We had zone conference yesterday and it was super good! Elder Hill is here from the Quorum of the Seventy. I was translating which was good for me cuz it helps me to pay super close attention to what is being said so I really took a lot out of it this time! They talked a lot about the charactaristics of the Savior and the devil and how they are different. Satan is always trying to make us feel that we aren't good enough, and doubt if we have recieved forgiveness of our sins, but the Savior is the opposite. They read the part where Jesus forgives the adultress after the Jews bring her to him asking if they should stone her or not. It was really cool to hear that part and it just had a whole new feeling on it thinking about how satan is always trying to make us feel that we aren't forgiven. It was a really good conference.

Everything is going good this week, I don't have time to write a long letter cuz the time is almost gone. I'm glad that everything is still going good with work and that everyone is well. I better get going but thanks for everything! Love you!

Love, Brady

Questions:
1. How's the new comp?
He's good, super funny guy, learning english really well. I think i'll only spend this transfer with him though and then get a new comp for the last 2
2. How's the area?
It's alright, we finally had people come to church. We have one baptism date and he's great!
3. How's the summer there compared to Beira?
Not has hot or rainy. but still freakin hot!Yummy Fish Dinner!!!

Yesterday we had a pretty cool experience. We went to our investigators house who invited us to eat with him and his friend. So we showed up and come to find out his friend was from Pakistan. So we were all sitting out on his tiny porch, huddled around a tiny coal stove, cooking our own gazel meat ha ha! Me from the US, My comp from Portugal, our investigator from Africa, and his friend from Pakistan! pretty crazy hu? 4 different people, 4 different countries, 4 different continents even! It was fun and the gazel meat was great! It tastes just like deer!

Conference was really good, in fact as you may have guessed it was probably my favorite I have ever watched. I really received answers to my prayers and questions. The first speaker after Pres. Monson was Elder Scott talking about personal revelation. He said that spirituality yields 2 fruits, Inspiration or knowing what to do, and POWER or the CAPACITY TO DO what inspired. After that, I knew that if the Lord wants me to do this, that he would give the the capacity to do it. Like Elder Scott said, inspiration and power.

Other than that not a whole lot of interesting stuff happened to talk about. But I'm sorry to hear that the primary is sick, I will remember them in my prayers. Thanks for the help, I love you and I'm so grateful for you. The Lord really has blessed us extremely and I'm so grateful for these blessings! This mission has been a huge sacrifice for me to make, but the blessings we have received make it all worth it! I'm so grateful for the love of the Lord. Well sorry this is kinda short but I have to get going. I love you. Have a good week.

Love Brady

Matola Zone (Brady is center back with the giant smile, click on the picture to enlarge it)

Well I’ve been in my area for a few days now and it’s a pretty good area. I like it. I’m back in the city again which is good. You don’t have as much success but the people are more educated. They can read and speak Portuguese well so it makes teaching a lot easier. Also one super nice thing is that when they have questions or they don’t understand something that you taught them, they ask which is nice too. The branch is really cool, it is probably the strongest in the mission. We don’t have to do a lot like I have in the other branches I’ve been in. The only problem with the branch is that there are these 2 American families there, and I’m not going to lie, I’m kinda scared of them ha ha! I don’t know why but normal white people kinda scare me! I avoided them cuz I didn’t know what I would say to them. Other than that the branch is really good. While I was a sec in Maputo 2 I got to know a bunch of the members from that branch and they have their church at the same chapel so I got to see all them again too.

We are teaching one family who has a son that has been a member for a while. He’s a cool guy and just got his mission call to the south Africa Durban mission! Anyways, these people are loaded!!! They even have a PS3!!!!!!!! Super weird to see one of those again! They seem to be doing well but I still don’t know the people in my area very well cuz I have only been there for a few days, but from what I see so far the people are smart and they have a lot of questions which is good. Some times we get into debates but I don’t mind doing that anymore and it is tons better than them just nodding their heads.

There are a lot of inactive members here (like everywhere) so we are going to try and focus on them also. My new comp is a way cool guy. He’s from Porto, Portugal He’s only been a member for 3 years but he already knows a lot about the gospel. His teaching style is a lot like mine, I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing ha ha! He is learning English and already speaks very well.

Anyways I better get going, thanks for everything though! Sorry I was only able to send one email for you and dad but the internet has been dead for a long time and I don’t think I will have time to write everyone. Have a happy B day this week Dad!!!! I'll send you a carved elephant tusk this time! ha ha no in Beira I probably could have gotten away with that but here I don't think so. Love you both!!!

Love Brady
QUESTIONS!!!!!!!

1. Is the area or branch the same one or close to the one you were in when you were in the office?
yeah they are neighbors
2. Do you know what happened with the Angola Visas?
they are still working on them, but they did get 3 elders over there this transfer.
3. How's the weather? Are you wet enough yet?
It hasn't rained too bad down here yet, but it is starting to get hot again which sucks cuz I have to climb up stairs again!!!!
4. Do you have investigators?
ya we have a few but I don't really know them yet cuz all our appointments fall through all the time.
5. How far are you from the mission office? Do you have church there on Sundays?
well the new mission office is at president's house but they old one is where we have church. We are about 10 minnuets away using a chapa
6. How's Elder Chimica doing?
Better, he doesn't have to walk now so he should be getting better faster too.
7. How many elders are in your apartment? Where is it from your previous apartment in the city?
there are 4 of us. Our old appartment was right next to the church so like 10 min away.

Thanks fam!!! love you all!!!!!
Love Brady

Hi Grandma,

I'm glad to hear from you that you are happy and well. It is hard to believe that so much time has gone by. I have enjoyed the mission, however, it has been the hardest most challenging 2 years of my life. I have confronted many things that I never imagined that I would have to confront. I have seen and experienced a lot of things that have really changed me as a person, the way I think and the way I act. Unfortunately most of these things haven't been pleasant to experience. However, I trust that it is all for the best. As the Lord said to Joseph Smith, whatever I confront and experience on my mission will be for my good. And I turst that the Lord will bless me and help turn me into the man that he wants me to be. I have gained a lot from my mission and I am grateful for that however.

I'm glad that Great Grandma is still able to get out and about! It sounds like she is still doing well and has strength and energy. Well, sorry this is kind of short, but I'm almost out of time. Have a good week though Grandma, I love you and I'm so grateful for you.

Love Elder Grandson

Farewell to Matola

Hi! First off the news with transfers. I will going to Maputo 1 and working in the city. I will be working with Elder Rodrigues who is from Portugal. He's in his second transfer so he's pretty new but I'm super excited! Elder Chimica is leaving too but you'll never guess to where ha ha! He's going to serve as a secretary! Along with...... Elder Dunn my other filho! I thought that was super funny! Both of my filhos are going to be secretaries like their Pai ha ha ha!!!!! I thought it was pretty funny at least. But yeah Elder Chimica's leg is getting better, when I changed his bandage yesterday his wound had almost stopped bleeding and the hole is closing up so he's doing a lot better! He said thanks for the prayers too. And yeah yesterday was a holiday so p-day was moved to Tuesday sorry ha ha almost forgot!

With conferance we only got to record it and so I haven't seen it yet. Pres wants to wait for all the missionaries to have it before we watch it so I haven't seen it yet but I'm excited! It is weird to think that this was the last General Conference that I will watch on the mission. It was weird watching it in the MTC and now I almost have the same feeling about this last one and I'm sure I will the next one when I'm home.

There are a lot of things that I want to explain but I can't do it over emails, or the telephone, it just needs to be done in person. I know it's probably hard for you guys to understand but I'll explain when I get back. I'm a whole new person because of the experiences I've had here. I hope that you guys understand though, I'll explain better when I get back.

This week not a whole lot happened cuz Elder Chimica still can't walk well. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone at church on Sunday, but I'll have tomorrow to walk in my area with the missionary who will be working there to kinda show him around and stuff so I'll still have a chance to see some people. I'm doing well though, everything is going good. I'm excited about transfers. I'm going to my last area with probably my second to last companion. It is super weird to think that! I'm going to the city which is kinda funny that I was born in the city and now I'm going to die in the city. It will be good though, I always liked working in the city, you have less success but people there are usually smarter and more respectful. It should be fun to be working there though. It is by far the stongest branch in the mission so maybe when I get back home wards won't be so weird to me ha ha! Well I better get going. Thanks! I love you!

Love Brady

Here's the questions for this week:
1. How's Elder Chimica?
Getting better, he's walking without crutches now so that's good.

2. What did you do at the Angolan Embassy last week?
Worked with them about visas. We started the process for getting more long term visas and then I had to fight with them to get president's visa so he could go visit.

3. What were you able to accomplish while working in the office that you wanted to get done when you were serving there before?
I started accounts with some companies we use a lot so we don't have to pay with cash everytime we go. Now we can just pay on the internet, Also Elder Fairhurst's computer crashed so I spend a lot of time putting all the software back on it, getting it hooked up with the network and stuff like that. Also recording conference.