T.J.Eckleburge to the Rescue and $450...

Well its rainy again, no surprises there...

but this week has disappeared again, just like all the others. I'm really nervous now. I got my call yesterday... and you can guess where I'm going. I'm going back to ESSEX! Sweet land of the Chav's (kinda like English gangsters). So I'm going to the city called Romford... but I don't know the flat address yet, so I'll get that to you as soon as possible. I'll be follow up training a younger Elder named Elder Ollivera... or something like that. He's been out for about 6 weeks... so he's really young. I'm just a bit nervous about being the senior companion since this is obviously my first time. I'm not really sure how to handle it... but I guess I just have to take it as it comes. So I'm leaving my good German friend Elder Wolf, and he's probably going to die here in Luton (he'll finish his mission here). So many of my good friends go home tomorrow. One lives really close to us. Elder Fisher is from Lehi, and he gets his plane flight home tomorrow. He's been my zone leader for 6 months and we've gotten to know each other quite well. I'll be sending emails to him, so you guys can help him find a new girlfriend or something :P He's a really cool guy. Elder Affleck my previous compadre, goes home this next transfer, so middle of July. Everyone I know is just getting so Old! There all going to be gone here :P Besides all my friends disappearing, I'll get the chance to make more. Plus I took some awesome photos this week for you guys, you can enjoy my new nerd face... but I actually really like my glasses :) I guess that is what we were going for :P Not to bad, except when it rains than the get all fogged up and stuff... but thats just life. Its good to hear that everyone is still alive in our family, Mark hasn't killed anyone yet (lol). I'm jealous you guys get to go on Holidays. The closest thing I get is P-day for 12 hours and thats about it. Then its back to work. I'm curious as to why Shannon is going to Timpanogos. I'm guessing all of her friends are over there. Well all know that Vikings Rule still :) So tomorrow is a big day, I have to spend my time packing here today, and visiting all my friends here before I leave. I think its good that I'm going. I've spent way too long here in this area. To many people know my face. So Romford will be exciting. I'll send you guys pictures of my new companion and the area, and we'll see if it rivals Luton in Dodginess.

Love,

Elder Bradley Smith

Happy Mother's Day

Hey so I'm trying to upload the photos I have, because I used our DVD player to rip them to my flash drive... interesting process but I tried it out last night, but the stupid browser on this computer isn't working... so I can't get the upload files button to work. In other words I click on the upload button and nothing happens. So I don't know if its just these computers are so old and running and ancient version of Internet Explorer or if I just got the stupid computer out of the whole library... not sure which. Probably both. Anyway... If you send me that card reader that would be wonderful :) So I guess we already talked everything out yesterday, so I'll just tell you the plans for today. Elder Wolf and I get to enjoy Sunny Luton again, so I'll pop into a place called Specsavers to check out some glasses... Its been recommended by our ward members, so we'll see how that is. We also have our washing machine coming today, so we'll have to hang around the flat while they put the new one in... I'm on my last pair of unused clothing... so I'm just in luck. We also had our flat inspection this morning by our lovely Senior couple the Sanchez's I told you a little bit about yesterday. Good people. We are missing a few things like drawers and stuff so they are going to get those things sorted out... which will be nice. Besides that its the regular shopping and enjoying the day kind of day. Nothing to special happening. I hope you guys have a good day planned out. Its going to be a long time before we can talk again. Its the great fast. About 7 months. So Christmas time :P Thats going to be a long time. But I guess I'm used to this now, so no need to worry. Tell the family I love them, since they all dissappeared before I was done with the call last night :P Anyway I'll talk to you guys later, and I'll send you photos with the new glasses... I might be a bit picky about which ones I get because I don't want to look stupid. Yeah, I remember when I was in fifth grade and I wore them for a little bit... those didn't last long :P Anyway good day and good luck with mark and the end of school coming up.

Love,

Elder Bradley Smith

Ps

I guess I'm sending photos like this for just a little bit

What? Ducks?

It’s about time the temperature has been warming up around here. I've been looking forward to enjoying some warmer weather finally. I could actually take off my jacket this week and just wear a regular suit coat. I feel so FREE! So anyway, it’s been a really good week so far... Just most of our investigators are really hosey, so our appointments have been sporadic to say the least. I have been getting along really well with Elder Wolf. He's just pure genius on a lot of different things. As I probably told you previously, he loves to study. So he has been giving me a lot of insights into many different doctrines of the church when studying the bible and Doctrine and Covenants. So many cool things to be learned from there. So I have really enjoyed working and learning from him. He is also one of the best Bible Bashers in the mission... not that he is proud of it. He doesn't look for bashes, bashes just come to him and he has to confound false doctrine. We had an interesting lesson with an Evangelical Christian the other day where this guy named Mark was trying to say that we are not saved by works but by Grace. So we had a nice discussion where we absolutely destroyed him doctrinally, and eventually we just had to tell him he was not being open minded enough to hear our message and that he was just wasting our time. I actually enjoyed that experience, even though we probably won't be teaching him again... but it was still funny. Besides that it has been a lot of street contacting this week, as well has spending a lot of hours trying to find less active families in our ward that have been gone for more than ten years... Yeck... these records are so out of date. I realize what a pain it is for the church when people move and don't give an address to where they went. Doesn't help the missionaries who have to go hunt down there old place and see which new black family has moved in. That was mostly a joke because every single family we have gone to see that has left Luton a new black family has moved in... talk about cultural diversity :P So things are not so bad, just the same really. The things I'm looking forward to the most is the end of May... and you can probably guess what is going on there :) Elder Wolf and I are gonna have a sweet birthday party conjoined. Since P-day is in between our birthday's we'll probably do a big party then or go to London or something fun :) We are still deciding. Also I believe Mother's Day is the 12 of May, so we are working on scoping out a place to Skype you guys from. We might hit the Hart's again, so we will have to see. Funny that I'm still in the same place since I last Skyped you guys back home. I guess I'm just blessed to stay in this town for a quarter of my mission. Man my companion, goes home in 4 months. All of my companions I've had will be home by August. So I guess I get to learn from the best. Anyway its been a good week. I'll think of a good birthday present for Dad tomorrow. I don't know what I can do.... Many I can send a funny picture or something :P Only problem is I haven't gotten around to buying a camera card reader >_< So I can't really get anything off my camera yet... sorry >_< I know it’s been a few weeks, but Elder Wolf doesn't have a card reader, and my direct line cord into the computer cannot read my camera for some reason... Probably because all these computers are way to dumbed down! UIGGGGGg. I hate that so bad. Well anyway, I'll go look for one today in the mall next door since I have time to do that. Last p day we went to St. Albans so I never had time... So I'll talk to you guys next week and see if I can send some stuff through when I do the progress record on Thursday.

Love, 

Elder Bradley J. Smith

PS   Ok, I just saw mark’s video with the Ducks... Are you guys actually keeping those animals? Lol. I'm a little confused on several things... first I thought mark wasn't dating Elise anymore... but I guess that was just false pretenses... But anyway, I think that is funny that you lose the chickens and then you get ducks :P You'll have to tell me more about that,  people :)

Cheers, 

Elder Smith