12/22/09 Merry Christmas HoHoHoHoHoHo!!!!!!!!! 12/25/09 Visit with Jacob on Christmas Day

Dear Family and Friends,
How are all ya guys doing. I am doing great.
My sweet place that I'm staying at, a house (if you wanna call it that is huge) it is more like a mansion, everything metal is made out of brass. It is always nice and warm in there. Our host is a great old lady, that built it for her maid to live in, but the maid didn't want to live in the house so she gave it to the church. So it's like our super nice pad.
Oh and about the ipod remember I told you that it was stolen? If it had not I would have it on my mission, because I found out that our mission president is a very awesome guy and he lets the missionaries have ipods as long as it has church approved music on it, so he basically holds us to our word, I love him a lot he is a great guy.
That is great to hear that the package is on it's way, to tell you the truth I was getting kinda a little jealous of my comp getting Christmas cards and money practically every other day.
Oh and something that I would love is some pictures of the family, especially the nieces and nephews. I want to watch them grow up, so make sure you keep those updated for me.
About the call, I don't really know what time I will be calling, so be at the phone ready to pick up. Sorry I couldn't get a time, I've been really busy lately.
Hope you all have a merry Christmas. Talk to you in three days.
Love ya much,
Elder O'Brien



12/25/2009
Christmas Day Call
We had a very nice talk with Jacob. He sounds great, it was great hearing from him.
He is doing fine. He had a very nice Christmas.
He has been eating very well and has gained 25 lbs. Unfortunately now his clothes don't fit and he had to get another suit (used). I told him he better start riding that bike again as he has been driving around in the car. We call him chubs. He did not like that.
It was great talking to him
Posted by,
Mom

12/14/09 News from MAPLE VALLEY

Hello Family and Friends,
It has been great here, the people are great, they are so awesome.
I finally somewhat memorized the area enough so at least we are not late for each appointment.
Oh and we got our first snow storm here it was a whopping inch and a half a lot huh and then it melted like a day later, so clear street again. It has actually been very cold here recently tho, people around here say it doesn't usually get down in the 20's like it has been for the past few days. Yeah I know it still isn't as cold as Utah, but it sure feels like it, when it gets down to 20 and the wind chill factor is in the the teens and to top it off we have high humidity, it gets pretty nippy when we are out tracking, the wind not only freezes you to the bones, it freezes you to the soul, it's nuts. Anyways I love ya all, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Love,
Elder O'Brien

12/7/2009 Greeting from MAPLE VALLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the Nativity Pictures

Hey Family and Friends,
Wusup, that is great that Danny boy is going to college, Snow is great.
Everything here is green as always no change, tho yesterday it did snow a little at church, but then it melted and it was once again green.
Oh and about the pictures I will send them home, hope 232 or so pictures will keep ya busy for awhile.
About Christmas as soon as I get the number and time I will send it your way.
This week has been great, mostly I have been memorizing this humongous area. Also this last weekend was awesome I got to usher in this annual Christmas creche thing that Maple Valley puts on every year. What the creche is, people who have nativities from all over the world bring their nativity to be exhibited, it is so awesome I got to see all kinds of them, from a nativity made out of food and chocolate and legos and wood and shells and veggie tales and even had some snowmen nativity. They also had some silver and crystal ones as well, I will be sending those pictures home also. Also they had people playing instruments of all kinds and singing, it was a great three nights, very tiring, but great tiring. I did two 7-9 patrolling shifts and one 5-9 shift. Basically my job was to make sure no one touched anything and didn't steal anything and it was also our duty to shew off any anti Mormons that was hanging around and putting anti-Mormon literature on the windshields, thankfully we had none of that. But they said last year there was a group of people that would come to bash with the people that was trying to mind their own business and look at the creche, so the users had to shew them away. So yeah that was my week.
Love ya all, have fun at home, your son and brother,
Elder O'Brien

12/2/2009 GREETINGS FROM MAPLE VALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Family and Friends,
Hey uhhhhhhh sorry bout the delay on the email. Got transferred yesterday and didn't have time to email so that's why I'm emailing today.
This transfer my new companion's name is Elder Knotts. He is a great guy, both of us are lost most of the time because I am new and he has only been in the area for six weeks and this area is like HUGE!!!!!!!!!! compared to my last two areas. He is from Payson Utah and has been out for 17 months, so I am going to try to learn all that I can from him.
About Christmas could you ask aunt Dede if I could get a navigational system? They are so nice to have especially in big areas and also I would like more care packages which I have not received too many.
Thanksgiving was great we went to this Lady's house and got there at 5 and didn't eat until 7 ,but it was awesome, got to see a few raccoons. It was great yummy food.
All is great here, my new area is beautiful, it is full of pine forests all green, it actually hasn't rained in a couple of days. It has just been very cold (the low most of the time has been 45).
Well have fun and I love you all,
Elder O'Brien

11/24/2009 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello Family and Friends,
My week has gone great, can't believe it was three months on the 19th time, It is going fast for me.
I do have a Thanksgiving planned for me. I'm going to a less active lady's house and I'll bet her food is going to be great.
Oh man did I eat good last night. I went on exchanges and one of the missionaries is a Tongan so I got some Tongan food which I found out that you eat with your fingers. He cooks this huge pot of chicken and potatoes and onions and while it is still steaming hot he tells me to reach in (without a serving spoon) and grab what I want, at first I thought are you crazy? Then he goes reaching into the pot and grabs this extremely hot potato and hold it in his hand for like 10 seconds, so I couldn't let him show me up, so I dove in too, got burnt hand, but at least I showed him that palangis (translated from Tongan as, white boy) ain't wimps, it was a lot of fun.
Well I gotta go. Luv ya much, have a great Thanksgiving.
Elder O'Brien


Family we taught in Bellevue name Tony and Teresa


From back left to right Elder Adams Me Elder Samani, front left to right Sasha's mom Kay and then Sasha, the person who baptized her, brother Ven,