Brandon's Twentieth Email! December 21st, 2015

So we had our mission Christmas conference. It was really nice. It was all songs and we had lunch and saw friends from our group and stuff. I am really enjoying this Christmas season because I feel like I have gotten to know the life of Christ so much more and actually understand a little bit more of what he actually did for us. There is a phrase in the Plan of Happiness pamphlet that says something like "Jesus Christ's Atonement makes eternal life possible," and that is so true. That is so important to understand. I'm happy that I have been able to learn just a tad more about that.

One song I really loved was "Oh Holy night". I really loved that.

Kaysea Watkins served in El Pinar! The Laveiga family knew her and I was like wait! I totally know her! I've been on tons of trips with her, our families were like always together!!! Kinda crazy to know she has been in the same house here in Uruguay haha. Side note. Their son says he hates Americans and refuses to acknowledge me so that's a little interesting.

The cake prep finally payed off!!! I made the cake, after 2 weeks of getting ingredients in different places, (crushing cloves because they don't have ground cloves), making applesauce, and a lot of compromises, I made the cake! It wasn't mom standard, but it was fun to do. 

I also made Banana Bread and that was kinda bad also, our oven is horrible!

This email is gonna be short.

We have one investigator who is great! Her name is Natasha, and she came to church this Sunday. She is really great and is like interested and we have already taught mostly everything so we will see how that goes this week!

I'm excited for Skype, I'm excited knowing I have a package from mom and Sheridan coming!

We (He and his companion) got along pretty well this week. I practically for sure am leaving this change so I don't wanna take anything for granted haha. 

Well I'll talk to you Friday, but here is my top ten NOT IN ORDER.

10. Skype with family and Sheridan this Friday!

9. Christmas conference!

8. Going to the beach today, seeing little waves. So grateful for San Diego.

7. Banana bread!

6. Making the dank birthday cake!

5. Natasha is legit! 

4. Christ's sacrifice in our lives!

3. 3 Nephi 5:13

2. Oh holy night

1. Healthy, happy, and all good in Uruguay!

 Elder McMillian! Dunna why I look so white!

 Elder Balke and me in the bus (yes, it is me, not I)

 Ward activity Saturday night.

 Banana Bread!!!! Didn't turn out great hahah

 Apple sauce cinnamon spice!!

 YEWWW!!

 Frosted!

 Happy boy

 Dankness. (Not as dank as from mom)

 Happy. Fat.

 Gave half of my half to Elder Stewart for his birthday today (refrosted the sides)

 The beach today. This would probably be the sickest point break ever. 

These were like knee to waist longboarding waves. Looked so fun. Peeling

 Longest point break ever on the right swell?

Elder Rodriquez from Peru

Brandon's Nineteenth Email! December 14th, 2015

Hey,

This week has been pretty good! Still working on compatibility, and that is like improving slowly I´d say. Gonna be an interesting Christmas! 

So some random things first. Mom, I made the chocolate frosting and for once the stuff here tasted the same! It was SOOOOOOO good!!!!! Thank you! Could you maybe find directions so that I can make applesauce to make the cake? And also in the recipe, 1/2 tsp of what kind of cloves?

We had an end of the year dinner as a ward. It was super fun. So Elder Balke and I gave a short presentation (each group did something short), and we shared the Christmas videos from the church with some scriptures also. But my USB card tripped out, deleted one of the videos, and showed all my photos of family and Sheridan as we were setting up haha. But the presentation was good, and then we had food and desserts and it was fun to talk to some other people for a change!

I gave my first blessing in spanish this week to a lady in our ward... kinda different in spanish! But I was happy because I didn't mess up haha.

We have been practicing as a zone to sing in the Christmas conference, but yesterday was the stake Christmas music show thing, and we sung in it. After, we got to watch the rest of the show, which was really fun! Then we got ice cream after as the dessert that they handed out!!

Tomorrow we have the mission Christmas conference, I don't know what it is, but we are there in Malvin until lunch! I hope it's fun! I think every zone is gonna sing a song maybe?

The temperature has been so hot this week! Like 90 all the time, even at night usually. Like 80's in the night. I like it more than the cold for sure but It's just crazy wearing dress clothes and a tie haha. 

So this week, we had to go to the Brazilian consulate so that my comp could sign something. He really doesn't like to ask anyone questions such as which bus to take, so we walked 30 blocks in the city! hahah yeahhhhh. So we went to Montevideo and spent the first half of the day there. 

The power just went out for like 30 minutes because there was a gnarly storm that rolled through like today/this morning!!!! 

This week was like half and half good. Some of our investigators are like so so and my comp just wants to stop visiting all of them haha, but if we do that we'll have no one because he doesn't like to talk to people either haha. We have one girl named Natasha who is really really good, and speaks english so that's nice haha. So the lessons are like half english half spanish.

This week went by quickly, a few days we practiced the song as a zone, but it was sooo hot. Other than that, not sure what else to report. 

WE Skype in 10 days!!! 

I emailed mom, but do you guys have a time when we can't? I'm gonna try and plan it this week for sometime between 11am and 3pm San Diego time for the 25th of December. I'll give you a specific time next week! I'm excited!

Top Ten:

10. Chicken millanessas that I had last week on p-day were so good! 

9. Someone taught me how to read a little bit of music and I can play top hand to silent night!

8. Going to Montevideo was kinda fun to see!

7. Lunch with Juan! He is super cool, 22 years old, and always cooks us really good lunches.

6. The end of the year dinner was super fun!

5. We have been getting along better. Better...haha

4. Chocolate frosting! It was sooo nice!!!

3. I have Christmas music now! Sheridan sent me some! 

2. Christmas Skype in 10 days with Family and Sher!!

1. We actually had like a good first half of the week. I wish it was always like that!

Love you guys!

Elder Richmond

 Sketchiest looking hospital ever. Looks like tower of terror

 In Montevideo, 18 de julio

 A torta frita with the chocolate frosting!

 So hot all week

End of year dinner

Brandon's Eighteenth Email! December 7th, 2015

Hey family and friends!

This week was great! 

So Wednesday was the new transfer cycle, but it was a normal day for us. One new sister in my district, Sister Madison Gillman who totally knows Madison Stolk! It is crazy! She knew her nickname mad-dog and everything, thought that was funny.

This week was a good week because we had a LOT more lessons than last week, and new investigators that really have potential and I'm really excited about that. One of them is a lady named Sandra and she is like so faithful, but doesn't know really where to put her faith. She is so nice, and we'll see what happens this week. 

And the other is Natasha. She lived in Maryland for 13 years, she is 16 now, and she totally speaks english, like better than spanish (although she speaks spanish perfectly too), which leads me to the fact that I got to teach in english a bit this week! The lessons were like half spanish half english, to clarify things more simply we would speak in english, and it was so comfortable. We also watched the restoration in english and it was great. She is new to the ideas of religion, but so far she likes what we have taught and so we are excited for her.

This week my foot pain finally went away. I started limping slightly to try and cushion it and wrapped it in this ghetto ace bandage (thanks Elder Rae), and after three days of this it stopped hurting! So much better now! 

The food this week was particularly good, I'm not sure if I'm getting used to the oil, or if it was the week itself. I made french toast one night too and that was sweet! 

Today we are going to have a lot of free time, and this week I think we will travel to the other mission in Montevideo so my comp can sign some papers for the Brazilian military reserve. I think I figured him out more, like his personality. It helps me try to understand some of the things he does that I don't really agree with, but it's all to learn I guess hahah.

It's really cool when you have studied something, and thought about how it would make sense to the person you are teaching, then improve it, then later see how it actually improves. My spanish is improving (still slowly), but to the point where I can have more normal conversations, and can actually explain myself mom. It's kind of hard to pray in english now, I feel like I don't remember the words because the only time I speak english is Tuesdays sometimes.

We as a zone are singing in front of the whole mission December 15th, when we have our conference of Christmas in Malvin. I'm excited for that. We have an end of the year dinner for the ward December 12th, this Saturday, and we are giving a like 10 minute presentation for that.

That's all for this week! Till next Monday!!

Top Ten

10. Cinnamon rolls last night were great

9. Christmas skype is super duper soon

8. Understanding of spanish more and more

7. The members in our ward are awesome and are starting to feel like home.

6. The weather is super enjoyable right now. Kinda hot, but nice

5. We had such a fun day last Wednesday. Lesson to lesson to lesson the whole day.

4. My foot pain is gone!

3. Got to teach a lesson in english, super fun

2. We have more new legit investigators!

1. Sheridan got her Visa to Brazil!!! Lots of time Brazil has problems with the visas! Sweet!

Sorry, these are the only fotos for the week. Nothing really crazy happened and I don't want to ask my comp really to take pics, so these are the cinnamon rolls I made last night! They were dank!!!!!! I used Sheridan's recipe and modified the topping a little and it was so good.

Brandon's Seventeenth Email! December 1st, 2015

Hey!

This week was great! Maybe not so successful by all standards, but during the week I worked really hard to work on our companionship unity and made some progress! I tried asking just tons of questions about him and his family and everything to try and let him know I care and I think it helped. We spent more time this week in good moods, at least like warm waters and I was really thankful for that. Obviously we´re not like perfect but a little bit of improvement is great right? One thing that is kinda funny is he like tests me. He will ask me do you know ______? Then after, "Okay then tell me what it is," and if it isn't perfect according to the words then he says you don't know it okay.  Definitely good to humble myself! 

So last Tuesday we were in charge of creating and explaining the practices for district meetings (we do the practices as a zone) and it was fun. We had like 40 minutes to do them and it was nice because we planned together and it helped us like open up to each other more. It was also nice, people after told me my spanish was good and that made me happy.

We did a service project this Saturday and it was great. We added to a cinderblock wall and ran a wire type fence around the house of this lady in our ward. We did it with the elder's quorum president and two brothers in our ward and they're all super fun, so it was really cool! She is so sweet and grateul and gave us like pieces of cake as we did it.

Thanksgiving was funny! I didn't realize it was Thanksgiving until 8:30 pm when we bought milk and saw a member and he asked me what we were going to do to celebrate! But it was good! Maybe no turkey but we did have lunch! 

Other than that, we have been teaching practically the same people. We have more references to contact, but I think they're pretty cold references but still!

I'm really excited to be here. I have learned a lot of random things that make it better and make me more comfortable, (french toast was a really nice thing for mid-week dinner! Really easy and cheap).

Also personal studies have been really good this week. I'm really excited because now I can read The Book of Mormon in spanish and understand allllmost everything. I realized this week as I was practicing my pronunciation, "Wait, I actually know whats it's saying," and it was really exciting for me.

My companion and area are the same. We both stay! Today we went to the temple and it was great! I loved it, then we went to the shopping place next door and after 18 weeks I FINALLY have a watch! So happy! and now we are emailing, so yeah, great day! 

Not sure what else to say! I know I'm forgetting stuff but It's okay! I'll remember for next week! 

Top Ten!

10. The rice with cream of turkey is strangely good.

9. I get to Skype in a month and Christie already figured it out!

8. We were walking and four Americans stopped and talked to us! It was two guys and their wives, and they gave us chocolates! They were so nice!

7. I finally got a watch!

6. We did the practices and it worked out!

5. The service project was super fun

4. Christmas.mormon.org (Check it out. Not gonna spoil it.)

3. The temple was great today! Loved it. I think the best time yet.

2. Reading the B.O.M. in spanish and understanding is something really exciting for me.

1. Sheridan went through the temple and had an amazing time like everyone will who gets to go through! Always so cool when someone goes through for the first time!

Love you all!

Elder Richmond

 The goodies Jill Hoffman sent me! (I'm soaked from the rain)

I was so happy with the Oreos.. haha so happy! 

Rice with cream of turkey for Thanksgiving!!! 

                                                             Us like in back of our church building.

A little horse born this past week

 Me at the offices of the mission, last P-day!!

Our District

M&M brownies (I received the packet from the Hoffman Family) and they were so good! 

This is our zone (minus the leaders Elder Carroll and Leite) in El Pinar!

A little box i made for my hymnbook! 

I love this picture of the temple!

 Today at the temple

 My New Watch!!! YAY!!!