Letter #37

Word from Laredo!

This place is awesome. I might as well be living in Mexico cause thats what its like here. I can actually see Mexico from our apartment haha. I love it. The people are great. We're still trying to get to know the area and members but its a lot of fun. We are constantly running into people who we think are members and 5 minutes into the conversation we find out they aren't haha. Its a pretty good way to find people and get them to sit down and listen if you dont know if they are a member or not. My new comp is awesome! He's from Nashville, Tennessee. He's been out on the mish for one transfer longer than i have. He's really cool. Our apartment is nice. Its actually a lot nicer than the other apartment in Harlingen which was pretty surprising. Laredo, to explain what its like, its a bunch of Tire shops, Taquerias, and Flea markets. And a lot of Palm trees too. I thought Texas was just flat everywhere, but here in Laredo there are actually some pretty gnarly hills. Our zone is the smallest zone in the mission and the only zone without Sisters. Its kind of a sketchy area for Sisters to be in haha.

Right now we are working with a younger kid named Jorge. He's doing really well. He's been to church 3 times and his baptism is coming up really soon. We are working with his Mom too. She's doing great. And me and Elder Christiansen just found a young couple the other day while we were out working. They are awesome. Their names are Mundo and Cristina. We had a really good first lesson and set a good baptismal date with them for the 27 of April.

Thats whats going on here in Laredo! I love it. Thanks you guys for the support and the love! Have a killer week! And remember who you are!

Love

Elder Brian

Letter #36

Peace out Raymondville! Transfers are in and I'm going to Laredo! It was definitely a blindside transfer and I didn't see that coming at all. Only staying 1 transfer in an area is pretty rare here. My comp Elder Nichols is moving too. Apparently they are shutting down the area we just opened up and he is moving to Laredo also. And the funny thing is, we are going to be living together haha! Just not comps anymore. President Maluenda must just like me opening areas or something, because in Laredo I'm going to be white washing again. I'm stoked though. White washing is awesome, even though it can be pretty tough sometimes.

 

So from what I've heard about my area in Laredo is that its like Mexico again. Which I'm pumped for, I love the little border towns. And I'll be able to use my Spanish skills :) My area borders the boarder of Mexico. Supposedly the Rio Grande is in my area. We'll see. I'm hoping it is. And there is a huge conch (Cement soccer field) that all the zone plays soccer at every P day. So that's gonna be rad. Finally get to play some soccer. My new comp's name is Elder Christiansen. I know nothing about him and haven't heard anything either. But that will change real quick.

 

The week was great. Thanks for all the love! Have a good week and remember who you are!

 

And if you happen to send anything, just send it to the mission home until I find out the address of the new place. Thanks! Love you all

 

200 W. La Vista Ave.

McAllen, Texas 78501 

 

Elder Brian

Letter #35

Que tal!

 

To kick it off, we found some pretty sick new investigators this week and the Reyna family that we are teaching is still doing great! The new couple we found, their names are Carlos and Bobbie Joe. My comp and the District Leader actually found them while i was on an exchange with a sick (like ill, not like cool) elder.They are pretty sweet. And we found out that they are married! So that definately shows signs of prepared people ;) We are going by today to teach them again and hopefully set in stone a solid baptismal date for sometime in April.

 

So, because i was on exchanges with a sick Elder, i got to just chill all day at the appartment and do nothing really. A lot of studying and sleeping and working out haha. Its was cool for the first hour or two, then i really wished i was out working. And plus it felt really weird not being out.

 

I cant remember if i mentioned this last week, but we were in Lyford, working that part of our area and we passed by the skatepark and i asked my comp if we could go through for a little bit and talk to some skaters. So we did. I talked to some kids, asked if i could use the board and they said yes. So i skated! It was awesome. A lot of the kids were just staring at me the whole time, im pretty sure they were thinking who the heck i was. A missionary riding a skateboard, doing the minipipe. Hhaha. It was fun. We got to know a lot of the skaters and maybe we'll pass by them in the future ;) President says use your talents, so.... I did haha.

 

Right now im reading in the Book of Mormon in Alma 50's and 60's. I never knew how much of a man Captain Moroni was. He's a boss! I just thought id let you guys know. If you want to read about war and fighting and hero's. The book of Alma is definately the book to go to.

 

Life's great. The mission is awesome! Thanks for the support! i love you all! Hope you all have a killer week! And remember who you are!

 

Love

Elder Brian

Letter #34

What up everyone!!

 

Elder Nichols and I are out of the famine of finding people to teach finally!! We're stoked! It was a awesome experience and definately a testimony builder. So Elder Nichols and I were out tracking in Lyford and no joke, i think we went by every house in the entire town. By then, i was about to quit. I was so sick of knocking doors and no one wanting anything. So me and Nichols walk to our bikes, ready to head home and we decide to go knock one more house. It was a house that a member refered us to that we hadn't gone to yet. So we go by and a Mom answers, we tell her who we are, have a good quick conversation and she lets us in. The whole family is sitting down in the family room, ready to listen. It was awesome! It was already set up pretty much haha. We had a great first lesson on the restoration and invited the family to be baptized and they accepted! It was sick! So now we are teaching a family of 6. The Reyna family. They're awesome. It was definately a lesson learned. A trial of faith. God will put you to the very end, see how much you are willing to put out and he will come help. But first you have to show him youre willing to do it.

 

So that is whats up with the area here in Raymondville. Its great. The weather hasnt been the best lately but were getting through it haha. Spring Break is here! Lots and lots of people are coming through and heading out to South Padre. i cant even imagine how crazy that's going to be. haha.

 

Thanks everyone! Love you all!

 

Elder Brian

Letter #33

Well, Mom I can definately say I feel for you and your stomach problems this past week cause i've had the same problems this whole week too. Last Monday, some lady gave us some tacos and they were super sketchy looking tacos (but down here, the sketchier the tacos look the better they taste haha) so we ate them cause we didnt want to offend the lady. They did not taste good at all! And...... I ended up getting food poisoning which was not fun. Especially on a bike. 

 

Earlier this week the zl's and dl's had an emergency training and the top dawgs over the missionary work came down. They said it was awesome and our whole way of teaching as a mission has changed! We now do a totally different way of teaching. We now teach using a lot of pictures and pamphlets and the lessons are only going to be about 15 minutes tops each. I really like it.

 

This week, Nichols and I still havent found any solid investigators. Just a lot of biking around, still getting to know the area just a bit, but we did find some really good potentials that we are going to go by this week and hopefully with this new teaching we can find some people who will accept! Im stoked to try it out!

 

A pretty sweet experience we had just the other day, Elder Nichols and I were headed over to a potential investigators house, we got there, turns out he wasnt home. We were pretty bummed but a less active lived really close by, so we decided to go by and see if she needed some help. We get there, and she opens up the door with tears rolling down her face and she told us that she had just finished saying a prayer, asking for the missionarys to come and help. And BAM. We showed up. That was just a huge testimony builder not only to her, but to me. I know that God answers prayers and that he is always looking after each and everyone of us. I love it!

 

Thank you guys a ton for the prayers and the support! I love you all!

*Don't forget to pray ;)

 

Elder Brian