Four Weeks in One

Hey all!

It's been a lil' bit since I sent out my last email: since last year, actually! Therefore I have much to share. Things are happening! (Due to a lack of time to translate and the volume of things to relate, today's entry will be in English.)

Before I begin, I wish to announce I have a new companion and am once again in a trio, this time with Elder Maloney joining Elder Richards and I. Great guy: he's from Cedar City, Utah and we get along pretty well. He has some farming experience and a standing fascination with pigs.

I have also discovered that the particular teaching area we cover is one of the top COVID hotspots in Arizona, which is currently the worst state in the nation for new COVID cases per capita. (The area covers South Tucson, for those of you who don't know.) Hopefully the general lack of photos with others is more understandable since my mask is hugging my face very tightly.

Cooking news:

I have cooked crepes on two separate occasions over the last four weeks, as well as another quiche and cornbread. My rate of cooking accelerated the week before last in particular, and I am actually hoping to cook for investigators more in the future (I already have once). Some photos are attached below. I really do enjoy making crepes, so I'm working on reducing the time spent such that I can make them more often. It's funny; I didn't have time to cook much at home but now that I'm on my mission it's one of the best ways for me to destress and I really enjoy it. Last P-day we actually joined a member to cook some authentic Mexican food, since none of her recipes are written down. It was a ton of fun!

This week I also made a very makeshift charcuterie board (I hope it qualifies?), using my olive cutting board and cheeses courtesy of our investigators, plus bacon and strawberries. Perhaps not super traditional, but it was very delicious and I think the presentation was actually pretty good. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing so I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Photos below!

Mission work news:

The work continues! I realized a few weeks ago that I have become adjusted and now find comfortable many of the tasks necessary for mission work, or at least to a far greater extent than before. I am trying to improve for all of the people in my area as much as possible. We have a big announcement, however! The parents of the (name redacted) family, who I previously mentioned, have been baptized!! Yay!!! We're super excited for them over here. I'm very glad to have had the privilege to be a part of their spiritual journey: they will be a wonderful addition to our church and it was amazing hearing from some of their member friends about how this is the culmination of over a decade of spiritual growth and progress. Throughout this whole process, it's been a little bit surreal since it's felt almost as though I'm on the other side of my own baptism. It's been a wonderful experience and I wish them the best as they embark on the next step of their journey. (Photos are attached below.)

Spiritual Corner with Elder Brannon:

For my own personal study, I finished reading the Gospels on the 26th and am currently in the epistle of Paul to the Romans, concurrently reading the book of 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon. If you didn't read the Gospels this last Christmas and haven't recently (or ever) then I highly recommend reading them this year! Make it a (very belated) New Year's Resolution to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John over the next few months. (I also invite you to add 3 Nephi from the Book of Mormon, which contains the ministry of Jesus Christ to the peoples of the Americas.) Try a few verses each day if that's what you're comfortable with. You will learn a lot and feel the Spirit, and I promise you won't regret it.

Thank you very much for your support. I love you all!

¡Hasta la semana próxima!

Elder Brannon

Arizona Tucson Mission

Photos:

- Charcuterie on the balcony with Esperanza the saguaro cactus