Letter to the Family

Well, I'm not sure what to say about GGma Predigar. To be fairly honest, I didn't do my part to get to know her very well but it still lives my heart just a bit sore to hear the passing of a member of our family. She did live to a ripe old age which is good. I do worry that some of our other Grandparents might start to slip from us soon. Its not a happy thought, but it does happen in this life. It makes me feel good that everything I'm sharing with people here is literally about what happens after this life. I think the message we share has the best prospect on what happens after this life. Most of the people I talk to prefer to say they'd like to find out who is right when they get to the other side... but for some reason I don't think its going to be that easy. For a common reason, nothing in this life ever seems to be easy if it is worthwhile. I remember Howard Olsen teaching me that on our 44 mile hike back from Snowbird almost 7 years ago back when I was a teacher. That trek was one dang hard hike, but for some reason I image it would be alot easier for me now than it was then. Growing up changes things I guess. I give my condolences to the Hillyards. Probably not an easy time for Grandma Hillyard. Well let them know that I love them and that I will miss Great Grandma Predigar.

Love,

Elder Bradley Smith

A Good Week for a Baptism: Letter to Friends

I've been through my fan mail for the past hour or so, so I'm feeling pretty up to date with how everyone is doing. I like how subtle I was there, I'm a rockstar or something and I have to sort through fan post... well at least the good amout of it that I recieve through my most gracious fans :)

Well anyway, I've probably mentioned to most of you that I'm in a pretty good mood this week, with things going pretty well towards our baptism coming up this Sunday. Super stoked about that, because isn't that what missionary work is all about? We spend so much time giving ourselves good reasons as to why its ok if we don't baptize on our mission, like if we tried out best and stuff, but really I'm glad that our purpose is happening here :) We've worked out our final appointments with Nina, at least pre baptismal ones, and we have the program lined up and everything. Its happenin.

Well not to much to say otherwise, no of our other investigators are really progressing. Which sucks but that's life. So we'll be doing a bit of housekeeping when it comes to investigators this week. Probably dropping a few of them here there because they are wasting our time. So we should manage to get a few new ones do to our work this week and having potential appointments with quite a few people... so that is a positive thing.

The transfer is almost over, only one week left and then I could be out of Wembley :( I don't really feel like packing, but at the same time I have been here for four and a half months... so I won't be to sad to get to a new area. Just pray that it is as good as this one... or I'll make it as good as this one. Well I won't bore you with extra details.... sorry my fingers hurt from typing to everyone this morning... plus I need to save a little of the remaining time for my mission president. Well I love you guys, especially the family... so everyone keep tight and continue to live your lives :)

Love,

Elder Bradley Smith

Sunny Day for January

Well people have been pleading with me to make my emails a little bit more wide spread, and I know that there is only so much one can do to accommodate and reply to all the emails that a missionary receives, so with that introduction I will begin to send a Weekly email to my best Buddies :) Don't feel like this email makes it so you don't have to talk to me... because sometimes I feel like when I get an email that is not interpersonal to me, that I don't respond to it. Does that make sense? I realize I'm just typing my thoughts into this letter so if they don't make sense just let me know.

Well I'll begin with out Miracle of the week. My companion, Elder Evans, and I have managed to secure a baptismal date for the 2nd of February. Its the first time I've had a solid baptism date since October. So this is Awesome! For all your information, this lady's name is Nina. She is 24 and runs her own Travel Agency as a full time business. Crazy for how young she is. She's from Iran and is converted Muslim to Christianity. She actually looked us up on the Mormon.org website and asked to see us. Pretty much she was curious as to why other Christians don't believe we are Christian... which is really quite ridiculous... if anybody really hasn't read the flipping name tag we all wear they'd figure out pretty fast that we are Christian. Anyway, we've been meeting with her for about 3 months now. She just asked us last Wednesday if there was anything she needed to keep, like commandments, so she could get baptized. So pretty much she just requested baptism on her own accord... though we have talked about it before so I was super happy to give her a date to work towards.

So yeah, pretty happy with that. All is going pretty good over here. Its a sunny day outside for England, especially in January. I'm shocked I'm seeing so much sun this past few days. I really like it, it brightens my day :) Well for all you lovely folks that are reading this, I hope your week is as sunny as it is right now in London. A really shocker for me I know. Well you guys continue on being awesome and I'll see you all eventually... but I will see you all :)

Cheers,

Elder Bradley James (just for heather because I know she likes my middle name for some reason :P) Smith

About the Pics,

First one is a bright sun day of me... as you can tell.

The second is from a friend, emailed it to me a while back but I thought it was pertinent because of the conversation in the middle of the letter... if you haven't read it then I suggest you go back :)

Because I Have Been Given Much

From reading the title of that email I bet you started sing a primary song, lol, its just like in Inception when Di Caprio says, "Now don't think of a white elephant... what do you think of?" Other guy... "A White Elephant..." That's exactly what just happened to you guys :)

Well anyway, life is about the same here as normal... well as normal as normal gets. We've met some really...um... interesting people here. Usually it consists of people who lack common sense and make stupid comments at the same time. I've made some conclusions about why some people are just a bit more successful than others... but I haven't had any solid evidence that supports my theory... but none the less I feel after a bit of observation, the more common sense you have, the more successful you can become. This is a rather random observation and a strange way to begin this letter... well I'll just say it. I'm grateful for the bit of common sense Mom and Dad have both given me.

I'll give you a bit of a story, this happened last week. My companion and I were coming back from a service project we did with a few other elders inside of our area. On our return home, we were in the tube station idly stand by the platform waiting for the train to arrive. Now, you guys don't really know my companion, and I love him to death, good kid... but he has a not so good of habit of pacing and struting around the platform... which includes sticking his leg into the gap between where the tracks go. Now if you all haven't heard this phrase before, we've heard it ten thousand times, but the tube speakers are alway saying "MIND THE GAP". Well that wasn't quite happening at this moment. Well neither of us thought what my companion was doing was a big deal. No trains were coming, and in no way where we really in danger. Well a man behind the scenes, known as the man who watches the security cameras, saw what my companion was doing and called us out for it. On the loud speakers in the whole station, he embarrased my companion and I. Apparently we aren't the first missionaries to come through the station and somehow knew that we were missionaries of the church. So he made some comments on how my companion had no common sense and a few other things. Well really I should have stopped him, but I didn't think it was a big deal. But after being put in the spotlight, which was rather embarrasing, we both just slipped into a corner and waited for the train to whisk us out of our shame. Not that I practise sticking my legs in the gap or anything, but really everyone is always watching us no matter where we go... so I've always got to be mindful of that. Really nothing happened. No fines or anything of the sort... we just kinda felt stupid. So common sense is a winner here.

Well I'd fill you in on everything else that is going on... we've managed to pick up a few new investigators this week which was great. So hopefully I'll have a few new stories to share with you next week.

To answer Mom's questions she asked earlier, the end of the transfer is February 5th. At that time I will most likely be transfered to somewhere else... but its not a gurantee or anything. I'm sure Elder Evans and I won't stay together next transfer though so I should get a new companion. To be honest the weather here hasn't been to bad for the past few days. Actually I've seen blue skies for the better part of 3 days. So I'm not really complaining. We are expecting another storm to swoop in here so I'd better go get my coat for this afternoon.

well I love you guys. thanks for hangin in with me on this wild trip we call a mission. Looks like the house won't even be the same when I get back due to all this new construction business that is going on. I'll be interested to see what is looks like when it is done. Funny enough if you finish it before I get home, because if you don't, Mom is going to put me to work with Dad to make sure it gets done before Fall, or at least before I start school. I'll tell president, Hey you should let me off early because I need to go refurnish my house with my Dad. He'd love to help me with that one.

 Well have a great week family,

Love,

Elder Bradley Smith

Big New Year's

Well as you can imagine, the holidays are over and I think all of our investigators left with the Holidays :P Good joke right? I'll be honest, even with the new year happening, we just did not teach anyone this week. Members and investigators alike. We had appointments throughout the whole week, and I kept getting tired of hearing our phone ring and getting the message "we can't see you this week can you come another time?". So its been fabulous considering the lovely gales that have been hitting and tearing this country apart.

We've had hurricane winds over here for the past few days and its been raining like mad. Lovely considering that umbrella's don't work when there is wind. So we've been winding up inside for a good chunk of time this past week as well.

I'm trying to look on the bright side of life though. We had 3 investigators attend church on Sunday. Which was incredible considering that we didn't see any of them this week due to the holiday parties they must have all been throwing. So we were excited to see some people walk into the chapel that have the possibility of getting baptized.

Well you need not worry about me in the cold. I don't know if I told you this but President has authorized us to use our beanies that we have all been storing in our luggage for the past year. Makes me glad that I kept those hats you sent me mom. Now my ears are not freezing nearly as much as they did last year. Thank the Lord.

Well I'm not happy to hear you are all suffering from the affects of a debilitating disease at the moment, but at the same time I'm happy to not be there :) Well I hope you all pass through it in safety. Stay near the toilet if you must.

Well I love you guys and I hope you have a good week. Stay warm.

Elder Smith

This is a report about the wild weather in the UK Bradley mentioned.

Happy 2014

Well its kind of a relief that its finally 2014. I will finally step foot back in blessed America this year. Its kind of strange looking back to last "New Year" all those months ago and realizing that this year has already passed. Well this year should be a good place to start.

Well my new years experience went alright, it didn't really go to plan. First everything is closed... no big surprise except to all the Elders in our district that wanted to hit a huge shopping mall called Brent Cross. Funny thing when they all got there it was closed. I did kind of laugh though because I have already gotten everything I wanted :P

Oh yeah, you guys keep asking about what I got for boxing day... well I haven't gotten a chance to email since Christmas so this is the time I suppose. Well I spent the entire day looking for a suit at a decent price... and I wasn't able to find on that didn't empty my pockets :( The only one I found was a TK MAXX and it had chapstick smeared all over the pocket >:( I was like "R U Serious>?!!!. I was pretty frustrated that all the stores had been raided, so I went and got some other things that I like. I got a nice Polo shirt, two Cardigans... if mom knows what those are, which she probably does, and I got some beater trousers to wear throughout the next 6 months still I come home. I had ripped holes in all my other English Style trousers so I decided it wouldn't hurt to get a few more. And imagine that, all my money was gone on four or five articles of clothing. Sheesh, I'm glad I didn't have to spend so much money on clothes back home... problem is I might have to redo my wardrobe when I get home :P

Anyway, I'm excited for the new year. I sent Mark and email... and it was pretty long, so bless his heart. I hope the MTC is not killing him. I know how 3 weeks was, but a month and a half would probably give me a heart attack, because of the lack of exercise and movement throughout the day :P

Well I just need to keep up the exercise in the morning here... but it is fridged outside now. I took those new pants out for a spin the other day and it was still cold :P Not that they didn't help, but England has hit deep winter here. It rained all yesterday... way to welcome in the New Year :P But how could we expect less? Well I hope you guys had a good new year and kept your tummies full. President decided for all of us to FAST for the next 24 hours because he wants to "rededicate ourselves to the work here". I'll be honest... rededicating me by depriving me of food is not the best way to start the year >:P So I'm quite hungry while I'm typing you this letter... and I have to survive another 10 hours or so... yeah me. As much as they say fasting brings the spirit, I'm just not very good at having a good attitude while doing it.

Anyway keep warm and hopefully summer will come around sooner this year than last year.

Love,

Elder Bradley Smith