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

Hey family

It’s been great reading the email this week; mom you are always very good at keeping me up to date. And dad it’s always very good to hear from you. I’m very happy to hear that your knees are doing better. I hope your ankle improves soon with the stuff. But that's very gross that it’s a big shot; I really don't like them. I seem to have become a bigger woos with shots because I have not gotten my flu shots while being here. So is the serum or stuff they shoot you up with thick?

That’s so cool to hear Cody was voted to be team captain for soccer; that means most of us boys have been voted as captains. I bet his team does better because they are all older, you always seem to do better with each year and other teams will have lost their big players because they are graduated; where Cody’s team has not, just like with my Jr to Sr years swimming.

Well this week has been a good one in some ways and not so good in others. This week has been fun cuz we had zone conference and it’s always really nice to see the other elders mainly friends. The training was about finding which is always very boring because all they say is you don't always have to tract and street contact to find investigators; try the ideas in preach my gospel they work that's why they are in there. In the end we resort right back into tracting, because when the weather is bad those are the only ones that seem to work. Some elders are so robotic in the way they work they will do nothing but tract and use the same door approach over and over which does no good.

Well Janice is doing so great we had a lesson this week with just her and it was on prayer and how to receive an answer. It was so very good and then at the end we asked if she would pray and it was so good. A very heartfelt prayer and she was so thankful for us coming and helping her out. She asked to know the truth about the Book of Mormon and what we teach her. The prayer was perfect. I felt so proud of her, it was so good. Then the rest of the week really has been about the smoker’s clinic. They are all starting it today. So it is Bob and Jason age 24 and Chris age 16 and they all want off so it’s going to be great. Jason his main concern is he can’t drink tea during the week. He says he would drink up to 7-10 cups of tea a day. That right there is the reason we don't drink tea. Can you imagine drinking 7-10cups of Postum or Pero? That’s so much.

We talked to president about the car he is shifting cars around the mission and is planning to send us a car soon. He realizes the hardship we are having and what we are going through. I’m guessing we get it when moves happen, he will just send a missionary up with it. I hope it’s a stick shift car then I can get back into the mode of using a stick. I actually would feel safer using it too. By the way moves will be happening this week on Tuesday we find out and on Thursday it will be happening. So today president and the assistants are to be finalizing who we will be with. They started yesterday with all the new leadership, and trainers. Today all the rest of the grunts.

So tell me if you have gotten my package yet? I have it sent off you should be getting it soon. I think you will be really excited it’s got a lot of good stuff in it.

Sunday was a weird day it was good I should say. Our investigators did not show up which is never good so that's why it was bad but the talks and lessons where real good. Then we went to the McKenna’s. This is always great. The food on Sundays is always way good. And the girls at the McKenna’s are always good crack. Then we went to the Neilson's for a lesson they are a member family who are cool. After the lesson they had a lesson with us about what to expect when we get home with some help and advice for the beginning of life with a spouse and all that stuff; they really told us not to worry about what I want to do because the Lord will provide and you will fall into what you are supposed to do. They told us about their start and how hard it was and how they are now. It was really good advice and was very helpful. Because I’ll be honest I was a bit worried and I had no clue as to what I want to do. We finished off the evening at Janice's and Bob's to see why they were not at church and starting the smoker’s clinic. They did not go to church cuz Bob was struggling with gall stones and she got sick; so valid excuses we gave Bob a blessing, Janice was not too sick just a sore throat.

Well that's all I have got to say this week; I hope it’s good. I look forward to Carrie Underwood she is pretty. Well I love you and miss you see you soon.
Hugs and kisses
Brady

Hey family

Well it’s good to hear everyone is okay and good. That’s was very scary to hear about Cody I’m glad to hear he is okay. You said he was acting weird how so? I’m healthy now just the old cough now. As I said I’m healthy, which I’m very happy about.

The real drama here this week has been that President pulled our car and gave it to the city center area in Belfast. This is ridiculous. We here in Derry have horrible buses and they stop running after 6 PM which means we can only work around our house at that time; the very best time to teach is after 6 so as you can tell this has been a big hit to the work here in Derry. In the city center the buses never slow down, and come every 10-15 minutes. However, our buses, the most frequent, is every 30 min. Once again you can see it was really dumb of president and has made me and Grone really angry. We have dropped lessons because we can’t get to them or investigators.

Janice is doing so well, Bob and Hannah came to church this Sunday everyone was very welcoming to Bob and those who meet Janice before welcomed her again; also the talks and lessons were very good. They both participated very well; so Sunday for them was a very positive experience.

We taught Janice and Bob the word of wisdom on Tuesday which went very well. Janice has never really had a problem with it, and Bob has accepted to re-live it again; he already wanted to give up the smoking. So we are going to be doing the smoker clinic with him to get him off. Some other really good stuff came from it. One of the sons is trying to get off smoking so we asked if he would like to try this and Janice said probably. He was not there to ask but we will ask him later. Then we asked Jason and he is going to go for it. So the word of wisdom ended up being a very good way to get the sons involved. We also got to do some service for Janice; we painted her bedroom a cream color including the ceiling; it was easy painting and it was good for them to see us outside of just the teaching situation. They both really appreciated it too. Because of the service now they want to feed us. So this week we will be getting fed by them. But Janice and Bob are really looking positive.

A really cool thing I just found out is Andre and Cicilia got baptized on Saturday. They asked Elder Sheppard to baptize them so I was very excited for Sheppard and for them both. It made me happy to know someone else I helped teach got baptized.

We had a baptism on Sunday just a member's girl, but it was a very good thing. Brother Neilson is from Utah and so his family flew out to see the baptism which was really good; so I got to talk to some Utah people again. Church was really full on Sunday for the baptism.

Well mom sorry this is short but I really don’t have much else to say; things have not been too exciting here. We have been doing a good bit of finding and nothing has come from it yet. We have gotten in touch with two of our lost investigators both were positive and said we could come back to teach them, so we will be trying that this week. We have zone conference this Wednesday I should be getting my birthday present from Sister Creer; it used to be brownies but now due to them going home soon they are changing things.

Well I love you very much; again sorry this is short but like I said not much is going on.

Love you much

Brady