Hi ya family!

Well this has been a great week; I can really start to see the area come to life. I have been working really hard trying to get appointments, because I have gotten sick of finding. A couple of days ago I thought to myself while in the shower; I thought "hey I won’t have to find if I just have appointments." So that’s what I did; I called almost everyone we teach and made appointments to see them. Tonight we have two teaching appointments. Tomorrow we have three; Friday we have one; Saturday we will have one or two, I can’t really remember. Then Sunday we have church and Linda should be there. So the work thus far has been sweet.

It sounds like you all had a great week with Jer. He emailed me as well, just a real quick one, it was nice to hear from him. And its way cool to hear that’s cods team won. So what’s their chance for state soccer? Are they one of the strongest teams? The way they pounded Payson sounds like they are? The weather here in Ireland has been the same way as back home except no snow.

I got both of your packages now thanks for both of them they were loads of fun. I have been savoring the mountain dew I got-it’s been so amazing. But by far my favorite thing in it is the calendar-I love my puppy Marley calendar- it makes me so happy to look at it. It’s so crazy to see Blake is leaving so soon I could not believe it. I miss that kid he is so funny he will do such a great job as a missionary.

Well I sent off your package yesterday so you should be getting that soon. Sorry I teased you with that so bad. I told you I sent it a long time ago, but I just sent it yesterday. So you should get that soon.

Well I don’t really know what else to write sorry this one is kind of sloppy. But I love you all so much and will talk to you again.

Brady

Well Hello family and all who also read my emails each week.

Well it has been a sweet week here in Tralee I freaking love this area it is awesome. To start we are teaching loads of people and so now I don’t have to do as much finding. The other thing that is going on is that we are getting the members to help out by coming to all of our appointments. So we are getting loads of member present lessons which are sweet. This last week we challenged two people to baptism. Both of them said when they were sure they would. Our investigators are also progressing really well, it’s a noticeable change in their lives. It’s so cool to be in a really good area finally. While I was in Bangor we taught loads of people but nobody was really progressing super well and now here it’s just people working out the problems to become better, it’s so cool. Our main investigator is a girl named Linda she is a single mom and is 20 years old. She turned 20 just before I got here in Tralee. Her little boy just turned 2 not to long ago either so she had him pretty young. Well we teach her usually two times a week but this week we are going to teach her 3, we saw her Monday for my birthday and then we hung out with her for Saint Patrick’s Day and then we are seeing her tonight. Every time we are leaving she is always asking when she will see us again, so it’s really cool. She promised us she will be to church this week and then we have an appointment after church with her around 8:00 so that will be really good. She struggles with the word of wisdom; she doesn’t see the harm in smoking and drinking. It’s funny because we show her right on the boxes that it says they will kill you. But she says that it won’t happen to her. She is really funny that way. But the other cool thing with her is that she has become our really good friend so it fun to see her. Our other really good investigator right now is Patrick; he has been going through some really hard times. His wife used him so she could get citizenship here in Ireland; afterwards she left him and took their 1 year old baby. She tried to make it so he could not see the baby, so they went to court over it. He does not want to take him from his mom but wants visiting rights at least twice a week, so that’s what he got. It’s really good for him because he is a really good guy. Patrick reads from the Book of Mormon and understands really well; he is praying and has found comfort in what we tell him. He also now makes solid appointments with us where before we just had to swing by and hope he was in.

Well that’s enough of that. You want to know about my birthday and Saint Patrick’s Day. Well Monday I became old no longer a teen. It started with all the morning junk I do each and every day then I got no post which made me sad, but come to find out the 16th is an unofficial holiday so loads of people take it off. We started by walking around to find nobody out, so we decided to go to a couple of stores for things we needed, then got some lunch. After lunch we went to André’s, a Russian man we are teaching who is really cool and loves baseball. He thinks all Americans are good at baseball, and wants us to play for him. Then after teaching him we walked a bit more, got some dinner and taught Linda. Then we ran home and got carrot cake from the senior couple here in Tralee and called it a night. Linda gave me a card and a giant chocolate egg for my birthday and Elder Frye treated me to a kebab a big old meat taco type of a thing, they are way good.

For Saint Patrick’s Day it’s celebrated similar to how we do the 4 July only no fireworks. They have a big parade and they have activities and fairs around you are able to go to. Mostly it’s for family and friends to get together. At about 3-5 they start to drink its considered bad luck not to drink on Saint Patrick’s Day so crap I have had bad luck my whole life through. At 5:00 we were supposed to go out and work till 8:00 but it was pointless, so many people where drinking the actual air smelt of alcohol for real’s! It was bad nobody wanted to talk to us and there was no reason to stay out so we went back home and worked on the area book and caught up on stuff we needed to do like cleaning the house and stuff like that. Then it got boring around 8:00 so Frye and I played some card games and went to bed early it was good fun.

My comps name is Mathew Jason Frye. He is from Napa California next to San Francisco. He is the rock. He is a real stud, I like him loads, one of my absolute favorite comps. I have seriously been blessed with really cool companions not a bad egg yet. I would like to think it’s something I do but really its just president being cool with me.

Well I can’t think of anything else to talk about. I tried the “is any one on”, but I think you are all sleeping. Love you all so very much. Mom don’t get to trunkey for me yet I still have a little over a year. Take care

Brades

Well hello from nowhere!

Actually to be honest I’m right now in the city of Limerick and Limerick is pretty large, the population is smaller then Dublin but the city size is about the same. And the reason I’m here is because I’m on exchanges with my District Leader Elder Newman. I knew him from Bangor he was my really good buddy from there, but since then he has changed loads and I would say not for the better. It’s better for the work but now he has no personality he is too robotic. But it’s okay because my companion is way sweet, we are mates now, I like him a lot. His name is Elder Frye from Napa California. Frye has been out for six months, he is from the same group as Elder Johnson the one I trained. He is way chilled and laid back like me, is very quiet but will hold a conversation with you if you start it. He is a super teacher the second best teacher I have served with since Headington, also he is a good worker.

The area is amazing it has so much potential I can just feel it. The area just has a way good feeling to it unlike my last area. I feel safe and just happier. We have a good number of investigators and since I have been here have even seen the progress; I love to see an area that is just moving forward. Like I said we are far away to get to district meetings, we either get a lift with the senior couple here the Mulholland’s or we take a two hour bus ride. The only real disadvantage to being so far away is on pday we have nobody to be with, so we will have to spend it in the flat with nothing really to do except play risk the board game that is in the flat. By the way the flat is really nice it’s big with lots of room but messy so I have been cleaning this up for a good while now. I have to get rid of all the crap that has been kept from all the other elders who don't throw things away. Elders are horrible pack rats, it’s gross! So with each new flat I move into I have been throwing all the junk away. Like I said I’m very clean and organized. To think mom all it took was 10,000 US dollars and then I would learn how to clean up after myself. I even take out the trash and clean the dishes without being asked. Amazing huh?

But now that I’m in a good area I have some good spiritual stories again. We are teaching this girl named Linda. She is 20 years old and has a little boy named Jason. Well I have now taught her twice and you can see the improvement and that she is seriously considering joining. She reads and prays and she has really opened up to us now that she knows we are normal people as well. We had a very good discussion with her; she promised us that she would be to church this Sunday without us even asking her so that was way exciting. We also work with a man named Patrick who has always been kind and willing to have us around only if we called or asked him. He would never set an appointment without us asking first. Well we met him the other day just outside our flat and we got talking with him and he started asking us when we would be back. He started asking us if we could see him that night, we said sorry we were busy then he said Tuesday we were in Limerick, so then he said okay Wednesday, we said OK that would fit us, he said good see you then, so I will see him tonight I’m way excited for it. He is way nice hard to understand right now but cool.

The members in the branch are way sweet, I like them tons especially the branch presidents and his kids. The boys are way cool and funny they want to get to know me and be my friend which is way cool. So I like all of them and the little kids like me as well especially the ones in nursery. I like play games with the kids in sacrament meeting; games like Simon says and funny faces. This makes the branch president laugh on the stage cuz he can see me when no one else is looking. Ha-ha its good fun I love branches cuz they are all so close nit together. Also it’s a lot less names to remember at least all of their first names are either brother or sister. That makes it a bit easier.

With the packages I don't get charged I have never even heard of the charge thing before so no worries about that. Keep the packages coming I love them. I will get my birthday package probably around March 21 which is zone conference. I will then be 20 but happy belated birthday is okay to. With St. Patty's day I don't know what it’s like yet other than it’s a drinking holiday. So yeah that’s it.

I love you all so very much and miss you. Mom don’t worry about me I’m happy and strong.

Much love and kisses

Brady

Well hello from nowhere!



Actually to be honest I’m right now in the city of Limerick and Limerick is pretty large, the population is smaller then Dublin but the city size is about the same. And the reason I’m here is because I’m on exchanges with my District Leader Elder Newman. I knew him from Bangor he was my really good buddy from there, but since then he has changed loads and I would say not for the better. It’s better for the work but now he has no personality he is too robotic. But it’s okay because my companion is way sweet, we are mates now, I like him a lot. His name is Elder Frye from Napa California. Frye has been out for six months, he is from the same group as Elder Johnson the one I trained. He is way chilled and laid back like me, is very quiet but will hold a conversation with you if you start it. He is a super teacher the second best teacher I have served with since Headington, also he is a good worker.



The area is amazing it has so much potential I can just feel it. The area just has a way good feeling to it unlike my last area. I feel safe and just happier. We have a good number of investigators and since I have been here have even seen the progress; I love to see an area that is just moving forward. Like I said we are far away to get to district meetings, we either get a lift with the senior couple here the Mulholland’s or we take a two hour bus ride. The only real disadvantage to being so far away is on pday we have nobody to be with, so we will have to spend it in the flat with nothing really to do except play risk the board game that is in the flat. By the way the flat is really nice it’s big with lots of room but messy so I have been cleaning this up for a good while now. I have to get rid of all the crap that has been kept from all the other elders who don't throw things away. Elders are horrible pack rats, it’s gross! So with each new flat I move into I have been throwing all the junk away. Like I said I’m very clean and organized. To think mom all it took was 10,000 US dollars and then I would learn how to clean up after myself. I even take out the trash and clean the dishes without being asked. Amazing huh?



But now that I’m in a good area I have some good spiritual stories again. We are teaching this girl named Linda. She is 20 years old and has a little boy named Jason. Well I have now taught her twice and you can see the improvement and that she is seriously considering joining. She reads and prays and she has really opened up to us now that she knows we are normal people as well. We had a very good discussion with her; she promised us that she would be to church this Sunday without us even asking her so that was way exciting. We also work with a man named Patrick who has always been kind and willing to have us around only if we called or asked him. He would never set an appointment without us asking first. Well we met him the other day just outside our flat and we got talking with him and he started asking us when we would be back. He started asking us if we could see him that night, we said sorry we were busy then he said Tuesday we were in Limerick, so then he said okay Wednesday, we said OK that would fit us, he said good see you then, so I will see him tonight I’m way excited for it. He is way nice hard to understand right now but cool.



The members in the branch are way sweet, I like them tons especially the branch presidents and his kids. The boys are way cool and funny they want to get to know me and be my friend which is way cool. So I like all of them and the little kids like me as well especially the ones in nursery. I like play games with the kids in sacrament meeting; games like Simon says and funny faces. This makes the branch president laugh on the stage cuz he can see me when no one else is looking. Ha-ha its good fun I love branches cuz they are all so close nit together. Also it’s a lot less names to remember at least all of their first names are either brother or sister. That makes it a bit easier.



With the packages I don't get charged I have never even heard of the charge thing before so no worries about that. Keep the packages coming I love them. I will get my birthday package probably around March 21 which is zone conference. I will then be 20 but happy belated birthday is okay to. With St. Patty's day I don't know what it’s like yet other than it’s a drinking holiday. So yeah that’s it.

I love you all so very much and miss you. Mom don’t worry about me I’m happy and strong.



Much love and kisses

Brady

Well right now I need to apologize for lying to you all last week; I messed up dates in my head. I just now got my moves call and guess what I’m moving; not too surprising. But I’m now moving to the far south of the island in the middle of nowhere called Tralee. That is pretty close to where they filmed the movie brave heart. By the way that movie filmed right here in Ireland not Scotland funny huh? Anyways to explain how in the middle of nowhere it is, I have to take a bus to district meetings which takes two hours to get to Limerick where we meet. I will also be serving in my first branch ever and there is supposed to be a really cute girl in it named Ruda. The only other thing I know about the area is there is a very gay man that lives their named Tony who has some fetish with the missionaries. I will be serving with a new Elder named Elder Frye who was trained by Elder Redder who right now is one of my zone leaders. So the work should go well there. Also lately there have been a lot of baptisms in the area so keep your fingers crossed. Other than that, that is really all I know.

Now when it comes to mission work this week we had a pretty good week. We got to teach a lot of less active lessons this week and the main ones the Jordan’s who we were working with came to church. They said they are going to make a much greater effort now to make it to church because they know that’s what they need to do. So that has been really good. On Sunday I bore my testimony to tell the ward thanks for the help and to just bare it. It was a really great experience for me. I got up with nothing to say other then I knew I needed to bare it, and as I did words really just filled my mouth and it all just came out. Everything I wanted to say and how I felt came to me; it was such a cool experience how it all happened. Afterwards all the members said they did not want to see me go or told me I needed to stay within the ward. The funny thing is that most of those people I had not talked to really ever.

I’m really excited to move out; this has been a really tough area, not physically but emotionally. I’m really glad to leave it behind. They have a new younger missionary Elder Hildabrand coming in from New York, who is a really good solid missionary to take my place, so it will be left in good hands.

Well the weather for us has been getting warmer; usually morning it’s sunny, by afternoon it’s cloudy but still warm, at night time it starts to rain a bit, and then it does it again all over the next day. I’m nervous for April showers though because I don't think it needs to rain anymore than it already does here. Because of the sun never shining here I’m already very pasty white. I’m soon going to look like Edward from twilight. He is very grossly white in all of his posters I see all over town. Once I get home I plan to get in a tanning bed, and get some highlights for my hair-which has gotten darker.

I email at around 10:00 am-12:00. I would not mind emailing back and forth but I think that’s around 3:00 am for you guys; we are about a 7 hour difference, but I will leave the math up to you because I’m out of practice.

I have a package sent off for you with all me photos in it and some treats that you will like, but mom and dad it might be too many points for you. Anyway love you and leave you.

Brady

Hey Dude

Hey man I moving and I'm very excited about that; a chance to start new. As you know, things have been hard, but I'm now finally moving away from that. I also get to leave the zone leaders behind so that makes it even better.

Congratulations on a happy 6 years man. It really seems just like yesterday we were in UVSC for your reception, and i was running around getting all of your waffle irons. Its so weird how fast time goes. I'm now turning 20 really soon which is really weird to me.

Good job on all the tests. Mom was so excited to tell me how well you did. I have already bragged about you to Katie, cuz she is also in the dental field.
Well dude, I love you. Sorry I'm out of time, but I will email you again next week.

Take care

Brades

Hello.

Well it sounds like you had a very good time on the cruise, and that you two are doing very well. Mom next time you need Dads attention because you are getting chased by a sting ray, remember sound travels faster in water then air. If you clap your hands or whistle he will hear it. Just so you know. That is something I learned in scuba class and screwing around in swim practice. Cool huh? Also Dad you’re not supposed to use your hands while snorkeling its bad technique. Ha-ha just kidding with you.

That’s alright that my package got returned I knew something was up because I asked the office about it and they said that they had not seen one for me yet. But oh well. That’s life. In my March package I was hoping you could send me some Clearasil cream because only a few stores carry it.

Moves calls will be in two weeks and I will be moving for sure. Not sure where yet but I will be moving. We had president’s interviews on Thursday he asked how I was doing and I told him I’m doing alright but that I would like to move. He said that’s just fine I have been in a hard area for six months and it would be just fine to move. Six months in a area is long for any missionary, the longest one even allowed in the mission is a seven and a half months which is very rare, that’s just one more move than where I am. So the only hint of where I might be moving, President said is Mullingar or Sligo. Those are the armpits of the mission, he was mostly teasing me when he said that but you can never really tell with President. But I really would not mind going out there. It would be fun. I would then also serve in a branch rather than a ward which would be a new experience. Elder Dinning just moved here from Mullingar where he had loads of success so I would be excited to go there. The only other thing that I could see happening is moving to the Limerick District just because I have not been their yet. I hope I do because most of my mates are down their already. Moves are always a fun time there is always a lot of talk and guessing about what’s going to happen so I always like that.

Jade has dodged our last two appointments. I’m not really sure why the first time she said she was sick. The next time she was on a date. I really don't want to drop her because that has been the problem in the area, is that we don’t have enough people to teach.

Well I need to go the comp is going to log me off.

I love you so much and think about you all the time. Many hugs and kisses

Brady Boo Monster

Hello Mom and Dad

So Mom you act like I’m supposed to feel bad for you because you are getting old but I know for a fact that you are in a cruise ship sailing off to some Tropical Island enjoying life. You two are horrible. And I’m stuck here in this horrible wetland that is called Éire.

Well this has been another week in the mission with missionary things happening. This week we went about just contacting all the people we can. We had received two referrals from some of the other Elders in the mission field and we are going to be teaching this man from China who is supposed to be really cool. This will happen tomorrow and we are teaching Jade again tomorrow I really would like to baptize her before I leave. I think I could but the only thing that is holding me back is I think she would go less active after I left the area. But I will keep teaching her and see what happens. Pray that things will get better there. This coming week should be a good one we have set up a lot of appointments, and if things go well we should, also be getting two new investigators. That would be the bomb this area needs a good boost after it hit a downward spiral for so long.

I have not gotten my valentines package yet because we have two very gay zone leaders who like to bum around and make new rules up each week, so we are not allowed to go to the city for awhile. It will change soon, I’m sure we just need a new zone leader. By the way we know this is the zone leaders making the rules and not president because when we call him it’s always news to him. So it’s dumb but I will get it soon.

In better news I’m getting letters again. Chris and Russell love me and write to me now. Katie and Emily also like to keep in touch once in awhile. Dad I got your letter the other day thanks so much for it. It's always good fun to get letters from you. By the way I never knew you knew how to write in cursive. I think I might practice mine and see if I can do it again. It’s been a really long time since I have used mine I think fifth grade was the last time I did. That’s one thing that is cool a about a mission you have more time on your hand cuz you can’t hang with friends and there is no TV to take time so you perfect things that you have always wanted to. Like I can now bridge a deck of cards when you shuffle them. And I can make an almost perfect over easy egg every time. So now my new thing I think will be cursive. Hope you can read it.

The Covey boy is the new star in the mission. He is the famous one I guess you could say. I know of him but have never met him because he is in the north. But he sounds really cool so hopefully that will stay.

The money was for Christmas. I don’t plan on spending any more money for a very long time so things should be okay. I promise I’m being very careful with it I plan to have some left over from my mission that way I will not be completely poor when I go home.

Much love from Éire.

Hugs and kisses.

Brady Boo