Campo Grande Week 14

June 30, 2014
Hello hello. Good times in Campo Grande. This place is amazing. So much has happened that it would be pretty tough to put it all in one email. We definitely have a huge challenge in front of us. Our area is super diverse economically and massive geographically, our ward is about half less active and the missionaries that have served here in the past have not had much success. With that said, I am feeling super positive about this transfer. We have a bunch of posibilities and are planning on going full bore on our less active situation. It is super interesting, our mission was the highest baptizing mission a few years ago and now it has the lowest amount of active members out of all the missions in Brasil. We are working from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.

     The culture here is so rad. It has a ton of European and gaucho influence as well as some Paraguy culture mixed in with the red neck interior culture that is all through out Mato Grosso e Mato Grosso Do Sul. It's awesome. Nearly every time we teach or make a visit we sit in a circle and drink tereré which is a delicious cold erva mate drink or chimarrão which is similiar but more strong and super hot. I LOVE it.

    I am the only gringo around. I love it, it is super cool because there are a ton of white Brazilians here so I blend in a lot better.

    We are teaching some awesome people that we have found in the last few weeks, I will tell you more about them next P-Day.

I love you all.

Campo Grande Week 13

June 23, 2014

So this week was a blur, it always is in a new area. My comp is actually a Brasileiro de Campinas, São Paulo. I have learned tons more about the language with him which is a huge blessing. People in this city speak way more correct, with much more mellow accent, so I am loving that. My area is massive again. We have the center of the city, which is so rad. It is 100% different then Cuiabá. Way more organized and I hear that this is one of the wealthiest wards in the mission, so it is a bit of culture shock.

  The field is super white here. The members are a bit cold and stuck up but I feel like they will warm up. We are teaching a bunch of people and had 5 at church on sunday. I am still getting to know everyone. My companion, all though super annoying, works super hard. We leave at 10 at get home at 10. 12 hour work days baby. That is whats up.

  The culture down here is super awesome. You sit with people and drink tereré and chimarrão while you teach lessons. I must admit that I am addicted.

   I have had some difficulty feeling connected to the work the last few weeks, but I had an epiphany yesterday that reminded me why I am here.

LOVE. Whenever a missionary looks at the work like a business the spirit leaves him. Whenever I serve, seek to just help people out. And really pay attention to the little beautiful details of the people, the work is infinitely better.

Cuiaba Week 12

June 16, 2014
I am getting transferred to Campo Grande way down south. 13 hour bus ride tonight baby! My comp is from Uruguai! It is super bittersweet. I love the people here with all of my heart. But the lords got an awesome journey for me. Super grateful for our heavenly father, he truly loves. Whatever happens never forget that. That he loves us. All. Unconditionally. For me, it starts there.

I love you all so much, unconditionally. You are amazing people. And I am super grateful to have the familly we have.

keep on keeping on!

com amor,

Elder Davis Bradley Anderson.

ps.

I am almost out of peppermint!! and I live off the stuff!

Cuiaba Week 11

June 9, 2014

Minha Família! I miss you all so much and am so excited to reunite with you one day. Nothing says  summer  like St. George Veyo and the Fraziers.  Happy Birthday Mom and Austin!

This week was both great and a bit frustrating. We worked super hard and WALKED so much! It was awesome. We talked with a bunch of people and worked a bunch with the members. Our ward has kind of fallen into a lull  so we are working on getting them pumped up again which isn´t too difficult. Truly the church is a bit more true here.

         We were visiting a family with Bispo Elson in a really humble part of our area. Their two sons are both members and one of them is serving a mission in Rio Grande do Sul. She was going off about how the book of mormon couldn´t be true but how she knew some how her family could be together. I stood up and sat right next to her and testified to her that her son is sacrificing all his time and efforts in sharing the message of the Book of Mormon which is salvation and hope. They are reading the Book of Mormon now and will be at church on Sunday which will be awesome.

The World cup is going to be rough. President wants us to lock ourselves in the casa during the games. We´ll see......

I love you all so much. 

Com Amor,

Elder Davis Anderson

Cuiaba Week 10

June 2, 2014

Family. It is an incredible feeling to get a P day when you really need one. This week I really needed one. Overall it was probably the best week I have had as far as the work goes. We taught some awesome lessons and investigators are progressing. A family we have been working with with Bispo is getting baptized in two weeks, Our ward had 50 more people at church than normal, because of the less active work of the 4 missionaries in our ward. and we had twelve investigators at church. So really it was an incredible week and we were super blessed to have our work bare some fruits but for some reason this week was freaking rough. I just wasn´t as stoked as usual. I just want to go run around in the mountains alone. I think that it is really what I need, Just a good solo camping trip. I am a long way from that.

However, I love this work. And I know this is not about me. There are people who need my help so I will take a deep breath and go back to work.

I love you all,
Elder Davis Anderson

Cuiaba Week 9

May 26, 2014

My sweet mother. Life seems like it is better than ever back home. I cannot believe that Dad, Rich, and Breck are taking it easy in Novo Zelândia! I am jealous out of my mind. I am sure it will be an experience of a life time. I am so stoked for Austin! He is gettin old which freaks me out but also gets me excited to hang out with him. I miss watching him play ball like the champ he is.  I cannot believe how old Izzy looks, she is hot as can be and it freaks me out.

      This week was awesome. It started out with some good hard work, which is all payin off. We had an awesome family night party with a less active lady in our ward and a bunch of investigators, we played games, drank chimarrão, and read in the Book of Mormon together. It was rad. We are working with a less active guy in our ward named S. who has a wife who is super strong in the gospel and also really pregnant. They are a super cool and young family and Me and S. are super alike. He is having some problems with his testimony and he is trying so hard to gain one, but the devil goes after him. We study the Book of Mormon with him and he loves it. On Sunday He rolled in with his family and his mom, who we are teaching right now as well. He had his arms around his mom, his wife, and his little daughter the whole time during sacrament and was just so happy to be there. We had a bunch of less active folks we are working with along with another couple of investigators, and over all it was a great Domingo. THE WORK IS WORKIN.

        It was cold for 3 days! Not cold at all it was actually only 63 degrees, but we were super cold! We are all just super used to being hot ALWAYS so when that cool rainy weather hit, it shocks us. It is awesome.

    Everyone is super stoked for the World Cup. Alot of people are really nervous because Cuiabá is not ready for this many people, and there are tons of construction projects that aren´t done, but everyone talks about it and it is everywhere. It will be awesome, and also IMPOSSIBLE to keep the Brasileiro missionários from watching Brasil play.

     -Elder Davis Anderson

Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba

Picture of the World Cup stadium in Cuiaba

Matches being played in Cuiaba!

Change to your time

13 Jun 2014

Match 4

GROUP B

CHILE

AUSTRALIA

18:00

17 Jun 2014

Match 16

GROUP H

RUSSIA

KOREA REPUBLIC

18:00

21 Jun 2014

Match 28

GROUP F

NIGERIA

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

18:00

24 Jun 2014

Match 37

GROUP C

JAPAN

COLOMBIA

16:00

Cuiaba Week 8

May 19, 2014

 Just got done reading about Richmond tearing it up, HOLY SMOKES, the kids a freak. I really can´t believe how talented all of my Irmãos are. That is so awesome that they are heading to New Zealand this week. I really do not know how to express my jealousy, that will be awesome! Take tons of pictures and send em my way! Austin is killing it as usual, and it seems like Izze is as skilled as ever, so I am feeling like we might as well be the Tenenbaums.

   This week was awesome. We have been working in new bairros and in places that we haven´t been to before and it has been amazing. We found this super cool bairro where the streets don´t have names and there are mini canyons in the road from the rain. The first time we walked through the neighborhood there were open fires, kids, dogs, and chickens running all over the place. Every single person that we have talked to in that neighborhood has been receptive. EVERYONE. We are teaching a giant family that all live on the same hill, it is the coolest experience ever to round up twenty or so people and teach a lesson. I am super optimisic with this family and I am super excited for the next reunião.

   So a crazy event, We were walking up to the house where we were going to eat almoço and this member says, ´´Elderes, Vem aqui, rapido!´´ So we walk over to him through some weeds and sure enough, he is holding a 3 foot jacaré.. Alligator! It was the coolest thing ever! He let it go real calm like and was like, ah de boa, we will wait until he is bigger so we can eat him... So cool.

     We were invited to a Noite Familiar with Bispo Elson and a bunch of other awesome families in our ward. They are the coolest people and they party so hard! We sang songs and all the Brazilian ladies shared an awesome message about families. After we feasted on churrasco and homeade sorvete de maracujá. So tasty. there was a guy there who I totally thought was a member, I sat down next to him to eat and started talking with him. It turned out he was Bishops neighbor. We marked a time to come by and he invited bishop and his family to come with us. Last night we taught them the restauração with Bispo and his family and ate a delicioso dinner with them. I felt the spirit so strong the whole time and they all accepted a baptismal invite. It was incredible! Bishop and his fam was bearing the strongest testimony and we were laughing and happy all night. 

         I am feeling amazing and incredibly grateful for you all, for the gospel for this experience and for life. I know that I am doing what is right and it is an incredible feeling to be apart of this and to be living with such amazing people.I love it all and I love you all!

  

Com Amor,

Elder Davis Bradley Anderson

Cuiaba World Cup Poster

Cuiaba, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso, is located in the exact centre of South America and can therefore be considered the heart of South America. Rich in history, culture, art and gastronomy, Cuiaba is also known for its heat, which is not limited to its climate – the warm and welcoming nature of its people make it unique.

The Cuiaba poster uses bright colours to depict the joy the event brings and the gaiety of the Cuiabanos (as the locals are called), and features football through the image of the ball at the player’s foot. The ball’s movement and shapes surrounding it recall the coming together of people and their enthusiasm for the sport, especially of the 'Pantaneira' fans. Cuiaba is the gateway for the biggest floodable plain in the world – the Pantanal Matogrossense – and home to the tuiuiu bird, which is the symbol of the Pantanal region and one of the poster’s highlights. The centre of the ball features a silhouette of the state of Mato Grosso – a subtle reminder that its capital, Cuiabá, is prepared to host the largest event in its history.

Cuiaba Week 7

May 12, 2014

Mother and family! It was great to talk to you all! Everyone looks so great! Being able to see you all was so cool! I am so proud of my brothers and sisters everyone seems like they are on top of their game! And you and dad look better than ever!  I am feeling better than ever after chatting with you all. It was a huge bonus to see grandma and grandpa on both sides. I have learned so much from both sets of grandparents and extremely grateful for that. I often think of the impact our trip to the Philippines had on me, and the extreme blessing of my trips and talks with grandpa Allen. Super grateful!

  I love you all tons! Thanks so much for your love and support!

-com amor