Memorial Day

Wud up Fam!

Hey so Happy Memorial Day! This week has been very successful for Elder Otis and I! We didn't have too many Zone Leaders responsibilities to fulfill this week, which was a blessing because we taught 28 lessons this week!!! And picked up 7!!! New Investigators in our area! We definitely tore it up this week and have been working super hard to progress our area. I have bad news though, I have not recorded the video for Abby's baptism yet but I am determined to do it before tomorrow is over! We've been talking to the Sarmiento family and they said they could even send it to you online so you can just pull it up instantly? I don't know, you'll get it though. To be totally honest, I don't even know how I am going to do it, I want to make the video somewhat fun so I've been thinking outside the box... We'll see what I come up with... hopefully she'll like it. 

Anyways, this week we also had Dinner with President and sister Martin! It's actually really nice to be so close to them all the time and spend more time with them. It's going to be sad to see them leave next month.   This week we also helped some missionaries clean their apartment. It was terrible! Mom, you know it's bad when even I think it's bad... ha ha. But we bought some cleaning supplies and stuff and we spent a couple hours deep cleaning their apartment as a district. It was actually a really fun bonding experience. We have Korean elders in our Zone and we have been spending a lot of time with them lately. It's actually their apartment that was the disaster! Korean culture :( ... ha ha. But it was good President encouraged us to do so and he said he'll pay us back. Which he has forgotten to do, therefore I am broke again :( it's almost a new month so not for long! May went by way too fast... transfer calls are already coming in 2 weeks.

We have been having some awesome spiritual experiences this past week. We made a new dinner thought that we share with the families that feed us and 75% of the time everyone cries! It's really powerful and we get their trust with that and then we lead it into finding people that God has prepared to receive the gospel. And we have gotten a ton of referrals this week from this message and have been talking to a lot of new people! It's so great! Hence, our 7 new investigators this week! 3 of them even showed up at church, which was very exciting! Hopefully we can keep this up and we are going to do everything in our power to help them keep progressing!

Crazy news: I got in contact with former Elder Bennett this week! He told me he's getting married to one of the girls (Amber Ostler) that we taught back up in Lancaster! Crazy!   

Dad! We went on a hike last Monday up Towsley Canyon and made the mistake of not taking water... talk about some serious cottonmouth! I was just laughing to myself about that hike me and you went on... I don't think anyone else will realize how funny that really was. "You just had to be there" ha ha. 

Well, thanks for everything you do, you amazing family of mine! I couldn't of asked for a better one. Keep being you!

Good luck at your baptism my favorite little sister in the whole wide world! You're so awesome! 

I Love you all,

Love Elder Brady

---No Regrets---

Stephen Winkler's baptism!

Hey Fam! 

So, where to start... Stephen's Baptism! Steve got baptized last Sunday and it was an awesome baptism like always! We were scared no one was going to show up, but it was announced at church and a lot of members got in their cars right after church and went straight to the stake center to witness his baptism! Bless their hearts. Stephen's brother even showed up! None of his family is really supporting him with this decision, but it was an awesome reunion when his brother showed up! So it was a great turnout, and Steven bore an amazing testimony to everyone there after his baptism. I got the opportunity to perform the baptism! He is such a great guy. Super smart, amazing testimony, but just a little socially awkward... It's actually hilarious to me thought and makes me laugh all the time. We get along pretty well. 

I got to see Mother Helaman and Pops yesterday at the baptism too! When she saw me there, I went to give her a hand shake (ha ha) and she said, "get that out of here!" and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek! Ha ha their awesome just not the most ideal thing to do in public... Anyways, their house is pretty much sold now so they will be living somewhere else in October. Then in June, when she retires, moving to Utah! It was so good to see them all again! 

I've been hearing through the grape vine and from Elder Norton and Elder Chunn themselves that they aren't doing too well together. I guess their chemistry isn't mixing too well right now... It's very sad to hear news like that. It's so rough to be stuck with a companion that you don't like. I am so grateful that all my Companions are like my best friends! I've been super lucky with the companions that I have had for the first year of my mission! I hope my luck continues! 

Well, we have to get going, but my last thoughts would be that, yes, I will send a video your way of my testimony/baptismal thoughts for Abby's baptism. I have a card I haven't put anything on yet so I can just use that one. Hopefully it will be good, I have no idea what I am going to do, but if it sucks, just don't use it I guess... ha ha.  I am so excited to hear about Abby's baptismal preparations! That is my life 24/7! So news like that is dynamite! Especially when it's your little sister! I love you Abby!!!

Well, everything is going really well! We just gave another Training to our zone about finding new investigators on Thursday and it was a lot of fun but we are very grateful right now that we don't have to give one this week... thank goodness. Last Thursday was Zone Conference and Valencia (our zone) and Santa Clarita Zone (my last zone) did it combined! It was so much fun to see all of them again as they say," Elder Brady, come back to us!" ha ha it's amazing, the relationships you establish on a mission is such short amount of time! I love it! I love it! I love it! 

Love, Elder Brady

---No Regrets---

Phone call leftovers

Hello Family! Long time no talk! :)

Yesterday was amazing! It was so good to hear your voices! It's nice to actually hear you guys and know you're still alive and I'm not just randomly e-mailing! Ha-ha I LOVE PHONE CALLS!

So I don't know what else I could possibly share right now... Well actually today, for P-day, Otis and I planned a zone activity for our zone and we went to the park and played volleyball/ultimate Frisbee/basketball act. And spent $40 on pizzas/watermelon/drinks for them! We are trying to be the best zone leaders they've ever had... ha-ha. Nah JK. But it was awesome today to get our zone together again and bond with them and have some fun! We are very lucky to be apart of such an amazing zone!

I love you guys and thank you for the amazing conversations yesterday! I have the best family in the world and thanks for the sweet advice! Etc.! It definitely pumped up my spirit as always! Whoraw!

Love you all! Have a great week!

Love Elder Brady

First week in Newhall

Sup Family! Hey! :)

Thank you all for the words of advice and pictures! They definitely lifted my spirit and made me laugh.

Well, I honestly don't even know where to start for this weeks e-mail... I feel like I have experienced a month worth of stuff in this past week. Going from the most comfortable/ laid back "chill" lifestyle, all the way up to Zone Leader is definitely a slap in the face... I didn't even have the opportunity to be a District Leader...? Anyways though, I have never been so tired my whole mission. We are over 23 missionaries all in the Santa Clarita Valley. 3 separate Districts. This would be super overwhelming if my companion wasn't so freaking awesome! We didn't know each other before we became comps and now just after a week we feel like we have known each other our whole lives! One of those feelings where you guys just click right off the bat and work together very well. We feel like we were best friends in the pre-earth life or something! Ha-ha

It's all really good though, I just hate Drama. And missionaries are full of drama and we are in tune with what every companionship is going through (and talk to President Martin like every other day which is really cool!). It definitely is a handful. I feel like I just got my feet wet this week. I got thrown into the ocean and it seems like everyone is watching to see if I sink or swim... so far I am proud to say I am still afloat :) We have Zone Leader Council (ZLC) tomorrow where president instructs all the ZL's. Then we are attending Leadership Training on Thursday where all ZL's and DL's meet together and we will be providing a training for that. Then we have Combined District meeting on Friday where Elder Otis and I will be giving another training to our whole zone! Goodie!!! Definitely not excited for this week either... Trainings/Meetings/working with missionaries in our zone, fill a lot of our time, but Elder Otis and I are dedicated and extremely motivated to set a good example and progress our own area at the same time! 

I have never had a companion like Elder Otis before, no offense to my other comps, but he is super awesome! He is 21, from Buffalo, Minnesota and only has 5 months left before he goes home. We have been 100% obedient this past week and have really hit it hard so far! We are exhausted 24/7 but it is well worth it. I have also never felt the spirit this strong my entire mission! We just love it! We feel like amazing things are about to happen so we just keep doing our best. We have set some awesome goals to keep us going everyday and tools to keep our Zone focused. Heavenly Father is definitely blessing us and helping us by giving us strength to obey Him. He will never give us a commandment we cannot fulfill (1 Nephi 3:7). Anyways I could seriously type all day from all the things that we have learned just this past week. But I can fill you in on more next Sunday with our Phone call!!!!! Yay!

I'll most likely call you around 1:30ish here, which will be 2:30ish there? Correct? It will just be after you guys get home from church. Our church is from 9-12. This past Sunday at 7:00AM we had a meeting with President Martin and the Stake Presidency about how the missionary work is progressing. Definitely some inspired leaders! That was a very uplifting meeting with them. Then at church it was fast Sunday and we were the first ones to bear our testimonies, and together we dropped a spiritual bomb in there! It was amazing and I think I know the entire ward already and they are super cool and friendly. I already love this ward :) like all of them came up to us and thanked us for our testimonies! I love missionary work! Not so much of this Zone Leader crap but hopefully it continue to get better and more comfortable. Well this is all for now, love you all! Have a great week and looking forward to Sunday!

Happy 8th Birthday this week Abs! Abby you are getting so big! When I saw that picture of you by the water I thought it was Lyndsey or Kristin! Ha-ha

Happy Late anniversary Kris and Jas!

Love Elder Brady

===NO REGRETS===