Zone Meeting and Moving!

Meeting up with Elder Vasquez who was Tate's trainer when he first got to Honduras.

A young boy, hitching a ride. Moving furniture for P-day. Elder Olsen, Brinton and Zolman inside the car.
Zolman, Brinton and Olsen giving big smiles after they are done moving furniture.

23 New Missionaries Are Coming!

Hola Familia,

Well hello again. Sounds like everything is going well back at home. Everyone’s still doing good. I think were so close to the states that you can get most things. Peanut butter, chicken soup and corn flakes. So food wise I don’t know. I don’t necessarily need anything. So I’m sure whatever would be fine. (Tate is talking about things we could send him) Oh and I don’t wear my ties short. I wear them normal. Some ties are kinda short so when I tie them the turn out a little short, but other than that there all pretty normal. (I asked him how come his ties are always to short, LOL)

Um this week, let’s see what happened. I don’t really remember much. Yesterday we had zone conference. That was good. Um, we had a lot of office work and errands to do this week and that means working overtime sometimes, so no still not much working in the area. I was able to do 4 baptismal interviews, that was cool. It’s amazing to thing that these people a few months ago knew nothing and now they know the gospel. The new missionaries get here Monday and Tuesday so I’m excited for that. That’s always fun. My bishop is getting better; he’s slowly gaining more confidence. We have really good hermanas in the ward with us right now so that helps. But changes are next Tuesday, so I’m a little worried that they might put another bad hermana here. But we’ll have to see what happens. I know I’m not going to have changes, although I wouldn’t mind.

Today me, Olsen and Zolman, were here in Teg and we moved a bunch of furniture out of a house. It took a long time, but it was fun cause it was just the three of us. This next part comes from his comp's email which provides a little more description why they moved furniture. (Hey Family, I didn´t forget to write you today, I´ve been getting missionary houses ready for changes on the 18. The mission is opening 4 new areas and we have had to rent out more apartments and get furniture and stuff to put in them today so that everything will be all set when the missionaries get there.) This next part was written by Elder Zolman: We have changes this coming Wednesday and it's going to be quite the week!! 14 missionaries are leaving and 23 are coming.)

Well that’s all I can really remember from this week. Not much happened. The girl we were teaching finally got back from San Pedro, but she was supposed to call us and tell us when we could visit her, but I think she forgot so we didn’t see her yet. But hopefully tomorrow we can go visit her. Well I don’t know I can’t really think of much else that has happened. Kinda an uneventful week. Well that’s all I got for now.

Remember the church is true. Live it, love it, study it, SHARE it. That’s what we’re here for.

Well I love you all.
Love Elder Brinton

Wardrobe, Bugs, Bowling and Rootbeer

Tate's caption for this picture: What should I wear today???

Here are some bugs I saw for Mason, Powell and Tanner
More Bugs...

...and even more bugs

The office elders and AP's went bowling for P-day.

Tate trying to focus on his game.

He broke 100 and took a picture to prove it. His score is MO
A member of their stake presidency invited them to their home (up in the mountains where there are pine trees) for FHE and gave them ICB rootbeer. He said it tasted great.
They got to play UNO and drink rootbeer.

Motorcyle Story

Hola familia,

Well how is everyone doing? Sounds pretty good. First of all that’s CRAZY that Jeff is engaged! (Jeff is Tate's brother) Didn’t he like start dating her last week! Well I guess that’s a good thing. Estás loco, ya tan pronto jajá. Pero sabes cuándo vas a hacerlo? Yo se que antes de que regreso, pero está bien, hay muchos aquí quienes tienen hermanos que están comprometidos y ellos están bien enojados porque no van estar allí por la boda, pero no te preocupes, yo no voy a sentir mal. Jaja. Felicidades! Well ya so that was the crazy news I guess.

Everything here is going good. It's been a good week. President Chaverri has been in Guatemala for a mission president's seminar right now (we say our parents are gone) haha. But ya. Um the girl were teaching has been in San Pedro this whole week at her friends wedding, so we haven’t seen her this week yet. Also yesterday I got to do my first baptismal interviews, and it was really cool. It was a mom and her two sons ages 13 and 8. It was cool to see how smart the kids were and how much they knew, and to talk to the mom about the changes that have happened since she's learned about the gospel. So we're going to go to the baptism too in about an hour. But that was probably the best thing that has happened this week.

Um I can't think of much more. Oh ya there was one thing, I was going to save it for one of those after the mission stories, but anyway, we were going to the bank in a taxi, and when we got in front of the bank we were stopped in traffic so I paid the driver and I opened my door to get out (everyone just gets out wherever here so it's not unmoral) any way when I opened my door a motorcycle was driving by on the side of the road (motorcycles here just weave in and out and drive on the sidewalks and wherever they can) and he ran into my door, (it was kinda funny). Any ways we got out and stood the bike up, the guy was fine, and the taxi door was a little loose, but it shut, so anyways the driver and the motorcyclist were arguing with each other about how they need to pay each other. The motorcyclist saying that the taxi was breaking the law by opening the door on the road, the taxi driver by saying the motorcyclist shouldn’t have been driving there on the side of the raod (which was the best argument) anyways after a while they both realized, hey we could blame it on the gringos! So they both turned to us and told us we need to pay for the damages, so me and Olsen were like whoa! No! and we told the motorcyclist he shouldn’t have been driving there, and then the taxi driver how we’re foreigners and it’s his responsibility that we get in and out legally, and that he said it was ok to get out right there anyway (which is true) and how no we shouldn’t have opened the door there, but if you two did your parts none of it would have happened. And Olsen said look, your car's fine, your bike's fine let's just call it good. And they thought about it for like a minute and then said fine and left. Anyways that was our fun experience for the week. When you come here I'll explain it to you better and you'll understand.

Anyway, for Halloween kids don’t do anything, there's a few parties and what not at the clubs, but they don’t do much more than that. That would be bad if the Cub's left Mesa (the Chicago Cub's play here during spring training, and are Tate's favorite team). You would think just for the tradition they would stay, but for some reason I have the feeling it's all about money, whoever offers the most money. For some reason people (even if there true cub's fans, a team of which is all about traditions) will betray anything just to get more money. But anyway they BETTER stay.

That’s crazy that volleyball is already over. Um for Christmas, I don’t know whatever, although that bag of candy that you sent was awesome! So things like that are always good. Oh ya and if you want to make Pres Chaverri happy, send me or him beef jerkey. He loves that! I don’t know why, but most latins do. Anyway I think that’s pretty much all for now. Thanks for the pics. I'm going to send some too.

Oh ya and today we went bowling. That was fun. It’s been a long time, but I actually did all right. Oh and on Monday we went to an FHE with a member of our stake presidency, who's way cool and lives like up in the mountains, and its cool and in the pine trees. It was awesome and he gave us IBC rootbeer. I don’t know where he got it, but it was very tasty none the less.

Anyways that’s all for now, I love you all, take care. The church is true, read your scriptures everyday and say your prayers. Adios

Love Elder Brinton

Conquer We Must!

When you're hot, you're HOT!!! (At least they think so)

Hot dogs and Root beer floats at the Adam's home. Tate said it tasted sooo good! He loves Bro. and Sis. Adams!
Tate's awesome comp, Elder Olsen (who remembered his camera so they could take these pictures.)
Elder Brinton and Elder Olsen looking out over Tegucigalpa...thinking, "How are we going to teach all those people?"

The awesome city of Tegucigalpa.
We will CONQUER!!

Okay, maybe we are just two good looking missionaries...

...who are ready to teach these people!

Happy Halloween!

Hola Familia,

Well how is everyone doing? HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Is it time to go trick or treating yet? Or because of the economic problems is everybody not buying candy this year and kids just have to stay home. Haha.

Well this week was pretty good. Well kinda. Let’s see Sunday we went with the sisters in my area to go visit the bishop, because we don’t really know him. Well he supposedly wasn’t home which is unfortunate. Since we had time we went and visited this family that are somewhat inactive because I didn’t know them yet. Well come to find out, they have a daughter who just moved back after living with her dad for 14 years in San Pedro Sula, and she’s the only person in her family that isn’t a member. So we started teaching her and so far she pretty positive. So we’ve visited her a few times this week, and they are a really cool family. Lets see what else…, oh ya the sisters in my area were supposed to have a baptism today of this really cool girl, but yesterday when she was supposed to get married her husband never showed up, so she wasn’t able to get married which was unfortunate, because she’s been waiting for like 5 months for her husband to agree to marry her so she could get baptized, but he always says no. So that was unfortunate. We also got a new ward mission leader. He’s the old Elders Quorum Pres, so that should be good and I think he will help us out a lot.

Also another bad thing happened this week. That family I told you about that the sisters are teaching that we gave the blessing to. Well this week they told the sisters, that they are going to another church, and don’t want to listen to them anymore and wouldn’t even let the sisters in their house. So that was kinda weird. Well any way the dad started to get sick again, so they think it’s because they stopped going to our church so they might start listening again. We’re going there with the sisters in like an hour to figure out what their deal is. But ya so some crazy stuff happened.

Today we went up to the Christ statue that I went to a long time ago. And then after we went and had hotdogs and root beer floats at the Adam’s house. It was so good. But ya that’s basically been my week. Not much too exciting.

The camera works good, although I forgot it when I went to the Christ statue so I had to use elder Olsen’s. Any ways for your questions, dad do you think the Cub’s will actually leave Mesa? That wouldn’t be good. That’s interesting about Jeff. I think that’s what happens when you have a brother in the office. It’s happened to Elders Magoffin, Zolman, Wright, and now it will be me. Haha. Yes I told elder Magoffin about his mom’s email, and he said he’ll check with his owner. President and his wife are doing good. They’re even better when you’re here because there always giving us food and what not. That’s why I’m getting fatter. There was something else I needed to ask you, but I don’t remember what. Send me some recipes if you want. Maybe those oatmeal chocolate cookies. And other things to make on a stove. I learned how to make really good chocolates this week from the girl we’re teaching. I’ll have to show you.

That’s crazy that it’s already going to be November, where has the time gone. Well I think that’s all for this week. I have a bunch of pictures to send, but I forgot my camera at home so I can’t send them.

Well I love you all. The church is true!
Love Elder Brinton

President Chevarri's Birthday!

The Zone Leaders, Assistants, and Officers Elders, having fun with President Chevarri for his birthday!

Elder Olsen trying to break the pinata
I know it's here somewhere...but where is it?
President and Sis. Chevarri having a fun time.

The party people!

Elder Brinton having a little fun!
Soccer stadium in Tegucigapla

Carrying wood for the family of the father who was very sick.

Elder Olsen, Elder Brinton, Hrma Naa and King, enjoying P-Day

The Hermanas with Elder Brinton, Elder Olsen and some investigators

Beautiful sunset over Tegucigapla Ahhh, Mickey D's
Elder Olsen and Elder Olsen smiling for the camera
Elder Brinton and Elder Olsen enjoying the sunset over Teg.
The monument LaPaz

Is this the Great Glass Elevator from Willy Wonka? No, it's inside the newest chapel in Tegucigapla.
Inside the church

The Outside of the Chapel

It even has a parking garage! Wow!

A Priesthood Blessing...Miracle!!

Well helloooo familia,
Well here we are another week gone, and here I am with 15 months in the mission. CRAZY!!! I know this is probably the (15 months x 4 weeks a month) 60th time I’ve said this during my mission, but time goes sooo fast. I now only have 9 months left….weird.

If I remember right this week was pretty good. I did get your package on Thursday. I think that is a record, 13 days. That was super fast. And thank you for all the goodies and most of all, the camera! Finally I have a camera again. So hopefully I can get you lots of pictures now. I will actually send a lot today. But to answer your questions, let’s see…Zelaya is still in the Brazilian embassy. But things are pretty normal because he can’t do anything because yes it is being guarded 24/7. They can’t go inside and get him because embassies are protected by international laws, but the second he leaves he would be arrested. So I imagine he will be there until the elections Nov 29. And they will probably elect someone new, but then Venezuela will get mad and try to force Mel back into power. Well that’s what I think will happen. And the thing is even if the people elect someone else no international country will recognize him as president because they took Mel out, even though these are the planned elections and Mel’s term would be over. So we will have to see what happens. Pray that somehow there can be peaceful elections here.

Tell Sis Magoffin no I haven’t sent it (a CD her son left in the office for Tate to mail). I thought he was going to put more stuff in the box cause it’s pretty empty, but I’ll ask him and send it if not. That’s good that the truck still works, but I don’t understand how an s-10 did that to it, that truck is like a tank (Tate’s brother kind of wrecked his beloved 92 Chevy truck and can’t believe anything could hurt it. Luckily it still runs and just needs a new hood).

My ward is good, but it has a lot the same problems as all the other wards. It’s kinda crazy because this stake, the members kinda go to whatever ward they want. So a lot of the members in my ward don’t even live in my ward. So that makes it harder. Our bishop…Well he’s young and doesn’t have much experience. But we’re trying to help him. We were going to make him and his wife dinner tonight, but he called and cancelled on us, he’s kinda hard to visit. No we still haven’t been able to teach that much which is unfortunate. Yes we share the ward with hermanas. Yes the district only has 6 people, three companionships. That’s the size of all districts in the mission. Every Thursday there are district meetings, and every Monday zone meetings. And each zone has about 22 missionaries. Oh and by the way there are only 4 missionaries in the office now that Magoffin left.

That’s still weird that Jeff is dating. That’s good dad is doing better. That’s awesome Granny wants to take you on a cruise, tell her she can take me. Me and Olsen were just talking about cruises last night, at like one in the morning, haha. Way too late. Oh and I hope they don’t arrest me for not going to jury duty, but that’s funny, haha. (Tate got summoned to go to jury duty and they wouldn’t accept his excuse that we sent in that he is on a mission. We had to get a letter from our bishop excusing him.)

Well anyway let’s see did I do anything this week? Oh ya Sunday was cool. The sisters called us cause the dad of this family they are teaching was really really sick, like he couldn’t move or anything. So they called to ask us to give him a blessing. We went over there, and he didn’t look sick, but you could just feel he was. He wouldn’t even open his eyes or respond to us, it was one of those blessings were your like do I bless him to get better or is it his time to go. So anyway we gave him the blessing and then we were in the other room just talking with his wife cause she was a wreck. I’m pretty sure she thought he was going to die right there. Oh a side note that’s cool, while we were waiting, Hermana Naa told us this story. The dad was reading the Book of Mormon when this sickness happened. No one knows what it was, he was just sitting there and then his whole body started to hurt and he couldn’t move or anything. Anyway right after that he told his wife that if he dies that they have to do what it says it 3 Nephi and be baptized. Anyways like ten minutes after the blessing we were leaving so we went to say bye to him and he was sitting up in his bed! Talk about miracles. It was amazing! Do you think the priesthood is real? I think so. Anyways Tuesday we went to this same family to help them collect firewood, and when we were there the dad was up walking around, and he actually took the bundle of wood of my back. So he’s doing a lot better. The sisters said he’s going to come to church tomorrow so that’s good. So ya that was my miracle this week.

Well I think that’s about all that happened here. I love you all. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!
Love Elder Brinton

Having Some Fun!

Elder Brinton and Elder Olsen must have been bored when they decided to sticky note Elder Fleischel's desk.

Elder Brinton having a little fun at Pres. Chaverri's birthday party.
A view of the houses in Tegucigapla

Honduras Won!!!

Hola famlia,

Well how are we all doing this week? Sounds to me like everything is going great! Yes this week, like usual, was very fast! I can’t believe it. Next Friday I will have single digit amount of months left! CRAZY!! I can’t believe how fast time flies. But ya.

That’s weird that Jeff is dating a girl, it still seems weird to me, but I guess it’s a good thing. So ya last week was our first Sunday in our new ward. It was good, it has good members, but it has a lot of the same problems as all the other wards, high inactivity and things like that. But it will be good so we’ll have to see how it goes. Tonight were supposed to go to the bishop’s house and meet him a little better, so hopefully we can do that. A little fun fact about my ward, it was the first church unit in Honduras. The Palmira ward was the very first ward. It’s kinda cool, but you would think it would be a lot stronger for being 50+ years old. But we’ll have to work with them to help them out.

Yes the Comayguela mission has part of Tegucigalpa and yes that’s why their office is next to ours. And their mission home is actually in an area of our mission. But that doctor that is coming here will be in the other mission, but I was talking to the Adams, our nurse here, and she said she has talked to them and she said that they will actually work with us sometimes for like ingrown toenails and such cause there qualified to do that stuff, so we actually will get to go to them sometimes.

That’s crazy that it’s already time for the Halloween carnival again. That means this is my last Halloween. Crazy. Dad happy birthday. Hope you had fun.

Pres Chaverri’s birthday was yesterday, so we had a little get together for it. It was fun. We also made ice cream in a bag again this week. Oh ya and the exciting news this week was that Honduras won and is going to the world cup tournament!! It was so crazy here! It actually depended on the states if they beat Costa Rica, and when they did that ment Honduras qualified, and when that happened the country exploded. Everyone was in the streets screaming, yelling, honking and partying. It was crazy. And the people loved the gringos because we won. So the people were like gringos thank you, we love you, and like hugging us and cheering for us. It was crazy! Three days ago we were hated, but now they love us. It was probably the most love I’ve felt in my mission. So it will be fun to see how they do. If they keep winning, these people are going to go crazy! And we live one block from the most popular road in Teg so there were people alllll night out partying, it was pretty crazy. But ya that was the most exciting part of the week. That with president’s birthday.

Well that’s all I have for this week. I love you all. The church is true.
Love Elder Brinton