April 30, 2012

So I was thinking, just real quick before I get started, that if you have a chance in the next package (whenever it is, don't stress...doesn't need to be anytime soon) if you could send me some more Swedish fish...turns out the people here only have Portuguese fish, and they smell bad!! ;)

Anyways...so thank you so much for all the information!! I love hearing about Grace...it's the bomb. Elder Weiss thinks grace is such a ridiculous place, but i love it! haha makes me laugh :) Sal took 10th in the nation?? That’s ridiculously amazing!!! I'm super proud of her!! And I feel so bad that Mrs. Hamblin isn't coming back. It makes sense, and I knew she was pregnant, but still....bummer! Sarah is a reading fool!! haha I love it! Sister after my own heart <3 hehehe and yes on the Britt rocking the dance recital!!! Way to start young! My only regret about dance.....was that I couldn’t do it my freshman and sophomore year! triste :( and Sarah needs to keep up that attitude though! Someone needs to keep the manliness in the family! ;) Man I’m all about emoticons right now eh? Don’t judge. Man that's rough about the Disneyland thing though.....it would be super cool for Britt...but I definitely understand your worry. That’s a rough one. No stress though...you'll figure it out. You always do :)

Man....here’s the deal. I need some hard copies of these pictures, cuz I have an incredibly good looking sister!! And it’s just a bummer that she's marrying a dork like Matt (haha just kidding....love you bro! :)) I can't believe the wedding is this week! my entire branch (yes all 30 of them) know that Steph is getting married this weekend, and what an amazing person she is, and what a stud ball player Matthew is, and they can’t wait for this weekend to be over so I’ll shut up about it! haha ;)

FRACK IS ENGAGED?!?!? What the heck man!! I'm not even in the country!! He couldn’t wait until I got back??? It’s not THAT long! haha just kidding :) man that's awesome!! I really can’t even tell you what a blessing it is, that all these soon to be married couples have a temple right there. It's so hard for the people here to receive the blessings of the temple, because so many of them barely have enough money for food and sometimes not even that, but then the temple is 6 hours away so it’s expensive to travel. But Elder Weiss and I have been working so hard and have been focusing on the temple, that there are a lot of people making plans to go to the temple here soon. It's an incredible sacrifice, but it really is amazing to see the changes in people as they start to plan and sacrifice. I'm so excited to get a temple in Lisbon!!

Oh man tell ash good luck!! Student body officer is dabomb.com!! And she'll win....no sweat! ;) Just be yourself Butch, and they'll vote for you!! :) put a picture of me up in the high school...like one of me being really good looking or something, and tell the kids that I’ll write them a letter if they'll vote for you....yeah...you'll win for sure! :)

So I haven't met with President Torgan yet....turns out that our interviews got moved until tomorrow...and this will probably be the only one I have with him...that's what Elder Weiss said...so we'll see. I'm super excited about it. I've heard lots of good things about President Torgan, and it will be nice to actually meet him.

K so update on Kamal and Jassy, and their 2 children Akash and Joselyn (the Indian family) they are AMAZING!!! I love them to death!! Kamal was able to make it to church yesterday. HIs family wasn't because Jassy wasn't feeling very good, so she stayed with the kids while Kamal came to church. He liked it a lot! He’s still trying to find out what is right for his family. We had a lesson with them last night and taught the restoration, and the spirit was super strong! We emphasized the Book of Mormon, and they agreed to read and pray, and were reading it when we left. So cool! So we stopped by this morning on our way to email, and Kamal wasn’t there, but Jassy said they read and prayed. She doesn't speak Portuguese very well, but she said she read and prayed and she it was really really good! And the look in her eyes when she said that....oh man it was awesome!! We tried to set something up to come back, but Kamal works so much it’s difficult, but we will...They're incredible!

So miracle alert!!! Another family!!! AMAZING!! so we were waiting to talk with this girl named Graça and she was late, so we were sitting there wondering if we should call her or what, and we saw 2 guys walking toward the store next to us....we recognized one as a guy that runs in the park next to our house. So we said hi and then they stopped....ok...sign number one. They stopped, and we talked to them they are from Guinea, and they both accepted the Book of Mormon, and then we got their numbers. So we were pumped and walking to our next appointment and Elder Weiss felt like he should talk to this lady walking the opposite direction from us...which he doesn’t do...so the spirit was really working on him. So we stopped her and talked to her. Turns out she's the girlfriend of the guy that we met with! (Girlfriend of 10 years....no one here is married...it's a plague.) But she's a member from a million years ago. She was baptized when she was 10 but her family never really was active....so now we're talking with them! They are super interested! The Lord has definitely prepared them!! Tavares is his name, and he used to play soccer professionally, but then hurt his knee so he's out. He can never play again. And right now he doesn’t have work and they are super humble, and super loving and super interested and we had a lesson with them last night and he wants to be baptized!! YES!!! Miracles! The Lord is preparing them!! The only thing they need to be married. And he's from Guinea and she's Portuguese, so before they can be married, he has to have a steady job. So if you could pray that Tavares will get a steady job so they can get married that would be amazing! Hey thanks!! :)

So I just want to tell everyone thank you SO much for the letters, emails, prayers, support, and love. I'm SO sorry if I haven't gotten back to you yet. I'm trying super hard, but I just haven't had a ton of time! I'm working on it I promise!! But I love you all...so much.

April 23, 2012

My week has been interesting that's for sure. We've had ups and downs but it's been good! We have seriously been struggling. 95% of our appointments fell through, so we've been tracting like crazy, and we've been struggling there too. It’s been kinda rough. BUT we had a family in church for the last 2 weeks so that was super cool! We have an appointment with them on Wednesday. The problem we have with them is that they have a hard time scheduling another appointment. One thing that nobody does here is call ahead and confirm appointments or anything. My companion and I had an argument about that, which I know is dumb, but I’m like hey, let’s call and he's like no it will give him a chance to say no.....and back and forth and back and forth...but yeah. I'm not real homesick. I think about you all the time and I pray for you all the time, but I’m not wishing I was home. I love being here and doing the Lord's work. And one thing I know, when we're focused on what's going on, when I really try to lose myself in the work, the days go faster, I’m happier, and I’m not homesick! :) It's been a little rough, cuz my companion is trunky, so he talks about home, then I talk about home, and then I starting thinking about home, but that's when I start singing a hymn or something so I can get focused again. And I feel a little bit like no one understands me. I don't have the same kind of relationship that My companion has with the members, because I can't understand everything....still. And they all try to give me advice, but they don't really understand how it is I’m feeling. And I try to explain it, but they take it the wrong way, so I just gave up on that. And my companion is not the person I want to go to for advice in this area...at all. He's a good missionary, and he told me some incredible stories today that were just awesome!! I loved to hear it, but I’m not gonna turn to him for advice on this. At all--so I’ve been feeling a little alone, but I love praying. I love it. I feel peaceful, calm, and like somebody understands me. Because I know that Heavenly Father knows me. And I know that He loves me. So I love praying and talking to Him, and feeling that "it's ok, don't stress, I'm in charge" feeling. So awesome. So yeah this week has been a little bit of a battle, but I figured it would be, so here I come! :)

Awesome, Skype's what we'll do then. We have interviews with President Torgan in Coimbra this week, on Thursday, so I'll find out what the deal is with that and then let you know. My companion said an hour, but the sad thing is, I really don't trust him when it comes to stuff like that. He's been telling me a lot of stories of stuff he's done, and how he's gotten in trouble with President, and stuff like that, and I’m just like....yeah ok...I’m not listening to you anymore. Oh well. It'll be interesting to see if he or I get transferred in a couple weeks cuz this next one will be his last. He thinks he's leaving, but some of the members think he's gonna stay and I’m gonna leave, but I’ve been thinking that we're gonna be together one more. We’ll see.

I'm glad the play was good!! That article made it sound like it was gonna be a blast! Those real stage guns! That would be sweet!! I’m glad ash did so well! Did she have fun? She’s so funny!! And she's gorgeous!! And my companion said that we look really similar, so apparently I must be pretty good looking too eh? ;) It's weird to think that when I get back, she's gonna be in college!! What?!?! Strange...

 St. George weather is incredible! I love it! Here it's super warm too! I honestly have no idea how warm it is, cuz A-- we don’t' have a thermometer, and B--everything here is in Celsius, so......I don’t' know what that means! haha :) everyone here talks about how much they weigh in kilos and how tall they are in meters and centimeters so I basically don’t even know. They ask me how tall I am and I just look at my companion and say...."não tão alto como ele é!" which means, "not quite as tall as him!" :) it's funny! It has been super rainy the last week though. It rains in the morning, and then during the afternoon it usually clears up a little, then in the evening it will come down again. Sometimes it just rains all day. And then the wind will pick up cuz we're right by the ocean, so it's all over the place. My companion is tired of it, but I really like it! If we had to keep this up for like 2 months, I’d get frustrated, but right now it's kinda fun! And sometimes the rain will be more like a mist rather than rain! It's so wierd!!! I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! It’s cool though.

 So the family from India couldn't meet with us til Sunday, but they tried to call us and tell us they couldn’t but they couldn't read my handwriting on the card, so they called the Elders in a different area!! haha oops....my bad! but they're super awesome and we taught them in English and Portuguese cuz they speak like 5 languages, but none of them fluently except for their native which is Punjabi (which is a language the the BoM isn't translated :/ but they have Hindu so that’s ok :) ) so we were back and forth in between English and Portuguese so that was interesting. And we taught a TON! We taught the entire plan of salvation, and part of the restoration, and mentioned the gospel of Jesus Christ, all because he had questions! It was awesome!! He accepted the "convite-suave" which is like a smooth invitation to be baptized. We asked him if when he knew these things were true he would be baptized. And he said absolutely!! He’s super humble, very smart, very much involved with his family and he wants to be baptized and do what's right. It honestly is incredible! He was a little hesitant to pray. He didn't really want to because he just never has and he said it was something he didn't do. That was when got to bear my testimony of prayer. I just told him that it was something that is really really special to me and can be for him. I asked him how he would feel if his son decided not to talk to him for a couple days. He said it would be really hard and he would be a little hurt and want to know why. I told him it was the same way, but even more so with our Father in Heaven. And prayer is the way we communicate with Him. I told him it is simple, and it's not anything grand or anything like that, but that it's a way to talk to Heavenly Father and to feel Heavenly Father's love for us, and to receive guidance. I asked him again if he'd pray last night and he said he would. Man it was awesome! I felt the Spirit with me. It was such an awesome experience dad! It was so fun to feel the spirit testify. Oh I loved it!

 Man so one thing that I’ve learned, is not only is the gospel true, but it is amazingly cool too!!! Seriously! I love studying!! I always feel like I don't have enough time! I've also started to study by topic more, and that is so fun too! The problem is, I'm having more questions, and wanting to learn more than ever before, but A) I don't have enough time, and B) where do I start! I have so many questions and I want to learn it all RIGHT NOW!! haha but I can't! So I've been studying the Law of Moses, and then the fall of Adam, and why that was important, and why we shouldn't curse Adam, but really, we should honor him. It's been super fun! (ps...Bible dictionary...rocks. one of my favorite study tools...just sayin)

The Gospel is true. The Lord loves you, and so do I!! (Winkler quote:) )

Love ya!

Jordan

April 16, 2012

Oi mãe!! tudo está bem aqui! muito obrigado! eu estou a trabalhar com todo meu coração. e sei quanto tu amas-me e eu espero que tu e todo minha família sabem quanto eu amo-vos e quanto eu penso e oro por vocês! :)
(Hi mom! everything is right here! thank you! I'm working with all my heart. And know how much you love me and I hope you and all my family know how much I love you and how I think and pray for you!)
Man I bet everything is crazy there now! I’m super sorry! Here’s the thing, no need to worry about me. If I don't get pictures or a letter right away, no sweat! I’m still gonna be here, but the wedding and stuff at home doesn't last forever, so stress not! :)
That’s so great that Britten is doing better! Oh my goodness that makes me feel better! The Lord is definitely watching over Him. And the Lord is blessing Him because of his service. That's so cool. His testimony was stellar! Made me think a lot about why we go through things. He's such a stud! Keep fight Britt! Keep fighting!!
Oh man....Aunt Heather passed away? That’s so sad! I feel so bad that I don't even know her. That really makes me sad. But now she doesn't have to worry about her broken body, and she can focus on trying to become better now. Another trip to St. George? Man I’m sorry. But it'll be really good for you and dad to be there. One thing that I’ve realized is how important family is. A lot of people here don't really think that family is important. And that's one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard. It's super hard. They do think about their family, well the older generation, but the younger generation like, 30-40, it's not as important and even some of the members aren't really looking for an eternal family. It's super hard that way. So that's really an awesome thing that you're going down to see her.
Parabéns on the BoM! That’s super cool! I’m still in 3rd Nephi and loving every second of it!! haha :) but I am excited for when I can read ‘I Nephi having been born...’oh man! How cool! And Jason's turning out to be the stud of the year!!(This refers to Jason Murdoch who is taking Jordan’s place in my ward choir) that's awesome!! Super cool!
Something that the president of the relief society here (who is incredible btw) said in church yesterday...translated kind of.....We have the capacity to do ANYTHING! We just need to be resilient. Like a sponge. It doesn't matter how you squeeze, twist, move, or pull on a sponge, it will ALWAYS return to its original shape. That's what we need to be. No matter what life, or Satan, throw at us, twist us, squeeze us, or pull us, through our Heavenly Father, if we are resilient, we can and must, return to our original shape. Oh it was cool. She's incredible. And so is our stake president, President Pais! He's AMAZING! Love him! And it was a great meeting on Sunday! We had 5 investigators there and they all loved it!! Super pumped about that! They all want to come back! YES! And we increased from 23 people in church last week, to 34 this week!! BOOM BABY!! Yeah for the power of prayer faith and the spirit!! We’ve been praying and making goals to getting people to church, and honestly, the Lord works miracles. Oh it was AWESOME mom! And the spirit was way strong! Loved it! :)
So got the talk and letters on Wednesday or Tuesday....can't remember which, but I got them. So thanks! :) My feet are wonderful! Finally adjusted to the cobblestone and life is good! The sheep skin is coming through for me! Go Mr. Mac!!! :) We had a baptism 2 weeks ago, but Margarida was our goal for this week, and she's not having any of it. It's super sad cuz her husband is a member, but she just isn't feeling it right now. It breaks my heart cuz her husband is stellar, but he doesn't want to offend her right now, so we're backing off a little. Maybe a little bit later. So the Brazilian divorce, right now we're still waiting, which is super sad, cuz Vivian and Leandro are INCREDIBLE! Satan has been working on them, through trials at them all over the place, but they are just rock solid!! So cool! But we want them to have the gift of the Holy Ghost ASAP, so we're still working on that.
Anyway, I’m about out of time, but i love you so much. You are amazing people. Honestly you are, and I’m so grateful you're mine :) thanks for everything, don't stress about sending me anything right now, wedding is WAY more important, and also, you need to pay for someone else's car....so my peanut butter can wait :) hahaha I love you all so much. Have a great week, and stay strong!! Alma 48:17...favorite scripture. Well that and Helaman 5:12. yeah...anyways. Love you all.
Tchau!!!~
Elder Jordan Brady

Last Week (Sorry folks, I was sick...:() April 9, 2012

Hey dad!!! I haven't gotten any letters yet, but we think the mail man might be a little slow getting to our building, so maybe a little later this afternoon. oh good!! I'm gonna be receiving a lot of stuff in the next couple days eh? good, i'm excited!:) Haha i'm glad you said something about my sense of humor!! cuz my companion doesn't really think that i have one. ....triste! (sad) haha oh well! Yeah the apostle Paul was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. Especially cuz i couldn't even understand what he was trying to bless me with! hahaha not good. I do love elder Weiss. He’s a good guy and he really knows how to talk to people. He has really good relationships with the members and our current investigators. He doesn't like to start conversations in the street or anything like that, but once I make him, or when I start one and then have no idea what they said, he'll come in and start talking and then he does a pretty good job saving my neck :) Yeah Figueira de Foz is super pretty! I like here a lot. It's a super poor area, and most of the buildings are worn down and shabby and not many people have work, but it's really pretty! One of the problems, is a lot of the time, when we get close to the ocean, I can't really smell it, because everyone and their dog smokes here. Oh buddy....”Well sir, I would love to talk to you, but since I can't breathe because of the smoke....maybe we'll talk to you about the word of wisdom before we hit the restoration huh?” haha just kidding....kind of ;) no but it’s a really good area. I like it a lot. I really love the members here! Their great! The only problem is there aren't very many. In church on Sunday we only had 23 people there, including 2 visitors from another ward in Coimbra, and the missionaries. Not very big! And I’m the only one that can even kind of play the piano, so I have to sight read the top hand, and then they just have to not judge the fact that it's horrid!! hahaha :) honestly though, I really wish I would have learned more hymns....this is kind of sad! :) But hey!! We had a baptism last week!! It was super cool! It was the boyfriend of a recent convert. He was having some problems, and we needed some serious help. We prayed and we sincerely felt that he needed to be baptized this weekend, so we prayed for miracles, and honestly, they came. They were living together, but weren't married, so that was one thing we need, and before, his girlfriend (the member who happens to be 7 months pregnant) didn’t really want to get married. IDK why, but she didn't. So we prayed that we could have a miracle, and she told us when we got there that they were ready to get married! Oh man it was awesome!! And so we ran to the conservatorio (idk what that is in English, just like the town hall kind of thing. it means conservatory, but idk what that is. just the town hall basically :) ) and we asked them if we could get them married ASAP. So we couldn't do that weekend, but we have it today at noon so that was a miracle!! And so he moved to the house next door to live until they can be married today! And then the other thing was he needed to quit smoking. That was gonna be rough. But I knew, and we bore testimony that the Lord can do anything! So we decided that he wasn't gonna smoke anymore. He had a little bit of trouble, but then by the time Friday night came around, he was doing better. And He was able to quit and was baptized and confirmed! I asked him how he felt after being baptized, and he said "I feel light. It's a sensation that I’ve never felt before, but it was incredible!" it's super amazing to see what the atonement can do! Light, like something heavy had been taken off his shoulders. Holy cow. It was so cool dad!So i haven't met president Torgan yet. I will get to meet him at zone conference in about 2 and half weeks-ish. I’m excited, but a little nervous too! haha they say he's amazing but super intense!! AHHH hahaha :) but I’m excited to meet him and his wife. And he just got called to the area 70 so that's super cool!So food....I haven't had anything that wasn’t super good! Except for the chicken hearts, and they were ok. But the meat here is AWESOME! And the rice is always good, and they cook in onions and garlic like nobody’s business! I was nervous when I saw them cooking in it so much, but now I get excited cuz it's so good!!! haha :) and the fruit here is BOMB!! Fresh and marvelous!! And they have these little cracker things that are kinda like graham crackers and they're super addicting! haha I eat them a lot. And the Bread!!! Oh my gosh!!! I’m gonna gain weightOk, so I know it's uber expensive to send stuff here, but anything American (food wise) you want to send would be great! I like the food here, but I would love American food too! chips, peanut butter, candy, all the essentials ya know! :)
Love,Jordan

April 2, 2012

Hey mom!!
Haha as soon as we got here, everyone was talking about how
they thought Pres. Torgan would be called to a calling in the 70 or something
like that. It was funny cuz everyone was sitting here making guesses and stuff.
made me chuckle. WE did get to watch some of conference, but not all. We got to
watch some of it in English, all of prieshood session, and some of the other
sessions as well. in order for this to make sense, i'll have to explain the
situation here. (ps all of the English words are underlined in red here cuz
this keyboard is Portuguese! hahaha:)
Anyways, I’m in a city called Figueira de Foz. It's in the
middle part of the country right on the coast. It's super pretty! today we're
at a internet cafe and it's the first time I could actually see the ocean. It’s
super pretty. So here in Figueira there is a tiny little branch with like 25
active members. I've been able to meet some of them, and they're really nice.
We have a really nice church building, but it doesn't have a projector, so they
couldn't project conference. They were trying to rent a bus to drive the
members to Coimbra to watch it there, but the branch president didn't want to
spend the money. So we were trying to get investigators and members to watch
conference, but only some of them have internet and only some of them have
laptops and the branch just isn't really unified here. It's rough. But tonight
we're having an FHE with a bunch of recent converts and a couple investigators
to try and build the unity back up. plus also, not many people here have been
through the temple, and to be honest, not a ton of them (according to my
companion) are very interested in the temple. which is super sad, because we
won't get one here, until the people are ready for it. triste....so we’re
trying to help with that tonight. we're gonna talk about the blessings of the
temple at FHE tonight.

So....Elder Weiss is my companion. He's form Arizona, I
forget which part exactly, but he's from there. He's only got 2 more transfers
left, so he's a tad bit trunky and has told me that I have to keep him focused.
ahhhh....rough. I like him though. We get along fine. He's not exactly what I
was expecting, but nothing here has been what I’ve expected! :) I think I’m
bugging him a little because I’m only the 2nd person he's trained and I’m going
way harder than his last greeny so ya know. To be completely honest, he kind of
likes to waste time. It's been a little rough, because i don't know exactly how
we're supposed to do stuff, especially the actual training program, but I’m
trying my hardest to figure it out. I’m learning a lot, but idk....maybe I’m too hard on him. And this week has been nuts too. He says it's usually not this crazy so we'll see. Hopefully things
start smoothing out.
So we spend a lot of time at a part member home. The girl is an 18 year old member who was baptized a year ago, and now here mom and soon to be step dad want to be baptized. They are great people. super super nice. The man is married to another woman in Brazil but has another daughter who is super cute, with the mom. So we've been trying to hook them up with a lawyer in
Brazil that can help them get a divorce, so they can be married, and so they
can then be baptized. It's been fun. I think we've found somebody who can help
though. They feed us like every day and that's ok. Then there's another couple.
The man was baptized a week and 2 days ago and is doing really well. He's going
to receive the priesthood this coming Sunday. I really like him a lot. And his
wife isn't a member, so we've been over there a couple times too. She really
doesn't have an interest in the church because she had a problem with her
family and a different church when she was really little, so she doesn't want
to join. And the man won't really say much. He wants her to be a member really
bad, but doesn't want to pressure her. It's a rough situation. But they watched
conference together so hopefully that helped. We’re hopefully gonna go talk to
them in a day or two. They live in Vila Verde, which is like a 45 min to an
hour walk. yes we walk everywhere, no I don’t have a blister, but the bottom of
my feet hurt cuz of the cobblestone :) haha :) So that's kind of the situation
there. She's not really interested, but I’ve been praying that her heart will
be softened so she can feel the spirit. She said she didn't feel anything at
her husband’s baptism....super sad. Anyway, that's kind of the skinny there.
As far as food goes....boy, I’m not in America anymore right?? hahah but it's been good. I’ve
had fried bananas (which ROCK) and I’ve had chicken hearts, and oysters, and
clams, and more chicken rice and bread then I’ve seen in my entire life!! haha
:) all of it is good. Chicken hearts are goofy. They don’t' taste bad, just
kinda rubbery and I can't really think about what it is that I’m eating. haha
:) but yeah they keep us well fed--sometimes too well.
We have a TON of inactives, and they mentioned that a lot in
conference, so we might work with them a little. We'll see. I want to. I want
to make sure there's an awesome base for the investigators to come to chruch
and see how incredible it is!
So CRAZY story. We were walking back to another appointment,
and this guy comes out and is like "ELDERS!" so we're like ok....this
is cool!! yeah it was weird. This guy comes and starts talking to us, asking us
for blankets cuz he's sleeping without any. so we're talking to him and
whatnot, and he's like smoking hard core and stuff, so he finishes his
cigarette, maybe it was weed, idk, but then he tells us that he needs the
blankets cuz he's the apostle Paul. He grabs my hand, starts speakin Portuguese
that I really can't understand. Elder Weiss is on the phone trying to find some
blankets so I’m kind of alone right? So this guy puts his hands on my head and
starts murmuring some things. Then when he's done says "do you feel
better?" I was like what??? Then he was like, do you "have any
coins?" coins?? "Do you have any coins for the blessing?" I was
confused. By this time Elder Weiss comes back, and he tells the guy we don't
have any money, and then we go find him blankets. We give him the blankets then
leave. Basically, this guy just gave me a blessing because he thinks he's the
apostle Paul and then wanted me to pay him for it.....man it was goofy. I
didn't like it at all. So then on our way to our next appointment, I stopped
elder Weiss and told him I didn't feel the spirit at all and we cannot go
anywhere without it. So we stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and I pleaded
with Heavenly Father to forgive us of our faults and to bless us with the
spirit. Mom I can't even tell you how incredible it was to feel the spirit
again. Oh my goodness. It's so real and such a blessing and Heavenly Father
cares. And He'll help you through anything!
So that's portugal! haha :)
So it turns out i can understand some stuff. Elder Wiess,
and the members say I’m doing pretty well. Idk...it's super hard to understand.
I can usually express myself ok. I need to work a TON but I can express my thoughts
usually, but understanding the natives is super hard. But I am doing better. I
pray every day for the gift of tongues, but even more now for the gift of
interpretation of tongues!!! haha :)
Love,
Elder Jordan Brady
Note from Jeri Kay: I've corrected some of his spelling and grammar, but I think it's hilarious that he writes the way he speaks! So I've left some of the mess in the blog for personality sake. I also learned the hard way with Stephanie, that it's not always great to include investigator's names. So I've taken out the names of Elder Brady's investigators. I promise, though, that they have names and can use faith and prayers in their behalf! (hint, hint :))

Safe and Sound in Beautiful Portugal

Hey mom!!!~Sorry I couldn't call you from paris. The calling cards only work if you're callin from the us out of the states. (That's what I get for buying calling cards at Alco!!) sorry about that. I tried really hard. But yes, I am here in Portugal at the mission home and oh my word mom it is SO beautiful!! way better than any of the pictures we saw!! :) but I'm not gonna lie....this Portuguese keyboard is giving me a little bit of problem!! hahah :) I love that quote by president monson!! (Yard by yard, life is hard; inch by inch, it's a cinch)I can't wait to hear from him this weekend! (hopefully in english so I can understand it eh? :) ) all of the elders here say that we speak better than they did when they got here, so that's encouraging, but they must have been TERRIBLE because I couldn't understand ANYONE at the airport!! hahaha :) so I got to talk to a couple of sisters from Finland on the plan from Paris. It was super cool. They were agnostic?? idk they didn't have a specific religion, and they said they were closest to Budhism, but even then not really. they were really fun to talk to. I just talked to them, and got to know them, and then shared my purpose and my testimony here and there. I feel like I probably should have tried something maybe a little more bold, but it took me like 2 hours of the 2.5 to get up the courage to even talk to them! especially cuz I didn't know if they knew English or not. HA :) but it was fun. they were really nice, they wanted to hear about what missionaries do a little more cuz they met some in finland, but they didn't really care a ton about the gospel, but it was really fun to talk to them. Anyways, I have to go have an interview (my president is out of town....so it's just the office couple) but I love you so much!! thank you for everything! I'll let you know how everything else goes here pretty soon. Just know that I'm here, safe, and it's super warm! :) Love you so much! give my love to everyone else.

Love,Elder Jordan Brady

March 13, 2012

MAE!!!!! Eu amo voce!!! mas do que palavras podem expressar!! :)
So I'm pretty disappointed in the Google translator, not gonna lie. IT's a little bit goofy, but kinda close :) Hahaha its actually pretty accurate, just for brazilian portuguese rather than continental (Portugal) portuguese, mas.....tudo bem :)
Oh my word mom.....it sounds like it's been another rough season in Grace. Man alive. I can't believe JD Haslam was only 30! How's his family doing? Did he have 2 or 3 kids? I can't remember. Doesn't his mom live around here too? Bishop has definitely had a LOT to go through. I bet that's super hard. And Heather is dying?? Oh my word how sad!! How's dad doing? How's Shauna doing? Is she gonna be able to come out and see her? Have you heard from Nancy at all about this? Man I wish I could have met her and known her a little more. The Lord will be merciful. That's what the Atonement is for. It's infinite, all encompassing, and it fulfills the demand for justice so the Lord can be merciful. And Our Heavenly Father loves her and wants to do everything He can.
I'm SO glad Al has had so many people watching out for him and taking care of him. He's a strong man, and he's got faith and the Lord will bless him. It will be hard for a while, I'm sure of that....but I've been praying for him.
How are Barbi and Justin? I put their names in the temple this week. What's going on there?
Oh mom I'm so sorry about your aunt Julie! I'm so sad that she's struggling!! I'll pray her for too! Man I'm so sad!!! This week has been so hard! How's grandma? Mom you are just like her. You are one of the most amazing women in history and I mean that with all of my heart! You are so Christ-like in everything you do. You are the perfect example of trying to be better every day. You don't need to worry about that mom. Promise! I have been telling EVERYONE in my zone about you and they all want to meet you!
Yeah for Britt!!! That’s why I chose her! I knew she'd get it taken care of! I've got your letter so I'll respond more there. I'm a little short on time today because I was showing the pictures of Steph and Matt to the Irma's and so I don't have as much time as I would like but I’ll write you a letter in just a little bit. No worries mom! :) Congrats on making through Alma!! That always makes you feel good right? And 3rd Nephi is fast becoming one of my favorite books of scripture of all time!!! :) It's so incredible what the Savior did for us. Every day I need to utilize His sacrifice. He always makes me stronger....every day. I love the song; I think I told you this...but "Abide with Me, Tis Eventide". When I sing it, I can feel the love of the Savior with me...It's such an amazing song. Anyways....I love you so much mom! Be strong...I pray for you every day!! I love you tons and I can't wait to hear from you again! (And pics are great too :) ) Love you all!!!
Love,
Jordan (Elder Brady)