Christmas & New Year's Celebrations

Ok, so this will be my overview from the holidays. wow! I have never had such a roller-coaster then these past 2 weeks. I guess I will start form Christmas. So we skyped and that was so sweet and awesome to see you all. Christmas here sure is not like back home. It is a day off of work, it is not a holiday to celebrate for its true meaning. So that was super sad, but something Vonda said, that it's better to be in a place were you're not thinking of home. I could not believe it was Christmas, because it was to hot, I could not believe that it was Christ's birth because of all the drunks. That night at midnight, I have never seen so many fireworks. They are very very legal here, and at midnight, the whole city just blew up. It was totally cool to see, our neighbor was blowing them off, and they were like legit 4th of July fireworks. All over the city, it was seriously like daylight it was so bright. So that was all really very nice, they tried cooking a type of cut from the pig, but it was the nastiest I have ever tasted. I could not believe it, so we did not eat Christmas dinner. I took tons of pictures with Draper. Friday we got the call for changes and I did not like them. Draper was to leave for Artigas, the highest place north in Uruguay. I really do love Draper, we were together for two changes, 3 months or 12 weeks. Sunday we had a good day in church, he gave his testimony, and it was super sad, he left at midnight Sunday night, last week. I was crying so hard like the baby I am. It was so hard to let him go but it has to be. My new Comp is Elder Contreas, he is from Chile. He is definitely Latino, and I don't know how I feel about that. ;) He is cool enough but he is not Draper, so that's sad. But I will be ok. We had a good week, we did a lot of showing around, where everything is, who everyone is, so that was fun. We are in week two of this change, only have 4 more to go, I can make it.  We speak only Spanish, so that's super fun. I speak it just to have fun. All my stories are in Spanish, and all my jokes and everything. My vocabulary is spreading rapidly from things just not of the church, but how to have conversations with people, when I am shopping, what every little thing is, that is what I am learning now. I can service pretty nicely down here, but I will not stop learning Spanish, it's a beautiful language. For New Years we did the same thing as Christmas. It was more like Christmas part 2 and again at midnight, it was the biggest firework scene I have seen the whole county lit up. I am sure all of South America had a festival to celebrate.

  Iam doing well. Thank you for all the strength you are giving me, and for all the good that you're doing. I need it and feel it, keep sending me cards, letters and photos. I love you all and they mean so very much. Thanks for everything. 

Vayan Con Dios

 

Merry Christmas from the other side of the world!

Oh my goodness the time is going by so very fast! What is going on? What can I say for this last week? Nothing comes to mind my Wow! It's a good thing that I write in my Journal every day because if not I would forget everything. Right now I am doing good. My birthday was quiet and uneventful. As per usual, ;) so that was that. We had a stake Christmas party thing so that was fun. An Elder from Columbia made me a smoothie from his homeland for my birthday so that was fun. What else, I have a video of fireworks, not ours so don't worry, but our neighbors. Here you can have whatever you want, yes everything is legal here, but I am at least ok with the fireworks. If you have luck, it will be sent to you. It's super hot, so that's not new. I love Elder Draper. Yes it is sad the state of the world, politics plays a huge roll down here. And the people only know what is important to them, the more I talk to the poeple about what is going on, the more I am disgusted with the state of the world. Uruguay I love, but boy oh boy is it in a state of iniquity. I can't spell that word so use your imagination.

Merry Christmas to all, here from the other side of the world. I have revieved the packages and the letters, so thank you a million for them. I will wait till Christmas to read them, so I will have Draper take pictures of me opening them, and I will send them to you next with my new comp. Wow the time is just flying. I love you all so very much. Enjoy every moment of "A Christmas Story: and eggnog, a pumpkin pie, and lasagne and every other delicouseness that is on this God Given Green Earth that does not exist down here. ;) God Bless all and don't forget me down here. If you say you read this, but you sit at home saying to yourselves, oh we need to write him, but I'll do that tomorrow, that is Satan, he is working on all of you to not write me, so be better than Satan!!!! Write

 WRITE ME!!! WITH PICTURES.

I love you,

Basos and brasos

xxooxxooxxooxxo to everyone!

Elder Brewer

Vaya Con Dios

It's called the Rosedal. This man loved his Wife so much or something, that he made this plaza for her. I think they are dead now, but look it up, its a cool story.

HOT, HOT, HOT

Oh what can I say for these past few days. HOT HOT HOT- oh my good goodness. I have never been so hot before. It's so cool to be here. Last week we got to see Presidente Gonzaloz from the Seventy. We got to meet him, talk with him, 5 zones came down, so I got to see all my friends from Rivera. So I was very happy. We have been working a lot with the menos activos to just get them to go to chuch for Christmas but no one wants to do anything down here. They would rather just stay home. So its been very frustrating these past few weeks. This Friday, my Birthday Cough Cough, we are doing an activity as a stake, we are doing a food from around the world. So we are making food from our home country. We are just going to make brownies, with peanut butter on top, it will be excellent. It's just so hard to get ingredients, but it will be fun. 

I believe it speaks for its self 

It's just a PARROT!! it's whatevs. ;)

Our little Christmas Tree

 

He's Watching Over Me

Last Friday we were in our weekly actividad that we do in the church. This night, for some reason, was particularly antsy. Something did not feel right in the air but we went anyways. The church is not in our area. We have to cross the ruta 1 to get there. We walked there just fine. During the actividad we were watching a movie "The Mountain of the Lord". We had two investigators there and a member. Then during the movie, we heard a sound that still gives me chills, that whisle that comes before bombs, like in the movies, it was the same sound. We all heard it. We turn our heads to the front of the church, and at that moment the bombito went off, lit up the window and shook the building. We all jumped pretty bad. Then we heard another one, then another one. One right after the next, getting closer and closer, lighting up the tinted windows outside the church. But nothing ever happened to the building. At the end of the movie, the investigator began to cry and said that she felt the spirit so strong, and now this weekend she is getting baptized. Not even the bombs of the haters can stop the work that is being done, because it's God's work. It's a cool story, no? We left the church later that night, we locked the doors, and locked the outside gate, and walked away, nothing touched us, we crossed the worst neighborhood we have at night, being two white boys and we were not touched. So that was cool as well. We went to church that Sunday, and we still had a church standing, it sure is being protected, and so are we.

 Montevideo says hi. ;)

I feel like its a lot like the street to the capital building, so we walked like 20 blocks to get to it. 

 Me at the Congress Building, the Palace of Laws Uruguay Montevideo

light and darkness

Christmas in Montevideo Uruguay 

There's no Thanksgiving in Uruguay?

It's been a while, I am sorry for that, but here is a few basic updates. First, wow!! Yes, our wards split and that has been really good. And something even more awesome that happened that I had no idea at the time, I was asked to play the piano for the conference, so that was fun, yes? Yes- it was. There are only certain songs that I can play, only if I know them or whatever right. So I was asked without warning, I turned to the page, and every song that they had chosen for the sacrament meeting, I knew. I played the songs almost perfectly all of them, the rest hymn we stood and all that jazz, so that was awesome. The man presiding is our area Seventy, Marcelo Chappe. So that was really cool. I am so glad I got that opportunity to play for him. I thought he was part of the stake presidency, but no. ;) So that was that.

The days have been getting nice and toasty, so if you're in your homes freezing, just remember that there are people on the other side of the world that are boiling their brains out. ;) 

Tomorrow should be my last dr. visit, so keep that in your prayers. I would like that very much so ;) I am getting used to my glasses, I like them well enough, until it rains, then it's just a pain in the butt. Oh well. ;)

I can't believe that everyone is growing up so fast. I can't wait till I get to hold you all. 

TWO LEXIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait. JASMINE!!! I LOVE YOU FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!!!

So long as grandma's house gets built before I get back, lets not have one of these eternal projects that we are known for. 

I pray that thanksgiving went well, and yep, it's not celebrated here, and these people have a holiday for everything, but not Thanksgiving ;( It was good enough, I did not even remember that it was here till it had passed, so I survived, but Christmas is a bit of a different story. So we`ll see what that brings. I'll see if I can't get you all caught up on the whole picture thing. ;) 

I love you all, and I am so very grateful to be serving here, to be a helping hand to my Savior. I am grateful to have you all apart of my family, to have your support through all of this, to know that you love me, and want the very best for me. I am so very grateful for this opportunity that I have to learn so much more about what the Lord would have me learn while I am out here serving. 

God Be with you all till we meet again, 

Vaya Con Dios, 

Elder Brewer

Tourist, Jesus Loves You‏

Me at the Uruguay Montevideo Temple‏

A military Base,‏ If you see in the corner, a guard is coming to tell me stop talking pictures ;)

sometimes I get sleepy‏

Lessons Learned

Oh, wow that is a medically fielded year. I pray that it gets better for you all. Cynthia looks so big!!
I can't wait to see all the new family that is waiting for me to get there.

This is Changes week and me and Elder Draper are staying together for another change. I am ok with that I guess. It just means that most likely I won't be leaving this area until Febuary and that is a long stretch. Oh well it will be ok. This change we get to call home!!! So I am counting the days for that. Las Torres is still Las Torres- we got the news yesterday that they are going to combine our ward with Cerro 1 who we share a building with. The two wards hate each other, on Sunday in ward counsel it was made quite clear where everyone stood on the subject. We have 4 missionaries in our ward, and 1 set in cerro 1 so now there will be 6 and our area is huge!! But it's all good- more places to know and become familiar with. Last week we went to Cuidad Viaja, and on the way back I was kind of leading the people, cause I knew (or thought I knew where to go) the busses to take and the streets that would lead us back to central to take a bus back to our area. The whole day was awesome. We had California Burrito and Buger King. Boy howdie is it expensive and now I understand the blessing that we have of free refills. 

I am trying to keep myself safe- it's hard when everyone around you tries to tare down your confidence, or sense of self security. You have to constantly be judging people, who is sketchy or who is ok. The saddest thing I have ever seen is the issue with the trash cans. Trashcans are like public markets. It's a free for all. I have seen everyone is the trashcans, from old old old people, to babies just learning to walk. There is always something in the trash that they can use to better their life a little. A senior couple told us that if we are throuwing away food, put it in a bag and hang it on the edge of the trash can so that they don't have to dig for it. The sad part is when you do that, not 2 minutes go by and the bag is gone. The things this mission teaches us, wow. We went to the fortalcia today. It's the famous light house here in Uruguay. It's nothing too grand, it was closed today so we could not go in, but we took pictures. 

I pray that all is well with everyone, in cualquier lugar. sé que estoy orando para ustedes, espero que ustedes son orando para mi. puedo sentir la amar que tu tenes para mi, y por esto, muchísimo gracias! Estoy muy agradecidos para tener la compañero que tengo ahora. El es un hermano para mi. gracies por todo.

Vaya Con Dios. y Quédense

Elder Brewer 

 Me and Draper in Ciudad Viaja

They are guards like in London, that can't move or say anything. This is at the Grave of Artigas. He is like George Washington here.

Halloween and Playing the Piano

Oh what a time its been here in Deo. I am learning to love my area, to love the people. I live barro las torras which  sounds awesome until you find out what kind of torras.  They are electrical torras so yeah, but it's fun I am getting used to it. I know the city buses now, so that's awesome. Because of all the dr's that I have been to, i know a lot of down town. We were supposed to go today to cuidad viajia again but we have zone conference tomorrow so we were practicing in the church for our musical number. I have to play "There is a Green Hill Far Away" and "Abide With Me Tis Even Tide". I have to play as they sing the first song, then I have to play the second song as a solo. Because I can't read music they want me to play it however I want to, a remix of sorts. It sounded really good today. I have been playing for the wards I have been in since I have been here. I have got much better at the hymns so grandma should be happy about that. ;)

Halloween was pretty scary here, our area is already pretty bad, now give the whole country a reason to go crazy, drugs,  devil worship, and whatnot make it a bit scary to go on the streets. Besides stupid people thinking they are cool with the Smart A comments nothing too bad happened. I count my many blessings.;) 

Yes I can now say as well that I have tried more parts of the animal that should not be eaten. the stomach, intestines, brain, and now the blood. Blood sausages are totally gross!!!!! Well, no it tasted fine, really kind of good, I just could not down the fact that it was blood so yeah, but I did try. So far there is nothing that i have rejected since being here, so that's a miracle! ;) 

I am doing really well, letters have been lacking, so have pictures from everyone. Don't you people be forgetting about me. ;) 

I miss you all, I hope you miss me, if you do show it ;) 

I love you, and thank you for all that you are doing, I feel your prayers and they are really needed, so thank you for them.

Vaya con Dios

Élder Brewer

 I love Facundo!

 The "Star" the Sun for Nelson Mandela

Alfajores Grandes!!

Elder Draper and I, Having an Asado