Monday, January 31, 2011

January 31, 2011

Hey Mom and Dad,
Life is going pretty good here in Nottingham this week. I love this area. We're working with a few different people now and that's all going pretty good. We really just need to find some more though. This place is really cool cuz it's really multi-cultural. Like last week we ate with some Jamaicans and some Nigerians on the same day. They're really cool. I love teaching them cuz they're always really nice and most of them are already Christians so they like to talk about Jesus. That makes our job a bit easier lol. Me and my new comp get along great. And it's really cool to be in a 4 man area cuz we spend alot of time with the other elders and everything so it's really fun that way too.
We had a leadership meeting with Pres. Ogden this week and he told me you had emailed him and everything and how he had told you not to discuss it with me haha. He said he's really excited to meet you though. He hasn't told anyone their release dates or anything yet. I don't think he usually does to be honest. I think most of the time the missionaries figure it out themselves or their parents tell them.
I'm pretty sure Vivien's Mom is from Loughborough, or in that area at least. I'm going to be over there on Tuesday for an exchange so I'll probably only miss her by a little bit haha. But that's alright. And I can't give out our phone number you are right but tell her to ask the missionaries in that ward and they can give it to her. I can't think of anything you guys can send with her though. I think I'm set.
I can't believe Kade and Britton are getting baptized so soon. That just blows my mind. I didn't even realize they were turning 8 soon. Time flies when you are on a mission I tell you what.
I don't really know what to tell you for a life lesson Dad. I got all of my good ones from you. The only real thing I can say is "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" I've thought about that alot lately and it applies to absolutely everything. If we are doing the small and simple things then we will have a greater desire to tackle the larger things that are placed on our shoulders. Whether that be personal or public, at home or at church, we will be able to overcome. That's not much but I hope maybe that helps out a bit.
Anyways I better get going soon. I hope you guys have a great week. I love you both.
Love, Elder Brice Anderson

Monday, January 24, 2011

January 24, 2011

Hey Mom and Dad,
I still love Nottingham! This place is awesome! I'm really enjoying serving here alot. It's just strange to serve in a city so big, but I love it. We're still working with Jack, he came to church yesterday and he's loving it. We're going to try and commit him to baptism this week so I'll let you know how that goes. I see alot of potential in him, I just hope we can help him along. Other than that we are working quite a bit with less actives and they are doing quite well. We have met quite a few in the last little while and a few have agreed to receive the discussions. They even came to church this week so we're really happy about that. I'm just hoping they'll keep on going. I get just as much of a thrill out of teaching them as I do teaching investigators. The thing that amazes me is how easy it is to forget your testimony when you aren't doing the small and simple things like reading and praying. It's pretty crazy. That is the glue that holds a testimony together. Without it you can guarantee that your testimony will be shaken at the first sign of trouble or hardship and eventually it can be overshadowed so much that you don't even realize it's there anymore. So it's really true by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Absolutely true. And I have a firm testimony of that.
So that's really cool that Dale got his liver, I'm really happy for that. I just hope the recovery all goes well and everything. I'll keep praying for him and his family.
I can't believe Devon is 17 now. That's really crazy too. But I'm hoping all goes well with him healing and everything too. I've got alot of people to pray for I tell you what. But God is a good man and he listens so that's alright with me.
Anyways I better get going now cuz I'm about out of time but I hope you guys are doing well. I love you both.
Love, Elder Brice Anderson

Monday, January 17, 2011

January 17, 2011

Hey Mom and Dad,
Life is still going really well here. I'm getting along really well with my comp and everything so that's all sweet. Our flat is still the bomb. Being a DL is a bit weird but I'm trying to get used to it. It's just weird to me to be on the other side of things, now I'm the one receiving all of the phone calls instead of making them so it's strange. Other than that life in Notts is really cool and I'm enjoying it alot. We're teaching a kid called Jack right now and he's doing pretty well so far. He couldn't come to church this week but he and his mother are coming next week so we're looking forward to that. Hopefully it all goes good and whatnot.
The Elder from Oakley's name is Mitch Bedke. I'm pretty sure Uncle Gary would recognize the name if you tell him cuz the place is so small and he was the quarterback of the football team that took state a few years ago. He's really cool though we get along really well.
That's cool about our ancestors being from here. I'll have to track down a map and find out where Laneham is. I don't recognize the name so it might not be in my area but we'll have to take a look and see. If it is in the area I'll have to make a trip over just to look around. There are 4 areas in Nottingham so it's pretty divided up as far as parts of the city go. We're just in the southeast corner with some of the villages that spread out in that direction. I haven't met any Chatterton's here yet but I have met a couple elsewhere. We could've been related and I didn't even know it haha.
I didn't even know T Dex was getting married. That's pretty sweet. And Britney as well. I just feel so out of the loop lol.
The weather sounds pretty crazy over there. I'm sure it was Hawaii that didn't get the snow huh. The weather here has actually been pretty nice lately, sticking at about 7-12 degrees Celsius so it's not so bad really. Other than the bloody wind. Holy crap it has been blowing like crazy the last couple of days. And on a bike that can make for a bad day. It never ceases to amaze me how the wind is always a stiff headwind every single time you ride. I swear you could turn around and head the opposite way and the wind would change. It's flipping ridiculous.
Thanks for the NFL update dad. I would have to agree if I'm going to cheer for anybody here it's going to have to be the Jets. I don't really like any of the teams who are in it but I have to choose the least of the evils and I am a fan of LT. I didn't even know he played for the Jets now though. But as long as it isn't the Patriots I can at least call it a semi-successful football season.
Oh ya and I forgot about your question about sister missionaries from last week so here's the answer. I'm not really near any, you are right, but I do see them every now and again and some of them are as weird as other missionaries have said. There are a few cool ones so I try not to stereotype them too much. It just depends on who they are, but I do have a firm testimony that every missionary has a certain purpose for being in certain areas so I think sisters serve a good purpose because some people just respond better to women than to men. So my opinion is that they are there for a reason and that's about it really.
Anyways I better get going now. Thank you both for everything. I love you both. Oh ya and the only things I can say that I want for Valentine's day are just Ranch corn nuts, and some more G's that aren't the Celestial smile kind, I like the t-shirt ones. That's about it. Love you both.
Love, Elder Brice Anderson





Thursday, January 13, 2011

January 13, 2011

Hey Mom and Dad,
Sorry this is so late but by the time we got here yesterday it was too late to do much other than eat dinner and get to work so that's what we did. Nottingham is really, really cool I like it alot. Our flat is the bomb. It's not like posh or anything but it's a 6th floor flat, with an elevator :-), and it's right on the banks of the River Trent and we have a balcony that overlooks it. I'll get some pictures to send to you guys soon. It's really, really awesome. I already love it here. The accent sounds alot better than Brummy (Brummy is what they call the accent of the people who live around Birmingham, or Brum as some call it, hence Brummy). That probably doesn't make sense now but it will when you get here. I'll make sure and point it out to you but you'll probably pick it up on your own. But I'm really excited to work here. My new comp is called Elder Lindstrom from Payson, UT. He seems pretty cool, I'll let you know how it goes with him. In my district there's a guy from Idaho Falls and then one of the zone leaders who lives just accross the river from us is from Oakley, Idaho. Pretty cool huh. So our meetings are going to be full of Idahoans. I'm pretty nervous to be a district leader, I'm not going to lie. I just don't want to have everything crap out and then have it be my fault. But it's good to have the ZL's right here cuz they said they would help me with whatever I need. So it's pretty sweet.
I was pretty sad to be leaving Redditch but Nottingham is one of the places I really wanted to go before I went home so if I had to move I'm glad it was here. I think we'll have a good time. Elder Von Brughan is in my zone now as well so I'll be able to see him more often now too, I'm really happy for that. So ya life is good here right now. We did find a couple of new people in Redditch right before I left so that's really good too. So we filled the teaching pool just a little bit right before I left for Elder Christiansen to work with. I talked to Sharon right before I left and told her you guys were coming over when I finish and she said she'd really like to meet you. I'd really like you guys to meet her too. She was seriously like the coolest person ever.
Anyways I better get going now but I hope you guys are having a good week. You'll be hearing from me again on Monday so not too long. Love you both.
Oh ya and I forgot to tell you that Loughborough is in my district. If I remember correctly that's where Vivian Mendenhall's mom lives. You'll have to ask her next time you see her. By the way it's pronounced Luffburra. I know it looks retarded when you spell it that way but that's how you say it.
Love, Elder Brice Anderson

Monday, January 3, 2011

January 3, 2011

Hey Mom and Dad,
Things are going pretty good here now. The holidays are over so we don't have as much stuff to get in the way, and I've been feeling a ton better too. You were right about lots of missionaries being sick, on one of the days apparently 1/3 of the mission was down and not able to work. We were able to go out and get some work done and everything last week so that was all good. It felt so much better to actually be able to accomplish something lol, I was getting a bit of cabin fever. We even got to play some golf this morning with the ward mission leader and bishop and some of the other guys from the ward so that was sweet. I shot a 39. I've got to admit I was really proud of myself for not having played for nearly 18 months and using borrowed clubs. It took a couple of holes to get warmed up but it was alright. We had spot of rain come through and melt a good bit of snow and it wasn't too cold today so not too bad. No worse than any of the tournaments we had in high school. It was good fun!  I'm pretty sure that was my last proper p-day in Redditch since it's transfers next week so I thought it was well spent. I'm really not looking forward to getting moved though, I've really come to love this area a ton and you're right I just might have some Gerry withdrawals lol. It'll just be crazy not to have him around anymore. But I guess we'll just have to get used to it huh.
Other than that like I said we were able to go and get a bit of work done last week for a few days so that was good. We've got our work cut out for us I think. Missing a few days makes life a bit tough. So ya we're going to really try and find some new people so Elder Christiansen and his new comp won't be left high and dry after I'm gone you know. So that's the job for the week really. Hopefully everything goes well for that.
It sounds like you guys had a good time down at Todd's, especially Madison with her dollars haha. I miss that party, that was always a sweet night for everybody with the games and all. We spent a bit of our new years with the ward mission leader playing games and stuff then we went to Gerry's for the rest of it. So that was alright really. The snow is nearly all gone now but they're anticipating more of it during January so I don't think we'll be safe for much longer. We'll have to see how it goes.
Anyways I better get going now. I love you both.
Love, Elder Brice Anderson