Adventures of a Sister Missionary: Good Things To Come

Hello everyone! I am sorry that I didn't have the time to write something last week. I was crazy busy and we were going to be having a little P-day party so I had to get going and couldn't spend all the time I wanted for emailing. Well the party was way fun. The Jones made homemade pizza, a fruit salad, lemonade, and got stuff for us to have ice cream sundaes. They were so nice they set the table for it and everything. The food was so good and we had a fun time. We were able to play some games and had some time to just hang out and talk. We also were able to celebrate Edler Bryer's birthday. He is a great Elder. He is 28 (I think?), he is a convert and while he has been out on his mission his parents have been baptized. They are now able to work on going to the temple! I am so excited for him and his family and I know they were blessed for his service to the Lord. I really enjoy my district. There are four elders and six sisters. The sisters are me, sister Debruin, sister Brown, sister Westra, sister Crossley, and sister Reed. The elders are elder Wright, elder Andrus, elder Bryer and elder Sheink. Elder wright and sister Crossley are both going home after this transfer, which is super exciting but I think they are pretty nervous! For their last P-day we are going to go to the zoo. So I am very excited about that.

To give you an update not much has been happening. These past two weeks has just been a lot of tracting, and praying that we will be able to find people to teach. Luckily the members have been feeding us every night. Our dinner calendar is always so full. I have definitely grown to love this ward and will be very sad when it is my time to be transfered. I was really excited because this past week we were going to teach the Herman family, but Ana ended up getting sick so we couldn't teach them. I was really sad that we couldn't meet with them, but they told us to email or call them to set up another time when we could come back. They are on vacation this week though so it will have to be the week after that we see them, so that's kind of a bummer. I just keep praying that they are reading the Book of Mormon and hopefully having good experiences with it.

An exciting thing that did happen this week is that we have a teaching appointment with Melanie tonight. She is a single mom of two girls. She is an amazing mom who is just always super busy and so being able to get this appointment with her was a miracle. I am so nervous because it is the first lesson and I am going to be inviting her to be baptized!! Ahh!! Finally I get to invite someone to be baptized. I am so scared, but I feel like I am ready. I just hope that I have the courage to do it and I don't chicken out! I can't wait for next week though so I can tell you all how it went!

Other than that exciting moment the work here is not too fast. I think that it has definitely been a trial for me, but something that has increased my faith. I know that I was sent to this area for a reason. I don't know if I have really figured out that reason yet, but I know I will. Things have been hard but a scripture that has really been giving me a lot of comfort has been Alma 26:27 and Alma 26:12. I think that I have truly learned to lean on the Lord completely. Prayer has become something that I do more than I ever have in my life. Through that I really have come to know that he is mindful of me and knows everything that I am going through.

Before I go I just want to share an experience. Before my mission I remember in Relief Society watching a mormon message by Elder Holland. It was titled, Good Things To Come. When watching it then I don't think I really got anything from it, or really remembered much of it. While being on my mission though I have watched it many times. In the video it tells a story of how Elder Holland packed up his whole life and his family to move somewhere very far away(sorry I don't remember where or how far away it was?). When they started out that trip there car broke down twice. Both times Elder Holland had to go walk about 3 miles to a little town to get some help. At the end of the video Elder Holland said that he drove by that spot and he could see a devoted wife with her two children next to a steaming car, and a little ways down the road he could see a father walking towards the town. He said in that instant he couldn't help but yell out the car window telling him to keep going, that help is on the way. Elder Holland then goes on to tell us that there are greater blessing ahead than we could ever imagine. That life may be hard now, but it will get better. That the gospel brings us that hope of greater blessings, and good things to come. After watching that one night I imagined myself a couple years from now. I could see myself happy. Like Elder Holland did, I felt as if someone was telling me that I needed to keep going. That things are going to get better, and those blessings will come. With tears streaming down my face I was reassured that I was giong to be OK. To this day I still love watching that video. It truly has changed the way I look at my mission. I know that it is hard now, but there are good things to come.

I know that we all go through trials. But that is a part of life. With the gospel we are able to have help through those trials. We know that we are never alone. We know that we can kneel in prayer and he will be there for us. I have felt his love for me personally and I know he is aware of me and what I am going through. I am so grateful for this gospel and this priveledge to be on a mission. I am grateful for all of the support and love that has been sent my way. I hope that it doesn't stop because it truly helps me get through the hard days. I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week. Look for those missionary opportunities, and always strive to have a better relationship with Christ.

Love Always,

Sister Brewster :)