Feb. 6, 2018 Last few days in Manchester, New Hampshire and first few days in Ellsworth, Maine

Hello all!

I'm super out of time, so I'll have to send a long one next week. I'm up in Ellsworth now and am doing well. The ward received us well and there are some great people. We found our apartment looking not great and our area not much better. We've had a crazy schedule with driving all around and crazy weather, so not much time to work. It's a rough start, but once we get life put together again things will get moving.

The area is super super pretty and we have been able to meet a couple new people so we're excited for this next week. Thanks for all the love and prayers!

Love,
Elder Branch

Manchester, New Hampshire

I hurt my toe on p-day last week. Better now. :)

The Gyro Spot in Manchester, super good!!

The ap bat

Elder Larsen is the new assistant

The Adams, awesome office staff couple from Ogden

The place where Joseph Smith had his leg surgery 

is now a KFC/Taco Bell. 

Mission tradition is to get a chicken leg there...

Last time on top of our parking garage

My new Companion, Elder Powell

Ellsworth, Maine

Our District

Look at that! Even in Ellsworth!

Dec. 26, 2017 in Manchester, New Hampshire

Merry Christmas everyone!

This week was great, we had some great experiences finding which was really cool. Early in the week we had to have some get-real lessons with R., G., and D., as well as with L. We talked about how if they really want to know they have to put in the work (come to church, read scriptures, pray) for at least a month and then look back and see how their life has changed. R., G., and L. weren't willing to put the work in yet. D. got pretty real, and really wanted to keep learning, but since then she missed church and hasn't responded on Facebook. 

A less active recent convert we work with never will come to church, and this week early on they told us her younger sister, who has been interested and loves to have us over, wasn't allowed to go because her dad said no. They have a brother who was way cool and when we stopped by Sunday morning it was just him and the sister. We asked if she could come and then they had a big argument in Nepali, and then B. told us that she had been lying about not being allowed to go and she didn't want to come to church. She just liked having us come as company. It was really nice of him to tell us and he felt bad, but it was good to know the truth.

So, a few bummers this week, but the Lord blessed us by adding 8 new people to our teaching pool!! We found some really awesome people who have a ton of potential. One named T. came to church this week and is excited to come again. Also, there was a three apartment house that we felt like knocking, and the people behind all three doors became new investigators!!! Sometimes you just have to have the faith to let go of people who aren't prepared quite yet and know the Lord will help you find more. :)

Christmas was really fun! It was a late Sunday night in the office putting in the mission numbers, so when we got back to the apartment it was Christmas Morning! We decided we couldn't wait, so we opened some very early morning Christmas presents. ;) Thanks to all those who sent things, it's nice to know there are people thinking about you!

We watched Mr. Kreuger's Christmas last night with James Stewart, and I love the part at the end where it says something like: "'I love you', Clarissa said it to Mr. Kreuger, Mr. Kreuger said to Jesus, and Jesus has said it to all of us in so many ways." That is very true, and I'm so grateful for that. :)

Love you all,
Elder Branch :)

(Picture from some awesome people in New Hampshire that was texted to us.)

(Pictures from the mission facebook page)

Jan. 16, 2017 in Exeter, New Hampshire with a new companion - generation 2 of Elders Morris-Branch

Hey everyone!!! :) 

I hope you are having a great day!!!

So J. is pretty great! We have been talking with her and we will need to move her baptismal date back a bit cause she has some stuff to do, but we are all pumped for that! :)

C. has had a hard week which is too bad, but we're hoping things are better this week. She is way awesome and we keep praying for her and know that things will get better. :)

C. is well too. Elder D. and I went and saw him on exchanges on Monday and we had a good time and he said he was gonna come to church again this week but then he didn't! Because of how the week is going and set plans, we won't be able to go over and see him till Wednesday!

We didn't get to do much finding this week, but we did get to see a few people who we hadn't in several weeks which was nice! :)

I wanted to say, thanks SOOOOOOOOO much everyone for the gifts and cards at Christmas!!!!! It was so touching and I LOVED hearing from you and I am so grateful for all the love! :)

So as many of you heard, I am STAYING in Exeter!!!!! :) I was so happy to hear that! Sadly Elder C. will be leaving to Manchester to be a District Leader in a trio, but I'm glad I got to serve with that stud! :) I will be staying District Leader and I am going to train 🚂!!!! I don't know who yet but I'll find out tomorrow morning! :)

So, story time for this week, I rode a pink sparkle bike a mile and a half down downtown Exeter... J. had a little bike that she isn't using anymore and M. has a neighbor who we are pals with and she has a young daughter. J. said we could take the bike to her, but it wouldn't fit in M.'s or our car! Soooo, next most logical option, have Elder Branch ride it the mile and a half back to M.'s apartment in the rain! M. and Elder C. drove the car and I rode the bike, which ended up having a leaking back tire, so by the time I got there the tire was just about flat! The bike was small so I had to stand up and ride it the whole way which was pretty crazy and tiring, and way fun!!!! ;) It was probably a sight to see, but it was definitely a good experience. 8 out of 10, would recommend in warmer weather. ;)

Hope you all have a FANTASTIC week, please keep me and my trainee in
your prayers, and love ya all! :)
Elder Hunter Branch :)

Last p-day with Elder C.

J.'s pink sparkle bike

M. sent this picture of Elder Branch and Elder Morris as new companions! 

Generation Two of Elders Morris - Branch!!

Branch-Morris Companionship Video from Sister Blair

Dec. 26, 2016 in Exeter, New Hampshire

(Christmas post from Hunter's Family)

Every once in a while we'll get a picture anonymously 

on our phone from some wonderful person in New Hampshire. 

We love those people!!! 

Here are a few of those from this Christmas season...

Talking with him on Christmas over skype was the best!!

Merry Christmas!

<3

Oct. 24, 2016 in Exeter, New Hampshire

Hey Pals!!

Brother Barnes asked what scripture you'd like on you missionary plaque.
Lets go with the Alma 53:20-21, I love that one! :)
"And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity;  but behold, this was not all - they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.  Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him."

How was your week?
It was a good week!! :) We had zone interviews which were really good! President Blair is a great guy!

This week our car is in the shop, which is hard because most of our investigators are a 4 hour walk from our house, so we're gonna rely on members a lot, and also do lots of finding around in Exeter.

We had a ton of appointments cancel this week, we only ended up teaching like 6 to 8 lessons, so that was a bummer. The good thing was that with every cancellation, they went out of their way to set up another time, so we know they are really interested and want the gospel, they just have crazy lives. We still have 12 investigators, but soon that'll be 11 cause S. gets baptized!!!! :) He will be the first person baptized in this ward!! We're so excited for him and so is the ward! :)

We had transfer calls and Elder B. and I are both staying so that is nice!!!! :)

Did you get the recipes and song names?
Yes I did get recipes and song names, thanks so much for all the
family and friends that sent them!!! :) I would love any more people
have to send! :)

What would you like for your birthday?
I'm almost 19!! That sounds old! That is like as old as Zac, minus a year! 😮😜 Honestly, I would love sweaters! It is cold here!! ;) Also ties are cool, and money, and snickers, and sour stuff, and ya, that is about it I guess! ;)

Ok, to understand this, a VGPAA is a goal setting tool my mission uses. It stands for:
Vision (Our overall goal)
Goal (Ways we'll work towards our vision this transfer)
Plan (The thing we'll do this week to accomplish our goal)
Action (Specific actions we'll take this week)
Accountable (Who we are accountable to)

My letter to President Blair this week.
1-9 are all yes for this week.

Hey President Blair! First of all can I just say thanks for all you guys do for us, and thanks for the interviews! You guys are great.

I am doing well, after our Zone Interviews meeting I finalized my personal VGPAA and have been working on that. It is...

V: Become more consecrated as a missionary.
G: Gain the characteristics given by President Blair
- Valiant in Christ
- No fear of man
- Conform to the rule and won't have to be commanded
- Work with zeal and to limits of strength, be really tired
- Forget yourself, not casual or careless
- Humble
- Helaman 3:35 (Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and thesanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.)
P: Valiant in Christ
A: Study Christlike attributes, read in Book of Mormon where Jesus comes, Read
Jesus the Christ by the end of this transfer.
A: My companion and President Blair.

I plan to work on a different characteristic/attribute each week of this next transfer, and read all of Jesus the Christ by the end of it too. I asked Elder B. to keep me accountable, but I would also like to report to you on it as well each week. I know I'll be able to improve as a missionary thru this VGPAA so I'm excited to keep working on it!

Elder B. is doing great, he felt sick yesterday, but he got up and we went out to work. Before a dinner appointment yesterday we were knocking doors about 15 minutes away from the members. We had knocked several and were starting to head back to the car, because we had 25 minutes until the dinner and we wanted to contact a old old referral by the members, when I felt we should knock this other house that was the opposite way as our car. We did it, and no one answered. Elder B. felt we should knock the next house, also away from our car, and the guy there wasn't to friendly as he shut the door in the middle of one of our questions. We didn't feel like we needed to knock any other houses there so we headed back to the car. There were 3 more houses by our car, and as we were walking Elder B. was telling a story, but I felt like we should knock them, so I politely interrupted and asked if we had time to knock the last few, then contact the guy another day. He agreed and we went up to the first house. A younger guy answered, probably in his late 20's, wearing a Patriots hat. I asked him about the hat and we talked football for just a minute, then Elder B. just went right in and asked if we could share a message with him about Jesus Christ. The guy said yes, and we got to share an awesome shortened version of the restoration with him, introduce the Book of Mormon and give him a copy, which he was interested in, and leave him with a restoration pamphlet! We asked if we could meet with him again and he was interested in that! He is around on weekends usually so we're excited to go back and meet with him. Oh, and his name is S. (we liked how he spelled it). Hopefully we can pick him up as an investigator this next week or two! It was cool to be lead by the spirit and get a potential investigator from tracking.

I hope you're having a great week, we wanted to invite you to the Exeter Halloween Trunk or Treat this Wednesday at and to S.'s baptism this Saturday. We hope to see you here! By the way the members here loved you and Sister Blair, they have mentioned it to us a bunch!

We love you guys too, thanks again,
Elder Branch

This week we came to primary as the super missionaries 

and sang and marched around! 

It was like being at Camp Kiesel again 

or teaching my rad primary kids!! :)

From our apartment

At the church