Week 51

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope everyone had a wonderful week. It is starting to really cool off here in Yakima and I believe it was in the 40s this morning, at least according to our car. It really warms up during the day though so it's been really beautiful. I'm going to have to get used to wearing a sweater and then back to boots and a coat for this up coming winter. It's fun to really experience all four seasons.

This week my companion and I had an interesting experience. It was later at night and we were walking down a street when we saw a couple people sitting at a bench so we went over to talk to them. At first they were super closed off and the woman kept saying she didn't believe in Joseph Smith and other things like that, but then she said she was glad we came over because our smiles made her night better. We started to share why we were so happy and we ended up getting to teach her all about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and she accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and a pamphlet about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and said she'd read them. I think that lesson we had with that woman and her friend really was something I won't forget. I just remember being filled with so much peace and desire to share the truth with her. I'm so grateful the spirit softened her heart and that by the end she truly wanted to know for herself if all we shared is true. She even said the prayer before we left and she expressed to God that she wanted to know if those things we shared with her were something she needed to know about. So this little experience really stood out as a bright moment in a somewhat tough week.

Here are a couple things I found this week while studying that I thought I'd share.

Luke 9:52- And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.

I like this scripture because it made me think about how for me I've currently devoted my whole life to sharing the gospel- I've put my hand to the plough. When my full-time mission ends though that doesn't mean my sharing the gospel should end or that I should go back to who I was before. I shouldn't look back at all but look forward with an eye of faith, taking what I've learned in the past and using that to help me move forward and keep pushing the plough.

We had a meeting with a lot of missionaries this past week and something that was said really stood out to me. "Charity- the never-ending search for someone else's happiness." That is so true. That was Christ's motivation for all he did- our eternal happiness. It was also said that "Charity is the silver bullet to missionary work." If your motivation isn't love, Love for the Lord, Love for the People, Love for your companion and those you serve, then it makes everything a lot harder.

So a couple funny things from this week. While reaching to knock a door I mixed up my words and accidentally asked my companion if I should "knock the doorbell" instead. We were laughing about that one for a while afterwards, probably not that funny but we for some reason just couldn't stop laughing.

We did a service project this week and painted fire hydrants. We got paint on our hands and arms and had to resort to desperate measures to get the paint off... scrubbing with iron wool. It worked pretty well to get the paint off, and maybe a couple layers of skin. All's well that ends well though and we were just relieved to find something that could scrub the paint off cause it was stuck on pretty good.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I'm looking forward to general conference at the end of the week. I'm curious to see who the 3 new apostles will be. I feel like by the end of my mission we'll have a whole new quorum of the 12! I hope not though. I hope everyone takes some time to write a few questions they have and I know that in some way God will answer them.

Love you all!

Hermana Brighton

Week 50

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been one full of learning for me. I learned a lot about family history and keeping track of your own history when I went to a Family History Fair this past weekend. I learned a lot and am grateful for the opportunity I had to go and feel the spirit testify to me of the importance of writing my own story as well as learning about the lives and stories of others- especially family. I would like to invite everyone who reads this to write down a personal story from your life. It can be about whatever you like, but maybe something that helped shape you into the person you are/want to become now. If you'd like to send me it, I would love to receive a letter with your story. I love learning from and about others.

So I wanted to share a little about my companion cause I realized I didn't last week. Her name is Hna Kennedy and she's from Draper Utah. She is the youngest of 10 children. She is amazing at playing the piano and I hear she can play the violin super well also. She's been out 10 months and her spanish is awesome! We work well together and we are accomplishing a lot here in Yakima. I am learning a lot from her about myself so it's been super interesting and I look forward to the rest of the time we will spend together. Oh, she also has an incredible sense of direction, which is a major help to me because if you know me that is something I've always kinda had a problem with. It's okay though, because I am learning and I hope to make my weakness into a strength eventually.

I love the song Asombro Me Da (mom you're gonna have to look up the english translation cause I'm blanking). Oh.. it's I Stand All Amazed isn't it?(YES, that is right) I invite all to look up the lyrics and ponder what it means for you- the Savior and His sacrifice and strive to strengthen your personal relationship with Him.

Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 49

Dear Family and Friends,

I am in Yakima and I am loving it. I didn't think I'd be able to love any place as much as Royal City but I'm coming to realize that I can love these new places, because of people and experiences I have that help me grow and learn and change for the better.

This week we taught a lot of people and although not all are super interested it is still satisfying to know I'm doing all I can to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am really coming to learn about and appreciate more the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His example. When we rely on the Atonement of Christ, change is real and possible but you really have to want it. That's what I think I've struggled with the most on my mission- finding people who have no desire. In the scriptures it even says that you don't have to have faith at first, just a desire to believe and then you can let that desire grow with in you... well there are too many people in this world who are just complacent with how they are and don't believe they can change. This morning we were at a members house doing laundry and there was a quote on her wall that said "If we did everything we were capable of, we would literally astonish ourselves." When I really think about this I believe it. I think we are capable of so much more than we realize but we let things like negativity, discouragement, pride, pessimism, and not believing in ourselves and so many other things get in the way of us accomplishing more. This is why its important to remember our divine potential and remember what grace is. I feel that part of it is that extra strength that comes to us when we feel like we can't go on. When we feel like there is too much being asked of us and just how are we supposed to do it all? I was reading in Believing Christ and I could really relate to an experience that the author's wife had. She just got so overwhelmed with all the demands of life and then trying to be righteous and perfect that she just wanted to give up. This is where the author then talks about Christ and His atonement and that it is because of Christ that we don't have to be perfect, that our shortcomings or failures can be overcome and made right. His perfection makes up for our imperfection. He then writes, "What matters is that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we can receive, despite our unworthiness, what we desire, what we long for- but only if it is what we really long for. So what do you want? What do you really want?" Reading that really struck me and it made me really think about my desires and what I really want in my life. One of those things I know I want is understanding and a strong testimony of Christ and His gospel. The author also shared the scripture Matthew 5:6-  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. I now really have come to love this scripture because it has so much more meaning to me. I know it is true. There have been times where I really have struggled and truly spiritually speaking hungered and thirsted for understanding of the gospel. Because I have sought after righteousness and wanted to know truth, many times I have received understanding and answers through the scriptures and through the words spoken at church. I'm so grateful that there is always more I can learn and that God wants us to search after knowledge and He gives it to us, line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and that together we can continue to seek after righteousness and strive to align our will with God's will, make our desires what God desires for us.

I love you all!

Hermana Brighton

Week 48

Dear Familia y Amigos,

My companion will be receiving a new missionary to train and as well will become a Sister Training Leader. This means I will be moving on to a new place. I will be serving in Yakima. I'm looking forward to the new experiences I will have but I will also really miss Royal City and the people I have served here. 

This week has gone by so fast and lately the weeks have just been really flying by. It's hard to think I've been on my mission for almost a year. I've learned so much that will help me for the rest of my life. I've met people that have changed my outlook and have taught me more about compassion along with so much more than I think I could ever have learned any other way.

I'm grateful for the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the prophets we have today to lead and guide us as times change and the influence of Satan grows stronger in the world. I know that by following the living prophet we will not be lead astray and we will know that what we are doing is pleasing to God.

I love you all and invite you to follow the Prophet- know what he is teaching now and find out for yourself that it comes from God by living it. John 7:17.

I wish you all the best this week!

-Hermana Brighton