Monday, October 3, 2011

September 26, 2011

Dear family and friends,

Lots of letters, and lots of questions to answer. It was great to hear from everybody. It sounds like everyone is doing great back at home. I guess that me and Dad may have it the toughest, maybe Dad even more; same with Drew, Gordon, and Dan, but of course that is what comes with the responsibility of being a man and having the priesthood. The men must provide. Dad has to provide for the stake as well as our family, my brothers-in-law must provide for their families, and I must provide the gospel for the people in Santa Catarina. The responsibility of the women is to care for everyone in the family and prepare great sons and daughters of God. This is what I just recently learned in Preach My Gospel and study with my companion.

Tell people that I have been receiving their letters and that I will return any letters I receive. My address is on the blog if people want to write to me. Otherwise, please send an email! I love to hear from people back home.

OK, now to start off with me, I have some sort of cyst, caused by some sort of unknown infection, growing on me [details edited]. The pain started Thursday, the bump started Saturday, and it burst today before I started writing this E-mail. I talked to the Sister who is in charge of medical today about it and she said that I will probably have to get it checked out in a mini-hospital here. So it hurts to walk, sit, sleep, and at times to stand, so it is really no fun. Fortunately after it burst, some of the pain went away.

We taught an investigator on Friday, the first and pretty much only time this week, the first lesson. I taught the lesson about the Restoration for the first time. I felt pretty good about it and felt the Spirit. During the lesson, the investigator had to go to the bathroom, and I asked my companion how he thought it went, and he said "Mais ou menos. Você pode melhorar, mas não foi bom." You can google translate that sentence on your own. All I can say is that it was not the best confidence boost a senior companion can give after the first time a missionary gives a lesson. Five more weeks, and I will have a new companion. I learned one of the Christlike attributes is hope and to look to the future with a positive attitude.

The new Elder that is living in our house with us is Elder ***** or something like that. He´s American, that's all I know. He has been in the mission for ten months and he speaks pretty good Portuguese and he only speaks to me in Portuguese unless for he needs to clarify something for me. He also tries to keep me involved in some of the conversations, whereas before I didn't really pay attention because I have never really paid attention to conversations my whole life.

Focusing on what is going on is still a struggle, and might be my whole mission, so hopefully I will be able to focus during General Conference (which is only in Portuguese) and understand what they are saying. I have no idea if I will be able to receive the Liahona or not so, if you can, send that to me please.

There are lot's of cultural differences here but I can't tell you since I haven't really focused on them. I know right now that they exist, but I don't remember what.

I would like, if possible, for Christmas: Peanut Butter, Reese's, Syrup (they don't have maple here), Root Beer, your love, and anything else that you think would be awesome. Just don't send any books or anything like that, because I won´t be able to read it till I get home. I will think of some other things to ask for next week.

By the way, I won't speak Portuguese to you guys until I come back home, because I want it to be a surprise. I will only quote in Portuguese. That's about it.

I love all of you guys and hope to hear from you more. You are all awesome and great examples to me. Send more letters if you can, and I will try to write back and answer your questions whenever I am able. Love you.
Love Elder Kevin Brady.

P.S. Dad, it is "Como vai?" Como vi você is "as I saw you." It´s kind of weird for you to say that.

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