First assignment: Wales

***Bryant can now get email from friends as well. His email is bryant.goodman@myldsmail.net. His new address is below. You can google earth it and walk his very street!

Hello:) So I got my first area....Wrexham Wales!!! The address is

8 Acton Park Way

CLWYD

LL127LD

Wales

 

I knew I would be called here, I just felt drawn to it. This is supposedly a gorgeous and lush green area...but its covered in the deepest snow the locals have ever seen! But I am excited to spend the next 5-12 weeks here and get familiar with the people and sights. I think its beautiful here, even with the snow. The houses and flats are pretty squished together, but there are big open fields and parks that will be flowing with life once the sunshine melts away the cold. I'll try to get you all some more pictures whenever I can!

So my trainer companion is a local Gilbert Arizonan who has been out for 9 months. His name is Elder Coleman, and he is a very sweet, quirky, hardworking missionary. I would have not been able to make it out alive from all of the different coaches and trains i've traveled without him. He has already been here in Wrexham for 3 months, so he is showing me the ropes. We,ve already walked a million miles around this place, even in the cold snowy night. We will be mainly walking, but I think we'll get some bikes as soon as all the paths are clear. He already has some potential investigators lined up, and we are going to teach Kim tonight, who has already commited towards baptism.

I am definitelybeingtestedright now. Just little things are building up, like my retainer broke, I have a sore throat and barely any voice left, extreme tiredness and.....my big luggage went missing. Between the transfer, my large suitcase was somehow misplaced or put onto another coach to another mission area, and no one has been able to locate it right now. We have been praying very hard that it can be returned to me, because it has the majority of my clothes and other valuable items. Luckily, i know how to survive. I've been through worse, and I know that my belongings and gear will get back to me, I just have to be patient and smart with what i have now!

My flat is super small, but I kinda like the coziness. I just have to clean it up from the last companions who were here. Me gusta neat and clean. We have a small kitchen, study room, bedroom and an extra workout/wash room. Its nothing fancy, but its better than sleeping out in the cold! Im glad that i can call this my home for the next chunk of time.

Luckily last night, a loving member brought us some delicious naan bread taco kind of things.Today, my companion and I are taking a trip to the store to stock up on food, so I'll let you know later of the meals im going to whip up! Im glad Elder Coleman is understanding of my non-dairy diet. We are both pretty healthy eaters, so thats a major bonus.

I'm excited to continue on with this missionary work. The ward here is very small, like 50-60 members, so we are going to do our best and work with the active members to build up this church and the Lord's Kingdom in this area. I have high hopes!

Oh yeah, the Welsh language is incredibly and unbeleivably crazy. It looks like someone put the English language into a shredder that spat out the letters in some ridiculous order. And i love it, and Im going to try and get a badge made in Welsh. It will look something like

 

ELDER GOODMAN

 

jkhsd llluwy

 djoies

ywelliusyw

 

Im excited:) So today was a pretty abnormal day, but my usual PDays are on mondays, so I'll talk to you and hear from you then! I love you and miss you all very much. The church is true. Amen.

 

Elder Goodman

aka BA

 

 

A Few Pictures

The first picture is of my crazy albanian missionary who we have been trying to tame all week. The second picture is the recent view from my residence room

Arriving at the MTC with the MTC president and wife.

He just arrived in this picture. He looks a little sleepy after such a long day in the air. 

Visit to Manchester

Im so ready to get out of this MTC. I love my district and the food here, but my free spirit is going crazy. I just cant wait to find out where im going on wednesday and to finally get out in the field! Oh ya, it snowed pretty hardcore here for a couple days, and its frigid.

So i had a really cool experience in Manchester. You can ask heather for more of the deets, but I'll do the best I can to share. So i got to take a train from here in Chorley to Manchester, and that experience in itself was unique and im looking forward to more train rides through the england hills. On the train, I met a man named Danny. He was half african, half english and totally ripped, and had a huge scar across his face. He looked pretty rough, but I quickly became his friend and found out he is trying to clean up his life and become a graphic designer and design flip flops. He was super funny and charismatic. We talked for a long time, but once we arrived in manchester we parted ways. More about him later.

So in manchester, I soaked in all of the sights and smells of all the different cultures that crowded the streets. My sheltered Utah companion was overwhelmed by it all and was freakin out a bit...it was kinda funny to see his eyes open to the real world. I talked to many different people, and got a feel for the city, and we even gave out a couple Book of Mormons. As we were walking, me and my companion were cornered by an angry Indian guy, and he started verbally attacking us and telling us we were doomed and spreading wickedness. We ended up bible bashing for 45 minutes or so, finding out this guy was a preacher from some local church for 10 years. After my companion nearly lost his temper at him, I gave a powerful testimony to the man, and told him that these things that we say and read from the Book of Mormon are true. I had him read aloud Moroni 10:4-5, and the preacher calmed down immediately. I felt the spirit strongly, and knew that he had felt it too. He then accepted to take the Book of Mormon and study it, then we shook hands and parted ways. Amen.

So after spending a couple hours in Manchester, we headed back to the train terminal and guess who I saw.........yeah........Danny! We quickly began talking again and I knew this was not a coincidence of meeting him again. I talked to him more about the gospel, and even though he said he was atheist, he started to open up. I bore him my testimony and he glady took a Book of Mormon! Since he was really outgoing and funny, I was joking around that he should give out a Book of Mormon to a random stranger.....and he totally did it! Im loving this experience already, and I cant wait to be that spark that helps change the hearts of the people of England. I know that this church is true, and I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ will penetrate and spread through this land. I love you all, and I miss you all so much.

-Elder Goodman

aka BA

Bryant's New Address

Bryant will be leaving the MTC March 27th and his new address will be:

England Manchester Mission

Spring Wood, Suite G5

Booths Park

Chelford Road

Knutsford

WA16 8GS

United Kingdom

This is not where he will be serving, but this is where mail should be sent. It is very similar to the first address given but there are slight differences. This address is for letters only. Packages are to a different address.

Week 1 at the MTC

Ello everyone! I love you all, so very much. Thank you for all the letters. I will try to cram in as much as possible, but i only have a bit of time.

Well...its been an adventure so far! Guess what...chicken butt...I am already a Disrict Leader here at the MTC! i am in charge of a group of 6 utah kids, colorado kid, a tongan sister, a czech republic sister, and a crazy albanian. We are the Helaman district, and we are rowdy, but deeply spiritual and tightly knit. It seems as though I am standing underneath a spiritiual waterfall here, and it can even be a bit overwhelming at times. However, I can feel myself developing into a powerful missionary already and im just anxious to get out of this MTC and get into the field!

The schedule is intense, but occasionally when we get free time, the czech sister teaches us German, and we get time to play futbol or basketball. Its fun, and the albanians and english elders totally kick our butts. The food is amazing, and its cooked by that jolly chef that you saw in the video. I am striving to eat as healthy as possible though, and its motivation as I see other elders pound down the food and are already having health problems. The land around here is amazing, it is soooo green and beauiful. Its a bit chilly and sprinkles nearly everyday, but I love it so far.Today we went to the local supermarket, and I exchanged some money and talked to some of the locals. I love the culture here, and I love learning from my irish, scottish and english teachers. They are amazing. i also get to go through the temple today too!! and have a super deep devotional today too from one of the seventy. good day, good times.

I feel confident in my self, and am growing in the spirit. I miss you all, and im glad you are having good times. Tell Heather i love her, and that i just put her letter in the mail today. Oh yeah, one of the english elders asked if i was a fellow englishman....I think Im already picking up an accent. Dont worry about me, Im taking good care of myself. Ill talk to you all next week, and enjoy my pictures that i sent! I love you all, and you all are always in my thoughts. k bye and stuff :)

 

- Elder Goodman     (B.A.)

 

Tell tate to appreciate his time with heather now...she will be mine in two years. Cheers!

Ello!

No need to fret, I've made it safely. Holy dang...that was a long day in the air. I met up with Elder Diperi in Phoenix and after we boarded our plane...it broke, and it was stinkin hot. After about 40 minutes, they finally fixed it and we were off. We landed in Atlantla abour 3 hours later and met up with a gazillion other Manchester missionaries (more like 17). They were all pretty much from Utah, and it was easy to tell. We then all boarded the fancy big plane, and we departed to England. I sat next to a young English guy and his lady friend on the plane and we quickly became friends. His name is Rob and I already got his contact information for a possible future hook up. Eight hours later, and basically no sleep, we arrived in England. Me and Elder Diperi kinda led the group through the airport, and we met up with the people who would take us to the MTC. It was a cool bus ride, and I got to see for the first time the green, english landscape, sheep and old buildings. It was beautiful, and the air is frigid. Oh ya, the opposite traffic is crazy. British people don't know how to drive.

The MTC is small and cozy, and we were warmly greeted by the mission president and his wife. Today we get to chillax a bit after we fill out some papers and get interviews. Good...because I am deathly tired. And this week, a film crew is going to follow us and make a documentary for the BBC. Hopefully it will be like The Office. Well, Im almost out of time...but my P days are wednesdays, so ill mail you again then. Have fun in the Cali sun, I love you all.

 

Elder BA