Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 8:20 AM
Just a quick note, because my time is more or less up, haha. I´m so happy that I don´t have time to write the many people who write me.
It´s great staying in one place for a good while, but I don´t like to stay more than 6 months, because there´s also the chance you get burned out in a city, which isn´t very healthy. And then you start to name the dogs in the street.
Well, I sure know we´ll be having some feijoada, churrasco, galinhada, and lasanha, if nothing else, heh.
Who are Alex and Jenny? A new family in the ward, eh?
I hope that, seeing as all the Wells´s kids are going to Brazil, that means Colin´ll be called to serve here, too. Honestly, there´s no better place on earth.
Gotta split, have to e-mail Pres. still, haha
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Email - 3/30/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 8:11 AM
Well, once again, there´ve been emergency transfers in Anapolis. Pres. Tobias called last week, telling us that Elder Stoddard and I would go on splits with the other Zone Leaders, Elder Ribeiro and Elder Lalli. Saturday, Elder Lalli called Pres. to find out more, and Pres told him that, instead of splits, he should just pack his bags, and tell Elder Stoddard to do the same.
So as of yesterday, I´m on my 16th companion, Elder Lalli, from Bountiful Utah, who lives on the same street as Pres. Eyring. He´s really cool, just that we still don´t know if we´re going to be together next week or not. Who knows these days in Anapolis, huh?
In other news, we had a really cool experience this morning. We´ve been teaching a woman called Eliana this month. She´s from Pará, a single mom dating a member of the ward. We marked her baptism for General Conference and we´ve been going forward with little difficulty since (she´s had her doubts, but for a woman of 21 years of age, she´s awful courageous.) Monday was her baptismal interview, Elder Lalli interviewed her. Last night, she knelt down and asked God if the Book of Mormon and it´s teachings were true. Today, around 7 AM, we got a phone call.
She had a dream.
In this dream she sat in a room with Elder Carlos (One of the APs who lives with us and has done some of the teaching) She said he repeated, "Now do you believe all this is true?" And that she couldn´t leave the room our stop talking to him until she realized that she did, in truth, believe and know that what we had been teaching her was true.
Sunday is the baptism. And this time, I really know we´ve done everything to prepare her for this day. This is my third General Conference in the mission, and it´ll be the first we manage to baptize in.
My package has arrived in Goiania. Elder Carlos and Elder Dutra will probably bring it back to me this week, if I myself am not sent to Goiania this week, too. Who knows, seeing as our mission has to get ready to receive 3 General Authorities this month. I´m excited, and I hope to be there when they come.
I´m glad to hear that Katie is well, and Grayson too. Send my love to them. Let my grandparents know I miss them dearly as well. And tell my friends to hold a little longer.
I´ve got to go now, love you, take care.
-Bryan
Well, once again, there´ve been emergency transfers in Anapolis. Pres. Tobias called last week, telling us that Elder Stoddard and I would go on splits with the other Zone Leaders, Elder Ribeiro and Elder Lalli. Saturday, Elder Lalli called Pres. to find out more, and Pres told him that, instead of splits, he should just pack his bags, and tell Elder Stoddard to do the same.
So as of yesterday, I´m on my 16th companion, Elder Lalli, from Bountiful Utah, who lives on the same street as Pres. Eyring. He´s really cool, just that we still don´t know if we´re going to be together next week or not. Who knows these days in Anapolis, huh?
In other news, we had a really cool experience this morning. We´ve been teaching a woman called Eliana this month. She´s from Pará, a single mom dating a member of the ward. We marked her baptism for General Conference and we´ve been going forward with little difficulty since (she´s had her doubts, but for a woman of 21 years of age, she´s awful courageous.) Monday was her baptismal interview, Elder Lalli interviewed her. Last night, she knelt down and asked God if the Book of Mormon and it´s teachings were true. Today, around 7 AM, we got a phone call.
She had a dream.
In this dream she sat in a room with Elder Carlos (One of the APs who lives with us and has done some of the teaching) She said he repeated, "Now do you believe all this is true?" And that she couldn´t leave the room our stop talking to him until she realized that she did, in truth, believe and know that what we had been teaching her was true.
Sunday is the baptism. And this time, I really know we´ve done everything to prepare her for this day. This is my third General Conference in the mission, and it´ll be the first we manage to baptize in.
My package has arrived in Goiania. Elder Carlos and Elder Dutra will probably bring it back to me this week, if I myself am not sent to Goiania this week, too. Who knows, seeing as our mission has to get ready to receive 3 General Authorities this month. I´m excited, and I hope to be there when they come.
I´m glad to hear that Katie is well, and Grayson too. Send my love to them. Let my grandparents know I miss them dearly as well. And tell my friends to hold a little longer.
I´ve got to go now, love you, take care.
-Bryan
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Another Email - 3/23/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 8:48 AM
You can say that again. It seems like just yesterday I got here in Jundiai, and now it´s almost time for transfers again, haha. I´ve been here nearly two months, too! Where does the time go? When I arrived in Anapolis, I had less than a year on the mission, now I´ve got almost a year and 5 months! We had Stake Conference this week, and it was a blast. I truly felt that the speakers where speaking directly to me, and it helped me with a few answers to questions I´d been praying about the whole week.
Perhaps this year the labor in the garden will be hard, but at the least I´ll be home to help next year. It´ll be interesting for me. On the one hand, I miss a good number of the foods from back home, on the other, next year, I´ll surely be missing the food from here.
It´s not actually SUPER common that an average woman goes and hits on an Elder, unless she´s drunk, which isn´t too rare on the weekends, but well, here in Anapolis, things can get dangerous, haha. There are a lot of girls in the wards who are, as we term it, "sympathetic" towards Elders, especially to those Utah boys with their blonde hair and blue eyes. If Colin were here, he´d suffer, haha. As to skimpy swimwear, it´s not really that they wear swim clothes, so much as they well, as one Elder puts it "Some days you see girls who wear clothes that´d make a lingerie mannequin ashamed."
Or, as Sister Tobias so lovingly put it to the recent group of Elders who arrived.
"Elders, here in Goias, there are a lot of pretty girls, and as it gets hot really early in the day, many of them don´t dress in Church Standard. So when you go to shake a girl´s hand - - Stick your arm WAAAY out!"
But I suppose I ought to be ashamed, haha. Brasilian girls aren´t the devilish serpents that sometimes Elders can make them out to be. In fact, on the whole, there´re pretty much the same as American girls. When they´re rich and well dressed, they can be snobby little punks who you can´t wait to see condemned at the last day. When they´re nice people, they´re nice people. When they´re bad, they´re bad. For every girl on the street who hasn´t got a notion of black and white in her head, there´s always the Sisters on the mission who, more often than not, pull more weight than a good number of Elders.
Brasil in general is a lot like the US, yet in it´s own way, it´s also really different. It´s funny how, some days, I don´t ever want to leave. It´s like they say, where an Elder serves, he becomes eternally a defender of that place forever after in his life. Two years ago I didn´t even think about Brazil. Two years from now, I can´t imagine my life without this place. It´s strange how it works out.
I still have to hurry up here and send my report to Pres.
Love,
Bryan
You can say that again. It seems like just yesterday I got here in Jundiai, and now it´s almost time for transfers again, haha. I´ve been here nearly two months, too! Where does the time go? When I arrived in Anapolis, I had less than a year on the mission, now I´ve got almost a year and 5 months! We had Stake Conference this week, and it was a blast. I truly felt that the speakers where speaking directly to me, and it helped me with a few answers to questions I´d been praying about the whole week.
Perhaps this year the labor in the garden will be hard, but at the least I´ll be home to help next year. It´ll be interesting for me. On the one hand, I miss a good number of the foods from back home, on the other, next year, I´ll surely be missing the food from here.
It´s not actually SUPER common that an average woman goes and hits on an Elder, unless she´s drunk, which isn´t too rare on the weekends, but well, here in Anapolis, things can get dangerous, haha. There are a lot of girls in the wards who are, as we term it, "sympathetic" towards Elders, especially to those Utah boys with their blonde hair and blue eyes. If Colin were here, he´d suffer, haha. As to skimpy swimwear, it´s not really that they wear swim clothes, so much as they well, as one Elder puts it "Some days you see girls who wear clothes that´d make a lingerie mannequin ashamed."
Or, as Sister Tobias so lovingly put it to the recent group of Elders who arrived.
"Elders, here in Goias, there are a lot of pretty girls, and as it gets hot really early in the day, many of them don´t dress in Church Standard. So when you go to shake a girl´s hand - - Stick your arm WAAAY out!"
But I suppose I ought to be ashamed, haha. Brasilian girls aren´t the devilish serpents that sometimes Elders can make them out to be. In fact, on the whole, there´re pretty much the same as American girls. When they´re rich and well dressed, they can be snobby little punks who you can´t wait to see condemned at the last day. When they´re nice people, they´re nice people. When they´re bad, they´re bad. For every girl on the street who hasn´t got a notion of black and white in her head, there´s always the Sisters on the mission who, more often than not, pull more weight than a good number of Elders.
Brasil in general is a lot like the US, yet in it´s own way, it´s also really different. It´s funny how, some days, I don´t ever want to leave. It´s like they say, where an Elder serves, he becomes eternally a defender of that place forever after in his life. Two years ago I didn´t even think about Brazil. Two years from now, I can´t imagine my life without this place. It´s strange how it works out.
I still have to hurry up here and send my report to Pres.
Love,
Bryan
Email 3/23/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 8:53 AM
Mom,
Sorry that I put it off till last, but I had to send my report to Pres. Tobias, and now I´m more less out of time. Thank you so much for the e-mail, and let everyone know back home that I love them. The Tuesday after next is transfers, so if you don´t hear from me, it´s because I got transferred again, haha.
Just to answer your question really quick, there are a lot of trees that shed their leaves, but none that stop being green. I saw pine trees the other day!
I also need to step up and learn to drive.
Dapper Crapper, haha.
No further funny stories about lying to women on the street about having a girlfriend. But I´m liking the idea. When I get home, I think I´ll do the same with girls in the stake who I don´t want to dance with. "This is my girlfriend, she lives in Brazil!" Hahaha. I´m a little evil, huh?
Wow, the last time I went to a blessing, I participated in the ordinance. I didn´t even have 8 months on the mission. Man, the time sure flies, huh?
Don´t forget that you owe me a frog hat.
Gotta go eat.
Love,
Bryan
Mom,
Sorry that I put it off till last, but I had to send my report to Pres. Tobias, and now I´m more less out of time. Thank you so much for the e-mail, and let everyone know back home that I love them. The Tuesday after next is transfers, so if you don´t hear from me, it´s because I got transferred again, haha.
Just to answer your question really quick, there are a lot of trees that shed their leaves, but none that stop being green. I saw pine trees the other day!
I also need to step up and learn to drive.
Dapper Crapper, haha.
No further funny stories about lying to women on the street about having a girlfriend. But I´m liking the idea. When I get home, I think I´ll do the same with girls in the stake who I don´t want to dance with. "This is my girlfriend, she lives in Brazil!" Hahaha. I´m a little evil, huh?
Wow, the last time I went to a blessing, I participated in the ordinance. I didn´t even have 8 months on the mission. Man, the time sure flies, huh?
Don´t forget that you owe me a frog hat.
Gotta go eat.
Love,
Bryan
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Another Email - 3/16/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 8:39 AM
I don´t think I´ll be eating corned beef, though cabbage is a maybe. You never know what´ll go in a salad here, haha. As for the wearing of green, I think MAYBE I have a tie with green. I´ll try and wear that. I don´t think we´ll be having any festivities down here, as the Brazilian Elders wouldn´t get it. And, well, Wednesday we´ll have District Meeting, in which we´ll be pretty serious, as, well, we´ve got a lot of work to do in preparation for April. General Conference is coming, and we need to have things ready before that. We´ve got to find and baptize families.
On the mission it´s never been very hard for us to give service, nor to serve, but many times it´s hard for us to ask for or accept it because of our own pride. We fear that we seem weak, or maybe lazy, when we need to learn the Humility the Savior sought to teach his Apostles. As it says in the scriptures "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve." We have to learn to serve with all our heart, might, mind and strength if we´re to be found spotless at the last day.
It´s good to hear someone else is having a hard time adjusting to his new title. Megan´s all giddy about being an aunt, but I´m finding the whole uncle thing still a bit unreal, haha. But hey, I´m down here in Brazil, so I´ve plenty of time to warm up to the idea, haha. Hey, you realize that you´re officially Grampa Barney now? And that Grampa Barney is Great-Grampa? Wow. The world´s getting old now, huh?
I´ve got to write Mom now, so take care, okay?
Love,
Bryan
I don´t think I´ll be eating corned beef, though cabbage is a maybe. You never know what´ll go in a salad here, haha. As for the wearing of green, I think MAYBE I have a tie with green. I´ll try and wear that. I don´t think we´ll be having any festivities down here, as the Brazilian Elders wouldn´t get it. And, well, Wednesday we´ll have District Meeting, in which we´ll be pretty serious, as, well, we´ve got a lot of work to do in preparation for April. General Conference is coming, and we need to have things ready before that. We´ve got to find and baptize families.
On the mission it´s never been very hard for us to give service, nor to serve, but many times it´s hard for us to ask for or accept it because of our own pride. We fear that we seem weak, or maybe lazy, when we need to learn the Humility the Savior sought to teach his Apostles. As it says in the scriptures "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve." We have to learn to serve with all our heart, might, mind and strength if we´re to be found spotless at the last day.
It´s good to hear someone else is having a hard time adjusting to his new title. Megan´s all giddy about being an aunt, but I´m finding the whole uncle thing still a bit unreal, haha. But hey, I´m down here in Brazil, so I´ve plenty of time to warm up to the idea, haha. Hey, you realize that you´re officially Grampa Barney now? And that Grampa Barney is Great-Grampa? Wow. The world´s getting old now, huh?
I´ve got to write Mom now, so take care, okay?
Love,
Bryan
Email - 3/16/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 8:54 AM
Well, it´s a huge relief to know that everything went all right, huh? I worried and worried the whole week through, but it´s good to know that everyone made it out okay. This last week was a pretty busy week for me, haha. Monday I went to Goiânia, Tuesday I came back to Anápolis, Wednesday I found out also that my second companion in the field, Elder Owen, who went home this January, got married on the 5th, and on the 10th I became an Uncle. Friday we had conference with President Tobias, and Saturday we had a baptism.
Let´s see if I can´t have just as an adventurous week this week, huh?
Just two quick shout outs to the girls back home.
1) To Jess: Yes, I got the photo album, and we all found it rather funny here in Anápolis. And I got your letters. I´ll read them as soon as I leave the Lan House.
2) To Sharelle: Thank you for being an effective shield this week.
(Story: So yesterday I was walking on the highway when some ladies called us into their house to teach them. Nice ladies, all of them very attentive, all of them more interested than the normal person on the street. Sounds like they´ll pray, and like they´ll come to Church this Sunday. Just one little problem. When I opened the time up for questions, one asked:
"Why don´t you boys get married?"
"We´re missionaries, after these two years, we will."
"Ah, is that so? Then you can come back and marry me."
(Red alert! Quick, what´s better explain that no missionary can ever come back and marry a girl in the area he served, that you´re not interested because the lady is older than your sisters and not exactly too good looking, or lie and say you´re taken?)
"Sorry, I´ve got a girlfriend already."
"Really? Is she an american or a brasilian?"
(Well let´s see, which do I go for? I don´t have any photos of girls I know who are members of church who live in the states. I have only two pictures of girls my age on me: A Brasilian Sister who is friends with my CTM comps, and one of Sharelle. If I say she´s a brasilian, they´ll think my eyes are on the ladies from around here. If I say she´s from the states, well, what do I stand to lose?)
"American. Want to see a picture?"
"Sure."
And thus Sharelle has proved to be an excellent shield against the dreaded somewhat interested in you lady. I hope you don´t mind, but you DID say I could say this to people, and it WAS an emergency. Just don´t tell your boyfriend, or some 7 months from now I´m dead, haha.)
A huge thanks also, Mom, for sending me a shot of Grayson. Cute little guy. It´s still strange to think I´m his Uncle, but then again, I don´t think anyone really adapts immeadiately to the idea, right? But hey, I´m really happy for Katie, and I´m excited to meet my nephew when I come home. He´ll be a bouncy little toddler and everything.
I have to send off my report to Pres, now, so I´ve got to cut it short.
Love you lots, and take care!
Bryan
Well, it´s a huge relief to know that everything went all right, huh? I worried and worried the whole week through, but it´s good to know that everyone made it out okay. This last week was a pretty busy week for me, haha. Monday I went to Goiânia, Tuesday I came back to Anápolis, Wednesday I found out also that my second companion in the field, Elder Owen, who went home this January, got married on the 5th, and on the 10th I became an Uncle. Friday we had conference with President Tobias, and Saturday we had a baptism.
Let´s see if I can´t have just as an adventurous week this week, huh?
Just two quick shout outs to the girls back home.
1) To Jess: Yes, I got the photo album, and we all found it rather funny here in Anápolis. And I got your letters. I´ll read them as soon as I leave the Lan House.
2) To Sharelle: Thank you for being an effective shield this week.
(Story: So yesterday I was walking on the highway when some ladies called us into their house to teach them. Nice ladies, all of them very attentive, all of them more interested than the normal person on the street. Sounds like they´ll pray, and like they´ll come to Church this Sunday. Just one little problem. When I opened the time up for questions, one asked:
"Why don´t you boys get married?"
"We´re missionaries, after these two years, we will."
"Ah, is that so? Then you can come back and marry me."
(Red alert! Quick, what´s better explain that no missionary can ever come back and marry a girl in the area he served, that you´re not interested because the lady is older than your sisters and not exactly too good looking, or lie and say you´re taken?)
"Sorry, I´ve got a girlfriend already."
"Really? Is she an american or a brasilian?"
(Well let´s see, which do I go for? I don´t have any photos of girls I know who are members of church who live in the states. I have only two pictures of girls my age on me: A Brasilian Sister who is friends with my CTM comps, and one of Sharelle. If I say she´s a brasilian, they´ll think my eyes are on the ladies from around here. If I say she´s from the states, well, what do I stand to lose?)
"American. Want to see a picture?"
"Sure."
And thus Sharelle has proved to be an excellent shield against the dreaded somewhat interested in you lady. I hope you don´t mind, but you DID say I could say this to people, and it WAS an emergency. Just don´t tell your boyfriend, or some 7 months from now I´m dead, haha.)
A huge thanks also, Mom, for sending me a shot of Grayson. Cute little guy. It´s still strange to think I´m his Uncle, but then again, I don´t think anyone really adapts immeadiately to the idea, right? But hey, I´m really happy for Katie, and I´m excited to meet my nephew when I come home. He´ll be a bouncy little toddler and everything.
I have to send off my report to Pres, now, so I´ve got to cut it short.
Love you lots, and take care!
Bryan
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Another Email - 3/2/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:49 AM
Subject: Re: Congratulations!
Well this week I have to go sort of quick, because I used half my time teaching the new guy the ropes on the net. His name is Elder Stoddard, and he´s an extremely quiet guy from Wyoming, of all places. My goal is have him speaking like no other when April comes.
On the mission one of our great focuses is to magnify our callings. I once asked Pres. Tobias how I could have surety that I would never go inactive. President answered. "Elder, WORK." And well, that´s the whole secret. If I´m an ACTIVE member of the church, then I have to be ACTIVE doing things in it. Otherwise, even going every Sunday, I´ll be inactive.
And please, please pray for me. I need all the support I can get.
BYU at the moment is just kind of a crazy thought. If you´ll believe that, of all people, I am actually more worried about what to do with the whole marriage and starting a family deal after the mission.
AND SPEAKING OF MARRAIGE, What´s this whole Cindy wanting to hook Colin up with Jessica thing, haha. Cindy sent me an e-mail this last week. Oh, it´s really weird to read the words "Cindy ALEXANDER". Everybody I know is getting married back home. New game plan, haha. I´ll get home, organize everything until the New Year, and hop the next flight back to Brazil.
But don´t worry about paying for me to go to college. If you need to know my preferences, I prefer that Colin goes on his mission and that I don´t go to college. It´s that important to me that he goes.
I have to go, Elder Dutra, one of my companions, just got a very strange "Dear John." So, yeah. Haha.
Love,
Bryan
Subject: Re: Congratulations!
Well this week I have to go sort of quick, because I used half my time teaching the new guy the ropes on the net. His name is Elder Stoddard, and he´s an extremely quiet guy from Wyoming, of all places. My goal is have him speaking like no other when April comes.
On the mission one of our great focuses is to magnify our callings. I once asked Pres. Tobias how I could have surety that I would never go inactive. President answered. "Elder, WORK." And well, that´s the whole secret. If I´m an ACTIVE member of the church, then I have to be ACTIVE doing things in it. Otherwise, even going every Sunday, I´ll be inactive.
And please, please pray for me. I need all the support I can get.
BYU at the moment is just kind of a crazy thought. If you´ll believe that, of all people, I am actually more worried about what to do with the whole marriage and starting a family deal after the mission.
AND SPEAKING OF MARRAIGE, What´s this whole Cindy wanting to hook Colin up with Jessica thing, haha. Cindy sent me an e-mail this last week. Oh, it´s really weird to read the words "Cindy ALEXANDER". Everybody I know is getting married back home. New game plan, haha. I´ll get home, organize everything until the New Year, and hop the next flight back to Brazil.
But don´t worry about paying for me to go to college. If you need to know my preferences, I prefer that Colin goes on his mission and that I don´t go to college. It´s that important to me that he goes.
I have to go, Elder Dutra, one of my companions, just got a very strange "Dear John." So, yeah. Haha.
Love,
Bryan
Email - 3/2/10
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 6:58 AM
Subject: Re: March comes in like a feisty lamb
Have to go quick, used the greater part of my time helping the new guy. So, I hope that everything is well back home. Thank you very much for sending me the photos of Katie´s wedding. She looks very happy in them. I feel sort of strange knowing that my big sister´s married, but I´m very happy for her.
THANK YOU for not spending too much money on the package. I always feel all kinds of shame when you guys waste money on me. As for the ring, well, it can be the exact same size as mine, if you can remember what size my finger is, because, well, my ring fits better on his hand than on mine.
Thank you very much for maintaining all this craziness on the internet for me. Just a little while longer and I´ll return and settle it all for you. I got a letter from a Sister I know who´s serving in Florianopolis, she has some 4 months left and well, when the Sisters go home, the end draws nigh, haha.
As for Chile, this is the first time I hear anything. I´ve been so busy here these last few days that really, I have no idea what´s going on outside Anápolis.
You can be sure I´ll be praying for Katie every night. I pray for you all continually. I hope all the best for the birth of her child.
Well Mom, I don´t know about Spanish Rice, nor about Enchiladas, but I do know that these last few weeks I´ve been craving that Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle thing you always make. Oh how I hate the waves of food cravings!
I have to go soon too. My cash is almost up, and we still have a lot to buy for the house today, haha.
Love, Bryan.
Subject: Re: March comes in like a feisty lamb
Have to go quick, used the greater part of my time helping the new guy. So, I hope that everything is well back home. Thank you very much for sending me the photos of Katie´s wedding. She looks very happy in them. I feel sort of strange knowing that my big sister´s married, but I´m very happy for her.
THANK YOU for not spending too much money on the package. I always feel all kinds of shame when you guys waste money on me. As for the ring, well, it can be the exact same size as mine, if you can remember what size my finger is, because, well, my ring fits better on his hand than on mine.
Thank you very much for maintaining all this craziness on the internet for me. Just a little while longer and I´ll return and settle it all for you. I got a letter from a Sister I know who´s serving in Florianopolis, she has some 4 months left and well, when the Sisters go home, the end draws nigh, haha.
As for Chile, this is the first time I hear anything. I´ve been so busy here these last few days that really, I have no idea what´s going on outside Anápolis.
You can be sure I´ll be praying for Katie every night. I pray for you all continually. I hope all the best for the birth of her child.
Well Mom, I don´t know about Spanish Rice, nor about Enchiladas, but I do know that these last few weeks I´ve been craving that Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle thing you always make. Oh how I hate the waves of food cravings!
I have to go soon too. My cash is almost up, and we still have a lot to buy for the house today, haha.
Love, Bryan.
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