Yesterday I got way sick

Date: September 26, 2011

Area: Paraíso, Alagos

Companion: Elder Soares

From: Minas Gerais, Brazil



Elder Soares and Elder Ludlow
9-19-11



Hey guys!

This week was pretty good. we´re working hard. we had people at church yesterday, we´ll try and baptize them all this week between conference sessions. there´s Junior, Jackson, and Daniel they are all the age to be in the young mens.

Yesterday I got way sick. I went to church, and after lunch was at home, so I tried to eat but felt too crappy. so i just went to bed. i spent the whole day throwing up... it sucks getting sick on the mission. i dunno what it was that i ate. today i feel a little better, just super tired and weak. i dunno what we´re gonna do today for pday, we´re thinking about going bowling again.

I got my package :)  but i liked all the stuff that you sent me.. Tell Lym thanks for the bracelets, they are way cool. just a bummer I couldn't read some of the the letters (they got wet) .... i made some cookies this week! they were so good... they don't have good, soft cookies here.

That's awesome that dad bought a truck, send me a pic. good that he sold the Toyota.  has Brian sold itchy yet? what´s he driving to work and stuff? (Itchy is Brian's 1961 Buick)

I hope Brian had a good time at the 10 years concert, that's good that he´s thinking about college... i´m super stoked to start school!

I´m way excited for general conference this week, i just hope they have it in English, i understand everything way easy in Portuguese, it just sucks with a different voice, it drives me crazy.

I'm feeling pretty crappy, I haven't eaten practically anything since Saturday night.

I hope that work is going good for dad, and that the kids are keeping their grades up.

We had interviews this week with President Gonzaga, it was really cool, we talked about how i´m on the final sprint of my mission and how i have to give it everything i´ve got.
It´s weird how i´m like one of the older missionaries, all of my friends are starting to go home... and theirs a ton of people that i don't know because i spent so much time in Sergipe.


This week, these huge spiders started showing up in our house, so a guy came and sprayed these banana trees behind our house, and they were full of spiders, and cockroaches and stuff. so were gonna cut the trees down, he also sprayed all of the weeds around our house.

but yeah not a whole lot else going on.... i hope everyone has a great week and enjoys conference.

with love
Bradley

oh, i forgot... we had a barbecue at our house this week too, i sent a pic. also, Elder Becker sleeping on the wood. the other elders in our district slept at our house, so we had all 6 of us on the 4 mattresses. Elder Faria kept rolling onto Elder Becker so he went and slept in his bed with no mattress... lolol



Elder Becker



We've been working hard

Date: September 19, 2011

Area: Paraíso, Alagos

Companion: Elder Soares

From: Minas Gerais, Brazil

Hey Guys,
It´s going good here in the area. We´ve been working hard. We have a lot of good investigators, but nobody went to church because it was raining way hard yesterday, so we´ll have to work hard with these people this week to mark their baptisms. We’re teaching 2 brothers and their cousin that play soccer a lot at the church, we marked their baptism but then we found out that their dad is an ex Mormon and hates us, so we´ll have to see what´s up with these kids they really like the church and received answers, but i dunno if the dad will sign the baptismal ficha. We´re also teaching a 14 year old girl, named Leninha and her mom. Leninha already has a kid; they are interested in the church but were all super sick all last week. We´re also teaching a couple that all the kids were baptized, but need to get married. A really nice little family.


It´s pretty ghetto here but i like it it´s super easy to enter the homes and teach people. My area is super, super poor. I´m coming from one of the richest to one of the most humble.. there´s parts of the grotas that are super sketchy. Theirs a bunch of drug traffickers. there’s always hold ups and robberies, but everyone know the Mormons so i feel pretty safe, the branch is kinda weak too as far as the leadership and stuff, and these people destroy the chapel. it´s kinda sad.... but I´m liking it here overall


My comp is way cool. he’s a hard worker and likes to talk lot so he helps me out a bunch.

Today we went bowling for p day. it was super fun. I got the high score of the zone, a whopping 108!!! super weak heh??? lol



Bowling with Zone

 But it was fun. I´ll send some pics. Elder chandler was kind enough to remind me that today he and i made 1 year and 4 months. that means that 2/3 of my mission has passed. crazy... (Elder Chandler is the one we met at the missionary mall when we were shopping for Bradley’s mission)

We helped build a house this week.

I still haven’t gotten any letters or packages, but we have interviews on Wednesday. we will be interviewed to get our new dvd players. we will get use them for comp study to watch trainings.

Thanks everyone for the emails, it sounds like everyone is doing good.

has bubba started driving yet?

Have a great week and be safe.
Bradley

So I'm here in my new area

Date: September 12, 2011

Area: Paraíso, Alagos
Companion: Elder Soares

From: Minas Gerais, Brazil



Elder Ludlow, Elder Soares(in back)  Elder Becker , Elder Faria (on the right)  members of the ward


Hey guys,
So I´m here in my new area!!!! Back to Maceió!!! I forgot how ghetto it is compared to Aracajú!!!

But my new companion Elder Soares is tight.. A big brown kid from Minas Gerais. He´s way cool. He´s from the same group as my son. (been in the mission for about 3 months) I also live with Elder Faria and Elder Becker. Faria is a clown. He´s a good friend.. And Becker is a crazy red headed kid that just makes me laugh. so we all just mess around at home. And I´m still LD here in this area.

My area is extremely poor. It´s all favela (here it´s grota). The church here is cool. This huge two story building. My branch is called Paraíso. We should baptize a lot here, The ward seems pretty cool, but kinda weak, only about 60 at church, mostly youth and women.

But I´m excited To be here. I´m gonna like it here.

Elder Smythe, Elder Redd, and Sister Campos are all gonna go home this transfer, some of my best friends on the mish.

I´m healthy and strong!!! I´m doing really well.. It´s crazy I came back to Maceió and there were a ton of new kids that I didn´t recognize at the meeting. I was in Sergipe for like 8 or 9 months. I think a lot of people thought that I was new lol.

I hope that the family is doing good, it sounds like everything is alright.

Also I forwarded the pic with Elder Godoy (first quorum of the Seventy)  about Elder Goday



September 3, 2011



I love you all, be safe. I know that the church is true, the Book of Mormon is true. Jesus Christ lives and loves us!

Elder Ludlow

Transfered

Date: September 5, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe

Companion: Elder Carneiro

From: Ceará, Brazil



9-5-11


Hey fam,

I got transferred this week, I´m going to Maceió... my area is called Paraíso.. I leave tonight at 6:30, so I´ll have a new area and comp.

Today has been super busy, just getting ready to leave and packing up all my stuff.

Man, I wish I was there to go hunting... but next year I will!!! Is it just dad or are the boys hunting too? Is dad using the bow?

All of my 5 baptisms didn´t work out this week. I got hecka sad.... they will get baptized this week, Michelle’s dad didn’t come home, and Suelen will be baptized in the other area this week.

Not a whole lot going on... I don’t know who my comp is yet.

But thanks a bunch for the prayers and the email!!!!

I´ll load a couple pics.. Sorry so short

Love ya!!!
Bradley





8-31-11



9-2-11




9-2-11



Pretty Good Week

Date: August 29, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe
Companion: Elder Carneiro
From: Ceará, Brazil

Aug. 20 2011

Hey guys!!!
This week was pretty good, on Tuesday we had district mtg, and I gave my training, it went well, my district is really cool and we get along good. I also did a division with a kid named Elder Bieberle from Kansas, he´s cool... I did some baptismal interviews. The work is also going good. We have Michelle´s family´s baptism marked for this Saturday. Also that girl Suelen and her sister Maelli are marked for Saturday. they live in another area but it´s right on the border, so we´ve been teaching them, and I think what we´ll do is do all of the baptisms together at the stake center. We´ll baptize everyone, but the 2 girls will count as a baptism for my zone leaders. The girls are firmeza... Michelle´s family didn’t go to church, the dad gets home from work on Thursday, We´ll interview them on Friday. I just hope that they´ll feel ready. My companion is good.

That sucks Lyman crashed the ol´ S10 ... I´m really glad that he´s okay. That sucks dad fell off his ladder. I hope he feels better. Dude´s too old to be pulling stunts like that ha ha just joking pa.

That´s great that dad´s work is going good. Dang bubs a high schooler. Just work hard bud, and be a good kid.

Halloween package already? Woo hoo it seems like just a little bit ago I got my last Halloween package! Just make sure you seal up any candy, my Christmas one was kind of a mess.

I told him about my Young Women’s lesson about” Missionary responsibilities”
our principles of the gospel class was on missionary work too, it was good.

So on Thursday a Seventy will visit Sergipe. I have a mtg/ training with the zone and district leaders, the seventy, and President Gonzaga, then he´ll talk to all of us. We´ll eat lunch there and everything. I´m pretty stoked.

I feel like this is my last week in the area of Grageru 2. I´ll be sad to go it´s one of the nicest/ richest areas in the mish. I might be back in the favela.(poor)

I love you guys!
Be safe and be good!!!
Bradley


8-29-11

Playing a board game called war



I know that this Church is true and that Jesus Christ is the Savior.

Date: August 15, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe

Companion: Elder Carneiro

From: Ceará, Brazil

Hey guys,

I´m doin good, I´m safe and healthy. This week was pretty good, we´re working with Michelle´s family, and it seems to be all good for the 3rd of September. We´re just waiting for the dad to get home and they need to stop drinking coffee. But other than that, not a whole lot is going on. I did 2 divisions this week to do baptismal interviews. And that girl that found us really wants to be baptized, but her mom won´t let her. Her mom heard a lot of stuff about our church, so I don’t know what to do, she´s moving to another area too.
It's going good. My converts here are all doing well.

Tell Grandma Hall that I love her and I say hi.

Man, that is cool that the bow hunt has started. I am stoked for next year good luck dad.

I seriously don´t have much to say today. That will be good for Brian to work for Dustin, and to go to the singles ward.

 Today we´re just chillin at a member’s house and playing war. But I lost so now I´m emailing. lol.

That’s crazy that Brandon starts high school!! I hope he really likes it, Just keep your grades up.
Has Brian thought about college yet? What’s his plans?
This next week should be pretty good. We’re trying to help the ward get more excited. and to give us some references, because we practically knock doors all day, and I´m getting tired of it. lol. but we have a family night tonight so we´ll teach some new investigators.

but I love you guys!!!

I know that this Church is true and that Jesus Christ is the Savior. That I am the representative of this church in this area. I hope you guys are doing good back home!!! I love you and miss you!!

I made 15 this week!!
Love,
Bradley

So this week I´ll make 15 months!!! Woo hoo!!!

Date: August 15, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe

Companion: Elder Carneiro

From: Ceará, Brazil

Hey family!!!
This was a pretty good week. Michelle´s family will be baptized in the 3rd of Sept. We just have to wait for her dad to get home from Rio. Also, we found a girl (actually she came chasing after us in the street) who received the missionary lessons in Sao Paulo. Except she said she would move to another area. But she moved to a different house in our area. So we´ll pass by tomorrow to mark her baptism, and we´ll try with her sister too. So I´m hoping to baptize 5 before I leave this area.

We didn´t do capoeira, we went downtown and I bought some foakley sunglasses lol.
That’s nuts that brookie´s starting the 8th grade!!!

(Brad Sr. caught a couple of kids stealing from our side yard last week)
That´s funny that dad is freakin throwin down with the neighborhood punks. It´s weird thinking about how life is back home, windows with no bars, just plain glass, sleeping with the door unlocked, leaving stuff outside. Where I´m at, if you turn you back for 5 seconds, you were robbed. lol

That´s a bummer that Jordan is leaving, I bet Brian is sad. He should definitely take that job. Way better than bagging groceries. And he´ll make more money.

So this week I´ll make 15 months!!! Woo hoo!!!

How was it to see Lyman, I miss that dude. (he came and stayed with us this weekend)
But yeah not much more to say!!!

I’m doing good, I´m glad that you sent a package!! I´ve been really wanting some American stuff. In the next one can you send toothpaste? Did you send shorts for my friend Elder Ferreira?
Well I love you and I know that the church is true. Jesus lives and loves us.

Be safe and have fun.

With love, Elder Ludlow

District Leader

Date: August 8, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe

Companion: Elder Carneiro

From: Ceará, Brazil



8-3-11

 Hey Guys, so p day is back to Monday. I just found out last Thursday.

This week was really good! We worked so dang hard! We walked a ton this week too. My calf muscles are way sore. So we marked the baptisms of Michelle, and her parents, Florisval and Inês, they are a really great family, the dad works in a ship so he´s not home a lot. So we´ll baptize them on the 3rd of September. They are really interested in the temple and eternal families. This will be the first baptism I have of a complete family! We have had some great experiences with them!


That guy who is a fiancee of a member is a really cool guy, he likes church, he´s been going for a while. but he smokes a lot, I have taught him and he likes the missionaries, but I don’t know how to get him to stop smoking...

Micah better turn his papers in, if he waits any longer I´ll be at home already! Next time he´s at the house make him email me, and Mckay was asking about him too.

So yeah Elder Crapo went away to Arapiraca, I got way sad, me and him get along really well and we kinda followed each other around the mission. Maybe this means I´ll go back to Arapiraca next transfer??? I´d like that lol. but a bunch of Elders got switched around. So now I´m the district leader.
               (I asked him what his resposibilities are as a district leader.)
I have to get the numbers of my district, pass them to the zone leaders, explain how everyone is doing, do baptismal interviews..

We were gonna take a free Capoeira class, it´s Brazilian martial arts. you should look it up, but we´ll just go next Monday, cause we didn´t have time.

I hope bubba has a good week at scout camp.

Mom that´s great that you had a good trip, it sounds like you saw a lot of amazing things, and felt the spirit. I wanna do a fun trip when I get home. I hope that grandma is having a good time. We´ll get home at around the same time right?

Tell Lyman hi for me! (he's coming to see us on wed.)
That reminds me, this week a member was playing modern warfare 2 and I understood what the Brazilians were saying!

Hey dad and grandpa: this week is fathers day in Brasil, so happy fathers day again!!!

How was Brookie´s and Brian´s birthdays?

That’s cool Brian is going to Elders Quorum now, I hope he likes it.

Not a whole lot else going on.
I love you guys!!! Be safe!

Elder Ludlow

8-1-11



8-6-11



We will show our faith and do 120 Contacts

Date: August 3, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe

Companion: Elder Carneiro

From: Ceará, Brazil

Hey guys!!!
This week was good!!! We only had one investigator at church, a fiancée of a member who smokes like a chimney. But we are having a pretty good week so far; yesterday we found a pretty cool family that seems interested. We´ll go back tomorrow and see if they prayed or not. Also we´ll visit Michelle’s family and mark their baptism this Friday. This week my district leader and Grande amigo Elder Crapo gave a training about faith, so this week we will show our faith and do 120 contacts. And in return, the lord will find us a baptism. It´s going to be tough, but I´m ready to do it.

Mom I hope you´re having a great week in Nauvoo. That´s cool you visited McKay; I wish someone would come visit me in Brazil lol. I bet it´s awesome to see the sites.

This and Witor are great, We´ll throw a birthday party for Witor this weekend, they are seriously the poorest family I´ve met on my mission, they are 9 months behind on their rent. I feel hecka bad for them.


So today we watched Rio. I love that movie; it explains Brazil in the perfect way. For example, when futebol is on, the world stops. also they have so much pride for their crappy music. ha ha I laughed a lot. But when I get home I want to see it in English.


Dad, I hope you´re holding down the fort with Mom being gone. How´s work? I got your letter from when you went to the Beynons homecoming. Elder Crapo made fun of your spelling lol. haha what are the boys up to did Brian sell itchy?? did you start up my bike for me?


My comp kind of understands English, but he is practicing. It´s stressful to be a trainer, all the decisions/ responsibility are on me. But we get along pretty well.

When the heck is Micah gonna go on a mission. I´m gonna be home before he leaves!

I love you guys and i know that this church is true. I know that the mish is where i need to be right now, even though it is hard sometimes. Love you be safe and be good. I’ll send pics next week...
Love, Bradley

Baptisms

Date: July 27, 2011

Area: Grageru 2, Sergipe

Companion: Elder Carneiro

From: Ceará, Brazil



7-25-11

Hey Everyone!!!

This week was a great week full of spiritual experiences; first of all we baptized Thaís and witor. It was great; Thaís is one of the best baptisms that I’ve had!!! I baptized her, and my companion baptized witor. We´re just faulting Thaís´s brother now, Thiago. He went to the baptism and I KNOW he felt the spirit, but he´s hecka catholic. Michelle´s family didn´t go to church this week... but i called her and she said her mom was sick. Her dad will get back in a week from tomorrow. I just want to baptize them a.s.a.p. I´m afraid were taking too long and I´m scared that something will happen..

We had interviews with Pres. Gonzaga it was really good, it was just to get to know us and talk about our future and stuff. Also yesterday this girl came running up to us that moved from Sao Paulo and wants to be baptized, but she lives in the other area. But she´s super elect, she was living there and taking the lessons behind her families back in Sao Paulo.

I hope you guys have a blast in Nauvoo!! Tell grandma hi for me!!!

I got a letter from you guys and another from Kylee waiting for me i should get them today!

Have a great birthday Brookie!!! I love you!!

How much is Brian asking for his car? I´m going to be so sad to see that car go...

Did dad take my bike for a spin; he needs to do that like once a week.

I´m doing great!

We went and hung out with that guy from Salt Lake on Saturday, after English class. It was pretty nuts to speak English with someone besides a missionary.

Love you guys!!!

Have a safe trip mom...

Love Bradley