Bueno, right now and for the last hour or so my nose has been completely burning and I can't smell anything other than clorox because I cloroxed my bathroom up (just like every other P-day) but it seems that today somehow the power and smell of the chemical remained and I got a mini rash and was bawling in the shower from eye irritation and it ruined my nose right now! hahahahaha Some things never change, right Dad? Yes, I'm still the blonde Kenna girl you all knew :) Hopefully I'm not high and I can smell later on hahaha. Man bad idea.
Ok SO---another semana gone by in the mish! It seems like everyone is reminding me lately of how quickly the time goes by and Hna Orantes always is like wow you are going home this year how does that make you feel??!! I just laugh and reply that we are still at the beginning of the year and for some reason my mind still thinks we are like January, beginning of the year, and I realize it's May and then start freaking a bit. But no big deal---I still have 7 months left and hope they don't fly by! :)
So last Monday, I knew we were going to be going to my old area, Francisco, to send mail (it's the closest one) and eat and grocery shop. I literally prayed every prayer for 2 days that if it was Heavenly Father's will to grant me a tender mercy that He would allow me to see someone I knew and loved in my old area. It was so fun being there and I kept looking for people but saw no-one. I didn't really expect anymore to see anyone as we were grocery shopping but as we were in an aisle looking for things, I looked up and at the end of the aisle I saw HNA JOHANSEN, posed, giving me one of her surprised hilarious faces she always does. I like ran and hugged her and she gave me a desperately happy look as she ran to hug me. Oh man I was going to cry I was so happy!!!!! She is struggling a bit as am I. It's not unbearable for either one of us but it's hard nonetheless and how we miss each other!! It was SO great to let all of our feelings out, catch each other up, and hear about the ward, etc. She told me people were like crying that I wasn't there. haha How I love them!! We literally were the perfect duo and that was our season of joy--what a blessing. I am SO grateful to my HF every single day to have had that wonderful time with her and in Francisco. I left feeling SO loved by my Heavenly Father that He answered my prayer and I felt so humbled, grateful and recharged! I told Hna Jo I might have prayed for that, and she just said THANK YOU!!! :)
Tuesday I felt pretty sick most of the day but the Lord helped me through it. We had an awesome experience in Zone Meeting. The last practice, the ZLs asked us to do the practice right after they had given us a training on what it means to be a successful missionary of Preach my Gospel. I was a bit nervous because we only had one week together as companions and are still working on unity, etc. The situation was one of the elder companionships had an investigator who had a baptismal date but wasn't super excited about it. There are details I will tell ya'll when I get home, but it was so awesome and we felt the Spirit so strongly. We asked questions, he gave us key answers, and we shared a scripture (Alma 7:15) that really really touched him and the elder was just looking down and touched, and smiling shaking his head. We applied the scripture to his situation in a different manner than usual and bore bold, strong, loving testimony to him to not be scared and come unto Christ. We ended and the zone went like crazy about it. It was crazy--I've never seen something like that happen before in a zone! They like freaked out and I just started laughing and smiling and was super red. They said they loved how clear, direct, yet still so loving we were. They said we really were persuasive teachers (one of the qualities they had trained us on), we supported and saved each other and had unity, etc. They couldn't give any criticism and it was a situation I think we both needed. We left feeling way awesome and the Lord and His Spirit helped us, and it gave us the animos we needed. Something that is so neat is that I love how I don't worry a lot or think a lot about what I'm going to say anymore. The Spirit just helps us and if we open our mouths and trust, it comes out! Just like the Lord has promised us in D&C. It's always incredble how amazing the Lord is and how He works miracles in our lives. Sometimes I can't believe He has helped changed me so much and continues to mold me, help me grow, accept my faults, and continuously bless me. He helps me be a better person and missionary and will continue to do so for all of us our whole lives if we let Him! Everything I am and try to become I owe to my loving Heavenly Father, my Savior Jesus Christ, my amazing angel parents, my incredible brothers, and my examples from teachers, family members, and best friends. How am I so blessed?! How can I NOT work hard to try and be better and bring this message to my fellow brothers and sisters who don't know how to find the truth?! How I love the Gospel.
Wednesday we met with Paul (the relative of the recent convert we met with a couple times last week where the Spirit was so strong) and he had read until 1 Nephi 6! He really understood the Plan of Salvation we taught him, and felt the truthfulness of it. He started smiling or laughing sometimes and told us it was because he could feel the purity of our words and felt something good. He is awesome. Wednesday we also got hit on by a 100 yr old man with elephantitus. Sick. poor guy. We had a great lesson with a MA lady and her recent convert son and were very bold but loving to her. It was great and felt led by the Spirit.
Thursday I was a bit frustrated but our comp inventory was good and we built each other. We left and did service at a MA lady's house helping her rearrange and move her room. We moved some things and this mouse started running around under our feet and I freaked out. So did Hna Orantes. Then we were moving her closet and from up above, another mouse jumped down from up there down to us on the ground and the two were running around and we freaked and screamed and were cracking up too. Mom, you would have DIED it was such a small space! Unforgettable experience that's for sure!!! :)
Friday = PAUL! So after our last lesson with him I realized that although every single lesson we have with him is so awesome and we can feel the Spirit, we don't really know what motivates him, who he is, etc. I was a bit worried that unless that happened we might not get through to him 100 percent and he wouldn't progress 100 percent. So Friday we went in wanting to do a bit of the como comenzar a ensenar with him and ask inspired questions but in a very normal and natural way. I was praying literally ALL morning that the Lord would help me and help us know what to say with him. I brought my family pictures to share with him and hoped that by sharing part of me, he would feel more comfortable sharing about himself, his family, his desires, motivations, etc. He did! It was great and very normal and natural as we all shared with each other parts of ourselves. We then focused on the spiritual sides and asked him why he read, listened, and prayed. He said to learn, and I said yeah but why? For what? What is your end goal? He said, ´ser salvo´. He said that answer to a few questions and we were able to see that his salvation does worry and matter to him, he knows what is good and right and wants to do that, and the 5 steps of Christ's doctrine have really impacted him and he knows that is the way to the celestial kingdom. I asked him if he believed the BOM was true and he laughed and said, you are asking me this for the 3rd time?? I said yes! He smiled and said that yes he believed it was true. I then asked if he believed the church was true. He thought and then said he did even though he hasn't gone. Hna Orantes asked him why, and he said because I'm reading this! (as he held up the BOM) I just started smiling and shaking my head and said wow he gets it! You get it, Paul! One is not true without the other (the BOM, the church, Joseph Smith) and that he gets what the end goal of all of this is! He just gets it! He committed to come to church next Sunday. Wow I just always feel so edified by the Spirit while teaching him and love teaching someone who gets it! What a blessing.
Friday we had a train wreck of a lesson, and I quickly cut it off and ended it so it wouldn't go worse and we had a good learning, growing experience as I had us sit down in a park and analyze the lesson and where it went wrong and how we can improve, etc. It was one situation where I felt it was key to talk about so we could learn and grow and that's the point of the mission and life, right?!
I can tell that this week has been harder for my comp as she is still trying to get used to the mission, being sore, tired, and frustrated or disappointed when people don't progress or don't keep their commitments. She has a hard time seeing the little moments that make it all worth it and wants everything to be good and people to understand, (as we all--stupid agency sometimes that makes people reject this or not see its importance when in reality this is the key to true and lasting happiness and joy!) so I'm trying to think of a way to help her see it's those little things that make the difference in our happiness! I know she is so innocent and cute and like a little girl and just loving and wanting to do good, and I'm trying to remember how I felt at the beginning, understand, help and love. I need to be better--a lot better but I'm trying day by day! She is wiling, humble, and loving and the rest will come. This is a growing and learning experience for us both.
Also on Sunday we had a regional stake conference (Ecuador level) where by satelite, Elder Nash, Sister Cook, Elder Christofferson, and Elder Scott spoke to Ecuador. Holy moly it was SO wonderful!! Wow it was EXACTLY what Ecuador needed to hear!!! It confirmed everything we had been teaching, talking about, thinking, etc. They focused on actually LIVING the Gospel and not just talking about it, about doing the basics constantly and diligently without excuses, about the home, making marriages last, the youth and their standards especially modesty and not dating early, etc and then about respecting women, etc. Wow it was awesome and it was the machete they needed but very loving and applicable! Elder Christofferson is such a beast at Spanish! He speaks it VERY very well. Also fun fact, Elder Scott was his mission president and they are now serving together in the 12 and got to speak in Spanish yesterday together! How cool! I love the apostles and general authorities and the words the Lord inspires them to give His children---specifically catered to their needs and what they need to hear. It was wonderful!!
So the Lord has blessed us with a few great new people but other than that we are struggling because we don't have investigators that progress or understand, apart from Paul, and so we really are praying for success and a miracle so people can be baptized in May! I know the Lord will provide according to His will and we just need to work harder each and every day and really trust and want it! The mission is a miracle and the best decision I've ever made. It's not hard nor ever would be just like this life, but how many things we miss out on if it were easy! Live and embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the key to salvation, to true happiness and lasting joy and to eternal families. Isn't that all that matters? Our Heavenly Father loves us! We are literally His children and His work is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life. Our work is to keep His commandments so we can help Him in His work and reach that! It's that simple and we can do it! Let Him love and help you. I love you so much and pray for you daily!!! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and emails! They mean a lot to this missionary.
Love,
Hermana Bryan
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