What is Wembly?

Harrow, Greater London

As the subject suggests, I'm still trying to figure out my new area mostly because I don't know anyone or anywhere. Makes it kind of difficult to give your companion suggestions on what to do during the day or who to visit when you are completely clueless about who is in the ward :P Well I guess that is just my new life here. Well all be honest mother, I haven't taken a single photo yet because we have been so darn busy. I really should just snap a few shots here and there... so I promise to do better for next week because of my laziness... or working to hard... not sure which one is the cause of the problem here... 

That should get any letter that you have right to my doorstep :) So we share the area of Wembley with 2 other sets of missionaries, so it is the most shared area that I have ever worked in... yet there is still a huge section of area to cover. No surprise that President put multiple sets of missionaries here. So technically I'm not even in Wembley. I'm in the northern part of our area, if you look on Google Maps, which is called Harrow on the Hill. I'm not positive, but I do believe this is the more "posh" side of our area. Actually what I figured out the other day, the complete northern side of my area which is called Edgware and Stanton are completely populated by Jews. Like Jewish people everywhere. I have never seen so many yamica's in my entire life, well if you don't know what I'm referring to it's there little hat that they wear on there head. So it has been an interesting experience because the Jewish are not very friendly to Christian faiths in general, let alone ours. So half of our area is nullified because of the natural inhabitants... but what can you do.

I do enjoy our town center, its about the same as Romfords probably just a little less sketchy and there are less women with clothes off, well thats a shame... just kidding. We are actually having a Baptism this week! YES! My first one since January! About flipping time! I'm grateful to just come into an area and just get handed a baptism... which has pretty much been how all my baptisms in my mission have been, just walk in to an area and steal one! Well, that's fine by me :) I'm not arguing. She's a really cool half english, Jamaican girl named Shana. She is pretty much english because she has lived here her whole life so she's really not Jamaican, but I guess that is her heritage. She's 18, young, hip and ready to get in the font. So we are excited for her and probably the rest of her family will be coming along here in the next couple of weeks. So we are excited for that as well.

So its nice to just be handed miracles. All in good time :) Apparently how the orginal missionaries that met Shana and her family was a complete miracle... well that's what everyone here says about finding anyone to teach *symbol slap* (joke explained: its hard to find people to teach here lol). Apparently Shana's mother say the missionaries coming and didn't want to speak to them so when they knocked on the door, she didn't answer the first time. So the missionaries left, but Shana's mother (Anne which I will now refer to) got the impression that she had met them before. So Anne opened the door and yelled at them to come back. So we've been meeting with them ever since. Anne wants to get baptized but she works for her church, so she is ready to change her job to join the church she just wants to get a few things in order to be prepared to join the church, so we are not to worries about her not joining the church. So all things going really well here :) But now, as always, we need to find new people to teach so we'll keep our eyes open here.

Our flat is a bit bigger than Romford's, and alot nicer, but he size is not that much bigger. I guess its the way that the flat is arranged that makes the difference on how "Spacious" the flat looks. I'll have to send you pictures for you to really understand... but my Favorite thing about our flat is the fact that we have a DRYER! YES! I'm just so happy to have a regular machine to dry my clothes instead of a towel rack. We are one of the few flats in the mission that have a dryer, so we are so blessed :) Well there is always a downside to every flat as well. I'm not to concerned about the size of the flat now, really not a problem to me, just the fact that my mattress feels like a slap of concrete! Flipping just kills my back when I wake up in the morning! Easily the worst mattress I've had in my mission yet it is Brand NEW! That doesn't make any sense! Well... I guess that is the trade off for the dryer...

Well I didn't whitewash the area, but the area is only 1 transfer old. So I'm the third missionary to be in our area, so it is pretty darn close to being a brand new area so it kinda feels like whitewashing still but that's really not a problem for me. We'll get working hard so that time will pass by quickly. Oh by the way, at interviews with President we talked about a few things that are going to happen next year. Many missionaries, including me, are in need of coming back in time for school so I from what I know is that President is going to have a us all go home in the July Transfer. So that is going to be like the 28th of July. Just so you guys are aware so I don't show up at the airport and no one is there to pick me up kind of thing... Well of course I'm going to talk to you guys at Christmas so that's not going to be to much of a problem :) Well I think that is about everything. I'm getting along well with Elder Butterfield. Smart Kid. Sterling Scholar in Math... so he makes me feel stupid.. just kidding :) He's a great kid, loves to work hard and has a great sense of humor. This will be fun. You'll get to meet all of my Utah companions because the only live an hour away :) Not to bad. Well he won't be home at least until a year after me... so he's got a while. Well anyway I'll catch you guys next week, and i'll get you better pictures I promise... even though my promises have like no value... just kidding :)

Love you guys,

elder Bradley Smith