Braden,
How was your week? How are you getting along? Have you figured out your new area yet?

Grandma got a tip from a neighbor that went somewhere real hot on his mission-to put water proof sunscreen on your nose. He said it helped him stay cooler. Don't know if it works or not. Guess it wouldn't hurt to try.

A few nights ago, Hope was being loud and I told her that she needed to be quiet because everyone was trying to sleep.  She asked,"Even Braden?". I told her yes, She said," Oh, why is Braden on a mission?". I told her you are their to tell people about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father because not everyone knows about them get them to come to church.  She said, "You mean he gets to tell people where to go". Oh my gosh, she cracks me up.  She then said that you have been gone way to long and maybe someone else should go on a mission so you can come home.  I'm sure 5 months is a very long time to a 4 year old.  You won't believe how big she is getting. she is at least a good head taller all of the kids in her church class and preschool.  She weighs 60 pounds and is wearing size 7 clothes. She needs to slow down.

So, the first semester of school is over for the kids. Ethan is doing amazing all A's and B's.  He comes home excited about something every day and could talk to me for hours. Paige of course has straight A's and just retook the ACT test. She is trying for a 24 to get into BYU, she'll probably get it cause last year she got a 23.  Zach started out great and then didn't keep up on turning in homework and retaking tests, so he had a busy week doing make up work and retaking tests.  We told him that if he wants to drive your car, he has to get good grades. We'll see what happens.  And Parker, oh sweet Parker. He still is in his own little world.  But he is doing his work and getting good grades. However, his teacher has to keep him on track, he daydreams.  I was a little worried about his teacher this year, she wears hearing aids and speaks like she is deaf.  But I have been in her class helping a few times and she is on top of things.  The kids all love and respect her.  So, I'm not worried about her anymore.

This week should be fun with Halloween. Of course the weather is going to be yucky. But it is that time of year.

Hope you are doing well and working hard.

Love ya, MOM

The week was kinda boring this time not much has happend, we played soccer with some of the locals and we beat them...i dont know what they are going to do if we beat them at basketball next week they will probably not be very happy at all. there were some people laughing at the locals because we were killing them point wise it was really funny. i guess we missionaries are just to good for them.

Elder Cunningham and i are getting along just fine we have a great time together he is almost done with his mission he has 1 transfer left to so i might end up "Killing" him but that will be cool! right now i am just keeping him alive so he is not lazy you know how they are haha. I have almost got the area down hopefully i will have it down this week.

Hope makes me Laugh she is a funny girl, and very smart. i think that in kindergarten her teacher will be very suprised with her. is she still rockin out to the eye of the tiger?

I will give the other elder the camera.

Can you send me Headphones (Apple ones) that way i can listen to the conference talks. The mission pres doesnt mind us having headphones as long as we dont listen to bad things. can you send the watch that grandma gave me as well the solar one.  i forgot to bring my watch. Thanks so much!

First transfer and a new companion

On 10/21/13, Traci Erickson 
 Hey Brad, How are things going? Anymore baptisms? Is it any hotter or the
 same?I'm sure it is frustrating to work with leaders that are still learning
themselves. I mentioned it to President Spencer. He said the same thing
happened to him on his mission. To just be patient and teach with love.Did
 you get a new area or new companion?
We had an open house for the new Stake center on Thursday and Saturday. We
 had 2 large groups of 8+ people show up from other religions to see the
 building and ask questions. One of the people that came Thursday came back
 Saturday and went through the tour again and then took 3 Book of Mormons
 home with him. The stake presidency told us to keep all of our signs and
 posters because we may do it again in the next year. I guess it is great
 for the missionaries to show investigators and to find new investigators. I
 went to ward conference at the PP6 ward. (the other half of our old ward).
 It was fun seeing people again and getting caught up. By the way Dallin
 Zollinger got his mission call to Washington D.C.. He leaves the middle of
 December.
Ethan and Dad spent the morning at BYU so Ethan could earn merit badges.
 Zach had already earned the ones they had available, so he didn't go this
 time.
 This last week went by fast! I guess things are getting back to normal
 around here. I am getting another package ready to send you. I told the
 extended family that if they wanted to send you something, that now is the
 time to get it to me, so it can all be shipped together.
 *Doubt your doubts
 before you doubt your believes.

 Love, Mom

I guess my name got changed hu, good to know, I guess i will have to
inform my mission president so he knows my real name now, hehe JK. We
haven't had any more Baptisms lately because a lot has been going on
here. But we have a few people that should be baptised soon if they
keep going the way they are. It is getting a little hotter now its
funny because I know for you its getting COLD and here its getting HOT
and I also am back to walking again hehe. At least I will stay in shape
still. All is going well still here.

I did get Transfered to a new area I am now in a place called Bardege
its a great place i am Still inside Gulu just no longer in pece
anymore. i did get a new companion his Name is Elder Cunningham yes
another person from UT haha. he is almost going home he only has 1
more transfer left after this one. he is great guy and is fun to be
around I have to keep him moving for the most part so he wont be lazy
but thats alright.

The area i am in is good but its REALLY Hard to find new people!!! I
also have to learn the area again at the same time but thats they way
you learn the area the fastest.

Hows the new church Building? How was the ward conference? yeah i wish
they didnt have to split us up but the ward was getting to big.

Really Dallin is going to have a fun but difficult time for the first
few weeks because the place is so HUMID. i remember walking off the
plane and being drenched already from all the water in the air. but he
will enjoy it.

I hope that they had a good time getting their  badges there.

Cool, i cant wait to get it. hey so one of the elders here doesn't have
a camera and so i was wondering if i should give him the one i am
using now. He said he doesn't mind dealing with the issues because he
will at least have something. Do you want me to give it to him or do you
want me to send the camera back home in a package?

We went on lock down for a day because of some of the things that are
going on here but we are still fine and we still go out teaching we
just have to be careful. but its has been a lot of fun here in uganda.

Who wants to be a missionary? A guy we baptized!

Braden, 

How are things? Is the weather any warmer? Did you get rid of the mice and roaches? Any baptisms?

Hope you are doing well.  You really should eat more than one meal a day. That isn't very healthy and hard on your body. So, eat two.

This week was pretty good. Dad even made it back to work on Wednesday.  The end of this week is fall break but Dad has no time off. So, we will have to find something fun to do around here. 

Conference was great. A lot of good messages.  Hope even sat pretty quiet through most of it.  She did ask if one of the speakers was a bad guy. Wow, she makes me laugh. Yeah, we invite bad guys to talk to us at conference-that might be interesting.

I bought you a new camera and food and other things that I am sending to you on Monday. I was going to do it Saturday but forgot the post office closes early that day. Let me know if you like the soup mixes. I will probably send another box of things in mid November.

Love you lots, MOM

Things are going well here a lot has happend this last week one of the elder got food poisoning and we had to take him to the hospital and he has only been here in Uganda for 3 weeks i was nervous but who wouldnt be. The weather here is getting a lot Warming but now that i get to drive everyday i dont mind haha i am lucky haha. it stays in the mid 90s in the middle of the day and drops to about 70 in early mornings and let evenings. we have cought about 10 mice and have killed about 200 Roaches haha. we know there are still more mice but they are in hiding now they fear us a lot. and let me tell you we have come up with some very clever ways of catching them and even killing them. haha. We have been doing a lot of serves lately and doing a lot of digging. I know eatting one meal a day is not good so i havnt been doing it. its hard to make good food because it all takes time to cook and time is something we just dont have unfortuneatly :(  Thanks for sending the Camera and food :) i cant wait! Oh and if you havnt sent the package yet can you send my Call of Duty Sun glass's as well oh and in way they wont break :) thanks :) they should be in the my car unless you took them out. it might be good to send a case for the camera as well so it wont get scratched. THANKS SO MUCH!   Its also good to hear that dad is doing better! if i get time i will send you another email but i need to email Mission Pres really fast.

OH and the Mission Pres. is coming to work with us this week! its kinda scary oh well. there is nothing to fear. he did say in one of his meeting that we should not be supprised that he would just show up one day and work with us. but that was like a week ago i didnt expect it to be that fast. He is a great guy. he even know the area where we live. you know the Days that lived in the old house on the corner on 3200? he knows them, i dont know if he knows that the days moved though guess i can ask him when he comes and find out.

Braden,

So, how did it go spending the day with the mission president? You get to drive in that crazy place-wow. Be careful. I am putting a second package together to send to you. It will have your sunglasses, knife, card games and food. If you think of anything else you need, let me know.

We find out in church today that our ward gets to go to the new stake center just down the hill from us. We are supper excited.  We are having an open house Thursday night and Saturday Morning. The stake presidency for each organization are in charge of telling about that organization with short talks, video's posters etc.  So, of course I will be in the Relief Society room.  We then get to start attending that building on Oct. 27th.  We still don't know when the building will be dedicated.

It sounds like you are finding good investigators to teach. Martin sounds like he would be a good ward missionary.  I bet he can find you more people to teach.  It is amazing how many people you have been able to teach and baptize already. Keep up the good work. Remember to take time to rest and get plenty of sleep.

This week was fall break. We just hung around home and did fun things together and with friends.  I'm taking the kids to the $1 movies tomorrow for the last day of break.

Paige received her patriarchal blessing today. It was very inspiring and long. I can't wait to see just how long it is typed on paper.  He even talked about what an amazing teacher she will be on her mission.  You are such a good example to your siblings and to me.  Hold strong to your believes and your testimony, it will get you through the hard times.

Oh, and if it is hot, drink lots of water.  Even drink some on fast Sundays if you are out about for a long time. I know God understands the human body. Better to be safe than to get dehydrated.

*When you don't feel like praying, pray until you do!*

Love, Mom

October 14th 2013

Sweet Thanks so much for sending the Packages it will be very nice. the elder that wants the rings has been bugging me for the past few weeks about them haha, i told him he is just going to have to be patient and i told him patience  is a virtue haha he laughed for a few minutes and then said alright. i have seen a lot of amazing things here in uganda but they have all been to far to take pictures of. for example i saw a bald eagle in a tree to day that was not to far i pulled out the camera to take a picture and on the camera it looked like a small dot haha. i am going to buy a card reader so i can send pictures next week if i still have some money from the allotment from the email i got to day it sounds like i will still have enough. but not by much. I didnt get to tracted with President i did however with the AP's that was very interesting they said we are doing well and to keep up the hard work. the Mission Pres is a great guy he is really funny and is doing a great job.  you the Todds of course well the people that lived in the house before they did (the Days) he knows them!! we got into a discussion about where we lived it was really cool and scary HE KNOWS WHERE I LIVE!!!! haha just kidding its really cool.

You know i thought that dad would end up taking my car to work when i left seeing how it gets better gas mileage on it haha is the knife really in the car? hmm i dont remember putting it there but if the leatherman is there i guess that it is there. i cant wait to get them. so i am asuming that you took over dads car from what i understand from grandmas E email haha.

You would laugh at the email she send me from what you tell me she didnt do a lot of work and from what she told me she did i love hearing 2 different sides of the story haha. 

Yeah driving here is a little hectic but there is not much i can do about that. i am going to have a hard time again driving a automatic car again....oh well cant help that.

For the package i could use a few needle nose pens and some regular ones as well i have had 3 of them die on me already and i found out that 2 of them are art pens that bleed through paper like crazy.

Thats Awesome that you get to go to the new church building i bet it will be very nice in it. The branch here where i am NEEDS A LOT OF WORK!! the branch presidentcy are the Sunday only type of people and i guess you can say the us elders end up correcting a lot of things and then end up recorrecting the same misstakes i guess it will just take time.

I always have 4 liters of water in the fridge so when i get home every night i drink a lot of water. we are about to go into the dry season here where it gets a little hotter and it doesn't rain as much. my allergies are starting to act up as well but thats why i have all the different kinds of meds. haha.

I will probably get to watch Conference with in the next few weeks.  Transfers are also happening on tuesday cant wait.

Hope all is going well for you guys and thanks so much.