With the extremely cold weather it has been kind of hard to feel all warm and fuzzy about the new year. I am glad that warm weather is supposed to be on its way. I was blessed on my mission not to experience terrible cold. Its funny though, as long as we were busy the weather never really bothered us much. ;) I am afraid that there may be a little homesickness setting in for my sweet daughter. I never really experienced homesickness until I was sick in the middle of my mission. Richard, however, went through it early in his mission. Being busy, obedient and working hard was the thing that helped him. There are many missionaries who struggle in this way. I know that the Lord will help if you continue to work at it.
Hello to all those I love so dearly,
The week has been long and hard since last I wrote. But, can you believe that I have been on my mission 2 days over a month?!? *singing* CELEBRATION!
Everything has happened this week.
On Monday, we had dinner with the Stake President and his family. He is really young, and he is another President Brown. He's super cool. We had a fun dinner lesson with their family as they explained to us their testimonies of the gospel and the Book of Mormon as though we were investigators (friends, family or neighbors). It was a neat experience. President Brown shared a cool insight that I had never thought of regarding the scriptures: The Bible teaches us WHO Christ is. The Book of Mormon teaches us WHY Christ is. It's so true too. Especially knowing that so much of the True Gospel of Christ was removed from the Bible during its many translations. Another fun thing they shared with us that isn't spiritual at all is the idea of putting black pepper on your ice cream. I tried it. It wasn't noticeable. The story behind it is that a pair of missionaries weren't being fed so they told everyone that they ate ice cream with black pepper on it. And so they started getting fed because people wanted to see if they really ate it.
Tuesday was New Years Eve. We were asked to be home by 7:00p so we wouldn't die. We were graciously allowed to participate in the wards New Years Eve party though so we didn't get home until 9:00p. It was fun. Lots of food and we played Settlers of Catan. It's a really odd game that is similar to Risk - kinda. The boys may really like it. Then we watched Ephraim's Rescue . It was a really good movie. And it is funny compared to 17 Miracles . I really liked it. We also watched The Other Side of Heaven . Well, Sister Zvirzdin did. I fell asleep shortly after Kolipoki made it to the Island.
Wednesday was a really busy day. We taught six lessons - mostly to less active members in the ward. It was really neat to learn about them and why they don't come to church. It was also interesting to see what kind of testimonies they have.
Thursday was a really hard day. But it was also a really good day. We had interviews with Mission President - President Brown. We also had district meeting. President Brown gave me a blessing which was really nice. I really needed it. Then we went out tracting. We met two families who invited us back. One of them is Hispanic - we keep trying to get in contact with them, but every time we stop either someone new answers the door or they don't answer the door at all. We also met a woman named Sierra. We will hopefully meet with her this Friday.
Friday the 3rd, I had the privilege of serving in a trio with Sister Waite and Sister Astle while our companions went to Loveland, CO for MLC's. It is a missionary leadership training of sorts. All of our companions are Sister Trainer Leaders. So we got to work in Sister Waite's area which is on the other side of Cheyenne. We only had one lesson that day in our area. It was our dinner lesson with a part member family. We shared one of the videos from the Mormon Chanel. It's the one that talks about a young women's experience in heeding the council of James 1:5.
Saturday was another good day. We were asked not to drive our car, so we had the blessed opportunity to walk everywhere we went. We taught four lessons that day. One of them was to our investigator Kevin. He is progressing really well. We reviewed the Restoration lesson and testified of the Book of Mormon and the power of prayer. Because he is a single man, we were able to have the Brother and Sister Olsen come with us. They are currently raising two foster girls and a granddaughter. The foster girls are taking lessons from the Elders.
Our dinner that night was really fun. Apparently a common pairing of food is Chili and Cinnamon Rolls. Surprisingly, it is delicious. I totally recommend the combination. We also met a sister in the ward named Saba T. She is Pakistani and has been in the church most of her life. Her father worked for the foreign embassy and worked with a Latter Day Saint which is how he and his family became converted. She is a really neat lady. Her husband is also from Pakistan but has converted to Christianity. He reads the Book of Mormon some times.
Yesterday, we taught a lesson before church to a part member, less active, recently converted, investigator family. (Church doesn't start til 1:00p this year.) It was a really neat experience. The family likes to talk a lot, so getting through lessons is a challenge - but definitely a challenge worth accepting.
After church we met with the Bishop to discuss the missionary efforts in the Ward which was really good. Then we had dinner with our Ward Mission Leader: Brother Robertson and his family. I love their family. And she cooks super well. It tasted amazing after fasting all day. During dinner we talked quite a bit about Southern Virginia University - they are die hard Cougars, but they see advertisements for SVU quite a bit. I was grateful for the opportunity I had to share about SVU. It definitely is a part of me that I will never forget.
Today has been an okay day so far. We got a late start because our laundry took forever. Which was partly our fault for not starting it before breakfast. Ooops!
Mmmmmm what else can I share?
Oh, during gospel principles on Sunday, we talked about the Articles of Faith. I learned so much from that class. The first four Articles of Faith talk about the Plan of Salvation in really simple terms. The fifth and sixth talk about Priesthood Authority. The seventh through the ninth talk about Revelation. We receive revelation through the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures and the Prophets. The tenth through the twelfth teach us about the importance of obeying the laws of the land, the first amendment to the Constitution and how because of both of those things, we have missionary work spreading to the four corners of the earth. And finally, the thirteenth Article of Faith teaches us as Latter Day Saints how to live our lives. I would encourage us all to re-memorize them and apply them to our daily lives. What easier way to teach the gospel to those we come in contact with than the simple statement of "We believe...."
Another thing I am learning to do is write down three things I am grateful for each day. It helps me to think positively, and it helps me to see the blessings in my life. (And it has helped me to finally learn how to spell grateful.)
Finally, serving a mission is such a refiners fire. I am learning so much about myself and about my testimony that I never thought I would. I am so grateful that testimonies aren't just founded on knowledge but also on beliefs. There is so much that I don't know or that I don't recognize that I know. Satan is really working on me to doubt being on a mission. I am grateful for the support of my companion and of my Mission President and ultimately of the Lord. How often I forget his hand in my life because I am such a stubborn and independent person. I am constantly having to remind myself to think positively and to Trust in the Lord. If that is the only thing I gain from my mission, I will be eternally grateful for it. Trust in the Lord that thy burdens may be light!
Brothers, I will remember your council to "Talk to Lots of Strangers." - But only if you will write me.
I love you all and I hope you are each finding success as you share the gospel in your own ways.
Love, Sister Bryans
May the Lord continue to bless and keep all our missionaries through the struggles that they may be facing at this time. May we as members do all that we can to help them do what they have been sent out to do. Share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our brothers and our sisters.
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