Brandon's Thirty Fifth Email! April 4th, 2016

Todo Lujo??

We've been trying to learn more uruguayo slang, and people here use Lujo kind of like rad, so we've been saying it and it's fun haha. 

We as in Elder Burgess and me! 

So I´ll just try and detail out my week a little. 

So the rest of p-day on Tuesday we just saying bye to people for Gehring.

We got up early on Wednesday to go to Durazno, Gehring would continue on to Montevideo, but I got off and stayed with Elder Ford and Taborda. So we actually needed to wake up at 3:30 am, but didn't wake up to catch that bus, so we took the next one and Gehring just had to buy his ticket all the way to Montevideo instead of taking the mission bus in Durazno... haha, super lame of us...

That day was pretty relaxed, we had the best lunch ever... Then Elder Burgess arrived at like 4:30, we took a bus to Paso de los Toros and got home around 6:30. He unpacked a little, and we visited Mamà that night.

Thursday in the afternoon we had a fun day! So Elder Burgess is super cool and loves to work and we are going to do tons of contacts this change and like stopping people outside their house because everyone is nice here! 

So we had a good day with some lessons. We set a baptismal date with this kid named Milton who is 17 years old. We had a good lesson with him. For later in April, I think the 30th.

Friday another good day. We are going to contact people outside their house and just ask straight up if we can sit down right then and talk/teach. It usually is the first time the people have been asked that, cause like no missionaries practically in Uruguay do that cause you kind of get turned down a lot. But it's easier than trying to set an appointment to come back and having someone flake out. We found this new investigator whose daughter committed like the saddest murder-suicide at the Dam just outside of town last year. It was like the horrible news of the town and the country, but the dad is super cool, and super nice. We were talking and when I realized that he was saying he was her dad I couldn't believe it! 

We had another lesson with him Sunday and set a baptismal date with him also for late April. He came to conference Saturday night! 

I'm pretty happy about spanish improving! There is hardly a time during the week now where someone says something and I can't understand them and what they are trying to say. I have been reading the B.O.M. in spanish only and studying in spanish for like 3 months now, and I think that has helped a lot! It's fun! Music I copied over from Elder Gehring has Portuguese hymns and I can understand lots of that too. Fun with all the homies who speak or have spoken port. AKA Sheridan and Joseph, Connor, and Raymundo!!

We also had district meetings Friday, which was cool. Our zone is awesome again so I'm super grateful for that!!! 

We also started teaching this young girl who is the daughter of parents who were inactive but are coming back. Well the mom is active and the dad still is not, but is very supportive. So we´ll see where that goes. 

Elder Burgess likes to cook, he plays guitar, like the hymns and stuff, and has a keyboard also so it's really fun at night after planning he can like play anything. He is from Colona, Canada, in the province of BC or Vancover. Forget which one is the city and the province. 

At conference, we watched it in english, and it was awesome!!!, Francisco and Maria came. Maria came to all 4 sessions which was really cool and impressive. She really liked it, and is feeling more comfortable at church!

So we watched it in our own little computer room because we both speak english, and the conference went sooo fast, I really wanted more. I didn't think I would think so, but it was even better than October´s! Elder Holland´s talk at the end was touching. In the start I was like Oh shoot, oh shoot, what went wrong, what's he going to say. Then he said how much we love you, and I like felt it was so true, really a great feeling. Also I loved some of Uchtdorf´s jokes this time around, and we loved the photo of the guy in the suit in the ocean getting the kid who was surfing! 

Over all, everything here is just awesome! I would not be surprised at all if this is the best transfer of my mission. Great area, great comp, I'm happy and I am learning tons. Life is good. If you want to be happy, go on a mission. And eat omelettes! I've been copying Elder Burgess making salami and mozzarella cheese omelettes in the morning. It's so tasty, but so easy to make, also it makes it like 10 times better. Not every morning obviously, but still. We've also been working out hard which is good. 

We have zone conference on Friday, so that'll be fun! 

Kinda lame, it started pouring right before we left home.

Top Ten.

10. We still have bikes! I still haven't died on them even though I have one janky brake, the handlebars wiggle, and tons of other things, and I have no tools.

9. Our house is super clean and it is so enjoyable! 

8. Salami and cheese omlette

7. Fun changes with Elder Gehring

6. Having fun working out and feeling better!

5. Elder Burgess and I get along great, super fun

4. The investigators/recent converts who came to conference loveddd it!

3. The conference had sooo many great talks, so much to review!

2. Elder Burgess and I are stoked for this change and everything 

1. Our new investigators and people that we have been blessed with to teach! We had a short week but a good amount of lessons!

Hope everyone has a good week. 

I love learning more about Christ. The scriptures, the apostles and prophet, all talk about Him. That's their whole purpose. 

Love you all! 

Elder Richmond 

This super popular soda here called frskyte or something. Kinda like Sprite. Look at the caution label....

It says, "In case of prolonged use, contact your doctor.." Hahaha