Letter from April 9th 2014

Whaddup Y'all!

So, this past week has been super awesome! Let's start with last
Friday. Our Fridays are pretty packed. We usually have 3-4 lessons
every Friday. Well, we went with Ray to a lesson and as we got there,
we realized that we forgot our bags in our car! In my mind I was like
"oh crap. How in the world are we gonna teach a lesson now?!" So we
went in there with no teaching material whatsoever. I think we had
ray's phone for scriptures, but that's it. We taught her a boss
lesson! It was so cool! We relied on the spirit 100% and it worked.
Then! After we had that lesson, we went to an appointment that we set
up earlier that week. We had gotten a referral from a member so we
decided to go look him up. We met with him and we taught him the
restoration...boy was that cool. I have the first vision memorized so
the spirit was chillin in the room with us, haha. We (I) invited him
to be baptized and he accepted. He knows that it's what The Lord
wants. He understands that he needs to be baptized to enter the
kingdom of God! Its so cool! After our lesson with him...oh his name
is Dan. After our lesson with him, I got so pumped for missionary
work. I realized what I was actually doing out here. I'm not here to
make friends. I'm not here to drive a car around New York. I'm here to
brings everyone unto Christ and change their life! I knew that from
the start but wow! It's so awesome!

We are going to the temple today. I'm excited! Oh, and I don't think I
ever told you guys, but when missionaries in our mission are about to
go home, they get to see a broadway play. So today, Elder Witbeck is
going to see Les Mis. I'm so jealous. But I get to go to the temple,
so that jealous rage should quit soon.

We had dinner at the Cotters last night. They are a family in our
ward.mi confessed my ultimate love for pizza rolls to her. So in a few
weeks, she is gonna make us homemade pizza rolls! She is Italian too!
I'm way excited.

Conference was sooooo awesome!!!!!! Mom, Dad...I don't think I have
EVER stayed awake for the entire conference. Nor have I ever taken
beast notes! But I did both! I learned so much! I too liked that
garbage one, haha. I had a ton of favorites. All of Uchtdorfs were
sweet. I'm not sure if you got a chance to see the priesthood session,
but president Uchtdorf talked about how the presidency got to tour Air
Force one. And he got to sit in the cockpit and without even realizing
it, he put his hands on the thrusters and president Monson said:
"Dieter! Don't you think about it!" Haha! It's funny to see that they
are actual human beings, haha.

Thank you for sending that package! I haven't gotten it yet cause Ray
wasn't home yesterday. I should get it shortly.

Recently I have started telling myself that my missionary work is for
The Lord and no one else. It's so hard to get caught up in other
things. I get really mad easily, you all know that. And so the people
I live with have often flipped that switch. I've never yelled at them,
but I have gotten pretty upset with them. I am learning to control it
all and to not worry about it. Elder Cloward and I are ironing out all
the kinks. We are getting along better and our work is more
productive. That stinks at the same time cause we are predicting that
he will get transferred this next cycle. So we will see.

I love you guys! I hope work won't be a huge burden for you mom. I
love you so much and I'm so grateful for yours and dad's sacrifice of
putting me on a mission. I'm so grateful for your examples and for the
way you have raised me. I'm sorry that I didn't always obey. I really
wished I had. But that's what the atonement is for! Haha. Miss and
love you guys!

Elder Branndin Brian Long

Ps, if I don't get around to emailing everyone, especially dad, it's
cause I will be in the City today. So just make sure you inform
everyone of that.