Monday, March 26, 2012

Happy Spring!

Hello hello everybody! Howzit?

Before I forget, Brighton Brooksby should be getting an email from Brooke Barton, a woman in our ward here with a picture of me. Here's the story. Brooke saw me at church one Sunday and she noticed that my name was Brooksby. She approached me and said, "Huh! My cousin just married a Brooksby!" Me:"Really? Well what's your cousin's name?" "Brighton." "Well yup, Brighton married my brother Brett back in September" Then a week later I saw a picture of Brooke Barton's wedding (good thing Brooke didn't get married to Brett, I couldn't deal with having to say Brooke Brooksby more than once a month) and guess who was in the picture? Yup. Brighton. So kinda weird in a random family's house in the middle of Hawaii, there's a picture of my sister-in-law (which is cool cause I've still never met the girl in person) and it just happens to be the same mission that Brighton's sister served in. Coincidence? I THINK NOT! Good pick Brett.

Jared with Brooke Barton

Anywho, yes there is definitely a difference in the seasons here. We are in the bitter end of the wet season and let me tell you what, Hawaii doesn't mess around when it's wet season.

Also I found someone who had a Trumpet and they're going to let me play it woot woot!

So I'm glad that you like Lauren's concert, but don't forget who played Vesuvius first;)

Anyways that's all I've got for this week! Things are going... going well I guess or at least getting there haha.

Love you all so much!!!

Elder Brooksby

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Temple

Hello Hello Hello! Howzit?

Everything is fine here. The weather has been overbearingly WET. But not much you can do about that I suppose. I busted out the rain jacket and I have used it frequently in combination with my umbrella so they've been getting a good workout lately. So yeah other than a few flash floods that kept us from leaving our house things have been fine. Just wet.

Yeah I took a few photos with Elder R. but I don't have my cord today so I'll have to send the photos on next Monday.

Anywho I guess a little belated b-day present to myself was we got to go to the Temple today which of course explains why I didn't email you yesterday, because our p-day was today! The Temple is always the best I look forward greatly to going through the temple with you guys again in a year and change:)

That's so sad to hear about Sister J. and I'll definitely write Elder J. and send my condolences to him. There's been a lot of drama lately in the Empire State I'm glad to hear that everything for the most part is good and that no trees have fallen on our house haha.

Well I love you all and there's not much new in my life. Just missionary work as usual. Sister Dalton (his Mission President's wife) called me on my birthday and said "Well you should go and do something nice for yourself and tell your companion you can cause it's your birthday!" Then I said well I guess I'll just do missionary work and call it good haha.

Thanks for all your prayers, I guess keep me in your prayers cause it's been kinda hard lately. Just another growing experience:)

Love you all soooo much and look forward to talking to you in about two months:)

Love Elder Brooksby

Monday, March 12, 2012

Transfers!

Well hello hello my family!

Here's the big news... I'm staying District Leader in Makiki. I'm getting a new companion. I really liked Elder R., so I'm sad that we were only together for one transfer.

Anyways we had a baptism Saturday and it went FLAWLESSLY!!!!! I mean it could not have been any more perfect. The talks were poignant and concise, the baptism itself went off without a hitch, and there was a beautiful musical number (a rendition of "Come Thou Fount") in the midst of it all. I really think that it couldn't have been better:) So Sister B. was confirmed yesterday and then she bore her testimony since it was Fast and Testimony meeting (or open mic night as she calls it hahaha) and everything is going well there:)

Can't ask for much more than that haha:)

Well it sounds like you had to have a small companionship inventory on Saturday but I'm glad that everything is working out back on the home front. It's interesting the effects that things like that can have on people. There are some things that have happened that I remember so vividly it's like I'm always carrying a video of it in my pocket and I watch the whole video any time I think of the memory. Mom, I don't know if you remember this but it's one of those things that I will never forget all the days of my life. We were going to pick some Boy Scout thing up for Brett and had to drive to the offices in Albany to get it. I was a very young child at the time, I think I was in a car seat, and I cant remember if we were on the way there or on the way back, but we were lost (Mom was driving the green devil at the time haha). I was eating a graham cracker and I looked up, you had pulled off to the side of the road and you were crying. Well that was enough for me so I started crying which I'm sure only added some more stress to the predicament. Obviously we got home, and obviously it all worked out, although I don't remember how it worked out, I just remember that moment, eating a graham cracker, seeing you crying, thinking we were lost. And I have plenty more of those small moments which, for one reason or another, will never leave me. So yeah it's interesting the impact that actions can have and the way we're going to remember them.

Well I love you all so much, thanks for all the support and birthday wishes I've received and I hope all is well for you guys:) Take it easy!

Love Elder Jared Brooksby

Sunday, March 4, 2012

What a Discussion!

Hey Hey Hey everybody!!! Hopefully you all got my photos OK, haha. I was really glad to be on a good computer this week. (So here are some of the ones he sent).

This one is from when he hiked Koko Head a couple of weeks ago.

This one was a little bird that Jared tried unsuccessfully to nurse back to health.

And I put this one on because I thought it was really funny!

Well it seemed like everybody has a pretty good week this week, I'm so jealous that you all got to visit E, J, & B. But I guess that I'll get my fill when I get back, not that that's anytime soon haha.

Well I feel bad because I haven't been able to give you any good stories lately but don't worry I have a good one this week:)

So we have an investigator who's getting baptized on March 3rd (woot!) and we met her at a park to teach her. We get seated and begin our lesson which is about Temples. Just as we begin discussing things two groups of people sit down on either side of us and all of a sudden the first group (a young couple to our left) starts making out ferociously. Like we're 10 feet away and we can hear. We look over and she's sitting on his lap now and they are REALLY going at it. I laugh a little at how awkward this is and she turns to me and says "Didn't know you were going to get first row seats to the show did you?" I start laughing pretty hard and then I look over at my companion and he's flat out staring at them! She turns to my comp and says "Hey you just taught me the Law of Chastity and I know you're not supposed to be watching that." Then we all start laughing and try to refocus on the lesson. Then Group 2 (4 kids in their early teens) all simultaneously light up their joints and start smoking their homegrown pacalolo. We can tell what it is because, well it's got a very distinct smell... I smell it on a daily basis here honestly, and we were down wind so all their smoke is blowing our way. We can't focus on the lesson because of this and then she laughs and says "Man now we're in real trouble, Law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom at the same time! Now I've REALLY got to speak to Bishop." Then she jokes "Bishop, I've come today because I broke the Law of Chastity and the Word of Wisdom at the same time. But don't worry the Missionaries were there the whole time so it's OK right?" Then we all BUST UP laughing and that pretty much wrapped up the lesson for that day. We re-scheduled for another day, she bought us dinner at the farmer's market and then we were on our way. Sooo yeah that's definitely the funniest (not the most spiritual however) lesson I've been in so far hahaha:)

Anyways my time is just about up but transfers are on my birthday actually so that'll be fun! You'll know next Monday what's happening here:) Oh and we're going to a zoo today so hopefully next week there will be some good pictures:)

I love and miss you all sooooooo much but I'm doing well here!

Love, Elder Brooksby