Brandon's Seventy Third Email! December 31st, 2016

So I'm so confused with these holidays, p-day on Saturday, and how much that has happened, so I don't know what really has happened this week....

On our area side of things, we have a couple progressing investigators!!! We had such great lessons yesterday! Like people who legit want to know what God wants, and why. When people just have a desire, God will tell them all that they need to know! We have set a ton of dates for baptisms, but it is just a little hard because some people have trouble going to church after the fiestas (aka the tradition of starting to eat dinner at like 12 or 2 am these holidays).

Yesterday we met with President, and after we went to a great Peruvian restaurant. After on the way home we swung by some really cool national things to see!! It was so awesome!! Right when we got back to our area I started throwing up and it's so hot and humid, but we had lessons so I just left and we had great lessons. I was like at the brink of passing out the whole time haha but I'm grateful for the day. Right when we got home I took off my tie and went back to barfing! This morning I felt horrible and was so hungry, but the other elders in my house gave me a blessing and literally not even 5 minutes later a cloud of nausea was lifted. I still felt bad, hungry, tired, etc. but I could feel so specifically the effect of a priesthood blessing, I'm really grateful for that.

Today (p-day) we played American football 2 hand touch with the office elders and the two Eddy boys, then soccer at the chapel. I was sweating so much it looked like I'd jumped in a pool.

Last Monday, we went to the mission home and got to have lunch with some elders and the Eddy family on p-day. We had Mexican tacos cooked legit Mexican style, it was sooo good!!! 

We had two intercambios this week, back to back, so I didn't work with my comp for two days haha, but the ZL's from Minas and Maldonado. It was really fun!! 

Tomorrow we are going to drive to another city to get an elder who is going home a few weeks early for college, and we'll have a dinner with the Eddy family, then we have to take him home again! On Tuesday we'll have to go to Maldonado to get another Corto Plazo and then switch them out, then take him to the airport! Crazy week haha... Also, we'll have an intercambio or two. 

It's been a great holiday season and I'm so grateful to be able to be a misisonary during this special time!!! 

Skype was soooo fun!! I was just stoked and happy afterwards!! 

I love you guys so much!!

Elder Richmond

(The pictures didn't upload in order so some of the captions don't really make sense)

 We had a meeting with President and then they invited us to lunch Friday, like yesterday. 

We ate at this good Peruvian food restaurant in Ciudad Vieja in Montevideo. 

Then we stopped on the way back passing some major tourist spots! It was so fun!

 The Saturday night on Christmas Eve!

 A fun intercambio with the ZL from Maldonado

From a while ago when Elder Teixeira came!

This was from the Christmas conference

Saturday morning breakfast on Christmas Eve 

 Playing Soccer

Monday we got invited to lunch and Elder Mora cooked dank Mexican food!

Brandon's Seventy Second Email! December 24th, 2016

This week has been very changing!!

So Sunday after church, we had lunch with the Eddy's and the ZL from Maroñas. It was beef enchiladas, with all of the things that go with that that were all sooooooooo good!!! And then this really dank cake with heath bars on top! It was so cool! Elder Peterson had to practice this song for their family to sing so we just got to tag along to bring them haha.

So first of all, sorry I didn't say it before, but Happy Birthday Daniel!!! I had it written down in my agenda but didn't write it ever! Sorry sorry!! 

Sunday morning it rained soooooo hard! I took a video, it's crazy! 

The Hoffman's sent me a Christmas package! So sweet!! Thank you!

So we made a video showing the services the mission did. (It's actually in my one drive, because we weren't sure how we were going to transfer it, so mom, you can watch it if you want!) So Monday night, we were at the offices working on it and President called and said, "Hey are you guys all there? Will you be there for a couple minutes? I want to see the video..." So like 15 minutes later we had the Eddy family Caroling at the office doors!!!! It was sooo precious haha. With their 2 young daughters singing a cute special song about Uruguay! haha such a fun surprise! 

So Tuesday and Wednesday we had the Christmas conferences, they went well! I felt silly doing demonstrations but I'll get over it haha... 

Tuesday I had a heart attack because after the Conference the buses weren't there and I thought maybe we hadn't set the return trip! Gosh I don't know what we would've done, but it was fine.

I'm stressed, but it's fun. The Secretaries are really cool! Elder Hayden (the same from Rocha), and Elder Childs (from Virginia haha), and so we are together a lot and they're really cool! 

So we needed a short term missionary to fill in and so we had called a young man in Maldonado and then Tuesday after the conference we headed over there. It was like 2 hours in each direction, fun little drive. We got there and talked to his parents and explained to them the cool opportunity that he'd have. He was super cool, and really excited! 

So Thursday we had to get the hitch put on the van (If only I had dad's tools)....

Yesterday we had intercambios with the ZL's from Rocha, and this morning we dropped them off and it's our p-day today, so the Eddy's invited the office elders to breakfast and we had delicious crepes and homemade cinnamon rolls!!! Then, we played soccer and it was like 85 degrees and 50% humidity and I sweated SOOOOOOO much. Literally soaked! 

I'm excited for Skype tomorrow! It's crazy! 

Okay, well I didn't do a Top Ten because it's too jumbled but see you tomorrow!!!

Have a great Christmas! 

It's so important to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas, not for just Christ's birth, but his life, ministry, death, and resurrection!!! 

I love you!!!

Elder Richmond

 My comp and me, going crazy late at night haha 

Thanks Hoffmans!!!! 

 Passing by this really pretty point called Punta Ballena! (Whale point)

 Thanks momma!!

We had to go by downtown MV and this was on some photo shop there!! 

Children's pool in LJ!!!

Breakfast!!!!!!!!!! 

Hermana Eddy outdid herself! 

Brandon's Seventy First Email! December 17th, 2016

Hey! 

This is going to be really short, but we had a conference on Tuesday with all of the Zone leaders and it was fun, kind of stressful because I don't love talking in front of people, but whatever. 

On Wednesday there was a conference with the new district leaders and that was a little bit more relaxed. I like my new comp, I think it'll be really fun working together!

We got to work a little bit in our own area this week! Just a little but at least a little! 

We have been planning for the Christmas Conference! There will be two because there is a rule we can't have a whole mission one, on Tuesday and Wednesday! We are doing a little training thing combined with President so that'll be fun, but I don't really love the idea of doing demonstrations in front of 100 missionaries. Not at all actually haha.

So we will do Skype next Saturday or Sunday! That's crazy! That feels so fast! 

We went to the beach today with the office elders and us 6 played soccer on the beach, it was really fun, sweating so much and still wearing all clothes haha awesome! 

Sorry, I really don't remember anything from this week, but I'll write more/say more next week in Skype! 

I love you guys! 

I really think that everyone would be so happy if they just knew that we have a loving Heavenly Father! Just pray, and you'll know :)

Elder Richmond

So my comp and I have our own phones because we have to make a lot of calls and mine has a janky camera! 

This picture is from our patio

Our ward Christmas activity

And the beach!!! 

We put our feet in the water, it's like 85 degrees!!!!

Brandon's Seventieth Email! December 10th, 2016

So literally the craziest week of my mission. Well two weeks really. I have p-day Saturday now. 

So 3 weeks ago in the conference we had, I saw my friends from BYU in the other mission! It was sick!!! 

We did a toy drive in Florida, set up stands, passed out flyers, and actually collected stuff for the kids that will be stuck in the hospital during the holidays! It was great!!! It was kind of some work. Had to go to the city sometimes, carry tables to and fro, but I'm happy that we did it.  We cut some grass of a local children's house too. Ilumina el mundo right haha...

 

So Friday night I got a call that I'd be transferred the next day to Belloni, in Maroñas. So that next afternoon, Elder Ford and Elder Palomino picked me up! Elder Palomino is my new comp, but we were in a trio for like 5 days, it was so fun!!! We always joked of being comps, but it was a fun 5 days. 

Saturday night, we had a good ward activity/send off for Elder Ford. 

Sunday we ditched church after sacrament meeting to go meet with President Eddy to talk about transfers, but it felt super funny leaving church early haha. We were there for a bit, then ate lunch at their house with the office elders and it was sooo great!!!! Hermana Eddy had cooked this delicious lunch!!! So stuffed!

So Casey, your friend Ryan looney, I totally found a gazillion of his fotos on the computers here in the offices, and his workout routine, I thought that was funny! 

Monday, we had meetings with President and had to do the numbers of the mission and do a lot of prep stuff for transfers. NO time in our own area.

Tuesday Elder Palomino got his license (just finished drivers ed) and then we went to the airport and picked up the new missionaries in the mission!!! It was great! Came back to Carrasco and had some presentation that Elder Palomino and I did together. Then we did some stuff and had dinner. Then we were with President matching up trainers to new missionaries and were there till like 1 am, and Hermana Eddy came in at like 12 with a plate full of hot peppermint chocolate chip homemade cookies!!! She is so nice it is incredible! 

Wednesday we did a training for the trainers of the new missionaries and then they went to tranfers by bus. The ending missionaries got there and we had lunch, and had a lot of things to do during that day, so we were busy all day at the temple or in the offices. That night I went to bed late and had to wake up at 2:30am to take Elder Balke to the airport! It was so weird taking him!!! 

Then we got home at 5am and woke up at 6:30am to do the same with another group. Then, Elder Ford's group (the Americans) came and it was really sad saying bye. That afternoon we went home and started preparing things for the coming week! 

Friday morning, we had like a meeting with President, then he took us to a Chinese restaurant, and my comp and I picked up his kid and the son of the other mission president's family up from high school because President and Hermana Eddy had a meeting! haha then we continued the meeting and Hermana Eddy brought in hot apple cake, so mom, if I get really fat, it's totally Hermana Eddy's fault!!!

So we have the little conference with the ZL on Tuesday and with the DL on Wednesday, then we'll start intercambios so it'll be a busy week!!! 

I got my quad in spanish and it's so cool!!! Also, I'll be getting my drivers license as soon as my documents get translated. I don't need to do classes since I have a current USA license, so that'll be fun!!!

I love you all, have a great week!!!

10. Going to be able to drive

9. I've eaten very well this week! 

8. The hostel was so luxurious compared to normal now haha 

7. Stoked on my spanish quad

6. Peppermint cookies!

5. Elder Peterson will be living with me

4. My new area is super fruitful!

3. Elder Palomino, my new comp is awesome!

2. Being in a trio with Elder Ford was sick! Or I guess now he's called William

1. Receiving the new missionaries was a really fun thing, so much life and excitement!!

Chao

Elder Richmond

 A lavender candle that I made! Well two actually! It turned out! 

 We did a toy drive and I had to ask permission of the city in Florida before I left and the letter was so jank! 

And I signed it Elder Richmond haha so not correct 

 The temple hostel we got to stay in for 3 nights during changes! 

It felt like a paradise! So nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Taking Elder Balke, my second trainer, to the airport... at 3am!!!!!

 haha soooo early! I got no sleep! 

 Took Elder Ford to the airport on Thursday also. So sad haha. 

Worst goodbye since leaving home. Literally my brother. 

Don't even want to think about it as I type because still not very over it haha.

 My new house is super ghetto hahah. The shower faucet is my favorite!! 

 We cleaned a lot today! These are the before pics! 

 My quad came!! It is so nice! The leather is perfect, I'm like nervous to even use them at home haha.

 Christie!!! Witch doctor!!! Look what I found way back in my house cleaning today!!!! 

I'm gonna be a witch doctor now too!!!! 

 Office elders

 Our trio for like 5 days

Last day in the mish showing me how to do stuff for Elder Ford