Missing my bros!

So, yeah, I got Cody's letter. It was hilarious. I was laughing so hard. Elder Moody just thought I was a jerk because we had this big stack of letters and all the missionaries got a letter but him. Then as I'm reading my letter I was just laughing my head off, so he was just like "you're a jerk". ha ha I let him read the letter afterward to make him feel like he got a letter. Ahh man, I miss hanging out with the family, mainly the brothers., Elder Moody is the closest to understanding our humor. I was laughing so hard in Cody's letter, Moody laughed, but not nearly as much as I did, but he did say that both our handwriting styles are identical and look like crap ha ha. Also that the humor and wording is just like mine, and that Cody and I are really alike. I told Elder Moody that the only difference between me and Cody is that Cody is fat.

(top picture of Cody showing that he is NOT fat as Elder Forsyth claims, despite Elder Forsyth's teasing)

(picture of the Tres Hermanos - last picture together before missions. Cody is now taller than Elder Forsyth)

I read Cody's Patriarchal blessing afterward. It was incredible, really unique, talked so much about his mission. Very powerful, I really enjoyed it. Don't worry, Cody. I read your letter before your blessing. I'm not completely hopeless. So ya mom I think its funny that you asked about the rain. Its been raining like crazy, Also there are no dryers so you just air dry everything in this humid climate, which takes forever. Half the days I wear Croc's cause my shoes are soaked from the previous day. Oh ya... this week has pretty much stunk in terms of numbers. Elder Moody and I aren't about numbers at all, but just for numbers-sake they kinda stunk. We don't really have anyone to teach, and we knock and knock but nothing. Plus all the rain, so it hasn't been too fun. Umm... so things are awesome as always with Moody and I. Just the same. We both work the same and understand each other really well so its been an awesome companionship. There are transfers this next Saturday, because some Elders are done with their mission, so we're both nervous about them; mainly because there is a small companionship pool to pull from.

So Roy, our recent convert, he's amazing. He is an incredible kingdom builder and was definately prepared to recieve the gospel. Looking back, Elder Moody and I never truly focused on him, he was never a priority. We always focused on others above him, but he took everything we gave and taught him and did it and progressed better than any other person I've taught. He's incredibly active and loves the gospel. It gave me a really good insight that there are those people that are just truly waiting to hear the gospel, something they truly need and want. Even though at the time he probably had no idea he wanted it or anything like that, at the time his family just really liked white people, so they invited us in. If you want to pray just pray we'll be able to find some people to teach. Other than that, pray for each other. Missionaries are entitled and get enough blessings, protections and other things. Its all good here.

I'm not real great at keeping a journal. To be honest, I'm not full of tons of spiritual experiences on my mission. There were some for myself, and I've seen others have them from the people were teaching, but not many. We don't teach a lot. We go out and do all the work, working really smart, but the people just don't want it. We usually don't get past a wave goodbye or a "don't want" so we move on. I can really say that the people that I've seen baptized are people that were already prepared, golden investigators so to speak. That's Chinese work in Malaysia. That's how it is wherever you go. So, a lot of my mission is temporal. A lot of it is just trials, mainly humility trials. If anything, its funny that you wrote about Paul's tribulations, Mom, because most the time I feel like Paul. But I already read his story and know how that went, so I just keep going. I realized that I think a lot of my mission is sowing, supporting, and simply giving people their chance to accept the gospel.

However, if you would ask me, I would say that I've had tons of success in my mission. Those three baptsims in a year was more than most get serving in Malaysia for longer period of times. Elder Moody went 8months or so without anything close to a baptism. Not that he was doing anything less or more than what I was doing... just simply that's how the work is here. We're with the more stubborn and prideful people, that's our lot and pull of the straws. Everyone on earth gets their chance to hear the gospel, some people are more accepting than others. Something I don't think a lot of Elders or people understand. Some missionaries get more baptisms than they can count on their fingers and toes, not only some Elders, but their whole mission is like that. But a mission is not about baptizing, its about doing the work that the Lord has appointed to you to do. including going through your trials and other things to prepare you and others for the future.

Just last week one of the Malay speaking elders was giving the training in our district meeting, and he was telling how it was a time when he was feeling horrible and really down, thinking about home and other things, all because he had a month with out any baptisms. I chuckled on the inside comparing his lack of baptising to my own. I personally thought the baptism of Yi Ling was going to be my first and only baptism of my entire mission, and was happy to continue to serve and have nothing but people wave me off for another 19+ months, then go home. So, I feel so blessed and lucky that the Lord led Elder Moody and I to Roy and Charles, who were both just literally waiting for Elders to come and to be taught. So, who knows? Maybe I'll get more, maybe not. Either way my mission is the most important thing that Ive done in my whole life, and will be one of the greatest things I've ever done in my life regardless of how people view it success-wise.

So in the next package I think just a bunch of sugar candies and sweets would be good. They have no American candy anywhere. Umm, I'll think of some more stuff for you to put in it though. But mom if you feel that writing to me more (besides emails) would be good, I'm totally down and will be a good steady writing pen pal : D Thanks for sending that letter, Adam, I'm excited to get it. So, Dad, can you write me a letter on things happening in the world and stuff like that. I heard some of the stuff going on in the Middle East and it sounds like the chess board is being set up over there. Well, I gotta go, so have a good week! And, Mom, when you send the package, remember the more vague the better. Just label candy, don't put specifics and it'll get through just fine. Trust me.

; P Love Brandon