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