This week we did a ton of work with the branch. It felt really good to get some of the things we did done. We also had a really good reactivation lesson. We found a family of inactives in our area and we went to teach them this week. One of the sisters is still active and she's great! Her name is Carola. Then her sister's name is Benigna. She has been inactive for some time now which isn't good. To make it worse she has been through the temple, and she has been involved in some stuff that she shouldn't have been involved in. However we taught them both and it was a really good lesson. We taught her about the consequences of sin after making temple covenants and that she needed to repent. We also talked about the atonement and how she could and would be forgiven if she repented. It was amazing! She told us a little more of her story and started crying (which in this case was a good thing) and said she would talk to the District President. She also came to church for the first time in a long time last week. It was really cool to see all the other old members who know her. Their jaws all dropped! She had so many people who were so happy to see her back at church it was really awesome. Reactivating some one is worth more than 10 baptisms for me!

We are teaching a woman named Victoria. She is great! She's 41 and lives with her daughter who is an inactive member. So we are working with both of them to get them to come to church. Victoria is doing pretty well, she comes to church almost every week. However we taught her about the law of chastity and the word of wisdom. She has a hard time accepting these. She has a boy friend and doesn't see why she has to keep the LOC with him, she also drinks but not often and she doesn't see the harm in drinking occasionally. We've been working with her a lot on this and I almost ran out of ideas on what to do. But the Lord taught her for me. Unfortunately it was in a way she didn't like. Her daughter is married but her husband has debts so her daughter is living with her with her 2 kids until he gets his debts settled. Well this week one of the kids got sick, really sick. And the husband is spending all his money on booze so they had no money to take care of the child. So mama Victoria had to step in but it caught her at the end of the month and she didn't have enough money to pay for the treatment at the hospital. They had a ruff week and when we sat with her she told us all this she was crying and didn't know what to do. I think that the Lord was showing her the evils of alcohol and how it can effect people's lives. It's unfortunate she had to learn that way but I really do hope that she did learn. She seems different now though. She came to church and even helped pick up hymn books after sac. (something I have NEVER seen anyone do here member or non-member) I think that the Lord has worked on her and now she has a new understanding of the church and the commandments.

Last Monday we went to that fort that you guys always asked me about while I was in the office. It was pretty cool, I have a bunch of pics that I'll show you if I ever get them on the computer. Anyways, everything here is going pretty well right now, our branch is doing great and our investigators and inactive members are continuing to do better and better. I hope you guys enjoyed the stories this week. It really has been a pretty good week. Well I better get going, thanks for the advice and for the prayers, I know they helped. I love you and I'm grateful to be your son.
Love Brady

Questions:
1. You talked about District Leader meeting! When were you made district leader? You forgot to mention that little detail!
Well, it's not a huge deal, but ya I've been a district leader for 2 transfers. It really isn't anything though.

2. What did you do for Pioneer day?
Not a thing! I didn't even know it passed by ha ha!

3. What you doin for P-day today? What is fun to do in that area?
We are playing indoor soccer. I'm not really sure to be honest ha ha I never have time to look for fun stuff to do. We play dodge ball at the church which is pretty fun. Other than that eating is my favorite activity :-)
Love you!

I'm going to make this email kinda short cuz Elder Peterson is having problems with his computer and I want him to be able to write his family too. We had our district leader counsel yesterday, it was really good and we talked a lot about things that we need to be doing and things that we need to teach to our branch presidencies. There were a lot of things but I'm hoping to put them all into practice. I also taught a principles of the gospel class yesterday in church, it went really well, I talked about sacrifice and what the Lord asks of us today. The lesson went really well I really feel that people understood. Lately we've been having problems with people not wanting to obey the commandments because "its fun" not to. But this lesson hit that right on the head so I really enjoyed teaching it.1. You said last week that you had alot of inactive members and all but 2 of your investigators at church. How many people in the teaching tank? Must be HUGE!!
Investigators? 16 (including all members of families)
Reactivating members? 25 ish
2. Are you teaching more families or individuals?
both, some individuals some are families, but most are incomplete families.
3. Now that the tree is down, what projects are your working on?
we are digging wells and pits to throw trash in as well as cutting other trees.
Thanks fam!!!

The Machete Brigade

This is an ENORMOUS tree we took out! It took 20 hours in total with us 6! It's been really fun though! We just climb up the tree with a machete and cut branches off! We had to take the whole thing out of the ground! It's way fun though we like it! The guy with all the sticks is Elder Briggs, one of the guys I live with. Rodizio's was pretty good. No joke though, we ate all their meat! They ran out of food! ha ha ha I could have eaten more too! We even told them that we were coming and that they should make a lot of food cuz we eat alot.... yeah they still didn't make enough! I felt kinda bad because for the rest of the day they had no meat! This week was pretty good. With transfers there were a lot of changes. He even created a new zone! He split the Beira zone and so now there are 4 zones. When I got here there were just Maputo zone and Beira zone. Now there is Maputo, Matola, Beira, and Manga. Nothing changed with me however, my district even stayed the same. That's alright though, I like my district.

I'm trying to think if there is anything else significant that happened this week.... oh ya we had all but 2 of our investigators come to church yesterday so that was pretty cool! We also had a lot of inactive members who live in our area come and to me those are 10 times more important so I really enjoyed church this week. As long as we have the gospel, it doesn't really matter what happens in life. That is another thing I have learned, is that the bad things that happen in this life are so unimportant in the eternal spectrum of things. It doesn't matter how much money you make or how hard your life is, as long as you are a good member and live the gospel, you'll be alright. I'm just gald that the Lord's blessings aren't all after this life, but also during this life. We just have to make it through these 60 70 80 years and we'll be alright. That's one thing I try and hit on a lot with the people I teach. People will stop going to church if they find a job that they work on Sundays in a heart beat. Money is such a temptation for them! I try and explain that as long as we put the Lord at the first on our list, everything will be alright.

Anyways I better get going. Thanks for the letters! I always love getting them from you! Have a good week! I love you and I will talk to you later!

Love Brady

Questions:
Here's our questions this week:
1. Anything interesting with Transfers?
There is a new zone, Elder Spaulding and Clegg are zl's together in Beira, other than that nothing too interesting.
2. We watched a hunting show on Mozambique this week and it brought up the following questions:
A) They said that the people there still communicate from village to village with drums. Really?
Maybe out in the boonies but I'm not sure ha ha never been there.
B) They worried about brown scorpions. Do you have those? Are they scarry?
Ya they have them here. I've never seen them though. Pretty much any living thing here they kill.
C) They were hunting elephants because they said they trample people and eat all their gardens and people would starve. Is that a real problem or did they just want an excuse for killing an elephant?
Well talking to people, they say that there are TONS of elephants and they can't kill them fast enough! I'm not sure how true that is but one thing is for sure, there is no shortage of Ivory here ha ha you can buy rings for less than a buck!
3. How's the comp doing with language and work?
Pretty good, better than I was doing with the language when I got here.

This is a pick of us playing basketball with a bunch of Mozambicans. It was pretty fun and they are actually really good players! but ya I thought you would like this pic, just don't print it out and hang it on the wall or anything ha ha I'm not so sure I want to remember this game cuz we got our butts kicked and they were all punks ha ha!

Yes the Spendloves are here and we did have a conferance. It was small, only an hour long. He talked about how we need to use the BOM and Preach My Gospel with the spirit as our 3 pillars of missionary work. It was pretty good. He's a good guy and I'm sure that he will be a great mission pres. He isn't the mission pres type, but he is the Mozambican mission pres type. He really is the perfect mission president for this mission. The first presidency chose him for this mission specificaly way before all the other mission presidents were chosen let alone assigned so I'm sure he is ment to be here. He's a funny guy as you know ha ha! He is having everyone only speak Portuguese so I may come back talking funny after all! With Pres. Packard he didn't speak Portuguese so all the Americans always spoke English with each other too but with Spendlove it's going to be different. It's probably a good thing, I'm just glad I already speak it!This week was alright, nothing too exciting to report. We are teaching a member's family and they are doing pretty good. It was kinda funny,last time we were there I asked them if they had read the BOM this week and his mom said. "We have to or else he gets mad and makes us study!" I though that was pretty funny! It's really good that he is pushing his family along. He is a way smart guy. His name is Paito. He's deaf but way intelligent! But his 2 sisters and his mom are doing pretty well so we are excited for them. We are going to Rodizio's today! They have one here in Maputo but it isn't quite as good as the one in SLC ha ha. It's way expensive but we've been saving up for it for the past week. I'm way excited!!! I get to eat meat again!!!!!!! man I miss meat! For that first meal I'm back home for I think I'm going to want those sirloin steaks wrapped in bacon!!!!!! ha ha I'm not trunky I promise, I just miss good food haha!

We did hear someone from another church trying to cast an evil spirit out of a house. That was kinda interesting. That happens a lot here. Dang Mozambicans can be hard to love!!!! So many of them get drunk, beat their wives, lie, and call me a cracker. It's frustrating! The members and our investigators are good, but the Mozambican people as a whole...well. Education is such a beautiful thing! I never realized it until I got here! Well I better get going, Thanks for everything, I'm so grateful for everything that you both have done for me. You have been so paitent and loving with me and I'm so grateful. I love you and I'm grateful to be your son. Have a good week! I love you! Love Brady
Questions:
1. How was the interview with Pres. Spendlove? Did he remember you when he saw you?
Ya he did, the interview was good! He's a great guy and I'm way excited for them both! We talked a little about your visit with him and stuff too.
2. Sounds like the branch is functioning much better! Yippee! How big is the branch now?
Ya things are starting to work better. Last week we had 98 people in sac meeting so we are doing well.
3. How do you spend your days? What is taking most of your time?
Just teaching. We teach mostly inactives and recient converts. We do service in the morning too. Usually we cut trees which is way fun!
4. Are you helping with any humanitarian work?
Not really just cutting trees, its really fun though! you just climb up the tree with a machete and cut branches off! we are cutting a HUGE tree and its taken us 3 days so far but we should be finished soon. We have to take the whole thing out of the ground! its way fun though we like it!
Thanks fam! love you too!