January 27th, 2014

Well, I had another good week!!  It was a little to warm for my liking!  I mean come on lets be hones, winter should be at least in the negatives none of this wimpy 30's and such!

Poor little Elder Saunders left me for some one else .. haha.  He was transferred to Riverside Ward about two and a half hours south of us but he's still in our zone so I see him.   That kid was funny!  My new companion is Elder Padilla, he is from Phoenix Arizona and let me tell you his body is not capable of producing heat!  It's like 25 to 35 degrees up here on average and I let him wear my coat along with his!  What to tell about Elder Padilla?  He wants to become a comedian, he enjoyed video games and playing magic card  (like Pokemon I guess( I just learned that )) he is a computer wiz!  He has his own crock pot to use from area to area and insist on using it to cook meals!  He falls asleep quickly and likes to snore and wake up in the morning and tell me about his crazy dreams. On the same hand, I don't sleep well,  just about five hours and the rest of my night I write letters and whisper thoughts in to Padilla's ear while he sleeps.... and sometimes he reacts and such but usually his dreams are close to what I say so its entertaining !  But no fear he knows I do it, he just asked that I video tape it so when the funny stuff happens he can watch it.  

We butchered sheep again this week, we are getting faster, all we had to do is brush up our skills but we did three into half's and hung in one hour so we boogied right along.

We also had to trim/grind the hoofs of the ram so I got to lasso him and wrestle him down and hog tie him, man just like home.  Good Time's and good memories!! 

Time to explain some pictures ! The first four are us as a district at Cascade Falls Canada B.C.  The last couple are Washington in all her beautiful-ness!

We had a specialized training in Spokane which with travel there and back it took all day, we got home at 10:45 P.M (WITH SPECIAL  PERMISSION) just so no one questions.

It was good and we learned a lot!  We even got to see old companions and zones and district members!     One of the things shared there was a quote from President Hinckley and it went  "Lets all Try a Little Harder to be a Little Better"  I loved that quote because in essence, we all do need to improve but we don't sometimes because we feel it to be to momentous, or its "not for me".  But if we try to improve a little each day and make a goal to improve just a little at a time then before we know it we will be better than we ever imagined!!!

We as a mission are reading the Book of Mormon in 6 weeks!  Kind of a speedy little challenge we have here, eh?  I am reading it with a few specific questions on my mind as well as a better understanding of the chronology of it!  The tiny blessings have already started to come like, we will be in a lesson and a question is asked of something, I would normally read one scripture and then talk or explain it but now I can give better answer with background of the story or scripture I am sharing... and such said things like that .. but all good things!!

Funny & awesome story!  One of our investigators is a huge fan of most of the bands I adore and the other day we go over to the house quick to reschedule a appointment (because of the random Specialized Training) and we get out of the Subaru and BOOM I hear it, that sweet sweet sound of Rock!  Not just any old rock  but my favorite rock Disturbed,  I was like "yaaaay, heck ya that's sweet!!!"  Just saying we heard it outside and it was inside and it was very very audible!!!!!  And not only was it my favorite band it was my favorite song "Prayer" so then we knock very loudly on the door but joyfully to no avail, another whole song plays and then a dog barks.   But oh man it was great two whole songs! One could say I was giddy and such!

Soon we are moving in to a new apartment, just down the hall.  It's cheaper for the church and it's smaller  but really its perfect because the apartment we are in is huge way to much extra space and this one is newly refinished and all cute like,  and not to mention CLEAN and germ free ... fresh carpet...mhmh tasty. 

Well kids have a good week, take it easy, live life, have fun and enjoy it! 
Love you all!  Miss ya!!  
Love Elder Braman 

                  

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I (Emma) wasn't able to update his blog last week which is why there are so many pictures to follow.  That & his p-days got a little messed up last week.  Here are a bunch of pictures, enjoy!

These next couple pictures are a just some random pictures that were sent. 

                            

 Josh & the Sasquatch 

Josh & Elder Padilla 

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These next couple pictures were taken in Cascade Falls, British Columbia, Canada

This is where the water line used to be! 

The Kettle River has a beautiful!  This little part here is where it drops in to a really beautiful water fall!  We hiked around the hillside to get to it , then took some cute pics and such then threw some snow balls down into the river and had a accuracy competition on who could hit a ice chunk! Definitely a place to put on the bucket list!

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These last set of pictures were sent after his most recent p-day where 

they spent hiking again in the Cascade Falls area.  The first couple are of the drive there, the last are of their hike, apparently it's their favorite place to go on their p-days!

 "Beautiful Washington"

 Josh thought this was interesting, half of the mountain has trees covered in frost, the other half does not. 

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These last two pictures I pulled off of the mission's website.  

Spokane North, Spokane West, and Colville zones gathered for a Specialized Training Meeting – January 2014.

January 13th, 2014

Another transfer came and went and I am staying here in Republic :) My new companion will be Elder Padilla. It's a Spanish name so  more like "Padia" but none the less that's my new companion, I have no idea where he is from but next week I will grace you all with pictures next week 

Elder Saunders is going not so far away just down to Riverside Ward, he will surely be missed but he needed to get out and experience some new things, ya see. 

This week we got to see and meet with Elder Neal L. Anderson one of the Twelve Apostle!   We had a super good training given by him he talked about the atonement  the power that it gives to each of us then he trained us on "mercy grace merits of Christ" which all of them blew are minds we took TONS of notes and we then asked some questions and then he talked to us as missionaries specifically.  Pretty much he was a boss, just loosened his tie told us to be ourselves but our best self's and to work our butts off and have fun this is the only two years we get to serve with 100% of our time, not exactly quoted in his words but it was great to hear an apostle say that .. he also said something, "God allows many different kinds of personality's to have a testimony" so since that's true don't get down on your self for not being perfect you don't have to be like someone else. Be yourself !!!   We don't have to go through life saying, man I wish I had as good a testimony as him or her or I wished I could be like her.  "like seriously, be yourself and try".  I loved that, best advice ever.

  

 Have a good week!!

Love you all-- Elder Braman

 Pictures of over the pass

--Apparently Josh's car for the area was a truck with bad tires.  He went into a ditch last week.  

He blamed the bad tires which I am sure they are.. but it's Josh, his driving record is a little less impressive!   ;)   He and his companion were just fine & have since gotten a new car. 

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Another Elder took these last two pictures and Josh forwarded them onto me.

"Republic Elders (Josh) have the same car as us now!  Their truck didn't get enough traction for Republic roads, and the tires were not worn enough for the church to get new ones, so they traded cars."

This last picture was also from that elder (Elder Rawson)

"Elder Braman's driving is scary"

January 6th, 2014

Hello kids!!  I haven't written a blog email forever so its a New Year and a new day all at the same time.  We have had some interesting things have happened  lately.  The other night a house that we can see out of our window burned down so that was sad but neat to watch at midnight. 

Over the holidays was slow for missionary work as far as teaching appointments but we some how stayed busy between service projects and service tracting we met some weird people and we also busted our hump working and working our tails off, even had a good sweat or two...

In the last two weeks we also did exchanges with the Zone leaders which had its ups and downs but in the end was good and we learned some and grew some as well.

On a funny note I am sure you all remember when I walked in to a pole and feeling dumb about it...well this week my companion learned the age old lesson of why God gave us shin bones.  We were coming in the other night (obviously it was dark)  and he walked around a truck and BANG!!  Hahah I shouldn't have laughed but it was great!!!  Just remember the saying, "God gave us shin bones so we could find trailer hitches in the dark"   :) 

Transfers are this next Monday the 14th  DUN DUN DUUUNN!!!!   Who knows where I am going or if I am staying .... oh wait Jesus does!   Nevertheless I sure hope I stay here in Republic, its a great area and we are having fun and working hard.   But as all things happen just as its picks up I leave, we just got three new investigators and they all are interested and progressing so as luck has it I will probably will get transferred!!  If I do get transferred I just hope I sweep in to a new area because that's all I have done so far and I enjoy it.  But honestly I don't think I will I got that feeling I will l stay but who knows.

Hopefully some of you got a chance to share a CHRISTmas message with someone or more than one person and then tied it in to the atonement as I challenged all of you.   I better inform you how it worked out for me!  We shared a Christmas messages with everyone that would listen and a lot of people were like.  "cute that's nice.  Good, I worship Christ as well.. now leave".  Then there were some who actually listen with their hearts and some even asked questions and even fewer let us come back and in the end we ended up with three new people to teach and listen to the rest of our message, I am glad we did it and stuck to it now its all up to them and how they use their agency and hey that's the Lords plan!  Come to earth get a body, use our agency, choose right from wrong and see how we well we keep the promises we make him and be happy and eventually return and live with him in Heaven.  That my friend is the game plan of God!!  And luckily he gave us some instructions on how to do that game plan, ready for this?   It's called the Scriptures !!!!   I know, mind blowing.   When we read the scriptures and pray about whats in them and get our answer and then ACT ON IT and plain old DO IT and LIVE IT!!  That is how we find happiness in life.    Weird, I know a punk 20 year old just found the key to happiness when millions of people are trying to invent things to be happy.  Pretty simple when ya think about it though, the closer we live in harmony with Christ teachings the happier we are!!!

Hope you all have a good week!

Taker easy and keep wearing those knees out and pray your little hearts out!!!!

Love ya!

Elder Joshua Braman 

 A bald eagle in a tree right outside our apartment window.  So cool! 

 We went hiking on our p-day

 Josh got these lumberjack footsie pj's for Christmas from Audrey & Andrew. 

Why is Josh wearing them at the chruch with his hat?  It's Josh.  :) 

 Staging a crime scene in their apartment with the help of Jello.

(I thought it was weird but apparently Kevin did the same thing on his mission.  Boys are weird.)

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Colville Zone (the zone/area Josh is currently serving in) gathered for interviews with President & Sister Mullen on Friday, December 6, 2013.  These pictures were posted on the Spokane Mission's blog

www.washingtonspokanemission.wordpress.com

Feel free to check that address for updates from his mission president.

 If pictures are posted then I (Emma) will always add them here as well.