Hey what's up mom? It’s sooooo good to hear from you this week!

I forgive you for forgetting and in fact I had to come to the library during the week to make a calendar and I thought hum maybe I will see if my mom wrote to me. I got to read it, so thanks for the early email, it really helped during the week to know what was going on.

Well for taking things home; it will be very little for what I'm taking home. I told them both; very small stuff. I'm sure the church will pay for my luggage home like they paid for it out. I really don't think the church would force me to have to abandon loads of stuff even though I plan to do just that. I will only be coming back with a few church things, some of my books, suits, and all my good tie's. I have some really sweet tie's, Jake is really lucky because he gets to take all my stuff that he wants because I will be leaving it here. His only problem is I'm so skinny and he is so tall so most of the clothing is out of the picture.

So you have been getting a lot of calls as of recently about me. Jakes mom has been trying to get a hold of you also. She had to talk to Bruce C Hafen's wife to try and get a little information about me. If you have not talked to them yet give them a call @ (801)691-0707. Then you had Stephen Smyth and Aaron Reeder. Reeder is a class kid. I like him a lot and you all would too. He was my district leader while I was in Tralee and my zone leader while I was in Ballyfermot. I look forward to hanging out with all those guys. If there are a few people at the airport or at my church welcome home it would probably be Shane Williams and Milo Myerhopher. They were all good friends who were very good to me here.

So the members seem to have made it some kind of goal to fatten me up before I go. They are trying to get me over to their homes and feed me before I go. It’s great I eat like a king. Jake is also a good cook; we have a real proper meal almost every day sometimes twice a day. It’s so good and yet even though I eat all of it I still am only 140 pounds and cannot put on any more weight. Is that crazy or what? Jake is looking at me as if something is wrong with me. A member once said I must have worms because all the members say I eat a lot for such a little guy, it’s funny.

Well for the bulk of the email now. Janice has been doing good and bad. She has continued to be strong through all of this hard stuff with Bob. But one of her sons is not making life any easier. She has a son named Hayden who is about 14-15 years old and he got caught smoking and possibly doing pot and a legal drug named Methadrom. Basically they take an illegal drug change a few chemicals, add some grass or herb of some sort and it has the same effect but is sellable in stores. I think it’s super messed up but the police can’t do anything about it right now. Well Hayden has not been caught doing pot or this Methadrom but his friends have. His name was mentioned by one of his friends who was caught doing both. So of course Janice has been worried sick about him and as a result he is on a short leash. She asked us what we think she should do. I said interview him in a very serious way and ask him straight. I said that’s what you both did to me and I couldn’t lie to you when you did that to me. So she did; he says he is not doing pot or Methadrom so I said just trust him but be watchful also. Flo is good but he is crazy as ever. We called him on Monday last week and he was in the mountains; no warning to anyone just got up with a friend and left. He spent two nights out there and came back so we got to see him later in the week. We made him a scripture reading calendar as I said before. He really likes it so hopefully this will get him more excited to read from the Book of Mormon. He says he prays sometimes but I don't know how serious he takes it and how he does it. We have shown him before how to pray, but I think this needs to be the next lesson. He should get a positive result due to reading and now praying more.

Janice came to church yesterday; it was really good fast Sunday all the testimonies where different. You know how on average one person gets up and they talk about one subject and then following everyone will talk on the same subject. Well I decided to throw a wrench in that system. I think everyone should talk about whatever they want. So it started about fasting and then I got up and talked about facing trials and getting help from God. Afterwards nobody could get back on to one subject so those who got up talked about what they felt like and it was very good. Everybody’s testimony came to them as the spirit directed them and talked about what they felt inspired about. We only had one weirdo get up and talk. She is not all there in the head; she got up and talked about her visions and other weird things. But she ended on a very good note and I took some good stuff out of it. Janice afterwards ended up talking to Robert Smyth, Stephen’s father. Robert and Janice talked together about Bob and what is going on in her life. He gave her some council and things and it really helped Janice a lot. Robert likes Janice a lot and said she is a great girl. They actually talked all through our lesson so Jake and I actually never ended up teaching gospel principals class-she was the only investigator so we just talked in the hall and left Robert to it. We will be teaching Janice again tonight, I look forward to it.

Mom I don't have a frequent fliers card, and if I do I don't know about it and must not have used it to get over to Ireland and England. So if I have it, tell me what it looks like, and if I don't have one get me one. I really don't know anything about it. Also I have gotten my birthday package and thank you very much for it all. I loved the Hot Tamales, they were gone the very next day, I ate them all and we are out of sugar to make Kool-aid so we are going to restock on that today.

Well I love you very much and miss you all. Can’t wait to see you-it’s soon. Conference is going to be fun; we have some people who have said they will be their which is exciting. Janice is really looking forward to it.

Talk to you soon, much love!

Brady

Hey mom

Well I’m still okay as you heard from yesterday. I told everybody thanks from you, and thanks for the birthday wishes. Um I have not gotten my package yet and probably won’t be getting it until April during zone conference, because that's when they will bring up all the parcels so I guess I will be getting two then. But that's okay, it’s just before I go home and then I will have to share it with Jake. I still kinda find it hard calling him Elder or Robison just cuz I did know him first as Jake. Even though we really did not know each other super well. So you know how Stephen took something home for you guys I’m going to do the very same thing for Jake. I’m going to take a thing home and hand deliver it to his house and let them all know how he is doing. I’m excited to do it for him and then I will try and do the same for Grone; if I’m not careful I might end up taking everybody else's crap home and none of my own, now that I think about it. My whole district is from Utah and I’m sure they would all love me to run by all their parents. Maybe I will just stick with Jake and maybe Grone cuz I kind of already told him I would go by his house sometime after I got home and meet his parents. So I might as well take something but we will see.

Well life has been good. Johnson, my son, AJ, his comp Elder Procter (who you know also), and I ended up just sitting in the house playing card games and just talking and chatting; it was good fun as always. We all get on really well its fun to just relax with the other elders you really get to see the way they were back home. There are a lot of chill guys that I would not mind hanging with. Johnson wants me to go to Snow College with him. Its tempting cuz it’s a state college, which means it’s still cheap and easy to get in. But I would have to move on campus and there is nothing to do in the town. But I would be with AJ which would be fun. He wants to recruit me on to his water polo team; they have lost a few of the players and since I’m a swimmer and have a bit of experience it would really help them out. But we will see what happens.

Well mom I love you much I don't have much else to say; I wrote the bulk of it yesterday. But I love you all; tell Cody and dad hi and I miss them too.

Much love hugs and kisses
Brady

Hey, hey mum cakes

So well this will not be as long of an en email because I’m mailing this to you from the Smyth’s computer, and thus, I don’t want to be on it for hours at a time. The good news is I will be emailing again tomorrow, and will try to send another email your way. It probably will not be that great but it’s better than nothing.
To explain, first, President changed the pday to Wednesday this week due to St. Patrick's Day, nothing I was expecting but he said to email on pday not Monday unless you could not email then. Well my new comp said we will email Wednesday I told him that it would be closed so he said Thursday cuz thats what President said, but all the smart elders emailed on Monday to not worry our mothers.

My new moves call is I’m still in Derry, Groneman has moved to Dublin city center. He likes it there; I still keep in contact with him well because we are so close. My new companion is the district leader and is Elder Jake Robison from Orem, Utah. Cody knows him and Kindy and everyone else; he is 6'6" and everyone comments on his height. It’s really funny. We get along great even if he screwed up the whole email thing; sorry about that I really tried. But life is great here we have gotten our car back it’s the same type of car only new color- silver. It’s really neat.

My birthday has been great because all the members love me; I have gotten 3 cakes and some birthday presents. It actually feels like I had a birthday this time compared to the last one in Tralee. But 21 feels the same as 20 but I guess once I get back home I can now drink. Like I will ever need that.

The investigators have been coming around. Janice is still as great as ever although Bob is an idiot and has walked out on her again. I believe I told you about the first time; this makes two times since I have been here. When he leaves he goes to another house he owns and will not talk to her for weeks at a time. So I will try this time really hard to talk to him and beat some sense into his head. At the same time it’s really good I would like them apart because they are not married but he needs to at least talk to her. They have been going out or living together for 6+ years and have a 5 year old daughter who he is neglecting also.

Some better news, we got one of Janice’s sons that smoked to try and stop; he has been off for one week and is still strong. He says he does not even really want them; his name is Jason. The younger son Chris messed up on day one, and seems a bit down at the moment to re-try; but he is not getting off that easy. Right now I want to help out Janice so much. It would make her so happy if they would all just quit smoking.

Well like I said I’m going to end this and try to send another one real quick tomorrow. I will tell the Smyth’s thanks from you and hopefully get a quick note from you tomorrow. Thanks for everything; I love and miss you all. I have less than one month now it’s going to be a good one. Love you all!

Much love
Brady