
June 17th letter
Hello guys!
So, the fact that I sent a good letter last week means that this week I can slack, right? hehehe, actually our mission president cut our internet time (I mean, the Lord suggested that we spend less time on the internet to receive more blessings), and it's hard with reading all of the letters, sending out a few, sending the key teaching indicators, writing the president, reading the weekly mission newsletter, and today I'm going to make a document to help me as district leader. Which reminds me that I forgot to mention, I'm a district leader now. I'm a bit stressed.
So, to respond to your questions real quick -- Elder (Tanner) Nelson and I are in the same zone, but different missionary district and stake. In regard to having a preference of an American or Brasilian companion, I'm not sure yet. I like having an American companion because we can relate more and understand each other's jokes a little more. But, with a Brasilian companion I can improve my Portuguese a lot. In regard to the Campinas Temple [about 30 mins from his boarding],we'll be able to attend with it being somewhat nearby, but I don't know when it will be, I think we'll go there in a couple months.
In regard to Iracy, who I mentioned in my last email...so we called her Saturday night and she told us that she wouldn't be able to go, but that she'll go next week. We are teaching this guy named Bruno who smokes marijuana and cocaine. We taught him the first lesson and he liked it, he read but understood very little, and hasn't yet attended church, but we'll work with him and see. Please pray for him! He needs a lot of help!
Thanks for the prayers! Have an awesome week!
Elder Bradford
So, the fact that I sent a good letter last week means that this week I can slack, right? hehehe, actually our mission president cut our internet time (I mean, the Lord suggested that we spend less time on the internet to receive more blessings), and it's hard with reading all of the letters, sending out a few, sending the key teaching indicators, writing the president, reading the weekly mission newsletter, and today I'm going to make a document to help me as district leader. Which reminds me that I forgot to mention, I'm a district leader now. I'm a bit stressed.
So, to respond to your questions real quick -- Elder (Tanner) Nelson and I are in the same zone, but different missionary district and stake. In regard to having a preference of an American or Brasilian companion, I'm not sure yet. I like having an American companion because we can relate more and understand each other's jokes a little more. But, with a Brasilian companion I can improve my Portuguese a lot. In regard to the Campinas Temple [about 30 mins from his boarding],we'll be able to attend with it being somewhat nearby, but I don't know when it will be, I think we'll go there in a couple months.
In regard to Iracy, who I mentioned in my last email...so we called her Saturday night and she told us that she wouldn't be able to go, but that she'll go next week. We are teaching this guy named Bruno who smokes marijuana and cocaine. We taught him the first lesson and he liked it, he read but understood very little, and hasn't yet attended church, but we'll work with him and see. Please pray for him! He needs a lot of help!
Thanks for the prayers! Have an awesome week!
Elder Bradford
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| Pics are from the churrasco [like a barbecue] that we did earlier today. |
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