Phone call from Dalton Georgia

Yesterday when I got home from church I was working on dinner.  I got a call on my cell phone with a 716 area code so I answered and there was a little southern voice on the other end.  She asked if I was Sister Robison I told her yes.  She said this is Sister Anderson and I just fed your son a "greenie" meal.  She said when she gets new missionaries in her area she loves to fix a greenie meal.  She makes everything green for them.  She said he was a wonderful young man and is going to make a very good missionary.  I talked to her for a little bit asking about her family.  She has 6 kids, her oldest daughter died a few years ago most of them live close she has a daughter in Utah and two sons who are 27 and 29 still living at home.  She is a grandmother and great grandmother.  She lives in the Dalton East area so that is the area Brenan is in.  While we were talking she said well one of them is back at the door.  It was Brenan of course he had forgotten his camera.  I told her he would forget his head if it wasn't attached.  She said he was smiling from ear to ear.  I told her to tell him hi for me.  What a great thing to get to hear from people who are taking care of my missionary.  He looks happy and good.  Her son emailed me these pictures.  I so appreciate them.

Letter from Dalton Georgia

Dear family
Wow, I can't believe it is actually here.  For those of you who didn't catch it in the email I'm in Dalton East there are two areas in Dalton.  The west and East.  The boarder of these to areas is like night and day.  On the East side it's mostly mexicans and on the west it's mostly hillbilly's.  Hopefully I get some spanish in before I leave Dalton.  I first got here and thought no way I couldn't believe I was here because you drive down main street and all you see are mexican shops all over.  Everything is in spanish.  Right out front of the apartment are a whole bunch of trees and in the trees are these huge fat squirrels.  There are hundreds of them.  My first week hear we did not have a car because we switch every week because the Elders that were here before totaled our car so we share so that is a pain.  Our first week we were on foot or by members driving us.  My companion is a good guy he is from Utah.  He is 22 years old and has his spanish down pretty good for 9 months.  He knew a lot before he came on a mission.  The thing I don't like about him is that I think we could use our time more wisely.  He just seems like he doesn't want to tract very much so he makes our plans up to the members to take us to lessons which I wish we would go tracting for the first little while till we get so many investigators that we don't have to tract and we can just go to lesson to lesson without wasting a minute.  I don't know.  I'm not much help without knowing spanish first.  The thing I like about my companion is that if I ask for help he helps me.  In all seriousness it feels like since I've been out here I've gotten dumber with my spanish so I don't know what is going on.  I need to figure something out quick.  Yesterday we had a return appointment and the family is very interested but they just want to do some homework about the Book of Mormon first.  My week has been frustrating but good at the same time.  The members here are really nice.  They are really just not very smart.  I could say everyone here are a few short of some brain cells.  I've learned more southern talk than spanish so far.  Last week we went to another church on Wednesday to see what they do.  We walked in and it was like Blink 182 concert with people singing a Christian song about Jesus.  I was so amazed how many crazy churches are really like that down here.  The preacher gets up and actually teaches some true doctrine but he kept saying he didn't know why this and why that.  He said God doesn't want us to study that he just wants us to read a couple versus of Bible and you are saved which is sad because a lot of people believe that down here.  So guys it is pretty interesting down here.  This last Sunday we went to church at 7:30 and had a meeting and then went to Sacrament at 9:30 for the spanish ward then after that we had an english ward to go to.  The 1st Counselor came and told me that I would give a couple words about me.  Well when he introduced my name he said Robinson instead of Robison well I tried making a joke about that no one can say my name but because they aren't to bright or don't get my sense of humor nobody got it and it made me look like I corrected him in a rude way.  I talked to him after and me and him are pretty good friends now.  The next day was P Day nothing to exciting just took the car into the shop for it to get new brakes.  While we were waiting we went over to a pawn shop across the road and played guitars.  My companion is really good.  But that's about it, today was a pretty good work day.  It is Tuesday today we went and had 3 lessons with some people mostly hispanic.  We then stopped by the projects just to knock doors.  It has it's up s and downs.  The first 10 doors people usually just had an excuse or some would cuss and tell us were to go but we had 5 doors today that were return appointments so that is good.  The problem is that I can't even do a door contact in spanish.  It ticks me off to where I just want to punch something so bad.  It really feels like this language will never come, but the last door was mine.  It was a black man who could not hear very well.  I went in and started talking about sport and everything about old Arthur.  He is 82 years old and we started talking about church he believes in all of them he said.  I asked him if he had heard of the Book of Mormon.  He told me yes and that he loves that book.  Well it turns out he had one right there on his table.  It was all worn out and marked up so we are going back Friday to start lessons.  He is a very nice man that needs the gospel very bad.  Do you guys remember the man in the temple that said everyone over here has a gap between their teeth well he is kind of right but everyone is just missing teeth or they rot out so that is pretty much Dalton East.  Keep writing.  I love you all and miss y'all  Love Elder Robison

Arriving in Tennessee

Dear family we finally arrived at the Mission Presidents house.  I'm not going to lie it's a lot better than I expected.  Knoxville is really just kind of the same as home.  The weather is way better here.  If I was to describe it is like when we were driving to Nauvoo but a heck of a lot more trees.  I really have not done much yet so this letter might be pretty lame.  Next week will be a lot better so I'll keep in touch next week.  I'm here and safe so don't worry.  Love Elder Robison

Brenan and his companion Elder Robison

Brenan with President Griffin and Sister Griffin

Brenan got to see Jordan Jenson, Sundee's son, who was coming home from the Knoxville Tennessee mission.  Jordan told us he was headed to Dalton Georgia.
In Brenan's email today it said he liked his companion.  He is in the biggest Spanish area in his mission so he was excited so maybe he'll be able to learn Spanish better.  He goes to the Spanish Branch on Sunday and also the English speaking branch.  He said it is great because there are true "red necks" down there.  He said I just sit and stare at them.  He's loving it because Brenan is a "red neck" at heart.  He thinks they have some pretty good investigators.  He said it is starting to get pretty hot there.  He sounded good.

More MTC pictures

Brenan sent more pictures from the MTC but none of them were labeled.  He was leaving and just hurried and threw them in.

Brenan sprained his ankle playing basketball

Don't know and don't want to

Brenan and Elder Stokes

Letter 2/17/11

Dear family, the time has come and only 1 more week in the MTC.  I'm excited but at the same time a little nervous.  I finely have received my travel plans this wee.  I leave the 22nd for sure.  I leave the MTC at 4:00 a.m., leave Salt Lake at 7:05 a.m. then we go to Atlanta.  We get in Atlanta at 12:41 and leave at 1:50 p.m.  We go to strait to Knoxville at 2:43 p.m.  Hopefully I have time to call you guys maybe in the morning and around 1:00 or so.  Maybe you will get a call.  I havae not decided yet, haha J/K  This week has flown by so fast and all of my TRC's and stuff are over.  That will make this even better.  This week has not been too bad.  First just same old same old.  Then I figured out that I am able to play basketball again so that made my week.  Next thing you need to know.  Yesterday we went to the fireside and fell asleep for the first time during the prayer and woke up 15 minutes later and I had drooled all over the place.  When I woke up 100's of kids were looking at me.  I'm not going to lie I was a little embarrassed.  Oh well.  The next big thing that has happened this week.  On our way to the temple.  There were 3 natives to the language, so in other words Mexicans.  They were way chill.  I just walked up to them and started talking to them in Spanish.  They had served a mission and spoke both english and spanish.  We had a conversation for about 15 minutes and he helped me with some spanish.  It went well.  We just talked about his mission and mine.  He told me my Spanish is good for 8 weeks.  I think he was just being nice.  I'm really excited to get out of here.  Pretty soon I will be counting down the hours because the time goes by so fast.  I'm doing good and still alive so you guys be safe and keep in touch.  Love Elder Robison

Letter and pics 2/10/11

Dear family, this week has been hectic.  First it starts with me spraining my ankle in basketball and now I can't play or even work out my arms because I have to do therapy.  That has made my week really slow.  My spanish is coming but not confident in it yet so not much new there.  I still don't know when I leave because I haven't been given my travel orders yet.  I might find out this next week.  That will be good.  My best buddy just left this morning, Elder Stokes.  I slept in his room last night we were pretty close.  He told me we are going to live in his parents house down in St. George.  His parents are dentists and have 2 houses down there and we can just go to school down there.  That would be cool but not for sure yet.  On Thursday we had a sub for class and he looked at my tag and asked if I had a bro that served in Panama.  I told him that was my cousin.  He knew him pretty darn good, he was a good teacher.  Not much goes on in the MTC.  I have been studying on my free time to try to get ahead but it feels like no improvement.  We got 10 new missionaries in the zone.  4 hermanas, 6 elders they seem pretty cool but I haven't really got to know them yet.  Enough about me tell me how everything is going back at home.  It seems like I don't know anything because I haven't received
my weekly news yet today so I feel behind.  You guys better give me some info.  The cabin is looking good and it's good to see dad shoveling the roof off.  The snow looks amazing.  Thank you guys for the package it really means a lot.  Thanks for everything.  Have a good week.  Elder Robison

Elder Smart and I, cool kid from Utah.  He plays golf on scholarship

Everyone on my bed

Elder Lulla just doing his thing

Elder Mendenhal from Utah.  His uncle is head coach for BYU football.  Me and him are tight

Jordan & Stokes

Elder Perry, he put on 20 since MTC, Elder Hamilton

Elder Hanson

Rockwood

Zone

Elder Maki

Elder Makhilhil from Hawaii.  He leaves tomorrow

Elder Jordan

Elder Rockwood.  He is helping me with my inventions he is very intelligent

Crofts

Elder Hamilton, he is way chill.  We are pretty tight.  He is on a scholarship for University of Utah

Elder Haron

Elder Hanson and I.  He is way cool.  He hunts and stuff.

Letter 2/3/11

Family, How has it been going.  It sounds like you guys are having fun back at home.  The good old MTC is still here so don't worry.  I just found out that I might be leaving on the 22nd so I have to stay another 6 days so that is exciting haha j/k.  Not much has gone on since last week.  Right now I'm sitting on the stairs in the laundry room bored out of my mind.  This week I've seen 5 new Elders from Rigby so that was nice to see someone from home.  Not much goes on here.  We have not had anyone special come and talk to us so it's kind of lame.  My Spanish has not improved much this week.  I don't know why because that is what I have been studying the most.  I still speak the same.  Days are good and bad here.  One day last week I felt like I could teach any lesson in Spanish.  I could understand it and I could even speak it but then the next day I'm back to square one.  It's weird but I'm hoping I get better because if not I'm in trouble.  So I don't know.  But enough about me how is everything back at home.  How is the cabin coming?  Rachel said they were going salmon fishing in the reservoir behind it so that will be fun.  How is the sledding going and how is the flying without me.  You are probably wondering why I put that note in there.  I had a bad dream and felt like I needed to send that so thats why.  Next week I should be sending home some pics so you guys need to send some.  I'll talk to you next week.  I love you guys and hope you guys are being safe so have fun love Elder Robison.