Momma Hays

So I realized that a few weeks ago I titled my email "Momma Hays", and did not explain why I did that! Lol, so I think this story is a perfect shining example of the fact that my personality hasn't changed THAT much while I've been on my mission. I was in the Skipton flat with the Skipton elders and Elder Schwarzkopf, when my district leader just referred to me as Momma Hays. Lol, I guess the fact that I was fretting over a stain he had on his suit jacket didn't help at the time (I was also joking around by speaking in my Gospel lady voice) "Oooohhhhh Chillldddd!".  I was worried I would lose that part of my personality on my mission but I am the same Brennan, same sense of humor, same love of sushi, just in a different (slightly more refined) way. 

(would you like to know why he sent these photos this week?  yes, so would we...)

Ok, before I go any further..................

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday Moooommmmmm

Happy Birthday to you! 

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you sooooo much, you're seriously such an amazing and wonderful person, I can't even begin to fathom how lucky I am to be your son. I love you to the Moon and back, and I will always love you! You've raised 3 great kids, you're a killer student, and a wonderful worker. You've helped so many countless people over the years, and you've lifted up so many people for the sake of your own comfort. I couldn't ask for a better role model! Love you so much! 

Also your Karate skills are the tops! 

So it's been a great week. Elder Schwarzkopf and I have had to take over all the sisters contacts because Sister Morris was sent home last week due to a really badly messed up ankle injury (She's hoping to come back soon), and without a replacement sister, Sister Monroe was sent to Leeds to be in a Tri-panionship. So that's be interesting. It was sad to say goodbye to Sister Morris. She was my MTC companion, and she really is just the most amazing missionary out there. She's a huge inspiration, but I know that whatever's going on, it's all a part of God's plan, and she's taking it with stride. 

I'm reading the Teachings of the Presidents Heber J Grant right now, and it's soooooooooo good! I never realized how long he had been President of the Church for, and how many trials he had to over come in his life. He was called to be a Stake President when he was only 24! He's got so many amazing teachings, especially about dealing with trials, and praying for inspiration when teaching, which is perfect for me on my mission. He also had a lot to say about how only we can change our situation. We have to work, work, work to see a change in our life. Also, he talks a lot about how to keep faith. His biggest thing with keeping faith was doing what we were asked to do! He gave a wonderful talk where he said " I will never ask anyone to pay tithe more diligently then I do. To obey the word of wisdom more then I do. To keep the fast and pray to God more then I will." I love that. He sounds like an incredibly fair man who would never seek to put more of a burden on someone else then he would take his-self. That's definitely how we should live our lives. If something is falling apart, if something isn't working, we have to analyze if we're doing all that we can. I like one quote that I can't remember where it came from that said "Have you set limitations on yourself? Because God hasn't". We can ALWAYS do it. We just have to decide to. 

Well, I love you guys lots! 

Dad: I'm not getting your emails. I would set up a different personal account if I were you and just use that one to get in contact with me (Put your passwords in your phone as contacts. I.E Gmail Password One - (Insert Password and Login) that way you never forget.) Hope all is well with you though! 

Holden: I like the idea of little tiny text like emails. Keep it up! I hope work is doing well. What's it like getting ready to be a Dad???

Noelle: YOU'RE PREGNANT AND IT'S A GIRL AND I'VE LITERALLY TOLD THE WHOLE WARD HERE THAT HER NAME IS RUBY AND OMG I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! 

Mom: You're perfect, and I love you so much! Don't party too hard this weekend! 

Jordan: Work is almost over! Weird! I hope you get a bit of a break before school starts. OMG is it you senior year! Nope nope nope nope, that's not happening. I'm writing the school, you can't be that old. 

Mum, would you tell Bennett to email me. Get Shannon on it, she's got this. 

Love you all lots! Talk to you next week

WAIT, I forgot. Ummmmmm.... my suit is...ummm not doing well. (We have to wear full suits everyday in this mission, so I only have the two pairs of pants to wear and that's meant they've deteriorated faster then I had hoped.) so I'm going to look in a couple of stores today for a CHEAP suit. If I find one that's really cheap, I might just pull out some cash and go for it. But if I can't find one, I'll just wait till next week and we can discuss options further (Part of it may just be finding one that fits.) 

It's a GIRL!!! (Elder Hays reacts to the news of his new neice)

WWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sooooooo happppyyyy!!!!! I won't lie, when I saw the photo's Noelle sent me, I definitely started crying in the middle of the library with all the other people sitting near me looking at me super concerned like. They were 100% tears of happiness though (and manliness). I can't wait to get to meet little Ruby! This is seriously so exciting for me! I'm gonna be an Uncle Chim! Yay! Btw sooooooo adorbs how y'all announced it! 

Ok, I still have not received a picture of the Mini copper (Also thank you Mum for telling me what it is) and I expect one soon!

Noelle, of course the baby is dancing around in your tummy. It's YOUR baby. It's probably doing a mixture between your booty wiggle and Holden's finger dance he does. 

George, lol, thank your for naming it partially after me ;) Keighley is a great middle name! WHAT IN THE HECK IS THAT FIRST NAME THOUGH! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO READ THAT! [mom's note: he is talking about a chameleon his sister purchased and named partially after the area he is serving in - his brother - who served a mission in Bulgaria - gave the chameleon a Bulgarian first name, which is why Brennan can't pronounce it]

Dad, PICTURES OF MINI COOPER PLEASE! Also, you're great. 

Mum, That place called Lindsays is still there, It's completely closed and boarded up though. So it's a bitttttt janky. It's a wonderful little street though, the back entrance of our house is so adorable and nice. The neighbors have really taken to keeping it nice and green and lush back there. And yeah, that hill SUCKS. It is cool though, because that's the first hill I had to walk up my first day, and when I got to the top we had to stop so I could breathe, but now I can do it (almost) no probs.[I google earth stalked him and was asking questions about the neighborhood]

Pretty much everything's going well. We've been praying to increase our teaching pool this week, and Lo and and behold people have started approaching US about the Gospel! Last night on our way home we were invited by this man yelling at us to go into his house, which resulted in us teaching him and his 3 friends about the gospel (While they puffed away on some weed) and we learned that one of his friends (The only one not smoking and drinking) was a less active member who'd stop going 10 years ago, so we gave him a book of Mormon and told him to give it another try! We also got a follow up appointment with another guy on Tuesday from that same crowd. Pretty cool! OK, I don't have much time left (I had to fill out a questionnaire sent by President this morning which took FOREVER) so I'll keep it short. I love you all so much! You're all the best (I'M AN UNCLE) and I know you are all just the best people in the world! Oh, no pictures this week because I have taken my camera into two different tech shops here in town, and they both said that the cord I need is a Micro USB cord that is for Nikon cameras only. And neither knew where I could get one soooooooooooooo hopefully I can find something in Leeds. 

Ok seriously the guy next to me need's to calm down. He's having a panic attack and his flamboyant side is showing harder then a Unicorn at a pride parade. I think he's about to go 50 shades of Rainbow all over the people who work here that are trying to calm him down. 

Love you!!!! Talk to you soon!

[all photos are courtesy of google earth and it's wonderful ability to stalk any and every area]

Tour De France But Elder Hays Was Moving

It's been a stress fully awesome week. By that I mean, it's been a stressful, difficult, and anxiety inducing week, but I'm having a terrible week in England, which makes it a pretty awesome week as well! (mom's note: we talked about this before he left - that some weeks would be more difficult than others, and I told him to remember when he's having a bad week, that he is having a bad week in ENGLAND, which means, he's still doing something pretty awesome and cool, and it makes bad weeks a little easier, to think about it that way - I'm including these photos of the Tour De France which went through his town last week)  :) 

We had to move flats this week, which has turned into probably the biggest NIGHTMARE you could ever imagine. The move has been pushed back for a few weeks now, but It finally happened this last weekend, and boy did it suck. The Mission office forgot it was happening, so we didn't get any help from them with the move. The tour DE France was that day, but we didn't get to see any of it because we were stuck hauling boxes, we had to tear apart Elder Schwarzkopf's bed because it wouldn't fit down the stairs, etc. etc. Pretty much Elder Schwarzkopf and I are tired, beat up, and bruised. 

However, the silver lining is that God's gonna bless us HUGE this week for doing it. I don't know how, I don't know when, but he always give us a helping hand after a trial, so that's something to look forward to this week! 

Counting my blessing though, I'm well fed, our Flat is bigger then the one we used to live in, I've lost some more weight, and I had a really great Sunday this week with church. So the positives outweigh the negatives! I should get hired to write inspirational greeting cards, I'd be so good at it! 

So, off the topic of me, and onto y'all. Jordan may be getting a chameleon ( I've heard there are some disagreements going on between Mum and George over this, and all I'll say is that God loves both of you...and he made Chameleons cool for a reason...he also said respect your parents...) I have no say on naming it, we all know I'm terrible at that. Maybe something British would be cool though (In my opinion). If it's a girl one you could name it Twiggy. Just a thought. 

I can't WAIT to hear what the sex of the baby is!!!! Someone send me a picture of Holden and Noelle, in every photo her tummy is blocked by someone else and I wanna see the bump!!!! 

Ok, the picture that Dad sent me of the Ha-boob definitely pulled a few heartstrings. I really miss Phoenix sunsets. They're so beautiful it's absolutely unreal. 

What's Dad's new car???????????? 

Not much else. I really don't think I can send photos this week, because I lost my USB cable in the move. Sorry! I'll replace it soon! 

Love you guys so much! Talk to you soon! Stay happy and Healthy! Just ask Mum for that quote from say anything about choosing to be happy if you ever feel down this week! 

(and even though he lost his cable to send photos, a nice woman friend requested me on facebook and sent this photo she took of Brennan at church)

The World Cup, Toad in the Hole, and a Fancy Cobra

Alright I have to keep it short this week! I had to write a letter to the Phoenix East Stake for their Pioneer trek, so that took up a bit of time - I have 15 minutes to write, so we'll see how that goes! 

Alright first off, AMERICA WENT THROUGH TO THE SECOND ROUND!!!! WOO HOO!!!! Ugh, seriously the Brit's are rubbing off on me. I've never been this engrossed in learning about a sport before! It sorta sucks though, because now we're going to get DEMOLISHED by Belgium, while Germany will probably go through to the Semis, so booooooooo for that! That's been a highlight of my week! 

Oh, I just realized I think I've totally forgotten to mention something really cool! The Tour de' France goes through Keighley on Sunday! That's pretty awesome! I'll get to witness an international event! It does suck though, because the main road in Keighley will be shut down, so we literally can't get to ANY of our investigators because they're on the other side of the road from us, and you can't cross the road anywhere for the whole day! So there will be A LOT of knocking and tracting that day :p But still, cool story to tell the kids someday! 

Speaking of Kids, how is Noelle doing?!?!? Is the Baby ok??? Do they have a due date yet? How far along is it? Gender? Do they want to learn the gender? Is she saying she's getting fat? You aren't fat Noelle! You're growing a little person inside you!!!!! I got a bit sad this week, because we read the portion in the handbook on baby blessings, and I realized I wouldn't get to be there to bless my little niece or nephew :( I'm gonna be uncle Chim :)))))))))) 

So some more things about me, here in the Leeds mission we do not get to use technology, which is actually quite irksome, because literally THE WHOLE WARD here uses Ipads and Iphones to coordinate, and it would just be so much easier if we could access the apps they have to keep up to date on the calender, but we kick it old school here with paper and pen :)  

The food here is like any place you have your good and your bad. The one thing that I could say EVERY dish could improve on is more spices, but then again I chugged some Chohula straight from the bottle the other day because I was so sick of bland stuff, so my opinion on that could be invalid :P But there are some things over here that are reallllllyyyyyy good, like toad in the hole. It's pretty much a bread pudding that you bake with sausages in and then you smother with gravy :) All the pasties are DELICIOUS. One other thing that's quite cool, is that over here they can actually make stuff. Like, they'll make a cheesecake for you in 2.2 seconds or brownies or anything like that. (Mom's note: I can't help but feel this is all due to failure on the part of my cooking/baking more than it is a fact that the English can make cheesecake faster than we can...but maybe!)  Pretty much anything that's sweet, the English can make it. 

I hope you're all doing alright! I hope Holden and Noelle are coping well with the ticking time bomb. I hope Jordans getting tan but not skin cancer tan. I hope Dad's not driving the people at work crazy. I hope Mum knows how much we all love her. I hope Skye is keeping the house safe. I hope Digby isn't TOOOO fat. I hope Bella is calm Bella. 

Love you all sooooooo much! Talk to you soon! 

-Elder Hays 

Oh yeeeeeaaaahhhhh, did I mention I got to sit in a Cobra 427 this week.... here are some pics :P (be jealous)