Dear family,
This is unbelievable. I feel like it was just
yesterday that I was in the Rio Grande public library trying to shoot
off an email so we could go play futbol in the cancha haha. Time flies. I
barely started getting everything packed up and it's been really hard
not getting emotional. I've grown so attached to the valley. It's been
my home for these past two years. I've said it before and I'll say it
again: I'm glad that I was called to serve in south Texas; It will be so
much easier to come back and visit all my friends and families that
I've gotten to know.
It's been tough saying goodbye this past week, but fortunately we
have facebook! Seriously though, it makes it so much easier to keep in
tough. I love technology. I can't wait to plan a trip and take you all
down here and introduce you to everyone. This is such an amazing place.
Oh the Rio Grande valley. It might not be the prettiest on the outside,
but on the inside, it's beautiful.
Thanks so much familia for all your love and support these past two
years. I can't believe it's over! There were always other missionaries
that were finishing the missions but I never realized that one day it
would be my turn! haha. I'm still in denial I think.
Well, I guess I'll be seeing/talking to you on Wednesday. Tonight we
have some FHE's planned with members/investigators and that will finish
up my last working day as a full-time missionary. Tuesday morning we'll
be heading to transfers; I'll help the new greenies put their bikes
together, and then I'll have my exit interview with President Trayner at
2:30. We will have dinner and a testimony meeting at 6. Then we'll get
up Wednesday morning and head to the airport.
Les quiero muchooo!
Con carino,
Elder Brett
Monday, November 12, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Nov. 5, 2012
Dear familia,
So I just have to say that it was another great week. The people we are teaching are amazing, and equally amazing are the members in the wards where I'm serving. I don't want to leave this place quite yet! Haha man this is unreal. I feel like I still have another transfer or so. The seminary teacher invited us to seminary this past week so we went and shared our story about how we prepared for the mission and then some missionary experiences. There are 15 people enrolled in seminary and 14 attend regularly. It's amazing. They couldn't believe that there were only 4 or 5 of us my senior year, and only 3 attended regularly. Those were the days...
This week we have a 3 day leadership training (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) in McAllen and it lasts nearly all day. It's for all leadership in the mission (Trainers, District Leaders, and Zone Leaders) so there will be about 80 people at the training. It's going to be huge and awesome! It will be great seeing a bunch of my friends that are serving in other parts of the valley but it's going to be sad not having those days to work and find. All we have is from 6-9 at night. Elder Stevens and I are determined to find at least one more family before I go.
I'm hoping that next Tuesday before I head to the Mission Office I'll be able to stop by real quick to some of my recent convert families. Or maybe I'll get permission to go to church in Edinburg on Sunday. I really want to see them all before I head back home. I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back down to visit. I am so so so grateful though that I won't need to go too far to come back and visit in the future. What a bendicion.
So I'm working on sending my bike home. I got an old bike box and I just need to disassemble my bike and tape it all up. The question is how I'm going to ship it. Today we are going to try by a few places and see what's cheapest. I'm hoping it's under 100 bucks. It's such a nice bike and there is no way I want to get rid of it. I have kept it in really good condition too. We'll see what I can do, but I should be ale to take care of it.
Man, I'm not sure what else to say. It hasn't quite hit me yet. I'm not sure when it is...hopefully when I'm actually on the plane.
Pues, los quiero mucho :) Gracias por todo. Voy a tener una semana tan exitosa y les escribo la semana que viene de esta gran semana que vamos a tener. Elder Stevens y yo nos llevamos muy bien y a veces nos divertimos demasiado. No es pecado, verdad? jaja pues cuidense mucho. TE AMO!
-Elder Brett
So I just have to say that it was another great week. The people we are teaching are amazing, and equally amazing are the members in the wards where I'm serving. I don't want to leave this place quite yet! Haha man this is unreal. I feel like I still have another transfer or so. The seminary teacher invited us to seminary this past week so we went and shared our story about how we prepared for the mission and then some missionary experiences. There are 15 people enrolled in seminary and 14 attend regularly. It's amazing. They couldn't believe that there were only 4 or 5 of us my senior year, and only 3 attended regularly. Those were the days...
This week we have a 3 day leadership training (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) in McAllen and it lasts nearly all day. It's for all leadership in the mission (Trainers, District Leaders, and Zone Leaders) so there will be about 80 people at the training. It's going to be huge and awesome! It will be great seeing a bunch of my friends that are serving in other parts of the valley but it's going to be sad not having those days to work and find. All we have is from 6-9 at night. Elder Stevens and I are determined to find at least one more family before I go.
I'm hoping that next Tuesday before I head to the Mission Office I'll be able to stop by real quick to some of my recent convert families. Or maybe I'll get permission to go to church in Edinburg on Sunday. I really want to see them all before I head back home. I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back down to visit. I am so so so grateful though that I won't need to go too far to come back and visit in the future. What a bendicion.
So I'm working on sending my bike home. I got an old bike box and I just need to disassemble my bike and tape it all up. The question is how I'm going to ship it. Today we are going to try by a few places and see what's cheapest. I'm hoping it's under 100 bucks. It's such a nice bike and there is no way I want to get rid of it. I have kept it in really good condition too. We'll see what I can do, but I should be ale to take care of it.
Man, I'm not sure what else to say. It hasn't quite hit me yet. I'm not sure when it is...hopefully when I'm actually on the plane.
Pues, los quiero mucho :) Gracias por todo. Voy a tener una semana tan exitosa y les escribo la semana que viene de esta gran semana que vamos a tener. Elder Stevens y yo nos llevamos muy bien y a veces nos divertimos demasiado. No es pecado, verdad? jaja pues cuidense mucho. TE AMO!
-Elder Brett
Monday, October 29, 2012
Oct. 29, 2012
It was another one of those weeks :)
We have been teaching Hermana S____, the mother of Hermana F____ who is a member of the church, along with all of her family. Hermano and Hermana S____ live in small ranch town close to Guadalajara Mexico but moved here temporarily to live with their daughter and her family. It has been probably one of the funnest (and easiest) teaching processes. She was golden. Yesterday, she got baptized along with the F___s' daughter who recently turned 8. It was such a fun baptismal service! I love the F___ family to death and have fallen in love with hermana F___s' parents. I told them I'm going to visit them in Mexico. I can't wait. I have heard that Guadalajara is beautiful.
Pretty cool/funny story:
Part 1 -
A couple weeks ago we noticed this jogger running and then spotted him again a couple days later but in a whole different part of the city. It seemed like we saw him no matter where we were. One time, we were driving to an appointment and we saw him again and we were like man we should teach this guy the gospel. He has a whole lot of time to run, he should have plenty of time to sit down with us and hear our message. We considered rolling down the window and flicking a pass-along card for him to read while he jogged but then figured that would be dangerous. We laughed and continued on our way.
Part 2 -
There is a recent convert in our area that goes to the singles ward and has done an amazing job at sharing the gospel. Her friend got baptized right before Elder Stevens and I got here and we have been visiting and teaching him. He's a super cool guy. Anyway, she told us a couple weeks ago that she has another friend that agreed to meet with us. We tried setting up some appointments but they kept falling through. Finally we had one set for last Sunday night at Natalia's house. We get to her house and she introduces us to her friend. Guess who it was? The jogger!!! Haha so our wish came true. We have started teaching this guy the gospel. It's been tons of fun. We had another lesson last night and we have another tomorrow. I wish I could stay here a little longer!
Wow, the time just flies by huh? Things are going so wonderful. Thanks so much for your prayers and sending me such amazing letters. I'm not quite sure why I'm being so blessed. I guess instead of asking why, I'll just continue to give thanks. This is going to be another great semana :)
Los quiero!!
-Elder Brett
p.s. a few more pictures
1st picture - This is me and little Jonathan Godoy, the almost two year old little monster. We always say kneeling prayers as a family and he has gained the habit of kneeling with us and folding his arms. It's super cute. He also gained the habit of making weird faces whenever he sees a camera lens. I love this family.
2nd picture - Me and the elders in our apartment.
3rd picture - Me and my companero jumping off the swings at the park after a grueling game of futbol. We have a great zone, but two weird zone leaders ;)
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
10/22/2012
So I was planning on sending a couple pictures this week but I forgot my camera in the apartment. Dang. Maybe next week.
Cool story though from this past week: Elder Stevens and I finally made contact with the boyfriend of a less-active muchacha that became a member about a year and a half ago, and we set up an appointment for this past week. We went by at the specified time but no one was home, We stepped off her porch and started walking to the car when we noticed just across the street an older couple walking from their van into their house. I'll be honest, I sort of just felt like getting back into the car and going to our back-up appointment. But guess what, sometimes the spirit prompts us to do other things. So when the little voice in my head told me to have a little courage and go over and talk to them, I decided to obey. When we made it over to their driveway, the lady had already gone inside but we managed to catch the husband before he followed her in. I began the conversation and just wanted to introduce myself but before I could say much he told us that he didn't believe in God. I was somewhat apalled and must have stammered at a response because before I could really ask him and figure out why, he pulled up some chairs and told us to sit down.
Turns out, he actually does believe in God but he has been going through some difficult situations lately and has felt that his faith isn't as strong as he would like it to be. We were having a pretty good conversation with this gentleman and felt pretty happy that we decided to follow the prompting to talk to him (He is deaf in one ear so it's mas o menos difficult to communicate with him but we just try to yell loudly so he can understand). As we were talking though, the wife came out the front door and walked over to greet us. She said that she was so glad to see us and that she was actually a Mormon. She and her family got baptized years ago but haven't been to church in a long time. She said that she hasn't seen the missionaries in several years and whenever she saw them pass by, she wasn't able to stop them quickly enough. She has been praying that the missionaries would come to her house again. She told us all this and then started to cry.
We had a great visit and they shared with us that they have been talking lately about coming back to church and getting closer to God. Her husband isn't a member but wants to go to church with his wife. We will be visiting them this week with some members from the church to fellowship them. They are not in the best of health but I hope that they will be able to make it to church. They are a wonderful couple.
In addition to this little miracle, we found a bunch of other people this week who we started teaching and are even preparing for baptism. It's been a wonderful week. I could do this for the rest of my life ;)
I've been praying about school and stuff for after the mission. I actually remembered this past week. Thanks though for y'all helping me with the decision. There really just isn't enough time for me to do all the thinking, so your thoughts and ideas have helped. Go Blue :)
love,
Elder Brett Meshum
Monday, October 15, 2012
Oct. 15, 2012
Hey y'all guess what? It was another great week :)
Since Elder Stevens and I got thrown into this area at the same time, we have spent a considerable amount of time going through the ward directory and going by all the members to figure out who is who. We have had some great lessons with active members and are now working with some awesome awesome referrals (yes, two awesomes). We found some less active familes that missionaries haven't gone by in several years and that have some great potential. We are working with several part-member families as well and have started gaining their trust. It's been great. I serve in the Mission III ward which is in Spanish and the Sharyland ward which is english; both the bishops are extraordinary. We have had several meetings with the Stake President discussing missionary efforts in the wards/zones we cover and the Stake President is such a great guy. So, I know I ranted on and on about how much I loved Edinburg, but I think Hidalgo is catching up. I absolutely love it here.
Elder Ferrel got transferred so I'm no longer living with my hijo anymore. Another Elder that was already in this zone now lives with us and it's been a fun apartment. Having pretty consistent changes every 6 weeks makes the time go by so fast. Hijole. Maybe I just won't use my missionary planner this transfer and see if that slows time down a bit.
Today we are going bowling as a zone! It will be the first time bowling on the mission, and probably on the 4th or 5th time that I haven't played some sort of active sport on P-day (unless bowling is an active sport?). It will be worth it though. We have a pretty cool zone. We're going to head to walmart right now to do some shopping and get that out of the way.
Love y'all mucho! Hope you have an awesome week. We have some great plans for tonight so we're gonna start our week off with a bang. I'm excited.
-Elder Brett
Oct. 15, 2012
Hey y'all guess what? It was another great week :)
Since Elder Stevens and I got thrown into this area at the same time, we have spent a considerable amount of time going through the ward directory and going by all the members to figure out who is who. We have had some great lessons with active members and are now working with some awesome awesome referrals (yes, two awesomes). We found some less active familes that missionaries haven't gone by in several years and that have some great potential. We are working with several part-member families as well and have started gaining their trust. It's been great. I serve in the Mission III ward which is in Spanish and the Sharyland ward which is english; both the bishops are extraordinary. We have had several meetings with the Stake President discussing missionary efforts in the wards/zones we cover and the Stake President is such a great guy. So, I know I ranted on and on about how much I loved Edinburg, but I think Hidalgo is catching up. I absolutely love it here.
Elder Ferrel got transferred so I'm no longer living with my hijo anymore. Another Elder that was already in this zone now lives with us and it's been a fun apartment. Having pretty consistent changes every 6 weeks makes the time go by so fast. Hijole. Maybe I just won't use my missionary planner this transfer and see if that slows time down a bit.
Today we are going bowling as a zone! It will be the first time bowling on the mission, and probably on the 4th or 5th time that I haven't played some sort of active sport on P-day (unless bowling is an active sport?). It will be worth it though. We have a pretty cool zone. We're going to head to walmart right now to do some shopping and get that out of the way.
Love y'all mucho! Hope you have an awesome week. We have some great plans for tonight so we're gonna start our week off with a bang. I'm excited.
-Elder Brett
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
We had a nice cold front these past two days and it was an extremely weird feeling being semi cold. Elder Stevens and I thought about wearing sweaters. It's supposed to get back up into the 90s though so we're not going to get too used to it.
We found this cool family this past week from Ohio. They have their lawn, house, and car decked out in Ohio State stuff. It made me gag. The family was a referral from the bishop and we went by last week to meet them and I told Bishop on the doorstep that it was a good thing that this family was a referral because if we were knocking doors on this street, I definitely would have skipped the house. haha but I guess everyone needs salvation right? Especially those Ohio State fans, because they are so far from it. :)
We are teaching quite a few people but most are still in the beginning stages. We have worked really well with the members and we have received some wonderful referrals from them. We've had a lot of great spiritual experiences, which have been a blessing to us and the members. It's great working in unity with them. It makes our job of "finding" a lot easier and more effective.
Elder Stevens and I are still having a blast together. I'm not sure why I've been blessed with the best companions throughout the mission. I'm a lucky guy.
I'm excited for a great October and then to begin an amazing November. So much to do, so little time. I feel like I'm racing against the clock but for some reason or another the clock always seems to be a little bit ahead. Hijole. Slow down please.
Anyway, I love you all muchisimo.
-Elder Brett
ps Hermana C____ speaks the BEST tex-mex. I'm not sure how she does it, but literally every other sentence (and sometimes every other word!) she switches back and forth between English and Spanish. I'm going to keep practicing it. It's a fun idioma.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Sept, 24, 2012
Hola familia,
It was an amazing week. The C____ family got baptized yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. The baptismal service went great; the relief society president and another relief society sister gave short talks/testimonies and then the bishop, primary 1st counselor, and relief society president gave "welcome's" to the ward. Jonathan (the loco 1.5 year old) was asleep when they came Sunday evening to the chapel for their baptism but awoke shortly thereafter and was a little monster haha. But overall, everything went very well. I baptized Hermano C_____ and Elder Stevens baptized Hermana C_____ and Juan Pablo.
It's been so cool to see the changes in this family. It's cool because most of my recent converts have had major spiritual confirmations or experiences before there baptism, which have all been great, but with this family it has been just one gradual incline. This has made it difficult to see all the changes from when we first found and started teaching them to now, but looking back on it, it is is quite obvious. We have an FHE tonight with them and have a cool lesson planned. We're excited.
Today we were at the mission office faxing some forms and we were trying to get back to our apartment as soon as possible to get ready to play some soccer and we hit some bad traffic at the stoplight. As we maneuvered our way around cars to get through the light, we realized the traffic was due to a car that had broken down and the guy was waving his hand out to people signaling them to pass him. Before crossing the intersection we managed to swerve to the right and park our car on the side of the road to help him out. We ran to his van and asked if we could help. We directed traffic around his car and then started pushing his van backwards to the nearest parking lot entrance. As we were pushing his super hot van, a guy pulled off to the side of the road and jumped out to help us. He was a pretty buff guy and really helped us out haha. Anyway, it was just a super cool experience. As missionaries we are basically obligated to do that sort of stuff but Elder Stevens and I were both super impressed with the guy who was on his way to work but took the time to push this guys' van that had broken down. The man was super appreciative (only spoke spanish which was cool; we got to show off our skills) and said he would call his family to come help him. Nice to know that there are some good people in the world huh?
Well, things are still going amazing here in Mission/Hidalgo. Love you all. Thanks for everything!
-Elder Brett
It was an amazing week. The C____ family got baptized yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. The baptismal service went great; the relief society president and another relief society sister gave short talks/testimonies and then the bishop, primary 1st counselor, and relief society president gave "welcome's" to the ward. Jonathan (the loco 1.5 year old) was asleep when they came Sunday evening to the chapel for their baptism but awoke shortly thereafter and was a little monster haha. But overall, everything went very well. I baptized Hermano C_____ and Elder Stevens baptized Hermana C_____ and Juan Pablo.
It's been so cool to see the changes in this family. It's cool because most of my recent converts have had major spiritual confirmations or experiences before there baptism, which have all been great, but with this family it has been just one gradual incline. This has made it difficult to see all the changes from when we first found and started teaching them to now, but looking back on it, it is is quite obvious. We have an FHE tonight with them and have a cool lesson planned. We're excited.
Today we were at the mission office faxing some forms and we were trying to get back to our apartment as soon as possible to get ready to play some soccer and we hit some bad traffic at the stoplight. As we maneuvered our way around cars to get through the light, we realized the traffic was due to a car that had broken down and the guy was waving his hand out to people signaling them to pass him. Before crossing the intersection we managed to swerve to the right and park our car on the side of the road to help him out. We ran to his van and asked if we could help. We directed traffic around his car and then started pushing his van backwards to the nearest parking lot entrance. As we were pushing his super hot van, a guy pulled off to the side of the road and jumped out to help us. He was a pretty buff guy and really helped us out haha. Anyway, it was just a super cool experience. As missionaries we are basically obligated to do that sort of stuff but Elder Stevens and I were both super impressed with the guy who was on his way to work but took the time to push this guys' van that had broken down. The man was super appreciative (only spoke spanish which was cool; we got to show off our skills) and said he would call his family to come help him. Nice to know that there are some good people in the world huh?
Well, things are still going amazing here in Mission/Hidalgo. Love you all. Thanks for everything!
-Elder Brett
Oct. 1 2012
Otra semana mas! Hijole, el tiempo se va tan rapido y no lo puedo creer!
Tomorrow is transfers...and Elder Stevens and I are staying together! We're super stoked to stay together for another transfer. We have been having so much success together and have been blessed abundantly. I can't believe that I only have one more transfer :( We had zone conferences last week with the four zones here close to McAllen (McAllen, Mission, Hidalgo, and Edinburg) and it was so cool seeing a bunch of missionaries that I have gotten to know throughout the mission. Elder Stevens and I gave a wonderful training and then before ending the conference, all the missionaries going home before next zone conference gave their farewell testimonies. I never thought that I would be a part of that group of viejo missionaries!! It was so sad.
The G____ family got confirmed on Sunday. It was magnificent. We have had so many members of the church come with us to lessons and they are really starting to feel at home when they are at church. Hermana S____, one of the greatest ladies and relief society presidents I've ever met, gave her a sunday dress and she wore it yesterday. We are going to get her husband a white shirt and slacks (and tie of course). The kids were actually somewhat behaved during sacrament meeting (except for little Jonathan, he never sits still). They were having some family problems when we first met and started teaching them and it's amazing to see the changes in their family. As they left church on Sunday, I ran out and yelled adios from the door and they all just looked so happy. The kids are adorable. I can't wait for y'all to meet all these families. I've been so blessed to be here instead of Mexico! Haha. It's going to be a heckuva lot easier to visit all my converts. I'm so excited.
Anyway, I'm including a picture of the family.
love you all!
-Elder Brett
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Sept. 17, 2012
Well Elder Payne left home to Utah so now it's just me and Elder Stevens here taking over the area. It's been a fun few days trying to figure out how to get around town without our GPS (Elder Payne) giving us directions. It's been a lot of fun though; it makes things exciting.
The family that we started teaching when we got to the area a month ago (yikes! It's been a month?) is getting baptized this Sunday! It's been a great teaching and conversion process. The kids are absolutely CRAZY and makes the lessons kind of long, but they have miraculously been able to feel the spirit. A couple lessons ago we were reading from the "Family: A proclamation to the world" pamphlets and the 2 year old little devi---boy somehow got a hold of Elder Stevens Book of Mormon without him really realizing it and he took it a couple feet away, plopped down on the ground, started flipping through the pages and stopped at Moroni chapter 6. It was at this point that I realized what was happening. I saw a look of determination in little Jonathan's eyes and I knew what was about to happen. All I could do was gasp and manage to say "oh no",.. and then he did it. He grasped the frail pages in his tiny hand and yanked as hard as he could. Elder Stevens looked over as he heard that wonderful chapter being ripped out of his mint condition, genuine leather, Book of Mormon. He leaped off the couch and had a tug-of-war with little Jonathan and finally managed to get his pages back. After this 15 second catastrophe, I was stunned, Elder Stevens was bewildered, the parents felt terrible, and Jonathan was having a blast laughing his head off. That night Elder Stevens managed to tape back in Moroni chapter 6. What a blessing because we use that a lot to teach people about church. Phew, crisis avoided.
Anyway, the temperature is cooling down, we met some great people this past week, as a zone we are improving in our missionary efforts, and things are just going really good right now. I couldn't ask for more. I was a little worried though when we went to wal-mart today and saw halloween decorations. Halloween of 2010 was my last Sunday before going into the MTC that following Wednesday. Holy smokes. Have I mentioned that time flies?
The members here are amazing and I'm excited to continue to visit them and work with them to share the gospel.
I love you all! Thanks for the postcards! I got them one at a time during the week. It was awesome :)
Cuidense mucho y que les vaya bien.
-Elder Brett
The family that we started teaching when we got to the area a month ago (yikes! It's been a month?) is getting baptized this Sunday! It's been a great teaching and conversion process. The kids are absolutely CRAZY and makes the lessons kind of long, but they have miraculously been able to feel the spirit. A couple lessons ago we were reading from the "Family: A proclamation to the world" pamphlets and the 2 year old little devi---boy somehow got a hold of Elder Stevens Book of Mormon without him really realizing it and he took it a couple feet away, plopped down on the ground, started flipping through the pages and stopped at Moroni chapter 6. It was at this point that I realized what was happening. I saw a look of determination in little Jonathan's eyes and I knew what was about to happen. All I could do was gasp and manage to say "oh no",.. and then he did it. He grasped the frail pages in his tiny hand and yanked as hard as he could. Elder Stevens looked over as he heard that wonderful chapter being ripped out of his mint condition, genuine leather, Book of Mormon. He leaped off the couch and had a tug-of-war with little Jonathan and finally managed to get his pages back. After this 15 second catastrophe, I was stunned, Elder Stevens was bewildered, the parents felt terrible, and Jonathan was having a blast laughing his head off. That night Elder Stevens managed to tape back in Moroni chapter 6. What a blessing because we use that a lot to teach people about church. Phew, crisis avoided.
Anyway, the temperature is cooling down, we met some great people this past week, as a zone we are improving in our missionary efforts, and things are just going really good right now. I couldn't ask for more. I was a little worried though when we went to wal-mart today and saw halloween decorations. Halloween of 2010 was my last Sunday before going into the MTC that following Wednesday. Holy smokes. Have I mentioned that time flies?
The members here are amazing and I'm excited to continue to visit them and work with them to share the gospel.
I love you all! Thanks for the postcards! I got them one at a time during the week. It was awesome :)
Cuidense mucho y que les vaya bien.
-Elder Brett
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sept. 10, 2012
Dear family,
Things are going absolutely amazing down here in Hidalgo/Mission/McAllen. The whole family that we're teaching came to church on Sunday and then we went over to Bishop G____'s house for a family home evening. Juan Pablo, the 9-year old son said the opening prayer and then after the FHE, which went wonderfully well, Bishop G___ asked the father if he'd be comfortable saying the last prayer. He said yes and as the Bishop and the rest of the family folded their arms and bowed their heads for the prayer, Juan Pablo, Jose, Jasmin, and even the 2 year old boy Jonathan all got on their knees and folded their arms. Bishop and his family were astounded. I guess we forgot to let Bishop know that we always kneel in a circle as a family for the closing prayer after our teaching visits. We left the FHE that night really happy because we know that Bishop is excited for this family to get baptized. They are going to be a great addition to the ward.
I've been having so much fun teaching families. There's nothing quite like it. I cannot wait for y'all to come down and visit these people that I've grown to love so much. I stay in contact still with all of them through good ol' snail mail and it's been great getting their updates. I told you that Tabby is at BYU right? She sent me a BYU t-shirt. All the families in Edinburg are doing great. It's tough being so close yet so far away! Oh well, I'll see them soon enough. We've just started teaching some additional families; they are early on in the teaching process but I'll let you know how it goes as they progress.
I think (I hope!) it's starting to get a little little cooler now. We went out this morning right at 6:30 to wash our car and it was actually kind of chilly haha. It's going to be weird going to Utah in November! I'm gonna freeze my toosh off. By the way, it looks like I can't extend my mission at all because of Thanksgiving, which is a good thing though. It will be nice to be home for Thanksgiving. My departure date is now November 14th. My original departure date was the 7th because the transfers were off by a week from Monterrey, but they're letting me go home a week later that way I can go home with the entire group.
Anyway...
I love y'all mucho! Thanks for your emails and letters.
-Elder Brett
Things are going absolutely amazing down here in Hidalgo/Mission/McAllen. The whole family that we're teaching came to church on Sunday and then we went over to Bishop G____'s house for a family home evening. Juan Pablo, the 9-year old son said the opening prayer and then after the FHE, which went wonderfully well, Bishop G___ asked the father if he'd be comfortable saying the last prayer. He said yes and as the Bishop and the rest of the family folded their arms and bowed their heads for the prayer, Juan Pablo, Jose, Jasmin, and even the 2 year old boy Jonathan all got on their knees and folded their arms. Bishop and his family were astounded. I guess we forgot to let Bishop know that we always kneel in a circle as a family for the closing prayer after our teaching visits. We left the FHE that night really happy because we know that Bishop is excited for this family to get baptized. They are going to be a great addition to the ward.
I've been having so much fun teaching families. There's nothing quite like it. I cannot wait for y'all to come down and visit these people that I've grown to love so much. I stay in contact still with all of them through good ol' snail mail and it's been great getting their updates. I told you that Tabby is at BYU right? She sent me a BYU t-shirt. All the families in Edinburg are doing great. It's tough being so close yet so far away! Oh well, I'll see them soon enough. We've just started teaching some additional families; they are early on in the teaching process but I'll let you know how it goes as they progress.
I think (I hope!) it's starting to get a little little cooler now. We went out this morning right at 6:30 to wash our car and it was actually kind of chilly haha. It's going to be weird going to Utah in November! I'm gonna freeze my toosh off. By the way, it looks like I can't extend my mission at all because of Thanksgiving, which is a good thing though. It will be nice to be home for Thanksgiving. My departure date is now November 14th. My original departure date was the 7th because the transfers were off by a week from Monterrey, but they're letting me go home a week later that way I can go home with the entire group.
Anyway...
I love y'all mucho! Thanks for your emails and letters.
-Elder Brett
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Sept. 5, 2012
Hey family!
Sorry I couldn't write on Monday. Stinkin' Labor Day. Hah but guess what? They still had school down here on Labor Day. We were talking to the bishop in the english ward and he was telling us how annoyed he was that they still have school on American holidays, and that even though it's mostly Hispanics down here, that they should still respect the US holidays haha. He said that for summer school, the kids still have school on the fourth of July. Those poor souls...
Anyway, we went to the church gymnasium and played volleyball as a zone. It was a ton of fun! The church is in Mission, Texas and it's the stake center for the McAllen West Stake so it has a full size gymnasium. Last year when I was in Rio Grande we would occasionally (when we had miles) come down to the Stake Center and play basketball for p-days. Those were the days...
The zone has really been struggling these past few months with missionary work/baptisms. We have two great district leaders in the zone and we are working really well with them to help pick things up. I'm excited to see the progress. One of our goals was to increase the unity as a zone and I think that playing volleyball together really helped. Hey I told y'all that Elder Ferrel (my hijo!!) lives in the apartment with me right? Man it's been so much fun haha. In the mornings we go across the street and play tennis together. It's a lot of fun. I've gotten the hang of hitting the ball over the net and keeping it within bounds, so this morning I've advanced to trying to hit the ball as hard as I can over the net. I still have a lot of progress to make. I kept smacking it into the net this morning. I think Elder Ferrel got annoyed. But then, as we were almost done playing, he lobbed the tennis ball over to me and I smacked it back to him so hard and fast that it hit him square in the gut. It was great.
The work is going great in our area. Right before I got here, the elders contacted a pretty cool family and we had our first lesson once Elder Stevens and I got here. They came to church last Sunday for the first time and are progressing great. We taught the wife and oldest son (9) the restoration and they ate it right up. The husband has been progressing as well, but he has a crazy work schedule which has made it hard to teach him and keep him on track with his wife and kids. There are 6 total in the family: mom, dad, and 4 kids, but only one kid is old enough for baptism. The youngest, Jonathan, is 2 years old and he is an absolute maniac! It's a good thing we are a trio, because 1 is assigned to distract the little devil while the other 2 teach. During the lesson we also switch roles. It's crazy but fun haha. The other boy (7) has a form of autism and the mom was really worried about how he would act in church. She said that for the past 2 years she hasn't been able to take him to any church because he gets frustrated and can't handle being around that many people, but last Sunday he came with the family and he loved it. He loved the primary and he never acted up. I think that played a huge role in helping the mom become converted to the Gospel. She could hardly believe it.
We're super close to the Rio. I think this upcoming P-day we'll take some cool pictures. I love being so close to the border. I got a letter this past week from Elder Dickson, my MTC companion who is in Tampico, Mexico and he said that whenever he asks people if they have been to the U.S. they always say that they've been to McAllen. I've met quite a few people from Monterrey and Tampico. Who knows, maybe we've run into the same people. Crazy...
Well, I love you all! Thanks for the updates and your prayers.
Con amor,
Elder Brett
P.S. Sorry I forgot to email my address last week! It's:
3712 Howard Dr. Apt # 18
McAllen, TX
78503
This is probably the last place you'll be able to write me on the mission! Better enjoy it while you can!! hehe
Sorry I couldn't write on Monday. Stinkin' Labor Day. Hah but guess what? They still had school down here on Labor Day. We were talking to the bishop in the english ward and he was telling us how annoyed he was that they still have school on American holidays, and that even though it's mostly Hispanics down here, that they should still respect the US holidays haha. He said that for summer school, the kids still have school on the fourth of July. Those poor souls...
Anyway, we went to the church gymnasium and played volleyball as a zone. It was a ton of fun! The church is in Mission, Texas and it's the stake center for the McAllen West Stake so it has a full size gymnasium. Last year when I was in Rio Grande we would occasionally (when we had miles) come down to the Stake Center and play basketball for p-days. Those were the days...
The zone has really been struggling these past few months with missionary work/baptisms. We have two great district leaders in the zone and we are working really well with them to help pick things up. I'm excited to see the progress. One of our goals was to increase the unity as a zone and I think that playing volleyball together really helped. Hey I told y'all that Elder Ferrel (my hijo!!) lives in the apartment with me right? Man it's been so much fun haha. In the mornings we go across the street and play tennis together. It's a lot of fun. I've gotten the hang of hitting the ball over the net and keeping it within bounds, so this morning I've advanced to trying to hit the ball as hard as I can over the net. I still have a lot of progress to make. I kept smacking it into the net this morning. I think Elder Ferrel got annoyed. But then, as we were almost done playing, he lobbed the tennis ball over to me and I smacked it back to him so hard and fast that it hit him square in the gut. It was great.
The work is going great in our area. Right before I got here, the elders contacted a pretty cool family and we had our first lesson once Elder Stevens and I got here. They came to church last Sunday for the first time and are progressing great. We taught the wife and oldest son (9) the restoration and they ate it right up. The husband has been progressing as well, but he has a crazy work schedule which has made it hard to teach him and keep him on track with his wife and kids. There are 6 total in the family: mom, dad, and 4 kids, but only one kid is old enough for baptism. The youngest, Jonathan, is 2 years old and he is an absolute maniac! It's a good thing we are a trio, because 1 is assigned to distract the little devil while the other 2 teach. During the lesson we also switch roles. It's crazy but fun haha. The other boy (7) has a form of autism and the mom was really worried about how he would act in church. She said that for the past 2 years she hasn't been able to take him to any church because he gets frustrated and can't handle being around that many people, but last Sunday he came with the family and he loved it. He loved the primary and he never acted up. I think that played a huge role in helping the mom become converted to the Gospel. She could hardly believe it.
We're super close to the Rio. I think this upcoming P-day we'll take some cool pictures. I love being so close to the border. I got a letter this past week from Elder Dickson, my MTC companion who is in Tampico, Mexico and he said that whenever he asks people if they have been to the U.S. they always say that they've been to McAllen. I've met quite a few people from Monterrey and Tampico. Who knows, maybe we've run into the same people. Crazy...
Well, I love you all! Thanks for the updates and your prayers.
Con amor,
Elder Brett
P.S. Sorry I forgot to email my address last week! It's:
3712 Howard Dr. Apt # 18
McAllen, TX
78503
This is probably the last place you'll be able to write me on the mission! Better enjoy it while you can!! hehe
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Aug. 27, 2012
I am now serving as the zone leader in the marvelous Hidalgo Zone. My companions are Elder Payne and Elder Stevens. We're in a trio for 3 weeks because Elder Payne extended. It has been a pretty awesome week. I've met a lot of the members and we've found quite a few more people to teach. The people are great. The area we work in is called The Plantation because we cover a giant subdivision/mini community of gigantic homes located near the border of Mexico and Texas, and the community is called The Plantation. It's pretty cool. There are a ton of members that live there. They feed us well :) We also cover a large area of humble homes. I prefer the humbler areas. Much more receptive.
While the zone is called Hidalgo, we actually work in the city of Mission and a part of McAllen. I love my area. Back when I was with Elder Covington, he was always talking about how amazing The Plantation was (He served there before going to Edinburg), so I was pretty excited when I found out I was heading here. We'll see what these next few months bring! You have no idea how excited I am. Also, Elder Ferrel, my greenie from Mercedes, is in the apartment! Haha it's been so much fun being around him again. I have plans to visit him and his family in San Fernando, Mexico when he finishes his mission. That won't be until 2014! Hijole.
Well, I'm excited to send y'all more updates as the work progresses here in Hidalgo (Mission/McAllen).
Love you!
-Elder Brett
P.s. I'm including a picture of the C_____ family. I love them to death!! One is at their house on Monday night after having an FHE. They all started crying when I told them I was getting transferred :( The other is Monday afternoon; we went to the church to play some indoor soccer as a zone and the C_____ family came too. It was awesome.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Aug. 20, 2012
My goodness. Best week ever. The C____ family got baptized! This past week we've been going by every week to help them continue to prepare for their baptism and it's been wonderful. They are so converted to the Gospel. Ansberto C______ wants to serve a senior couple mission and said he's going to start saving now. He wants to come visit me in Michigan and Elder Wilson in Las Vegas, and then have our families come down to meet them sometime. They are the coolest family in the world!
The baptismal service was the biggest I've ever seen. Since Leo was going to the Mercedes ward, half the ward came to support Leo's family. Two of the families I baptized in Mercedes came too! Then we had half of the Edinburg ward; haha it was hilarious. It was basically like another sacrament meeting. Leo was so appreciative for us teaching his family. We are so grateful for all that he did to help his family out. We couldn't have done it without him.
As the baptismal service ended, it took about half an hour for everyone to clear out because I got to talk and take pictures with everyone I knew. It was awesome :) Ansberto invited us to their home that evening to have dinner with them. Finally, when everyone had left, we went back into the church because the two other elders in our apartment were also baptizing a family and we wanted to be there with them. As we walked back into the building, Elder Wilson and I looked out the doors and Ansberto and his wife were walking hand in hand to their car with their three kids, Angel (18), Leo (16) and Emily (12). They looked brilliant. There is a whole new light inside of them. It's so amazing.
We had an awesome evening eating dinner at their house. They talked about the blessings they've received since meeting with us and how good they felt after the baptism. It was hard for all of us to keep back tears. Then, I had to bear the awful news: I'm getting transferred to Hidalgo. The entire family started to cry. Ansberto told me that he knew God had sent me to Edinburg to find, teach, and baptize his family and that there is another family in Hidalgo waiting for me. I know what he said is true. I'm so excited to meet more people in Hidalgo, but I am sooo sad to leave Edinburg. I've never wanted to stay in an area so bad. Fortunately, Hidalgo isn't too far away and we're thinking that maybe on Monday's we can still get together for soccer or something. I sure hope so. We are going by tonight to have a family home evening with them. We're also getting together this afternoon to play some volleyball and soccer. I can't wait.
I can't wait to tell you more about this family (and all the other families) when I get back home. It's just too hard to be detailed in an email.
I love y'all mucho!
-Elder Brett
The baptismal service was the biggest I've ever seen. Since Leo was going to the Mercedes ward, half the ward came to support Leo's family. Two of the families I baptized in Mercedes came too! Then we had half of the Edinburg ward; haha it was hilarious. It was basically like another sacrament meeting. Leo was so appreciative for us teaching his family. We are so grateful for all that he did to help his family out. We couldn't have done it without him.
As the baptismal service ended, it took about half an hour for everyone to clear out because I got to talk and take pictures with everyone I knew. It was awesome :) Ansberto invited us to their home that evening to have dinner with them. Finally, when everyone had left, we went back into the church because the two other elders in our apartment were also baptizing a family and we wanted to be there with them. As we walked back into the building, Elder Wilson and I looked out the doors and Ansberto and his wife were walking hand in hand to their car with their three kids, Angel (18), Leo (16) and Emily (12). They looked brilliant. There is a whole new light inside of them. It's so amazing.
We had an awesome evening eating dinner at their house. They talked about the blessings they've received since meeting with us and how good they felt after the baptism. It was hard for all of us to keep back tears. Then, I had to bear the awful news: I'm getting transferred to Hidalgo. The entire family started to cry. Ansberto told me that he knew God had sent me to Edinburg to find, teach, and baptize his family and that there is another family in Hidalgo waiting for me. I know what he said is true. I'm so excited to meet more people in Hidalgo, but I am sooo sad to leave Edinburg. I've never wanted to stay in an area so bad. Fortunately, Hidalgo isn't too far away and we're thinking that maybe on Monday's we can still get together for soccer or something. I sure hope so. We are going by tonight to have a family home evening with them. We're also getting together this afternoon to play some volleyball and soccer. I can't wait.
I can't wait to tell you more about this family (and all the other families) when I get back home. It's just too hard to be detailed in an email.
I love y'all mucho!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Aug. 13, 2012
Greetings family :)
You're not going to believe this but...This past week was the best week of my entire mission. May I explain?
So remember the story from last week about the family? Well they are the C____ family and they are the best family in the world. For the past month, we have been teaching them about the Gospel and they have seen so many changes and blessings in their family. We invited them to be baptized on the 19th of August and they have expressed numerous times that they felt that that day was too soon. We assured them that they could be ready by that date, and in the mean time, to keep praying, reading, and coming to church. Lesson after lesson, they kept progressing and soon the son, Angel, and the daughter, Emily, both said that they were ready for baptism. Then, the mom told us that she was ready. Last week, we had an awesome lesson and when we asked him about baptism on the 19th, he said "Who knows, anything can happen." Elder Wilson and I were basically ecstatic because that was the most positive answer he's given yet. Since then, we finished teaching them everything they need to know before baptism and then we started watching some great church produced videos like the John Tanner Story, If Only a Stonecutter, Mountain of the Lord, Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, and others. They were in tears with every movie.
Well this Sunday, we got to church at about 8:50 and walked inside and there was the C____ family sitting in the row with their Book of Mormon and Bible in their laps. Church was great, and afterwards they invited us to their house that night for tacos to celebrate the mom's cumpleanos. Elder Wilson and I were stoked; we love Mexican tacos.
We were planning on going over there at 8, but at about 6 or so the dad, Ansberto, texted us and said that he had news for us and that he would tell us that night. Elder Wilson and I weren't sure if we should be nervous or excited. We got there at 8 with them all ready for us like always, we sat down, and within a few minutes the dad said, "me voy a bautizar". Translated into english being, I'm going to be baptized. Elder Wilson and I were super excited and I patted Ansberto on the back but he had his face in his hands and just started to weep. For the next hour, he told my companion and I about all the amazing blessings that he and his family have received since meeting with us and going to church.
I'm running out of time. But, the family is getting baptized this Sunday :) I'll write more about them next time.
Love you!
-Elder Brett Mecham
You're not going to believe this but...This past week was the best week of my entire mission. May I explain?
So remember the story from last week about the family? Well they are the C____ family and they are the best family in the world. For the past month, we have been teaching them about the Gospel and they have seen so many changes and blessings in their family. We invited them to be baptized on the 19th of August and they have expressed numerous times that they felt that that day was too soon. We assured them that they could be ready by that date, and in the mean time, to keep praying, reading, and coming to church. Lesson after lesson, they kept progressing and soon the son, Angel, and the daughter, Emily, both said that they were ready for baptism. Then, the mom told us that she was ready. Last week, we had an awesome lesson and when we asked him about baptism on the 19th, he said "Who knows, anything can happen." Elder Wilson and I were basically ecstatic because that was the most positive answer he's given yet. Since then, we finished teaching them everything they need to know before baptism and then we started watching some great church produced videos like the John Tanner Story, If Only a Stonecutter, Mountain of the Lord, Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, and others. They were in tears with every movie.
Well this Sunday, we got to church at about 8:50 and walked inside and there was the C____ family sitting in the row with their Book of Mormon and Bible in their laps. Church was great, and afterwards they invited us to their house that night for tacos to celebrate the mom's cumpleanos. Elder Wilson and I were stoked; we love Mexican tacos.
We were planning on going over there at 8, but at about 6 or so the dad, Ansberto, texted us and said that he had news for us and that he would tell us that night. Elder Wilson and I weren't sure if we should be nervous or excited. We got there at 8 with them all ready for us like always, we sat down, and within a few minutes the dad said, "me voy a bautizar". Translated into english being, I'm going to be baptized. Elder Wilson and I were super excited and I patted Ansberto on the back but he had his face in his hands and just started to weep. For the next hour, he told my companion and I about all the amazing blessings that he and his family have received since meeting with us and going to church.
I'm running out of time. But, the family is getting baptized this Sunday :) I'll write more about them next time.
Love you!
-Elder Brett Mecham
Aug. 6, 2012
Oh boy. Here I am in the library again after another one of those "best week ever" weeks. Where do I begin?
First, we are teaching some of the coolest people in the entire world.
Second, my companion is awesome.
Third, the elders in my apartment are awesome.
Fourth, my entire zone is awesome.
Fifth, it's super hot outside and makes me appreciate Michigan and it's wonderful weather.
Sixth, a couple families who we are teaching came to church on Sunday and loved it. It was one of the better fast and testimony meetings.
Seventh, I'm still in Edinburg and it's one of the greatest places on earth.
Eighth, I'm guaranteed to be here for at least two more weeks, and I'm stoked.
Okay, there's more but I just don't have time to explain it all. Man I love being a missionary. So we're teaching this awesome family. Let me explain (I'm not sure if I have already. Sorry if I did). When I was in Mercedes, there was a recent convert that I got to know pretty well and became good friends with. He's 16 and is the only member in his family. He lived in Mercedes with a member from church because he didn't get along with his family very well, especially after joining the church. One day while here in Edinburg, Elder Covington and I were riding our bikes and a lady parked her car and jumped out and asked if we were the mormons. We said yes and she then went on to explain how her son was a member and that she just wanted to know where the church was so that he could start going here in Edinburg once he moves here from Mercedes. We told her where it was at, gave her our number, and asked if we could stop by once he moved in with the family here in Edinburg. She said of course.
After a few weeks, we were finally able to sit down with the family. The 16 year old kid was still in Mercedes, but we were able to begin teaching the family. That sunday, the dad and brother came to church! We told them to tell their son who is a member because he would without a doubt be super excited. The next week was the week of the mini missionaries. The 16 year old kid was on his mini mission here in Edinburg since he turned in his papers from Mercedes! He was with a different companionship here in Edinburg but it was cool because we could give him updates on how his family was doing. That sunday, the brother and dad came to church while the kid was there too! It was great. Then this past week, we continued to have some amazing lessons (The 16 year old kid now lives there at the home with his family) and yesterday the whole family came to church! They had such an amazing experience too. Today we are going to the church to play basketball and volleyball with the dad and the two sons, and then we are going to their house at 7 to have a family home evening and a barbeque. I can't wait.
Man, I really hope y'all understand the story. It's difficult to explain, but it's such an amazing story! Oh, I want to tell you all one more spiritual experience with this family. Two Sundays ago, the dad and I were talking after church. We were talking about a variety of different things, but then he asked if I had a number or address from back home that I could give him so we could talk after my mission. I told him that I always give my number and address to all the people I meet here in the mission so that we can stay in contact for the rest of our lives. When I said that, he clenched his chest and started to cry. He then pulled me over to a corner and asked what it was that he felt in his chest and why he started to cry. He said he felt "alegria" and "gozo". It was super cool because I could feel it too. I told him what he was feeling and then shared 3 Nephi 4:33 to explain the feelings that he had. It was awesome.
Alright, gotta run. Love ya all mucho!
-Elder Brett
First, we are teaching some of the coolest people in the entire world.
Second, my companion is awesome.
Third, the elders in my apartment are awesome.
Fourth, my entire zone is awesome.
Fifth, it's super hot outside and makes me appreciate Michigan and it's wonderful weather.
Sixth, a couple families who we are teaching came to church on Sunday and loved it. It was one of the better fast and testimony meetings.
Seventh, I'm still in Edinburg and it's one of the greatest places on earth.
Eighth, I'm guaranteed to be here for at least two more weeks, and I'm stoked.
Okay, there's more but I just don't have time to explain it all. Man I love being a missionary. So we're teaching this awesome family. Let me explain (I'm not sure if I have already. Sorry if I did). When I was in Mercedes, there was a recent convert that I got to know pretty well and became good friends with. He's 16 and is the only member in his family. He lived in Mercedes with a member from church because he didn't get along with his family very well, especially after joining the church. One day while here in Edinburg, Elder Covington and I were riding our bikes and a lady parked her car and jumped out and asked if we were the mormons. We said yes and she then went on to explain how her son was a member and that she just wanted to know where the church was so that he could start going here in Edinburg once he moves here from Mercedes. We told her where it was at, gave her our number, and asked if we could stop by once he moved in with the family here in Edinburg. She said of course.
After a few weeks, we were finally able to sit down with the family. The 16 year old kid was still in Mercedes, but we were able to begin teaching the family. That sunday, the dad and brother came to church! We told them to tell their son who is a member because he would without a doubt be super excited. The next week was the week of the mini missionaries. The 16 year old kid was on his mini mission here in Edinburg since he turned in his papers from Mercedes! He was with a different companionship here in Edinburg but it was cool because we could give him updates on how his family was doing. That sunday, the brother and dad came to church while the kid was there too! It was great. Then this past week, we continued to have some amazing lessons (The 16 year old kid now lives there at the home with his family) and yesterday the whole family came to church! They had such an amazing experience too. Today we are going to the church to play basketball and volleyball with the dad and the two sons, and then we are going to their house at 7 to have a family home evening and a barbeque. I can't wait.
Man, I really hope y'all understand the story. It's difficult to explain, but it's such an amazing story! Oh, I want to tell you all one more spiritual experience with this family. Two Sundays ago, the dad and I were talking after church. We were talking about a variety of different things, but then he asked if I had a number or address from back home that I could give him so we could talk after my mission. I told him that I always give my number and address to all the people I meet here in the mission so that we can stay in contact for the rest of our lives. When I said that, he clenched his chest and started to cry. He then pulled me over to a corner and asked what it was that he felt in his chest and why he started to cry. He said he felt "alegria" and "gozo". It was super cool because I could feel it too. I told him what he was feeling and then shared 3 Nephi 4:33 to explain the feelings that he had. It was awesome.
Alright, gotta run. Love ya all mucho!
-Elder Brett
Monday, July 30, 2012
Hijole. Another week gone by.
So we had mini missionaries this past week and it was so much fun! They would come over every morning at 7:15 and we'd do studies like normal and then begin the proselyting day. We'd get home at 9 and plan until 9:30 and then they would get picked up by a member and stay the night at the member's house. The week went by so fast. We found a bunch more people to teach.
The two guys with us were Angel and David, both of whom I knew in Mercedes and Weslaco so it was super cool seeing them again. And then after a whole week together, we became super close. They are both 16 and so excited to serve missions. I feel like there are just a million stories to tell because we had so much fun this past week, but I'm just going to tell one. It's a funny one. So:
We were at a members house for a meal appointment, and we didn't know the family too well so it was cool to be able to spend a little time getting to know the family. He told us about his conversion story, his service in the Navy, and his plans that he has now. During the entire conversation, their little 14 month daughter was all over the two mini missionaries and my companion since they were all on the same couch. She kept trying to get on their lap, but they didn't really let her. Instead, they would just kind of shake her hand and play with her little fingers just to keep her occupied and satisfied. She kept going back and forth between the 3 missionaries and they all took turns giving her a little attention while also listening to the dad. The dad then went into the kitchen to finish preparing the meal but he kept telling stories and I was really into it and focused since I wasn't dealing with the crazy girl, and in the meantime she's all over Angel and Elder Wilson. Angel starts to play with her hands and giving her high fives and stuff and then she switches over to Elder Wilson and he starts doing the same thing. At this point, the story the dad is telling while in the kitchen is pretty interesting so we're all listening intently. Well, unbeknownst to Angel and Elder Wilson, the little girl crawled away but they both thought she was still there. Elder Wilson is gently playing with a hand that he thinks is the daughters' and Angel is letting who he thinks is the daughter play with his hand. Hahaha after several moments, Elder Wilson looks down and realizes he is stroking Angel's hand! Before he can even pull his hand away, Angel looks down and realizes Elder Wilson is stroking his hand! Hahahaha oh man it was so funny. I couldn't suppress the laughter. Let's just say it was a super awkward moment.
Man in addition to that, there were just a bunch of cool things we did this week. It was so fun having the mini missionaries with us. It will be cool to stay in contact and see where they end up serving.
Okay, gotta run. Love ya!
-Elder Brett
So we had mini missionaries this past week and it was so much fun! They would come over every morning at 7:15 and we'd do studies like normal and then begin the proselyting day. We'd get home at 9 and plan until 9:30 and then they would get picked up by a member and stay the night at the member's house. The week went by so fast. We found a bunch more people to teach.
The two guys with us were Angel and David, both of whom I knew in Mercedes and Weslaco so it was super cool seeing them again. And then after a whole week together, we became super close. They are both 16 and so excited to serve missions. I feel like there are just a million stories to tell because we had so much fun this past week, but I'm just going to tell one. It's a funny one. So:
We were at a members house for a meal appointment, and we didn't know the family too well so it was cool to be able to spend a little time getting to know the family. He told us about his conversion story, his service in the Navy, and his plans that he has now. During the entire conversation, their little 14 month daughter was all over the two mini missionaries and my companion since they were all on the same couch. She kept trying to get on their lap, but they didn't really let her. Instead, they would just kind of shake her hand and play with her little fingers just to keep her occupied and satisfied. She kept going back and forth between the 3 missionaries and they all took turns giving her a little attention while also listening to the dad. The dad then went into the kitchen to finish preparing the meal but he kept telling stories and I was really into it and focused since I wasn't dealing with the crazy girl, and in the meantime she's all over Angel and Elder Wilson. Angel starts to play with her hands and giving her high fives and stuff and then she switches over to Elder Wilson and he starts doing the same thing. At this point, the story the dad is telling while in the kitchen is pretty interesting so we're all listening intently. Well, unbeknownst to Angel and Elder Wilson, the little girl crawled away but they both thought she was still there. Elder Wilson is gently playing with a hand that he thinks is the daughters' and Angel is letting who he thinks is the daughter play with his hand. Hahaha after several moments, Elder Wilson looks down and realizes he is stroking Angel's hand! Before he can even pull his hand away, Angel looks down and realizes Elder Wilson is stroking his hand! Hahahaha oh man it was so funny. I couldn't suppress the laughter. Let's just say it was a super awkward moment.
Man in addition to that, there were just a bunch of cool things we did this week. It was so fun having the mini missionaries with us. It will be cool to stay in contact and see where they end up serving.
Okay, gotta run. Love ya!
-Elder Brett
Monday, July 23, 2012
It's funny how you can have such an amazing week one week and then an even more amazing one the next. This past week was pretty much amazing.
The couple that we have been teaching is getting baptized this sunday. We taught them the restoration and they just loved it because it made so much sense to them. We found two more families this week, and plan to keep finding more. Elder Wilson and I are having too much fun together. There's no way that we will be together for another transfer. I'm not sure missionaries are allowed to have this much fun. Also, we're having too much fun in our apartment with Elder Munsey and Elder Stott. I have a feeling that this transfer is going to go by so fast. I don't like being the oldest missionary in the apartment. They like to make trunkie jokes and make me feel old. I'm glad I still have 4 months left. So much more I want to do :)
The mission president's son beat me up pretty bad in basketball last p-day. I'm still sore! We're going to play some more basketball later today and I'm hoping I'll be feeling better. Vamos a ver.
I feel like if I don't write a detailed story, I just write a bunch of simple sentences; kind of like a checklist of what I did. Hopefully it's not boring to read! But for reals, this week was awesome. Oh and this week, we are getting mini missionaries! We're getting two youth males from the stake to be with us for the entire week. It's a chance for them to see what it's like being a missionary. We're super stoked because we will be able to do splits and get more work done. Should be fun.
Okay well, that's about it. Edinburg is the best. It's hot but fun.
love,
Elder Brett
The couple that we have been teaching is getting baptized this sunday. We taught them the restoration and they just loved it because it made so much sense to them. We found two more families this week, and plan to keep finding more. Elder Wilson and I are having too much fun together. There's no way that we will be together for another transfer. I'm not sure missionaries are allowed to have this much fun. Also, we're having too much fun in our apartment with Elder Munsey and Elder Stott. I have a feeling that this transfer is going to go by so fast. I don't like being the oldest missionary in the apartment. They like to make trunkie jokes and make me feel old. I'm glad I still have 4 months left. So much more I want to do :)
The mission president's son beat me up pretty bad in basketball last p-day. I'm still sore! We're going to play some more basketball later today and I'm hoping I'll be feeling better. Vamos a ver.
I feel like if I don't write a detailed story, I just write a bunch of simple sentences; kind of like a checklist of what I did. Hopefully it's not boring to read! But for reals, this week was awesome. Oh and this week, we are getting mini missionaries! We're getting two youth males from the stake to be with us for the entire week. It's a chance for them to see what it's like being a missionary. We're super stoked because we will be able to do splits and get more work done. Should be fun.
Okay well, that's about it. Edinburg is the best. It's hot but fun.
love,
Elder Brett
Monday, July 16, 2012
July 16, 2012
It was another awesome week :) My companion is Elder Wilson from Las Vegas Nevada and he's super cool. We get along great. Elder Munsey and Elder Stott are the two other elders in our apartment and we're all having a bunch of fun living together. Elder Stott just came from the MTC and it's fun to have a greenie in the apartment again. Reminds me of the good ol days.
We found some awesome people this week. We're teaching two separate couples that each have cute little kids and it's been a ton of fun. It's cool because we're somewhat close in age and we get along really well. We're teaching one in English and one in Spanish. We're also teaching the brother of one of the guys that lived in my area in Mercedes. He is a recent convert and he now lives in Edinburg with his family (He was living in Mercedes with his sister). He's way cool. He's 16 and loves soccer. He used to play with us on Mondays with us so it'll be cool to have him play with us again.
Man, this week was just awesome. I wish I could explain it all. I need to run though because we have to turn in some forms to the mission office. UGH.
Anyway, things are going amazing. I love being a missionary :)
Love,
Elder Brett
We found some awesome people this week. We're teaching two separate couples that each have cute little kids and it's been a ton of fun. It's cool because we're somewhat close in age and we get along really well. We're teaching one in English and one in Spanish. We're also teaching the brother of one of the guys that lived in my area in Mercedes. He is a recent convert and he now lives in Edinburg with his family (He was living in Mercedes with his sister). He's way cool. He's 16 and loves soccer. He used to play with us on Mondays with us so it'll be cool to have him play with us again.
Man, this week was just awesome. I wish I could explain it all. I need to run though because we have to turn in some forms to the mission office. UGH.
Anyway, things are going amazing. I love being a missionary :)
Love,
Elder Brett
Saturday, July 14, 2012
July 9, 2012
Sup fam,
4th of July was awesome. We had an awesome day going by different members and eating wonderful food (rice, beans, and carne!). We had to be in our apartment by 7 for safety reasons, so we all took chairs out to the front lawn and watched the neighbors light off fireworks and see some big ones off in the distance. Both of our neighbors were having barbeques (carne asadas) and I guaranteed the other elders that within the next half hour we would get food from both of them. After about 2 minutes, the neighbors to our left yelled to us and asked us how many of us there were. We yelled "somos cuatro!" and then they came over with mexican burgers and potato salad and beans and chips. It was delicious. Then about 20 minutes later, the neighbors to the right of us came over with styrofoam boxes/plates with chicken, beans, and rice. We were sooo full, but it was soooooo good. It was nice to just relax for a while. I think our neighbors thought it was weird because we were just wearing our normal clothes and they are used to seeing us in our white shirts
and ties.
I get my new companion tomorrow. His name is Elder Wilson, from Las Vegas. I met him at a meeting we had last week and he seems really cool. He's just about to hit his one year mark so he's pretty joven. It will be good. Elder Munsey is the district leader in the apartment and he's getting a greenie! So the apartment is about to get a whole lot younger. It's going to be weird being the oldest missionary in the apartment.
I'm including pictures from the 4th of July breakfast the ward had; one of the four of us elders that live in the apartment together and one of me with meliza c____ and her family. The other is a picture of our small little zone in the last zone conference. The conference was combined with another zone though so it was much larger than that.
Love y'all lots!
-Elder Brett
Monday, July 2, 2012
Wow. There is just one more week in this transfer! This was THE fastest transfer of all time. I can't believe that I'm about to start my 14th. Unbelievable. It's been cool being with Elder Covington as he's about to go home because it makes me feel like I still have a lot of time left. I wonder who my next companion will be. I'm guessing he's going to be younger than me (in the mission). We're still working on building up our teaching pool. As a zone though, we are doing great. We had several families come to church yesterday that are investigating the gospel. Did I mention that our entire zone attends the same wards? English and Spanish. There are only 10 people in our zone right now, including us, but we should be a total of 12 the start of the new transfer. I love being in a small zone. It's weird that my next area will most likely be my last (unless I end here in Edinburg, then this is my last!) But I'm guessing that I'll go to one more place. Wow.
I included a picture of Meliza and her family. Meliza is the niece of the C___ family. Meliza and her daughter Vida got baptized a few weeks ago and they are one of the coolest families I've met on the mission. Their son angel is 5 and he's a riot. Now her mom and brother Arturo (both included in picture) are preparing to get baptized, and should later this month. They all lived in Lansing for most of their lives, and Arturo is the one that I want to have stay with me at Michigan for a week or so. He's not a big fan of south texas; he wants to go back to Michigan pretty badly. Oh and guess what, Meliza was called to be a primary teacher and actually teaches her daughter's class. haha it was pretty funny when she received the call and figured out that she'd be teaching Vida. Vida turns 10 in just a couple weeks though so it won't be for very long. Meliza is such an amazing convert and already has so many friends in church. She reminds me of my convert Tabby from Corpus Christi. Tabby by the way is transferring to BYU in the August. Crazy huh?
Life is amazing. Thanks y'all for the letters and love.
Hasta luego,
Elder Brett
Monday, June 25, 2012
Oh boy. Another week here in Edinburg. Right now we're still on the
search for more people (preferably families) to teach. Can y'all believe
that it's almost July? What the heck. My companion goes home on July
11th so we won't be together much longer. I'm excited to see who my
companion is going to be. It's cool being a Zone Leader because you can
kind of guess who your next companion is going to be. I got the
possibility of a bunch of my friends becoming my companion. We'll see.
We were hoping that the tropical storm debbie would hit us and make things a little more interesting down here in Texas, but it sounds like it's going to stay in Florida. We had a pretty cool thunderstorm (one of just a few in my year and a half here) last week and Elder Covington and I were on our bikes when it came out of nowhere. We got drenched! We were having a bunch of fun riding through giant puddles and getting soaked but then all of a sudden we were attacked by swarms and swarms of flying ants that looked like maggots or larvae. It was awful. We finally made it to a member's house after nearly choking on these crazy ants and had little Abel (9 year old little punk) hose us down with the water hose after the rain had stopped. It was a ton of fun, but then we were like, "well now what do we do?". So we went inside and we used the iron and blow dryer to dry off our socks and shoes and then used towels to try and dry our clothes. It actually worked pretty good. We left just damp instead of soaked.
Well, that's about all. Nothing else exciting or special going on. We're about to play some basketball at the gym. We've been going basketball crazy lately and have had some awesome games on p-days.
Los quiero muchisimo :)
-Elder Brett
We were hoping that the tropical storm debbie would hit us and make things a little more interesting down here in Texas, but it sounds like it's going to stay in Florida. We had a pretty cool thunderstorm (one of just a few in my year and a half here) last week and Elder Covington and I were on our bikes when it came out of nowhere. We got drenched! We were having a bunch of fun riding through giant puddles and getting soaked but then all of a sudden we were attacked by swarms and swarms of flying ants that looked like maggots or larvae. It was awful. We finally made it to a member's house after nearly choking on these crazy ants and had little Abel (9 year old little punk) hose us down with the water hose after the rain had stopped. It was a ton of fun, but then we were like, "well now what do we do?". So we went inside and we used the iron and blow dryer to dry off our socks and shoes and then used towels to try and dry our clothes. It actually worked pretty good. We left just damp instead of soaked.
Well, that's about all. Nothing else exciting or special going on. We're about to play some basketball at the gym. We've been going basketball crazy lately and have had some awesome games on p-days.
Los quiero muchisimo :)
-Elder Brett
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