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. 

Letter 1/27/11

Dear family, 5 weeks are down 3 1/2 more to go.  I'm getting excited but other than that nor much exciting going on here.  The work is going by so fast.  I feel like I need more time to prepare so that I'm ready.  Right now I'm no where close to being ready with the spanish and the gospel.  I'm panicking about that.  Earlier this week was so frustrating with everything that was going on but I feel a lot better now since the week has moved on.  I'm going to start working out instead of playing basketball so I stop being lazy.  The food here has gotten so old it's ridiculous but please don't send any more food.  I still have so much between you and Alli.  For the most part I'm getting excited to leave and i"m still 3 weeks away.  I have been trying to improve on my writing and spelling so when I get back all the bad habits are gone.  Not much goes on here at the dorms where we relax.  We have a pretty good time me and my buddy Elder Stokes.  We hang out and talk except on Pday because I have to write like 6 letters and that's kind of a pain but I like it at the same time.  I forgot to tell you that I had to teach a lesson for District meeting on Sunday.  I kind of like teaching but my companion took forever explaining his stuff and left us with not time.  By the way the lesson was on commandments and how to teach or imply them to an investigator.  I felt that we did pretty good.  I don't know though.  The beds kind of stink here.  Every night I wake up because the blankets have all fallen off.  I wake up and Elder Crofts sleep talks so I make fun of him in the morning.  He laughs, Crofts is definitely one of the Elders that I'll keep in touch with after the mission.  He is a good guy.  That's about it not much to talk about and I have to get to bed.  Sorry these letters aren't that good but I sit in a 10X20 room all day so really not much goes on.  You guys be safe and I love you all.  Love Elder Robison

Letter, pics, business plan? 1/20/11

Dear family, It has been a really fast week.  It started out with Tuesday we have firesides and we normally only get the 2nd quorum of 70's but this week was a shock.  We had the opportunity to listen to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.  It was amazing.  He spoke the whole time so it was way cool.    He spoke on following Christ and how all of us should follow Christ and his plan.  He used an example of following Christ.  He used the one where he tells Peter to throw his net on the right side of his boat and he will catch some fish.  Immediately Peter knew it was Christ.  He and another guy jumped out of the boat and swam to shore.  Christ had cooked them supper, I believe it was fish.  Christ asked Peter if he loved him, Peter said yes, Christ asked him again do you love me, Peter looked with a funny face and said yes.  Christ asked him again do you love me, he said yes.  Then Papa Holland YELLED, and said Christ said then why haven't you gathered my sheep.  Christ asked him again if he loved him and Peter said yes.  Christ said forget about your nets, oars, and boat and gather my sheep.  The point that Papa Holland was trying to get across is that you don't serve Christ for 2 years, you serve him for eternity,  so for us to come home and to keep serving Christ.  Elder Holland got the point across that night to me and 2200 others.  The spirit was there and everyone was silent.  It was amazing.  We then went and bore our testimonies on Christ in our zones.  The spirit was there for an hour.  President Stowe (?) was in charge of the meeting.  He bore his testimony very strong because he has been married forever and he just found out his wife has bone and long cancer, the highest stage of cancer.  He is an amazing guy.  Last Sunday we got a new MTC President.  He is way better than the old one.  He commented that we should be missionaries like Idaho farm boys so he has got my respect.  He is a way nice guy.  He ate lunch with us the other day.  My zone is awesome.  We have 10 new Elders.  They are all wrestlers, football players and soccer players.  Most are on scholarships.  Elder Melonhal is the nephew of BYU's football coach.  He is way chill, then there is a polly his name is Elder Hamilton.  He is the most polite kid I've ever met.  He has a full ride to the University of Utah.  Then there is Elder Stocks (?) he is way chill, me and him are way chill.  He is my favorite Elder for sure.  Well that's about it so write me lots if you can.  Love Elder Robison

 Brenan looks a little out of it.  I am thinking this is when he was sick or he's really tired or we better check what it is he is doing in the MTC.  He is showing off the tie that a friend of his from Shelly drew.  He must be an Elder down there.  I doubt he will be able to wear that one on his mission but it is pretty impressive.  My favorite is Brevin and Trajen's pictures taped up on the wall in the background.

 Elder Vaun he left last week.

Brenan also sent an invention he has thought up along with a total business plan.  Quite funny I didn't know he was going to business school at the MTC