Letter #97

Hey y'all ;)

What a way to kick off the new transfer! Time is flying faster than ever.

My new comp's name is Elder Solis. He's great! Even shorter than my last comp haha. He's a little Latino from South Carolina. Elder Solis and I actually go home at the same time, so we are killing each other! I didn't see that coming at all. I'm kinda wondering if they'll throw in a 3rd companion up here with us so our zone doesn't get white washed but with President Maluenda anything could happen!

This week was great. A lot of running around, dropping off lost stuff to zone members from transfers and helping some missionaries white wash an area. It kept us busy which is good! I love being a busy missionary. Its a lot easier to stay focused when you have things to do.

Funny experience, so Wednesday night around 940ish we get a call from one of our District leaders and he tells us that some of the elders in his district won't answer for follow ups and he had tried to call them about 10 times already. So we told him we would try and to keep trying and let us know by 10:00 if they don't pick up. So 10:00 rolls around and the District leader calls and still, they haven't picked up, so we told them to call some members in the other elders ward to see if they can swing by the house and make sure they were alright and safe. So they did, but none of the members picked up and the Elders lived like 40 minutes away from them and so did we. So by now its like 10:25 and we were pretty worried about them and there wasn't anything else we could do so we had to go find them. I felt like Liam Neeson in Taken, going to find a kidnapped family member, it was pretty intense. So we get in our car and start heading out to Alice and 10 minutes later we get a call from the Alice elders and they were like, sorry elders our phone was on silent and we haven't checked it all night. Elder Solis and I were pretty frustrated, but things happen, what can you do?! Haha

There hasn't been too much finding in our area. We are teaching a less-active and her boyfriend. Their names are Linda and Albert. They stopped us in the street walking the other day. We had a great little lesson by their car and the less active bore a great testimony and wants to come back to church! It was a great little miracle.

Have a great week!

Elder Brian

Letter #96

Hey Fam!

What a week!

I don't really even know where to start, so many great things happened this past week, it was crazy!

So the teaching process with Meranda was awesome! She accepted everything that the gospel had to offer. The only big struggle we had with her was getting permission from her Mom to be baptized. So we had a great lesson on fasting and we set up a time and date to fast for it, us the Cavazos family and Meranda. So we fasted and after a couple days nothing really happened, but while we were in McAllen at 3 day training we get a text from her saying her Mom told her that she could do what she wanted with religion and it was her choice. It was a huge miracle!! So her mom signed the record. I gained a great testimony of fasting that week. So the baptism happened yesterday. It was awesome! Its been a while since I've had a baptism, it feels good to see it again. On top of that we had 5 other baptisms in the zone, which is huge for the Sinton zone! We are looking really good to hit our monthly goal of 7 in the zone. 

3 day training was awesome! We went down Monday night and I was paired up with Elder Shumway and Elder Johnson. We pretty much just traveled around the mission and worked wherever haha. We were driving the AP van so we had no mile limit! It was rad. One night we worked in a little town called La Joya, another night we worked in Donna, McAllen and another night we worked in Edinburg. I spent my nights at the AP's house with a bunch of other dead missionaries. Man, was that ariot! At the end of the 3 day training, I left having the nickname of Steezus. I don't really know why but I am now known as Steezus and not Elder Brian. 

Presidente Maluenda gave some great trainings on faith and finding and for like 2 hours he went off on how important it is to read books, scriptures especially but other books too. He said you should always be reading a book of some sort other than the scriptures. He said that's where he got almost all of his knowledge and why he is so successful. I definitely want to do that when I get back. 

So Elder Green is gone! His exit interview was last night, so he will be down there until he leaves so I am just left here to do transfers all alone! I can't really believe that I have only 6 more weeks left of my mission. It has gone by too fast. I love my mission so much and am so grateful for everything I've learned and still will learn. I'm slowly getting excited to apply everything here to life back at home. I love being a missionary and have really come to learn and know my Savior personally. Words can't express my gratitude for His sacrifice for me. I know He lives. I've learned how important it is to have a good positive attitude through trials and hard times. If you have to go through them, you might as well go through them happy right? I love this gospel and I know its true. I know Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet to restore the same church Jesus Christ himself established. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and we will get closer to our Savior if we read and follow its teachings. The mission is the good life.

Thanks for the support! I love you guys!

Elder Brian

Probably broke the Word of Wisdom on that one.... Ooops! Pretty good though.

The sweetest, most humble family ever.

Elder Steezus and Elder Casteez

Elder Christianson

Lunch at Godfather's Pizza.

*I'm only like 2 feet taller than them both. No biggie.

Letter #91

Whats up everyone!

Its so weird being up in the north side of the mission, I've never seen so many white people! Its scary! I'm very intimidated and I feel like a greenie missionary all over again haha. It means I still have a lot to learn i guess.

My new area is a little town right outside of Corpus Christi called Robstown. Its gnarly. I'm here as a zone leader with Elder Green. He's about to go home, I'm killing him! I've never killed a missionary before, so we'll see how that goes. He's from Logan, Utah area. We cover the zone of Sinton. Its sweet. A lot of white people and a lot of farms. Now I really feel like I'm in Texas haha. We live in a house that a member has pretty much just given to the mission and we live with 2 other elders in our zone. Its pretty sweet. 

So far this week we've just been on a lot of exchanges with the new DL's so we haven't really been in the area too much. I love it though. Right now we are up working in a little town called Beeville and George West. Its the area that borders mission boundaries, closest to San Antonio. Its cool up here! The elders up here live in a trailer parked on the side of a members home haha! We had 4 missionaries in that little thing last night, it was so rad! It felt like we were at the dunes on a moto trip cause of the motor-home feel. They have a little pig in the backyard that runs around all night, its great. Pigs and motor-homes, you can't get any better than that.

I feel like so much went on this week but i cant remember it all haha. Time is flying! A lot of running around the zone, helping other Elders and Sisters. Its so weird working with Sister missionaries. I don't know how! I've never had any sisters in my district or anything like that except for 1 transfer when i was a greenie. So.... its a good thing my comp has been around Sisters like his whole mission, hopefully i can just dish that part off to him.

The mission is great! We are looking super good to hit our zone goal for the month of April! Love you guys! Have a killer week!

Elder Brian

Grandpa Brian would love this place ;)

Letter #90

Whats up guys!

To let you all in on the transfer news, which came quite early this transfer, I'm leaving Roma. I didn't wanna leave this place, but the Lord has good things in store. It'll be interesting to see where He sends me! I'll let you guys know next week.

How was conference for you guys?! I loved it. On Saturday we had some technical difficulties setting it all up, the signal wasn't good at all and it kept pausing and everything so our last resort was all of us piling into the little family history center and watching it on one of the computers in there. It was sweet! It was cool to see how dedicated and excited the members were for conference and to hear the words of the Prophets that they were even willing to pile into such a small room without A/C haha. That's true conversion to the Gospel.

 Thanks also for all the birthday wishes! Funny story, so on Friday we usually have a district dinner and then after that play basketball with the young men of the branch, its a super good finding opportunity to teach more youth and I love playing ball so, it works haha. Anyways, we were heading down to go to the dinner and we made plans to specifically not be late, so we went by to pick up the elders and a youth and while we were at the youths house waiting for him to come out, the elders get a call from him and he's like, guys just come in for a sec, i gotta show you something. I was like, we'll just see it later, we made plans to not be late, we gotta go. So the other elders we're like, come on lets just go see, and I was like whatever if you guys get out I'm leaving, I'm not gonna be late. So they jump out and i was planning on leaving and did, but then i turned around cause i couldn't leave the elders and I walked into the youths house and they all yelled surprise! Hahah, they got me pretty good. Its a good thing i wasn't just a little more stubborn on sticking to my plans or else i would've ruined the whole surprise. It was funny. Then we had delicious cake and the Mom smashed it in my face.

This week we brought a little family of 3 to conference! It was so cool. I was worried out of my mind because of the problems we were having with conference and I wanted this family to have the best experience at church ever and God made everything work! They loved it and even stayed for the branch activity after. They plan on coming next week too! I'm pretty sad that i won't be here to be able to see them progress but someone else will!

I love this Gospel, I love the mission. I can honestly say that I have changed so much even in these short transfers here in Roma. I'm sure gonna miss this little pueblo. I wish I could just be a missionary all my life and never come home. Sorry mom and the rest of the family. The mission life is the best and I love it so much. Love you guys!

Elder Brian

Letter #85

What an awesome week to start the new transfer here in Roma!

So, to let you in on the news, you maybe already know, Im staying in Roma again but I got a new comp and his name is Elder Herrin. He's sick. He's from North Cal, probably like an hour or so above San Fransisco. Now I have 2 comps from that area haha. Elder Davis and Elder Herrin. Elder Herrin has been out for about 7 months, this is his 5th transfer in the mission and he is a good hard worker! The district switched up a bit also! We have a greenie in the district! He's sweet. Its funny to see him act the way I remember I acted when I was a greenie and was barely getting into the mission field just a couple months ago....

Church was crazy yesterday! As a district in total we had 13 people come to church and 7 new officially reactivated members to the branch. Its been really awesome to see this little branch grow. I love it and I'm really stoked that I have the chance to stay here and continue to see these miracles. It was really unexpected, but we got a new branch president! One of the senior elders just got called to be it so I'm stoked to see the new changes he has to bring to the branch.

Some elders in my district, their apartment got shot up this morning and so like 6 cops were surrounding their apartment and went through all the elders stuff looking for drugs. Just another day in the life of a Rio Grande missionary. Life is great!

Love you guys!

Elder Brian

My comp and I were committed to take selfies and wear matching ties everyday last week. Keeping commitments = blessings

Catching up with Elder Christiansen

Letter #84

Hey guys!

Sorry, but we still don't have any news on what is going to happen here in the Rio Grande District! All I really know for sure is that Elder Iman and I wont be companions anymore. For his last transfer President called him to be a district leader!

This week went by really fast. The 3 days worth of trainings was awesome! President Maluenda continues to blow my mind everytime we have a meeting with him. The 4 and a half hour training on pre-ordination was awesome. We talked a lot about the premortal life and really how blessed and how great we were in the pre existence. I've never really come to realize how important this life is and every little decision we make in this life. Every decision and step we take here can either benefit us in our progression to become more like Christ or it will knock us down. There is no middle ground. This life is so important! And sometimes we take that for granted, well at least i know i have. For everyone who is here on earth has made it and passed the first estate, great job! Now pass the second! God has so much in store for us and all he asks us to do is live this Gospel!

Because of the pretty crazy week its been, we havent had to much contact with any of our investigators. Amanda isnt doing to hot right now, she kinda lost a lot of desire to be baptized and Yenny and Teresa have just gone missing, we dont really know where they are. I'm stoked for the next transfer, I know the Lord has some big things in store for us!

Love you guys!

Elder Brian

*Ill send pics next week!

Letter #78

Whats up!

So transfers are tomorrow! But..... we still haven't gotten any news as to where anyone is going and who is staying and what not, so I guess I will have to let you guys in on the news next week. Or mom, I'm sure you can hunt it down somehow. ;)

I loved this transfer, I've loved every transfer but this transfer has been pretty hard. I came into a pretty dang successful district and I felt like I kinda screwed it up. Because the months of December and January we have not had a lot of success. We haven't been finding at all, the people we do find, flake off super quick and this branch isn't all that there yet to give us the support that we hope for.  I was listening to a really great talk by Elder Holland, its called Missionary Work and The Atonement. This sums it up a lot better than I can:

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?

You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."

Maybe right now, I'm just spending those few moments in Gethsemane. Its hard, its tough, but something good is gonna come out of it, I know it. I know the atonement is real. I can't count the amount of times I've knelt down and prayed at night and felt that love that Jesus Christ has for me. I love my mission. It has changed my life. The amount of good times exceeds that of the amount of tough times, but its through the tough that we learn the most.

Love you all!

Elder Brian 

Goodbye to Laredo!

Transfers are tomorrow and I got word through Facebook that Finn is leaving Laredo. Here he is having a farewell dinner with some of the members in his area. I know he is going to be very sad to leave! 

Letter #66

I'm staying in Laredo!! Almost our whole zone is staying except for 2 elders and 1 sister. I'm excited to stay here just a little bit longer. Maybe I'll hit one whole year in the city of Laredo?! That would be pretty sweet.

Besides the fact that I'm excited to stay, we just had 5 investigators at church yesterday! It was a huge miracle and I'm stoked to start/continue to work with all of them this upcoming transfer. Erica was able to make it to church and she is doing really well! We also had some more of Jonathan's family come and they loved it. So we are gonna work with them a lot these upcoming weeks and a less-active came to church and brought her non-member friend who now wants to start taking the lessons! I can see the Lord continuing to hasten his work day by day, especially here in Del Mar!

This week we did some service for a couple we are teaching. Their names are Kurt and Grace. They are really cool. They had one jungle of a backyard, not the worst I've seen on the mission but, it was fun.

Mom, I'm so sorry I have no photos! I'll work on that. I made a goal this week to take at least a photo a day! So by next week you will have some!

Love you guys!

Elder Brian

Letter #54

Sad to see this day come but, I'm leaving South Laredo. This area was awesome! Im gonna miss it a lot. Now I'm just praying I go to another border town! Or maybe Corpus Christi would be pretty cool too haha. But all I know is wherever I'm headed is gonna be great and its where I'm meant to be!

Love you guys! Ill fill you all in on the news next week! And if you by chance send anything just shoot it to the mission office. Thanks!

Letter #49

Talk about a gnarly week! I'm not gonna lie, Dad, I'm still kinda shaking from that visit from you. Total blindside. So here's my side of the story:

So we get this random call and its a hispanic guy saying he is a long lost member that used to live here in Laredo and loved the missionaries and he had a friend that he would love for us to meet and he said he would like to bring us some food. So my comp gets off the phone, tells me the good news and we were stoked. I asked him like who it was, what his name was and all the deets and turns out my comp never even got his name haha but he said he sounded like a really smart hispanic dude with the way that he talked. So at first, I was like alright awesome. We have some good potential to get a solid new investigator with a solid member to help. So later on, we get a text and it said "Elders how many live in your apartment".... but it was in english. So me and my companion were like, hmmmm. Who is this guy? But we told him and we just went with it. So we get to the apartment and we are waiting and a car pulls up and a guy gets out and he's wearing a Vivint shirt. So i thought it might've been one of the guys that have been working down here. And he says "Elders! I have 2 things for you. Lots of food and....... I want you to meet someone. And right then Dad comes around the corner!! My stomach dropped pretty dang hard. I didnt even know what to think! Haha. It was awesome! I cant believe its been almost a year since i've seen you last. Lets just say, i had a pretty solid journal entry that night and not so good of a nightly planning. haha.

So that was the big crazy news of the week! We are working with a couple investigators, they arent too solid right now, but we'll have to see what happens with them this week. 

Love you guys!!

Elder Brian

Letter #48

Pretty solid week in Laredo! Transfer news came and I'm staying here in Laredo for at least another six weeks with Elder Christiansen!. I'm pretty stoked about that. I think Laredo might get the best of me by the time I leave. If not me, then at least my bike. ;)

Have you guys been keeping up with the World Cup?! Its all over down here and I'm about to go nuts. Its a good thing a lot of the members watch it so they keep us pretty updated haha. USA plays Ghana tonight. You all better be watching it!

 We found some really great people we're working with. We ran into an older lady a couple days ago just walking the streets and we ended up sitting down with her and had a great first lesson and she even came to church yesterday! Her name is Maria Elena. She has a baptismal date for the 6th of July and so far everything is looking pretty good! Keep her in your prayers please!

This week I studied a lot about prayer and how key that is in our daily lives. A scripture in Alma stuck out to me. In Alma 37:37 at the very beginning it says "Counsel with the Lord" And i thought about that a little and what counsel really means. Our prayers should be like a conversation with the Lord, letting him know how things are going, asking him for help and in the end, letting him come in and help you with those things. So Counsel with the Lord everyday!!

Love you guys!

E. Brian

Letter #42

Buenos Dias!

Transfers came and prayers were answered, I'm staying in Laredo with Elder Christiansen!! We were pretty stoked when we heard the news. Our whole zone is pretty much staying the same except for a couple dying missionaries who are headed home.

The week was pretty good! Nothing too much to fill you guys in on. Some weird drug stories but thats kinda the norm around here. The family we are teaching is progressing really well! Thanks for the prayers!

Thanks for the support and love! Cant wait to talk next week! Love you guys!

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