Christmas Day

We were able to talk to Brett for two hours on Christmas Day. He was able to go to the home of a member of the LDS church and we were able to call him there. Just before calling him we got Erin and Justin on Skype so that they could also hear the phone call. Glen brought home a really nice speaker phone that we plugged in so everyone could hear each other. It worked out really well. It was good to talk to Brett and learn a little more about England and the different coustoms. I never knew that 120 minutes could go so quickly. Brett said that he had received our Christmas package, and the one from Erin & Justin. He also said that his bike has been fixed, so cross your fingers that it will stay that way. Transfers were on the 29th of December, and Brett did not get transfered. He's still in Wolverhampton, but has a new companion - Elder Patterson from Utah.

Hello from England

Okay, I've still not been having a good week. My bike is still broken and is causing too much stress! My bike is much like the green Ford Windstar was with the engine always going out. My mission president says to just buy a new bike that cost £80.00. But I don’t think it's worth putting money into a bike that’s not going to last. My mission president also said that I can expect to get my bike stolen four times during my mission. Wow!

Elder Walker, the branch, and Elder Stevens are all helping as much as they can. I have to keep my faith in the Lord right now more than any other time because this is when I need it the most, and I know that.

I have received your Christmas packages, the one from the family, and the one from Erin. I also just sent you a little package with my memory card in it. I hope you get it and that it still has pictures on it and hasn’t been erased. I also got a package from the Waddingtons with a really cool Christmas sock dressed like a missionary.

All in all Elder Walker and I are being looked after by the branch, and I will be doing a lot better if I can fix my bike.

The most important think I’m thankful for are encouraging words from home. Missionary work is very hard mentally and physically, but helping words from home make it easier to bear.

I love you and look forward to hearing from you in the next few days!

Elder Brooksby

P.S. please send Patrick’s address so I can keep in touch with him!

Its cold out and I got soaked!

We got a letter from Brett today and he's feeling discouraged. He feels like he's working hard, but not seeing any results. He also said that his bicycle isn't working well, and hasn't been for about 4 weeks. If any of you were thinking of writing him, now would be a good time to do it. He could use some encouraging letters.

FREE!!!!

Hello!!!!!!

Okay the first item on the agenda today is No, I HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE PACKAGE YET! The Zone leaders forgot to pick up the post at transfers. Needless to say we were pretty unhappy because both of us were expecting packages of some sort or other. Elder Walker was expecting a package from his girlfriend, so we were both pretty unhappy! Today we are supposed to be getting some post from the Zone leaders!

Today we are also going to the Costford RAF museum! I can not wait. I heard it is really good! Ohhh and the best part is it's FREE!!!! We just have to ride a ways on our bikes to get there. But it will all be worth it!

I'm having my trousers sewn up by a sister in the Branch. She said she didn't think it would be much of a problem. I'm thankful that is also FREE. I think you just get blessed with FREE things when your on you mission. Like the way I had my nice new metal pedals bashed by chavs with hammers or something, maybe bricks, but they were battered and then the member fixing my bike got me new plastic pedals for FREE. So...it's okay. Elder Walker's bike wasn't fixable so he got a new one. It's way nice. We immediately went and sprayed his bike black instead of leaving it bright red! I rode it for a little bit and it's a way nice ride!!!! So now he bombs it down the paths and leaves me in the dust.

By the way, on another note, I just found out from a member that they get free international calling, so for a backup if I can not call using that card then I'll still be able to go to their house for the call. But I'm sure when it gets closer we will have everything sorted out!

Well, I think that's it! I'm going to go enjoy myself at the RAF museum and take loads of pictures so I can burn a picture CD later on today and send that with all the videos as well!

So I'm doing fine. I'm starting to break out my long johns now a days because of the cold rain that keeps falling from the sky! Anyways, I'm alive and well and still with Elder Walker! I love Wolverhampton. It's a lot like living in Schenectady, up on the hill! That's what all of Wolverhampton is like! It's an acquired taste, but what are you gonna do!

Hey, by the way Dad, I ate octopus the other day! I thought you'd be proud of me! A little chewy but not too too bad! I'll send you the video of me eating it!

Alright- give my regards to the family and the ward. And tell the missionaries that I have no sympathy for them. I've been riding a bike since day 1!!!

I love you all!

Elder Brett Brooksby

I'm still In Wolverhampton!

In short I'm not being transferred and I'm sticking around here for the next couple transfers I think! So, not much is new. I have run out of time. We got to the library late and I don't know if I will be able to come back here later on in the day to write more. Sorry for the disappointment. I'll do my best to tell you as much as possible in the next three minutes. So, again my bike is broken and this time it’s the whole back end. Luckily for me there is a member who is doing the surgery on my bike so I won’t have to do it without the right tools. I tell you that’s really frustrating to have a bike that isn’t working right. The member said he knows where to go and get really discounted parts so I'm really lucky for that!

Go ahead and send my package. I'm still at the same address!

Love, Elder Brooksby

Hello!

YES!!! I've made it to my 6 month mark!!!! And wow it flew by. I NEVER knew time to fly as fast as it has!!! How fast will I be at my year mark? It's crazy really to think the next big step is a year!!!!! The time we have here is really short! It said that in PMG but I didn't believe that was true, and looking at it now I can see the truth that it really held!

So I guess at 6 months I'm getting into the swing of things pretty good now and looking at the things I can improve on. It's really awesome to be out here!! Plus the cold weather is moving in and the cold rain is starting so England will be some fun times soon!!!!

Mom thanks for the addresses and the recipes and for the packages. By the way your Christmas package is in the post and should be there in a week or two. You can open it just to re-wrap them for Christmas, or just keep them in the box for Christmas or whatever you want to do (have them now) I'm not picky ;)

Concerning Christmas - I will have to call home so I'll get an international calling card. I can also call Erin and Grandma and whom ever else, as long as they are family! So that's how that will work. I'll have to call probably at 5:00pm here which would be 12:00 or 1:00pm there, so that's what I'm planning on doing.

I love you all I hope your doing well, and I'll talk to you again next week!

Love, Elder Brooksby

Hello to all my family!

So this message will be to several different parts of the family, so get ready for the sermon!

To my dearest little sister Lauren, of which I have not heard anything from in the last I dont know probably 4 months....I know not how you are doing and do surely desire to find out the cause of such lack of communication. For surely as I liveth I will continue to write mine epistle to my family only if they will then in return send an epistle back.

To the boisterous and strong laddie, Jared! You're alright! I haven't heard from you in ages!!! I don't know if it's just that in the last few months you haven't found 5 min. to write your brother a letter idk But I'm not bitter because I was warned and forewarned that at about 6 months out I would cease receving post of anykind from everyone inculding family. But that's okay - you stopped at about 4 months so I don't have to worry about not getting post from you at the 6 month mark. Anyways feel free to write me before I come home at the 18 month mark!

Erin, I havent heard too much from just because of your business. But I hope you got the letter I sent with the loads of airmail stickers on them. Haha. It was way fun putting all of those on. I didn't actually know if they would be able to send it to you but I hope that you have been able to get the card I sent you for your birthday! I have plans for Christmas already in the works ;) Anyways I hope your doing well! And no, by the way I have not gotten any of the post you sent. It's probably all at my last flat. Except there is no one there anymore because the missionaries who were there got ET'd. So it's probably in a huge pile of post for me! Okay maybe just one or two letters.... Take care with all that you do in Logan I hope everything continues to be well!

Mom, I love the e-mails, and yes the pictures came through. I'm thankful for the weekly e-mails, and the Halloween post, and all such gifts from the family. They are greatly appriciated. And from the lack of post that I get I'm glad to hear the updates you put in about Jared and Lauren becuase most of their lives have been lost to me. It is only through your telling me about them in the e-mails that I get to hear anything about them. Anyways Mom I put up the Halloween decorations and the Fall decorations and the magnets and all such items! I also shared my Halloween candy with Elder Walker! I thank you for being such a good e-mailing mom and I'm sure it helps to have my laptop to push that along ;) I love you!

Dad, I'm glad to continue to recieve post from you, and the maple leaves you sent :) I'm also glad to get those snipits of your journal. I love hearing about you mission so I can compare it to mine. I'm also glad to be updated on the things that happen around the house and work and all that sort of thing. I'm glad that when you read my e-mail you don't start to cry. I'm glad you proud of me and excited for me becuase each new day is another excitement when you're riding your bike through the tiny streets of England! Anyways I'm glad your doing well. I pray everyday that you back holds up with all that yard work that you have said you have done. I pray that you will be okay and not injure yourself too much doing that, since I'm not around to help you out with the load of things to be done! I love you and I'm glad your doing well!

I love my family and I'm glad your all doing well! I'm doing just as good as I could be and we will leave it at that! I love the Lord and this work! And I would not be anywhere else. And while it is hard to be away from friends, and they miss you, and all sorts of others things will come up I'd not give up this short time for what I'm doing right now! I love you and I'll see you in a year and a half!

Love Elder Brooksby

P.S. I entered the MTC on the 14th of May and that is when my time started counting. So on the 14th of November it will be 6 months!

A few pictures and not much else

Well I'm going to atempt to send you some pictures that way you can know how I'm doing until Christmas rolls around. Okay, well here we go again I hope this time the e-mail window doesn't close and cause me to lose all my work.

So in the first picture we have a picture of me with one of the families who looked out for us the most. They are probably one of my favorite families so far in my mission.

The next picture is of one of my recent converts who we called on late at night and he'd been asleep because he was shattered from work and came outside to take a picture with me but I dont think his eyes could cope with the bright flash and he looks like he is still asleep....

So this is all the new pictures I have for you. I suppose it will have to do until I send home my Christmas presents with 2 hours of videos clips from my missionary life.

I love you all. I'm glad your having fun raking leaves and all sorts of fun stuff! I'm doing well also (except the minor bicycle crash Elder Walker and I had where I must have torn something in the top of my foot leaving a substantial bruise and Elder Walkers rim on his bike cracked and bent....) But I'll get over it and everything will be back to normal soon! Hope everyone continues to be well and happy!

Love Elder Brooksby :)

Holiday – what’s that? England doesn't have holidays!

Okay so here we go. SO… Today we are heading into town and we are going to be going shopping there and so I think with some of the sales I've heard about from JJB. I was looking at getting Jared an early Christmas present. That way he'd have some time to sport what I'm getting him, or maybe just dress up like it for Halloween. But yea, I'm buying Christmas presents now and I'll wait till the end of the month to send them though.

Hmm what else – ohhh, we were able to help bring two more souls into the fold this last weekend. That is always an exciting thing to be able to participate in. It was a mother and her eight year-old son. So it was really good.

Church was also great. And we have also had I think like 3 or 4 members willing to come out with us teaching. And this time being here I think there has not been one prayer where someone hasn't at some point mentioned how they are thankful for the missionaries here and the efforts that are being put forth to help strengthen the branch and help the church grow! It’s really awesome - they all love missionary work!

What else, hmmmm ohhhh I've been doing some hardcore off-roading here in Wolverhampton. And I have been getting really, really muddy. And my trousers - ohhhh they are really bad as well! Luckily I have two pairs of trousers so one pair stays nice and the other pair is for everything else. I think the way I can solve some of the problem is by upgrading the pair of mudguards I have on my bike. That way there would be a considerably less percentage of splatter on my trousers. But I still love off-roading. It’s probably the best part of my day just going through all sorts of dirt and mud!!! It makes me proud to own a mountain bike that actually gets used for what it was made for! YOU SHOULD try it some time. Just go out and get plastered with mud in your face on your jacket, your shoes get totally covered in it and your trousers are in need of a good dry clean! It’s way fun until you have to sit in it the rest of the day.....oh well, I love it!

What else....I have some pictures I'm going to be sending home here soon. I just have to go to Pop's (he's a member) and get my pictures transferred over to one of the microSD cards. Then you can have pictures. I'm also starting a new tape to send home so that should be done in about a month, with about a months worth of stuff on it. I guess it will also be a good Christmas present! Ohhh, and no, England doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving or any other holiday really. Although Halloween is becoming quite big out here! (go figure, free candy).

To answer your question – yes, our flat that I live in now is quite Posh! It is way nicer and way better than the one I was last in. By the way, yes, Elder Walker was there before me.

Well Mom and Dad I have to go. My time is up and as much as I would like to continue to answer your questions I can not go on. So just know there is more I will include on the next tape you get ;) I love you all, and I pray for you everyday. I love the Lord and this work and everyday I'm learning more and more how to rely on him. I have his arm to lean on when I need direction. I'm glad everyone over there is doing well. Keep me updated on family and friends. Especially Patrick’s mission call, which should be just around the corner.

Tra butt! -Elder Brooksby

TRANSFER DODGE

AND NOW A DRUMROLL FOR THE DODGE!
Yes, unless you have not yet been able to figure out - I’ve been transferred to Wolverhampton which is quite a bit smaller than Sheldon was. I’m in a Branch of 60 or so, which isn’t bad because in Sheldon we only usually averaged 80 so it’s about the same. But I haven’t been to church yet.

My new Companion is pretty cool. He's from Calgary, Canada. He’s from a big family of 11 kids! His name is Elder David Walker. He is my Senior companion and so far it seems like we will get along great! Well, I have to go now I'll talk more next week I hope :)

What have we heard about Patrick and his interview with the Stake President? I guess the biggest question is ARE HIS PAPERS IN? When they are, I will be content and I won’t stay up all night wondering. Also let me know how James is doing with preparation for his mission to Florida. That would also be great!

I love you a ton too. I'm being good, working hard, and having fun.

Elder Brett Brooksby

It is Absolutely Chucking it Down!

Yes, chucking it down. You may wonder what it is that is being chucked? Well I guess it's the water from the sky, commonly known as rain! Today on the way to the library to do e-mails it began to "chuck it down" and with no waterproof trousers yet I'm soaked. And I will continue to be throughout the end of shopping today. I have to buy an all-you-mini-um pan (as they say) to bake the crumb cake you sent me in. What else seems to be new? not too much....

Rain, rain, all the time. It never goes away except the last two weeks in which we had an Indian summer. The best weather I have ever seen in my life was the last two weeks. It must have been in the 70's and sunny all the day and very very few clouds. So that was our Indian summer. Now it's back to cold and wet and some more cold :)

MOM I'M IN A WARD. It seems like that has been the question you keep asking since I came out here to England 4 months ago.... Yes Sheldon is a Ward! And all of General Conference will be taped and re watched by us, the members of any England Stake because of the time difference being so great! I think we get to watch one session live, but other than that I'm not sure seeing as how I'm new to this whole mission thing....

Although I'm still in my greeny area I now know I'm not classified as a greeny anymore. I guess I'm just another missionary.

Well I'm working my hardest and doing my best. I'm tired today but I just can't be bovered (commonly known as bothered, they just say it with a V instead of a TH) and fingy. Well I have to go now my time is up! Tell Dad I liked his representation of what he thought my day was like and next week he'll get a letter comprised of what my day actually consists of.

Well Tra Mate!

Love Elder Brooksby

Where's Dad?

So it's been a few weeks now and all I have gotten is a few mentions of dad over the last few e-mails. While it is nice to get post, and yes I do like it, dad can still send e-mail if he wants to. Anyways, thanks for sending my insoles. I haven't gotten them yet but I expect that I will in the next couple of weeks or whenever someone from the zone goes to the mission home. That is the problem with sending it to the mission home, I don't get the package for a few weeks. But at the same time it's better than me getting some note saying they were unable to drop off my package and want me to come pick it up at some post office far from my flat.

So anyways, what was this I hear that some girl was calling our house looking for my address!?!?! hmmm I like post from Girls....It's nice to be able to brag to your companion who always gets at least two letters a day that you have some girl who will write you! The situation would go something like this:

Setting: Birmingham England
Place: 12 Waterloo Rd.
Background: the post has just gotten drooped through the mail slot!
Elder Brooksby: POST!!!!!!!
Elder Rose: Give me my Post! It's probably all for me!
Elder Brooksby: It's always for you, all I get is referrals from the office....
Elder Rose: One letter, Two letters, 3 Letters and a small package!!!!
Elder Brooksby: Yes I got something!
Elder Rose: Who's it from?
Elder Brooksby: It's from A GIRL! BOOYAZ!!!!
Elder Rose: A Girl!?! ( a little upset that a girl would be writing him)
Elder Brooksby: True Live! It's from the opposite Gender!!!!!
Elder Rose: ooooooo
Elder Brooksby: I know.....I can barley hold in my excitement!
Narrator: Elder Rose quickly begins to read his letters as if not bothered that he didn't get post from any girls and hasn't for quite some time but continually looks up from time to time and makes faces at the all too happy Elder Brooksby!
Elder Rose: How was the letter!?
Elder Brooksby: Excellent I DO certainly enjoy those kind of letters!
Elder Rose: Well there was this girl who said she'd write me too!
Elder Brooksby: And has she?
Elder Rose: No, only my family writes me.
Elder Brooksby: My dad writes me and my mom occasionally. I think they are looking for that happy medium but, I wasn't expecting any girls to write me. And ohhh what joy it does bring to my soul when I do get post like that!
Narrator: Elder Rose gets up and leaves the room. Elder Brooksby then re-reads his letter and cherishes it and immediately plans on what to write back next P-day!

The End!

SO yea it goes like that in the missionary world. I love getting post from home and from girls! It just makes me feel loved and gives me that extra boost in the morning to go out and run around and talk to everyone and convert the World!!!!! OK maybe not, but I do love post when I get it!

As far as the flat goes. Yes, I have an oven so I can use that for my insoles and I also got my Elections letter and I sent that back.

Well I have to go now. I hope everything is good at home. I love you both Mom and Dad (Dad I'm glad to have gotten your letter. I liked the journal thing, it was a good idea). I'm glad that the whole family is doing well. Yes encourage every young man at home to serve a mission. You'll probably hear something in Sacrament meeting in the next few weeks pertaining to that because I plan on writing the Bishop today! Anyways I have to go, time's up. I hope you enjoyed this edition on Elder Brooksby's Missionary Life!

Role Play done by Elder Brooksby ;)

No e-mail ):

We got no e-mail from Brett today. However, after reading on the missionary moms
e-mail site it sounds like he had a zone football (soccer) game today. There were approximately 100 missionaries playing football. Some other moms that had heard from their kids said it was great fun!

Wet!? You Can't Even Imagine How Wet!

Yes, the last few weeks have been pretty wet and tiresome! It has been almost a constant downpour for the last few weeks and yes I am totally wet. And seeing as how my trousers don't have a water proof lining they often get wet, then stick to my legs because of the wetness, and then all sorts of uncomfortable things happen next. Sooo, I'm out to get some rain trousers to keep me dry which in turn means I'll be warm :) Anyways one thing I have realized that I do need is inserts like those that I have in my brown Vans. I guess in the mean time I will just be wearing my boots and my other pair of Ecco's, which are top notch by the way! Those Ecco's were the least comfortable to break in, and the most comfortable on the earth to tract in and do everything else in!

Anyways so I think that's it still and I'm sending you a package today that has a few little things from England in it and there will be a letter in the post as well. Well I have to go. Sorry this has been a short letter but I hope the Post will make up for it :) You'll love it!

Hello mudduh hello fathuh

It's been raining a lot this week, so yes, your estimations that it would be raining here were correct! There's just nothing like tracting for 6 hours in the rain because your teaching pool is not very big anymore after baptizing all the people in your teaching pool. So last week I got word from the Elders I served with in SLC South that one of the ladies I got to teach with them got baptized.

Now like I said we just have to build up that teaching pool and that means we need to start to tract even further away from our flat. Which means probably taking a train out to a different part of our area and then staying there all day while we tract.

Now to answer some more of those questions:
The Camelbak! It is wonderful. It can carry my rain jacket, my scriptures, and my umbrella and also all the water to keep me going all throughout the day! What a wonderful choice to have! However, even though it is nice it is not a shoulder bag so it is harder to get you Restoration pamphlets out or the Plan of Salvation pamphlets out of. But that would be the only downside. And a lot of missionaries do use them, so I'd recommend them to those leaving on missions soon!

The rain gear is wonderful. That one rain jacket we bought from Missionary Mall works good because it's easy to pack with you and it is also very water proof and keeps you dry and warm as a result. I haven't had to break out my trench coat yet but I have used my rubbers and my boots. So all in all, my rain gear is working out alright for me :)

The Fall - I guess you could say that it is starting to come....it gets dark like black dark at about 4:00 pm. and makes tracting feel like it's going all night, and it just makes you more tired I think. Then you also have to have lights on your bikes and all sorts of reflective gear, so that's good but you always have to have your lights with you after lunch because you won't come home till dinner at 5:00 pm. when it's already dark. Yes, it is getting colder but still no snow yet so it's not as cold as NY yet.

Dinner appointments have to be finished with by 6:00 pm now which makes it incredibly difficult to be fed by anyone in the ward, but those are the rules and we are blessed if we follow those rules! Although we are still getting fed by a couple in the ward 2X a week, so I guess we still get fed.

Well that's all the questions I have to answer. Things are going well here in Sheldon. Especially because we are baptizing, and we got a Sheldon B Companionship now so Sheldon B helps out cover our area, which is quite huge. So - I'm doing great and all I can say is I love post but haven't gotten any in a week and my companion gets some every day, so it's kinda difficult because of that - but you know, what can I do about it?

Anyways, I love you all and I'm glad to hear about things from home. I'm glad you tasted 16 miles of bike riding. Now just do that every day and tack on another 9 miles onto that and that's what I've been riding recently so I guess you kind of understand how I feel!

Ho humm....the fun that is transfers

Sorry for the lateness of my writing you all, but like I mentioned before, I got a new companion because of transfers. His name is Elder Rose. He has been out in the field for eight months. He is from Roseville, California.

To answer your question - I love both post and e-mail. However, if I had to choose one it would be post and I'll tell you why. Post is something someone took time to write out and stick in a letter and send to me at my home, and I can read it not only on P-days but other days as well. Plus it is also more personal feeling to receive. So, I like e-mail but I prefer post better.

Well, I have got a baptism on September 5th. But that might get moved because there is a conflict with another ward activity.

I just got a package from the Maughans with American Starbursts in it along with American Skittles and Sweetarts!!!

Anyway I have to get going now, my times up. I'll write to you again in a few days. It will be on Tuesday this time because it’s going to be just a normal week.

I love you and continue to pray things are well over there. And all I need from you is the recipe for chocolate chip cookies and homemade maple syrup. If you could e-mail those it would be great!

Cheers Mi Duck, Tra, Tada, Cheerio, Cheers butt, alright butt, and as the Muslims here say - Peace Be Upon You :-)

You've got questions and I've got answers....

First off this week has been quite busy with a baptism on Friday that went great, and another projection for baptism on september the 5th. There is this man we met and he's from Jamaica and he went to our church there in Jamaica and was so close to being baptized but...then he moved over here to England so instead of us finding him he actually contacted us and now we are teaching him and getting read to baptise him!It's great! We also recived a referal for a girl and we are teaching her and her partner and they probably will be baptized, which is great.

The bike riding is good I guess. My legs are building and actually I have enormous calf muscels now I was just looking at them and they are ripped out....it's a wonder I dont walk funny.

So you know that lock I was talking about that I bought, yea it stopped working and now I have to buy a new one and because it had started to rust, and I'd only used it for 2 months. The store wouldn't refund me my money so now I have a chinsey lock until I can go today to Halfords and buy a new lock that might actually last this time! But I have to get one today because if I don't I'm sure you can bet £60.00 that it will be gone in an instant at some point this week. And because I'm so early in my mission I'd rather replace my lock that the whole bike itself....I think you can understand that as well.

My trousers (not pants those are underwear) are holding in there for at least another month, but we'll see when it come to 6 months how much extra thread they have in them because of my horrible stiching job.

Thank you all for the scriptures and the updates, and Mom I'm going to send you a tape so don't worry all your questions will be answered then. I just have to finish the tape first but finding time is the hardest thing to do. I love you all and I'm proud to hear I have a sister who graduated BYU with honours (English spelling). Hope you continue to have fun. I'm doing my best out here, you can be sure of that.

Love, Elder Brett Brooksby

The Latest from Brett - Aug. 12, 2008

We received an email from Brett this morning. He says,

"...the Mission has been going well. We have a baptism this weekend and that is going to be great! There is also going to be a "Feast" afterwards, or at least that's what the person we are baptizing said! The whole family is Irish and they couldn't be a more happy and loving group of people! The Irish are just funny, merry people all the time....although with their red hair they are famous for an awful temper....so that has been rewarding. We have had an awesome referral come to us for a man who is Jamaican and has met with the missionaries before and was really close to being baptized ... but moved and had lost contact with the church for 7 years. He wants badly to get addicted to the Book of Mormon again and wants to go back to church! So all in all, so far we are working with some really great people!"

We also learned that Brett bought some hair clippers to save money on haircuts. We're not sure who is doing the clipping, but it could be interesting.

Also as a reward for achieving the "standard of excellence" for the month, their whole zone got to go to a Nando's for lunch. Apparently they serve some very spicy chicken there.

Two new scriptures Brett likes are 2 Nephi 29:6-10 and Mosiah 2:22-24.

As always, it was great to hear from him and see how he is growing. As he said: "A mission ... will bless you more that you could ever want!"

Well that's England for ya!

Brett e-mailed yesterday and said that the missionary work in Sheldon is “wonderfully tiresome!” He also said that it's been 78-86 degrees and very humid there. He also said something that Michelle discovered on her mission to Costa Rica – why they tell you to bring handkerchiefs. Brett said “it's not for blowing your nose...but rather for wiping off the almost continual sweat that spouts from the top of your forehead, then drips down your face, into your eyes and mouth, then down your front.” Brett said that he's sure he's lost a few pounds in bike riding and sweat! Brett also had his first Zone Conference. They went to Bimbos Farm, Gadfield Elm Chapel, and Herefordshire Beacon. I googled those places and it was fun to see what they looked like. He also got to play dodge ball and table tennis while at Zone Conference.

Happy Tuesday

We got a snail mail letter from Brett on Monday, and an e-mail on Tuesday. What fun! He was able to baptize an eighteen year old girl on July 18th. He was very excited about that. He said that he is in the Sheldon area. He told us that he thinks his companion is Lance Armstrong because he bikes so fast. However, he did say that he managed to keep up with him for about 20 minutes recently so he must be getting stronger. He said that he's sleeping really well at night and that morning comes too quickly. Some "chaps" have already tried to steal his new bike. We're hoping that his lock is as substantial as he thinks it is. He said that he's had proper Shephard's Pie and Yorkshire Pudding and that they're feeding him well. He said " I'm still being good, working hard, and having fun along with that!"

Brett's Mission Plaque

I took pictures of Brett's plaque in the case at church. Unfortunately I didn't do it before they'd taken Eric's down. Oh well!

Missionary Life is The Life!

We got an e-mail from Brett today. He mentions how busy he is, and how hard it is to find time to write letters. He's also discovered that Sundays are not really days of rest. He said that in addition to the 15-20 miles that they usually ride they also add some referrals to stop by on. That means they sometimes hit 25 miles of bike riding on a Sunday.

He also said that he bought bicycle lights because they are required and spray paint so that no one would “nick” his bike. He said “Now I know that you're thinking 'what the heck does nick mean'? Well it means the same thing as pinch, both mean to steal. Theft is a huge problem here and because you live in the city bicycles are prime objects to steal and then sell for drugs or just to use because they are easy to get around on. So we are sanding off the nice stickers on my bike (his brand new bike) and painting it a nasty pastel light green color with random stripes on it. It will be really disgusting and easy to spot if someone steals it.”

He said that missionary work is going well. They have a baptism planned for this Friday. He said that they've been blessed with people to teach for which he's grateful because when they're busy teaching the time flies by.

Brett also said that he was sending us a CD with pictures. When we get it we'll put some of them on the blog as well.

He ends by saying: “I'm being good, I'm working hard, and because of that I'm having fun!”

July 8, 2008

We got a short e-mail from Brett. He said that he didn't have much time and that the e-mail was extremely slow. He and his companion have a baptism, which Brett was excited about and the work seems to be going along well. He did get a new bike. We hope it makes it easier to do his 10-20 miles a day.

Brett's Getting a New Bike

We got an e-mail from Brett on Tuesday, July 1st. He says that he is going to get a new bike. He'd been given one by a member but it was too small for him. He said when he peddled his knees hit his chest. He was going to a large mall in the center of Birmingham called the Bull Ring. He said that we here would be considered posh with our washer and dryer, two cars, and a two car garage. He said that people think he's from NYC when he says he's from New York. He says the missionary work is going well and he's learning to love the people. He also said he appreciates all a good bishop does to help with missionary work. Brett said it was LDS Helping Hands day last Saturday and he dug up stones and all sorts of weeds then large bushes and then he planted new plants for a total of four hours of work!!!! He said it was crazy but not very hot so it was okay!

You're Alright!

We got another letter from Brett today. This time it was an aerogram which took a mere 3 days to reach our home from England. Brett it still doing very well and enjoying the work. He's teaching about 14 people right now. He has commented that with Tea being a big part of English culture, it's a challenge to convince people to break that habit. He has confessed that he's doing a LOT more bike riding than he was ever used to before - like 10-20 miles per day. He said his legs feel like rubber sometimes and that it is very tiring, but that his legs are getting stronger. (All I can say is we did warn him.)

He said the standard greeting he gets when he meets people is "You're alright." This is stated as a greeting, not a question. Hence the title of this post.

First E-mail from Birmingham

Well today is P-day and well I'm both excited and still exhausted, as you might expect. I think I may still be 4 hours behind instead of the 7 I was behind by. Today we are mailing from the library because that is the closest place where we can use computers. It's about a half mile away. The library its self is very, very old, as you might have guessed. The city I'm in is Birmingham and it is one of the largest cities I have ever lived in. It is not the size of New York City at all, but it is still a sight to see. The homes are all really old and you have both the posh and the really poor. There are all sorts of people here. We have the largest population of Pakistanis in the world outside of Pakistan. Then there are the Polish people, there are loads of Polish here and most of them still don't speak English very well so it is hard when you go tracting to tract into them and share a message with them. Then we have Hungarians, Romanians and all sorts of Muslim people and there are even a few African Jamaicans and then you have the other original English people. As you might be able to tell there is a lot of diversity! It's a big melting pot because there is a little bit of everything. Oh, and the people here in England love Americans! They think it is so cool to meet Americans and they think you know all the famous people like 50 cent and other people like that, so basically they idolize you. Then the icing on th cake is I said I'm from New York and their eyes just widen and they think oh, New York City. They have no concept of an upper state even being there, all they can think of is the city. It's kinda cool. I try and explain it to them but they just cannot get it. Well the food here is good. I already have a dinner appointment (D.A.) where we had chicken tika marsala, or however you say that. It was my First D.A. since being here. I still have yet to have fish and chips, but the members here are very quick to offer you squash, sweets and biscuits. Ok, ok - I know your wondering what's with the Squash. It's a sort of juice they have here that is better than any other juice I have ever had in my life. It's very concentrated so you pour in 1/10 of this concentrated juice and then 9/10 water, or aqua as they say here. A lot of things over here contain aqua not water....go figure. Anyway the language is different. The Brummies have a very thick accent and sometimes it is hard to understand them. Often I just have to look at my companion and ask him what they just said. My companion has been out for 18 months and has spent half of his mission in Wales. He is very good. We still have to look at the map seeing as how he was only in the area 2 weeks previous to me being here. But we manage to find our way around this big city. He is from Indiana and is a really hard worker! By the way, I don't think that I will be spending any money on a bike right now because one of the members said he will give me a bike for free, which is very nice of him!
Well I have to go soon because we have to get back. I have a Safari Park adventure to go to with some of the members right now!!! I'm excited! It's in Dudley. By the way, on Sunday we confirmed a recent baptism. We also have a baptism set for the 4th of July. We just committed her to a baptismal date yesterday after we finished teaching her!!! We hope to have 2 more next week!
Things are going very well here. I love England even though I'm very tired all the time. I think I'll make it!!!
Glad to hear your all doing well there. I love you and miss you.
Love,
Elder Brett Brooksby

Next Stop - Birmingham

Looks like Brett got to Paris in time for lunch. That is, if he can figure out how to ask for it!

Here's where Elder Brooksby is Serving Right Now!

That's right... The Delta Flight 170 mission :-) His "companion" is Sister Moffat. Probably the only female companion he'll ever have. (Ok, she's the mission president's wife.) After a stopover in Paris, he'll be on to Birmingham.

Brett Leaves Tomorrow Night

I just spoke to the person in charge of Brett's travel. He said that Brett will be leaving at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow on a non-stop flight from SLC to Paris, France. From there he will fly to Birmingham, England. He also said that Brett will be traveling with the mission president's wife. She had been in Utah attending either a marriage or funeral, he couldn't remember which one. So Brett will be picked up in Birmingham by the mission president when he comes to pick-up his wife. Hopefully we'll get to talk to him from the airport before he leaves.

Brett Got His Visa!!!

Brett just e-mailed us and said that he got his visa. He said that he will be leaving before the end of this week for England. I'm so happy that he actually gets to go there. He said that he can call from the airport, but since we don't know when he's leaving, actually getting that phone call is iffy.

E-mail from Utah Salt Lake City South Mission President

We got an e-mail from Brett's temporary mission president letting us know that he is there and all is well. They included this picture.

Brett's Out in the Mission Field

We just got an e-mail from Brett today (Tuesdays must be p-day now) and he said that he's in a trio with Elder Bonoan (who has been out 10 months) and Elder Rameriez (who has been out 21 months). He said that he'd sleeping on an air mattress with borrowed sheets (he was going to buy them once he reached England). He said that they currently have no investigators, but that they're hoping to fix that. His companionship has a red mazda 3, which is good because he'd also supposed to buy his bike in England. He is very excited to be doing missionary work. He also said that he had a black widow spider just outside the door to his apartment that they had to kill. Sounds like he's in for a great time.

Today Brett leaves the MTC

Brett headed to the Salt Lake City South mission today. We haven't heard from him, but when we do we'll keep you posted as to where he is and what he's up to.

Salt Lake City South Mission For Now???

We got a 10 minute telephone call from Brett this afternoon. He was allowed to call to let us know that he will be leaving on Monday for a temporary assignment in the Salt Lake City South Mission. He will stay there until his visa comes or.... He seems to be in good spirits and I think he is just happy at this point to be going somewhere that isn't the MTC. I'm sure the referral center gets boring day after day, just as anything would. He also said that he thought he'd be able to call us when and if he finally heads to England.

The Latest - 06/05/2008

We haven't posted much lately, but here's what we know. We've received a couple of letters and e-mails from Brett. He is still in the Provo MTC, but that could change this week. The district he was with all left the MTC this week so that was a bit hard for him; hard to say good-bye and hard to not be going somewhere as well. He has survived it well however. He did get his biometric imaging done so his visa is "in the works". He will likely be getting a temporary assignment that will allow him to go to work in some field, somewhere. "I'll go where you want me to go, Dear Lord" comes to mind. We're hoping the visa comes before the end of the month. Brett has not let any grass grow under his feet while in the MTC. He has been an asset to his district and companion and has taught a lesson or two via phone in the referral center! Way to go Brett!

What will I be doing?

Brett hasn't been able to do his biometric imaging yet. They didn't get his passport in time. However, I think they went yesterday so I'll hope they were able to do it. That is the only thing holding them up in his re-application for a visa. All of his district leave this coming Tuesday. We aren't sure what will happen with Brett yet. Keep him in your prayers!

I've been at the MTC for 5 days

May 18, 2008

Dear Mom, Dad, Jared, and Lauren,

I’ve been at the MTC for 5 days now and have been the most busy I have ever been in my entire life. The sleep you get feels like just enough to get you through until the end of the day. Sitting in class for four to five hours is a new experience all together.

My companion’s name is Elder Touli. He is originally from Samoa, but he grew up in Los Angeles, CA. He still speaks fluent Samoan. He’s a really great elder.

I have a great district with three sets of Elders and two sets of sisters. Our teachers are really great! Brother Petersen and Sister Billings and both return missionaries and are great at teaching us the gospel and how to plan our days. I share a room with Elder Winslow and Elder Ball. Both are great. Most of my District is going to Seattle, WA with the exception of Sister Lewis (who got here a week early and is going to Catania, Italy) and Sister Smith and Sister Sykes who are going to Melbourne, Australia.

I have been reading the scriptures and praying a lot. Preach My Gospel is a great book, but right now I like reading True to the Faith. Tell Jared to read the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel so that when he gets to the MTC he’ll be ready for everything.

The MTC is great! The food is like BYU-Idaho’s. I’m learning a lot as well as growing a lot and I know I’m here to do the Lord’s work.

I love and miss you all,

Elder Brett Brooksby

I'm Alive!

Hey Mom and Dad,

It’s P-day and I figured I'd write you an email so I only have 22 minutes to do this. I wanted to let you know I'm having a great time at the MTC and I love my District, even though it took some getting used to. I'm sitting in the laundry room right now waiting for my laundry to dry and then later today I'm going to the Provo temple! I'm learning a lot here, and lesson one in Preach my Gospel is a lot of hard work! My favorite so far has been the RC or the referral center where you can talk on phones to try and place Books of Mormon or follow up with people! It’s sooo much fun! Tell Jared to start loving PMG (Preach my Gospel) because it will become your best friend here at the MTC.

Everything else here is wonderful. I'm singing in the MTC choir and that is sooo powerful!!! The spirit is sooo cool the way that it works inside you! The whole spirit here is wonderful. You are always on a spiritual high and I just love that! I'm finding out that there is just not enough hours in the day to do all things I want to do and that work is really hard long exhausting work here but I love it!!!

Well I only have a few more minutes so I have to go, but I love and miss you all!!! Keep working hard and having a good time at home! Tell everyone I'd doing well and I love the work! Be Good, Work Hard, and Have Fun :)

Love, Elder Brett Brooksby

Brett's First Full Day in the MTC

Erin and Justin took Brett to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) yesterday. My mom and dad didn't end up going to the MTC at all. Brett was the first missionary to arrive. They were able to get great pictures which I'm waiting to see. Erin said that Justin logged into his MTC account as a teacher and saw Brett's companion's name. She said that it looked like he was Samoan. We haven't heard anything from Brett yet, so don't really know anything. They thought the companion was going to Seattle. We'll see.

Today's REALLY the Day

This morning at 11AM MDT, Brett check's in. Erin and his grandparents will probably be there with him. He safely arrived in SLC last night and Erin picked him up. She was planning to have him tucked in by 10:30PM and up at 6:30AM today. They were even a bit reluctant to let Brett talk to us on his arrival. After all, he is a missionary now and shouldn't be calling home you know.

Today's the Day

This morning at 7:00 a.m. we went to the church after seminary so that the Stake President could set Brett apart as a missionary. So I officially have a missionary son! We'll go pick-up Lauren and Jared at 11:30 a.m. and head to the airport. Ray and Robin are going to go with us and Helen said she might try to meet us there. Sharon Maughan is also going to try to come. I can't believe it has really happened. Brett get's into SLC at 7:00 p.m. I think that my mom and dad as well as Tammy will be there. Brett will spend the night at Erin's and then to the MTC at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. This is so exciting. If only we knew where he would be serving. Oh well, we'll know in time.

Tomorrow He Leaves!

I simply can not believe that Brett is leaving tomorrow. He will be set apart at 7:00 a.m. by President Standage. We will leave for the airport at 11:30 a.m. for him to catch the 1:45 p.m. flight to JFK. From there he flies to SLC. He will arrive at 7:00 p.m. Erin will pick him up at the airport. We managed to get everything into two suitcases, but it was a TIGHT squeeze. The bigger of the suitcases weighs 49 lbs. The smaller one weighs 42 lbs. Tonight for FHE Helen and Ray and Robin were here. Glen gave Brett a father's blessing. What a wonderful night it's been.

Provo MTC!

We just spoke with Brett Morrison at the COB. He said that Brett will now fly to the Provo MTC. He will leave here TUESDAY and enter on Wednesday, May 14th. He will spend 3 weeks there while awaiting his visa. If he gets his visa he'll fly to the UK. If he doesn't he will probably go to the Dublin Ireland mission where he will wait for his visa. If he is unable to get a visa into the UK he will serve his entire mission in Ireland. WOW! My head is spinning. He leaves two days earlier than expected, he's going to the Provo MTC, and he might serve in another mission altogether. The good news is he's going more or less as scheduled rather than having to wait some more.

DISASTER!

Brett just received an e-mail saying that his visa appeal has been denied. He is supposed to be leaving a week from today. We called the Brett Morrison at the Church Office Building, but he isn't in yet. At this point I have one frustrated boy, and a whole lot of unanswered questions. Brett is supposed to speak at the Aaronic Priesthood outing on Friday night about going on a mission. He is also speaking in Sacrament meeting on Sunday, which will be a challenge if he still doesn't know what he's doing by then. We can only hope for a miracle.

Where Oh Where is Brett's Visa?

I got a call from Brett Morrison in the Church Office Building. He's over British missionary travel. He asked if we'd received Brett's visa yet. I told him that we hadn't. He said that they had faxed requesting information, but hadn't heard anything. Other Elders going on May 16th have already received their visa. I think both the church travel and myself are getting nervous that we still haven't received it. I also found out that Brett is the only missionary traveling from JFK. All the other ones are going from Atlanta. I was so hoping that Brett would be able to travel with someone else. The missionaries from Atlanta get in at 9:30 a.m. and Brett arrives at 10:10 a.m. I just hope they remember to wait for him.

Fourteen Days and Counting!

Brett leaves fourteen days from today. It feels like we've been waiting forever. Tomorrow is his last day working at Price Chopper. Saturday is the Glenville Ward temple trip and we're all going. It will be one of the last things we do as a family. I keep hoping we've done all we need to to be ready, or that if we haven't we'll remember in time to do them. On Friday, May 9th Ray and Robin Brooksby are coming. That night Brett is speaking at the Aaronic Priesthood campout. The next evening we are having an openhouse for Brett. The next day (which is Mother's Day) Brett speaks in sacrament meeting. Monday, May 11th we'll have our last FHE together. Tuesday we're all going to Evan and Suzanne's house to celebrate Stacy's adoption. Wednesday Lauren has a concert and Brett gets set apart. Thursday Brett leaves. WOW! We're at the point in time where there seems to be something each day. We're excited and I know he's ready!

The Next Transfer is Brett's

I just realized that the next transfer in the Birmingham Mission is the one Brett will go in on. Missionary lives are lived by the transfers. That's how they count time. It seemed startling to finally have Brett at the front of the line to go to England. There's tons of little details to take care of: getting a watch band, checking on insurance, getting his trench coat from the dry cleaners. And I'm sure there are more we're not remembering right now. Time seems to be flying!

Three Weeks To Go!

I really can't believe that Brett will be in JFK waiting to catch his flight to Manchester three weeks from today. The time seems to be flying by. We had a scare today. We had ordered something for Brett to take on his mission from Amazon. Amazon had sent a tracking number that when you put it into UPS said that the package was being sent to Kissimmee, FL. So after a call to Amazon and a correct tracking number all it well. The package should arrive on the 30th. Whew! Brett only has one more week to work at Price Chopper, and he doesn't work tomorrow (Friday), Saturday, or Sunday. So the most he'll have to work is five more days. I'm sure he's thrilled with that. He has not liked working at Price Chopper.

Brett's Mission Map

Click here to see a map of interesting places in Brett's mission, or just scroll to the bottom of the page.

The Manhattan Temple

In what was the best surprise ever, Erin was able to get away from BYU and surprise Brett by coming home. We told all the kids that Glen had to pick-up a man named Sandeep Gupta from India who was coming to do work for GE. Brett was working at Price Chopper that night so we just took Jared and Lauren to the airport. You should have seen their faces. It was great. We then went to Price Chopper. Glen had gone in to find out where Brett was and came out and told Erin. We all went in. Erin and Brett almost ran into each other. Brett was so surprised all he could say was Uggh. Then he turned bright red. It was fun. Monday morning, April 14th we left and went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. We took a tour of the campus and then had lunch in the Apple Pie Bakery there. It was fantastic! We had some of the best french fries we've ever had. We then drove to Newark to the Fairfield Inn and spent the night. Tuesday morning, April 15th we drove into the city and found parking quite close to the temple. Jared and Lauren went to Barnes & Nobel to wait while Brett, Erin, Glen, and I went to the temple. It was wonderful! After the temple we went to Rockefeller Center and Times Square. We had a blast! Then it was the long drive home. We arrived at 12:30 a.m.

Four Weeks and Counting

We are down to less than four weeks before Brett leaves. Suddenly it seems like there are a million things to do. Brett gave his two weeks notice at Price Chopper. His last day there will be Friday, May 2nd.