Week 20: ¡Feliz Navidad!

Feliz Merry Navidad everybody!!!!!!! I hope you all have the best Christmas ever this year! Christmas on the mission is for sure a different experience, but it has been awesome! Right now iit s about 1 in the afternoon Christmas day here and so far...its been a blast! Last night we spent the night with some other elders and we watched fireworks all night! People were going crazy here and I saw some of the best fireworks ever! And to top it all off...Ill be skyping the family very soon and then will be going to the beach afterwords.

 Its a good day here in Uruguay{: My first Christmas here as a missionary I have learned a lot about what Christmas really IS. It really is just about enjoying this time, spending it with those you love, and remembering our Savior Jesus Christ. His perfect life that He lived for us so that we might have joy. Something that I have put a lot of thought into since being a missionary is the Christ-like attribute of charity. As missionaries we are told by everybody to "love the people". It is something you must do in order to be a good servant of Jesus Christ by all means...but I have definitely learned that it's so much more than just for missionaries.

 In 1st Corinthians chapter 13, Paul speaks perfectly on the concept of charity. You can be absolutely perfect in every aspect in life...but if you do not have the pure love of Christ within in your heart for every one of Gods children, "You are nothing". I pray constantly for God to open my heart to love the people of Uruguay more everyday. I would challenge you also...to pray for God to open your heart more everyday, to those people around you at home. To love your neighbors more perfectly, to love your classmates, your co workers, and even the strangers you see everyday...and to do it because it is what Christ would do. 

We all celebrate Christmas, and then in about a week we all make goals about what we want to do better in our lives. I honestly believe that having Charity in your heart for every single person should be each of our number one goal. Christ said the 2nd most important commandment is to love thy neighbor as thyself, only after the most important commandment of loving thy God with all thy heart. I think we can all trust the most perfect example this world has ever seen...on what we should focus our lives on. I truly believe that if you do not have the pure love of Chirst in your heart, then you will never come to taste the true Joy and Happiness that God is waiting to bless you with. You will find happiness for a season, but it will go away. 

I love this time of year more than any other because we have the time to truly refocus ourselves and what we need to do better to be more Chirst-like in our lives. I love you all so much. I truly hope and have prayed that you all find joy in your hearts this Christmas season and that it'll last throughout the year. I hope we can all learn better to have more love in our hearts for those around us. "Love the people." Its not just for the missionaries(: ¡Espero que ustedes tegan una feliz navidad!

Christmas breakfast with all the Missionaries!

 

Week 19: ¡Què calor!

Comò andan everybody!? Hope yall are enjoying the nice snow back home in the States! The weather here is really now starting to heat up, and sadly only going to get hotter from here...but this week was great! 

It was the first week with my new companion, Elder Brunelli. He is a great guy!  He's from Brazil, but is actually Italian. Kinda cool, I think haha!! He speaks 5 different languages! We are working great together and continuing the good work thats going on here in Delta Del Tigre.  This past week we planned our baptism for Maria Rosa for this Saturday! She is all set to go and shes so excited! She asked me to baptize her...and that was one of the greatest feelings I've ever felt in my life. Im so excited and happy to be a part of her baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ. She really has so much faith! We taught her the Word Of Wisdom and she didn't have any problems with it other than she drinks a little coffee. As soon as we taught her that coffee is against this commandment, she told us she's not going to be drinking it anymore!  It was really inspiriational for me. I wish sometimes I had that kind of faith...to never even question something and just to do it because we are suppose to! 

The work is really going great here! We are going to be doing some fun Christmas activities here this week and also we have a mission conference that Im really excited for.  It is the perfect time to invite a friend or neighbor to church this week, it is La Navidad and we only have it for one reason...to celebrate the birth of The Savior of the World! I love you all and hope you have a great week and a Merry Chirstmas! And also, shoutout to my Mom and Joe for the wedding!! Congrats!! Ciao! 

Eating & Living Well at the End of Year Asado

Braxton with his new companion Elder Brunelli from Brazil 

End of the Year Asada

Braxton is happy he was able to stay in Delta del Tigre for another transfer! 

Week 18: ¡El Templo y Cambios!

Hola todos! Comò le va?! Espero que todo bien! I hope you all had a great week! This week was awesome for us down here in Delta Del Tigre! First off like to thank everyone who sent some birthday emails to me (thanks mom for the Instagram post reminding everyone)! The birthday in the mission field was a good one! Two different families in our Branch were super kind to make a cake for me that day, so we were eating pretty good this past week to say the least! We also received news of our cambios! My companion is off to Salto as a Zone Leader, and Ill be staying here in Delta for another change with the Elder Bruneli! I dont yet know him, but he is from Brazil! Im super excited to move onto my second companion in the mission field and have more experiences! 

This past week we were able to go the the temple to do baptisms for the dead. It was such an awesome experience. We went with Sebastian and Christian (who were baptized a few weeks ago) and also our Ward Mission Leader and our Branch President. We went Thursday morning and it really was just one of the best days ever. I can honestly say I just felt pure joy as we were able to do temple work for those who have past on to give them the chance to accept this gospel. Doing the work on both sides of the veil...and for it to be Christian and Sebastians first time to the temple, it made it that much better. Afterwards we knocked on President Olsens door and he came out and he greeted us and talked and took some pictures with all of us! That was so cool for the guys who came with us to meet him. Temple work is such a cool thing, I know it may seem strange to someone who is not familiar with it...but it really is the most amazing thing you can do. To give someone who never had the chance to hear this gospel the opportunity to accept it and have their work done for them.

 I love you all and hope you each take the chance to go to the temple whenever you possibly can!!! Have a great week! 

Braxton doing a little service out in the mission field.

Brax has gained quite an appreciation for the beautiful scenery in Uruguay.

Getting a little festive with the Santa Hat we sent in his Birthday package! 

Braxton and Christian at the temple this week.

Braxton with Sebastian at the temple this week. 

Van ride on the way to the temple.  This was Christian & Sebastians first
time going thru the temple. 

Zone picture in preparation for transfers this week. 

More Zone pictures....prior to the transfer this week.

The Elders with some of the members this week.
Elder Smyers is getting transferred so these are goodbye pics! 

More pics with members

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Week 17 !¿deciembre ya?!

Hola todo! Hope ya'll are doing great back in the US with all that snow! Feliz Navidad everyone! I hope ya'll spread the good chirstmas cheer with everyone these next few weeks! 

This email might be a little shorter so Im sorry about that, but I dont have much time. I just want to share a spirtual enlightment the Holy Ghost impressed upon my mind this week. Every Pday when I go home from writing I go across this bridge right when the sun is going down. Normally Im working at this time so I never see the sunset, but every week I see it and it is so gosh dang pretty. I always look around at the people and none of them even glance at it. I always think "how the heck are these people not seeing this amazing thing right in front of them?...they must take it for granted!"...and then the Spirit did a wonder upon me. I thought the exact same thought with us members of the church and the góspel that we have in our lives. I think we often take for granted the blessings we receive from this góspel. Other people sometimes see the Light within the eyes of a member of the church and think its amazing, but as members we don't always recongize that. We have gotten too used to it. Just like these Uruguayans and these amazing sunsets over the wáter.

 I hope you all take a moment, this Christmas season and just reflect on the amazingness of the restored góspel of Jesus Christ you have in your life and if you don't have it in your life, I invite you to accept it as apart of your life. As a servant of Jesus Christ, I testify it WILL change your life for the better, if you let it. I love you all! Have a great week! 

View of the town Braxton lives in now 

~ La Barra