March 31st, 2014

Well, one week until transfers! I am hoping to stay but doubt I will since I have been here for so long. We had a good week filled with a lot of appointments and a lot of service.  We did a total of 24 hours of service in one week! 

We had a district meeting at Cascade Falls and a taught an investigator lesson in a barn... literately a barn, not a shed.  It was great, manure everywhere and everything. Now one may ask why the heck was it in a barn?  We went over to teach him and he had to run out to do chores quick and so we helped him.  While we were working I asked what his hold ups were, what was slowing his progress from coming closer to Christ? He paused and said a weird thing.  He said, ''I feel like I cant be a normal person and a Mormon at the same time"  I asked how so and he said, "No Mountain Dew and no tv".  My reaction was of course a snicker and an odd look but we taught him how it actually is. He thought because we as missionaries cant watch tv and because I don't drink Mtn Dew, that he couldn't do those things either.  But it lead me to a train of thought, in all reality being a follower of Christ is normal and doing those things makes us feel normal because its what he did and that is the example he set.  When we follow his teachings and example we receive blessings which make us feel happy which in turn gives us that normal feel, HAPPY!

I have for sure only one week left in Republic for sure so next week you could get pictures of me with people saying good-bye. All in all I've had a good week this week and we have a great week planned this coming week! 

Take care! 

Miss and love you all!! 

Love Elder Braman 

 Snow pictures from my favorite road to drive .. Good old Trout Creek 

 Pretty sweet looking tundra stuff  

 Big water balloon we chucked off this bridge into the river below. 

This bridge is where we chucked it off of 

a very Minni .......Minni Cooper 

March 24th, 2014

I don't have a lot of time today but I wanted to share the love with some pictures.

I'll try to write more next week.  Thank you for all who have been writing, I enjoy the letters!

Elder Joshua Braman

 That would be me (Joshua Braman) at the head of a mine shaft pretty neat, eh ? 

 Elder Padilla got a cowboy hat and it fits him way to good, I laugh every time he wears it!!

 I thought we would take pics to look cool! Elder Padilla looks like a stud, hahaha!

Elder Rawson and I representing with the gas mask on oh ya!

 Every body needs a gas mask including the missionaries!

March 17th, 2014

Well its been two weeks since I have written so I have a lot to say but only a little time to do it so this will be more jam packed with info and not as many details. 

Last p-day we went hiking up in Canada to Cascade Falls to watch the spring run off, it was pretty sweet. On the way back we saw a herd of rams and mountain goats/sheep! We saw two of them head butt, it was really neat.

On Wednesday we had district meeting on top of a mountain!  I tied a bunch of primary chairs on my back and we all hiked up there and on the way up we had questions we had to answer, you could only take steps higher if you got them right!  And once we got up there we role played some lessons, did some training and learned some neat stuff! Best district meeting ever!!

We had some great lessons this week and found a few new investigators.  Our less active work has slowed down a bit...people and there agency, I tell ya.....  Our four solid progressing investigators are doing good . One doesn't  think he needs to be baptized and the other doesn't like this branch and wont be baptized into it but is waiting to be baptized when he moves (in two months).  The other is going slow and steady and will eventually be baptized.  The last has been ''baptized '' into another church and wants to just be a Mormon and not be baptized again, it's an odd situation but they're all doing good and coming closer and closer to there savior each day and that's all that really matters in the end right? 

Well I am out of time, take care have a good week!

Don't do anything I wouldn't do! 

Love you all Elder Braman 

 This mountain is out side of Republic and apparently that is where a lot of Indians were buried. 

 The rams we saw while we were in Cascade Falls in Canada.

Me with a chair back pack, we needed chairs for district meeting.

 The best district meeting ever on top of Morning Rock!!  

March 3rd, 2014

Happy March! 

This week was a great week,  we drove many miles in these last few days  for a few reasons.

One we both are sick and nobody wants to meet with us because of that. Instead we drove around to all the people who don't answer their phones and we knocked on their doors and tried to meet with them. Other reasons we drove a lot is because I let Padilla do all the planning since we had more miles this month and we drove to one place back to another right by the place we just were and well, Padilla is a work in progress!

On one of these excursions we were driving to contact a referral and on the way we were going around a sharp corner and there was ice and we already were slowing down, like 20 mph and then, boom!  Right there in the road was a rock the size of a watermelon and we had no choice but to hit it and then we had a flat.  I made Elder Padilla change it since he had never changed a flat tire.

All in all this week was fun we deep cleaned the apartment because we were sick we had to stay in the apartment, that only lasted for a few hours. We also did a few service projects and lets face it, since when has splitting wood not been fun?   Those are some things that made this week great 

Announcement!  As you know today's date is March Third ...  so that being said if you don't know today March 3rd  is Ms Toria Bigham's birthday, 19 whole years ago her cute little dome piece took her first breath on this earth! So shout out to her.... Happy Birthday Chief! So if you all want flood her phone or facebook. Go ahead and do such a thing ...

This week we also had a few good lessons with our investigators and less actives. A couple more good lessons and such with one of our investigators and I think he will pick a date for baptism.   It's winter time so any bit of snow is an excuse for people not to come to church so there are good Sundays and bad ones and by bad ones I mean slow where only 40 people come to church .... 

Today i have been out 9 months exactly which is crazy! Time flies when your having fun right? 

Thanks for all the emails and letters, I always enjoy hearing from all of you. 

Have a great week and stay safe. 

Love Elder Joshua Braman 

 Our Jeep with the flat tire.

 I turned the lights on at like 2 am and this is how my companion was sleeping hahaha!

We came upon this little guy. Who doesn't want to build a snow man in the middle of a lake?