Re: Bueno, Bueno, Bueno!

Wed, Apr 27, 2011

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! RIDICULOUS! I opened up my email today, right? And look at the first thing that’s in my inbox!:

"Elder Brandon Harley Bryan  Release date: 07 Jul 2011

To make the arrangements for your return flight home at the end of your mission CALL SISTER BUTTON TODAY AT THE MISSION OFFICE 787-786-2224  WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

Nearest Airport to Home _________________________

Parents email:__________________________________

Name of Parents ________________________________

Address ______________________________________

City___________ State ____________ Zip___________

Home Phone number(      )_____ Cell Phone (     )______

Stake_________________________________________

Name of Stake  President_________________________

Please circle if your parents are considering coming to pick you up in Puerto Rico. Yes     No
If yes, President Alvarado has requested that your parents call him directly."


Freaking ridiculous, man. Ridiculous. Heh, heh. Yeah, so much for being able to keep focused. :-/ but I HAVE noticed that being somewhat occupied with planning district meetings and making evening phone calls DOES suck up all the free time that I used to have thinking about stuff. Wonderful. Now I have even LESS time to think about writing in my journal and intending to catch up on letters.  Naw, but really... that last district meeting was pretty horrible... I wasn't very organized, and I was SUPER tired, so nothing really came to my mind... bleh. We spent a lot of time in uncomfortable silence. :) But this week’s was MUCH better. :D since our entire district all in Ponce 2 ward, we can discuss more deeply about how we can apply specifically to Obispo Feito and the members that we work with every week. In fact, I had Elder Black share a little bit about the importance of the members (from Chapter 9 in preach my gospel) and some of the things that we've been discussing in companionship study. :) it helped us think a little bit about some of the things that we could start sharing with the members, including teaching them the restoration (basic. you know. everyone does that. :D ) as well as teaching them about the doctrine of Christ. which is actually one of the things that we have been learning about, that’s included in the list of things that I had been wanting you guys to study... so you know how Nephi  talks about the Gospel of Jesus Christ in 2 Nephi 31(click to read)? There’s even something deeper than those five principles in the Gospel. As a matter of fact in a way, 2 Nephi 2 goes along with it. Elder Bednar had been sharing with us how we need to teach in a way that allows our investigators to be AGENTS, not OBJECTS. As Lehi explained in verse 14, God created all things, things to Act, and things to be Acted Upon. Well, we as children of our heavenly Father, have been given the gift of Agency from the beginning, which all of us used to follow Jesus Christ and come here to the earth. Verse 27: "wherefore, men are free according to the flesh... and they are free to choose liberty and eternal life... or to choose captivity and death." so we're free to choose. It was a gift verse 16: "wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other." in order for us to be able to choose, we HAVE to be tempted. It’s necessary for us to be able to choose. If we don't have a choice between good and evil, there’s no choice.  So there’s a little bit about Agency and being an Agent. :) Now, in 2 Nephi 31, Nephi explains a little bit about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and WHY he, even though he was perfect, was baptized. So, now that you've been studying the crap out of 2 Nephi 2 (click to read) I suppose that you can move on to 2 Nephi 31. So, while you're studying that... I would invite you to think about WHY the savior was baptized. Why, of all people, did HE have to get baptized? Baptism is for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), but Jesus was perfect; he didn't need that... he was showing us something. I would invite you to study and think about that. :)

So yeah... now that I've rambled on for the past twenty minutes about agency and stuff, let’s talk about the EASTER CONFERENCE! :D woo! so on Friday we got there and we practiced the whole day (3-7+ dinner) to sing, and then in the evening we had a fireside about Christ's sacrifice and resurrection with investigators from all over the island which we sang at. Then the next day, we did a cleaning service project at the stadium right next to Plaza Las Americas, and then we went inside to go eat. And sing. :3 it was so cool! :D the entire floor got super quiet when we started and everyone clapped and had a good time and came up to say how good we sang and everything. Cool. :D coincidentally, the BYU soccer team was there. :D after that we went to the Trujillo Alto stake center to do some workshops and some sports, and then ended the night with a Luau! :D WOO! The Luau is about the family, and so we had a Hawaiian evening complete with full pig, with hula dancers and the Polynesian elders... and some others... heh, and president, doing the Hakka. :D after that we had a testimony meeting, and then in the End, Elder Nauahi did some fire dancing! :D (He did it professionally before the mission) I'm gonna steal the vid from Elder Hargadon. It was super awesome. I'll get some pictures sent out soon.

AH! I had actually meant to say "AYAH, Jackie!" maybe that will help. If not, try to read it with an Old Chinese man voice. :) or "one more thing!"

WOW! That story about the girl in the National Guard is so COOL! Things are gonna work out. That’s TOTALLY sounds like a classic story you would find in the Ensign. :D

Aw! We were riding around last night, and there’s this one spot in a neighborhood that these three dogs ALWAYS bark really loud and chase after us. They don't do anything, but they always chase us and Elder Black HATES it. XD and this time, he was riding crazy fast to get away from them, and when he got to the corner to turn, he totally biffed it hard core. Ripped out one of his knees and tore up his arm a little bit, and today he's super sore all over, but other than that, he's doing good. :3

Poopers... I'm gonna have to bust a move now... BUT. I tried to get a hold of Cody, and I'm not sure what I did wrong with his email, so would you happen to have his email somewhere?

I love you more than Elder Black Loves those dogs. :3

~Brandon (Elder Bryan)