Hey Everyone!--From 12/8/08

sorry this is going to be short again.  you all send me so much mail i dont have time to reply to it all.

i love it though so dont stop.

i wanna give a special thanks to grandma and grandpa for the package and also the money.  i will use it well.

also to aaron for the card witht he prophets on it.  i also wanna know whats up with the pics you sent in the email? you didnt explain it and i wanna know what they were and what they mean.

kyle keep everyone eating your dust on the race track and the street.  ill skate with you in about 3 yrs.  dont worry time flies.

colton i emailed you and i know what you mean english is hard now.

we got a lot of work to do out here and the world need the gospel more than ever now.  i dont have any special stories for you.  and my time is up.  im doing well and i miss you all.

please keep the love coming.

elder brunson

Sorry... A little behind! This one's from Dec. 1

hey all,

sorry this will be short.  i have only a few mins.  we had a baptism on saturday and it was great.  i love those days when we see ppl who the Lord has prepared for the gospel finally recieve it.

we have plans to have another one on dec. 13.

i miss you all during the hollidays, but time is going by so fast.  i have 8 months already gone.   thats 1/3 of my mission ang bilis diba?

well, not much to say.  i hope your all doing well. i miss you all.  ill be calling home in about 20 days.

elder brunson

aaron, kyle email me pls

New Companion #4

hey all,

so im glasd to hear from all you this week.  this is my 5th transfer here 
in the field im almost 1/2 way done, but i dont wanna think about that.

my new comp is coming off a part of the mission that is an island.  the language there is deeper so now im learning to speak like him.  i have to go back to tagalog the whole time now cuz he is pinoy, but i love it.  i miss my last comp, but i see him a lot cuz he is my DL now.

well, we are rockin out here.  i found a new fire this week with my new comp we love to work and it is such a blessing to serve our LORD.  we will hopefully have a bapt this saturday.  i cant wait.

last saturday i was a witness in a bapt for another ward.  the bishop baptized his son and he said the prayer wrong. i felt so bad telling him he said it wrong, but he was humble even though im just a boy and he is a bishop. im glad that he was humble.

well, thats it for now.  hopefully your all doing well.  i miss you all.  i love you.

elder brunson

Hey All

hey everyone.

thanks for the love in the letters.  i hope you all got the pics i sent to aubrea last week.

the work here is great.  it rains everyday but its ok.  i still love it.  the language is coming along great.  my english skills are dropping though.  yesterday in sacrament all the testimonies were about missionaries and how hard working we are.  even the bishop got up and told ppl to give us their friends so we can teach them.

this week was slow cuz ppl visited the graves of the dead and they all get drunk and have parties.  its a huge thing here to honor the dead by having parties and drinking.

sorry this is so short.

hey colton,  i talked to a lady in tokyo on the phone.  i tried to get her info for you, but she  said next time.  hopefully ill get it for you soon.  she is filipino, but her husband in japanesse. i love you

elder randy brunson
alaska man

A Little Scary?  DANG He's lost a lot of weight!

HAHA you can't take the boy outta CA! 

hey all,

thanks for the mail, aunt tammy, aunt ammy, colt, tom, kyle, elizabeth, aunt angela, mom, dad, aubrizzle, and of course sister lemmon.

i got emails and mail from all of you.

this week has been good.  lots of hard work and some new ppl to teach.  hopefully ill have some baptisms here again soon. its hard to build an area up from nothing, but my mission pres told me to keep it up.  he is happy with the work im doing.  hopefully ill be sending pics later today.  my elders quarm pres wil do it for me so he can send more than 1 at a time.  i love members here.  im moving tomorrow cuz my house sucks.

im glasd to hear your all doing well.

i went on exchanges this last week with a greenie.  he is fresh out and its fun to be a senior.  his language sucks pretty badly so i hasd to teach 99% of the lessons.  it was good though.  i loved it.  sorry this is short, but got to go.


love, elder brunson
alaska man

Some Good Stuff

hey all,

well this week has been a blast.  my companion and i are getting along great.  we have been making videos doing crazy stuff.  like burning lizards, frogs, spiders, me trying to ride a wild cow, and earlier i bought a golf fish to do the good ol gold fish trick that stevo does.  if you dont know what that is ask kyle and aaron.  they will know what it is.

we found 7 new ppl to teach last week and we have gotten 4 referrals.  the work should take off pretty soon here.

my p day hase been moved to monday now so that would be sunday back in the states.  make sure you get your emails in before sunday.  this should just be a temporary thing.  we have a meeting from 8am-11am then p day from 11am-1030pm.  so well see how it goes.

i have been fighting a bad cold.  i have had it for a couple weeks now and i think its almost gone.  last wednesday i was in the mission home for zone conference and i started to itch.  i ate some lunch there and then my hand felt hot.  my wrists got all red and itched more than ever, then it went to my stomach, i broke out in hives at the mission home and it was not pretty.  the mission pres wife gave me more benadryl and i was like ohhh nooo not that again, but i had to take it.  the swelling went down, but i fell asleep on the ride home, and during all my lessons that day i couldnt get my sentances right, plus i was falling asleep.  i crashed that night and everything was gone by the next day.

then on sunday i woke up to go speak at a funeral and my lip had gotten huge overnight.  i didnt take anything for it cus i didnt wanna fall asleep so i prayed and it went down right as i got to the funeral.

we had gen. conf. here this last weekend because they have to tape it and translate and then show it a week later than in the states.  it was the most amazing conf. ever.  i went to all 5 sessins and took a book full of notes.  i love listening to the prophet.

so thats pretty much it.  i love you all and if there is anything i can do for you just let me know.

thanks for the letters grandma, sis lemmon, aubrea.  i love them.\

elder brunson

Pictures of My Cute Little Brother :)

They really eat this????

Awww So cute!

Got to Rep the Freelines!

Look at him teaching the word of God! 

Randy baptizing someone

Time's a Flyin!

hey everyone,

well im now in area #2.  its noveliches zone and my trainer is my zone leader.  at least i got 6 weeks without him.  my new companion is elder schauerhamer from utah.  he is crazy.  i actually didnt  wanna be with him becouse i heard lots of bad things that he had done and i was scared that i would become like him.  anyways, i was with him for only 1 day and he decided to go to pres ho ching and confess all these things he had done like watch movies and stuff.  so now we are working hard to be obedient and to build up this area.  we have no investigators, so we have to work hard.  the memebers here are great.  even though im sad to leave my new area, this is a time for learning.

im going to try to send a couple pictures of me.  dad will be happy to see me in some bell bottoms.  they are my companions, but im going to get my pants made like that, because they are so great.  they are a little tight, but thats better at least to me.

oh, my comapions dad is friends with johnbytheway.  john talks about his dad in some of his comedy.  so thats pretty cool.  we talk all the time and are exactly the same so we get along great.  we just have a problem talking tagalog to ppl sometimes cuz we are so used to english.  last night we both put down 13 slices of pizza at family home evening and we were going to explode.  we had so much fun and it was great cuz we only had to pay for 1/4 the pizza.

i found a scale and i weigh 87 kilos, but that iis about 193 lbs, so i have lost a lot.

not much more to say i love you all.

elder brunson

alaska man

wow 6 months this week

hey everyone,

i have good news i held my temper this week and no hitting, but i do have another laugh for youlast tuesday night i was in my first appointment and it normal that my hands swell and itch sometimes here, so it was no shock my thumbs got swollen a little bigger than normal and didnt itch.  i kept teaching.  the an hour later in my last appointment my thumbs had gone down, but my upper lip felt huge, i had a hard time talking, and i got out of the house after and asked my comp if my lip was swollen.  he said yeah!!! its huge, so i took some piccs thinjking it would go away in 30 min (this is the first time its been swollen). i was wrong. i got into bed with a huge lip and woke up with that same fat lip.  i called the mission pres wife and she told me to just take some benedryl and ill be fine, but not to sit down cuz ill crash.  i made it thru 2 hrs of study, but fell asleep in languge study.  i woke up a little later and we had lunch and then my comp went and took a nap so i got ready and sat in the chair next to our door waiting for him to be ready, and of course i crashed again for an hour.  by this time i thought i was good.  we went to our 2nd appointment about 20 min later and while we were talking i fadded away into a nice slumber and woke up justin time to leave the house.  after that i was good, just dead tired till about 5 that night.

dont take that stuff if youplan on doing anything important, cuz youll miss a lot of things.


this week has been sucky, the work has dropped so much i think we are both being pulled out next week on transfer day.  im not going to blame anyone for the lack of effort, but he stays with me 24/7.  the ZLs are pouttin some pressure on him finally and we see pres on thurs for our normal check up interviews.


other than that my tagalog is growing so much each day.  last night i sat on a bus on the way home, and just joked and laughed while we rode.  the ppl in the bus asked me if my comp even spoke tagalog cuz he was silent the whole time.

i laughed pretty hard as i told them he was a mute and he was indian so he didnt know what we were talkin about.


i love you all, and i want you to know im happy.  i got treated today to lunch as this like american hamburger joint by 4 couple missionarries.  i translate for them in church so they like me a lot.  and i got to go on the roof of a churhc building ant take some pics of the city and the temple today.

im working as hard as i can and i have never been happier.  thanks for all your letters and love.

elder brunson
alaska man

I Hit Him In The Head

hey everyone,

well this week has had some great things happen.

baptism #5 and the 3rd one i have been able to do the dunking.  i bust it out in perfect tagalog, and the crowed goes wild over that.

i was called out of sacrament meeting by an emergency phone call from my zone leader telling me he is coming to pick me up from church cuz we have emergency exchanges.  i thought i was in trouble for something, or something bad happened at home, i didnt know what to think.  he got there and told me that nothing happened, his companion was invited to a special meeting in the mission home for Tongans.  my ZL wanted me to work with him for the day cuz he likes me a lot.

i hit a guy in the head this morning.  we were playing basketball with some ppl and this older guy was against us and decided he wants to guard me.  when i take the ball out he swats at me and always hits my hands, and calls fouls left and right, basically he was a baby.  anyways he does the swat at my hands and so i take the ball and hit him in the head with it.  he stumbles around a little, so i think i rang hit bell.  and then he calls a foul on that so i give him the ball and laugh.  my zone mates were laughing too.

ill repent of that later tonight.

yesterday i was so sick.  i got home from district meeting and i dont feel good, but i go to work, i work all day and my companion asked me about every 5 mins if i wanted to go home (cuz he doesnt like to work), but i keep going.  9pm we are outside our house, and call the Zls so they know we are home safe, and i finally stop fighting it and puke all over.  then i felt better until i got inside, and had the hershey squirts.  then i felt better again.   i got into bed and past out for about 20 mins,  then woke up with a splitting headache.  i prayed so manby times for help,i tried throwing up again, but i didnt need to, i tried drinking water, but that didnt help, so i was up all night tossing and turning, hitting my head into the wall, but nothing helped.  i got on my knees and begged for help.  i was finally able to get to sleep at about 2am, but then it came back.  at 6 i got up and got dressed for our service project, and here i am, dead tired with my head ready to explode, but Jesus Christs gave His life for me,  ill do the most, not the least, i can to repay Him.

well, thats my week.  thanks for all your love and your letters and prayers.

elder brunson
alaska man

Half Way through #3

hello,

lets see where to start.... lets give a shout out to elder brunson in japan who sent me a letter, and also i finally got all 3 parts of the letter grandpa sent me.  thanks so much for your love and support. ill try to write you back asap.

this week has not been much change, our work drops a little more each week.  i started yesterday pushing him.  i made him stay out till almost 9pm in the rain contacting referrals.  im going to keep pushing him till he works as hard a i do.  we came home at 7 one night cuz he needed to use the bathroom.  he went #3 and decided he could no longer work.  i babied him and we went and got some medicine to take care of him and we went to bed early that night.  last night he said his stomach hurt so we couldnt work, but i jumped in a jeepney (like a taxi) and made him follow me to contact ppl.  that was at 730, he said we had no more time to work, so i told him we have 2 more hrs to work. he said its raining, i said so what, he said we have no money, and i told him we still have enough to make it there and back.  he came up with every reason why we needed to go home early, and i fired right back with a reason to stay out.

he is my DL, and he was trained by out ZL.  i have noticed that his mom rules his world, and i have been talking to Pres and the Zls about the things we are doing.  this morning he didnt do his personal studies, becaouse he decided to iron every piece of clothing he has.  so pretty much i gotta keep kicking his BUTT every second of the day.  i told him this morning that i have a problem with his lack of effort, and he made up the excuse that he is sick.

anyways, enough about him.  we have a baptism this saturday and the guy told me he wants me to baptize him.  we also have one on the 27th as long as the girl keeps progressing.  i have seen the gospel change lives and i love it.  the time is going by too fast for me.  each day ppl are amazed at the way i speak, its like i have been here for a long time.  they ask me how long i have been here and they dont believe me when i tell them 0only 3 months.

i saw a Rolls Royce on saturday.  it was a herst though.  im not sure if it was real or a fake, cuz most the time things are fake here.  and i was sitting on a bus while it was loading ppl and i sneezed out the window.  the funny thing was, there was a lady walking under the winndow and was showered with my snot.  i didnt know she was there till after i had done it.  she didnt say anything, she just gave me a thizz face look and kept walkin.  i laughed so hard at that.

not much more to say about my week.  i love you all and im praying for you.

New Companion, Same Area

howdy,

so lets get the good stuff out there, my new companion is from here, he is 20 yrs old, im his first follow up, this is his first time to be a district leader, this is his 2nd time to be a senior companion, and i run the show out here.  he doesnt know what to do. he doesnt know where to go.  he can teach well, but cant control the lesson.  he does not update the area book at night, and he doest not talk to ppl on the street.  right now we are in gym shorts and t shirts, which is not allowed.  im basically the senior companion.  i was only supposed to be in charge till yesterday, but he has not stepped up his game.  i told the zone leader about it cuz our zone leader trained my companion, and the zone leader said thats how he has always been.

 no worries though im lovin it.  i have really stepped up my game and become a great missionary.  my language is so good now.  everyone tells me its like i have been here for more than 3 months.  im so excited to work, and i forget to eat sometimes, because im so busy.  the area is in my hands now.  usually the responsibility is on the senior comp, like if the work fails, or the companionship is not working hard, but i wont let that happen now. i feel like its on me to keep this elder busy.  he has 11 months left, but still acts like he has only been out 6 months.  well, ill just keep working as hard as i can, and keep the baptisms rolllin in.

we had a baptism on saturday, i did it in tagalog for my first time.  it was s o beautiful.  it was JOY VERGANO who is 17 and has an amazing testimony.  we were posed to have one this comming saturday again, but the brother needs to build up his testimaony of joseph smith fiorst. his new date will be sept 20th.  im excited for that one cuz its right around brookes birthdday.

hopefully ill be able to pull off 2 more transfers in this area.  i love it here, and dont wanna go to the city.  the provinces are the best place.  my old companion is a zone leader now, which is good for him. he is hard working, and was aspiring soooo bad. finally it happened.  now he gets to kill his companion.  that means his companion is in his last transfer.  i cant wait to kill an elder.  its going to be fun.

tomorrow we have exchanges with the zone leaders.  they love me, so when i ask for them they make them happen.  its so much fun.  ill be with elder mills again, the elder i was with when i got kissed.  i cant wait to see what tomorrow brings.

well, thats my week right now.  im so tired, but thats the life of a missionary deba?  (deba means like right? or isnt it? sorry its so much easir to taglish things.)

i love you all.

elder brunson

aka alaska man

hahah I win again!

wazzzzzzz uuuuuup,
sorry this key board is a terrible one so forgive my typeos.
anyways the big news is im staying in my area and the bad news is my comp is leaving. this last week we clicked sooooo well, but now it has to end. my prayers have been answered and i get at least 6 weeks in this area agian. today it was raining and i was like plz rain harder and it happened, then i siad plz let the power go out and my comp laughed at me. i got the last laugh a few secs later when the power went out. then i pushed it and asked for snow and the power came on. oh well, at least i know im being heard.
elder bednar wasas so amazing. so spiritual. he shook allof our hands and time stop[ped for me. all i could say was hi as we looked into each others eyes.
my tagalog is so good now. it flows i think cuz my comp and i have a strong spirit now.
i got thrown up on this week on the way home from the temple tour by one of our invteigators. it was hot coco all over my white shirt and clean pants. it was a 2 hour ride home with it all ovewr me. i loved it and got some good pics.
we have anothe r baptism on saturdauy for a 17 yr old girl who has a strong testimonyt. i honestly love her so much in the way a missionarry loves the ppl he teaches and noother way i promise. she is really great though. and 1 more ba[ptism on the 30th. the work here is great ill make sure to keep it up with my new comp. i will meet him tomorrow.
soprry this is shoprt thanks for theletters sis lemmon, tome moore, grandma and grandpa, and of course for the emails.
ilove you all.
elder brunson
alaska man

Alaska Man???

hey,
thanks for the emails, i loved them.
im doing great. my pres told me to follow my comp and do whatever he wants, even if its wrong. so thats where im at. pres knows that he is doing wrong stuff so thats good.
transfers is next week on the 21, but on the 19 elder bednar is comin here to speak to my mission. its going to be amazing. ill let you know how it goes on the 20th and if ill be getting a new comp or not.
we had a baptism on saturday. i was able to do one of them, and my comp did the other. it was a husband and wife, and it was so spiritual. that was my first time doing the dunking . so that puts me up to 3 total so far and 4 more planned for this month.
more drunk ppl this week. its normal here, but i avoided being kissed again. i am havin a pimp belt made from horns of water buffalo. the buckle will be the F from freeline of course, is there anything better than that? NO!!!!! i will most likely be sending it home cuz we cant wear them here, they are not mission appropriate. (wow i spelled that word right all on my own)
teaching in english is hard for me now. i have to think before i speak. so now im stuck between two languages.and its hard at times, but i still try.
there is not much more to report other than im great. i love you all and thanks for your prayers.
elder brunson
AKA. Alaska MAN

first week in aug of 08

hello again everyone,

this week is a very busy one. we have a husband and wife being baptized on the 9th and also an open house at the church that same day.

i was able to go on exchanges not just once but twice this week with our zone leader elder mills.  he is from idaho and him and i have a blast.  we always laugh so hard and we have  strong unity and the spirit so my tagalog is the best when im with him.  the first time we made a motorcycle with the side car tip backwards and then i had to lift it up onto the road. then the driver took off so i had to run and jump on.  the next time we were together we were walking thru all the puddles to find the deep ones and ppl were looking at us like we were crazy so we said mas madali dyien, or its way easier there. cuz if you wanna walk around the puddles you have to jump from rock to rock and that usually ends with you falling into the water anyways, so we were like lets just go thru.  oh and we talked to this drunk guy who took us to 4 different houses and said they were all his and he wants us to teach him.  he had no shoes so i asked where they were and he said he sold them for money to buy his alcohol.  then we talked this other drunk guy and he said he loved ppl of a different race so we told him we are full filipino and he was like can i give you a hug? so i said why not and hugged him, then before i knew it he asked for a kiss and then holds me so i cant move and kissed me.  OH MAN!!!! i was like what?!!! he said dont worry i love you but im not gay.  so pretty much i had the best week ever.

my companion and i have had some very long talks lately, i straight up told him on sunday i dont like him at all.  we talked about things and they are better now, but we are seeing pres tomorrow morning. i cant wait.

we started teaching this family who has a relative who is from austraila living with them because she goes to school here one year then at home one year cuz its faster that way. college here starts at 16 yrs old.  anyways she does not understand the tagalog very well, so i get to translate for her during the lesson. i can see the gift of tongues i have because she got here on may22 of this year, so 1 week before me and i can speak and understand pretty well.  this is not her first time here either, so she should know way more than me.

those are my stories for the week.

i got letters from grandma again thanks so much, sis lemmon i get yours every 2 weeks and they are great.

colton:  im asking pres if i can just email right to you. i hope he lets me.  keep up the good work and enjoy your bike. im lucky enough to walk everywhere and i love it.  its hot here too and right now is rainy season, i have adjusted to the heat though, i sleep in pants and right now im wearing a coat. ima try to buy a beanie today at the market.  the language is still hard for me too, it sounds like we are h aving the same problems with it.  just talk to ppl and tell your comp not to correct you so fast.  if you mess up, start over.  it will come i promise you. only 19 months left time is flyin by. i love you

hey bawat isa

how are things?

thanks for the emails and the love. thanks for the prayers and the support. it really helps.
i was sick on friday, i had the 24 hour flu throwing up and the other end stuff too AKA #3...
i slept almost all day, and a brother from our branch sat in our house the whole time. my companion wouldnt let me work even though i wanted to. im better now though.

things are great. we have so many baptisms planned for Aug. we are doing better as i said, but still, im glad that this transfer is half over already.

oh man the ppl here love the amerian music so i hear so many of my favorite songs. i love it.
well, not much to report on sorry,

we are teaching one brother who has been smoking for over 30 yrs. we told him we would like him to cut bak and try to stop in one month. he sid no problem, he could do it in one day. i thought FAT CHANCE right 30 yrs and to stop cold turkey in 1 day.... he showed me. that night he stopped. he keeps the pack he was smoking on his counter/ table/ nightstand thing. he is so prepared. he will be baptised sooon.

today we played basketball again, and i was workin them. my comp from the mtc and i played 2 on 2 with the zone leaders and we killed them. i was sinkin 3s all day!!!

my first day here i had hot coco and i was sweating so bad, but now when i have it i dont even get hot. i have goten used to the heat here.

Colt, hang in there. keep going strong. i love you man. i sent you a letter, it should get there pretty fast cuz the lady in the post office is pretty much in love with me, i think its cuz im white though... i have that problem sometimes. i cant help that im so pogie though....
lol i love you all.

elder brunson

Another Good Week:

hey all,
this week has been great. its wednesday here cuz yesterday we had zone conf today is p-day. i have had a good day. nothing really special to do in my area, everywhere is so cool to me cuz its all different. today we played basketball with the elders from our zone and also ping pong.
the work has been great as always. my companion and i have gotten so much better. im so glad for that.

yesterday at zone conf pres wanted elders to come up in front of everyone and practice things. my comp raised his hand first so we got to do it even though i told him no. our situation was contacting a referral and getting everything in 1 min. i thought no prob, english is so easy for us. i was wrong. tagalog was what we had to speak. i blew pres away. when my comp stopped talking i picked it up cuz the other elders were not interrested that much so i just cut in and got them to let us in the door. after that pres gopt up and said how amazed he was with me IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CONF!!! i felt so good, but said a prayer to thank our Father cuz its only cuz of HIm i was able to do it.

i had a long talk with Sis HO CHING the pres wife. we talk about her family, keith, missions and so much stuff, just really nice. i like her a lot and i can see that both her and pres like me a whole bunch. sis ho ching came up to me in the middle of conf and said, your losing wight i was like lol just a little.

i got the package.... i said just a little something... i got so much good stuff. im not sure if i can finish it all. ill bring the extras home after my 2 yrs. geez.. thank you to everyone who wrote me letters aubrea, aaron, justin, grandma, aunt tammy, colton, sis lemmon, and if im forgettin somone im sorry really i am. i loved them so much.

a special thanks to grandma for the shirt, hat, tie pin, and the paper. i love them. i will use them all as often as i can.

i had exchanges with one of our assistants this week. it was so great. its keiths last comp elder iliw iliw. if i was not a member i would marry him. i seriously love himn so much. i took some pics with him cuz he only has 3 weeks left. i wil miss him. he taught me so much in just one day.
COLT: never let the language stop you if you cant say it in jap say it in english and the spirit will carry it. just speak from the heart and speak slow. i got your letter this week and i just sent you one today. i love you and i hope you continue to do great. tell your filippino inv. guapo ako that will make them laugh it means im handsome. your the example to me, i needed you in the mtc and i miss it there. lose yourself in the work. honestly the first few weeks are the worst. the language will come. i cant wait to see you in 21 months. i love you. keep up the good work.

kyle:
keep living the dream your so lucky to be skating with thoise guys. just remember your time will come when you can serve the Lord. then it will be time to hang the skates up fopr a while. i promise you it will be the best choice you will ever make. please remember who you are and please serve when you are 19. dont let anything hoold you back, the world needs us to take this gospel to them.

aaron:
thank you so much for the letter. you made me cry. i am so proud of you. you are an example to me. please keep up the good work. you should make an email i can email just you on so we can write personal stuff on.

brooke:
thank you for the neacklace its beautiful. its on my desk. i cant wear it but ill keep it on my desk to think of you. i miss you and i love you so much. i think about you all the time. i wrote you a letter and mailed it today.
thanks to all of you

my prayers are with james, colt, and austin. hang in there guys. i love you and i know things will work out according to Gods will.

mahal ko kayo
elder brunson

a very special week....

kumusta kayo,

every week is special out here, so this is a special one too.  im glad to hear keith is home now.  he served very well and many missionaries look up to him.
my baptisms were put off another 2 weeks again, my companion does not think they are ready for the 26th so now they have to wait till the 9th of Aug.  i feel they are ready, but im not in charge.  we are planning on anoher one for Aug 2nd, that would make it 4 total.  im way excited.
i was so happy to see the freeline pics.  they are so sweet.  aaron has a talent for that type of stuff.  now all we neeed is brooke to get on them and then we can have a family team.  i still miss is every day, when i stand up on the busses i pretend im skating as i look out the windows.
im having a blast out here. language is still hard, but its comming with time. the food is good. i have started to eat some more of their food, but it has come with some upset stomachs. i have to take it slow and build up my tollerance to it.  my companion is still on my last nerve. i told him yesterday some of the problems i have with him, but no use, he is still doing the same things. maybe ill tell him again.  i think the thing that bothers me most is he does the same things over and over, but each time says sorry when i tell him that it bothers me.  maybe thats how our Father in heaven feels with us?...
my companion fron the mtc is in my zone now. im with him today cuz both our companions have training cuz they are DLs.  oh man we are havin a blast.  it really was an answer to my prayers, cuz i could nat make it thru this transfer without him.
the weather is good here, hot as usual and rainy sometimes. i love it though.  the people are so great.
i went to the temple this morning and it was so beautiful. i was able to do a session and sit and think. i love going there.
well, not much more to say, i wrote some letters home so they should be getting to you all soon.

love,
elder brunson

Transfers Tomorrow

hey,

so tomorrows is transfers, but i get to stay in my area with my same companion.  thats the big news of the week here.

last saturday we took a family on a temple tour which was amazing. the parents will be baptized on july 26th which will put me up to 3 alredy.  they are so ready, i cant wait.  our one baptism that we had on saturday was great, then he got the holy ghost on sunday. wow such a special young man.

i have seen a huge improvement in my tagalog this last week. i told Father that i will use it everyday and work hard everyday doing whatever he needs me to do. i think thats what has made it so much better.

i have not got the package dad sent yet, but its ok, cuz mail only comes to me evrry other week.  i can wait till it comes. i barely eat now. i keep losing the LBS. not sure how  much i weigh, but im looking pretty good. my legs are built!!!

i got a letter from grandma and sis lemmon this week. thanks so much for the mail. ill try to be better at writting back.  its just so hard cuz im super busy.

last thursday i worked with one of the zone leaders, and yesterday we worked together again, and again today we are together. i love working with him cuz i learn so much and he teaches me so much.  he explained something to me he said,

elder brunson i love the way you are with the kids, you always take time to put a smile on their face and say hi to them, the parents see that and it is a good way to soften them, cuz they see the kids with no shoes, old clothes, no food, but they are still happy when they see you.

i was touched by that, and then at the temple we watched a slide show of Christ, and 90% if not more of the pics had Him with little kids all around HIm.  i wont ever stop taking time to give high fives to the kids, or playing basketball for a min. they follow me around like im famous, and they yell my name when they see me.  one time 3 little kids were running down a path to me, and one tripped and fell into a bush. oh man that made my day.  i love them.

well not much more to report, im glad to hear elder brunson is out of the mtc soon. not sure exactly the day cuz of the time change from here to there, but if you can tell him i love him so much, he is an example to me. i pray for him often, as well as james, and austin.  "shall we not go forth in such great a cause?"

this week i read alma 30 for about the 100th time since i left home, but verse 34 hit me. its my testimony right there. i love the work.

take care everyone.

love elder brunson

Evil Spirits????

Aubrea, a mission is so hard, but its all worth it.  it hit me this week that we are baptizing someone. we are showing them the way back home. sometimes i dont feel like a misdsionary. i even forget sometimes that im in the philippines. i wopnder why everyone looks at me different. its so weird, but its such a good feeling to testify. i cant wait to speak full tagalog and testify like i can in english.    i love this work so much. i love the ppl

if your testimony is not strong out here, satan gets you very easily. also listening to  other ppl talk of their church, seeing the lame walk in front of them, and them knowing the bible like you know your name, you wonder is it true, but then i think to myself, im 19, only 2 months training in tagalog and PMG, and im out here teaching ppl with lifetimes spent studying, and im having success.
satan is powerful here, he tempts me everyday, he seriously asks me if this is true. i could be at home doing many things, but i know this is so true.
i found out this week there are eveil spirits in my appartment. i have not seen them yet, and i hope not to, but they are reallythere. they came to the elder who was there before me. scary huh? tell tthat to the family pls.  ill let you know if i see any.
got to go. i love you. tell brooke i love her too. tell the boys hi for me.

elder brunson

Busy Busy

kumusta kayo,

wow the  time is going so fast. alredy july. not sure what we do on the 4th, but it will be ok. it was great to see the pictures of everyone. aaron would fit in very well here. there are many gay ppl. ihear they passed same sex marriage in cali. how fun huh?

well we have our baptism this saturday after we take some invest. to tour the temple. i might see elder bradford there. i have not seen him in a while, but its ok.  im excited for our baptism. i dont get to do it, but it still counts as one for me. we let members do it  cuz they need the experience more than we do.

well i sent a letter home today i thought colt had one more month left.  tell him to only call one phone, cuz when you make a call it eats up a huge amount of the time on the card. so just 1 call!!!

this week i hadmy first LBM aka number 3. my companion made food that igot sick from. it was good cuz i ate it for lunch and it didnt hit me till about 9 that night so i made it home in time to go.  i ate some squid this week. they boil it and stuff it with some stuff that im not sure what it is. it was not bad. it looked like the bait we used deep sea fishing. a little squid head tentacles and all. at our branch pres. house this week he made "soup" and said he would tell me whats in it later. it was parts of a cow, heart, stomach, liver, big and small intestines and juices found in each of those parts. it was pretty good.
well im getting pretty good looking myself. 2 weeks ago i was 218 nowihave built somemuscle and lost weight so im probably 210 but with big arms.

sorry the space bar on the computer is broken.
well thats pretty much it. i will let you know when i get the package, probably on next monday cuz we get mailed delivered to us by someone in the office every other week.  ill try to get some pics put on a cd and sent out. i had a PMG (Preach my Gospel) put in leather. its amazing.
before i leave ill have some more stuff made. they will print anythoing on shirts for so cheap so maybe if you waNT a design just send it to me and ill have it made and send some money for it and shipping. ANYTHING you want you can get here.
my language still suffers badly, Tagalog is very hard. my understanding of whats said around me is growing though.
i love you all so much.

elder brunson

EMAILS!

Hey Guys!!!

I just found out anyone can email Randy:   elderbrunson@myldsmail.net

So you SHOULD all do it!  

Only thing is... he can't email you back.  He can write you a letter back though! WOO HOO! 

I'm OK

hey all,

im ok. i was given the chance to write for 7 min to tell you im ok yesterday, but i didnt take it. i was so busy and i didnt think you would even know about the typhoon or bagio as its called in tagalog.  it was pretty crazy, trees falling over, lots of flood and rains, high winds, and power out.  sunday all of our stake (district) cancled church except our branch. there were 31 ppl there and 6 were non members. the power was out so it was hard to hear what was going on in sacrament meeting. i had to give the sacrament prayer in tagalog. that was my first time doing it. afterwards the brach pres came up to me and said, i didnt think you could do it, but you did great.

well its been almost 3 months now. time is flying by.  im so busy working all the time, and i love it.  im still losing weight like crazy, my pants keep getting bigger.  the food is amazing. its so good.

i went to the temple today, it was so beautiful. it was in tagalog so i got an english translator headset.  it was very interesting and a new experience.  i loved it though. as soon as i walked in i felt clean.  the temple is in the city so there are a lot of worldly things around it, but it so beautiful.

i got some mail from james, grandma, and also aunt tammy.        i want to thank them. i hope i have tme to write back today, but im not sure if i will.

well like i said i have been busy, its almost time for transfers. we have a baptism comming up on the 5th of july. its going to be great he is 16 and amazing. we have been blessed to teach him.

thats crazy that shaun is married now. it seems like yesterday he was leaving for his mission.  tell him congrats for me.

i found out you can send pics on here, so send away. maybe try a video too. that would be so awsome to see a skate video.

well i hope to hear from you all soon.

elder brunson

What a Great Week!

magandang umaga,

well i have had a great week.

Happy Fathers Day dad! i know it was on sunday, but this was the soonest i could write home. i hope you had a great day.

well lets see where to start?  i have been working hard even though it has been raining hard. i love the rain here, but when we get to our appointments we are soaked so i get cold, still i love it. its so beautiful here.  its funny to se ppl walking around with their hand over their head to stop the rain, while the rest of them is getting wet. :)  i love the ppl. this is also the only place a small motorcylce could be a family vehicle. its amazing how many ppl fit on one bike when you have the desire to fit everyone.

funny things that happened this week:
an old man kissed one of my pamphlets cuz i showed him the picture of Jesus and told him i had a mesage about Jesus.

a lady came up to me at stake (district) conf. and told me she was baptized in 97 and wanted a temple rec. but was not able to get one. she was with her son and then in broken english started to confess things to me. i just listened, but she was crying so much i couldnt understand her.

oh, i was translating from tagalog to english out of preach my gospel, and the words started to come out in tagalog instead of english. (i hope that made sense, it just shows that im learning)

well those are my funny stories.

thanks to aunt tammy and aunt angela, and grandma for thier emails to me. i wish i could email back, but i cant. i dont think its possible to kill someone with a pass along card, but missionaries sometimes preform the impossible... my advice to James is to be patient, i have learned that no matter who your companion is you can get along with them if you will humble yourself. service is one of the best ways to do that. iron his shirt, clean for him, just serve him.

will someone pls send me colton's updates? that would be great. i would love to hear from him.

i weighed myself finally and the scale says im 118 now. i left home 115 so that means i have only gained 3 lbs right? NOT. i have lost so much wieght that i picked up in the MTC. it just melts off me out here

I'll get to go to the temple a week from today. YAY! and saturday we have a temple tour with some of our families we are teaching. i love teaching about the temple. we take 5 coins(like pennies) and say this is a family of 5 before the temple. then we put them under a pisture of the temple and pull out a coin that is worth 5 (like a nickle) and tell them that now the family is one forever. its very powerful.

we had to move one of our baptisms to july 5 cuz the boy is 16 and is in school now so we cant teach him as often as we would like. so we moved it. we have another one on july 28 i believe. the 16 yr old is a nephew of a member so thats how he found the church.  the other one is a middle aged man who was found just by talking to him on the street. we dont tract here, we OYM (open your mouth) to ppl on busses, walking, stores, jeeps, motorcyles, everything.

we had zone conf. last wednesday. so spiritual. i love it. i cant explain how amazing it was. and i got to see elder bradford 2 times last week. i love him. i wanna be like him. i will see him later today cuz im on my way to the misssion home. im on splits cuz my companion has DL training and the elder im with needs to call home. so we are going to the MH.

i have found only 1 food i dont like its their version of chinesse food. it makes me wanna throw up. i try to eat a little then pass it to my companion, but from now on ill just not eat it. i love the rice. and the things we put on it are great!

we are teaching a brother who is a minister of another church, he understands some english. we try to teach him but he wont keep his commitments. laast night we were on the topic of authoruity. it came my turn to testify, i thought for a min and asked if i could speak in english. he said yes, so i bore the most powerful testimony i ever have, but so simple he understood it. i dunno if he will read like he said he would, but i know that he felt the spirit testify to him that we have the only true church with the right authority.

dad, if you could send me a line of authority chart in the mail that would be amazing. and if you wanna throw in some american candy/snacks that would be great too. not too much though. just like some m&ms and stuff. please dont send tp. they have it here, but its expensive and i dont need it. my hand works very well.  how can i learn to love the ppl unless i live like them? i cant. and part of learning and understanding language is understanding culture.

one thing im having a hard time with is freeline. i am not home sick, i dont miss my phone, hanging out with friends, girls, but i am skate sick. is in my blood i guess. i would love to have a video sent to me of the boys skating. if kyle and aaron could do that it would be great! it has to be on a memory card though...

well, i have to get going. i love you all so much. i will try to write real letters soon. hopefully today. im doing great and time is flying by.

mahal ko kayo.

elder brunson.

hey all

hi,

well again my time is limited.  pday is almost over so i have to hurry. i was planning on doing 1 email to family then one to friends, but this week everyone will get the same one.

so my second week is so much better than my first. i still struggle with the language a lot, but its getting better slowly.  i hve noticed that ppl understand me better now cuz they are able to tell me they dont wanna hear the message, or they say maybe next time...

the ppl are so nice when it comes to the language. they understand im still learning and they help me a lot.

the food is really good. so much rice but i love it. lots of fruits and veggies as well. whenever we have meat with our rice its fresh. the markets here are amazing. they stink but they are one of my fav places.

they have a filipino version of chinesse food that is ok at best. i can only eat a little at a time or i get sick. the spaghetti here is also not the same. its like hot dogs and noodles, but they love it. tofu is good. bolute is not that bad (its a chick in an egg before it is developed all the way).

the lessons are going great. always so busy. i have lost lots of weight already just from the walking and sweating. we have one 16 yr old boy ready to be baptized on the 28 of this month. im way excited for him. i cant wait to give the rest of our inv. a date.

the mail here is not as bad as ppl have said so if you want you can hand write, but like i have said email is faster. i will try to write some letters home next tuesday. maybe ill ask elder bradford to take them home for me? still not sure.

it was great to see him. i also saw him yesterday. he is scared to go home. i wana be just like him and my trainer is teaching me how. we keep all the rules and we are happy. we joke and have fun but its within all the rules.

soo about the bathrooms, no toilet paper so eat with your right, wipe with your left. thats just how it goes. you have a bucket so you splash water on there and then wipe and wash. oh and there are no toilet seats, you squat. we do our own laundary in buckets and hang them to dry. i love it. it teaches me so. i always thought i needed a washer and dryer, but i dont. showers are very cold but sometimes they feel so great.

i love you all, ill write next tuesday.

elder brunson

Not Sure What Week.... (First one from the Philippines!)

i wrote a whole email then it got delted im not sure how i only have 20 min left to email so ill hurry. my address is
philippines quezon city mission
po box 13873 ortigas center
1600 pasig city
metro manila philippines

email is the best way to reach me though.


so... my companion is great, i love him so much. he is from the phil. his name is elder toledo.

well, work is great i love it. its hard to adjust to not haveing the same things we have in america like clean water, warm showers in the morning, toilet paper, flushing water, real floors, and much much more.

the ppl here are amazing i love them. they are so happy even though they have nothing. my first area is not in the city, but about 2 hrs away from it in the bush pretty much. i love it but its so hard.  well i have to get going now, i promise to write more next week. p day is tuesdays. please write back.

Week 9

hello everyone,

today is my last email from the states for the next 22 months.  im so excited but nervous. i will talk to some of you tommorw evening i hope.  today im wearing the formal lava lava around the mtc and ppl love it. it so comfy.

umm lets see whats new... i didnt get to go to the temple today cuz its a holiday. so i went to 2 periods of gym and got my hair cut.  last night colton gave me an amazing blessing. it was his first but it was so good. im glad we have had each other here.  oh i almost had to call dad last week to send me ties but then i called mr. mac and got 2 ties from there and also some new shoes cuz i needed another pair.  i made sure to get ones that will last forever...thats right eccos...

i have heard the mail is not that reliable in the flips so a tip i got was to put stickers of crosses on it.  the mail men sometimes go thru the packages and take stuff. but since they are mostly catholics they wont mess with the boxes with crosses on it, usually... oh and if you send something like shoes that are valuable send them one at a time, im not planning on needing shoes though.

 i have stopped thinking about home so much and been doing as much work as i can. thats the way the Lord wants it.  i still pray for you all though.  i know he will take care of you.

tell aaron good job way to rep the streets.  i figured our team could get shirts eventually that say ~~Freeline~~ THATS HOW I ROLL i dunno. somethin like that maybe.

the weather here has been kinda cold. somedays are nice but like today its been hailing. the FOBs (fresh off the boat) go crazy for it cuz they  have never seen it. well im going to go now. i have lots of journals to sign and also i have to  write some ppl before i leave the states. i will prolly write kyle and aaron and brooke. i will talk to you tomrrow night.

i love you all so much. thanks for your support.
Elder Brunson

Week 8

hey all,

kamusta po ba kayo?  how are you all?  maraming salamat para sa mga sulat.  thanks so much for all the mail.  this is my last full week in the mtc. i am excited but sad. 

If you are going to mail things to me it has to be here by the 27th at 5pm. after that i will be all packed up and waiting for the shuttle to the air port.  it seems so long but so short at the same time. 9 weeks goes by fast.

my tagalog is getting way better. my companion refers to me as his walking Tall book, which is a book we use to learn the language. him and i teach together great.

i hope all is well back home. how is the Freeline? i wish i could skate so badly. i i thought i would be over the urge to skate by now but im not. i still have dreams about it.  i hear you all are really good now. 

im doing laundry right now and its way hot here. it feels like a cali day. it makes me happy but want to go to the lake or the beach. i miss the water.  oh saturday was the best. my companion elder rabuka was caughing up blood so we walked down to the BYU health clinic cuz the MTC clinic was closed. then we got to drive around town for another hour looking for a bank that was open for another elder in the car, and we went to rite aid and also a grocery store. all the college students were out and about cuz it was a nice day plus there was someting going on at both stadiums. the driver wouldnt take us to a drive thru but he said we could buy stuff at the store if we wanted. all he said was use your judgement.  well, being missionaries we walked out with only the Rx and nothing else... we are such good boys.

last night we had some problems with our district. we had some "contention" you might say... anyways none of us felt like going to the temple this morning when we woke up. insted we talked and shared testimony of how much we love each other. i felt soo good as we did that, better than anything i have felt in the temple. it was truely amazing. now everything is better and we are not going to waste this last week we have together.  we felt the powers of satan last night and we almost let him send some of us home. hindi mabuti NO GOOD!!! but we came out on top.

well thats pretty much everything going on. ill write my last email from the mtc next monday. take care and i hope to hear from you all soon.  mahal ko kayo, i love you all.

ingat,
elder brunson.

NEW PICTURES!

Week 7?

hey all,

i think this is week seven but im not sure anymore. it all seems to run together so fast.   i get my flight plans in 4 days. im so excited.

so this week has been good.  i'm sad that the two districts left, i miss them a lot. some more than others but i know they are doing the Lords work now. the new dstrict is ok, not as cool as we are but maybe they can achive our greatness. i doubt it cuz my district is the best.  being a ZL is hard work. i never realized all the crap they deal with mostly form other ZLs. its crazy. but i have been doing alright.

i just found out saturday that packages sent to the philippines will take at least 3 months to get there. sometimes 7!!! mail will get to me about every other week, maybe every 3 weeks.  my tagalog is improving a lot. this week is lesson 2 in tagalog only. im excited cuz elder la ulu and i are good teaching partners. we "kill" the lessons, i use kill as a good thing. we feel we can do the same with the 2nd one. we know that it is only through Gods power we are able to do so well. when we are distracted or dont feel the spirit very strong we cant teach. nothing will come outta our mouths its weird.

well sorry this is so short. i hope to hear from you all soon. remember that i leave here the 27th so make sure anything you send will get here before that. ill be sending some stuff home this week.

i love you all so much. i drew a pic for brooke. ill send it the next time she writes me.

mahal kayo at magandang hapon,

elder brunson

Week 6 or Something like that

Hey Everyone,

Lets start off with some freeline.  I sport my shirts every chance I get.  Just now an Elder in the Laundry room stopped me cuz he freelines too.he is from holister cali.  kyle should write his brother

elder nichols
830 ehcerro dr.
hollister ca 95023

he says they are pretty good but i dunno. you should hit him up kyle. i gave this elder my black shirt. so kyle will you get me another black one? and also a black large hoodie? ill pay you back when i get home bro. just leave them with the rest of my clothes. i have no use for them in the philippines.

anyways, i have become more poly than ever. i  have given up my american culture and become a true poly. no more problems between my poly brothers and i. all that is mine is theirs and all theirs as mine. my mission pres might let me wear lava lavas i hear.  he is samoan so hopefully ill be able to. colt said aunt tammy could send me his dressy one and i could use it

i finally heard from brooke today it was great.  i only have 3 weeks to get all the tagalog i can outta my teachers. today we have 2 out of 4 districts leaving. im sad but happy. i wanna visit them after my mission. i will never forget them and the way they treated me. i really do love them.  since the zone leaders are leaving today it was time to call two new ones.  yeah i got appointed to be one of them. its going to be hard but ima change these elders witht he help of the Lord and my other ZL. we can get rid of all the bad and start off fresh now. we will do great things.  i thought it was weird how they dont call zone or district leaders, they only appoint them. it was explained to me yesterday the reason they do this is cuz part of being called to be a missionary is being a ZL or DL or AP or whatever. a missionary is my calling so i can only be appointed to different things.  so pray for me and my zone please. we need it.

i hope all is well at home. i would love to get a freeline video and/or some pics. i miss it a lot but ill be back to it in no time. "Praise to the man" 4th verse says sacrifice brings for the blessings of heaven. i see those blessings everyday.

my tagalog teaching is going great. i am blessed with great comps. they help me keep my head up when i feel like im not getting the language.  i cant wait to get to the flips.  thats what we call the philippines.  the fresh fruits and amazing food. the great people who are so humble. i wanna share the gospel with all of them.

olton and i hung out pretty much all day yesterday. it was sweet. his comp is alright, funny just not as cool as colt and i.  i have seen tom and gabe a few times which is kinda cool.

well i gotta go soon. my time is almost up. as i said before lots of my family is leaving today. ima cry but ill see them again if not in this life in the next. i love them a lot. we are "niggas" for life as elder lata from compton cali says it.

mahal kita at ingyat. this means i love you and take care.

Elder brunson.

"A missionary is someone who leaves their family for a short time so that others can be with their families for Eternity" A letter to Aubrea 4/24/08

I have been doing great.  I have seen Colton a few times.  His companion is super gay.  Not in the homosexual way cuz that would be ok, but in the Peter Priesthood I wanna be 100% Obedient and have no fun.  Colton will learn a lot from him but he needs to have some fun.  Anyways I was happy to see Colt. 

I have not been having the best day.  I'm in class but feel like writing you what's been going on instead.  I t started great.  A Samoan Sister from my zone asked me to give her a blessing of comfort today and that was great.  Well, after gym I got a letter from mom.  And she always sends a piece of gun to me when she writes.  I was excited to get this gum and chew it tonight back at my room cuz it's bawal (forbidden) at the MTC other than in the bedrooms.  Well it was on my bed with my letters and Elder Nivfi a Big Tonan, came in and asked for it. I told him no he can't have it.  He then ate it! 

I got pissed and went to hit him in the face but didn't. I was able to stop myself.  I was mad at him and pushed him out of my room told him not to come back in, then slammed the door.  I felt bad after and he came back in and was saying in Tongan I don't know how to share. I told him to be a man and talk about me in English or Tagalog so I could understand it.  He told me I don't know how to take a joke.  I told him, "eating my stuff after I say not to is not a joke.  I't s disrespect.  If you don't respect my stuff, you don't respect me, so we are not good anymore."  Man, I was so upset.  Now I'm more upset with myself for getting mad.  I'm glad I didn't hit him.  I think we will fight before we leave the MTC, I just don't wanna get sent home.  I try to keep my cool. Some times this Elder needs a little "force" to make him listen.  

Moving on, There is nothing between Sister Spikes and I.  She is just a friend.  She reminds me a lot of you so I treat her almost the same as I treated you but with more respect most of the time.  She wrote all of the Elder's parents in my district.  Some people think her and I have something just cuz I'll take her books to class, drop off her mail, and take her tray at meals, plus much more.  I just treat her with respect.  Other sisters see that and wish they had Elders who would do that for them just to be nice.  I have really changed since I have been here.  I'm nice to everyone because we are all here doing the same work.  There are blacks, whites, tans, and browns, but we are al one.  Everyone is the same.  I put others before me now.  

Tonight,  Is TRC.  15 minutes of talking  in Tagolog only and 35 min. to teach a lesson.  Tonight its lesson 2 for the second time.  I love this lesson.  

LATER ON THAT DAY:

Just got out of the TRC.  The two RM's I taught were amazing.  We joked in Tagalog and English and the lesson was taught by the Spirit.  My teacher said we did great.  

Just to let you know,  The Elder and I just said sorry.  So it's all good now.  I love him.  I really do.

I have noticed Tagalog has messed up my English writting.  

Time to go the teacher is back. 

Mahal kita

Elder Brunson