"World War E. (for Elders)" - Week 23

December 15th, 2014

Hola Hola!

Well, transfers came... and I'm staying! Atkinson and I both! He’s district leader now, "so Delmar, I suppose one could say we’ve got a little power behind the throne so to speak…". But ya, all is well here. We had an activity in Gonzalo, with a movie and food. iT WAS AWESOME! sO GREAT TO SEE THE MEMBERS COME TOGETHER AND PULL SOMETHING OFF LIKE THIS. Sorry bout the suprise caps lock, I don’t feel like retyping it... anywho...

It was super fun, and we’re planning on doing much more like it. We’ll be spending a lot more time in Gonzalo this time around, which will be difficult, but good. A trio is coming into the house, which will be interesting, cause we don’t even have enough water for four people let alone five, but we’re looking for a better house with water and lights. 

We bought some cap guns off some kids in the street, and they were pretty darn fun to play with in the house untill... Elder Ponce bought some airsoft asault rifles... things just got real! Now you have to be very careful going to the bathroom. "They're fixin an ambush"- You’re all welcome for the two "O' Brother Where Art Thou" quotes I’ve included in this letter. Anyway, thank you all for everything!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas season!

Elder Brady

Got to see some good buddies from the mtc! The one on the far left is actually in the trio coming to the house, so thats fun!

Had a Mission Tour! Super fun, except for the travel time to the capital. 6 hrs. round trip, and we’ll be doing much more of that with Elder Atkinson as District Leader.

Couple a “G’s"... (gangsters?)

Some kids we teach in Gonzalo

Activity in Gonzalo

The one on the right is the woman who always answers everything as "Abraham". 

Some "funny ol’kooks"!

"Week 22"

December 8th, 2014

Dear home,

Not too much to report this week, but it was pretty good. Transfers are just around the corner, but I'm pretty sure I'll stay here. Good news, a few other Elders in our district traveled out here for P-day. We played poker with some fake money... And I cleaned em out! You should've seen them shakin in their boots. I never knew I had it in me, but I guess I've got a pretty good poker face. That, and I hustled them out of their money. 

Well, I'm afraid that's about it for now. Not much else to say. Thanks for all the love and support!

Elder Brady

Improvized with lights! It was the only outlet in the room.

Feeling the Christmas Spirit thanks to Mom!

Elder Atkinson and I... and a few snowmen!

These peppers were much hotter than I thought they would be. Some of the most miserable five minutes of my life...

Me after ripping a branch off to put in Ponce's bed... You know the story! :)

"The Case of the Mysterious Platano Tree Leaf" - Week 21

December 1, 2014

    So, Elder Ponce is always poppin up and screaming around dark corners in the house, startling the crap out of Atkinson and I. So we decided to mess with him... Psychologically. We found some wierd lookin giant pea pod thing, and stuck it in his bed, and in some pants of his in the drawer. He found the one in his bed, and just thought nothing of it. Then the next time, on our way home, I stepped it up a notch and ripped a giant leaf off a tree. We got home, and none of the lights worked, but there was light outside. Wierd right? We put the leaf on his bed, and went into our room. Those lights didnt work either, but the fans did... We were a bit wierded out, then we got a phone call from a blocked number... Nobody was there. Then I sat down on my bed, and at the same moment, something grabbed my foot, and elder Ponce jumped out of the closet, screaming at the top of his lungs! They got us good! I let out quite the scream! They had gotten home early, and unscrewed all the light bulbs. What's best comes next... Ponce discovered the leaf on his bed, and he and his comp. were in his room talking about it, when another strange green pea pod shows up on the floor! (they had moved his pants) The guy was freaked! He was super quiet the next day, thinking he was cursed by spirits, and kept saying "no more jokes"... the next night we put leaves in each bedroom, and turned over all the beds! We got him good! We had to finally fess up that night... before he called the president, all freaked out! Any who, just a funny story for you all. Hope everything is good!

Elder Brady

Call me Mr. Pollo...

Our grave yard. Stacks on stacks!

Intecambio with Zone leader

Gonzalo!

Birthday party with an investigator!

"Fighting chickens, wierd sacrament meetings, and the Zombie apocalypse!" - Week 20

     November 24th, 2014
     

     Well, I hope this note finds you all happy in whatever you're doing. For me this week has been great as usual! So, the people here are super funny. Im way out in the campo right? That means that these branches are super small, new, and not many people attend. For example, we show up to the church in Gonzalo about five minutes to nine, expecting to find the building opened, chairs set up, and things prepared for the meetings. What ended up happening instead, was the Branch President coming about fifteen minutes later with the keys. He's a super great guy, just a year off his mission, but he needs all the help he can get with his new calling as the president. I cant even tell you how much I miss church in Utah. Where the hymns sound nice, and you can hear the people speaking without busy cars, motorcycles without mufflers, and bachata music in the streets. Ha ha! It's super different. We also ended up giving talks on short notice... so there's that. Don't really know if anyone understood me, but oh well.

What else, I saw a cock fight... They're really popular here, along with dog fights. They have arenas all over the place. Its pretty disgusting actually. But I´ll have to admit, when the roosters arent fighting to the death, its a little fun to watch... Mostly just the people, betting and screaming... they get way into it!

The secretary of the branch here in Sabana has a conspiracy theory about chem trails that the US is spreading in the sky. He's had us take pictures of them stretched across in an X formation. Elder Atkinson and I are convinced that this is indeed the begining of the Zombie apocalypse. Well, hope all is well in the homeland! Love you!

Elder Brady     

 Rainy day

                                

These Kids are great!

                                                          

Reminds me of a couple of "boxer boys" a time ago!

Sabana Grande De Boya, taken from a gua gua bus on our way 
to a Zone meeting in the capital.

Guyana, Mexico, USA, and Columbia!

                                          

"Week 19"

November 17th, 2014

Hello Hello!

     I´ll start with some great news! This week I can use the letter "L"in my emails! You learn to look forward to the small and simple things when living in a third world country. I get excited when I save 5 pesos on water by going to a different colmado, or things like waking up in the morning without mosquito bites. You cheer for days like that! Every night around 4 a.m. the light goes out, and our fans with it. Its kinda like clock work now... 4 o clock, I wake up sweating, grab my handy dandy mini fan (Great idea to pack those Mom) and i put it next to my face untill i can fall asleep again. ha! "Its the best! I love it!" (said in the voice of Nacho Libre)...

     Lets see, what happened this week... We helped a guy catch a runaway chicken! That was fun, and frankly not as easy as you might think... After several grueling minutes filled with terrible rooster impersonations and alot of running around, we cornered it. The man was grateful, and happy to have his lunch that day. 

     So, we have kind of an interesting situation. We have two areas, the only elders in the mission to have two. We go to Gonzalo, a small, poor, heavily Haitian populated town, several times a week. The branch there is very small, and the branch president is just a young return missionary who needs all the help he can get. Really good people though.

     We teach one lady who is very funny. She thinks that every answer to every question is Abraham... We show her a picture of Jesus, saying, "Who's this?"and she says "Abraham!" Oh boy oh boy, but she's a great spirit. She and her husband are going to get married so that she can get baptised, so its all great news, we just have to take it slow with her. But all is well in the DR! As always, thanks for everything!

Our weight room! We're gettin pumped!

Our bathroom... Nah! This is the neighbor's unfinished place

Our bathroom! See that bucket? That's our shower!

This is what happens when you don't have water to clean dishes for several days...

Our street.

I must say, we do have a pretty sweet balcony!

Our house.

This is Elder Dog... He follows us to every lesson, and sits underneath our chairs... Crazy dog... but he's an Elder!

Thanks for everything!

Elder Brady

"My Computer is missing the etter " "... don't augh at me..." - Week 18

November 10th, 2014

     Hey everyone! As my heading says, I have missing keys on this computer, so pardon my speing errors! This week has been crazy! Transfers and everything... Im in Sabana Grande de Boya! There is nothing out here! My comp is Eder Atkinson from Guyana! He's awesome! Dont have much time, so I'm just gonna send a whoe bunch of pics!

I ca this... "A Moment of Pensivity" - Taken upon the roof top of our church in Gonzao... We have two areas right now, and one of them is a itte Haitian town caed Gonzao.

Perfect scene for a James Bond foot race!

Our chape... wierdest sacrament meeting I've ever attended!

Arboes!

A house in Gonzao

This is the od meeting house in the town, we've since upgraded! 

Eder Atkinson on top of the Word!?

This kid posed for me as I took out my camera, and that's the face he made! 

I ove it!

eaving a Victoria, one of our comado (store) guys

Nioa's Fam!

Mendez Fam!

The Rincon Fam!

Us with Ibeice!

Choco and I wreste!

I miss that crazy kid!

In the DR!

 Thanks for a the prayers and support! Ove you guys!

Eder Brady       

* did you figure out what "  "etter is missing? :)

"Evel Knievel with a tie and plaque... Righteous Knievel, Elder Knievel, Evel Kneveragain... Take your pick!" - Week 17

November 3rd, 2014

     Another great week in the Mish life! Well, I´ve got some developments as this week was transfers. I´m leaving La Victoria and going to Sabana Grande. My new companion will be Elder Atkinson from Guyana, and Ive been told he´s a real cool guy. I also know another Elder from my district that will be in the same house as me, so no problems! It´s just really uncomfortable to get up and move everything. I just started to get settled into to this area. It will be very sad as I say goodbye to all the people Ive come to love so much. Same goes for Elder Bodily. Good guy, and a good friend. Ill miss him. But we´re still in the same mission. Anyway, Ill be leaving tomorrow for my new area which is supposed to be super ¨Campo¨ (just means ¨field¨ but dominicans use to describe the country, so it will be very poor) but Im super excited. Just gotta take REO Speedwagon´s advice and ¨Roll With the Changes¨

     In other news, we had a service project at our stake Saturday. Super fun, we painted the side curbs to a median in the street on which the Stake Center in located. Got paint all over ourselves, and Elder Smith (A greenie, one of the whitest kids youll ever see) got incredibly sunburnt! Poor guy looked like he belonged in a tank at the Red Lobster! Over all, it was a really fun project, after which we were all happily plumb tuckered. But now I´ll recount the story of how we got to the Stake Center that morning.

We were at the side of the road, and with bad luck, waiting for a taxi for about 20 minutes. Then a Motoconcho pulled up. (Motorcyle who does routes as well, and very popular mode of transportation in this country) Elder Bodily and I looked at eachother, sorely tired of waiting, and unsure of when the next taxi would show up, yet both knowing full well that riding motorcycles is prohibitted. My friends... We learned why this rule exists that very day. Three dudes on a dirtbike... I dont know how or why, but I ended up on the back of the blasted machine! To say that is even an overstatement. As I hopped on, I could tell this wasnt going to be good, but the driver began to zoom off before I could say ¨Wait... Not a good idea¨ From that moment to the end of a 25 minute ride, I played a game called ¨Dont Fall Off!¨... Not a fun game! With the tightest butt-cheek sqeeze I could muster, I clenched what little I had of that seat with my thighs, and bear hugged Elder Bodily like a Koala with all my might. Cruising over bumps and swerving pottholes, this made for a very uncomfortable 25 minutes, all the while my companion laughing at the situation in the middle, thinking it very humorous as I hold on for dear life... At one point of the ride, going up a hill, we had to ¨Flintstone¨it, and scoot ourselves with our legs, then we continued on weaving through traffic. It may be a fun adventure story, but in the moment it was a very unpleasant experience. Lots of fun though.

Anywho, next week I´ll update you all on my new Area, Zone, House, Companion... new everything! Thanks for all the love!

Elder Brady

Los Resauradores! Adios mi Primera Zona!