HOLA familia!!!! Wow I love you all!! So this week was great. So So much progress and incredible experiences!!!!
Tuesday we got a phone call that we had to be at District Meeting an hour early so we went and the ZL Elder Falk, wanted to interview me and Hna Orantes and kind of do a verification thing with practices. He said he was meeting with us first because he wanted to know how we do what we do, and what to do to help the other sisters in our Zone (Hna Hernandez and Hna Amador--the sister Hna Jo trained). We met with him and he said that he was so grateful for us and that we were some of the strongest missionaries and teachers they had in the Zone and as such, he really needed our help to motivate and animate the elders and sisters. He said he was grateful and loved our animos, joy, happiness, and how strong we teach. We didn't even know what to say, we were so shocked and humbled and like are you serious?! We then had a practice and he acted like Paul and the spirit was SO strong! He gave us feedback and criticism too and just told us, "Sisters, you are awesome." He was cracking up and said he loved sisters because we kept saying how great the other comp was. Elder Falk is awesome. We were just dying laughing as gringos for a long time about some situations. He then just encouraged us to keep doing what we were doing, trying to find, contacting, and putting more fechas because it wasn't our teaching that was the problem. It was the investigators that we had in the program that didn't want to progress. So that was heartening because as a human, and as girls, we question our abilities or if we are doing something completely wrong or not as good as we need to, etc. when there aren't results. We were so grateful for that and for his trust and talking to us very openly and expressing those feelings to us. We needed that! Then during our district meeting part, we did a practice and the elders and our DL just started busting up and saying WOW!! Let's just take the hermanas with us everywhere we go! Needless to say that was a very feel good morning. Wow blessings from the Lord.
Tuesday we also had a very intense FHE with the family who was struggling with marriage, etc. about the temples and it was an incredible experience and incredible how the Spirit is so sensitive, and as missionaries we could feel the spirits of the family members, and when the spirit would leave when certain people talked, etc.
Wednesday morning I was in bed when the phone rang and I jumped up and ran to answer it and it was Elder Falk. He told me he had just gotten off the phone with the assistants and that President Amaya had a special assignment for me and Hna Orantes. President wanted us to do intercambios with Hna Hernandez and Hna Amador. It was going to be a normal exhange--24 hours (just like the elders do) and I was to go to Condor with Hna Amador and Hna Hernandez came here with Hna Orantes. I was shocked because Hermanas NEVER do intercambios (Hna Angulo---can you believe it?!!) I've only heard of one sister who was asked to do that and that was years ago. I asked if there was a specific purpose President asked us to do, and Elder Falk said they didn't tell him anything. And I said ok and he just said, ¨Show em how it's done.¨ hahahaha. He is awesome. So I packed for a day and we had to go meet the sisters at noon.
Condor is the area Hna Jo was in her whole mish until she got transferred with me, so that was cool to see where she stayed (it's a tiny tiny house) and see and visit her converts--such a neat experience! I don't really feel like I was a huge example or help during preaching and was just feeling pressured with the responsibility and assignment from President. I tried to see where I could help out and how I could improve as well, and it's hard when people think they are doing everything correctly already so I had to take that into consideration. She is a good hermana (who was in the Tegucigalpa Brigada and knows Elder Barrera--he converted her family!!!) and knows what she needs to do--just lacks excitement or enthusiasm, lacks bearing testimony and not just relaying info but applying our message in a very personal way to each investigator. But that's the stuff that will come. After our day together I put some things together for what I really wanted to focus on during comp study (I felt like that was my last chance to really try and fulfill all I could do during that exchange). It was great!!! We studied PMG and she was really impacted by a part I shared with her I had found, and it hit her. I then shared my testimony about that and we watched and analyzed a video from PMG about how the sisters did an awesome lesson and asked inspired questions and applied the message differently and personally to the person. We then did practices and I acted as Julio (my convert from Francisco) and the first practice nothing was really accomplished. I gave feedback and the second time, she finally asked an inspired question that caused me to open up. As I opened up about how his mom had died and about his feelings, she was taken aback and the Spirit was there and she could testify and apply the message directly to me. I asked her how she felt and she said it was amazing to see the information she missed the first time and what a difference it makes to ask the inspired questions and make it personal. We learned a lot, I feel, and though you can't help someone a ton in just one day, hopefully it fulfilled what President wanted to happen.
Hermana Orantes gained a ton from that experience I think, and when we shared our experiences with each other on Thursday, I was SO proud!!! :) She said that she saw so many things come to play that she had learned the last couple weeks and she told me how she helped Hna Hernandez and said, "Well you know what? I've learned this from or with Hna Bryan." She was able to apply the experiences and information and really have those change her mindset and engrain that in her mind and heart and it was just so amazing! She helped Hna Hernandez a lot and I feel like it was good for her to put the stuff she's learned and we have worked on into practice, and she has progressed and continues to progress so much! I felt so grateful and loving and it was so great. During planning on Thursday, Hna Orantes and I had one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had on the mish. I think our companionship has grown so much this last week or two and we have unity, we love each other, we have fun, we are open, and we work and grow together. That helping us and trying to help the other sisters made us progress and realize our role in this. Anyway, sorry--side track, so we were planning lessons with an investigator, Azucena (her story is long and incredible and I don't have time right now but she's been investigating for a long time and has had so many trials and waiting to be able to get married and baptized.) We prayed to know when she could be baptized and we were trying to think safe because there are still so many papers that have to be worked out. We prayed for a confirmation for the 26th and both felt so nervous and sick and just confused. Bingo. Not it. We then looked at the calendar and said alright, we will pray for the 19th and use our faith. As soon as we prayed for the 19th, it was the most INCREDIBLE feeling I have ever felt in my life that started from my head and slowly went down to my toes and I started bawling immediately because I couldn't help myself. Hna Orantes started bawling as well and we finished the prayer and were just crying and felt so amazing and were just in awe of the goodness of the Lord. We KNEW she would be baptized the 19th. As we told her that and shared our experience with Azucena, she teared up and got so joyous and just KNEW in her heart as well that was true. Her and her husband fasted for that this weekend, she bore her testimony about this experience, and she and her husband are basically giving everything up to make this happen. I know the Lord will bless them for their faith. (more details after my mission..there are way more but I'm short on time)-
During comp study on Friday, Hna Orantes started crying about how grateful she was for our companionship and the things she has learned, and she said she was studying in PMG about a successful missionary and there are bullet points that describe how you know when you are successful. She said that she felt SO at peace reading how our companionship has had every single one and how we progress and she just said she was so grateful and just complimented me so much and I shared my feelings too. It was neat and there have been a few of those times this week. Yesterday while walking, we saw a plane. She used to always point at the planes and yell USA!! I always shook my head and laughed and yesterday she said, "You know, I don't want to go home anymore." I asked her what had changed, and she said our companionship has helped her appreciate the mission, she feels good now, she is at peace, she has FUN, she works hard, etc and doesn't want to give this up for anything. She told me that before, she would always wish she was in that plane flying home even though she only would have completed a little time in the mission, but not anymore. Wow I can't even describe how grateful I am to my Father in Heaven for allowing me experiences like this during this week. He is incredible and I know He is helping us and helping her and strengthening me and has a purpose for everything. WHY do we ever doubt?!!!
So something I wanted to share that I studied was an interesting insight in Helaman 5:34. It struck me this time and made me think, ¨Will we let our human fears make it so we are immovable or don't progress??¨ A way to reach our potential and progress in life is setting goals. PMG talks about that a lot and says that our goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can acheive. Through goals and plans, our hopes transform into action and reality. Setting goals and making plans are acts of faith. They really are. Are you reaching your true potential?? If not, I encourage you to set aside your fears, consider your heavenly and true potential, what you can become, and then decide what you need to do to get there. Set goals and make plans and step by step I promise you that those plans and goals will be made reality and our Heavenly Father will help you every step of the way as you exercise your faith in Him. Fasting and prayers are key and constant diligence but you can do it!
I testify of your true potential. You are a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father and He LOVES you!!! He knows what you can become through Him. Set aside your fears and let your faith take control and slowly but surely we will all strive to reach our potential. The Gospel is the way and I feel so blessed in my life to be a missionary. There is no way I will be able to thank my HF for all the blessings He gives me daily, but I'm trying to work hard and share that with others!! Thank you for your love and prayers. I love you and pray for you too. I miss you but wouldn't be anywhere else right now. This is the work of the Lord and how blessed I feel to be a small part of it! I feel so much love and joy thinking about the greatness of our Lord and Savior. Happy Mothers day to all you moms!!
LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Hermana Bryan
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