January 2, 2011

So the Brazilian tradition is to light off fireworks nonstop allllllll
day and like crazy at midnight. They~re is practically no law
enforcement about fireworks here. They are going off all the time year
round. But it was like a war zone at midnight. It was pretty
entertaining though. All the missionaries in the zone got together for
new years. We had a good time just talking and hanging out. So now my
year on the mission (that~s how everyone refers to the year that will
be completely on the mission) has started. It~s a weird thought that
all of 2012 will be spent in Brasil on my mission.

Sometimes I don~t understand why are reading library is so limited
because I would love to read so many other books that apostles and
other members have written and I~m sure they would be uplifting. But
then I see how much reading I have to do with just the small selection
that we have and I kind of understand why they don~t want us spending
all our time just reading books. The other night when we were waiting
for New Years we were discussing who we thought would be the next
Prophet. Elder Oaks was one of the favorite candidates. Just a little
peak at what we discuss on the mission.

So I spent the rest of Christmas day in that members house. He was
playing a new video game he got and I played with his daughter in the
new "kitchen" playset she got. Then we had dinner and just talked and
relaxed. I tried to tell my ZL to finish up about 30 times and he
would just say, yeah I~m almost done, and just keep going. It was a
little frustrating. And we got home before 10 30. It was a very
relaxed Christmas, it almost didn~t even feel like Christmas. It~s
very different here in Brasil and just being on the mission.

That should be me way off on the edge in that photo. So I~m having
pictures developed right now. We~re going to pick them up tomorrow and
I~ll try and send them next monday.

So I live with Elder Santos and Elder Pirilo, they are pretty cool
guys and it~s fun having three Brasileiros in the apartment it really
is helping with my Portugues. It~s a little crowded but it~s not so
bad. One of them has a football and we were throwing it around the
apartment the other night and it was hilarious. They have noooooooo
idea how to throw a football. They think it~s amazing when I throw it.
We~re going to try and play some basketball today. The chapel in Ponta
da Praia has a court out back.

Speaking of Outback, on Christmas Eve all the Americans in the Zone
ate at the Bishop of Jabaquaras house, and then have a daughter who is
married and she is going to visit the USA with her husband who speaks
pretty good English. So he asked us what restaraunts he needs to go
to, and we just went nuts talking about restaraunts. I think he was a
little overwhelmed, but we were just remembering all the wonderful
food. That~s one thing that~s very different between here and there.
Here restaurants just work different. And they don~t have chain
restaurants.

Elder Nelson isn~t in my mission, but I saw him at the MTC in Provo,
didn~t I tell you? He lived right underneath me. I think he went
somewhere up north in Brasil. So Elder Wise, my friend from BYU, is in
Salt Lake City right now waiting for his visa, and Elder Crowder,
another friend from BYU, finally got to Sao Paulo North after being in
Colorado for a while. He was companions with Elder George (Jared
George from Lacey Washington). It~s a small world.

That investigator is scheduled for this Saturday. He has been
traveling for the end of the year and we have had to wait. But he is
solid. He really has a firm testimony of the gospel. We are also
working with a few young women Luana and Christina. They are both
really interested too. Luana just walked into the Church one sunday
and has been golden since then. Christina has been investigating the
church for like 7 months now, apparently she~s a little famous in this
area for being a member without being baptized. But we are working
with her still. And also there is a part member family that we are
working to complete. The 30 year old daughter was baptized and one of
her daughters were baptized and we are working with her husband and
parents. They love having us over and talking about the gospel, but
I~m not so sure if they are really interested in the church. Other
than that we just have a few that we~ve only met once that we are
trying to start teaching.

WHAT BULGARIA!!?? That~s super cool. A lot of the missionaries in my
branch in the MTC were going to that area, eastern europe. Maybe he~ll
be in my old branch. That would be super cool. Tell him
congratulations for me. That~s super exciting. Bulgarian though, good
luck Candon. Start praying for help now. Is that a 12 week language.
Most languages are 9 weeks in the MTC but hard ones are 12, like all
the oriental languages, finnish, georgian, albanian, and I~m sure
there are a few more. Grandma already sent me a couple with him in it.
But the more the merrier.

That~s strange he won~t let you write religious material,  because
tons of Elders receive theirs with that written. But don~t worry about
it. Be general, if there is anything expensive inside don~t be
specific or anything. I don~t think the system is as bad as people
make it sound. I haven~t heard of a package being stolen or anything
like that from any missionary. I should be getting the last package
today or tomorrow from my Zone Leaders. They have a council with
President every month and it was today. So they are bringing us
letters and packages.

Personal revelation is probably the easiest thing for a missionary to
talk about. I feel like everything we do is based around it. There is
an entire chapter on recognizing the Spirit in Preach My Gospel.

So on Sundays we usually help in the recent convert and investigator
class. Using principles of the gospel. So we don~t get to go to sunday
school. We might start teaching another class to the ward missionaries
about preach my gospel and how they can help the work. I don~t know
about that though.

You can send me whatever you like. I would like to read the quote
papers from Sister Von Forrel. If it~s not a hassle or anything.

So Sarah~s found herself a boyfriend on the BYU team. That~s awesome.
Now I got an in to the team. There is an Elder here that was on the
football team and we~re pretty good buds. Now I~ve got all the sports
covered.

I hope that Dad starts feeling better soon. And that you don~t get
sick. That would be a bummer. Why are you going to Megans again?
Whoops just read why, forget I asked.

Every week I~m waiting anxiously to hear about Sawyer. I tell people I
have 6 and a half neices and nephews, I want to just be able to say 7.

So alot of people tell me that it~s a lot easier for someone who
speaks Portugues to understand someone speaking Spanish, than the
opposite. I hope that~s true. I~ve been thinking of trying to learn
Spanish after the mission. We~ll have to see about that.

Well that~s all the news for this week. Ate mais. Te amo.

Elder Cameron Bruce