Emails 9/21/09

The Mommy-The baptism went really well and I am so happy for these people that I have been able to help here. I am so thankful that I have been able to see people accept the gospel and get baptized, it has made my mission a lot easier and more bearable. I am still sick. I actually was FORCED to go and see a doctor the other day which I did not want to do. I knew it was nothing big and what did he tell me, it is just an uper respritory infection aka a cold. Though he did say that he had a case evolve into strep so that was a little scary. He told me to take the next few days really easy and to get a lot of rest and a lot of water and he also said that he would give me a note telling the mission that I needed to not be on a bike for a while. Well I had the baptism, church, and a whole load on my plate for the weekend so rest did not happen. I will get some though I promise. My companion is from Orem actually. Over by the Cemetery. He has been out for 18 months so he goes home in February. I do not know if I have the money to send my bike home. It is really weird to be thinking about boxing it up and sending it home. That is cool that Kirt is in the Bishopric. He will do great I am sure. The Zone Leader that comes home with me I am not sure why he is not on the flight stuff. But he is on the same plane, though he is flying to St. George after going into SLC so who knows. For the baptism Richard, the guy that got baptized, had a family friend baptize him (cousin-in-law or something) and then his father-in-law did the confirmation. I know that pretty well all of his wifes side of the family is LDS and they are a lot like our family. They like to celebrate things with food, and they love to invite us over for the food. I know Spencer Poulson really well. He was with me in Redding for my first three transfers. Then I saw him every now and then and then he became one of the APs and I saw him a lot as a ZL in Chico. He is a really cool kid. I can say kid because he is younger than I am. Well other than that things are going well. I am still getting use to the new companion which always takes time. I will probably get use to him just in time to leave. Oh well I guess. It is really cool though because one of the missionaries we live with is Elder Monson, no relation to Pres. Monson, but I have served around him a few times and he is really fun. He goes home in December and is from Orem as well. Though he went to Mt View and Elder Weight went to Timp. Well other than being sick things are good. I am constantly reminded though of how soon I am coming home which is usually no good but it makes me push hard so that is good. Well mom I hope you are well. I love you and hope you are doing well. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love always your son,Elder Brickey


Curley's-Well it sounds like you are doing pretty good. I hope that things work out with your job hunt, as always. I still can say and swear that I am not excited for that. I have been told that I should be a car salesman because I "sell" the Book of Mormon and things really well to people. Than again the lady that told me a lot of this was a little NUTS! Well your kids are for sure Brickey's. I knew how to entertain myself until I got bored and then I would see what Scott was up to and then get him annoyed with me then run and get him into trouble when he tried to retaliate. Yeah I was a big pain. That is cool though that you were able to go out and celebrate your anniversary. It sounds like you had a good night. I do have to say though that I am NOT excited about being on the market again. It is SO much more simple without dealing with that. Well I had a URI or a cold basically. Though there have been some cases that have evolved into strep so that was a little nerving. I have not been able to heed the advice though that has been given to me. I was told to rest a lot and drink a lot of fluids. I had a baptism that I had to get taken care of and people that needed me. It is so annoying to be sick when you have things you want to get out and do. It has been good though because in the last month, two baptisms and a naming a child blessing so that is cool. Though the stress probably caused the sickness. I am not sure I am ready to come home. It will be really cool though to see all of you. I do look forward to that for sure. Though then comes all the other things like finding a car, phone, getting into school and girls! Yeah not so sure about that stuff. I am switching between weeks and days that I count. Though when I count it freeks me out a but and makes me excited a bit. It is so two sided. Anyway. Things are going pretty good. Though we do need to get out and find find find. We lost all our investigators, they became members! What a great way to loose an investigator! Thanks though for all you do. You are the best. Love you all and send you my prayers and wishes. Take care till next time.Love,Elder Brickey

Emails 9-14-09

The Mommy-On pday we have until 6pm. Then we are suppose to have dinner and then lessons and such. Transfers are a little bit harder though because of having to pack and such. Speaking of transfers, I am staying though Elder Lancaster is leaving and going to Chico (Chico 1st to be exact). My new companion is Elder Weight, I have served around him before but not really that close so it will be interesting for sure. From the list of Elders on the plane home I know Elder Carter (he is the one from Chad's stake), Elder Clark is from PG, Elder Hansen went to Lone Peak and other than that I know them by meeting them a couple times. Elder Dalton will be going home on the same plane and he is the Zone Leader over Antelope right now. I basically know them all just some more than others. I think that the weight limit is like 50 lbs for checkon and 40 for carryon. I also can take my backpack through so that is nice. I am shipping my bike home through the mission office. They do it for really cheap I think and I really like my bike so that sounds good to me. The baptism went really well. We had a really good turn out for the baptism of family that are not members so that was really good too. The home teacher did the baptism and the Bishop did the confirmation. It was really quite beautiful. The blessing went really well. It was really fun to get to go and see Lincoln again. There was a lot of people though that were surprised to see me and pretty well all of them were all "Don't you go home soon?" which was fun. It was a really good weekend. Wow a shirt that is white until you go out into the sun, that is cool. I have seen some of the two year calendars for missionaries and they are really funny. Some of them can be a little over the top, but some are so very very true. That is really quite gross that the mouse decided to die in Ryan's shoe. Well at least he found it. You could really joke about Ryan having some really potent smelly shoes and that he might want to get that checked out. Well other than Elder Lancaster, Elder Bailey is also leaving. He is going to Roseville, so I will see him at Zone Conference in October. Well other than that things are good. We have the other baptism this Saturday of Richard Garcia. He is ready and super excited so that is good. I cannot believe the good fortune that we have been given in the 6 weeks that we have been in this ward. Well how are things going for you? What is new and exciting? I love you and hope you are doing well. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your son,Elder Brickey


Curley's-Hey there! It is good to hear from you and good to hear that you are all doing well. Well at least for Ryan. I do have to say that if your boots are new and the mouse was dead in there you have some really smelly feet and might want to get that looked at. Just kidding. That is a really gross way to find it but hey you are right at least you have visual confirmation that it is dead. It sounds like your kids are doing well, except for the whole spitting up thing with Aleana. Hopefully things settle down and that goes away here soon. That is funny that Dallin was talking to whoever in the bathroom. That kid sounds like a character. The baptism and the blessing were awesome. We had an awesome turn out at the baptism and it went smooth and beautiful so that is nice. The blessing was really nerve racking though. I was really quite scared that I would mess up or something but it was really cool. The little boy that I blessed stood up and waited for me cause I was in the back and he was in the middle. Then he held my hand all the way up to the front which was really cool, and was a really weird insight for me. I am still terrified of the thought of having a kid but I look forward to it because of the look that I got from him at that moment and after. Well anyways. I am glad to hear that your knee is doing better Shan. I have to admit, which I did not tell to mom or dad, that I am sick as a dog. Well something like that. I only got like 4 hours of sleep Saturday night and then last night I passed out at 930 but was wide awake at 130 until about 5ish when I finally fell asleep again. Hopefully these drugs that I am going to get will help me out. If not, oh wells I guess. Wel I am staying. My companion is going to Chico. I am getting a missionary that I have served around a little bit named Elder Weight. He is actually coming from Paradise which is near Chico. Well things are going great here. I hope you are well. Take care and give some love to your kids and each other for me. Might as well give some to our lovely parents too. Make it everyone! Whatever. I love you and hope you have a wonderful week that the job stuff works out.Much Love,Elder Brickey

Email 9-8-09

Elder Brickey was not able to email on the usual Monday with it being Labor Day. So here are the emails he sent Tuesday instead.......

The Mommy-Our baptisms are on the 12th and the 19th, so the next two Saturdays. It is really exciting. The blessing is actually for a 4 year old and that will be on the 13th. I will be getting a ride there to Lincoln for the sacrament meeting there and doing the blessing then. After that I will probably hang out there for a while but we have to get back because we have lessons that night with our investigator that is getting baptized on the 19th. It is really cool to be able to participate in these different ordinances for these people. It will and has forever changed who I am. To get to the Zone Conferences we get rides from the missionaries in our zone that have a car. We have two cars in the zone, well with Elders, so we have to have 5 people in each car. Usually there is a rotation of some sort that the mission has figured out. I will more than likely stay here this next transfer. It will be really weird if they move me this next one with me only having one left. Than again it does happen. Of the four missionaries that are in our apartment. There are two of them that have been here for 4 transfers. My companion is one and one of the other missionaries Elder Bailey. The other missionary, Elder Sanchez, has only been here for 1 transfer so he will probably stay and I have been here for 2 so I will probably stay as well. Holidays do not affect us really. The only ones that do are New Years, 4th of July, and Christmas really. Other than that it is a normal work day or whatever. Since the holiday was on Monday that just means that we have to wait till Tuesday or whatever to email. So no big thing. The fires I think are doing better than again I have no idea. The moon is cool here still too. Though the smell of smoke is not as prevelant anymore so that is cool. So did you get my flight info? I got it last Tuesday. Talk about a weird day and a scary thing too. It is so crazy to see that I am coming home quicker than I think. It is weird also to think that my last transfer starts next week. I do not know of anything that I really need. I have actually been thinning down on things lately. I actually have been giving things away that I really do not need. I need to get the rest of the box of stuff I am wanting to get sent home finished and sent off too. Other than that things are going really well. There are a lot of things going on here which is always wonderful. Though I have had what feels like a lot of stress from having two baptisms coming up and then also the blessing. Added a little bit of weight to my thought processes. It is good though because staying busy makes the time fly by and also makes things really wonderful. Well mom I hope that you are well and that things are going great. I love you and send you my love. Until next time.Love,Elder Brickey

Hello!Well it sounds like your lives are moving right along. It is good to hear that everyone is well and safe. How is your knee/leg Shan? Things here are good. There are getting a little crazy with transfers coming up, two baptisms, and a blessing. It has been good though because it is also making time fly by. Than again that could be bad because I am also sad about leaving these people and this work. It has been fun to get to know these people and to also see the hand of the Lord in the work. I cannot believe that the time is coming to an end. It still feels like I just entered the MTC the other day. Than again when I look at it some of my converts have been to the Temple which means they have been baptized for over a year. It is nuts. That is really funny/gross about the mouse. I am not a fan for sure. Than again we have lots of roaches and other fun bugs here which suck big time. Oh well I guess you get to have certain pests no matter where you are. It has been a good mission though and a lot of things have happened that have helped me learn and grow so that is nice. Well I hope that the job thing works out for you and gets cleared up. I am sorry that it has caused so much chaos and problems. Well I love you all and send you my love. Until next time take care and I will talk to you later.Love,Elder Brickey

emails 8-31-09

The Mommy-Hello there! How are things going in Utah? How are you doing and what is new and exciting? Things here are good. The fires are in Auburn which is kinda close, but not really. You have to drive like 30 minutes or so to get there. I heard it is a pretty bad one though and that a lot of houses are burning down so that is really sad. That is funny that Dallin was running around with his pants around his ankles. I still remember one day not being able to find any clean pants or shorts so I put on dad's belt with some tools and just walked around the house like that. There are pictures I think in my photo album of Shan kissing me I think. Good memories and SO VERY embarrassing! That is funny that Ryan gets embarrassed when that happens. It is ok he is a kid and they do the darnedest things! I do see some of the missionaries that I flew out with. There is one of them actually in my Zone. He was in a different district in the MTC but we have gotten to really know each other and he is a good kid and good missionary. Other than that I see some of the others at like Zone Conference and things like that. The new family that we found was referred to us from the Bishop. The mom is a less-active and the dad and two daughters are non-members. The mom is actually from Sp. Fork so it was cool to get to know her and reminise about good old Utah. The area has been hit REALLY hard by foreclosures and things like that. It is really sad actually. Than again there were a lot of people that did the credit thing and got WAY to much things because everyone else was getting them. It is sad to see families loose so much because of things that they really did not need. Other areas are hit kinda bad and this area is probably not that bad but it is just weird to see as many houses as we do with the foreclosure signs on them. I do not really remember seeing any back home so it is new and there are a lot so it is really sad. Here in Antelope we go to the Library to email, which can be fun. You have to make a reservation to get a computer and sometimes you wait a long time before you get on. In Chico it was nice because we had computers at the complex we lived at that we were able to use. They were really slow though so that was no good. There was a lot of times that I wished I had my laptop because it was 100x faster. We do have only one Zone Conference per transfer. So that means that I only have one more and that is a really weird feeling. We go to the different Stake Centers for Zone Conference. So here in Antelope we have the option of going to Roseville, Citrus Heights, Rocklin, and Antelope. Well other than that things are going awesome. We set a baptismal date with this awesome guy named Richard Garcia. He is married to a member and his daughter is a member. He has had a lot of good experiences with the Church and really wants to move to Utah in the next couple years if he can. He is a really awesome guy. So that is really exciting to have two baptisms coming up here soon. Then I got a call from the Lincoln 1st Ward Elders asking if I would be willing to go to Lincoln and bless Andrea Gonzales's son Jake, she is my convert that I baptized her daughter last November, so of course I said yes and got the permission to do that. So needless to say I am super stoked and excited. Things are just going so superb right now mom it is wonderful. I am so very very grateful for all of the things that the Lord is blessing me with right now. It makes finishing off strong SO much easier and better. Well I love you and hope you are well. I am sorry to hear about Truman and the whole fence situation, I know you have been working at that for quite a while now. Well take care mom and I will talk to you later.LOVE YOU!!!!Love,Elder Brickey

Hello-Things are staying very busy out here. We are starting to teach more and more and a lot is happening. It sounds like you are having LOADS of fun yourselves. I am sorry to hear about the hair"butch" and I know the feeling. I went once to get my haircut and the person mutilated my head. I now cut my own hair which is surprisingly easy. It is going to be SO weird to come home and see Saedy running and Aleana probably running too. I remember that Saedy was not even walking when I left. She was still a bit topsy tervy. It sounds like your kids are just GROWING. That is good though I guess. They definiately have their own personalities. Well I am sure that the job situation will work out for you. It is good to hear that your knee is doing better to Shan. So what is this about a MOUSE? I did not hear this story....I killed a mouse once in the upstairs bathroom. I think it was FHE too and everyone was there. Mickell and Kyle might have helped me kill it if I remember right. Anyways. Things here are going good. We are staying so very busy and have a lot of things going for us. I am not so sure about cool weather though. It was 102 at 7pm on Saturday! That was NOT fun at all. It is good though I think I have lost some weight which is really nice. Well I hope that you are well and that things are going good too. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love,Elder Brickey

emails from 11/18/2008

The Mommy-It was AWESOME being able to baptize and yes I did have to get special permission to go back down there. I got the permission pretty easy though because my trainer is now one of the Assistants to the President and they love me anyway! That is to bad about Utah Auto, I have a lot of friends that worked there. Well I hope that you do well with the volleyball stuff. I am actually really sore right now because we went and did a 10 mile hike yesterday and we did it in four hours with stopping and playing too. With the garments I want the normal kind, the cotton poly ones. The fires that are in Cali are down south right now and we are not having any problems with them up here so that is nice. We are getting fed every night and getting fed really well too. Things are going really well right now and the work is going awesome too. We are having really good success and we actually have a baptism that is coming up so that is sweet. My comp is good we have been getting along really well. It is easier to say that he goes home on the 23rd of December than say how long he has been out. Well how are you doing mom? What is new and exciting? I love you and hope you are doing well.Your son,Elder Brickey


Curley Family-Well it sounds like you have had quite a week. It seems like things are going well around the house and it is finishing up. It is weird to think that the house will be different when I get home. Than again it does not surprise me cause mom does like to change things up and improve. I won't lie in saying that I want dad to get the shop done. I am hoping that he does the loft thing cause that way I could sleep there when I get back. I did not know until today that Taylor was getting married. Man it is weird to think about that. There are not going to be many single people when I get home that is for sure. I am sure that mom will like her new stove. I love the gas stoves that we have here in Cali, they seem to work better. It does take a little while to get use to but once you do man they are nice. Well transfers are actually this next week. Though my companion and I are staying together though we might get another companion because my comp now goes home mid transfer, actually on the 23rd of Dec so right before Christmas. Well the work here in Cali is going well. I got all fired up from being able to baptize Maryellen. We have a 9 year old girl that is going to be getting baptized by the end of the month or beginning of next month. We are also going to talk to our other progressing investigator about baptism. The last time we talked to him he side stepped the commitment, so this time we are getting something solid out of him. Well things are going well here and it sounds like things are going good back there too. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the holiday season. I love you all very much. Take care and I will talk to you later.Love your brother,Elder Brickey