Email - 10/4/10

Sent: Monday, October 04, 2010 9:05 AM
Subject: Re: October

Dude, my computer here is all kinds of whacked out at the moment. I dunno what the Lan House lady did to my screen, but it´s all kinds of badness. In any case, let´s carry on, huh?

I seem to remember the flight from Dallas to São Paulo being longer. I swear it lasted more like 14 hours. But I could be wrong. In any case, I´m used to long travel times these days, as the bus ride to Uberaba clocked in at 7 hours and all that jazz. I doubt I´ll be able to get sleep, since I never was any good at sleeping in a vehicle. On the other hand, I´ll be pretty tired by the end, so who knows.

It´d be good to have Pres. McCoy release me as soon as he can. I mean, I don´t know exactly, but I imagine I´ll be home in the afternoon of Thursday. I don´t know how his schedule is, and I know that every Pres. has his own way of releasing, but if there´s an interview and ceremony, it´s best to start soon, isn´t it? Hahaha. I´m excited now, but I´m sure when the day comes to lay down my badge I´ll probably cry.

Leave it to Colin to know about bad movies, huh? But yes, what I saw was MVP2, not one. They passed the sequel, instead of the first ones, and the movie was in english, without subtitles, so basically only I and I alone understood what was said. It was, in fact, pretty stupid, a little cute, and the monkey was cool. I´m sure that it´s 2 years without watching a movie that makes it so interesting.

11 investigators is the sum total of men, women, and children above 8 who came to church. Unfortunately the greater part have this or that little difficulty. Some are drinkers and smokers and crazy, but as the Lord´s children you´ve just got to love them all. It´s probable that more visitors come out to church than you notice, what with the size of our ward and all. Here you can´t miss the visitors, as it seems they´re almost equal in number to the members.

I also found General Conference to be a wonder! I rejoiced to hear the Prophet declare Saturday morning that every young man should serve a mission, and that such service is an obligation of the Priesthood, and the same teaching repeated later by one apostle, who declared that Satan, and I quote, "Will do anything to keep a young man from going on a mission." As always during conference I heard a million and one talks that I thought, "wow, that´s great to tell so-and-so that we´re teaching, or such-and-such that I know!" But the best talks, as always, were directed to me.

Pres. Monson and E. Holland spoke a lot about Gratitude. So I thought I ought to send out some thank yous in this e-mail.

Let´s go in order of age, so as not to offend anybody, okay?

First off, a huge thank you to my grandparents. To Grampa and Gramma Barney, who have been such a pillar of gospel strength in my life. For teaching me the right since I was little, and for having raised up a righteous family, through which I came. Thanks to them I give for having always supported me in my decisions, and taught me that marvelous teaching of Gramma Barneys, which Elder Godoy, who closed the Sunday Morning Session´s prayer, repeated to us not long ago in Goiania, "In Love, there is no need to trade, rather, there´s an addition." Or as Gramma simply put it, "Your heart doesn´t ever run out of space to love people. It always grows for one more."

Thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Haney, for having always supported me, even when they don´t understand a thing I´m ever saying. I thank them and my aunts and uncles for all the presents I´ve ever given, but I´m so very, very much more thankful for the time we passed speaking one with another in all the many birthdays, thanksgivings, and christmases since my birth on forward. Their love and attention is much more worth it than any toy or money has ever been.

Thanks to all those who have paid even if but a cent or made even if but the smallest of sacrifices to be on my mission. I hope to God I´ve brought honor to your sacrifices, and I can never, ever thank you enough for the wonderful experience your sufferings and sacrifices have brought into my life and the lives of others.

Thank you Mom, for everything. For giving me my life, for caring for me since I was little. For having the patience to teach me, even when I was not patient with you. For loving me enough to correct and even punish me when I was wrong. Thank you for 20 years of dinner on the table and running. Never have I been more grateful for this quiet contribution than in this time when I have so long gone without it. Thank you for always having me clothed, clean, and educated. For bearing to me your testimony when I was young, and for trying, so many times, to read the Book of Mormon with me. No man or woman on this earth reads the scriptures with a voice that moves my heart more than yours. Thank you for the many Halloweens you helped me with my costume, for the Christmas trees, and for the countless hugs and kisses when I needed them most. Thank you for being the woman of women in my life, who has taught me and loved me and cared for me forever.

Thank you, Dad, for serving a full time mission. Your decision, so very, very long ago, shaped my life and the lives of those I´ve taught. Because you one day served in Texas, men, women, and children have heard the Gospel in Brazil. Thank you for being my hero. Thank you for sitting with me the day I was to receive the priesthood, and reading to me and teaching me the importance of what would enter into my life. Thank you for the millions of car ride interviews, when we could just plain talk. Thank you for waiting up at night for me, even when you knew where I was. Thank you for being the Man of Men in my life, who showed me what a man ought to be. Thank you, for one night, so long ago, having the courage to ask a sister not to gossip to you, and forever showing your son the importance of never speaking ill. Thank you for teaching me to respect my mother, and all other women, and to put their needs before my own. Thank you for being my protector, my rock, and my sure place when I needed you. Thank you for your silly mustache, which has for so long been a constant in my life. Thank you for never giving up on me to get my eagle, and to come to serve a mission. Thank you for being there at all my concerts, and taking me to scouting activities, and even just talking star wars with me.

Thank you Katie, for being my big sister. I know I haven´t been the best little brother, and I´m so sorry for that. Thank you for taking care of me when mom and dad were away. For trying your best to make dinner for us, for playing legos with me, for talking Harry Potter or Final Fantasy or just making fun of any dumb thing. Thank you for not being the complete failure some people´s big sisters are. Thank you for always talking to me, even when I must have annoyed you to no end at times.

Thank you, Matt, for being my big brother. For always talking to me, even when times have been tough. Thank you for apologizing. I could never hold those childish fights we had when we were young against you. Thank you for supporting me on my mission, and talking with me, even when it was just about video games. Thank you for the many times we ran around the forest with wooden swords hunting monsters no one other than us could see. Thank you for helping me pick up an instrument and playing it. Thank you for being there to hear me, even if what I was saying was never important. Thank you for showing me the importance of going after what I want, and not waiting until later.

Thank you Megan, for being my oft-times partner in crime. Thank you for helping me so often to teach those crazy little kids. Thank you for being a shining example of the gospel in my life. Thank you for being the soldier-girl which has impressed men and women in this far off land for so long. Thank you for wasting important time to play with Colin and I, and for being what every latter-day saint ought to be, a missionary wherever you are. Thank you for one day having showed me that I shouldn´t complain about having the RIGHT to kneel down and bless the Lord´s supper. Thank you for playing star wars and Zelda and Mario Kart and who knows what else with me. Thank you for watching scary movies with me, and even silly girl shows with me.

Thank you, Colin, for supporting everything I put you throw. Forgive me for not being the best big brother ever. Thank you for having been the one who was my eternal Player 2, in games, in adventures, and in just about everything else. Thank you for being the crazy pal I could always rely on, and for being the one who always went with me, to scouts, to youth conference, to mutual and seminary. Thank you for being the best little brother a guy could ever have.

In short, thank you all so much, for your time. For your dedication, devotion and attention. There are many others who I would love to thank. Friends, family, and associates. Leaders from church and at school. Fellow members of the church the world over. Thank you all for everything.

Love,

Bryan