HAVE WE MENTIONED WHO OUR HEROES ARE???

Yes, we're pretty sure we have, but not since we came on this mission, so we will repeat.  We have utmost respect for couples who have served as Mission President/Mother, who then choose to serve as rank-and-file Senior Missionaries!  We were blessed to work with Boyntons in Florida (MP in Italy), the Galbraiths in England (MP in Russia), and now we get to work with the Bradfords, who served as Mission President/Mother in Brazil.  Only in the Church will you find people willingly serving in a "less prominent" capacity, regardless of the fact that they used to be in charge of the area where they are now serving, and are now taking direction from others.  (Especially since each Mission President has such a different style!!!)  Their example and desire to serve, regardless of where and how, is amazingly humble.  Truly Christlike service.

Elder Bradford said the picture wouldn't work well with the window behind, and I told him my wrinkles showed
less when I took pictures like this!  :)

The Bradfords served in Sao Paulo in 2005, and one of their APs is a valiant man with whom we coordinated in a far-reaching part of our mission in Fortaleza.  The Bradfords now serve in a Portuguese-speaking Branch in a neighboring stake, doing what we're doing (but I'm sure better, since BOTH of them speak Portuguese!!!)  They happen to meet for Church in the same building, at the same time, as my daughter, Becky, and her family!

We mentioned last time that we were doing Apartment Inspections.  While each apartment has had areas that need a bit of work, we have been pleasantly surprised at the efforts that most of the missionaries are putting into having an orderly apartment.  All missionary apartments are definitely not created equal:  Our sisters showed us the following patch on their kitchen wall, and said that the rats had chewed through the kitchen wall and were eating their food at night.  The hole was fixed, but they can hear the rats in the walls, and they are in the apartment basement where they do laundry.  Bless their hearts!!!  (The sisters - NOT the rats!!!)  

YIKES!!!!

We arrived here in Boston shortly after their baseball team won the World Series.  Today their football team plays in the Superbowl.  Not that I think that deserves to be mentioned, except to say it has brought a level of frenzy and crazy to our whole area.  We saw this on one Church billboard:  "God doesn't have a favorite team, but this Pastor does.  Go Pats!"  We must bring areas good luck...  When we got to Fortaleza, Brazil was in the World Cup!  :)