HOLA!!! Ok first of all, big news: I am actually leaving Tuesday NOT Wednesday! So, my departure date is 08/02 and I have to be at the MTC office at 5 am! Yikes. So....I think I will be calling pretty early that morning once I get to the SLC airport because my flight plans are: SLC to Dallas and I only have 45 mins to catch the plane to Miami. Then, I have like 1.5 hr layover in Miami to Guayaquil and land in Ecuador at 9:30 pm their time (which I'm not sure what the difference is). I can call you in Miami if that works better for you but just let me know!
Ok my mailing info is as follows:
Pouch mail (only postcards and letters that are single sheet, folded into 3 panels and taped at the top with no envelopes can be sent through pouch):
Sister Kenna Bryan
Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150
Mission office for packages, etc:
Sister Kenna Bryan
Ecuador Guayaquil North Mission
Casilla de Correo 16160
Guayaquil
Ecuador
Phone: 593 4-228-4323
this is all on facebook too.
Ok I hate this time limit haha! I'm gunna try and hurry as I have a lot to share and say this week! How much I learn and how many experiences we go through in just 1 week!! Well, Friday 7/22 started as an amazing day and we had our first TRC teaching appt that afternoon. Everyone had an incredible experience so as my comp and I were waiting to go in, we were stoked! We knocked on her door and tried to get to know her throughout the whole lesson but she was just so hard and not friendly and she wouldn't answer our questions. We started teaching and it was absolutely horrible. We did our best, tried to have the Spirit, but no testimony I bore or invitation we extended her to know for herself or question we asked her affected her. She kept pretending to sleep and so I would try and get her even more involved than we were and she just said she didn't feel much, she was content in life, and she felt pressured. How she felt pressured I will never know because we couldn't even teach her! There are many more details but I don't have time. Just know we walked out and I started crying because we wanted to know what we could have done better--I mean this is the TRC!! I thought of everything that could have been wrong with us and as we were back with our district later watching Mormon Messages about a guy in Honduras, I started crying thinking of our trips and how that is missionary work too and why can't I be doing that and if this is the kind of teacher I am, why does the Lord want me here? I just felt so deeply disappointed, confused, down, etc. as I have really tried to work hard. It got worse and I actually was sobbing later with Hna. Maldonado and Logan as I expressed all I felt.
I learned SO much this day! I know that everyone has their agency. Some aren't ready and I really really really know I needed to experience this that day! Everyone told me this would be the hardest part for me as I tend to love people a ton and internalize things. I felt a taste of what rejection is and the godly sorrow that follows as you wonder if there was something you could have said or done differently that would have led to their embracing Christ and the greatest joy they would feel that the Gospel brings. The work is not done, the Spirit will guide, and the Lord provides and this has taught me SO much I can't describe it! Also that day we watched a talk by Elder Bednar and he said we need to become missionaries, not just go on a mission because that's not enough. That SO motivated me and it's been my daily goal ever since--it's amazing how lost I've been in this work since! I love the MTC and love missionary work!
Sunday was a wonderful devotional and as we sang the second verse of Come, Come Ye Saints (which has really struck me in the MTC), people couldn't contain themselves and within seconds the whole auditorium was standing and the Spirit was SO strong. Also I came across this quote and I love it :) "Faith is knowing that good will come from whatever happnes to us. Perhaps faith is not faith until it has been tried." Relates to my farewell talk!
I've had some really neat experiences this week teaching in the classroom lessons. I've really been blessed this week by Heavenly Father and have been able to feel the blessing that comes as the Spirit guides lessons and lets you know what direction to take a lesson or maybe just touches the heart of the investigator in their respective situation. I am so blessed to be in this environment here! I can't believe I leave in 4 days--what?! haha.
On Tuesday we had a wonderful devotional by Elder Simmons. He talked about the sanctification of the individual missionary as part of this work. He said "a mission is the most wonderful, awful thing in the world!"hahahaha but that the Lord wants a missionary who recognizes that. It's not going to be all glory but we don't grow when we don't have resistance and this experience is for me and will help me become who I've always wanted to become. He also said that sometimes we don't get what we want, no matter how noble the desire! But if we do all we can the Lord will give us what we need.
I can't even describe how much I LOVE my companions and district and I'm actually really getting sad to leave and wish I had more time here to immerse myself like I will never get to again. How wonderful this has been and how blessed I am to have had the wonderful people here in my life (teachers, comps, district, Logan, etc). We watched the Mormon message yesterday about the man who lost his family to the drunk teenager and completely forgave him--it made me wish so badly I could hug my family and loved ones and truly let you know how much I love you and am so grateful for you! I had to teach a situation in class yesterday and didn't know what to do and all I felt to do was bear my testimony about how I don't understand everything or why we all have to go through different things but I do know how much the Lord loves us. I know Heavenly Father knows what we need and that Christ completely understands everything. I know that accepting God's will is imperative and I have just LOVED this week and all of the experiences (highs and lows) I have gone through.
Lastly, last night we were about to have comp prayer and we were dying laughing all together. It was my turn and you know how well it goes to try and calm down :) well we all ended up busting up during multiple attempts of prayers. It's great to know we are still us you know?!
I went to the temple and it was amazing today--more to come later it's gunna kick me off. I'm so happy and so grateful and blessed here! I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!
I feel like I only shared the saddest/hardest part of my week but I actually am really happy and really grateful I had that experience. I KNOW I needed to experience that. I know it. And I've felt so blessed for so many reasons ever since this week. And I happened to get tender mercies from my besties Scott/Jess that day wouldn't you know?! :) thank you!!
So I love how real the devotionals are here and the leaders are. Every single person while speaking has spoken of how hard and difficult missions are and it's amazing to hear that because they don't mince words! As I don't think I have either maybe :) oops! But they also testify of how important and wonderful it is and how blessed we are to experience this. How true that is! Never before and never again will I get to immerse myself so fully in the Gospel and the scriptures and really learning to recognize and follow the Spirit because we are nothing without it! How real the love of our Heavenly Father is and I feel it and feel it for all of you just so magnified! I love you so much I hope you know! I definitely miss you but just feel so happy and blessed today to have had this experience!
I'm getting scared to leave in 4 days but also excited at the unknown experiences and beautiful/wonderful people that are there! I'm SO grateful for your support and prayers--they mean everything to me. Please know how blessed I feel to be here and what a tender mercy in and of itself it is that my perspective has almost 180 changed since I got here. I liked it then and appreciated it but now am seeing through different eyes this experience for what it is. How wonderful it would be to be able to say what Paul did in 2 Timothy 4:7 for every missionary who has served when they return. I have a long ways to go--I have more to learn in Spanish, more to learn how to teach, more people to learn from, more experiences to humble me and mold me and I am grateful for this first MTC experience with how many things happen! It has gone by so fast it seems yet when I think of how much I have learned and experienced I can't believe it has been packed into that short of a time!
I know this church is true. I testify of God's love for us--He is SO aware of our lives and what we need. We don't understand everything and we won't but Heavenly Father loves us and as we trust in Him, He will lead us along. Faith is the key to most everything in this Gospel and even a little bit is sufficient! You are more than you think you are and I have been so affected and touched by each one of you reading this email. Christ atoned for our sins, our sorrows, disappointments, sicknesses, everything! How blessed and humbled I feel to be a representative of Him and I need to work every day to become worthy of that title. The scriptures really are the word of God and I know now more than ever before that we can find any answer or any message of comfort or inspiration or knowledge in them. The temple is the house of the Lord and what an incredible place full of peace, love, and blessings. I encourage you all to go--it's the best thing you'll do :)
I am so grateful for the wonderful examples I have in my life. Wow I just can't describe how blessed I feel and humbled and how much love I feel for you loved ones in my life. Thank you for the letters everyone--they really have been some of the best parts of my day. Thank you for your prayers and support--love you!!! So much :)
Dallin: Logan and I LOVED getting your letter this week--how we have missed your contagious and humorous personality! We love you so so much. What a beast--I knew you would see some cuties on the trip :) haha thank you for describing people in detail as it helped us imagine them! I'm so so glad the CHurch History Trip was so wonderful--what was your favorite experience?? How did your Susquehanna River teaching go?? I can't wait to hear from you. Have fun at Vball camp and with your new friend in Utah!! We had a great TRC experience on Saturday just so you know--it was good!
No comments:
Post a Comment