February 11, 2012

Hola madre!

yeah it's pretty crazy how time flies! This is the last week of the transfer already! It really blows my mind! Especially since I was just on the computer like 4 days ago! haha :) This springtime goes really fast. Its been really weird to think back and realize that literally, 1 year ago, I was already on the mission. It's been a strange thing to think about, and sometimes it really hasn't sunk in that I've been away from home that long. It kinda scares me sometimes to think about how fast time goes. To think I've got less than a year to do so much. To become who the Lord needs me to be. To be able to help the people and the church here in Portugal the way He needs me to.....there's no time to waste! :)

Man you got to be there when Sal went through the temple?? Was it incredible??? I bet. I would have loved to have been there. I miss her so much! and Brandi and Hadlee were there too! so so cool! Super jealous! Give all 3 of them a hug from me....or a handshake or high 5 or something. Hugs aren't allowed yet :) Hadlee is going to New York right?  I've already forgotten where the Sal and Brandi are going....Sally is like Texas or something right? 

As far as the work goes, this week has been hard. we've seen some amazing miracles and had some really cool experiences, but it's been hard. Joaquim and Maria Julieta fell through on the baptism. IT was super sad. They came to church and loved it! and then as we started talking more about the word of wisdom, Joaquim started to shy away from us and we weren't able to get a hold of him for that whole weekend. and we still haven't! last week he called us and said he wanted us to come by, but then we came by and he wasn't there. It was weird. We're super bummed out. We pass by almost every day trying to catch him at home and we call, but we can never get a hold of him. We're just praying that we can get a hold of him. We've had a couple slow days, but we did have one miracle that was just SO cool! We're teaching a 28 year old guy that named Nel. He's such a cool kid! We found him when we were on a bus. He accidentally bumped my shoe and said "Oh Sorry!!" in English. so we started talking to him and told him it was fine and asked how he knew English and everything. (This was with Elder Rodrigues) He studies and is just this really smart guy. His mind is so smart, but he has a hard time focusing on just one thing. His mind goes from one thing to another so so so so fast. He's a little bit disabled, but not really. It's hard to explain. But he is one of the nicest most sincere people you will ever meet! He made a decision a couple years ago that he was going to be perfect!! haha he said he would never do anything wrong again and that he would treat everyone nicely. He's so cool! He's come to church a couple times  and has loved it. He loves the people, he loves the spirit. He has a hard time staying focused during sacrament meeting, but he's been doing so well! Our lessons are very slow, very simple, and super fun :) We've been teaching him for a while, and we decided that we need to invite him to be baptized. So we were actually with one of the other elders in our district at that time so there were 3 of us in the lesson last Friday. And we were trying to teach the 2nd half of the plan of salvation, cuz we didn't finish it the last time and it just wasn't going very well. He was being distracted and we just couldn't keep the lesson focused. We were all getting a little bit frustrated and confused. Trying everything we could. Nel just randomly got up, (in the church) and went to the bathroom and we were all just about ready to give up for today and try another day. But while he was gone, we just decided we were gonna be patient and go at his pace.  and we prayed in our hearts so sincerely. I don't know if I've ever prayed so sincerely in my life that the spirit would guide us. then he came back....and as we started talking........you could just see him start to make the click. He just changed. We invited him to be baptized, and he told us no at first. he said he couldn't because of his family and what would they say, and stuff like that. And honestly, this is the miracle. I don't know what happened, but as we kept talking, i don't know what we said, or what he said, but somehow the spirit guided HIS thoughts, and he finally decided that it was something that HE needed to do, and that it was something that he could do and wanted to do and that he would do it!!! He will be baptized this Saturday!! it was SO amazing! because honestly, it was such a smooth calm thing that only the spirit could have done. The spirit calmed his fears, focused his thoughts, and testified that he could do it. and we didn't do anything at all! that was the key! the whole time we had tried so hard to do it ourselves, with our own abilities, but when we relied on the spirit 100%, the spirit did what we couldn't. it was incredible. I was so grateful for the spirit at that moment. It was really really neat. But if you could keep praying mom for him, that everything goes OK that would be great. You'd really like him mom. He's a super cool guy. I love him a lot!

We've had some other really cool miracles this week, that have just made me so grateful to still b here in Gaia. I'm not gonna lie, 6 months sometimes seems like a long time in the same area :) But I love it so much and I know that the Lord knows what I need, and why I'm here. And then there are times when I look at these 6 months and wonder how time flies! I don't know about you mom, but this time has just whipped by! haha :)

As far as me and my comp are concerned....we're doing alright. Elder Lindsey is a good kid and has good desires. We're like the same person, but then kind of completely different. I see a LOT of things in him, that were exactly how I was at the beginning of my mission.  A lot of the questions that he has or doubts and some of the same things frustrate him that frustrated me. And It's been really a different but cool experience to be on the other side of the picture. It's humbled me a lot actually. I've been realizing where I was. and where I am now, but where I still need to go. It's really weird. haha :) And then there are some differences too......but that's not important :) haha ANYWAYS.....TOAST! I was just thinking about Nacho Libre, and one thing that is super funny, just to finish here, but this week, I have NO MONEY!! haha we had to pay for our Lisbon trips and they haven't reimbursed us yet.....and I HAVE NO MONEY!! haha they're gonna get money to us this week, but these last 4 days, i have had cereal, and toast. literally.....that's it! So I was just thinking, Elder Lindsey would you like to join me this night for some toast? HAHAHA  OK....enough apostate thinking :)

Love you mom.- So much. I hope you know that. Fique bem. te amo!!

The Church is true and the Book is blue!!

Love,

Elder Brady

February 7, 2013

Oi Mãe! Como vai?? 

So I'm sorry about the whole waiting until Thursday to write thing. We had an INCREDIBLE training with President! All of the missionary leaders went. Usually it's just the zone leaders that go to leadership council, but this week all of the district leaders went as well. We left Sunday night, rode the train for 3 hours, and then had training had a 2 day training. It was absolutely amazing!! it really blew my mind how cool it was. The spirit was so strong we could almost see it! And President Fluckiger is such an amazing man. I love him so much. I have never met a man that was more inspired than President. And his love for the Lord and his work ethic and desire for us to do what is right is so inspiring. I want to become like him. He's so cool. So we got back SUPER late on Tuesday night because half of our district leaders missed the train and so we were waiting for the other half and then we almost missed the last one.....confusions....but it was super funny to see 4 missionaries hauling tail to get onto the train! made me chuckle. But anyways, we got home Tuesday night, then we had our zone meeting with the rest of the zone that didn't go to Lisbon, and then we did a division yesterday with some elders that work 4 hours away. so long story short, we didn't have time to write yesterday. Sorry about that :) But you'll be happy to know, it has stopped raining for the time being, and the sun is shining and life is good! :) 

That scripture in Isaiah 40 is super cool mom. I really like that a lot. Especially that part about waiting. That's really true. It makes me think of a quote in Preach My Gospel by Ezra Taft Benson

~-"I have often said one of the greatest

secrets of missionary work is work!

If a missionary works, he will get the

Spirit; if he gets the Spirit, he will

teach by the Spirit; and if he teaches

by the Spirit, he will touch the hearts

of the people and he will be happy.

There will be no homesickness, no

worrying about families, for all time

and talents and interests are

centered on the work of the ministry.

Work, work, work—there is no

satisfactory substitute, especially in

missionary work.”--

I've found that honestly to be one of the truest statements of my life. and I believe it applies to every aspect of the gospel. As we work, and as we serve the Lord with ALL of our heart and just work. Just buckle down and do it, the Spirit of the Lord is with us. We are happier, we are guided and we have the promise of Isaiah, that our energies will be renewed. I've met some of the most devoted and converted people here in Portugal. Brother Reginaldo Cruz, and President Paulo Ribeiro are some of the most devoted men I've ever met. They work so hard, but are so happy. I think that scripture applies to both lives. ;) You're studies are rocking it huh? One thing that I was pondering the other day, was really cool. I was thinking a little about our family and our undesirable tendencies to fret. I do it unfortunately on a regular basis. dad does it. we all do it once in a while. but something that was really cool that the spirit taught me was that there is only 1 difference between "fretting" and "pondering" and that's our faith. When we fret, we think, "Oh man! what does this mean? What if this? What if that? do you think that this?" And we worry about it frantically and we get gray hairs and ulcers! :) . But pondering is basically asking the same questions, with our faith. "What does this mean? Why is this happening right know? What does the Lord want me to learn?" That thought hit me really hard. Because I had been trying to ponder the things that had been going on in the work and in life and all this stuff, but I had been fretting. I was a little bit nervous and wasn't fully relying and trusting in the Lord. And when I realized that, and tried to change it, and tried to really ponder. with faith. I have felt the spirit guiding my thoughts and have found a lot of really cool lessons that the Lord has planned out and laid out for me. it was really cool. :)

But MIRACLE ALERT!!! our baptism fell through last weekend. It was SO sad! we had Joaquim Silva and his daughter ready and preparing for baptism, but then from Tuesday on, we just couldn't get a hold of them! We passed by we called we did everything we could. We coudlnt' understand it. We were trying to see what we had done wrong, but we just didn't know what happened. So we just decided that the Lord knows better. he was the one that set up everything last week. He provided the miracles last week that we needed and that He was in charge. So we just kept going. Then yesterday during the zone meeting, HE CALLED US!!!!!! he had gone to his sisters house and just hadn't told us! and he wanted us to come talk to him tonight!!! we were SOOO grateful! and still are! It really strengthened my faith in the Lord. Because really, He had done all of the work. All of it. We just needed to trust in Him. :)

and just one last thing. There are some really cool mini preach my gospels in Portuguese that are perfect small sized. I was wondering if there was anyway you could like order it online and maybe just have it shipped to the Mission office? IDK just a thought. 

Well mom, I gotta run, but I love you SO much! thank you for everything! I miss you tons! Keep trucking up there in the snow!!! :)

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!

Love,

Elder Jordan Brady