Elder Brandon Richmond's Mission Blog: May 2016

Brandon's Forty Third Email! May 30th, 2016

SOO Dry...
hahah sike, it's so humid, the closet is actually damp haha.

This email is going to be pretty short! Mom and dad, please send the genealogy stuff!

We found new investigators this week which was great! We did lots of contacts again, and some people actually were there in their homes when we came by!

We have had some good lessons this week, not tons like Paso, but some!! haha in Paso they Baptized Victoria!!! One of our investigators, but President said I couldn't go back because it's really far!!!!

Kinda bummed but it's alright.

This week was pretty cold and then the last two days it has rained a ton! It was pouring yesterday all day. And we had 26 people in church... total!!! haha the missionaries and the branch president were the only priesthood holders there!

I am not sure what else to write! I have been enjoying speaking a lot of spanish with my comp and Elder Delgado from Castillos. I understand now when people yell things at us. I can understand spanish music a lot better now! haha And it's all fun! We've been talking with a ton of people too, so that is also fun! Just to get to meet new people!

I was super stomach sick for some parts of the week like just trying not to barf and just really bad pain, so that's a bummer!

It's actually impossible to dry clothing here.. So humid and cold, so it's like a struggle every time we wash.

I've been using my leather bag and it's been good because it is practically water proof.

Pray for Rocha please haha, we need the missionary work to improve here a little!

I've been loving the scriptures, and that's been helping me to stay positive although the work has been slow!! I'll explain more about the investigators next week after I see how they go! This keyboard is super sticky! Really annoying!!!

I forgot to do a top ten, I'm sorry!!! haha as if it matters, but my top ten, for all ten is The Book of Mormon! It has the fullness of the gospel of Christ, such a BLESSING! Read it.

I love you all!

Elder Richmond

These next few pictures are from my comp's camera

My comp and me in our new area

Elder Delgado

Brandon's Forty Second Email! May 23rd, 2016

One quick thing, almost everyone here speaks in tu! It's so funny! Like hearing tienes que or dices instead of tenès que and decìs, it's cool. (So I'm in my new area Rocha now! )

So this email won't be super long, mainly because we have practically done the same thing all week!

So Wednesday we had a mutizone conference in Maldonado and it was great! I saw Elder Ford and Gehring and Gehring's oro. Also, this conference was the last one where we will see President!!!! So crazy!!! I will miss him and Sister Cook so much. They helped me out emotionally so much when I arrived and missed home. They always reminded me why I'm here and that it is so great to get to share the gospel!

Other than that, we have just been going to a part of our ara that we decide on and we try to talk to literally anyone! We practically have no investigators. We had some but he was unfaithful to her so they are not going to get married. It was so sad. He told us and I just felt the weight of what he had told us and it killed me. I was pretty bummed that day because that is just so contrary to all ideas of trust and love. Hopefully he will figure out how to grow and be better in that aspect.

But we did like a million contacts everyday, and it's been a super long week because we've been on our feet the whole time, I feel like it's a whitewash, and it practically is, but that's alright. I'm loving my companion, I've been working really hard on having fun while working hard. It's been going great, it's his last 4 weeks so he is happy to work hard! It's been fun, and we get along great!

We have lunch 3 or 4 times a week, and some days it is RAELLY good, others it's something to eat! haha.

Something I have liked this past week is telling people simply what it is that is important about Christ, and it is everything! He can bless anyone, no matter how humble and poor or no matter how wealthy and already happy with their family they are. Everybody. It's sad when people blow it off like it's nothing, really closed minded and obviously sad. I wish they didn't have to be like that but maybe one day they'll accept it.

We knocked this door (actually a reference from a contact) and the lady walked up and was like, "Hola bien dia elderes, les he esperado, tomen un asiento." And we had a good lesson with her and her grandsons who she raises. She wants to come to church and she even told us she wants to get baptized, but she didn't come to church yesterday, so we'll see! haha we'll pass by soon and see what happened.

We had district conference this weekend so President Cook actually came and spoke. He is legit! I really respect him. So we had about 50 or so in total for the district haha. We didn't have any investigators, so that's been kind of hard coming from my last area, but I'm praying and trusting that we will find success!

Last week we almost got robbed by this weak old guy but we turned on him when we passed a light and confronted him and he chickened. It was sketch, he walked past us in the dark with a hood and turned around after like 5 steps and was like looking at me and I looked and he slowed then I told my comp and we waited till he was like 2 steps back and he stopped and separated and made him go between us and said is something wrong? and he put his head down and ran haha. I had my camera and my triple and would have been sooo mad!!!

Top 10. Didn't think of them beforehand, and they're not in order

-I'm way less picky with food now

-Montezone conference

-My comp has been great

-Fun contacts

-I'm learning the area

-This cyber is really cheap

-The scriptures always guide us and The Book of Mormon was literally written for our days

-I organized all my stuff

-Sheridan's letters are so great haha. They even come with such great handwriting on the cards, everyone always says woahhh haha

-This work will move forward, we just have to help a little, we already know how It's going to turn out though!

I was bored last p-day so I got on the roof, this is kind of the city a little haha

Brandon's Forty First Email! May 16th, 2016

So it was really sad saying bye to everyone but Virginia gave me a scarf and Ramiro gave me a Uruguay soccer jersey! Like used, haha it was his, he was like wait a sec, and went and got it from his room, it was so nice!! So we stayed in Durazno Tuesday night and went to bed at 12:30 because they had to pack, then we got up at 3:30 to take Gehring to the bus terminal. Ford and I went. We thought our bus would leave at like 6 (we still didn't have the tickets) so we took our luggage and send him off, then we got the tickets and it says 9:30 so we were like ughhhhhh. It was really cold too so we waited for like 30 minutes then ended up sort of hiding our bags and walking home for like 3 hours and came home. Bus to Montevideo 3 hrs, we helped the sisters with their bags then I had to get right on my bus for another 3 hrs.

Ramiro, Milton, and Veronica, three investigators Burgess and I found are getting baptized the 28th! Sooo happy for them, but I can't return because I'm so far away... such a bummerrrr, but still sooooo sweeet

ROCHA:

We got there Wednesday kinda late and had a lesson with a member, this little girl who got baptized the next day and just wanted to repass some stuff.

Thursday we spent planning weekly and then had to fill the font for her baptism... she is SOOOOO precious, and literally knows everything!! She bore her testimony in the service and was like, sè que personas se sienten felices cuando se bauticen, y, yo me siento muy feliz ahora! But it was sooo cute!

Friday we had a few lessons with inactive members, and one investigator sort of. We don't have one firm investigator for now. Kind of hard haha. It was fun to get out and see Rocha!!! I didn't bring my camera because it's been raining, but it's way more city-like in the central-ish area and then like 30 minutes walk and it's like El Pinar, pretty field-ish. But really cool, lots of cobblestone.

Saturday we spent all day setting up for this Mother's Day activity.

We had it at like 4:30, 4 of us missionaries gave short talk things and we sang as missionaries the ones about moms like where you sing the two separate parts, then together. It was good. Then we had like food pickers to eat and the primary sung and then it was just like a get together. But we had to do that like all day.

Sunday, we had 0 investigators in church. So we aren't a ward, it's a branch of about 35 people but this Sunday we had 38.

I gave a talk on the Aaronic priesthood. It was fine haha, the branch president asked me soo casually like 2 days before so I thought he was joking for a sec.

After church we take the sacrament to bunches of old members who can't get there anymore.

So we live in a house of six. There are two branches that meet in the same building so we are Rocha Rocha, and the zone leaders are two, then the other two are in Rocha Centro.

We were eating like a light dinner thing with a member (I guess it's a weekly thing with him) and it was sooooo funny! We were talking about pets and he was like I love cats, then I was talking to him and randomly he was like yeah I love how cats meow over there in English, like meoowwwww... And I was laughing soooo hard because Sheridan said someone did that same exact thing!!! hahaha I'm pretty sure cats speak cat!!!

So we have lunch 3 or 4 times a week here so we have eaten meat with a ton of rice for the days we haven't had lunch. Not sure how long I can do that!!!

I know there are tons of things I'm forgetting .... Oh my comp! He is 23, from Peru, got baptized three years ago and this is his last transfer, he goes home in 5 weeks!!!! So I'll be his last comp!

The house:

Quispe and I

ZL- Elder Perry and Elder Bauer

Elder Johnson and his comp Elder Espìnola who is from Paraguay. The rest are gringos besides my comp.

We actually have personal study at 7am and get ready at 8 and comp study at 9 because there are too many to get ready all at once! Kinda weird. I brush my teeth, workout, then start my study like still sweaty, not my favorite....

It's been super fun speaking spanish all day! It'll be great, I've already gotten a lot smoother with some of the more complicated sentences that always confuse me with conditional and tenses and whatever...

Top ten!

10. In my new area safe and sound!

9. Sheridan's mission emails are legittt. Good weekly pump up!

8. SUCH a fun time in paso

7. All guys zone is pretty cool haha. They come over almost every p-day I guess and our house is like a party.

6. Cold (seee your breath inside mid-day cold, but I still have a good attitude)

5. My comps and I have been getting along great!

4. The homies getting baptized in Paso!

3. The Book of Mormon, so important. Read it!!!

2. Christ's life is a PERFECT example to us..

1. Families can be together forever!!!!!

Love you guys!!! Hope your showers are warm over there!!! (last to shower of 6)