Monday, August 26, 2013

08252013

This weekend we have a Baptism! It is the reactivated father baptizing his eighteen year old daughter and wow is she excited. After she pased her interview on skype she came running down the hall smiling and screaming things in Papiamento.
 
Right now I think I am doing the best I have ever done personally so far at staying diligent and being happy while I serve. Something interesting that might be happening is that a branch in Aruba is having alot of problems and I wasn't supposed to go there. I was supposed to go to the branch with the new chapel and tons of members, buuttt my district leader told president that I need to go to the branch that needs help so I am kind of going to Aruba, but it is more like Jamaica supposedly and I no longer get a car and I bet I have to buy a bike because the old missionaries bought a huffy and a mongoose after the other good bikes got stolen because they were a week from leaving the area already..but I am excited to go somewhere where I can work hard and will have an awesome companion!
 
Today was awesome we climbed a huge mountain and I got some really cool pics I am going to send them next Monday
 
.Last sunday we had Nine investigators at church for branch council and I have never had that many go so that was exciting too. I think it is a little weird but I want to go back to the DR it is like I feel homesick to be there. I will be really excited to see all the other missionaries again and go to the temple specifically.
 
Some crazy changes are happening with our areas down here branches getting split and sister missionaries probably getting sent soon. They must not know what to do with all the new sister missionaries because we have forty now and used to have ten. Also, the mission used to be 85% american missionaries and now it flipped it is 85% latinos. So out of 250 missionaries about fourty are american and most of them are sisters I think. Pretty crazy. well besides that I don't really have much to say, but I love you! have a wonderful week!

Monday, August 19, 2013

08192013 11 Months in the Mission Field

Hey :) This week went well, but lots of random stuff happened my companion got a speeding ticket we got a bad flat tire and the spare had a hole in it...yeahhhh so Sunday we walked more than I have ever to go to appointments. Our area is really big ha good news is early this morning we got two new tires and that is why there is no more money on my card. Don't worry though eventually I will be rembursed. I am really sorry that my english is so bad I can't really spell anymore.
 
We also had a really awesome experience with a lady from colombia and her daughter. They are both very busy and we have to meet in random places alot, but we finally got to go to her daughter's house yesterday and the lesson was really good her friend from colombia was with us and was able to talk through skype and you can totally see the trust Estela and Hilary have in him because of the example he gave as their neighbro their whole lives. If it were not for him there would be no possible way that they would be talking to us right now and they really recognize the spirit because of the things he has gradually shared with them his whole life.They are really special people I really believe they will join this church just a little while after I leave curacao :).
 
 Right now we are teaching a preach my gospel class in the branch and it seems to be helping us to ffind new people to teach and use our time wisely. I am very grateful for  that class it has really helpd me to learn about how to fulfill with my calling in a better way and I feel the spirit as others share the experiences int their lives that strengthen my testimony.
 
 My companion is elder Montgomery from Texas  we get along well and work hard together.  we have plenty of water to drink it is really clean too so don't even worry about that. I have had alot of success with sharing my favorite picture of you all standing in front of the St. George temple and explaining why I love it so much. People recognize the importance of the temple right when they see it the spirit really touches them that it is the house of the lord that has really helped me with my testimony of the truthfulness of this church. Our house has airco in our bedroom but I don't even like it it makes me too cold in the night really weird that I am saiying that, but it is true I don't like being cold in the caribbean. Here we have a church building and right now they are getting ready to put it under construction so that is cool . It definately is not a normal chapel though it is very different. I get to exercise when I have the motivation to go right outside our house and think of anything and everything that I can do on our little pation because my comp. just likes playing basketball in the morning.Sadly the ball is flat now and we have no pump because the other missionaries broke it. funny thing is I am kind of good at basketball now and I have no clue when that happened but none of my companions have beat me haha ;). Today I finally found a place to do pull ups here and I did burpee push ups I did 50 pullups and 100 burpees and thought I was going to die haha I am really missing having a wrestling room to work out in . Everything is great here I will go to Aruba in three weeks. Just like always I don't want to go there but you cant't stay longer than three months on any island sooooo that's how it is.
 
 I love you very much.. Love you all, Elder Bell

Monday, August 12, 2013

More pictures 08122013



08-11-2013




08/12/2014

One more thing yesterday I realized that I have now taught people from Haiti, the DR, Canada, Holland, Jamaica, India, China, Surinam, Colombia,Venezuela, and Italy...it is really diverse down here haha Love you guys

This week was really great we received a new assignment from the branch president here and I really like it. We have a list of about four  hundred names and addresses and each week we are supposed to visit ten of them and find out if they still live there and if we have the right telephone number. It has really helped us to find new investigators but it is kind of sad to realize that all of those names are inactives.

I actually didn't spent that money on myself (I told him to spend some money for his B-Day) I had to use it to service the car since we didn't have enough for the car and the brake pads, but don't worry I have the money back and used it to buy breakfast at Denny's today:)

I am so glad to hear you were at the temple on my birthday there is no better place. It is strange to recognize that it has been such a long time since I last went there by the time I go to the DR it will have been a year.

This last two weeks we have had a lot of progress with and inactive that returned to church and he has come the last four Sundays he also  was really excited when we visited his house yesterday we got in and he couldn't stop smiling. He said his daughter had some good news for us. We have been teaching her a few weeks now and she prayed and got a very solid answer that she needs to be baptized on the 31st of this months. And if all goes well her father will be baptizing her! He is an amazing man and I find a lot of joy in being at his house and seeing him remember the testimony that he had and gained as a missionary when he served in Venezuela 25 years ago. He has told us he is never leaving again. I really think that the most rewarding way to work is teaching about the gospel of Jesus Christ to families that want to be together forever.

My last companion elder Bullen from the DR wrote me last week and told me the family of five we were teaching all got baptized last transfer and I just feel very happy that I was able to help those people at one point in their lives. I am glad you and Dad were able to go do that that sounds like fun :)

 So I really feel like lately that I have been doing a bad job at writing can you give me a few questions that you have so I can think of what I should say? sometimes there is so much it overwhelms me so I just don't say anything at all.I love you. I love our family so  much and miss you all I can't wait to here about your busy lives here in a few weeks! Love Elder Bell

Monday, August 5, 2013

08-05-2013

Welllll this week has been a blast. I really enjoy being with Elder Montgomery. We get along really well and we work hard. Right now I am really stressed out because we have five people preparing to be baptized and I am hoping I can see that since I have already been teaching them for a while.They are really amazing people and I hope I can do what I need to to help them.
 
This week not a whole lot happened besides having to search for my letters from all of you that an Elder coming from the DR was supposed to bring , but he got lost and had some complications that stopped him. Don't worry though we still got them from some guy that knew the Elders before and had our number so he took the packages and gave them to us. 
 
Days start getting really fast when your second transfer starts in an area especially when you have a lot of work to do. I wish I had more time to be here.This branch is really progressing with tons of people starting to come back to church. One person in particular really stands out to me. His name is Javier and he has been a member for a long time. He even served a mission in Venezuela and his daughter who isn't a member invited him back to church through an activity . He decided to go to church once so he wouldn't be embarrased at the activity and when he went he had an interview with his daughter and the branch president. His daughter expressed her deisire to be baptized and he agreed to letting us come to teach her. When we went to there house he seemed really nervous, but as we shared the first vision you could seem the hope and faith he had as a missionary come back to him. He then bore a testimony that was very powerful and told us he had forgotten his testimony and he wish he would have never left the church and he doesn't plan on ever leaving again and he is now preparing to baptize his daughter on the 31st of August! It is always a more spiritual enviroment when we teach in part member families and help them realize what they want for eternity.
 
 That is mostly is for now I plan on sending pictures next week just so you know. I love you all very much you are in my prayers and thoughts often. Love, Brennan