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)

My life!! In these bags! 

This is Ramiro and Geraldo

Mario Arrua!

Mario gave me a hugeee bag of bizchochos for free 

at this moment right before I got on the bus to leave Paso! :((

Sad leaving Paso!!!!

My last bus out!!!

My last photo with Burgess and below with Ford in Durazno! 

At 4 in the morning so we might look crazy.

Some pics of the 6 elder house!!!

 It's crazy.

 Actually a really nice house, but kinda hard to have 6 in one house

House... 3 bed 2 bath, kinda...

A member gave us like 7 liters of milk from his cows!!!!!

We live literally right in front of a high school.

 It's a bummer, there are alwayssss lame boys who just want to talk and mess around when we come home 

and they drink and it's just super annoying just being like no byeee

My comp Elder Quispe and me!!!

Elder Quispe and Espinola (the Elder from Paraguay) with a pizza I made. 

They like it haha.

A Mother's day activity! The kids sung it was sooo precious!!!!!

We played soccer today for p-day! Our whole zone (all guy zone of ten elders) 

Brandon's Fortieth Email! May 10th, 2016

So this week was crazy!!!

To start, I forgot to write in my agenda things to say, so I really am lost. We had a zone conference some day, I got really cool letters and an AWESOME planner Sheridan had made with my name and Uruguay and stuff, so that's cool, the zone leaders got a cake for us and that was also really good!!! Elder Burgess had to do a baptismal interview for the zone leaders so we missed the 12 bus and the next was at 4 so we actually went to the zone leader's bishop's house with them, the other elders in Durazno, and the sisters from Durazno, and the bishop and his wife!!! He had been slow wood cooking like a whole lamb and chorizo since 9 in the morning!!! It was SOOOOOO good!!!!! Like incredible. So that was a sweet surprise. We helped a family in the ward move that night.

The next day, Saturday we went to Durazno to leave with members and visit inactive members. It's always weird being separated from your comp and just alone with someone who isn't a missionary, but sometimes fun! The zone leaders had a baptism so we were at the church after all together!

Early in the week like on Tuesday I fell and cut my arm. Luckily didn't rip or bleed on my jacket. I bled on a shirt but I'm going to try and get it out...

We had an activity with the ward and played soccer so that was fun!!! I kinda like soccer, but not when everyone is agro and just kicks it super hard, it's more fun when it's more tough. Depends on the night.

The river finally went down mostly so that was awesome! 

We had 3 investigators in church because like 4 were in Montevideo and then like the rest just straight up stood us up! So lame, but it was good. The Falcon family was there and just looked so precious! So stoked on them!!!! Virginia and her son and rockstar were the ones in Montevideo, which is a bummer because they are all really cool. They'll come next week, like they already are planning on it!

SOOOOO I'm going to Rocha. The area is in the city I think, kinda on the coast closer to Brazil up there. My new comp is elder Quispe from Peru. So we have transfers tomorrow and I am all packed. We are going to Durazno tonight then Montevideo in the morning! Always SOOOO nuts in the giant bus terminal there! 

I still have some people to say bye to but said bye to mama and Terezinha yesterday and like started crying with both of them! They're like the two I've spent the most time with probably! SOOOOO sad. Like I think it's because now I can actually talk and connect to people, but it has been so hard to say bye and accept that I'm leaving here. It's been sad, but I'm excited to try and start up the work over there! We found 7 new investigators this week, had a REALLY good lesson with the girl named Clara. She is like 23 and we taught lesson two. She had read the B.O.M. and like asked good questions about it and was like I want to make Jesus a part of my life, I'm ready to find a church. She isn't flirty at all either which is good because sometimes if people act flirty we just don't teach anymore because then they might not be going to church for the right reason! She is just super legit and she will probably get baptized!

There are like 4 or 5 baptisms that will happen next change here! Kinda bummed I'm leaving, but happy for the people that have found the church!

I know this church is Christ's church. I know that Christ loves us. How great is that?

Top Ten

10. I'm in the mission, tons of friends are too. We know Christ loves us and we get to help people understand what that really means!!!

9. Packed and everything fit well! Got rid of stuff I don't need so I was able to pack my shoes in my bag.

8. New area, new start! 

7. The water went down!!!

6. Fell on my bike, my helmet didn't fall off, nor did it rip my jacket!!

5. Sheridan decorated a planner all cool and sent it to me with a letter! So cool! It has cool missionary scriptures and encouraging things throughout it.

4. Having a rad comp this change!

3. My three changes in Paso have changed my mission attitude for sure. I'm just so happy to be here.

2. Skype with the family was awesome!!!

1. All of the amazing people that I have met here in Paso

Love you all! Bye!

Elder Richmond

 Fell on the bike

 Terezinha lunch! It was super good!

 All of us at the bishop's house (I took the foto)

 The cool planner from Sheridan

A foto with Brugess and Poulsen, who was in Paso before

 And SKYPEEEEEE! The Skype foto didn't turn out as well as the one Sheridan got of her family haha

 Terezinha

 Tatiana and her little sis Bremise

 Foto of us at Mama's house

 Fun last night here :((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

Brandon's Thirty-Ninth Email! May 2nd, 2016

Hey... so first of all, I apologize for spelling mistakes because it is frigid right now and my hands are ice bocks! 

So this week was CRAZY!!!!! It's too long with too many different side stories and that is just confusing, but I'll try my best to get down the basics!!

Okay so to start, it was Burgess' birthday on Monday last week so we had cake and pizza at mama's house and it was super fun!!! Just had a good night and that was awesome!

So the river has grown even more!!!!!! Like it is crazy!!! They are still letting out water so now the river is like 3 times as wide as it was!!! So there are a good amount of families staying in the church because the water is right there and I guess if you have kids you have to leave, but they have been cooking guiso (stew) like every lunch and every dinner for the past week! But probably like 10 gallons or more of it every meal!! But there is usually like always extra so we have received SOOOO many liters of guiso this week! We had it straight up for lunch like 3 days because lunch appointments fell through. But it has been awesome!!! haha like squash and potatoes and noodles or rice and some meat! I LOVE SQUASH NOW haha super random, but it is great!

Another noticia, it is soooo cold! We went to bed Monday all chilly and woke up Tuesday FREEZING!! Seeing your breath inside and everything... so not my favorite...

Heleman 3:28

We had conference Wednesday for interviews with President. Mine was pretty non crazy! haha BUT I received mom's package!!! It had the scripture covers so no more cardboard box!!! And a bunch of other cool stuff!!! And I got so many good letters from Sheridan!!!

Friday we had intercambio. Elder Ford came to PASO and it was so fun! He is so cool. Reminds me of Casey like tons, we get along great, and work hard at the same time so it is awesome!! He did the baptismal interview for Tatiana and that went well!!! We bought biscochoes and they were hot and SOOOO good. We were just scarfing them outside the bisochoeria haha. We made snickerdoodles at night and it was so good! I'm bummed that chances are I won't be in the same zone next change as him...

Saturday we came home and spent all day doing prep for the baptism and it was awesome!!!! The father baptized the two girls and they were so happy and it was a great spiritual meeting! Burges and I gave the two messages of like 4 minutes each!! Such a great experience! So that went like perfectly, and we actually had four investigators that came to the baptism, so that was also just super cool! This kid we call rockstar, (20 years old) came and we call him rockstar because he is so smooth and normal and a great people-person and has great style! So a great night! Then we went to Mama's house because it was her daughter, Sofia's birthday and had cake and pizza!!! So fun!!

Then Sunday was SUPER crazy too!!! So we had 10 investigators in church this week! We had 6 who we have taught a bunch. Like rockstar, the reference lady and her son, two other investigators, and Milton (the kid that loves China). Then four more came also who were people who the church has helped out who we had talked to. So we had 10 in total! And then also we had a full inactive family there who hasn't come since I've been here, AND when we walked in, the WHOLE Falcon family was sitting there looking SO great and happy!!!!

The father gave his testimony and it was great, and an investigator gave his testimony tambien!!!! It was sooo rad!!! 

So then after we had a few lessons and they went well and that was our day!!! 

So overall a great week!! I have tons of photos, doubt I'll send them all, but I'll probably send more later, but we have to go to a zone activity right now! 

Top Ten

10. GUISO

9. Get to Skype this Sunday!!! 

8. The conference we had with president

7. Having a great comp!!

6. Getting the sweet package from mom!

5. Getting super cool letters from Sheridan. So cool to hear about other mission experiences from someone so close.

4. Having the best mother ever!!! 

3. A fun intercambio!!

2. All the people in church

1. A great baptism with a family now just that much more unified! 

Love you all, but not as much as God, or the Lord... sorry, but they for sure have got me beat!!

I had such a great experience in sacrament meeting. During the sacrament I was reading scrips about when Christ was in the Americas and everything he did, taught, and talked about was always centered on love. Sometimes, if we don't understand a commandment or challenge, we just need to open our minds a little bit more!!! God loves us!

Chao!!!

 Miguel with his Guiso...

 An investigator named Miguel

 Scripture covers replacing this cardboard box I've had for 9 months!

 SOOO COLD!!!

 The flooding is real!!! 

 Having just a little fun!!! 

 My socks are strugglins

 Intercambio with Elder Ford, we made snickerdoodles!!!!

The cool bus from Paso to Durazno! 

We take the double decker like 1 out of 3 times.

 The family Falcòn!!!!

 A cool train

Classic guiso! 

My package was so rad!!!

Also, Sheridan also does super cool writing on the card envelopes so people always trip out. 

Looks super professional 

Some cows

Some more shots of the snickerdoodles and Elder Ford 

Some flooding pic before the flooding got too gnarly 

A turbine from the dam they have at a park here 

Milton. Investigator 

Me going for 90's dad look!!! 

She made pigs in a blanket!! Deditos mumificados

Zone foto!!!  

The little girl wore SUCH a precious little dress!!!! 

Elder Burgess' birthday!!! At mama's!

Brandon's Thirty-Eighth Email! April 25th, 2016

My dearest friends and family, this week has been super insane. hahah

Well first of all I received two high def photos of al pastor tacos from San Felipe, so now I am very hungry. Al Pastor.... 

So, just to paint the picture of the week, it has rained every day except for Thursday. The dam called El Rincon is like 10 kilometers upstream from Paso and is like too full so they are now letting water out of the turbines because they don't want the dam to get messed up, BUT, the  river was already flooding before they did that, so now it is just nuts!!!! They have the military taking people out of their homes that are flooding by the river. There are like 40 people in the church right now with their expensive furniture or things that would get ruined. It is crazy the water has arrived one block short from our house slash the church. So about 50 meters... so crazy!!!! Like 50 years ago they evacuated Paso because they diverted water from the dam because they were worried about it and it flooded everything! So pray it stops raining because even on our way to cyber we just got SOAKED to the skin... it won't stop!!!! So that's just been like a part of this week, like people having to take stuff out of their house and let it dry, then put it back in. I guess luckily the houses are just straight cement here because it doesn't actually ruin anything structurally. So that is just the weather. It's been pretty hot and rainy, but one day and also today have been cold. I hate the cold dangit. I miss the summer already.

So now on to more work type stuff... We had District meetings Wednesday! They were planned for Tuesday but there was a red alert so nothing was open like the buses. So we had them Wednesday and showed these funny videos we had filmed during p-day. Like me filming and being a missionary and Burgess being a contact I do. But like while riding bikes, on the bridge, just funny things. So there was a red alert last night/this morning also I guess, but it was pretty low key. 

So I don't really remember specific days or anything but this week we had two great lunches, we've been working out really hard and I am getting in better shape so that's fun, been cleaning a lot and like consolidating my stuff, so that's been good to kind of work on habits. 

This week the two major cool things were: how many new investigators we found, and how many people are on track to get baptized/came to church!

So during the week we had lots of lessons with new people where we just talked to them and would end up sitting down, praying, teaching and praying again and everything... Like it was so funny. Our contact to lesson ratio was more than half! People are nice and we were having tons of fun and it's so fun to meet new people. I'm not confident in myself or my teaching but I do know what we have to share speaks for itself, it just needs somebody to present it! So I felt like no pressure just talking to people and asking, "Hey can we sit down and tell you about this. It's really important, because I know it is." And then having them be like yep sure! haha 

Also, we have a baptism scheduled for this coming Saturday at 7 so pray it goes through! It should. The family is awesome, so this is the family that has been less active for a while but their girls who are 11 and 8 are getting baptized and they have gone to primary a good amount over the last couple months. The dad hasn't been to church in a long time, but they came as a family yesterday for the first time in years!!! It was so great to see and the ward was stoked! So seriously I think the rain/flooding is the only complication.. They live close to the river... 

Then we had a lesson with the reference from the stake president's wife and she was SO cool. We got to know her, chatted for a little, then taught the restoration like completely and gave her a B.O.M. and she came this Sunday and had her Book of Mormon in a protective plastic sheet and had marked some stuff!!! And the stake president's wife named Laura sat with her and it was awesome. She came to all three hours with her 8 year old son!!! We were going to have a lesson all together yesterday but Laura got a little sick, but it will be awesome! She is excited to learn more!!

Then we had two other ladies in church who come often but still need to get married... kind of a bummer that doing the papers is the only thing they are missing!

Then we were sitting there before sacrament and thought hey, we can go knock at Ramiro's and see if he is home. He is like 19 and super cool and a good people-person. So we went over and he was like yeah I'm coming so we showed up and everyone was talking to him and he was really cool and normal with everyone!! 

Milton and Miguel and Valentine didn't go to church this week all for their own kind of excuses but I was just trying to be happy. I had to think of Sheridan's good attitude in her email when everything didn't go well so then I was able to appreciate everything good that was happening. Valentine didn't own a pair of shoes so he hasn't been going to school and wasn't going to come to church, so Saturday we spent like 1.5 hours tracking down shoes and Nicolas ¿Young mens? gave us an old pair so we brought them to Valentine. Sunday morning Maria wasn't there at 9 so we cruised to her house on the bikes and she was trying to get Valentine up, but he was being a pill!! Maria was being really cool actually, sometimes she is somewhat short tempered, but it was cool to see her working on patience and stuff! But he ended up not coming but Maria still did. She hasn't missed a Sunday since se started coming! So anyway, we had like 6 investigators in church so it was fun, we were always doing something. 

The three people who didn't come to church were actually the ones scheduled to get baptized on the 7th but that won't happen now. If they keep doing what they should they'll get baptized the weekend after...weekend after I leave... kind of a bummer, but whatever. This Saturday should be fun! 

Today is Elder Burgess' birthday so I'm making another cake and then we will just have a good day! He turns 23! 

On Wednesday we have interview conference with President in Durazno so that should be fun! Trying to think of other things.... oh, Saturday night we went to Centro (kind of reminds me of El Cajon center street thing) and people just sit on the benches lining the street and drink mate.. So we just walked down the line and in like 30 minutes did like 15 contacts and it was super funny. People like knew it was their turn when we started leaving the previous group.. but super cool, there is a guy we are going to have a lesson with, we just need to call him. He was super interested. 

But anyway, all is good! I taped in a photo of Christ and my family in the front of my Trips Scrips (triple combination scriptures) and I'm like unusually stoked on it haha. And a pic of the SLC temple in my Bible. 

Anyway, crazy week! Pray it stops raining, or at least they can give the water to California or something haha...

Top Ten. 

10. Elder Burgess' birthday!!!

9. All my family and friends who are such good examples!!
8. Having two pedals on my bike is like magic

7. I filled out everything that we had been lacking in the area book so now it is suppper crisp

6. CASEY GRADUATED

5. Working out really hard sets such a better start to the day

4. The water hasn't reached our house yet

3. All the new people we taught this week!

2. We have a super selfless bishop who has been helping people SOO much this week

1. Investigators in church!!!

Peace, love, 

Elder Richmond

P.S. literally sitting in soaked jeans right now 

 Valentine with this nasty fish with gnarly teeth! 

We had a sick lesson on the river back under some trees

 on a table and it was like from a painting! So beautiful

 The river spot! 

This is Francisco with his squashes!!!!! Look how legit they are! 

He has SOO many more too, he grows them in his yard cause he always makes guiso with them...

 This first pic was like on Wednesday, we thought that was nuts because so much had flooded. 

This second pic is that same road, but totally underwater!!!

And it's raised like probably double since then even!!

 This street is really steep so it's safe, but where all that water is down there, there is a house and volleyball and picnic tables.. where I sent the photos from with the painted walls!

Terezinha taught us how to make arroz con leche! So good!