Dear
loved ones,
As
you can tell from the subject i have had quite the adventure this week.
:)
I
lived through a hurricane, and yes his name is Matthew. (which i what i will
call him because its easier to spell than hurricane. Haha) But more on that
later!!
We
have a baptism this coming week!!! Micheal is being baptized this Saturday
(15th) and i am so excited! It is such a miracle. And i am double excited
because it means Sister Saxton gets a baptism before she goes home (which will
be next Tuesday.. the 18th? I think..) But its not just that it's a baptism.
The fact of the matter is that I have been teaching Michael since i came on a
mission, and now he is finally prepared spiritually and has made the decision
to make this convent with our Heavenly Father. And the peace Micheal has and
the confidence, his testimony is so powerful and awesome. I am so excited!! :D
Also
transfers are coming once again. (6 weeks already? It just flew by) So the 15th
I will find out who my new companion is and if i get to stay in Dunn Ave for a
bit longer. Honestly i am at peace with whatever happens. I know that the Lord
will send me where he needs me and i can do good wherever. So we'll see. But
secretly i think i am going to stay for another transfer.
Okay
on the the exciting news. I lived through the "horror" of Matthew.
Haha. It wasn't all that bad. It was a level 3 storm and it didn't hit us
directly. We also were blessing by caring leaders and members who helped keep
us safe. There was a lot of rain and crazy wind! So many trees have fallen
down, but very few on homes. Thank heaven. We did loose power for about 24 hours.
But it wasn't a big deal, we had our flashlights and blankets so no worries. We
did end up sleeping on the floor that night. We have a large window in our
bedroom (it takes up like one wall) and outside it is a tree. So better safe
than sorry! We moved our beds into the hallway and kitchen and slept there.
Safe and sound and we woke up to power, miracle!
After
the storm we did a great deal of service and honestly Sister Saxton and I are
both a little sore. But we've helped clean up 5 different homes in various
locations over this weekend and it has been awesome! The Lord provides so many
miracles and blessings especially as the storms pass.
Not
much else happened this week. But i did want to share some 'Aha moments' from
my Book of Mormon reading during Matthew. This week we read 1st Nephi 19-2nd
Nephi 12. If you are behind or haven't started yet don't worry!! You can do it!
Think of it as your Christmas present to our Savior and i testify that as you
read and study your testimony of him will grow so much. As part of my study I
have been keeping tack of his names, and pronouns. Just in 1st Nephi our Savior
is mentioned 820 times!!! Wow. So my aha moments for this week:
Aha 1: "...i have
refined thee..." (1st Nephi 20:10) Lets talk about the symbolism of
refining. A refiner will take a precious metal (such as gold or silver) and he
will heat it. He needs it to heat hot enough that it becomes liquid, as he
heats it dross (or impurities) rise to the surface and he's able to remove
them. How does the refiner know he's done? When he can looking into the metal
and see his reflection. Jesus Christ is our refiner; trial, temptation,
hard-times all that is the refining fire, and the dross is our imperfections
and faults and weaknesses. And then finally we receive his image in our
countenance and we will be like him. Which is my goal as a missionary and as a
daughter of god. I hope it's your goal too. Aha 2: "...I have graven
thee upon the palms of my hands..." (1st Nephi 21:16) Resurrected bodies,
they are completely perfect- without spot or blemish or scar. So why does
Jesus Christ have scars from the crucifixion? I believe it is for 2 reasons.
1st so we can recognize him as our Savior and redeemer. We can use those
markings as a personal testimony of who he is and what he has done for us. And
2nd because of his love for us. Those scars are a constant reminder of what he
did for us, a reminder of his love. Because he loves us enough to give his life
and to suffer so much. And now we are written on his heart, he cannot forget or
forsake us. And i can testify as his witness that he loves you. We are asked to
serve him with all our heart might mind and strength (Doctrine & Covenants
4:2) but it is only because he loves us with all his heart might mind and
strength. (Read Elder Holland's talk Tomorrow the Lord will do Wonders
among you.)
I love you all so much. I am
thankful for your prayers and love and support. And i know that the Lord is
watching over you. I pray for you and i'd love to hear your aha moments as you're
reading the Book of Mormon. This week we read from 2nd Nephi 13-Jacob 3. Have a
blessed week! Xoxo
All
my love, Sister Bryans
No comments:
Post a Comment