Wassup guys!
Well, I have been kind of trunky since Christmas Day, it's true. We didn't get to talk very long, in fact, of all four of us Elders in the chapel that night making calls to family, I was the one that talked the least. That's what you get I guess when you're the last one to call, there's a lot more pressure later at night when it gets close to Going Home Hours. Ah well, someone had to do it, and it looked like all the other Elders left happy and satisfied so I'm glad for that. I did want to talk more, though, it seemed like so little time. But I'm grateful for what I got.
By the way I was kind of hiding the fact that I am coughing every thirty seconds lately. One of the other Elders I am living with just got checked out by the mission doctor and it turns out that he has tuberculoses (spelling right?). It looks like I have the same early symptoms as well so I might be going to the doctor as well. It doesn't look like it's a fatal disease though so don't worry about it.
Man, big reveal of the year! You guys moved out of the house already and haven't been telling us!! That was a really big surprise, that's really crazy. So it's already been done. Ja era, the Brazilians would say. Wow. The whole reveal did leave me a bit nervous but I think the fact that I am so distanced from the whole situation (after a year and four months) helped a bit. Hmmmm...
It is true that the most important things are the wellbeing of our family and the Gospel. I would be willing to sacrifice anything just in order to see our family happy and united and strong, so if moving means that then I am ready to do so.
Thank you so much for your support, I love you guys so much and I am glad that you had a happy Christmas. I'm thankful that our family has the Gospel and that no one is feeling down but optimistic and hopeful about the future.
Hey, moving into the new year, I really want to set some goals about how make 2011 an awesome, productive year. I have already created two basic objectives of mine: 1) Finishing my mission well and 2) Making sure when I get home I can hit the ground running. It's good to know that the question of college was kind of narrowed down for the two of us. Mom, what do I need to do to make sure I can get into college there as fast as possible? You can send me essay questions or whatev. I have a feeling that that is the best option there is. I do want to keep my sights on UCLA I feel like that is a good longer-term goal for me. As for finishing my mission well, there are some things I could get from you guys that could help me out: 1) Could you guys do a count of all the mission pictures Connor and I have sent since August 2011? I hope they are all saved some where, I do not have a copy of all of those pictures we've sent. I want to make sure I have plenty of pictures to rememer Ceara. To do that I think I should match the pictures that Connor has sent, which I know is more. Do a count please! 2) I need to send New Year's Presents and a birthday present to Lynsey!! Could all of you guys send me a message containing suggestions about the others for this next e-mail? Things that you want from Brazil?
Otherwise, finishing my mission well means that I've got to continue to work hard, learn more, and have spiritual experiences so I'll be fighting for that as well.
I love you guys! Hope you have a great week ahead of ya, have a good New Year's Party! Keep everyone warm for me this winter, have as many family nights as possible and help each other with eachother's difficulties and challenges. I love you SOOOO much!!!
Your son, brother and friend,
Brendon
12-20-2010 Letter Home
Oh man, pounding headache today.
Uh... it's Christmas Week. Weird. It has been really rainy and wet here lately so it's unusually cool but it's still probably a longshot from what it's like back home. Lot's of people vacationing lately, people on holiday, lots of kids out of school roaming the streets. It's different, maybe a little slow/difficult because of the business of the Christmas season.
Hey! Valdir (Heverton's Dad) received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday along with the Gift of the Holy Ghost! Great stuff! Heverton is doing well as well, did I mention he received the Melchezidek Priesthood? Jacinta (Heverton's Mom) is still trying to stop drinking coffee. We kind of coerced her to allow us into the kitchen the other night and filled a plastic bag with 9/10ths of the coffee she had and told her that the coffee left would be the last she would drink. She committed herself to the challenge and it looks like our tough tactics are going to work. I hope we can see the family completed this transfer I would love to end my four transfers here like that.
Elder Mauricio is the bomb! I love this guy he is way cool. He tries very hard to learn English too and is getting pretty good, especialy with three other Americans in the house to practice with. Maybe we can get him on the phone for a minute during our call he has a super funny accent. He's a good missionary. We're going to have a good transfer together. Did I mention he only has three months on the mission? He has some funny qualities because he's so new, like he gets so excited when we mark baptisms and everything, after our first two days here he started saying repeatedly that we were going to baptize tons of people this transfer, like 10 or 20 and making goals and everything... kind of broke my heart when we got to the sacrament meetings on Sunday and we only got three of our investigators there, none of them new people we had taught this last week. I don't want him to lose his energy and enthusiasm, you know, that so many new missionaries have, but man, this time of the year is pretty tough and in my experience in this area... we can baptize but very few people of the hundreds we teach get to the finish line. It's a tough lesson to learn, the reality of missionary work, is that you can take nothing for granted. Every little mote of success is a miracle.
We went to the beach this Thursday!!!! Oh man it was so awesome!! President Batt took our Zone and another to the beach for the morning as a kind of Christmas Holiday. I finally saw the Brazilian shoreline after a year and three months of being here! So weird it has been so long since I've seen waves. It felt really sucky that I didn't have a functional camera with me though. All of my friends were there, everyone in P-Day clothes. I hung out pretty much the whole day with Elder Da Hora, I missed him a bunch, I get along so well with that guy. I got my feet wet in the waves, that was kind of fun. I had a guy open up a frosty green coconut for me right on the beach, that was cool. Played some frisbee, climbed some big rocks close to the waves, took pictures with tons of Elders I haven't seen in forever (I hope they'll send me some). It was a cool activity. Afterwards we played cards in a nearby chapel and ate sloppy joes prepared by Sister Batt and left the chapel ony at 4:00. So fun!
By the way, about my camera... I gave my memory card to a friend in the ward that knows computers really well and he said he'd get my photos restored and the virus removed. He said he could order a cable for the camera as well on the internet. So maybe that's the fastest way to get photos as soon as possible to you guys.
Alright, you guys want to wake up, go through presents, then get in the car and go to San Francisco and do the call there? Alright, so if you guys wake up like at 6:30 like we missionaries do (hehe, so early for Christmas!) you guys could open presents for an hour and a half, get dressed and everything ready an hour after that, drive to San Francisco (two and a half hours right?) and get everything ready with thirty more minutes to spare. I think it's safe to say that we could schedule 1:00 Pacific Time for when we get the call started. Is that fair? That means I'd have to start the call at 7:00 PM... freak, that is kind of hard for me though... because there are four other missionaries that want to use the Church Phone at night. Maybe I can borrow a cell phone and buy just enough credits to call you guys and get a phone call back. But what's the price like for international calls to cell phones? President Batt said that there are lots of offers out this time of the year for cheap, 10 cents an hour international calls. Can you guys look into that? You know what, we have lots to talk about about planning all this so I'll call you guys tomorrow at about 9:00 A.M. Pacific TIme (3:00 PM my time). I'll call Mom's cell phone.
Freak, I miss you guys so much!! Can you believe it's been 7 months since our Mother's Day phone call? That's crazy! It's also the longest amount of time on the mission we'll have to pass without speaking to all of you! Just one more phone call after this one, in five months, and by that time we'll just have three more months to go! That's nuts!
Yeah, no package has arrived yet... :( But, thanks for the money, I'm really needing it. I want to buy something for you guys and send it and also buy a few little presents for people in the ward that would really appreciate it. Thanks yo! I hope everything is great with you guys.
Until tomorrow!! Love love love!!!
Your son and brother and friend,
Brendon
Uh... it's Christmas Week. Weird. It has been really rainy and wet here lately so it's unusually cool but it's still probably a longshot from what it's like back home. Lot's of people vacationing lately, people on holiday, lots of kids out of school roaming the streets. It's different, maybe a little slow/difficult because of the business of the Christmas season.
Hey! Valdir (Heverton's Dad) received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday along with the Gift of the Holy Ghost! Great stuff! Heverton is doing well as well, did I mention he received the Melchezidek Priesthood? Jacinta (Heverton's Mom) is still trying to stop drinking coffee. We kind of coerced her to allow us into the kitchen the other night and filled a plastic bag with 9/10ths of the coffee she had and told her that the coffee left would be the last she would drink. She committed herself to the challenge and it looks like our tough tactics are going to work. I hope we can see the family completed this transfer I would love to end my four transfers here like that.
Elder Mauricio is the bomb! I love this guy he is way cool. He tries very hard to learn English too and is getting pretty good, especialy with three other Americans in the house to practice with. Maybe we can get him on the phone for a minute during our call he has a super funny accent. He's a good missionary. We're going to have a good transfer together. Did I mention he only has three months on the mission? He has some funny qualities because he's so new, like he gets so excited when we mark baptisms and everything, after our first two days here he started saying repeatedly that we were going to baptize tons of people this transfer, like 10 or 20 and making goals and everything... kind of broke my heart when we got to the sacrament meetings on Sunday and we only got three of our investigators there, none of them new people we had taught this last week. I don't want him to lose his energy and enthusiasm, you know, that so many new missionaries have, but man, this time of the year is pretty tough and in my experience in this area... we can baptize but very few people of the hundreds we teach get to the finish line. It's a tough lesson to learn, the reality of missionary work, is that you can take nothing for granted. Every little mote of success is a miracle.
We went to the beach this Thursday!!!! Oh man it was so awesome!! President Batt took our Zone and another to the beach for the morning as a kind of Christmas Holiday. I finally saw the Brazilian shoreline after a year and three months of being here! So weird it has been so long since I've seen waves. It felt really sucky that I didn't have a functional camera with me though. All of my friends were there, everyone in P-Day clothes. I hung out pretty much the whole day with Elder Da Hora, I missed him a bunch, I get along so well with that guy. I got my feet wet in the waves, that was kind of fun. I had a guy open up a frosty green coconut for me right on the beach, that was cool. Played some frisbee, climbed some big rocks close to the waves, took pictures with tons of Elders I haven't seen in forever (I hope they'll send me some). It was a cool activity. Afterwards we played cards in a nearby chapel and ate sloppy joes prepared by Sister Batt and left the chapel ony at 4:00. So fun!
By the way, about my camera... I gave my memory card to a friend in the ward that knows computers really well and he said he'd get my photos restored and the virus removed. He said he could order a cable for the camera as well on the internet. So maybe that's the fastest way to get photos as soon as possible to you guys.
Alright, you guys want to wake up, go through presents, then get in the car and go to San Francisco and do the call there? Alright, so if you guys wake up like at 6:30 like we missionaries do (hehe, so early for Christmas!) you guys could open presents for an hour and a half, get dressed and everything ready an hour after that, drive to San Francisco (two and a half hours right?) and get everything ready with thirty more minutes to spare. I think it's safe to say that we could schedule 1:00 Pacific Time for when we get the call started. Is that fair? That means I'd have to start the call at 7:00 PM... freak, that is kind of hard for me though... because there are four other missionaries that want to use the Church Phone at night. Maybe I can borrow a cell phone and buy just enough credits to call you guys and get a phone call back. But what's the price like for international calls to cell phones? President Batt said that there are lots of offers out this time of the year for cheap, 10 cents an hour international calls. Can you guys look into that? You know what, we have lots to talk about about planning all this so I'll call you guys tomorrow at about 9:00 A.M. Pacific TIme (3:00 PM my time). I'll call Mom's cell phone.
Freak, I miss you guys so much!! Can you believe it's been 7 months since our Mother's Day phone call? That's crazy! It's also the longest amount of time on the mission we'll have to pass without speaking to all of you! Just one more phone call after this one, in five months, and by that time we'll just have three more months to go! That's nuts!
Yeah, no package has arrived yet... :( But, thanks for the money, I'm really needing it. I want to buy something for you guys and send it and also buy a few little presents for people in the ward that would really appreciate it. Thanks yo! I hope everything is great with you guys.
Until tomorrow!! Love love love!!!
Your son and brother and friend,
Brendon
12-13-2010 Letter Home
Agora ele ta bem batizado!
Feliz Natal todo mundo! Merry Christmastime!!! What a wonderful time of the year!
Well, first of all to kill the suspense, I will spend the next six weeks here in Fortaleza/Castelo still. I'm going to have Christmas here! That's great... I really love this ward, the people, we have a lot more opportunities still to find the elect. Still, it is interesting that the Lord wants me to stay here one more transfer... maybe I am supposed to still find that one elect person that's waiting for me. Who could it be? I'll only know when I finally leave here, I guess. But, I will not be staying with Elder Pili. He left for Juazeiro, the same area I was in during my first transfer! Wow, cool huh? I love that guy he was a good companion. Now I am back with another Brazilian, Elder Mauricio. He's from Sao Paulo, big stout guy and seems like a good dude after a short while with each other. I can tell we are going to like each other he has a good sense of humor. He has only three months on the mission!! What's up, President? Just sticking me with new guys lately, hah, I'm just shy from training. I'm also not going to be district leader this transfer. I hope it's not because I did a bad job. At least I am going to save money because I won't be taking so many buses, and I'll have my Saturdays and after-proselyting free time back. It was a great experience being the district leader and I'll welcome another chance at it in the future.
I can't believe I didn't write about Jefferson in the last e-mail! This twelve-year old kid had been going to church back when Elder Da Hora and I were companions and we never recognized it. We went to his house, taught him and his brother and his mom and the next time we passed by he had already prayed and received an answer by the Holy Ghost and read the pamphlet of the first lesson. We left him with a Book of Mormon and the next day he said he had read twenty pages already. He's a kid genius and such a good guy, he's going to be the president of the Deacon's Quorum, mark my words. Very humble family though... we might be able to baptize his brother who is nine years old and Jefferson's mother knows the church is true and wants to be baptized but needs to be married first which is becoming difficult lately. Future miracles in store!
It was funny because at Jefferson's baptism, he was super excited, but when he was there in the water with me he just froze up. The first time I said the words and put him down in the water he kind of freaked out and his legs shot up. The second time he was stiff as a board and wouldn't let his head get under the water. One of the brethren who was being a witness got a little frustrated at him (though I was being comforting and nice the whole time, don't worry) and Jefferson started tearing up and sniffling in front of the whole ward. I kinda had to josh around with him and tell a joke to get him to be confident again, and the third time I put him down into the water as hard as I could (haha!). Don't worry he was fine but I knew if I didn't really force him down in, he would get really sad and his Mom might've started having second thoughts. I guess he has a fear of water which he didn't tell us about because he was embarassed. In the end it all worked out fine but the members said that I looked funny dunking Jefferson as hard as I could in the water. When Jefferson came up this little six year old kid exclaimed amid the silence "Agora ele ta bem batizado MESMO!!" "Now he's REALLY well-baptized!!" I laughed inside so much oh man it was hilarious.
I had the awesome, awesome, wonderful experience of seeing Heverton who I baptized last transfer baptize his father this last Sunday... Man, can't even explain that feeling to all of you. You just gotta imagine how powerful it was to see someone you taught and baptized baptize another person. Heverton is THE MAN. I'm especially happy because this last transfer, five weeks ago, he was feeling really down and at one point he said to me he couldn't take the pressure any more and he wanted to return to his old way of life and that it was too hard to live the Gospel. His friends in the ward really came out for him and helped him get over that little trial and now he seems better than ever. Heverton's Dad, Valdir, is a kind of a big guy and Heverton also had to dunk him two times in order to get him "really well-baptized". What an awesome moment!!! Valdir is great as well, it's been a miracle getting him to be interested in religion, he's NEVER entered a religion or church fervently, it's a way of life just completely alien to his combined life experiences and now he's more interested than ever in every little topic of the Gospel. Cool beans!!
Well, first of all to kill the suspense, I will spend the next six weeks here in Fortaleza/Castelo still. I'm going to have Christmas here! That's great... I really love this ward, the people, we have a lot more opportunities still to find the elect. Still, it is interesting that the Lord wants me to stay here one more transfer... maybe I am supposed to still find that one elect person that's waiting for me. Who could it be? I'll only know when I finally leave here, I guess. But, I will not be staying with Elder Pili. He left for Juazeiro, the same area I was in during my first transfer! Wow, cool huh? I love that guy he was a good companion. Now I am back with another Brazilian, Elder Mauricio. He's from Sao Paulo, big stout guy and seems like a good dude after a short while with each other. I can tell we are going to like each other he has a good sense of humor. He has only three months on the mission!! What's up, President? Just sticking me with new guys lately, hah, I'm just shy from training. I'm also not going to be district leader this transfer. I hope it's not because I did a bad job. At least I am going to save money because I won't be taking so many buses, and I'll have my Saturdays and after-proselyting free time back. It was a great experience being the district leader and I'll welcome another chance at it in the future.
I can't believe I didn't write about Jefferson in the last e-mail! This twelve-year old kid had been going to church back when Elder Da Hora and I were companions and we never recognized it. We went to his house, taught him and his brother and his mom and the next time we passed by he had already prayed and received an answer by the Holy Ghost and read the pamphlet of the first lesson. We left him with a Book of Mormon and the next day he said he had read twenty pages already. He's a kid genius and such a good guy, he's going to be the president of the Deacon's Quorum, mark my words. Very humble family though... we might be able to baptize his brother who is nine years old and Jefferson's mother knows the church is true and wants to be baptized but needs to be married first which is becoming difficult lately. Future miracles in store!
It was funny because at Jefferson's baptism, he was super excited, but when he was there in the water with me he just froze up. The first time I said the words and put him down in the water he kind of freaked out and his legs shot up. The second time he was stiff as a board and wouldn't let his head get under the water. One of the brethren who was being a witness got a little frustrated at him (though I was being comforting and nice the whole time, don't worry) and Jefferson started tearing up and sniffling in front of the whole ward. I kinda had to josh around with him and tell a joke to get him to be confident again, and the third time I put him down into the water as hard as I could (haha!). Don't worry he was fine but I knew if I didn't really force him down in, he would get really sad and his Mom might've started having second thoughts. I guess he has a fear of water which he didn't tell us about because he was embarassed. In the end it all worked out fine but the members said that I looked funny dunking Jefferson as hard as I could in the water. When Jefferson came up this little six year old kid exclaimed amid the silence "Agora ele ta bem batizado MESMO!!" "Now he's REALLY well-baptized!!" I laughed inside so much oh man it was hilarious.
I had the awesome, awesome, wonderful experience of seeing Heverton who I baptized last transfer baptize his father this last Sunday... Man, can't even explain that feeling to all of you. You just gotta imagine how powerful it was to see someone you taught and baptized baptize another person. Heverton is THE MAN. I'm especially happy because this last transfer, five weeks ago, he was feeling really down and at one point he said to me he couldn't take the pressure any more and he wanted to return to his old way of life and that it was too hard to live the Gospel. His friends in the ward really came out for him and helped him get over that little trial and now he seems better than ever. Heverton's Dad, Valdir, is a kind of a big guy and Heverton also had to dunk him two times in order to get him "really well-baptized". What an awesome moment!!! Valdir is great as well, it's been a miracle getting him to be interested in religion, he's NEVER entered a religion or church fervently, it's a way of life just completely alien to his combined life experiences and now he's more interested than ever in every little topic of the Gospel. Cool beans!!
Elder Pili had the pleasure of baptized Nezinha this Sunday as well. Another miracle, Nezinha. She was a reference, she is 20 years old, and we taught her in three weeks, and she really took to Elder Pili they became good friends. She's a little flirty (like most Cearense girls *cough* *cough*) but really honestly converted as well to the Gospel. She called me one night at 10:30 as I was getting in bed and was crying about how she received an answer to her prayers about the Church, and I didn't understand anything cause she was just bawling you know, but I could feel the Spirit so strong and I'm so glad she was touched and changed so much.
I love all these people! I love my mission! This is great stuff!!!
By the way, I saw a bunch of my friends today at the chapel where we have transfers. I saw Elder Da Hora and we went to Burger King together. He's doing great and says he misses me alot. I do to, I had such an awesome three months with that guy! I saw Elder Carvalho and Elder Matias for the last time... they are going home this transfer! I'm going to miss them a bunch. Soon I'll have only friends who are younger on the mission and I'll be the older missionary. Freak! So weird!!
Time is running out, but, I want you guys to all know that I love you all and I am praying for all of you. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and kind words I know you guys are making miracles in my life even half a world away!
So bring us some figgy pudding so bring us some figgy pudding...
EU SOU O CARPINTEIRO!!! (As one of my Brazilian friends would say...)
hehe,
love,
- Brendon
I love all these people! I love my mission! This is great stuff!!!
By the way, I saw a bunch of my friends today at the chapel where we have transfers. I saw Elder Da Hora and we went to Burger King together. He's doing great and says he misses me alot. I do to, I had such an awesome three months with that guy! I saw Elder Carvalho and Elder Matias for the last time... they are going home this transfer! I'm going to miss them a bunch. Soon I'll have only friends who are younger on the mission and I'll be the older missionary. Freak! So weird!!
Time is running out, but, I want you guys to all know that I love you all and I am praying for all of you. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and kind words I know you guys are making miracles in my life even half a world away!
So bring us some figgy pudding so bring us some figgy pudding...
EU SOU O CARPINTEIRO!!! (As one of my Brazilian friends would say...)
hehe,
love,
- Brendon
12-06-2010 Letter Home
Hey everybody! Is this my 67th P-Day? Man that is wild. It was a pretty good P-Day, we went to the institute building close by again, with the whole Zone, we celebrated it all together. Played some RISK, had barbecue for lunch, watched a movie with the whole Zone. We didn't get to watch the whole movie though dang it because we started the movie too late and had to run to use the internet. A good P-Day to end the transfer.
Transfers are coming up soon. I am kind of feeling ready for a change. Three transfers is perfect for an area. If I left this next week for a new area I would feel a lot more energetic about the work. It seems like I've already done so much and covered so much ground in Ala Fortaleza Castelo that I don't know where to go next, you know? I love the members here and our investigators and the people we baptized... this has become my favorite area on my mission, definitely, I'm had so many awesome experiences here, but I think if I stay here much longer it's going to ruin my feelings about it. It's good to have a change once and a while.
Yesterday was Fast and Testimony Meeting at the Church. Heverton bore an awesome testimony in front of the whole ward and kinda broke out into tears, there were a lot of other members too that did so. His parents were sitting there close to the front row and they got really emotional as well. I guess it had been a long time since Heverton said "I love you" to his Dad and he told everyone that he just had to say it, and the moment he did Valdir, his Dad, just kinda started bawling, it was very spiritual. Heverton is the man, I'm so glad he is making all these good choices in his life and helping his family so much accept the Gospel. Valdir is going to be baptized this next Sunday! Jacinta, Heverton's Mom, might wait a little while longer. She's been going to church longer and has a testimony and everything, but they own a small shop that sells fried chicken that is their livelihood and she doesn't feel good getting baptized and still leaving the shop open on Sundays, when they sell the most. She's gonna get there but it'll take a bit longer. I love this family!!!
Igo and Jenaina got married in the center of Fortaleza on the third of December. It was awesome for them and for us. Igo was so great, holding an umbrella for Jenaina the whole walk there in the hot sun, even when we got to walk in the shade he didn't put it down he wanted to be sure that Jenaina was as comfortable as possible. Cool couple. They seemed really happy to be married, it was a very short, civil ceremony but they were very happy. Unfortunately they still haven't been to church, despite their testimonies in the Gospel and many visits from members... its tough, they live far from the chapel... they've got to make big sacrifices, wake up early and get ready and walk over there somehow. Members will continue to teach and visit them and some day they are going to get to church and then they can be baptized. At least now they are married and they'll be blessed a lot for it.
I'm going to get a disposible camera soon, I hope, to mail you pictures of baptisms and other important stuff. Unfortunately Elder Pili's camera doesn't have a cable to plug into the computers here so he can't help me out too much. I'll probably end up sending you the camera with your late Christmas presents and you can get it fixed and buy a new cable.
Man, you guys sent so much good info and everything I want to talk more about all of it, but I gotta go, time is running out!!! I love you so much and I can't believe the Christmas Talk is almost here!! Let's start planning right now! Enjoy the freezy cold up there for me, I miss that a lot too!
I love you guys so much! You are the best family ever!!!
Your son, brother, friend and relative....
Brendon
Transfers are coming up soon. I am kind of feeling ready for a change. Three transfers is perfect for an area. If I left this next week for a new area I would feel a lot more energetic about the work. It seems like I've already done so much and covered so much ground in Ala Fortaleza Castelo that I don't know where to go next, you know? I love the members here and our investigators and the people we baptized... this has become my favorite area on my mission, definitely, I'm had so many awesome experiences here, but I think if I stay here much longer it's going to ruin my feelings about it. It's good to have a change once and a while.
Yesterday was Fast and Testimony Meeting at the Church. Heverton bore an awesome testimony in front of the whole ward and kinda broke out into tears, there were a lot of other members too that did so. His parents were sitting there close to the front row and they got really emotional as well. I guess it had been a long time since Heverton said "I love you" to his Dad and he told everyone that he just had to say it, and the moment he did Valdir, his Dad, just kinda started bawling, it was very spiritual. Heverton is the man, I'm so glad he is making all these good choices in his life and helping his family so much accept the Gospel. Valdir is going to be baptized this next Sunday! Jacinta, Heverton's Mom, might wait a little while longer. She's been going to church longer and has a testimony and everything, but they own a small shop that sells fried chicken that is their livelihood and she doesn't feel good getting baptized and still leaving the shop open on Sundays, when they sell the most. She's gonna get there but it'll take a bit longer. I love this family!!!
Igo and Jenaina got married in the center of Fortaleza on the third of December. It was awesome for them and for us. Igo was so great, holding an umbrella for Jenaina the whole walk there in the hot sun, even when we got to walk in the shade he didn't put it down he wanted to be sure that Jenaina was as comfortable as possible. Cool couple. They seemed really happy to be married, it was a very short, civil ceremony but they were very happy. Unfortunately they still haven't been to church, despite their testimonies in the Gospel and many visits from members... its tough, they live far from the chapel... they've got to make big sacrifices, wake up early and get ready and walk over there somehow. Members will continue to teach and visit them and some day they are going to get to church and then they can be baptized. At least now they are married and they'll be blessed a lot for it.
I'm going to get a disposible camera soon, I hope, to mail you pictures of baptisms and other important stuff. Unfortunately Elder Pili's camera doesn't have a cable to plug into the computers here so he can't help me out too much. I'll probably end up sending you the camera with your late Christmas presents and you can get it fixed and buy a new cable.
Man, you guys sent so much good info and everything I want to talk more about all of it, but I gotta go, time is running out!!! I love you so much and I can't believe the Christmas Talk is almost here!! Let's start planning right now! Enjoy the freezy cold up there for me, I miss that a lot too!
I love you guys so much! You are the best family ever!!!
Your son, brother, friend and relative....
Brendon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
