Hola familia and friends!!
Well don't have much time so I will get going :)
Tuesday: we had a zone meeting and it was SO inspiring. The Lord has prepared our ZLs now to take over and receive revelation and I felt the Spirit so strongly and it was exactly what we needed to hear. What a blessing! We then went to eat lunch at the RS president's house and it was so touching to talk to her and listen to her and hear about her service. She told us that the ward loves us a lot a lot and that was very touching to hear from a leader and their perspective. She then expounded on situations in the ward she would like us to be aware about that not even her counselors know because she doesn't trust many people. Knowing those things is kind of heavy and I want to save everyone and have everything be ok! Dang it agency :)
So Stefania was going to have her interview for baptism on Tuesday and we went by her house and she wasn't there. We were like, man not again. We called her and she didn't answer and then the Lord blessed her to answer the second time and she was actualy home but didn't hear us so we got to go to the interview and she passed and was set to get baptized!!!
Also Karina and Eduardo are progressing so so much and love the company of the ward missionaries :) What a blessing.
Also on Tuesday Elder Osegueda told me that he put Elder Garcia in my district and not the other way around haha, and so we are trying really hard to have charity and love and serve him and help him the best we can.
Wednesday I woke up SO happy! I loved the scripture Alma 57:27. Before lunch, we went over to Kevin's house to help his mom with her work and share a message with her. She ended up opening up everything to us and crying and we were there to comfort her and set goals and she is great, and I just love love love that family! I know things will be fine if she keeps working. This has shown me that in hard hard trials, if I give up, I will spiritually go downhill and we can't give up!! Ever!
We had burritos at lunch and that was so so awesome after a year plus of not tasting that :)
The Lord helped us meet our goals this day and we were SO tired but we can't get tired of doing good as D&C states! :)
We enjoyed Kevin's and Cristian's company and gospel conversations and insights, and it's been SO incredible to see their progress and hear their testimonies. Wow! Also this day we went by Ronald again because I had been feeling strongly like we should and he asked us why we came back and I laughed and told him sincerely I didn't know but just felt like we should, and he was way surprised and grateful and just thanked and thanked us for coming. We will see if he progresses but at least we were able to comfort and bless his life in a very small way as Christ would do.
Thursday was a pretty rough day for me. Satan is such a piece---he knows that he can't get me in any other way so he attacks my feelings sometimes. I was super super down on myself for my weaknesses and have been SO beyond aware of them and was just tired of recognizing so many of them and trying to overcome them because I felt like no matter how hard I try or what I do or how many great intentions or desires I have, it will never be enough and I will never measure up.
BUT
Friday the Lord helped me have an AWESOME study about grace. I read the definition in the Bible Dictionary and some words and feeling stuck out to me and then I read in the April Ensign by Elder Bednar his talk about the Atonement and grace and it was INCREDIBLE and so helped me (pgs 15-19 especially.) I loved Alma 31:38 and am a witness of that. We will not suffer afflictions more than what we feel in the joy we experience. In the mission there are lots of trials but lots of JOY and the joy swallows up the pain and sadness in an instant! I was so touched by the mercy and love and grace of the Lord for us and how He considers His own trials as nothing, and thus, wants to help us in ours. What mercy and love. I'm so so so grateful for His grace. I know that we can all receive it if we do all we can.
We then had a great day with Kevin's family, with Stefania that she totally totally resisted temptation and said she didn't even want to do those things anymore and had experienced that change of heart and conversion, etc. We had a fight of a lesson with Angela and with the Spirit and are just praying she opens her heart and feels this and can be baptized.
Saturday we had the incredible blessing of being able to have a conference with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the 12 Apostles. Wow! We got there and they had Hna Alvarez and I sit on the very front row. I had prepared questions throughout the week and written them down--questions I wanted answers to and knew they would be answered but didn't know how powerfully.
First we got to hear from the wife of Elder Rafael Pino of the 70 and she was cute.
We then got to hear from Elder Rafael Pino and he was awesome!! Something he said I loved was that if we look for harmony in our lives, we will receive sweet feelings to know what to do in our lives. He focused a lot on having an eternal perspective of things so we can appreciate more and fulfill our callings in life. He then did a mini example where he had an elder come up and as if he was finishing the mission he removed his nametags, took his mission handbook and asked some questions: What time will you get up the next day? Will you study your scriptures? What kind of TV or music will you allow? What will you do?, etc
Some good things to think about. He then told us to take advantage of our time and not lose it, and to convert ourselves to the Lord, Jesus Christ, and focus on our objective and we will see the blessings from doing that all throughout our lives.
Hermana Christofferson then spoke and then Elder Christofferson. Wow he is awesome and has a great sense of humor too! His hair was so so glowy white :) and he was just super smiley and warm the whole time. We got to shake his hand one by one and he started off his talk by telling us how much they love us. I could literally feel that when he said it. He talked a lot about charity and service and how there is little defense against love :) haha so true! He spoke a lot about the power of the BOM and the need to use it in all lessons and let it change these peoples' lives. He talked about re-activation and old investigators. He talked a ton about faith and how we literally walk by faith every day because we have no idea how our day will end or how each lesson will go, etc. He said that when we act and walk by faith, the Lord will guide and provide for us, but that sometimes we have to start without knowing how it all will end.
I loved when he said that each time, it's more easy to perceive and understand the Lord's will, the Spirit's promptings and that we will be able to fulfill what we need to do with our lives' missions.
He then said that when they see our pictures and assign us missions, they feel the profound love of our Heavenly Father for us. How neat it was to hear and watch him try to express that. He then said, "You are not unknown in any way to our Heavenly Father. He knows your desires, your worries, your thoughts. He always takes you into account. With TONS of confidence and trust, you can ask for His help and express everything to Him."
His talk was based on 5 questions he asked from the audience of all us missionaries and he expounded on those.
He then gave us his Apostalic blessing which was my FAVORITE part. He blessed us that we can perceive more than ever the love our Heavenly Father has for us, and that in these days we will be able to feel and perceive that and that He knows us. He blessed us with a more profound faith and that the knowledge of that love that God has for us will help us get up, work, and continue growing and progressing so we can get to a point where our faith becomes a power that has capacity to change (reality or circumstances, he said.) He blessed us with faith to be obedient, to get married and raise a family, to be faithful and then said that the saints with faith will be happy and will overcome.
He blessed us with spiritual gifts to be able to be better teachers, to give stronger testimony, etc and if it is our desire, we can receive the exact words and power that like Nephi, people won't be able to disbelieve or doubt when we teach.
He then paused for a long time and looked down and then up and said, "Some of you are wondering and asking if your service is worthy before the Lord, if He accepts your offering, if He respects your offering and if you are worthy. If it is your desire to know, I bless you that you can receive your answer through a feeling that YOU ARE WORTHY and HE ACCEPTS. There isn't a greater answer than knowing that you are worthy. He is pleased and happy and you are deserving to be here." He then asked us to imagine us kneeling before the Lord one day as He tells us He is happy with us and pleased for our service, and that that vision will give us the faith, strength, courage to continue forward forever. He then mentioned Christ's grace and that it is sufficient to purify and sanctify us.
WOW. I literally felt Heavenly Father's voice through Elder Christofferson answering my heart's deepest questions or concerns. I was bawling and needed that answer, and felt the Lord's personal love and awareness of me and my situation. How grateful I am for the priesthood, to have apostles and prophets on the earth today to guide and direct us and bless our lives and be the Lord's literal witnesses and mouthpieces. I KNOW they are called of God. It is something I know. I testify that Elder Christofferson is an Apostle of God and everyone who heard him this weekend has felt that. I know that God lives and He loves us and is aware of us and always blesses us with comfort and answers to our prayers.
Bad news of the week was that we were walking to go to the baptism and got a phone call (on our new cell phone they gave us yeaaahhh!!! finally have a cell) that Stefania had left and said she wasn't going to be baptized after all and just bolted out of her house. WHAT?! Crazy. We have no idea what's going on with her but were too happy and filled of trust and faith and gratitude from the conference that we kept walking and teaching and know that it's the Lord's will.
Sunday was good--we have had oppostition with finding new people and finding people who want to progress. Kevin and David and Cristian accompanied us and something really neat was talking to Cristian's dad and him expressing to us how much of a help we have been to his sons and their progress and testimonies and how grateful he is. Wow. We feel the same way for them! It's INCREDIBLE seeing their progress and change and feeling them testify with the Spirit now!! David gave us a ref of his cousin's wife and we went there and the Lord blessed us so much. We went in there and she expressed to us why she wanted to hear the lessons again, etc and the Lord guided my words to extend a baptismal date for Sept 22 and she accepted and it was incredible. David was shining with happiness and surprise and we just KNEW she is one of those elect the Lord has blessed us with. We are so grateful for that!
Well I have to go, but I LOVE you all!! Thank you for your prayers and love and thoughts. I know this church is true. I love being a missionary and am excited to continue in this work all throughout my life and throughout the eternities. Missionary work is the best, and there is no other joy or happiness or love that quite compares. Let this joy and light and love into your lives and make it contagious! Love you all! Have a great week!
Hermana Bryan
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