Hello Everyone!
Hey, so this week was a really fun week just
because we were able to stay so busy! It seems like when we are crazy busy we
are able to have so much FUN out here on the mission! I was thinking a lot this
week about missionaries that just get so discouraged to where they don't even
get up in the morning on time and they just try to lay around all day rather
than GET TO WORK! I do not know how they deal with it. Missions are super hard
in every way, shape, and form, but I know that if I just sat around all day long
it would only be harder. Part of the reason that we are always able to stay so
busy is because of the members and the leaders in our ward. It is so awesome
when we go out to a member's home and receive some names to go by! (even it the
people are members) Sometimes when we are feeling a little bit discouraged we
will go over to a members home and share a little spiritual message with them
and it always, without fail, makes me HAPPY again. I LOVE THE WARD THAT I AM IN
RIGHT NOW! I am going to be here for at least a few more weeks and then I bet
that I will be staying for another 6 weeks as well to finish training Elder
McMichael. So it will be awesome.
Another huge blessing that we put to use on
our mission is the ability that we have to PLAN AHEAD OF TIME! We take time
every night to do some planning for the next day. I never thought that planning
would be so important, but it really makes the difference between a GREAT DAY
and a BAD DAY. Without a plan of what we are going to to we can for sure go and
try to visit people, but if we have a plan written down, then Heavenly Father
also has that plan and he can place people in our paths that need to hear our
message, or just that we can help! I HAVE GAINED SUCH A STRONG TESTIMONY OF THAT
FOR SURE!!!
This week our ward also had a really fun Ward
Chili Cook-off that Elder McMichael and myself were able to go to for our
dinner. It was super awesome because we got to see a ton of the members of the
ward just being themselves and we also got to see some people that we have not
seen before (members and non-members). It was AWESOME! We had a ton of different
kinds of chili and all of them were super amazing! I don't think that I had 1
that I didn't like which is always a good thing. However, I am really surprised
that I really haven't been fed many things that I don't like. That is probably
just because I am a 19 year old boy who just loves eating anything and
everything! I'm not too picky on what I put in my tank! :) But it was super fun
for sure to get to hang out with some of the members.
Oh, and there is a super cool thing going on two Sundays from now! :) I bet you
don't know what that is!!! MOTHERS DAY!!! Which also means that I get to call
home! I need to know what time to call you guys during the day on Sunday so that
I don't call when you are at church or something. Just let me know in your next
email on Monday what time would work for you guys and I will be sure to call
during that time! On Sunday church for me starts at 9am and goes until Noon and
then we usually will have our dinner appointments at 5pm so really any time for
us between those times would work perfect! It is super crazy how fast this has
come up and it seems like I just barely saw all of you guys on Skype for
Christmas! Time is FLYING!
At church yesterday we had a
really good experience because we were able to have some of the people that we
are teaching or just getting started to teach show up! It always feels so good
to know that people are actually willing to come out to church and then when we
get there we all just get such a good feeling inside! I love it! Before
sacrament meeting started though, we were going around and talking to some of the
members that are in the ward which is always super fun to do! One lady that I
started to talk to, also had fed us earlier in the week which was fun, and she
pulled me aside and told me how she thought that I was just a solid missionary.
She said that she was talking about it to some other ladies in the ward and some
of them were wondering why and how I got to be like that. Then she said that
someone guessed that I had some older brothers. haha So I told her that I for
sure do have 2 older brothers and a dad who all went on missions! I never really
realized how much that example helped me to get out on my mission. There are so
many things that can distract us from what we need to be doing as a missionary,
but having brothers and a dad who went through the exact same thing that I am
going through makes it a lot easier for me for sure! Plus I know my EGO would be
hurt really bad if I didn't do everything that Jason and Ryan did and BETTER!
Just kidding! But I am very happy that she told me that because it made me start
thinking about that.
That is super awesome that you and
Emily were able to go and attend Wicked. I still remember when we went and saw
that play in London! That was probably the coolest thing ever. They had some
really cool effects and stuff that went on. :) I didn't even realize that Emily
never got to see it. That is crazy! Anyways make sure to tell everybody hi for
me and that I love you all tons! GOOD JOB IN BASEBALL TOO CALEB! :) YOU ARE
AWESOME! KEEP IT UP IN TRACK TYLER! Emily I don't really know what you are doing
with your life right now BUT KEEP DOING AWESOME AT WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING! ;)
LOVE YOU MOM, DAD, JASON, KATIE, RYAN, RYAN'S FUTURE WIFE, ASHLEY, BOB
(BRANDON), TYLER, EMILY, CALEB, COLLETTE, AND IZZY! :D Bam I still remember all
y'all!
Love,
Elder Brandon
Wallentine
P.S The picture of the Waffles is from Sunday! I
got a brilliant idea to make waffles out of the funfetti cake mix! They were
delicious, but I think that will be just a one time thing due to how unhealthy
they probably were for me and Elder McMichael! Then the missionary picture is a
mission "Family Picture." Elder Forson (my trainer) is on the left side of me in
the picture. Then all of the missionaries that I have trained are off to the
right side of the picture. The ones on the far left are the ones Elder Forson
trained. Then the two below are some of the ones that Elder Erikson (my first
trainee) trained. SUPER AWESOME!
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