Happy Halloween!!

Jennifer and us at her Baptism!!!

Hola Familia y Amigos!!

Well this week has been another GREAT week in the mission!!!! Man I love it here.

So Tuesday we had a great verification with my comp and the ZLs and put new goals and some of the same ones.  Tuesday when lessons failed, I felt SO happy contacting and teaching, and my comp and I even put a baptismal date with a mere contact!!  Haha I had never done that before in my mish--we were beast mode that day! :) Also we were able to teach Ingrid--and finally find out her need and her fears and I felt the Spirit way strong and my comp totally beast-moded her goals in that lesson.  I was so proud!

So not sure if I told everyone about our rat problem (I know I told mom last Monday--we didn't do anything because we had found rat poop, etc in the house and had deep cleaned and unpacked and repacked everything and never found the rat!)  Well Tuesday, we bought venom and Tuesday night I put the blue venom cubes in bread and put them around the house excited to kill that thing.

Wednesday we woke up in the morning and my comp yelled out happily that the rat had eaten EVERYTHING!!!  So excited!  Then for some reason after comp study we looked in the kitchen and I lifted up the stove thing (it's a mini kitchen stove without an oven attached so just sits on the counter) and there were bread pieces and ALL of the venom cubes neatly tucked away and hidden.  The stupid, intelligent rat had eaten all the bread and hidden the cubes--like playing with our minds--making us think he had eaten everything!  I was soooo ticked haha.  Luckily we got other venom and he ate a bit every night and hasn't come in 2 days so hopefully he died and outside.  haha Oh the mission!

Wednesday we (the ZLs and us) practiced our musical arrangement of "I am a Child of God" for our baptism on Saturday--man this is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do in the mish is really make the baptisms special with awesome arrangements and we are finally doing it!!  Also had a lesson with William, and members accompanied us and supported him and he says he knows the BOM is true and the church is true, he struggles a bit with Joseph Smith but knows it's all connected but thinks God is calling him in his own church as well and he is ok there and doesn't need to change and doesn't receive his answer to change or be baptized yet.  Man it's frustrating but we are still praying for a miracle!

Also Wednesday I watched an MTC devotional from Elder Holland and it was INCREDIBLE!!  He used part of the same Do you love me, Feed my sheep thing but then said later on that a mission call is a call FOREVER!!!!!!!  And I started crying and felt so happy knowing that truth!  I'm so glad for that.

Thursday was a day of service for me to my comp and building her confidence.  I'm learning a lot with errors in my training but trying to do the best every day and making her feel good!  Thursday night I started feeling SUPER dizzy again to the point where I couldn't really see straight,  but my comp did awesome in guiding us by the Spirit to someone who hadn't let us in before but that night did, and it was amazing!  Betsabe.  We are hoping she progresses.

Friday I was super sick but we still left the house and practiced our songs and I just prayed and prayed through that opposition and Jennifer was our little beam of light that day making us happy and we got to bring her and her brother and cousin to a video night at the church and William also came and got to talk to the elders a bit and we saw Joseph Smith, the prophet of the Restoration.  He still didn't get his answer.  Man he is so great but ..... 

Also last week I didn't mention this because didn't know if we would be able to teach her, but we met a girl named Silvia last Sunday.  Her boyfriend introduced us to her this way: "Hi Hermanas, this is Silvia. She has come to church for a year and has a testimony of the BOM and would like to meet with you."  ummm Yes!!!!  She wanted to be baptized etc but the problem was she doesn't live here, and not even in our mission, so we didn't think we could teach her.  BUT the ZLs and assistants talked, and we got permission and were stoked to teach her and so grateful for this miracle and elect that fell into our hands!  The ZLs then started trying to pressure us to baptize her the next day or Sunday morning, etc and I reprimanded them telling them it was just to meet the goal, etc and they said no it's to not delay the day of her repentance and she wants this, etc etc.  They are great but almost every leader struggles with this, unfortunately.  

Well I was so confused in my mind and torn and didn't know if it was me being selfish to teach her and have the baptism be super wonderful and not rushed, but what really matters is the ordinance and maybe she did want this now etc.  Well my comp and I talked, talked, meditated, prayed and tried to understand answers like all night haha.  We finally prayed and got the answer and felt so so good and were happy to know that Silvia would be able to be baptized but not the next day.  Geez, those leaders! hahaha

Saturday DAD'S BIRTHDAY!!  and also Isaac's birthday!  Everything failed us that day but Jennifer's baptism was wonderful!  The song brought the Spirit and was really sweet, and Jennifer's testimony was so sweet. She is such a mature and sweet little girl.  What a blessing!

Sunday we were blessed with 8 people that came to church and it was the cute primary program.  In our morning study, I felt inspired to set goals for these last 7 weeks and I'm SO STOKED to be the BEST I can be yet!!  and give my ALL!!!  Well we felt SO happy seeing Isaac be sustained to receive the priesthood.  He told us he is so happy and has more friends, etc etc.  and Jennifer received the Holy Ghost, and I love the Spirit I always feel during those blessings.  

After church we met with Silvia and man the Spirit was SOOOO strong in that lesson, and when we extended the baptismal date for Nov 3 her boyfriend was so surprised and happy and she was so taken aback and refused twice because of certain things, but I felt so guided by the Spirit and Hna Diez also to be able to answer her doubts and questions, and then Silvia said, "When you guys were talking, I like felt or heard a thought that said, 'Why don't you just do it?!'"  We all said, "That's the Spirit!!!!"  and laughed and congratulated her and she is so excited!!!!!!

What a blessing and pure miracle from the Lord.  So that will be our baptism for this Saturday!  Pray all goes well.  Pray we can find more elect because we need more investigators and want to meet our goal of 4 this month and more than anything change lives and help the ward!

Also Sunday I received a phone call and it was Hno Frias and Hno Cruz from barrio Tarqui calling!!!  They were here at our house because they are good friends with the family that lives below us!  It was SO wonderful to be able to come home and visit with them for half an hour before we had to report and be inside.  What a blessing and tender mercy, and I just felt so full of gratitude and love to know wonderful people like them and feel part of their family and like nothing has changed even though it's been 10 months since I was in their ward!  Crazy how time flies.  I'm excited to share these people with you guys when we come back here! :)  It was a blessing to me to see how much they loved me and I them that they came to visit me and waited for 4 hours till we got home to visit.  

I love being a missionary.  With ALL my heart and soul.  I feel SO grateful!

Welp I was reading in Numbers 32:11-12 this week and realized that the Lord will not bless us if we don't WHOLLY follow Him.  In other words, in the end, we will receive the same reward as if we hadn't followed Him at all!  What good is that?!  With our ALL and in ALL things we need to follow Him.  I'm striving to do this every single day and to be better.

Let's do it together!  I love my Savior and this work and know it's true with ALL I have!!!  Have a WONDERFUL week!  LOVE YOU!

Hermana Bryan

More Miracles!!! Alma 26:27

Hermana Diez, Isaac, and Me

Hola Familia and Friends!!!!

So this week was a week of miracles and wow I just feel GRATEFUL to my Heavenly Father every day for being here.

So Tuesday was our DM and we have a new district leader--Elder Baptista from Brazil and he is super chill and supportive and his accent is crazy (a bit hard to understand because it's like Jamaican Spanish hahaha) it's cool though.  Also we just LOVE our ZLs--they are so so supportive and give us so much animos, etc

Also, I realized Tuesday that I'm harder on myself now than I ever ever ever was before, haha crazy!  That's what happens in the mish when we get closer to God and realize our potential and what we need to do to get there, and our weaknesses, but it's good because I keep myself in check and am always striving to be better and repent and rely on my Heavenly Father and He has blessed us SO much for it!!

I loved D&C 68:6 that day!

Tuesday night we taught Isaac--our investigator who has been ready forever (the other hermanas taught him also.)  But we have been waiting and talking to his parents for permission and they didn't want to give it to him, and the mom finally said, "Whatever," but said we had to talk to his dad; his dad is separated from his mom and NEVER comes to their home, etc etc. Lots of problems.  Well, we had fasted for a miracle for Isaac and Tuesday night we were teaching and I see inside the house that a man is there so I asked Isaac, "Is that your dad??!!!!"  He said yes and I just beaming looked at my comp and we taught an awesome lesson with the Spirit and Isaac said he wanted to be baptized and repent fully that week, and we told him and promised him with faith that if he bore testimony to his dad and prayed like crazy, his dad would sign.  We prayed like never before and had such faith that it would happen.  Really exercised our faith and not just hoped.

Wednesday we were leaving the apt and ran into Isaac and he pretended--his face all sad and everything and then burst into a grin and said his dad had been so touched he grabbed the paper and immediately signed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MIRACLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Also Jennifer (the little girl on Sunday--the miracle) is so prepared and ready for her baptism.  What a blessing.  

Wednesday also, the Bishop came and accompanied us and we visited some families and he got so happy and like a little kid missionary again contacting people, etc.  It was great :)  He was way happy and excited about it.

Friday what a tender mercy.  The phone rang and it was the new assistant.  He said he had called to do a verification with Hna Diez and how our training was coming along.  He had lots of questions for Hna Diez and then asked me some questions about how I felt training, my fears, and then the MOST difficult question of all was: "What attribute do you have that no one else has and is why the Lord chose YOU and no one else to train Hna Diez that will bless her the rest of her life and mission?" ummmm HARD!!  I said the Spirit---working by the Spirit, and thought also of charity.  He then asked how we know if we are having success and like PME states, I said that it's when we work by the Spirit, love our investigators, work with diligence, etc and THEN come the numbers.  He loved that answer, haha, and at the end said thank you and he could tell we loved each other the way we interacted and spoke about one another and said he felt the Spirit strongly even though it was over the phone.  He said we make the mission easier for President and is happy with us.  He also said at the end that we will never know the extent of our success.  He said and promised us tons of success and that we would see the realizations of that in the celestial kingdom, and I started crying because I felt and knew it was true.  We will have success here--we are having it!  And will continue that way and the real day we will recognize all the fruits of our labors will be in the celestial kingdom and what joy!

Wow it was SO edifying and we felt the Spirit SO strongly.  Tender mercy for sure.

Also amazing meeting with the bishop and our WML and the bishop approving our ideas and adding some, and being SUPER excited to accompany us every Wednesday.  He said, "You know what hermanas?  Every Wednesday we are going to stop men in the street.  We are going to stop them and contact them because they have a family, and when we knock doors we often find everyone besides the man of the house, so if we upfront contact him and he accepts, his family will accept and we will baptize families."  AWESOME.  Also, we are doing a ward fast for the missionary work of Duran Ward.  Also some other ideas, and we are finally working all together and have their support and excitement and trust. What a blessing!

Saturday--Isaac's baptism!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It was INCREDIBLE.  One of the BEST I've had here in the mission beause the Spirit was SO present.  The ZLs and us had practiced for 3 days, "Come Thou Fount" (me on the piano and my comp and them singing. Elder Zepeda has a raspy awesome cool voice so that was awesome.  I nicknamed him Elder Freddy Ashby and he got all happy because literally thought he couldn't sing).  Well, he was SO nervous because had solos and we practiced and sacrificed some hours of proselyting to make it really a special baptismal service.

William (our awesome investigator) and Isaac showed up all dressed up and it was so so awesome.  The musical number turned out perfectly and Isaac was crying and just thanked us a lot.  During the baptism, William turned around and said, "So when I get baptized it will be like that?"  "YES!" I said, hahaha.  William said afterwards he felt realy good and more willing to be baptized because he felt like God is calling him, but is a bit afraid I think!

Sat night we had a long long long convo, my comp and I, and I have realized that the mish is also for helping us communicate, prepare for marriage, help others prepare, etc.  haha Lots of stuff I've learned and had to put in practice. It was really good though.

Sunday William didn't come to church because he was tired :(  We had an awesome lesson with him but still thinks Catholicism is just as good, etc.  PRAY FOR HIM PLEASE!  

The bishop supports us a ton and showed that in his announcements on Sunday.

Issac received the Spirit and was stoked and so so so happy and changed.

What a blessing!  Well, I feel so blessed.  I've really learned the meaning of the promise in Alma 26:27 and know that is the key.  I love my Lord.  I love the obra misional!!!  I love this work and am so excited to continue in it forever.  We have the truth!!!  Share it :)

Love,

Hermana Bryan

Small Miracles

The meal to break our fast--sad!

Hola familia!!!!!

Well this week has been a week.  Full of adversity and trials but many blessings also.

Tuesday was a Zone meeting and wow was it incredible!!!  You know, after the announcement of Pres Monson, it seems like the devil's big army is also increasing and becoming more powerful, or working harder because there has been TONS of opposition lately and worldwide.  We have heard of mish presidents saying 8pm at home or other things like that.  Well the Leaders taught us that day about what Pres Amaya had taught them the day before, and supposedly he taught them for 2 whole hours about the law of chastity.  Crazy. We are missionaries.  Our mish president taught them for 2 hours about that but the things they taught us were perfect, and I realized that man the Lord needs us way more virtuous and way more clean now than ever before because Satan is working HARD.  They talked a lot about thoughts and letting virtue garnish our thoughts, and that we have to 100% give and control our minds and our hearts. They said, "Pres Amaya has announced that we can go to the temple."  (At that point, mind you, I heard that and let out a squeal and covered my mouth SOOO excited hahahaha) and THEN they said...."in our minds."  bahahahaha----let down--BUT he said to remember EVERYTHING and to literally try to go to the temple in our minds to help us.  True.  I have been reading Moses and Abraham and it helps a lot.  They gave me the opportunity to speak for 5 minutes un-announced, and I bore testimony about giving our heart, and bore testimony about the difference between the 3rd and 4th missionaries, and I like them am trying every day to be better about this and give the Lord and show him that I want to give ALL my heart and will.  It was such an uplifting meeting.  Our leaders are awesome.

Also I felt SO proud of Hna Diez during her verification and in our practices!!  That day we went to visit William and WOW, can I say I haven't felt the Spirit that strong in a while talking to someone I felt was SO elect?!!!  It was his birthday and he still made time to see us and we talked and taught about the BOM.  Wow he is awesome.

Wednesday we did lots of contacting and visited Janet and she said that she still hadn't received an ansewr, that she didn't feel anything at the conference or in her prayers or reading, etc.  Man that night I was praying like crazy for her, to know how to help her and some thoughts came to my mind and I immediately wrote them down (first time in my life that's happened so fast after a prayer.) They were to take her to a baptism and find one to take her to.  Well amazingly enough, the next day we received a message from the Hnas in our zone that they had a baptism that day and needed people to come.  ANSWER! :) 

So Thursday that was cool to receive that answer.  During planning session man, I killed my brain and mind thinking and thinking and praying for what Janet and Marcos and Melani needed.  For like an hour we were just thinking and passing around ideas.  haha  Also, I have relied a lot lately on the power of prayer.  When I´m down?  PRAYER.  When I don't feel like I can do it all?  PRAYER.  Kneeling, silently, in my heart, walking, in the bus, everwhere.  I'm so grateful for the power of prayer and for a loving Heavenly Father who hears me.

So we went to the baptism and brought Janet, Marcos, Melani and Isaac too, whom we are praying his dad signs his baptism permission because he is SO ready!  Pray for a miracle!

Friday during 12 week program, we were practicing over and over again, and I made Hna Diez re-do some practices to help teach the point we wanted to work on and the last practice with Ronald (our investigator in Condor), she asked inspired questions and then testified of God's love for me and how special Ronald was and he shouldn't forget that, etc etc.  I started crying because I felt as Ronald had felt, and knew it was the Spirit, and it was so amazing because it was the exact same things, questions, and counsel and testimony that Hna Alvarez and I had given him way back when.  Hna Diez had no idea about that but I did, and felt the Spirit guiding Hna Diez so much because that's exactly what had happened and had been said in real life!  I was so proud of her for listening to the Spirit and applying everything we have worked on and I've tried to reiterate, and it was so rewarding as a trainer to experience that.  I felt SO emotional after that and grateful and humbled by the Lord to experience His Spirit and that He helps me train and that she is learning and progressing so much---it's touching and I feel very imperfect, humbled, yet SO grateful for the opportunity and responsibility.  It was so wonderful.  I had been praying so hard for the Lord's guidance in training and to be able to be better, etc and it was an answer to my prayers to realize that it's ok---we are doing things ok and He will bless us.

Also I felt so sad to leave the mission---I feel SO grateful for the mission!!!  So excited I still have 2 months :)

Well after that awesome experience came opposition----like always right? :) Janet told us that night that she hadn't felt anything, she was confused and honestly didn't know if she had the will to do this or wanted it.  She told us she felt way bad but if we could give her time.  (breaking up) And I didn't have the words to say or the guidance of the Spirit in that moment---I felt lost and had no idea what to do and teared up a bit but we just bore testimony and expressed our love.  That night Elder Santillan, our DL was actually way nice and a comfort and blessing. Prayers work :)

Saturday I studied a lot about HOPE (Dad how did you know?! :) ) and love love love PMG and James E. Faust what he says there.  We were leaving to go to a meeting with our WML and we were getting off the bus and somehow someone robbed our cellphone from my backpack.  When I realized it, I freaked out and we used the cell of our WML to call, and the guy answered and didn't really want to give us the phone back, etc and we tried everything, and then I found a call booth and had to call our ZLs and inform them, and turns out they tried to track the guy down and he was supposedly going to give it to them but never showed up, etc. What a pain!  I felt horrible because that was my fault and responsiblity, and for being careless or unaware happened and was shocked with the kinds and forms of opposition Satan uses to get us down or try to ruin our day or communication process!  Ha Satan will never win.  So that's been fun trying to find ways to call our leaders every night from member's phones, etc. What a pain!

Saturday at lunch, the family was asking me to speak English and the girl asked me, "How many brothers do you have?"  My answer without even thinking about it was, "I have dos brothers."  Wow hahahahaha.  We were all dying laughing and my comp said, "SEE I TOLD you you can't speak English anymore!!"  She says that when I speak English I don't have an American accent anymore.  Oh geez haha.  Also, she said this morning that last night as I was sleeping I began talking (I was having a dream with Janet and how to help them hahaha) and I was talking in Spanish.  Yep, so I'm gunna have problems starting BYU again in Jan!  hahaha It's ok--I like that problem :)

Saturday we went to visit Isaac and went to try and visit William (on Friday he told us he was a bit confused.  He is WAY Catholic so this is a bit new and hard for him to accept.)  Answer to prayers was that he was home and had time and had read everything we left him to read and was excited and anxious to learn and had lots of questions and wanted to learn more!  We taught him the Restoration and he understood everything, and Isaac during the lesson bore testimony as if he was a member!  So awesome.  He wrote down his commitments and accepted to come to church with us, etc.

Sunday we passed by for Isaac and WIlliam and Isaac was ready, but we called William's name and it seemed like he wasn't home. We used Isaac's phone to call him and I tried twice and he wasn't there.  I said, "Well let's wait a bit"....I was NOT going to give up faith or hope or trust.  haha  I wasn't accepting the fact that he wasn't home.  We waited and waited and it was late and nothing, and before leaving I asked if we could call him one more time.  This time he answered and said he would come down quickly because he WAS home but had fallen asleep accidentally!!!  WHAT A BLESSING!!!  And a confirmation that the Lord is for sure trying our patience and perseverance and how much we want this.  He and Isaac came with us to testimony meeting and it was awesome!!!  Every time a testimony was weird, the RMS of the ward saved the day and they ALL testified about the Restoration.  Also, there were references that came and 7 investigators that were there!!  I felt like I was in Condor again--what a blessing.  Then after sac meeting a little girl came up to us (who didn't know us) and randomly said, "I want to be baptized!"  We asked her how old she was and she said she was 9!  Her mom is a member but hasn't baptized her, and she wants to be baptized and now. What a MIRACLE and answer to our fast and prayers.  Fasting brings all these miracles in the mission---that's why William was there, and references, and this little girl Jennifer will be baptized, and the Lord will help us meet our goals.  What a blessing!

We also had a meeting with the Bishop and he, trusting us a ton, basically dumped all his loads on us and epxressed his feelings and hopes, etc.  Poor guy--he needed that and said in 6 yrs of being Bishop it was only the 2nd or 3rd time he wanted to take the time to sit down and analyze recent converts, goals, hopes, opinions, etc.  We felt grateful that he trusted us and that now we know more of what the ward needs (which is a ton---they have lots of challenges) and where to start.

We didn't have lunch on Fast Sunday because the Hna couldn't give it to us, so that's cool. We came home and had no food in our house so we broke our fast with: ramen, cooked cabbage, and popcorn.  hahahaha Wow, I will never take for granted a Fast Sunday again!  

The Lord tried my patience and perseverance and desires again yesterday with a strong migraine and feelings, etc etc--trials--and as we were leaving to go out to preach again, I was crying silently and just praying.  Janet didn't open her door to us even though they were there---that was rough but we have faith that the Lord's will WILL be done and all these things make us stronger and more grateful for the miracles that do happen.

I KNOW my Heavenly Father is aware of us and loves us and I'm so amazed each time He blesses us with His miracles.  He loves us so so much and knows what we need!  This is the truth.  Missionary work is so wonderful and I'm so excited to continue in this work all of my life and for all eternity.  The Lord lives!!! He loves us!  How blessed I feel to be a missionary.

I love you!!!

Hermana Bryan

Be of good Cheer. The Future is as Bright as your Faith!!

Hermana Diez and Me at Conference!

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!  

Bueno, our lovely President changed the writing time to 30 minutes, so I'm typing and reading like crazy to try and get things in!!  Man I'm so nervous, hahaha, I hate changes like this!

Ok so Tuesday was an AWESOME day.  We felt like our prayers were so answered because we so expressed to the Lord us needing Him to help us, and He really blessed our day with new people, refs, etc.  I felt so grateful that day to be alive and know such wonderful people in my life and have such wonderful support.  THANKS!!!  Also, the bus driver didn't make us pay---awesome!  And our ZLs are AWESOME and so great.  It was a bit hard with our not-so-awesome DL and I was kind of crying and had to express my feelings and give machete with love to him in DM, but it will be ok.  We lovingly call him Elder Voldemort.  Is that horrible?  It's all good fun haha.  At the end of the day I was thinking about Condor (can't help it---fav area---and for the first time since leaving, I was actually grateful to be HERE) wow can you believe it?!!

Wednesday was Hna Diez's birthday and she felt way loved.  I was busting up laughing during our hymn in a lesson because it was the answer to my worries and fears and I felt happy again---the worst part about it is it was during a lesson and I left my comp singing solo and she was way confused!  hahahaha

Thursday I was pretty sad and down but the Hymn 148 again made me happy and lifted us up, and during a lesson with Janet and her 2 kids (Marcos and Melanie) the Spirit was so strong and there was focus and happiness and they accepted baptismal dates and understood everything.  It was amazing!!!!

Friday was a day of opposition in all things.  I was way sick and had no energy, etc and everything failed and everyone failed us and no one was home and no contacts, etc  fail.  And to top it off, at the end of the day when we had continued walking and trying and talking ourselves through the day, our DL asked Hna Diez if we set goals--like trying to see if we actually do things and if I'm actually training her---he is really degrading and that set me off the top.  Hard day.

Saturday, honestly I was so excited for Conference, and the morning session was awesome and the afternoon session for sure humbled me and called us to diligence, focus, and repentance.  I felt pretty down afterwards and so imperfect for this work, and how much I need to repent of.  Well we went out and it was another fail---no one home and everything failing us and I felt SO down not knowing why things are failing or what to do and how to make people understand that THIS is the answer to every problem!  I felt like my faults affected the work and I know that Satan wants us to feel that way, so thank heavens for MUCH PRAYER and for Sunday conference answers!!

Sunday Conference's Music and the Spoken Word was exactly what I needed to hear about being grateful for the little tender mercies the Lord sends us, and justamente I had read about that story in Numbers this week in my personal study.  Conference was AMAZING and the morning session I got so many answers to my questions.  It was so great to feel that happiness and inner strength and peace again, and determination to do whatever the Lord asked of me.  Such a blessing.

I love that in the conference everyone talked about having a change of heart, repentance, becoming who God wants us to be, serving with more dedication, hope, doing the will of God, being happy and grateful despite circumstances, missionary work (crazy awesome announcements!!!!), loving God, and loving others.  SUCH ANSWERS!!  

The answers to my prayers came from Elder Uchtdorf's talk, Elder Eyring, Elder Holland, and Elder Nash.

Marcos, Melani, and Janet came to Conference, and Marcos (only 10) had read all of 3 Nephi 11 and had memorized and understood everything!  It is amazing how elect he is!!!  Wow we were so happy!  Also, our first lesson failed us and I was like, you know what?  We are going to contact his neighbor because I had always seen a young guy very nice and working and felt we should talk to him. My comp, a bit nervous, literally jumped out from behind a wall in front of their door and announced so happily and yelling, "WE ARE MISSIONARIES!!!!" bahahahahaha I was trying so hard not to die laughing and smiled and smoothed things over, and we talked to them and turns out they always went to church and church activities when an old LDS neighbor invited them and loved the church, etc.  We are so excited to visit them!  Tender mercy for sure.

Then we got to visit some referrals from members and they were home, and got to know their challenges and awesome family and they are married which is huge here and we just felt like everything fell into place! 

So happy and such inner peace and strength and so grateful.

How grateful I am for a living prophet.  I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I know that if we submit our will to theirs, everything will be ok.  I love that we don't have to worry and we just have to trust in them and have faith in their promises.  Love them, trust them, let's put Them first and SERVE FOREVER!!!!!!!

Hermanas Amador, Vidrio, Me, and Diez

Love you!!                                                

Love,

Hermana Bryan

Hermana Vidrio and Me

Happy October--WHAT?!!!!

Hermana Diez and Me at Chili's celebrating her 23rd Birthday!

Hola Familia y Amigos!!!  

Wow crazy stuff.  Lots of crazy feelings going on inside of me every day and I imagine that keeps going on till the end right?  haha nice!  BUT...

So Monday and Tuesday I stayed in Francisco de Orellana and man though I didn't eat or sleep because of my nerves, it was SO neat to see my converts and favorite members again.  Such a tender mercy because when I say goodbye to people one Monday in December, I was going to go to Condor, and felt sad about not going to Francisco but now I don't have to and the Lord provided the opportunity!!!  Tender mercy.  

I saw JULIO and he was so so happy and great.  He is a ward missionary, receives the Melchizedek Priesthood this conference and went to the temple!!!!! Then I saw the Diaz fam and it was SO fun and hilarious to be there, and then Christian.  What great people I have grown to love.

I felt so so alone on Monday and Tuesday---like I was with so many people but still so alone (kind of like how I felt before the mish--funny how it all comes back to you during times like this) and I was so nervous to train.  Tuesday we went to DM and it was so spiritual and great!!  It was neat talking to Christian because he said that in my eyes and rostro he can tell that I've grown a lot and am different and have many more qualities---how nice.  Also Elder Acosta in the DM said that he used Alma 7:15 the other day in a lesson and that I had taught him that and how to apply it with love months ago in Orquideas.  Tender mercy--wow didn't know he would remember that one practice like I do.

Tuesday night I went to the office to get my companion and was so so nervous.  I was the only hermana and 5 other elders because just a few came this time.  We waited for a while and then went inside with them to have a capacitation meeting with the assistants and then President.  I saw my comp and smiled so widely and was so loving and happy and she was the same!!  We had a wonderful training meeting with President and he reminded us of things I needed to hear again.  I felt the Lord's help and animos and strength and rededication.  At the end, all of a sudden he stood in front of my comp and looked at Hna Diez (like the number, haha, that's her name--she's great) and said, "Hermana, Hna Bryan is the most experienced hermana in the mission since she came," and then looked at me. Then he looked at her and said, "And SHE is your companion!"  She thanked him and then he said, "She has little time left in the mission and she knows that. You will be her last companion (I started crying then.)  Copy everything from her. Copy everything from her!  We have full confidence in her and hope that part of her stays here in you for the mission.  Take advantage of your time together."

Wow he made me feel SO loved and trusted and I felt so imperfect, and even though I had felt so imperfect and need to be better and need to focus and come back and give my all and all my heart again,etc I felt the Lord's love and President's love, which was such a blessing.  He then assured us that we will give accountance for what we do here but that the Lord will help us always.

Hna Diez in the nighttime told me that I was the companion she prayed for and more than what she hoped for.  I then told her that I, all last week, honestly prayed for a change and for animos and if it was Heavenly Father's will that we could change the ward around that he could give me a comp that wanted to do that with me and it would be easier almost to open the area and start over, etc. The call for changes on Sunday night was an answer to my prayers and thoughts, and training was so unexpected but the Lord knew that was what I NEED right now to end well and be focused and so busy and re-learn things I have forgotten.  How Heavenly Father knows us and what we need!!  

Wednesday was the busiest, best, most happy day ever!!!  I felt so focused and on top of the world having a comp with animos and energy and wanting to do everything.

Thursday was a bit rough desanimo wise, but the Lord always always helps me through!!

Friday was good but had another scary experience with opposition and the adversary's power and influence.  So glad we have the Spirit and Heavenly Father's angels.  I love Hna Diez´s prayers.  She is so great and always prays for everything and everyone and wants to do everything she can!!  

Saturday I finished Jesus the Christ!!  Loved it.  We had a great great comp study and I literally have felt guided by the Spirit in a few occasions this week to do an activity or ask a question or teach something that I hadn't planned and think she needs at that time, and precisely is what she needs or loved, etc.  Thank heavens for the Spirit!  I feel so grateful. 

Tender mercy was the Relief Society Conference!!!!!  How I love our Lord Jesus Christ and the Atonement and all the things they mentioned.  It helped so much center my mind again and crazy how much they talked about the heart and justamente the Lord had been preparing me all week in my study with being able to recognize how many times the BOM focuses on the state of our hearts, etc. It's all about the heart!!  It's all we have to give!

Sunday we had a wonderful comp study and we both were crying expressing our feelings about the mish and each other and how grateful we are for each other---we have only been together less than a week but already are really close---what a blessing!  The Lord prepared me to receive other teachings I had studied.  

I love something I found:  "Trusting in God's will is central to our mortality.  With faith in Him, we draw upon the power of Christ's Atonement at those times when questions abound and answers are few."--Ronald A. Rasband

Well, Sunday I was pretty down during the day and so so tired emotionally and physically and have felt so weighed down with changing the ward, reaching baptism goals, finding new people, putting dates, not getting lost, teaching my comp, fighting the inner feeling fight of going home and other stuff, etc etc.  Many things--and yesterday for the 10th time someone wasn't home and I honestly had NO clue what to do at that point.  I was out of ideas and juice.  We were trying to find someone named Marcos.  I stopped and prayed and fought desanimo for a few minutes as my comp tried to open a gate and I was looking at the maps, etc. Then tried to yell his name again, and as I yelled so loudly, "MARCOOOOOOS!!!!!"  I literally heard a playing voice in my head, or memories of pool afternoons, someone answering back, "POLO!!!!!"  and I busted up laughing alone in the street.  Thank heavens our Father in Heaven has a sense of humor and helps us fight desanimo! :)  We then found a family of 3---a referral from a member and we are really excited about it.

Pray that I can know what to do, and teach my comp, and we can find the elect and see baptisms and miracles!  haha Thank you.

I pray for you ALWAYS!!!  Write a list of questions for General Conference and I promise that they will be answered!  I'm SOOOOO excited!  It will be exactly what we all need!  I love this work--the church is true.  I love my Savior and His grace and His Atonement and I rely daily on Him and His sacrifice.  I feel very blessed and though it's hard at times, the Lord helps us through, always, and that's how it always will be!  He helps mold us and make us stronger and He knows what we need.

I love you!!!

Hermana Bryan