Brandon's Eighty Fifth Email! March 25th, 2017

So last night we made a cake for our investigator family's daughter because they do not have much, and last night they mentioned it was her birthday tomorrow like in a relaxed way. We left and were like let's make her a cake! So we baked it last night and frosted it in the morning and swung it on over there. That family is great! They have so many financial difficulties that I really do understand their struggle to not work Sunday morning, but they said that they will go tomorrow and trust in the Lord. I think it is sad to see how hard it can be for a family just to get by, and shows the importance of good decisions early on in life. 

We have had a lot of success this week finding people to teach, and have met some people with the most serious of problems that you could ever have. It's so sad. Drugs, selling drugs, prostitution, babies at such young ages, that could all be avoided by just following the commandments... One investigator's little sister is 14 with a 5 month old baby. It breaks my heart but at the same time gives me the best motivation to keep trying to let everyone know that there is a better way! Safety is found in following the commandments! 

We had two conferences this week and three intercambios! It was super fun, always something new! One conference in Florida and another in Las Piedras! One day I got to work with Elder Hayden and it was sick!!!! He is such a good friend, I miss him in the offices!! We had a sick day teaching and everything; a little 4 year old was throwing sun tan lotion bottles at us, and we made pancakes for the house at night with our dank non-stick pan! 

We could finally sit down and have lessons with lots of people that I met a long time ago!!! Lots with good potential!!  It was awesome, I felt so grateful to finally have those people be at home and be able to listen a little bit more.

This p-day we actually had a lesson in the morning that was firm, so we went, then after we went and had a super fun day at the Eddys' high school playing soccer. Then football Americano with the office elders and family Olsen of the other mission! 

Elder Powell Naylor and Elder Ryan Layton, both from my BYU ward are comps as AP's! They both end their missions soon, 11 weeks, and 5 weeks! 

This coming week we will go to a far zone on Tuesday, do divisions and stay the night in the farthest zone, Melo, and have divisions, then come home on Wednesday! Then we have new missionary conference on Friday and that'll be great! 

Sorry mom, I forgot a top ten, but I love the Book of Mormon, my family, sharing the gospel. I got a wonderful card from Sheridan with her perfect handwriting, and a package from my family. Played American football on a grass field, had divisions with a good friend, and got to eat pancakes... so good week! 

We taught the sabbath day to lotsssss of people because we need people to come to church and see that it's a good thing if they're ever going to get baptized! Like everyone has a baptismal date, but that'll never come to happen if they don't go to church! 

Love you all, keep it piola! ---- Michel our RC always says that and he is sooo sick!!!! He gave the best talk ever last Sunday!!!! Like literally better talk than I'll ever give in my life with scrips and his testimony and funny but not overboard and gosh he is so rad!

We got to play with the other mission today for p-day at the kids' high school!! 

We played football and it was so fun!!!! 

Powell Naylor, and Ryan Layton from my BYU ward are the AP's in the other mission and are comps!!! 

It was sick to see them today!!! 

From our intercambio with Elder Millia and his comp Elder Alvarez

Brandon's Eighty Fourth Email! March 18th, 2017

Well, last night we had 6 elders in the house and we each bought a liter of chocolate milk of different types and had a taste test. We all drank one kind, then switched, and personally, I like colet the best! I love chocolate milk! 

So this past week we had two multi-zone conferences and after each we had divisions with the Zone Leaders. Then yesterday we also had one with a companionship. I was with Elder Alvarez, Elder Bess, and Elder Cabrera! It's sad, every time I'm with Elder Bess now, our day turns out kind of lame. I don't know why, like people not there etc. The other two days were awesome work-wise. It's fun being with past comps, like I can see how I'll be friends with them after the mission! 

So we have one neighborhood and in that we have found lots of investigators lately. We have found three families which is awesome! One family of 6, one of 9, and another of 6!!! So they have all said that they are going to go to church on Sunday, which would be so funny! Haha obviously lots of times they flake out, but we are going to pass by their houses in the morning and possibly walk with tons of them down to church! That'd be like another 5th of the ward or more haha...

One of the wives came to an activity on Wednesday, we had a family night in the church on Wednesday and she brought three of her four children!!! It was so cute seeing the girl who is eight and her brother who is 9 like jump around in a circle SOOOO excited because they were going to go to church!! It was great, but it's kind of sad because these families were starting very early before they were ready or expected and they all are kind of just fighting through the week to week..

The conferences have gone well. We share a video from this December training to mission presidents and talk about it, and President talks about receiving personal revelation which is so important to everyone, not just missionaries!!! I recognize it soo much now that I'll have to make big decisions when I get home, and without looking for guidance from God, I have NO clue how I'd make these decisions!!! He wants us to make good decisions and is willing to help us make them!!! 

I am excited to have more time at home to study the scriptures for as much time as I want each day!!! Like obviously I'll have things to do but I can prioritize my day, and that'll be great. I want to learn more about the bible, not just the stories but the background and history of the events, otherwise I don't think I can really understand all of it...

There are so many funny things that people do each day... like to try and avoid us like we're poison haha!!! It's funny, and some guy a little older than me got SUPER angry because we contacted a lady who was apparently his girlfriend and he like yelled threats and she was like váyanse!!! So we left... Our area has sooo many great people, and it also has like the, "Learn by their example what not to do," which is so sad. I know that they can break that streak but sometimes it's hard.

I more than anything know that Christ and God love us because they have done so much to help us ready ourselves to return to our Father!! I love 2 Nefi 31. The whole chapter talks so clearly about what we should do, why, and how!!! 

I can't wait to squeeze Jack's little cute face!! Christie and Daniel, you have the cutest kids ever! 

Love you all!!! 

Sorry mom, maybe I'll think of a top ten and send it later!!! 

Elder Richmond

UPDATE: Here is Brandon's top ten which is not in order

-Playing basketball on a wood court with people who play

-Finding new investigators

-Multi zone conf. going well

-Divisions going well

-Chocolate milk testing panel

-Dad's Jeep project

-Auz getting teefs out and birfday

-I really like our house of four missionaries

-The simplicity of the Book of Mormon

-Being able to be happy despite random inconveniences, something I´ve gotten a little better at.

Brandon's Eighty Third Email! March 11th, 2017

I'm eating craisins! Right now! I don't think that I've ever eaten a little box of raisins, now look! haha and I actually like them. It's sad really, how much food I didn't like before that I like now. Lots of times I'll eat something and love it, and it's something that I would've hated to eat before! I don't know why it took me coming here to make that happen....

Anyway, this week we had Leadership council, and training for new district leaders on Tuesday and Wednesday. It went well, I think that my portion of the meeting on Tuesday went well, but I don't know. I just know that I'm less nervous now. Not because I love talking in front of people, but I think because I feel that these things are so important, and they are like tools to help people find Christ in their lives, so the desire that I have to share that outweighs me being uncomfortable.

Wednesday was good, like everything has gone really smoothly, people showing up on time, people making buses, and it's great! I'm so grateful! Been so lucky!

Thursday we had a pretty normal day. We had a meeting with President because in 2 months a GA (General Authority) is going to come to our mission!! We had to fill out a questionnaire with him and some of the questions were really funny, like how well do the missionaries do their exercises? Do you how well you (talking to President) do yours? hahah

Yesterday we had divisions with a companionship that president asked us to do. One of the missionaries arrived here a week ago and is from Arizona, so it was fun working with him! We had a good day, found new investigators, and had a sick lesson with this investigator who is 18. Brazil just passing the border in Artigas, and is super prepared!!! Im stoked!!! (No idea what Brandon is saying here, sorry.)

These coming weeks will be crazy!!! We have like the same conferences that we had last transfer, so we'll be going out on Tuesdays and Thursday to other zones, but this time President will drive and we'll drive separately so we can bring the ZL (Zone Leader) back to our area after the conferences while he does interviews so that we can have divisions! SO we have planned to do divisions with the zone leaders in all 12 zones, including the conferences! I'm stoked though because now our area won't die while we're gone like three days a week! Now we'll get home a little late, but we'll be able to leave in the afternoon like everyday except for when we go real far to 33 and Melo! We did the math and from the planned time that we have out of our area, it comes out to that we are in our area 66% of the time, and that's not including unplanned, so now we'll be able to have a lot more time! 

I feel so happy and stoked working in the streets and teaching new people and talking about Christ and his eternal love and sacrifice for us! The missionary who I had divisions with yesterday told me something. He said, "When you talk, you always are smiling, do you try to do that?" I told him no, because it's true, I'd never thought about that. I think that I'm just really, really happy to be here and I love telling people about the fact that they can have an eternal family! I love my family and I'm excited to have my own wonderful family. (Christie's pics of JJ kill me!) Families are so important. I know that they can and are meant to be an eternal unit!!! 

I love my Heavenly Father, and I am very grateful that somehow I was born into a family that had this wonderful gospel in their lives!!

Love you all! 

Elder Richmond

By the way, what is the berry from which craisins are made? 

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AUZTRAIN RICHMOND!!!! 

March 16th turning 19... weird!!! Hope you have a good one!

Brandon's Eighty Second Email! March 4th, 2017

Hahaha they have so many funny sayings here. We were inviting a guy to go to church and he said this phrase like 30 times and my comp was like, well, brother______ that's great, we see your desires to be honest... 

they just say it as a saying though so he got all confused...

Well this week was crazy.. Sometimes I feel so sketchy and then I'm like oh this is what I'm supposed to be doing...

So we had transfers, super busy!!! Sunday we had a dank dinner at the Eddys' as a farewell for Hayden and Palomino leaving the offices. Hayden is going to be a ZL in NORTE, close to here. Palomino to be ZL in Melo, on the border of Brazil.

Monday was meetings and busy. Training my new comp in the things we have to do.

Tuesday was when we got the new missionaries, and it was good, we did our little welcome/training thing and my comp even spoke in english with the english speakers, it was really fun! That night we had the meeting with President to make the assignments. He is super legit and did lots of work before transfers to prep and so it all went faster than normal...

Wednesday was changes and we did training for the trainers, then there were lots of little things that had to be done like taking people here or there but it all worked out for a great time! The Eddys invite us over late after the finishing missionary dinner and fed us dinner also! So nice! 

It was really stressful because bus reservations, change notifications like sending out transfers, all kind of stresses me out because I don't want to forget anything! 

That night was crazy. Went to bed at 11, woke up at 12 to take one sister to the airport. She was the only one that had that flight so I went with Elder Childs and took her. It was so weird being with her at like 1 in the morning! Like normally that'd be so bad haha. She is really shy, but the last sister from my group that left! So then right when we got back to the hostel at the temple, we took three elders to the airport. All 4 of them went to Peru. 

Then slept for another hour when we got back. Then breakfast, then we took another group at 11:30, another sister at 2:30pm, and another elder at 6:30!

Such an aiport day. Little work done in between each trip.

Yesterday we went to the temple!! It was so awesome! Just my comp and me because we'll be with President in Conferences during each of the temple trips, so we went yesterday. Then we had a meeting with President Eddy and Sister Eddy and they took us to lunch! 

***Sister Eddy wanted mom to know that I eat lots of vegetables with them, which is true. It's like the only place I eat them when I think about it***

Then all yesterday we spent the whole afternoon making bus schedules to send to the bus guy, making schedules for interviews, planning the leadership meeting, and doing the visual stuff for that.. I love being in the streets so those long periods of time tire me out!! But, we got lots done so that's good! 

Wednesday afternoon we got some time in our area and had a great time!! I love it! We had a lesson and kept inviting people to join us and they were all very open and we had a great lesson! 

This next Tuesday we have the leadership council, then district leader training, then the following week we start up the same round as last transfers of conferences and intercambios!

I'm excited, our house is so clean already. My comp and Elder Vanderlinden (one change behind me) both are the new guys and are clean, so our house, although still ghetto, is clean and neat RN. SO HAPPY!!!! No more wilted wet lettuce underneath the faucet on the counter!! 

Mom, I forgot a top ten, sorry!

I love you all, the temple is an amazing place where you really can feel God's love. Go to it.

Elder Richmond

The new office elders in here too.. 

                                                                   Elder Mora is my new comp!

 Driving, at the temp! 

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

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! 

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!!!