Back So Late

Nice Shelby Cobra we found in town.

So I apologize for my late letter this week. It was a bank holiday this past Monday again, so the library wasn't open, and then we were booked all Tuesday... so this is the first opportunity I've had to get in a few minutes to write you guys and let you know how I've been :)

Well there isn't anything to surprising that has happened since the last time you spoke to me. I got to have an interview with president Jordan and we finalized everything for my return home. I should get my itinerary this next transfer... I hope that doesn't make me to trunky :P and it was the first interview where I actually got to talk with him for a decent amount of time. Yeah, everything is good and he's one inspired man President Jordan. He just has way too many missionaries to look after, so I guess its a bit difficult to get very close to him :P

Well, next week is another transfer week, I've only got two calls left so how many more of these do we have to go through? Not many. A bit weird to know that whoever I get or stay with next, companion wise, is probably my last companion. Wow, I'm really old I guess :P There are only three missionaries in the field that have been out longer than me, and then they go home next week :P I will be the oldest missionary in the field after next week... geez everyone is going to think I'm ancient.

Well, I'll surprise you with a few pictures this week. I'm doing well and I've loved working with Elder Maynard. I'm gonna have to pick him up at the airport next year, well at least that's what I've told him if he doesn't forget :)

Well I'll talk to you soon,

Love,

Elder B. Smith

"Love Lane," I thought that was funny.

To My Loving Mother and Family

I'm 21 now!

We didn't have candles, so we used matches instead.

I'm really just shattered from being in London all yesterday, as I've told you earlier it takes all the energy out of you like boating on lake Powell all day :P It was a little bit ridiculous because my oyster card kept eating all the money I was putting on it, making me a bit frustrated... the idea behind using the oyster card is that it is cheaper to travel with and after using eight pound sixty or so, you get a daily travel card all over London, anywhere you want to go. Well that didn't really happen, and it kept eating my money... So I was a bit wroth with it... so I might go have a word with the people at the train station and see if I can get my money back. I'll be just like mom who was mad when she only got Ice in her cup at Sonic down at Lake Powell and I'll march in there and demand a refund :) I still remember that one mom :)

Other than that, the day when pretty much smoothly. We went around to Buckingham palace again for one of the sisters in our District, and then went up to Oxford street again. Afterwards did a little snooping around a place called Camden Town. Big Market place, you can pretty much barter for anything you want there. We meet the Romford Sisters at a strange store where you get a special foot massage. There are these Chinese Fish that come and eat the skin off the bottom of your feet and it's just like getting a pedicure or something like that, it was really bizarre. So we saw them there and asked what they were doing... obviously we could see they had come weird sucker fish attached to there feet. They told us it didn't hurt and that we should try it... I didn't really feel like dropping fifteen pounds for the experience of a fish sucking on my foot... I can get my big orange fish back home to do that. He don't like anybody. :)

Soooo... afterwards we had a good time going to a party at my late recent converts home in the evening where they again gave me another cake. Yes mom... I've had 4 cakes so far. I'll count. The one you sent me through Sainsbury's, One from our beloved sisters here in Southend, One from my recent convert here in Southend... lovely gluten free cake since she is celiac, and one from my recent converts last night. I cannot eat them all. I'm constantly on a cake high :) I'm regulating how much cake I can eat per day... it's a little bit ridiculous. So yeah, I've had a great Birthday. It seems to have extended over the past few days because people keep saying happy birthday to all over the place.

Well, my last birthday done and gone. Now I just need to survive till August and I'll see you guys at the Airport. Love you guys so mucho :)

Elder Bradley Smith

Birthday groceries

Mom only will send CHOCOLATE bday cakes.

My comp wants to be a model LOL

Gotta love B Palace

Big Ben is peeking over the trees.

Don't think I'll drink this cologne.

We did a car wash for a new convert in Basildon
when I was on a workover there.

LOOK! A holy study time for me. Notice the light:)

Notice the plate says "Boss."

London Again:)

Yeah i'm at the Apple store in Oxford Street again. its going pretty good. awesome birthday and everything. We're having a party with my recent converts this evening so it is going to be great. wow i'm so grown up :) feeling so old is good. now i can drink as dad said. well i doubt that i'm going to go and do that though... but i'm excited for a good day. Thanks so much for ordering that spoiler. imma look so good with that :) Its been a great week. weather is fantastic, and we are enjoying the wonderful sunshine at the moment. We happen to have the sisters with us as well. they are keeping us in check so i'll send you a few photos from our excursion tomorrow when i get a better chance to email you guys. :) It's going to be a good day, i can feel it. its just barely begun :)

I'm Flying on a Jet Plane--in August

This is a proposed itinerary, please verify dates and airports. Tickets will be issued at least 4 weeks before travel.

AUGUST 13TH

Mother's Day Skype and the Following Day

I am currently sitting with an iPad trying to log into my Skype account so be prepared

(After noticing Brad's email on my hone all of us--Mom, Dad, Shannon, Whitney and Daniel, ran home from Sacrament meeting where Mark had given his homecoming talk.)

K sounds good. I've logged into the Bradley.smith051793 account so I'll call you on that

(Mom calls Brad on Skype and we all have a great time talking about changes and BYU class registration for 45 minutes.)

I'm sorry we couldn't talk longer but then again we'll have plenty of time to catch up in three months :)

(Mom catches Brad online and chats a bit the next day, Pday.)

Well you don't have to worry about me for to much longer. I know the phone call was short yesterday, but I guess as I said earlier we'll have all the time in the world to catch up when I get back home. So I'll try to do my best to keep focused on what I'm doing here and not worry to much about what happens back home. I wish the best for you guys and hope everything is going well.

 We are going to have to have an awesome party when I get back or something. Are you going to Lake Powell this year? I'm gonna need a good vacation before I go back to school...

Yeah I'm not sure what to do. I think staying at home would be nice... and better on the bank account... but I'm not sure as to how much petrol it would cost if I took the car to BYU everyday... probably not more than 230 dollars a month though...

Nah I don't mind.... I don't have an more emails to send at the moment and I've got like ten minutes or so... so feel free to say whatever you want

I was also thinking about how I'm going to handle a job and attending classes at BYU. From the looks of it, I don't get to much free time on most days until the evening... so I'm not sure how I'm going to work things out for that... but I guess that something I can worry about when I get closer to getting home

Nah, most girls stopped writing me a long time ago.

 So yeah, I don't have any what we call "repentance" post coming in. When girls remember that you are coming home and they start writing you again because you get home... yeah none of that is really happening to me but I'm not sure that I really care for that stuff anyway :P

well looks like I'm about to be kicked off so I'll talk to you later mother. I forgot to say it yesterday but I love you so much :)

LOVE you SO MUCH :) :)!!!!

Cool Companion and Cool Cars

Well sounds like you guys have had a very interesting week with prom going on and everything. So we are working out where we want to Skype this Sunday, I believe we are going to a good member friend of ours so everything should be alright. We'll be calling around 5 o clockish... we might not have two computers to run things on so I'm gonna let my companion go first because I'm thinking my call is going to be a bit longer because we are going to be working things out for my return this summer. I shoot a few emails before I call... sorry I just thought what five oclock means because I'm seven hours ahead... that's gonna be like 11 in the morning for you guys.

Yeah, I enjoy having Daniel flipping me off. What a big surprise that he turned out like his older brothers :P I'm interested to see how he's gonna be when he hits puberty. So yeah I'll describe how I've been. Just got back from Zone meeting today, sorry I didn't email yesterday... it was a bank holiday so all the libraries were closed :( so I'm back on track sending this email to you and I hope you didn't miss me to much. Yeah... its weird to be the oldest one at your zone meeting and I'm not the leader at the meeting either. Just having a bunch of young people telling you how to missionary work is sometimes a little boring... but they are learning and they need the experience :)

I'm getting along well with Elder Maynard. Probably the best companion I've had. Doesn't let me slack, yet we have tons of fun :) Not even kidding. I think I'll be able to survive my next three months easily with him :) That is if president lets me keep him for three months :P Hopefully everything is going to go well for my birthday. I have a party lined up on the 19th in Grays with the family of the Girl that I baptized at the beginning of my mission. I went back to my beloved homeland for a uncommon workover there because my companion went into London for a leadership meeting and I was left in Grays for the day. I'll send you some pictures from that :) I really enjoyed going back and seeing some of the people I love so much. Just on opposite sides of my mission now. Really Young to really Old. In all honesty I think its going to be weird to get home and realize that everything has either changed a lot... or has stayed exactly as it was before I left. We'll see how things role this summer. But yeah, I'm surviving the spring here... and it actually hasn't rained on us to much so far :) (knock on wood :P ). So I think that covers about everything that is going on here. Matthew (my Recent Convert) hung out with us for about the last four days and has been coming teaching with us and playing ping pong at the chapel... it's been great so far to have him around. Just the most solid guy, I'll have to introduce him to you guys one day... don't know if he'll be around while I Skype you...

Anyway I hope your week is well. Happy Birthday DAD :) Your now officially "Old". Congrates, you've managed to survive past the average life expectancy of the 1880's. So hopefully  by the time you are sixty you'll be driving that Porsche you have always wants, because we don't want you to have to much grey hair by the time you buy that car... plus borrowing a machine like that for dates is always fun right? Knowing dad he's not gonna let me touch that car... so I'll just have to by my own when I get a "real" job. Well I'll catch you guys on Sunday, don't do to much fun stuff this summer without me :P

I and just another note, we might want to consider where I'm going to stay for BYU... I should probably consider housing or something when we talk on Sunday because as I remember last time I waited to long before I selected my room and I didn't really get what I wanted... so the earlier we can take care of this... the better :) Probably off campus will be good, and it'll be a bit more cheap... but I'm not sure who I'll have to roommate with yet... everyone I know that goes to BYU is coming back about a year after me... so I'll talk to them later about that stuff :P

Cool. I think that is it. If you need me to worry about anything else, just let me know and I'll start sweating about it. The temperature is warming up here, so I'm going to need to get my short sleeved white shirts out again :) I'll talk to you on Sunday :)

Love, 

Elder Bradley Smith

I've never seen a Saleen Ford truck, but I'm betting it's pretty
expensive, especially to drive in this country because
gas costs so much.

The blessed land of Grays, and the best place ever cause it
has a Costco.

More of the land of Costco.

The pizza here is the best--period!

I ate too much.

Sweet rides.