Monday, February 27, 2017

Brandon's Eighty First Email! February 25th, 2017

So, Elder Peterson and I are pretty clean, like really clean, and our housemates haven't been so much, but now with transfers we are going to...
1. Buy a trash bin like a tall normal one you might have in a house, and buy trash bags, instead of using plastic grocery bags as trash
2. Buy a pan.... with a handle!!!!!! 

It's going to be great.

We just drove like 7 hours to go pick up my new comp, Elder Mora, from...MEXICO!!!!!
He is from ciudad Juarez, Chihuana!! He is really cool, he has two transfers left in the mission so he will end here! 

Elder Palomino will be with us here until Wednesday and then he'll leave to his new area.


This week was great, but before I forget, Top Ten, not in order:

-Good intercambios
-New companion is really great
-We have a fun week to come with the new missionaries and stuff
-I love having investigators in church!!
-SHERIDAN HAD HER 21ST BIRTHDAY!!
-The ZL in our ward had two baptisms yesterday!!
-We have people with baptismal dates for the 4th and 11th. Two girls who have been coming for the last like month!! They're really cool. They are 15, totally don't know each other at all, but we've helped them become friends with some of the young women in the ward.
-I love our family!!!!
-The member missionary work in our ward is taking off!!

It's been so hot and humid!!! Like where we are totally sweating and there's just like nothing that you can do about it. 

We found some cool new investigators. It's kind of hard going into this week because we won't be in our area like much at all!

Elder Childs just bought a new candle for the office... stoked!!!! 

This next week we have the new missionaries coming, and sending off the ending missionaries. They are small groups this time! 

This last week we had three intercambios. 2 in our area and 1 in an area about an hour away! It's really fun having so much different stuff going on!!! 

Elder Hayden is also leaving as secretary so that's a bummer, he's been really cool. We'll see who Elder Childs' new comp is!! JK. I'd say but Elder Hayden is reading this right now... yeah Hayden... I see you

My shoes are breaking... bad.

I cut my own hair this week! 

I have been so so happy being totally up to date on my journal! I sometimes would be writing in it about days that happened like 4 or 5 days ago, but it's so fun just each night taking a minute to reflect on what we've done and what I've learned! I'm happy it´s something I've been able to do!!

Well, I hope everyone has a great week. Jack and Miles are so cute! I'm so excited to see them!!! 

Love you! Elder Richmond

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Brandon's Eightieth Email! February 18th, 2017



Hey! 

Mom, Dad, I hope that you're alright. I'm guessing that you're just skiing right? 

So last Monday Sister Eddy sent heart shaped sugar cookies to the office with President to share with us on pre-Valentine's day. They were SO good, then during our meeting with President he got a text and started laughing. He showed us his phone and he had texted her, "Thanks for the cookies! Everyone loved them," and she said, "Oh good, what kind of mission mom would I be if I didn't make heart shaped cookies for Valentine's day? But Brando (Eddy) was worried that it might make Elder Richmond miss his girlfriend." haha Brandon is so funny. But shoutout to V day like 2 years ago! Sheridan makes very good chicken enchiladas! 

This week was good. We had a conference in 33 on Tuesday. It's a department in Uruguay. Then we had divisions for like 3 hours, then we drove to MELO, the furthest zone in the mission, and had divisions with the ZL there for like 1.5 hours that night. I was with Elder Xavier, a super cool Brazilian who speaks english perfectly, and spanish obviously! Such a nice, loving guy. We slept there that night and did intercambios again while president was doing interviews. The drive home was like 5.5 hours maybe and we had a long discussion with President about some doctrinal topics and it was so cool! He like wasn't trying to, but he taught us a great lesson in how to study and search the scriptures, and would ask us questions and be like, "What do you guys think of...?" And I was like ummm hahah... But it was great, and we stopped and got really dank pizza on the way home! 

We had a ward activity that night and it was sweet! We had two investigators come and they enjoyed it!! I love my ward!!!!

Thursday we had a full day in our area and had a great lesson with Michel and an investigator who is 15. She has a baptismal date in like 2 weeks, that Saturday. She is really committed to follow the Savior and work on repenting and getting better each day! She has already come to church a few times. Michel surprises me more and more every single day! He works on his family history, hands out B.O.M.s, and comes with us and makes SUCH a big difference! He is so rad! 

Friday we had the new missionary conference! It all went well and we finished and then I drove a van overfilled to Tres cruces and it was funny. Pedal to the metal the whole way. 

After that, because my comp is leaving the offices this change, the Eddy's took us to dinner and then dessert at this realllly delicious restaurant and then a crepe place! The meat steak was probably the best I have ever eaten in my life! Indescribable! It was so weird being down in this little area! It was really trendy and reminded me of downtown La Jolla or Aliso Niguel! I felt so out of place! Then like 20 minutes later we were back in our area with trash bins tipped over in the street and horse pulled cars! Kind of an interesting change! 

This morning we made brunch for P-day! It was good, I sent photos.

It was a little hard this week because we were away so much, but this next week will be mostly in our area! I'm excited! Have 3 intercambios this week, then the following week is change week! Crazy how fast the time goes here!! 

Well, I love being here, and it's something that I've been thinking about. I want everyone, even people that don't wanna talk to us at all, know that I love being here and that I really just love those around me and want them to be happier.

Our fam isn't perfect, but I'm sure happy in my family that we have the gospel and know that every day we can be a little better and grow a little closer to our Savior, preparing to be together forever! 

Love you fam...

Sorry mom, forgot the Top Ten thing, but I'll try to do it next week! 

CHAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU URT! 

I got a letter from Jessica this week, thanks!!!! It was really sweet. 

Also, I got a letter from an unmarked letter, and I was so confused and opened it, and it was just "URT" -Elder Vallecillos huge on a piece of paper! The URT will go out unto all of the earth.... 



After a conference, since Elder Palomino is leaving this change, they invited us to dinner! I love their family, they are so fun to be with, and so nice to talk with. Such an incredible down to earth family! And Brandon the oldest son that's in these pictures is SO funny. He is like a mix of Austin and Ladd almost... like super funny comments all the time.



Our intercambio in Melo! We spent the night there. I was with Elder Wesley Xavier.... Sheridan is serving in his home ward in Garanhuns, Recife, Brasil!! It's such a small world! Elder Xavier is awesome too so that's cool! 




We made a really good brunch this morning! Crepes, eggs and bacon, and choc milk! 













Saturday, February 11, 2017

Brandon's Seventy Ninth Email! February 11th, 2017

I showed someone my little picture booklet and there is one surfing picture and they pointed out the seal on my board that Austin drew when I did ding repair and were like es una foca?! And it was really hard trying to explain why seals had a special spot in my heart. 

Also, driving here is pretty fun. It's like driving in the states but with random obstacles to make sure you're paying attention. Going like 100 KM/Hr and having a car with no lights pull out going 30 KM/HR. And you just pass whenever you want and people just make it work. Kind of like that Route in El Salvador (Dad). I don't drive even crazy compared to a true Uruguayo. I'll have to take classes again after the mish. 

This week was awesome, If I wasn't stoked on Michel last week, I'm even more stoked on him now! He has come to many lessons with us, creates such a natural spiritual setting with great questions and great personal feelings, and humbly wants to serve. Anyone in the church can be like him and serve! It doesn't matter if you've never done it before, if you've done it tons, you should call the missionaries and see when you can go out with them. Or better yet, talk to your homies and see who wants to meet them! I've heard so many conversion stories here in the mission and it all starts with friends being true friends!! People are SO grateful for their friends that introduced them to the church! 

My history teacher that I wrote like 6 months ago emailed me. It was super cool. He is totally Christian, and although not of our faith, a good Christian that lives like one. I think it's so great when people have their faiths and are accepting of people of others.

We had some mulitzone conferences this week and I think that you can see that the missionaries that put the most in, effort, concentration, heart... always will get the most out of their missions! 

I am so stoked on some of our investigators. We have had a lot of people be reluctant because they're old and think that they shouldn't change, or they're too tired to go to church etc., but we have some that are awesome, that are repenting and are progressing towards their baptisms. Paula is getting ready, we are trying to teach her so that she can get baptized on Saturday, but I doubt that with our schedule and hers that we can surely teach her everything and make the announcement tomorrow etc! But ASAP because this stuff is important!!! 

I'm LOVING driving, but not as much as the feeling of walking out of a spiritual lesson where people humble themselves to the point of recognizing the sacrifice and love that Christ has for us. He is the key to us being able to return happily to our loving Heavenly Father. So many people go errantes, (That is the spanish word for astray) looking in cheap, dirty things expecting to find the acceptance and love that only God and Christ offer us.


Top Ten.

10. I really enjoy learning from the Eddy family's example in living what we teach 
9. My history teacher is a cool dude
8. I've felt lots better drinking clean water/not eating 10 peso empanadas
7. Fun, relaxing p-day today!
6. Sheridan actually is in Elder Xavier´s ward in Brasil! Small world
5. The multizone conferences
4. We the missionaries organized a sick recent convert/investigator activity.
3. Michel is so legit. He will be SUCH a legit missionary.
2. Paula is so much happier now than when we first talked to her!
1. Family night with a young investigator couple and two member families! 
1. MILES. Super cute little fat new baby! Congrats Christie and Daniel!!! 

Love you all

Elder Richmond


No bakes! 


 This is from Christmas


This is from last p-day before we had to go drive really far.
Hermana Eddy made us Belgium waffles!!! 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Brandon's Seventy Eighth Email! February 4th, 2017

Hey, I have like no time to write. I guess with the ups of having a license, there are downs. We just spent like 6 hours driving to an area in the Durazno zone! Back where I was a year ago, we had to make a couple little changes, but it all worked out, but we got back kind of late, and have set lessons, so not like any time! 

We took a sister back in the van to this area and she shared Sour patch kids with us and it reminded me of those sour gummy snacks that they have at the BYU vending machines... Sheridan, what are those called?? Rippleables?

This week Michel got baptized!!! He is sooo legit!! I sent a pic earlier! 

Mom and dad, were you guys and Christie and Casey in a scene in a cheesy old church movie? If so, which one?

So, we had two multi zone conferences and I was talking to an elder that's in Rocha and he said some people that Elder Cristobal and I found and were teaching are like totally going to church and I was so stoked! Like even though we don't see all of the effects, I was so stoked to know some hard work has helped people find the truth! 

The other lady Paula brought her two kids to church this week and totally loved it again and is really excited!!! 

I don't have time to write more. Sorry mom, no Top Ten. But I did get to enjoy Hermana Eddy's cooking this week!! It was sooo good!!!!! My favorite pasta dish!!

I love being a missionary because I can share what makes me happy, and make other people happy!!

Love you all!

Elder Richmond



 MICHEL!!!!