Hola familia and friends!!!
I love you all :)
I wanted to thank Hna Angulo and Hna Goering for their emails last week---exactly exactly what I needed and tender mercies for sure. Thank you!!
So this week was pretty hard but also full of tender mercies. I sound like a broken record saying that week after week probably. haha That's the way life and the mission go right?! Awesome.
Tuesday at Zone meeting our ZLs Elder Osegueda and Elder Tibanlombo were totally making fun of my man/cracked/sick voice at the back of the room as I was sharing ideas and bearing testimony. hahaha Sad. Also the hermano who lives next door heard me cough and he was like, "Oh YOU were the one who kept us up all night! I thought it was a huge man downstairs dying or something!" hahaha So sad.
Tuesday the Lord helped us get everywhere in time by sending us cars or members at the exact time we were somewhere to get us to somewhere else. The Lord takes care of us! Also David's birthday was Tuesday and we got together with the Fam Valarezo and all their fam and had a mini FHE about missions and celebrated---it was so cool :) I love these people!
Wednesday and Saturday we saw Stefania again and she knows it all and knows it's true, and just is not willing to exercise her agency accordingly yet. Sad. I hope the Lord gives her another opportunity because I feel like this is her time and she isn't taking advantage of it!
Wednesday we also had a hard lesson with Karina and Eduardo---we fought the Spirit a lot for it to be there and Eduardo wanted to contend quite a bit but then in the end, recognized the truth of our message and their need to increase their faith and the truthfulness of this message. Also Maria is a new person---a reference from a member and we got to see her for a small period of time on Wednesday and the Spirit told me strongly that she needed to hear the Plan of Salvation. Turns out her husband had died and she is a widow---how grateful I am for the Spirit!
Thursday we had a great planning session and comp inventory. I had a cool experience in the mirror getting ready. I looked at my reflection and responded in Spanish without even thinking about it to something my comp asked me, and saw my nametag and just had this mini revelation again, and an awesome, joyful recognition that I'M A MISSIONARY!!!! What joy!!!! I never thought I would be living this or experiencing this, yet here I am joyfully living this life as a missionary as it has become such a normal thing to me and my everyday life. Love it.
I felt the Spirit's guidance and protection on Thursday----not getting on a bus, etc. We had a really cool and strong experience with Elizabeth. She is a reference that hasn't been able to meet with us much but we always feel really good with her. Wow. The Spirit was SO strong and the member who accompanied us never had accompanied us before but it was perfect--the Lord provided her company and testimony and I just had chills the whole time! Elizabeth accepted baptism!!!!! Even though she was a Catholic missionary and has trouble accepting why Jesus´s name is Jehovah and not God´s name---that's her big question and doubt and we've tried explaining with scriptures but she still doesn't understand----Stefania related a personal experience about praying and then accepting the answer if it's true, it's ALL true.
We are still gaining Angela's confidence and she is reading the BOM and being touched very little by little :)
Friday we had a strong opposition day learning to make correct decisions and learning how to make things work, and talk things out as a companionship and communicate more instead of just assuming. I hate being human sometimes and how we have weaknesses and make mistakes, but it all helps us learn and grow! Lots and lots, and we are being prepared. That is FOR sure.
Steven accompanied us on Friday!!!!! He is so awesome. He shared his STRONG testimony and how this gospel has changed his life. Wow he´s incredible and his life has made a complete 180 degree turn. He is already preparing himself to go on a mission and he's already a missionary! I love his thirst for knowledge and doing the things of God and dropping whatever to go on visits, etc. This is the joy of missionary work!! Seeing conversion and the after-effects and fruits of this conversion!!! What a blessing.
Saturday I woke up at 4am pretty dang sick---what else is new? haha My former infection hadn't left and I got another infection, but my theme all day was: Every trial is a blessing! I felt like the pioneers with the sun so hot and strong shining down and me being sick and dizzy etc and just said in my mind, "If they could do it for Christ, so can I!"
The Lord has blessed us with a doctor here in the ward on the street behind us so she helped me out.
We had a lesson with Maria and I got really teary hearing the hermana who is her friend share her experience and testimony, and then she bore testimony of the missionaries. She said we were angels and we do all we do and make sacrifices for Christ, and as she said that I looked up and saw the huge picture of Christ in their house, and in my situation felt that we won't be sick after this life and it's all worth it now and here---I accepted this before this life and now He is the reason why we keep moving forward!! He made all sacrifices for us so why can't I?! How I love my Savior and His grace.
Genesis---David's cousin is going great and is excited for her baptism and marriage. Elizabeth prayed and got her answer that the church is true and described her feelings as feeling something strong in her chest and wanting to cry. She was way excited! Pray for them that they continue and remember their answers and can be baptized the 22nd.
Karina and Eduardo are so ready---they just need a paper to get married that seems like it will take forever so we are praying for a miracle. Prayers are very welcome for them and their situation!
Sunday everyone came to church!! Angela (which was a miracle because she was supposed to work but the hermanas persuaded her to come haha) and her daughter Adriana, Karina and Eduardo, Genesis, Stefania.
There was a talk given about missionary work and I loved what was said---I felt like the Lord was talking to me. He spoke a lot about grace (wouldn't ya know!) and about not getting tired of doing good and keeping our attitudes up and high (which I needed reminders of as I'm tired now in the mish in many aspects but can't let that affect anything!) He said, "This is the work of the Lord and the only thing that qualifies us for it, besides D&C 4, is His grace." He also said as human beings that we are, we couldn't do it---it all depends on His grace.
He then talked about how many people pray for the missionaries and then said that the Lord doesn't ask many things of us, just a broken heart and a contrite spirit and a good attitude. He quoted the scripture, "No os canseis de hacer lo bueno" (which I've read so many times lately--coincidence I think not!)
Sunday morning we were waiting for church to start and I was in the bathroom and I heard someone come in and ask Hna Alvarez if she was my companion and I said HOLA! But thought it was someone from the ward, etc, and I came out and saw Marcela Diaz (the mom of the Diaz family from Francisco de Orellana!!!) She had come to visit me---tender mercy for sure. Another tender mercy was going to a lesson and seeing Douglas with 2 other men doing visits in their white shirts and ties and recognizing how awesome it is seeing them every week in their white shirts and ties and Mayra in her skirts, and them paying tithing and preparing to do baptisms on Saturday, etc. WHAT JOY! Wow sometimes I overlook these things and then realize how blessed I am to even have this opportunity, and what joy it is to have been able to participate in a very small way in their conversion or their lives. And how much I love them all!
I love that in 2 Nephi 30:8 it says God's work. He works! We are privileged enough to be helping Him in His work!
Today I found something that I LOVED in the mission handbook about dedicating a home. It described 5 purposes of a home, and this is what I had and what I am determined to create in my future home. What a blessing to be able to strive to create a home where:
1) the Holy Ghost dwells
2) family members worship the Lord
3) family members find refuge from the world
4) family members progress spiritually
5) family members prepare to have eternal relationships
Create a home like this! :) There is so much joy and love that awaits us as we follow Christ and His example and share the Gospel with others and strive to be better each and every day. Let us depend on His grace and then get up and get to work and do our part!!! I love this Gospel. It is true! I love being a misionary. I love my Savior. So so much. I know He lives and I know He loves us. It is something I know because I have felt it, I have prayed about it, I have received answers, and I have lived this. The Book of Mormon is true. There is a prophet of God on earth today to guide us. Heavenly Father wants to give us knowledge, guidance, and answers to our prayers. Let us do our part to make that possible and have Him bless our lives. He loves you! Share the Gospel with someone this week :)
Love you so much!
Hermana Bryan
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