3rd week in Wales.

Ello Ello Ello!!!!!!!......Hi

 

As always, I love hearing from you all! I hope life is being grand to you. THank you for the photos! and yes, they did make me smile. I look at them nearly everyday, and tate's beautiful artwork is now the cover to my binder.

 

So this week, on a scale from 1 to bodacious, was easily a bodacious.2. We got to have another exhange this week! Except this time, I stayed in Wrexham and I was joined by Elder Nielson...a fellow fresh missionary! We were in the MTC together, so it was pleasant to see a familiar face. So since we are both baby missionaries (related to time, not missionary studliness), I could see that the other older elders worrying about if we would survive or end up burning Wrexham to the ground. However, no reason to fret, we did really well together! It was nice to get a bit of freedom from our trainers and be more in charge for ourselves. We worked really hard together, had a really powerful lesson with an investigator, talked to many people....and didnt totally destroy everything. Bonus! It was a good experience and we had a fun time.

I had some really good food this week. We went over to a members house, the Dickensons (who are leaving to France soon on their senior mission), and they cooked us up some really good pita-bread-taco kind of things. We basically just sliced open the toasted pita bread, stuffed it full of good mince meat, lettuce and a really good thai chilli sauce. Bueno Bueno. Also, we cooked up some tasty chinese noodle dishes, and some manly breakfast burritos. Unfortunatley, I ran out of Cholula and cried a single manly tear. And then yesterday, a member Mandy made us the best pie I have ever tasted in my life. It was a banana/caramel/creme/flaky pie, topped off with chocolate shavings. It was fantastic! (Nacho voice)

A few days ago, I received a very suprising call from the assistants to the president. Obviously, I was thinking about all of the possible things that they could be punishing me for but I was suprised when they told me that...President Preston is requesting me to get my UK drivers license! Its crazy because it is crazy early for that! My district leader companion is barely in the process of getting his, and he has almost been out a year. There is only a few areas with cars, but mostly they are reserved for the leader missionaries. I have no clue what president has in store for me, but i'm excited to find out! So just as a heads up, getting a license is pretty costly, and I have to use personal funds. However, at the end of the whole process, the mission will reimburse me...so dont fret if you see big changes on my account. Good times ahead!

This week we also got to go to a baptism up in Stafford, because it was one of Elder Coleman's previous investigators. The service was wonderful, and I got to see some other familiar missionaries...but the thing that made it memorable was our trip home. So as we got done with the baptism, about 7 o'clock, we realized that our train home was leaving in about 10 minutes. We dashed to the train station as fast as we could, saw our train leaving that minute, ran some more and barely caught it!! We thought it was all good for a while but then realized...we caught the wrong train. Ours left a minute earlier. We ended up getting to the midpoint station in Crewe way late. Once we got there to catch our part 2 train journey home, the overhead speakers came on and said that our train had been cancelled. AHHHH!!! It was nearly 9:30 at this point, and we were miles away from home, stranded at the Crewe station. Rules are, we have to report in at 9:00 so....we had to call the zone leaders and assistants and let them know about our situation. Luckily we didnt get scolded too bad, but we had to watch out for all the sketchy people at the station. We ended up catching a train home, much much later, and got to Wrexham at 10:45ish. The deal was, if we got back later than 11, we would have to call the president. Major, not ok. So, once we got off the train, we ran as fast as we could in the cold night, about a mile and half back to our flat. Made it back at 10:58!! This was way harder than any track meet I ever ran. Running through the dodgy Wrexham streets at night, in my suit, is now my lasting memory of this place. Good times:)

So next week, I wont be able to email till Wednesday because of the transfer meeting. There is a possibility I could be moving to a new area, but I really really doubt it, But I will be looking forward to reading all your messages then! I love you all very much, and I miss you all. Keep on keepin on.

 

Elder Goodman

BA

 

 

P.S. Can you send me some music on a hardrive or SD card or something? Any peaceful instrumental music, folky or just good church songs would be much appreciated. If I have to listen to any more EFY junk...I might go crazy. Thank you, much love:)

 

Finally, a gorgeous, sunny day!

Weird Poem at a park:

Duck house on the lake:

Me in the future:

Becoming a missionary.

Helloooooooo everybody! Hiya, ya alright? (basically how everyone greets eachother here)

First off, thank you mom for le easter package! That chocolate jackpot was just what I needed. And thank you so much tate for that incredible drawing you drew and sent me. Im not gonna lie, I teared up a bit and now its hanging proudly on my wall in my flat. I love you T-Tot. I love you all!

So this week has been excellent, and Im starting to truly love missionary work. Earlier this week i was able to go on an exchange with Elder Caleira in Chester, and it was freakin awesome. He is the funniest Elder I have met, and has a really funny portuguese accent. We worked our butts off in the big city, and we had so much fun in the process. Everytime we knocked on a door and the person gave a strong rejection or a 'I dont believe...', Elder Caleira would get super emotional and burst out 'NOOOoooo you just broke my heart!', and then we proceeded to either make the person laugh. I loved it. And guess what...chicken butt...we got some referrals and miracles in the process! We were alble to teach a less active family and commit them to going to church again, and we contacted and got an appointment with a university student from Ghana. His name was William, and he was very posh. Chester is beautiful by the way, and it has some castle remains in the middle of the city. I guess it was an old Roman town, and I loved the depth of the culture there.

Upon return to Wrexham, Elder Coleman and I bonded quite a bit, and now we are a lot better companionship. We found a new investigator, Billy. He is a father of 5, and has been a hardcore Heroine addict for 10 years or so. However, he has been clean for 3 years, and he is desperately seaching for a change and hope. Luckily for us, I know he has found that hope in the Gospel. We were able to have a very powerful lesson with him, and we answered a page full of questions that he had written down a couple days before. The spirit was so strong, and i even felt the spirit as I was finally able to recount the First Vision without any hiccup or scrambling any words. Something that I was never able to do before. It was quite emotional for both Billy and I. And I have strong faith that he will continue on this path, and it will be a blessing for him and his family! i'll keep ya updated.

Mother, I am being fed well. Every tea appointment, I try to pile as many vegetables on my plate as possible, so no need to fret. There has been so many roast or chicken dinners, with healthy helpings of mash, gravy, veggies, yorkshire puddings and the always lovely desserts. We had some delicious donuts, cakes and other pastries. Oh ya, I find it amazing that nearly everyone who feeds us knows that I dont eat diary, and they prepare the meals around that. I love them all, and I am really developing strong relationships with many of the members. Definitely people i would want to come back to and see. For ourself cooking...I bought some bodacious sausages, and we have been making a lot of fish tacos and chicken and fruit. And of course, a flood of Cholula on everything.

Things are going well, and I will keep you updated on future adventures! I love you all, and you are always in my head, and my mind....and my brain.

Elder Goodman

BA

 mega chunky, derpy pug


The ocean, as seen from a train in Rhyl:

got my hair did

 

some shnazzy underground artwork that caught my eye

 

castle in Hawarden

myself and Elder Caleira messing around the castle walls in Hawarden

 

Second Week in Wales.

Hello hello hello! Greeting from the land of Wales:) Once again, I feel recharged by all of your love and how close knit and how great this family is. Knowing that we will all live together forever is my fiery hope, and I know it will never be burned out.

So this week has been loooooongg. Seems like I've already been here for a million and half years, and it definitely has been a mental and physical battle. At first i was feeling very down and drained, but don't worry, my spirits are high! Earlier this week was full of very very rude people, door slams and experiencing some heartaching sorrows. One of our investigators called us at midnight, and was in a very dramatic depressed state, and kept us awake late into the night. We ended up having to call some members to visit her and we had to stay on the phone in fear of our investigator putting herself in more mental and physical danger. Very tough. Luckily we are able to finally calm the situation and comfort her. It just made me realize how important it is to have that loving family support, and im so grateful to have a family like you.

So on the bright side, I got to do some pretty rad traveling! On Friday, we took a train up to Rhyl, on the northern coast of Wales. It.was.beautiful. So green, and so rustic. And the weather was absolutley amazing as well. It was actually sunny with clear blue skies for once! Reminded me of home for a bit. Except for the old castles in the distant cliffs. The reason we went up there was because my companion is a district leader and had a meeting with some of the others. Me and some of the other missionaries then went off together and tried some street contacting around the city. These missionaries were so much different! They were a bit younger, and both english, but they were so lively and happy and made missionary work actually fun. This is what I was missing. With this new attitude, I could totally be myself. Very refreshing, and we actually had a great deal of success. It also brought out more of my spontaneous side...aka the Mcdonalds. Delish. But eventually we had to hook back up with the others, and carry on with our work. This experience has pushed me to keep being Bryant, no matter the circumstances.

General conference brilliant, and definitely a different experience. We got with the other 3 sisters and 2 elders in our district and watched it in the chapel in Wrexham. Haha we were practically the only ones there, with only a handful of the other members. Here, people can only view it on the internet, and many people dont have the internet or have cruddy connections. Which made me more suprised to see that not much of the ward showed up. Oh well, the talks were amazing! My favorite talk was Pres. Uchtdorfs from the preisthood session. I loved how he said that church members are not suppose to all be cut from the same mold. And the title of being the literal Sons of God was powerful. I was super bummed though because we couldnt watch the Sunday afternoon session with Elder Holland!! i will anxiously be awaitng the next ensign. All the while listening, I was thinking about you all, and how i wish i could have been there watching it with you. Good memories.

So random things...that chinese girl we met was hilarious. So stereotypical asian university student. Very broken english, but know she knows about our church and has commited to read the Book of Mormon, with a twist. She challenged herself to read it all in one week until our next lesson. We warned her how hard it was..but she didnt care. Party on Christina:) I'll let you all know how that goes. So i got to ride the bikes this week! Finally I realeased some adventure energy and rode as fast as I could and caught some air off curbs and speed bumps. Not really sure if its mission appropriate....but it was much needed. Today im going to get my first haircut here! So next week I will send a picture of how bodacious or horribly butchered my hair looks.

I am thankful for you all and all your support and love. Keep on being the amazing people that you all, and listen to the general conference messages of STRENGHTEN THE FAMILY. Till next time, I love you all

ELder Goodman

BA

A skate Park:

 His Hood:

An escape route:

The ward building in his hood:

Bryant's Mormon.org page.

Hi I'm Bryant Goodman

I'm an adventurer and free spirit. I live to travel, experience and change the world. I'm a missionary in the UK. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

My name is Bryant, and I was born and raised in the Arizona sun. My passions include art, music, skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, designing, building, camping, backpacking, skydiving, and going on any adventures that allow me to travel and experience the world around me. One day I hope to create an organization that allows me to inspire and teach people how to fully live.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because I know that this gospel is the complete truth. The sense of peace, love and hope is unlike any other. I have pure joy in my heart knowing that I can live with my family and Heavenly Father once again.

How I live my faith

I live my faith by trying my best to be an inspiration and example to others. I have had many opportunities to share my testimony and knowledge of the gospel with my friends, fellow coworkers and junior primary class. I do my best to not judge others, because...who am I to judge?? Everyone should be loved. I am truly living my faith as I attend church every sunday and prepare to serve a full time mission.

First week in the field.

Hello everyone!!!! Sorry that I couldn't mail yesterday, it was holiday and the library was closed. But i'm so happy to see all the emails from all of my beloved family and friends today! It is uplifting to see such a powerful group supporting me. I love you all!

 

So this week has been rough, wonderful, cold, amazing and interesting all at the same time.

First off...i have never walked more in my entire life. We walk everywhere...and at a very fast pace because we are busy missionaries...and we want to get a fabulous workout. The snow is finally melting, so its much easier to walk and to view all of the lucious green areas. And yes, my luggage was found!!! Apparantly some missionaries from another zone snagged it, thinking it was theirs. Dinguses. At least it was returned to me and they appologized with a good choloclate bar. And by the way, british chocolate is sooo much better than american chocolate. I have eaten my fair share already thanks to the ward members.

So the Wrexham ward.....is super mega tiny. The ward is only 20% active, and the sacrament meeting had maybe a total of 40 people in it. Luckily, that made it easy for me to get to know everyone. There are some very interesting characters...especially Grandpa P. He is a very old, very crude, very harrassing, very opinionated, very hilarious man. I got to have tea with him , and it was refreshing to meet someone here with my sense of humor. Oh yeah, tea=dinner over here. But even though the ward is small, My companion and I still get fed pretty often. I have had so many roast dinners...with tons of gravy, potatoes, mushy veggies and desserts. The british loooove their desserts. I have also got to shop and cook meals of my own. My latest dinner was a breaded fish wrap with lettuce and such and it was quite tasty. Oh yeah guess what....THEY HAVE CHOLULA!!!! My week instantly got better when I spotted that beautiful little hot sauce in the supermarket.

Doing actual missionary work here...is very difficult. Most of the people are so unresponsive, and flee at either the mentioning of Jesus Christ or even the sight of us. It has been hard, but we have still been able to find those few elect and set up appointments with them. We are teaching a few investigators, and one of the families are amazing. The mother's name is Ruth, and she has a 9 year old daughter Emma and a 7 year old daughter Charlot. They were street contacted, but we have been having many lessons with them. They live in one of the many run-down areas of Wrexham, and they have defintiely had a rough life, but Ruth and Emma now have baptism dates! Emma is amazing. She is blind, but so in touch with the spirit. We got her a brail Book of Mormon, and she diligently reads it and asks us question after question about everything. She is so smart, and the thing that amazes me is her simple, but deep prayers...and her ability to give me a solid high-five, even though she has no sight. I still dont know how she does it. I really hope that this family makes it into the church.

Today we had a district meeting, and our focus was to FIND NEW INVESTIGATORS. We had a group prayer, and united our faith to find new people. And it worked. Literally ten minutes before my companion and I walked to the library from the train station...We met a chinese girl who was very interested in Jesus and we set up an appointment with her. Then after, right at the entrance to the library, we talked to a man and two welsh girls about why we have trials in our lives and how this gospel can help. Bam, more appointments and more investigators!! One thing is for sure, prayer works wonders.

Overall, I am doing well. I am getting use to the cold and the forever long missionary schedule. I looked for a coat, but couldnt find anything that I liked. Luckily, its getting warmer and my jacket that I have right now works well enough. Im loving the culture and the beautiful Welsh accents. Im even getting more use to the crazy, flip flopped traffic and weird terms for things. Its quite a different lifestyle here, and its super weird to have to spend every second with my companion. I am doing my best to bond with him, but his personality is so different from mine. Im just missing a good friend relationship with somebody, and I miss you all very much. I just have to remind myself constantly that this is not my mission...it is the Lord's mission. Time to go...I'll update you next week. I love you all!

 

Elder Goodman

aka BA