Thunderbolt and Lightning, Very Very Frightening! Good thing the Lord protects his Missionaries!

I'm glad to hear that Thanksgiving went well for you guys too and that everyone is well. Thanksgiving here was AWESOME!!!!!!! I really think it was the best Thanksgiving I have ever had!!!! The food was AMAZING!!!!!!! They went all out! We had apple pie, pumpkin bars, cheese cake, cup cakes, garlic potatoes, and the turkey was great!!!!!! It was super good! They took pics so I'll have to see if I can get them from them to send to you guys. It was super nice to eat such a good meal with such great people!!! It's great to hear Brother Taylor go off about Obama and stuff too haha! he's ex millitary, so as you can imagine, a very out spoken Republican. He was wearing a shirt yesterday that said, "still voting democrat? you're stuck on stupid!" I told him I liked it and he said, "thanks I made it myself" ha ha! He's a champ! Super funny guy!

That's too bad that BYU beat Utah, it always seems like these games are so close too! That's dumb they didn't show it on a regular station. I'm sure they are flooded with complaints though, so maybe they will do better next year.

Last night there was a huge lightning storm, it was super cool! We went on the roof of our building and the lightning was going on right above our heads! Bolts and all! Kinda stupid to be up there ha ha! It was striking like every second! I wish you guys could have seen it! It wasn't raining at all, but lightning was everywhere! Right above our heads! It had to have been less than 50 feet above our heads it was really cool! We were kinda scared to stand up though ha ha! It really was an amazing experience though. I will miss things like that about Africa. It really is a beautiful place.

We are visiting a little old lady who is a member. She lives by herself and super far away. She hasn't come to church for a long time, but she's been coming lately. I always feel super bad for her when we go and visit her cuz she just feels so alone. All her family live in South Africa so we are pretty much the only people who come and visit her. The Relief Society is too lazy to get out there to visit her, "we would like to, but it's just too far away." Oh well. She is getting better and more active. Well, this week everything has been going well. We had 2 investigators come to church so that was good, but also we had some inactive members come which is even better. We did a ton of react work this week, it felt really good. We hope to get even more done this week but we'll see.

So this week I taught the English primary class......it didn't go so well ha ha! They are 4 little girls, 2 are the Taylor's (the family we had Thanksgiving with) and 2 are the Bradford's. One of the older girls of the Taylor's is named Margret, she's 10. She reminds me a ton of Kaylee when she was her age. It's going to be weird seeing her again cuz as far as I know, she still is that age ha ha! Anyways, the Taylor's other daughter, Kathrin is 7. The Bradford's littlest girl is like 2 and super adorable. Blonde hair blue eyes loves to talk! Well while we were saying the opening prayer, I heared her doing something, so I opened one eye and looked at her, she saw me and started laughing, so I started laughing, and after the prayer she just kept laughing at me and I couldn't stop laughing either, and I ended up losing everyone's attention and nothing was taught ha ha! yeah, I'm just not cut out to be a primary teacher, I just play around too much, and I can't teach in English anymore ha ha!

YOU THINK I LOOK SKINNY TOO!?!?!?!?! man, ha ha I actually have a funny story about that. A few days ago I ran into someone I taught when I was in the office in our area. She didn't recognize me, when I told her who I was, she got this look of horror on her face. She kept saying, "it's not possible!!!! Elder Brown!!! What happened to you!!!! You look terrible!!! Did you get super sick or something!!!!! You use to be such a handsome missionary!!!!" and things like that.... so I thanked her for the kind compliments she just gave me and tried to hold back the tears at the fact that I have been left very disfigured from who knows what! So if you see an ugly twig in a suit come down the escalator, that's probably me ha ha! Anyways, that's about all I got this week. Thanks! Love you!
Love Brady

Thunderstorm in Manga

Laundry Day

Don't feel too bad about eating Thanksgiving dinner without me this year. In my branch there are a few American families who work for the embassy. It's good for me to associate a little with normal white people before I get home too because they are so intimidating to me now! We were invited by one of the American families the Taylors, in our branch to come and eat Thanksgiving dinner with them! We are starting to eat there every Friday, and in exchange for incredible food, we are going to teach their daughters Portuguese. I like going there a lot! Last week I played a real American guitar!!!! wow it's been a long time! I would like to try learning that again when I get back. Also, Brother Taylor is a hunter so we have fun talking about that. It's really good that we do this everyweek though. This may sound weird, but I'm so intimidated by normal white people! So it's good to have some semi-normal contact with them ha ha! Last week we were sitting and eating and Sister Taylor was just teasing me about somthing, and she was being sarcastic, but I haven't had anyone be sarcastic with me forever, so I thought she was being serious and I felt so bad! I was apologizing and stuff and she was just laughing at me and told me she was kidding. ha ha! I may be in trouble!

Anyways, we had our primary program this week at church, it went really well actually! The only one I didn't put blood, sweat, and tears into, and it actually turned out really well ha ha! The kids were awesome! It was funny actually, I talked a little bit about our branch president's little twin girls. Well they had a small part in the program where their teacher picked them up and they said something in the microphone. Anyways, the teacher picked the first one up and she said, "Temples are the house of God." Then there was another small boy who said something before the other twin, so the teacher picked him up, and he said his part. But while she was doing that, the twins switched places, and she picked up the wrong one! So that one said again, "Temples are the house of God." And the teacher started wispering what the other twin was suppose to say, and little girl was just like, "no that's what she is suppose to say." It was pretty funny, maybe you just had to be there ha ha!

Anyways, this week not a whole lot happened. We've been working a lot with members but like I said last week, it's been kinda tuff with them. But we did have this one investigator come to church this week! He was super hard set in his church, and everytime we went there it was just bible bashing, but I think we've finally bible bashed him enough and he's starting to doubt in his church and he's come to ours twice now!!! He said that he's prayed and got an answer that Joseph Smith was a prophet! If he is baptized he will be a great member!!!!!! I'll keep you updated on him.

Ok so I have good news and bad news, the good news is, for Christmas this year, we can use the mission's skype account and talk with web cam and everything! the bad news is, we can only talk for 30 minutes. Thanks for sending me that package by the way! You guys rock!!!! I'll let you know when I get it! Thanks again!

Well I better get going, thanks for everything! I love you and I'm so grateful for you!!!!

Love Brady

1. Do you have ice cream there? If so does it taste like US Ice cream?
yes, but it is nothing like it back home ha ha, its cheap, very sugar filled.

2. Have you made it this far on your mission without having your camera lost or stollen? ya i still have it, hopefully i don't lose it within the next few months!

3. What are you doing in your branch? Do you have a calling?
I translate for the English speakers we have in the branch. Brother Taylor speaks Portuguese but Sister Taylor doesn't so I translate for her. Other than that, the missionaries don't really do so much with the branch here. I help with the primary too but not a whole lot.

4. How's your clothing? Have you used the extra shirts, etc you brought?
Well my white shirts are all yellow, my pants are still good, and my shoes will get me through the rest of my mission. I've used one of the extra shirts but I still have all the other ones. I was thinking maybe Tyler could use them for his mission.

5. Do you have any baby blankets left?
ya I still have a few. We have two people who just had babies in our area who I will give them to, and I think after that I will have given out all of them.

An African Artist's Interpretation of Lehi's Dream

We had transfer meeting on Friday, this one flew by for me! But nothing changed in our district so nothing new to report. We are planning on doing a Thanksgiving dinner like I did last year in Manga again for our district! This time I think we will do it over x-mas though. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here and x-mas is coming up so soon already! It feels like not even six months ago that I called you guys last Christmas!

We just got back from a bbq at president's house. It was pretty fun, I kept the tradition I started at snow of wearing something ridiculous while grilling! I wore a crazy kapulana shirt, with a pirate hat made of straw, and sunglasses! I took a pic but you probably wont see it till I get home ha ha!

I've been reading the Miracle of Forgiveness, it is a sweet book! It has a lot of awesome priciples and insights! One thing I really like is that it talks about how our purpouse in this life is to gain self control, learn to control our bodies and our wants of the flesh. Just like a baby can't walk because he hasn't learned to control his legs, everyone has their things that they just have a hard time learning to control. For example, pornography, some people just can't resist it, others don't have a problem and usually don't look a second time. It is a super interesting book! I would recomend it if you haven't read it already.

The branch is alright, frustrating like all the others but oh well. Our area is kinda hard, we have a lot of inactives who just "don't have time" to live the gospel. I've figured I've given them the invite to come back and shown love. I love using the scripture in 3 Nephi that says "seek ye first the kingdom of God" But for some reason they don't seem to think that going to church and living the comandments is all that important. arrrg oh well.

We had an activity for the married couples in our branch (all 4 couples ha ha) it turned out pretty well. It was weird seeing the American couples together. I was thinking (wow they actually love each other.... werid....) It is sad to say, but marriage here is more like a contract. The husband provides for the wife, and the wife cooks and cleans with little or no love or feeling between them. They are almost like disliked buisness partners in some cases its kinda sad.

Well other than that nothing too new to talk about, everything is going great and we are still working with inactive members. Our investigators are doing good also. Well i better get going. Thanks for everything, you're the best! I love you!

Love Brady

Questions:
1. Have you developed a liking for fruit there? What is the fruit like? what's your favorite?
ya, i really like the bananas here, the pineapple is good too. The exotic fruits are good too but I don't eat them often, I'm having a hard enough time keeping my digestive system normal as it is ha ha!

2. Do you eat chicken feet? Do you like them?

I usually try and avoid them at all costs ha ha!

First off I have something pretty cool to tell you. One of the American families in our branch had the wife's sister and her friend come and visit them cuz they were in Africa doing a medical service project. What they do is come for a week and just do surgeries for people who need them, and her sister's friend that came, her husband is like the head surgeon of the whole deal. So we ate dinner with them. (my first real contact with white people in more than a year and a half) and got talking to them about how I wanted to study to be a surgical tech. She said that her husband would probably let me shadow him, and if the school would let me, do my internship and work with him and stuff!!!! Pretty cool hu? He specializes in plastic surgery but I'm sure the school would let me do my internship there right? Also, They do this whole Africa trip every year in November and they said that it is super easy to come and do it with them. And if I could possibly finish that course (I don't think its possible to finish before November though) I could go with them and do surgeries here in Africa and I'm sure that would count for my intership! She said they do hundereds of surgeries while they are here! It costs like 3,500 bucks to come, but if you get people to donate, all that money counts towards your cost so if I talked to Dr's and stuff and got them to donate I could even do it for free!!!!!! That would be cool hu? They took a bunch of pics from our dinner and stuff and they said that they would send them to you.

Everything else is going good here. We are almost ready to baptize one of our investigators but he still has to decide his wedding date. We have also been having a lot of success with inactive members.

Wow I just looked at the time and I have to go. Sorry! I love you! thanks for everything!

Love Brady

Here's the questions of the week:
1. Is the area you are in the most "wealthy" area you've been in there?
No, I think my first area in Beira was wealthier than this, its hard cuz part is houses and apartments, and the other part shacks.

2. News from T-Page - I talked to Ty's mom. She said Tyler has had 3 "clothes ripping, road rash" bike wrecks. How many have you had?
Ha ha that's funny, I can honestly say that I rode a bike for 3 days on my mission, didn't wreck, but hated it!!!! If the roads were smooth and paved it wouldn't be so bad but cuz they aren't my butt hurt!!!!

3. Do you have good restaurants in your area? Where do you like to go for food and what do you like to eat there?
In our area no but near our house there are a few. There is an Italian restaurant we eat at a lot

4. Do the members in this area feed you?
Not really, members in our branch do but they don't live in our area.

Thanks!!! Love you!

We did get to see all of conference, it was awesome! I loved Jeffrey R Holland's talk! It was awesome! Everything is going great here, and time is really going by super fast! its nuts!!!! It is weird seeing the mission start coming to an end. Thinking that I won't go to another area, I'll never have to pack my bags again before I go home, only 2 more zone conferences, things like that. I'm excited to come home but at the same time I'm kinda scared ha ha!

We did a family night at our BP's house last Monday. He has the most adorable twin daughters!!!! They are like 4 or 5 and super funny! We are going there again tonight so I'll be sure and take some pics. oh Thank the pages for me! I got their letter on the scout camp today, it was super funny.

This week, we had a pretty cool experience. But unfortunately I'm too pressed for time to write it all and I don't want to cut anything short so I'll write it next week if you remind me. It was a really cool experiance though. We've been doing a shift in our area from a focus on investigators to a focus on inactive members. The senior companion, before I got here was more focused on investigators so we've been making some changes. Not that he does work wrong or anything, everyone just has their own way of doing it as I'm sure you know. Anyways, we've been working a lot with inactives. It is kinda frustrating in the city because if they left the church, it is usually because of something that happened or they got a job on Sundays or something like that. Outside of the city, it was usually just they got lazy. It is a lot harder to convice them to come back here and they stiff us a lot on appointments, but it is always good to see one come back. We've had a few come back since I've been here and it has been really good. I really love working with inactives!

Anyways everything here is going good, and I'm glad that things are well back home. Well I better get going. Have a good week though! Love you!

Love Brady

Questions:

1. We have the silly puddy ready to mail, but there's room left in the box. Any requests?
Well, maybe some candy or another thing of Oreos. Those rice side things were super good!!!! more of those would be good if you have room.

2. How's the family of the guy going on a mission to So. Africa doing? Who else are you teaching? Have you had the baptism for the one you had scheduled yet?
They are good. He's a super good guy. I'm going to give him one of those book mark things from you guys too. Mostly inactives but we do have a good number of investigators too. We haven't marked a date for him yet. He has to decide when he wants to have his wedding before he can get baptized but we are getting close!

3. Do you do your baptisms in the outdoor font you sent a pic of from the top of the building?
yup!

4. Can you bring home one of those cool African skirts for Kaylee and I?
yes, I was planning on bringing home a bunch of though actually.

That is super funny about Shane's Halloween costume ha ha ha!!!!!! you'll have to send me a pic of that! I mean... that is terrible.... oh by the way, I was thinking. It looks like I will get back right before Valentines day, like 2 days before, is that enough time to get a date? ha ha! So I was gonna see if Shane would maybe do a double date thing that Saturday (the 13th) But it sounds like they are madly in love so if they want to be alone that's fine too. What ever he thinks tell him no worries if he doesn't want to do it.

Thanks fam!