June 30th, 2014

Hello, Ladies & Gents!  This week was great and we had a lot of good lessons and met a lot of new people which is nice for missionaries. Transfers came and this week!  I am staying in Kamiah 2nd ward with Elder Baczuk I was hoping for a transfer back up to Republic but that hasn't happened yet, not likely that it will!

Our investigators are doing good, we had 6 at church so we enjoyed that very much.  The work here is going good picking up slowly but surly.  I don't have any pictures to send, there isn't much that is picture worthy down here, unless it's the cows you like.  I am looking forward to this week, we have more lessons  set up and a few good other things.  Again, sorry this is so short, gotta run! 

Love you all!

Take care and have fun and play hard!!

Love Elder Braman  

June 23rd, 2014

Well, good day to all of you humans!  Glad to see you're alive enough to read this email. 

This week was crazy! We saw and did a lot and we had some good lessons and some great cancellations... haha, any way just another awesome  week as a missionary! We went on exchanges that was a nice break!! 

This week we also got to watch two bulls fight! It was pretty neat to watch.

The one got its butt kicked, the bigger of the two shoved the other in to a fence so he gave up, I guess he didn't like the barb wire poking him. 

Monday we played basketball at the local high school and I landed on a kids foot and rolled my ankle pretty good, that's been a great thing to have always bugging me, oh well just keep on keepin' on, eh? 

The Kamiah 2nd Ward in which I serve in is very very boonie. For example the biggest town in our area is has 226 people called Stites, Idaho. Then we cover Harpster, ID and Clearwater, ID both of which are very tiny.  One can imagine it is very hard to talk to people simply due to the lack of people!  Here is the kicker, the place where most people go is the dumpster!  The county does not do personal garbage cans so people have to take there garbage to one of three locations (in our area, the county has like ton) That's where people are so that's where we go!  It's weird to sit and talk to people/or wait for people to come but its the best way to contact people in this area so we do it! 

We got a flat tire this week so we put the spare on and went to a few more appointments

and then went home.  We woke up that morning did studies and then went outside to to get our tire fixed and then, as luck would have it, our back tire was flat as well! We were up a creek with out a paddle!  We called a tow and the guy picks us up then we started talking to him, we learned a bunch from him and then gave him a book of Mormon . He also told us a ton about our area so that was good!! Then another tire experience!!  We were on exchanges and as we were driving we stopped and helped a guy change his tire!  We learned he was from Wisconsin and we gave him a Book of Mormon and got him in contact with some other missionaries!  Flat tires can be a blessing!! 

All in all we had a really good week, stayed busy and had a lot of lessons. The work in this area is picking up and moving along which makes time fly even faster which I dislike and like at the same time but it sucks when yesterday feels like today and tomorrow feels like so far away but then I hear the alarm go off and its the next day suddenly!  Mission time is freakishly fast.  

I hope all you kids have a good week and take care of yourselves  now, ya hear me?  And don't go doing anything silly (please say that in a Minnesotan accent)

Love,

Elder Joshua Braman  

 Cool sign, good quote. 

 Sweet Sunset in Kamiah, ID

Another flat tire!  And the spare tire is already being used.  Yaay.. 

June 16th, 2014

Attention people who adore me and love me!  Glad to see your all taking time out of your day to acknowledge me and my presence in writing form. I will start by saying hello and end this most likely saying goodbye in some form.  In the middle of my email I shall inform you of my week!  Now we all know the plan let us begin.  

To whom it may concern, 

Hello and welcome to this letter.  This week was great we went to the temple and had Zone meeting and interviews with President, three of the days this week were all driving and all sitting but we did have a jam packed rest of the week.  All of our investigators are doing good, some better than others but still good! Church was good and I learned a lot there. I think I actually got my call to the coast of WA because its like none stopped rained for the last couple days which is nice, but bad at the same time!  I got my hair cut today . Emma and the rest of my sisters would be proud, I actually cut it different lengths. instead of all one half inch on the top and one fourth on the sides.  Almost over an inch on top was taken off which is like a huge deal because I HATE my hair long!

You might ask yourself why did Elder Braman just tell me about his hair?  He could have just told me about a spiritual experience or something like that. That is because last week was a blur, time is getting faster and faster and when I sit here its like the hardest thing to remember details of my week!  Good thing I write in my journal every night, eh?   

All in all we had a great week and looking forward to this up coming week. I hope you all have a great week!

Love you all tons & take care!

Elder Joshua Braman

 Josh just hanging out with his new friends. 

 Climbing a 50 foot tree house

June 2nd, 2014

Well this week was another good week, crazy things as usual! 

Our ward is just referring all their friends to us like crazy, we have been so busy teaching driving and then sleep, its great.  I have been working on learning to follow the small promptings of the spirit more on my mission and its been hard because some times I don't like to talk to people or chase them down because sometimes it can be awkward.  Not saying I don't talk to people but like when people are walking on the side of the road and your driving and then the spirit tells you to talk to them but its such a small voice its can be easy to ignore. For the last couple weeks I have been working on following those promptings, and as I have we have had great meetings with people and have picked up a few investigators from it. I have learned that the Lord is guiding me a lot more then I thought, its actually been the best part of my mission thus far.  All in all I am doing great, loving the work and enjoying myself.  My companion is pretty cool, this morning we played hockey with milk jugs and brooms in our two car garage it was a blast!

  

I hope you all have a great week!!

  

Love,

Elder Braman  

May 27th, 2014

Well I should start off by saying I have been banished to  Kamiah, Idaho.  Kamiah is boonieville!  Like worse than Republic, and that is not even the worst part.  Actually the best part  is my area isn't even in Kamiah that's just where our church building is! We have three towns in our area; Clearwater, Stites, and Harpster. The biggest is Stites and there's 262 people in it!  We live in a town of like twenty people! Legitimately the boonie'est area of the mission.  All in all I am doing great though.  Good people and no straight roads, all mountain roads and all right along the river! My Companion is Elder Baczuk pronounced bay-zik is pretty cool normal kid from Utah.

I hit my year mark this week that's a weird feeling,eh?!  I hear the second half flies by so I'd better just hold on to my britches and keep going. 

Who the heck knows what the next year holds, I could get an actual banishment to the city (Spokane) again or I could get put with a weird-o!  For now I will count my blessings that I am in the boonies and with some one I don't have to drag to do missionary work.  I will say this getting transfered to a new area is weird.  When I left Republic I felt like I was leaving from home and going on my mission again, having to relearn everything and say my good-bye's and such.  But, its great.  I love the work and love the people. We have two on dates for the 14th so that will be a good day.  You all have a good week!  

Thanks for all the letters!!

Love Elder Braman

 Church clothes to service clothes in a flash!! 

 The local grocery store. 

Elder Baczuk 

May 19th, 2014

Hi kids!  I hope ya'll had a great week!  I had a sweet last week here in Republic. I am am getting transferred to Kamiah, Idaho.  I am going from the top of the mission to the very bottom!  My new companion's name is Elder Baysick, I think or Basic, either which way I've never met the kid. I guess I will be training him so that will be neat!  Poor Elder Padilla I am leaving him here, sad day I tell ya!  Sorry to all those who emailed me today I wont be able to email ya back, maybe I will get to it tomorrow, who knows. Today I got to many irons in the fire and not enough hands (or even feet) to use them all!  I have had a great run here in Republic though. Awesome people, a fantastic branch family and to many good memories to count!  Its hard to leave in a way because there's so many great people here but I know the next area will hold new adventures and new people to teach the gospel to!  I know I have to come back here to visit.  Republic holds a dear part in in my little heart. I venture to say I will never forget about it, my testimony and conversion have been strengthened here and I have learned a lot and seen a lot! 
The people here have been and a great example to me, I will miss them very much! 
Now on to the next adventure,eh?

Talk to you all soon,
Love ya tons! 
 Elder Joshua Braman

May 12th, 2014

Greetings all you people who love and adore me enough to read this !!
And that weird person reading this off Facebook who I don't even know or know of, to all of you I say, Hello!!  I would like to start off with an announcement, transfers are in a week, dun dun dun... so after being here for 7 1/2 months I am probably leaving so please don't send any mail to PO Box 784 Republic. Instead send your letters to the 802 S. Pines Address. I just figured I would give you that info because I know your all dying to send me mail!   For reals the rumors are true, out a year no celebratory mail to congratulate me, but oh well I have cried through that one long ago, its okay really I don't have all the time to write letters any way, but then again I do sooo....... 

I'm dropping hints.   

Well another week in Republic good times, crazy times, and fun times , and never a dull moment!  This week we scheduled a appointment with someone for morning coffee on the condition they provided some coco for us, hey whatever gets us in the door right!?  It turned out to be a great lesson and they hopefully will read what we gave them and feel the spirit :) . Pat, one of our investigators, came to church this week all fancied up black tie boots and vest. He said he figured it was mothers day so he oughta dress up .. But I really know it was to impress the lady's! 

This week is going to be crazy we have was to much on our plates and not enough time, I swear that's how it goes . We have everything from lessons to butchering sheep to splitting wood to less active lessons to member lessons!!   And count 'em,  THREE dinner appointments this week ya that's a record!! What do ya do though, its a branch so that's a huge deal. I guess everybody wants to feed ya when they know you could be leaving .  All in all looking forward to this coming week already booked and there is always the people who call the day of or day before so that mixed with some cancellations, this should be a another full week :)  

This week we got Amish hats.  Real Amish made straw hats and they were free so, double win!!  We got to see a hundred year old school house, too.  One can see Republic has a wide variation of things to do from hikes to rock climbing to historic sites to hunting fishing and boating to finding fossils to mines.  Well just a lot lets put it that way .

Well kids take care have great week do something wild and off the wall but don't do anything I wouldn't do! Remember to always drink your milk and wear your safety belt an say grace before all your meals...... 

For this weeks Quote.  
“Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to
self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power.” 
― Clint Eastwood

Which is actually a good one expect  I don't think little old Clint has ever heard of Teaching by the spirit .. That's actually real power!  

Love you all! 
Stay crazy!

Elder Joshua Braman

 I repaired this sign for our landlord who owns this restaurant and we live right about this restaurant. 

 Amish hat and I in front of the old school.