Email - 4/27/10

Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:52 AM

Actually, rainy season was when I started in Anapolis. We´re going into dry season, but the clouds fill the skies every day with promise of a drop or two, which would be really nice. In Jundiai, we don´t have too much a problem with mud, but in the other half of my area, Alvorada, we have a huge problem with it.

I thought it was cold Sunday evening, but then we saw a thermometer which read 29 degrees! Which is about 84 back home. Can you imagine? I thought it was perfect weather, when in the old days I would die from the heat!

Life is often times like a drama here in Jundiai. Honestly, someone has to pick up on the idea of making at least an Anime about Missionary Work. Because this has to be the crazy time of my life. Every week somebody´s girlfriend ditched him, or someone else is dating, or there´s some Elder drooling about some Sister. (And hey, Sister Riggs, the Texan Sister, is "gente fina" as we say down here. (good folk.)) It´s always drama here on the mission.

And of course South America wasn´t hard hit! As Elder Nelson said on Wednesday, "This land is a chosen land, reserved for the seed of Joseph," and "The Gathering of Israel has begun, the Book of Mormon is the sign, and you are the ones chosen to bring Scattered Israel home."

My package hasn´t arrived yet. We have until the 11th for it to get here. After that, I don´t know when I´ll see it. But don´t worry about Mother´s day, as I´ll still be here in Anapolis. Speaking of which, I was thinking I´d call home around 3 PM here, which ought to be around 9 AM back home, right? But maybe I´ll be able to call at 8 or 9 PM, depending on when everyone is free. The reason?

The 9th of May is Mother´s Day here, and as a special present to our Mom´s, we´re getting ready a great huge baptismal ceremony in the whole city. We´re thinking of starting around 6 PM here (12 Noon) and it ought to go about an hour. This way, our city finally rises up on the map and we can all celebrate mother´s day, giving our Father in Heaven these new converts.

Sadly for you, Mom, this is going to be my last phone call on the mission. The 9th will be the last you´ll all hear my voice until I´m home safe in the airport. I believe the 26th is the official end of my mission, so the 27th is travel day and the 28th the day I get home. I don´t know how releasing a missionary works, but someone let the Stake President know I don´t want to keep my badge on until the 9th, when my licence expires.

As for Brazilian holidays, you´ve never seen a nation so bent on partying like the Brazilians. Serious. Remember that the Aztec´s partied two weeks at the end of the year? Their descendants party from December until after Carnaval.

You can make something with beans if you´d like, but it´s not necessary. I´ll surely want to eat a lot of beans and rice, and will have to adjust to the American custom of heavy dinners instead of heavy lunches. But you know how it is. Mom´s cooking is always best.

Since I don´t need my room until the end of the year, it´s totally okay. These days we´re painting our house, and I have to say, it´s not as easy, nor so hard, as it seems. We only have 3 rooms to paint, and we painted one today. By Mother´s day, we ought to be more or less done.

Oh, and just so everyone can get excited, I´m going to send a letter every week (money permitting) from now on. I´ll be acting on the advice of a very good friend of mine, one Elder Nelson. As I haven´t the time to describe everything today, I´ll send what happened in a letter. Elder Nelson, however, gave a condition. These letters have to be read with the family present. So whenever there´s a little time, call Megan, Colin, and Dad, sit them down, and read my letters home, okay? This is something an Apostle sent me to do, but it only works if you´re all listening when someone reads the letters. It´s part of the promise.

Love you all lots, gotta, go!

-Bryan