week 79

Dear Family and Friends,

This last week of my mission has been incredible. I've been able to meet people and strengthen relationships and just feel so much joy! I have loved being a full time missionary and will miss it so much but I know there is so much more to come and look forward to.

Since pictures are worth a thousand words I'll attach some pictures.
This is great great Aunt Betty Jenkins! She's incredible.

This is Sharon and Orson Giles and Daniel, someone we've been working with and he'll be getting baptized in a couple weeks!

This is a picture from after Alejandra and Demetrio's sealing. It was absolutely incredible.

Hermana Leyva and I with Alejandra. :) It was just so incredible to get to go to the temple and be there and see everyone. True joy.

This is Ramon- we've been working with him and he is overcoming so much and has been such an inspiration to me and my companion. We met with him last Sunday and saw him everyday this past week and he came to church. We helped him clean out stuff from his house and through it in the dumpster, hence the dumpster behind us.

Well I love you all and will see you soon!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 78

Dear Friends and Family,

I am looking forward to this next week. There is so much to do and learn still. Honestly I have ended up loving Othello so much even though I've only been here for a month and a half. I know this is where I was supposed to be and there have been lessons I have learned/solidified that wouldn't have been if I'd stayed in Yakima.

I also loved conference this past weekend and I am so grateful for our loving prophets seers and revelators and church leaders. I know that as we are obedient to what they teach as well as the scriptures and seek to follow Christ in all our thoughts and actions we can and will find eternal happiness.

Although I do look forward to seeing you all soon, it will also be hard to leave but I know that as I continue to trust in Christ all will be well. I am excited and hopeful for the future.

Love you all so much!

Hermana Brighton

Week 77

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been great! I've enjoyed getting to get to know more and more the people here in Othello. There are some amazing members in the wards here and I'll be forever grateful for their examples.

I am also related to a good amount of people here and yesterday my companion and I went to go visit Betty Jenkins. She is a widow in the ward and also my great great aunt. It was incredible to get to talk with her a little bit and I was able to ask her about my great grandpa and learn a little more about my ancestors. I'm so grateful for the emphasis on families that the church teaches, and that as we live the gospel of Jesus Christ we can truly find greater happiness in our families.

Something I have been thinking about lately is how I'm grateful for the commandments and that I've chosen to be obedient. I'm not perfect but I'm trying. I know that the commandments are there to protect us and help us be more capable of making good choices. I was also thinking about how many of the heartaches and struggles we experience in our lives can be drawn back to a time or times when a commandment was broken or not followed. Obviously there are some sufferings, like sicknesses and physical ailments that don't always come from being disobedient, but a lot of suffering could be avoided if everyone just followed God's commandments.

This next weekend is General Conference! I hope everyone will take the time to really watch and ponder about what is said by our living prophets, apostles and leaders. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful people to lead and guide us. I know that they receive specific revelation from God to help us and what they say is important and we should pay attention.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and that you had a wonderful Easter as well and that you took the time to think about the reason behind the holiday. I'm grateful for Christ and His perfect example. It gives me hope and strength to continue forward in righteousness as I think about Him and all He's done for each one of us.

Love,

Hermana Brighton               You may recognize Elder Leavitt- he was in our ward before the last ward split. This pic is from the mission blog.

Week 76

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been incredible. There have been so many opportunities to serve and this week my companion and I did 28 man hours of service. In our zone there is no limit on the amount of service hours which is good because there are so many opportunities to help out in the community and it's good to get out and be seen and get to know people that otherwise you might not ever meet.

Each year Othello has a Sandhill Crane Festival and we got to help out with setting it up and then helping out during the Festival as well. We helped make masks with kids by putting petroleum jelly on their faces and then building the mask onto their face using cast material that you get wet and then it hardens into shape as it dries. It was super fun.

Sister Fox and I also went to the temple on Saturday with a couple that received their endowments and it was such a special incredible to see how their testimonies have grown and strengthened since they were baptized last January when I was in Royal City with them. They will be sealed on April 9th and I'm so excited and happy for them.

Today we went up to the top of Saddle Mountain with our district and enjoyed time up there together and took some fun pictures. I have loved getting to serve around and get to know so many incredible people as I've been a missionary. I have been developing friendships that I hope will last forever.

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true and I'm so grateful for that knowledge. I know that what I teach as a missionary is true and I have truly experienced a change of heart as I've learned more about the gospel of Jesus Christ and seen how it has changed others and my own life. I will never stop sharing the gospel.

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 75

Dear Friends and Family,

This week flew by and I don't even know where it went. It was wonderful and I'm continuing to learn and grow. I keep a pretty good journal so if anyone really is interesting in specific experiences I guess they'll have to read my journal some day or ask my about it when I can really sit down and talk to you about things.

This next weekend I get to go to the temple and see a couple that was baptized at the beginning of my mission receive their endowments. I'm so happy for them. They are incredible.

I hope everyone remembers not to take the scriptures and modern scripture for granted. Take time to really feast on the words of Christ and the prophets. They really will tell you all things that you should do. Remember to look forward with an eternal perspective.

Have a great week!

Hermana Brighton

week 74

Dear Family and Friends,

I am learning so much here in Othello. The members are awesome and there is a lot of work to do and it's only going to be possible as we work closely with them. It is pretty different teaching and interacting with non-hispanic people, the culture really is just different. There seems to be a lot more opposition, but it's giving me an opportunity to really solidify my testimony and rely more on Heavenly Father and the power of the scriptures. I love the Book of Mormon so much and am grateful for this wonderful gift that can really confirm to us the reality of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ and His priesthood.

This weekend a 9 year old boy we have been teaching these past couple weeks is getting baptized. He is simply incredible and I thank Heavenly Father for him often. His mom is a member but has been active on and off. He has such a strong desire to learn and when we teach him he understands things so well and remembers it and even bears testimony that he knows its true. We are just so excited for him. :)

We are also teaching a lot of other people and as well are trying to really work with the less active members of the wards here in Othello. We are seeing success from this as well as working with part member families. A big key in english work here in Othello is really gaining the trust of the members and working closely with them, although honestly this should be done no matter what culture or language. The members here though are incredible and we are just here to encourage them and invite them to open their mouths too and invite their friends to learn more.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Study the scriptures and really put yourself into them and apply them to yourself and its amazing the insight you can receive and the guidance the Spirit will give you in what you need to be doing in your life.

Love,

Hermana Brighton

week 73

Dear Family and Friends,

I have enjoyed being here in Othello and I am already learning and growing in ways I know I wouldn't have if I'd stayed in Yakima to finish my mission. I was also blessed to be able to have an experience that just melted my heart. This past weekend was stake conference and I am in the same stake as I was in in previous months of my mission. One of the people I worked with and was baptized was asked to share her testimony during the adult session of stake conference. It was amazing to sit and listen to her share how the gospel has changed her life and blessed her in ways she never imagined and then near the end she looked at me from the pulpit and said how grateful she was that she was able to tell me in person that her and her husband would be going to the temple and receiving their endowments and getting sealed. Let's just say my eyes were not dry. It also felt a lot more personal because it was in spanish and a lot of the people only spoke english that were sitting around me. There was a translator though, but it of course is not the same as hearing it from someone's own mouth. I have permission to go to the temple with them and I am so happy. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and that you can take the opportunity to share the gospel with those who surround you, by example and word. Invite others to come with you to church or to activities and then invite them to meet with the missionaries and learn more in your home. 

Love you all so much!

Hermana Brighton

Week 72

Dear Family and Friends,

So lots of things will be changing for me this next transfer. I have been released as a Sister Training Leader and will be getting transferred. I will spend my last couple  months of the mission in Othello, which is only about 20 minutes from where I started my mission in Royal City. I am getting doubled in to an English speaking area which covers 2 English wards. I'll be in a zebra companionship (1 english companion 1 spanish) which will be good because although we are the english missionaries I'll be able to speak to people in spanish (because there are apparently A TON in Othello) and send the spanish missionaries over to them if they want to learn more. My companion will be Sister Fox and she's been out on her mission about 6 months. I look forward to all the things I'll learn as I focus on being consecrated and diligent. I'm also excited to start with a clean slate and apply all the things I've learned in the past months while serving in a few different areas.  

This past week both Desi and Amparo got baptized and their baptisms were beautiful. I'm so grateful for all that they have taught me as I've helped them come closer to Christ and learn about His restored gospel. I have learned so much about change. I know that people can truly change, I've seen it in me personally as well as others. I think something that sometimes makes it harder for people who are trying to change is when others don't seem to let them. They try to bring up what that person did in the past and pull them back to who they were. We need to be willing to let others hand their burdens over to Christ and be there to support them and help them move forward. We can't bring up past sins and mistakes that others have repented for because when we do so we are denying the cleansing and healing power of the Atonement which brings us under greater condemnation. I think it's important I mention though what true repentance is. It is change, it is feeling true sorrow that you've been disobedient to what God has asked of you and then seeking to do all you can to correct what you've done wrong. I love Doctrine and Covenants 58: 42-43 because of how straight forward it is. Those who truly have repented confess AND forsake their sins. They leave the past in the past and move forward while still learning from their mistakes. I believe that is one reason that although the Lord will forget, or forgive, our sins ( meaning He will no longer hold them against us), WE don't forget them. If we forgot the pain and sorrow our sins caused us then we wouldn't want to stop committing the same errors over and over. We are blessed to remember them so that we don't have to make the same mistakes again. We can learn and move forward in our lives gaining that experience and knowledge that we said we wanted when we lived with Heavenly Father before this earth life.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I love you all so much. I hope you are taking time to really study the scriptures. Start by writing some questions that you want answers to, then prayer, then turn to the scriptures. When you have a true desire to find what God wants you to know, the Spirit will lead you to what you need to study, but remember you have to do your part and put forth effort. Faith without works is dead.

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 71

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope you all had a great week. Sister Dee and I are seeing many miracles and we are so happy to be here in Yakima. I know that the Lord is guiding us to the people who need the gospel and we just need to not fear and be willing to open our mouths and talk to those we meet.

This next weekend two people are getting baptized that we have been working with since December and they are both incredible and we have seen how the gospel has changed them. They are happier, you can see it in their faces. One of them is so excited to be able to be baptized and know that the past mistakes and things they've done in the past will be left forever in the past and that she can become a new person as she makes this covenant with Christ.

Yesterday my companion and I rescued the pet rabbit of a member from getting eaten by a dog. We felt like we should go by the member's house even though we were almost positive they wouldn't be home. We went though and were able to get the dog away from the cage with the rabbit in it. The dog had tipped the cage and probably almost scared the rabbit to death before we got there, but we were able to call the member and he came and was able to put the rabbit somewhere safer than their front porch where it had been for a while. So that was a cool experience to be able to prevent some heartache for the family- especially the kids- if the rabbit had gotten killed or eaten, by acting on the feeling that we should go somewhere even though it didn't make sense at first.

Also we had a broadcast from Salt Lake City as our stake conference yesterday and it was incredible. It was focused on the simplicity of the gospel and the spirit was very strong testifying of the truth of the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and really studying it and other scripture, praying, and going to church. I know that it is through experience that we can find out if the church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth. We have to be willing to act on the message though and accept the answers we will receive. We have to align our will with God wants for us, and the way we do that is being obedient to his commandments which we find in the scriptures and from the prophets- living and those who have already died. John 7:17 is one of my favorite scriptures because it teaches us that we can find out if something is true by acting on it.

I hope everyone has a great next week and that you take time to think about how you can improve. What can you be more exactly obedient in? Love you all!

Hermana Brighton

Week 70

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been great. We've had a lot of leadership meetings since it was the first week of the month but we were still able to get out and work with our investigators and yesterday we found this adorable older couple by knocking around where a less active member was supposed to live. I have a testimony that the Lord really does guide us to the people we need to find. Even though we originally go somewhere for a different person or have different plans, if we are sensitive to the spirit, we are lead to people who need us. This couple let us in and after talking for a couple minutes we invited them to come to the church for a church tour and they agreed! So they followed us all the way over to the church and we had a wonderful lesson as we showed them around the church. Sister Dee and I are super excited for them. We will just need to be persistent with them. Though they do seem pretty open and willing to learn more, we will need to help them recognize the importance of making the time to learn more.

On Saturday we had a baptism and we are so happy for him because he truly is converted. This is something that stood out to me from a broadcast we had- that as missionaries are to Teach Repentance, and Baptize Converts. We need to make sure people are truly changing and have been converted to the Restored Gospel before they get baptized.

I'm grateful for the example of those in the Spanish branch I'm serving in because they have helped me so much, the members and the other missionaries as well. It's been incredible to see the work of the Lord move forward in miraculous ways. I know that there are people being drawn to the church because they each are needed in this grand work of helping return us all home to our Heavenly Father. I am constantly amazed by how the gospel of Jesus Christ really does change people into not just good people, but more that good. People who can and will make a difference in many lives if they continue to rely on God and His son Jesus Christ.

I love the Book of Mormon. I know that it was translated by a true prophet of God. I know that the organization of the church is inspired by God and that Christ is at the head of the church. I recognize that the members aren't perfect but if we are truly converted that means we are all trying to follow Christ in the best ways we can and we are constantly seeking to improve.

I hope you all have a great week! Happy Early Valentine's Day!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

week 69

Dear Family and Friends,

This next Saturday a man we have been working with will be getting baptized. We are so happy for him and what's cool is that originally he thought he'd be going to Venezuela to be baptized but plans changed and he decided to be baptized here. Honestly, I was going to be happy either way cause he was getting baptized, but my companion and I are super excited for him to be baptized here. He is someone who has really shown his desire to be baptized by keeping commitments, coming to church every Sunday for the past couple months, and he has sacrificed sleep to meet with us. He has a truck driving job and so it's kinda crazy hours and sometimes he won't get back til 5 or 6 pm and he gets up at like midnight, yet he will meet with us usually around 6 or 7pm. He almost always looks exhausted but he meets with us and comes to church because he knows what's important, where his loyalty is- to the Lord. He truly is incredible.

We are also teaching a few other people that are preparing for baptism with in this month and they all have such unique needs and stories but I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has and will help each of them and everyone else who chooses to live it. I've learned understanding comes over time and most often through experiences in which one has had to act with out knowing, the witness comes after the trial of your faith.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 68

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was a great one. We had a lot of lessons in the homes of Recent Converts and members and the lessons all went super well. We are teaching 3 people consistently as well as working with several others including less active members and other investigators. Finding through members and investigators is definitely a good way, if not the best, to find new people to teach that are more likely to progress.

Yesterday Sister Dee and I spoke in church about the miracles we've seen in our missions. I was grateful for that opportunity and it was a good opportunity to really think about the experiences I've had on my mission. Something I was thinking about is how if we want to see miracles we have to have faith. If you have faith it means you are acting on correct principles, you are being obedient to God and His commandments. It is when you are obedient that you are blessed and you are able to see more the hand of God in your life, or in other words the miracles, His tender mercies.

Sometimes life can be hard or overwhelming but something I've learned on my mission is the importance of moving forward in faith. Remembering the promises God makes to the faithful and obedient is what gives us hope and reminds us that all will be well. All we need to do is seek to follow God's will and find it out for ourselves and then act accordingly. We will not receive answers if we don't sincerely plan on acting on the answers that we receive. We have to be humble and willing to do whatever it may be God asks of us. I know that sometimes you don't get answers or maybe you don't recognize the answer you do receive because you have no intent on actually following through. I know that you also receive no witness til after the trial of your faith. Often times we have to act on something and be obedient before we gain a personal witness of its importance and truthfulness. This can be seen with basically all the commandments such as the word of wisdom, the law of chastity, paying tithing, fasting, going to church each week, reading and praying daily, etc. You can't find out if doing/living those things will really help you until you do them with an open heart and willing mind.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and I'm grateful for you all and your support. I hope that you finish out January still keeping in mind the new year resolutions you've made and re commit to do what you can to keep striving to meet your goals, or make adjustments and set new ones as needed.

Love you all!

Hermana Brighton

Week 67

Dear Family and Friends,

Sorry I'm short on time this week, but I just wanted to let you all know that I am so grateful for you and your love and support. I know that what I am doing- sharing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ- is the most important thing I could ever be doing and I look forward to applying all I've learned in these short months to the rest of my life.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I have found countless answers to questions, guidance and comfort through reading its pages. I know that each day we can choose who we want to be and who we want to become. Decisions determine destiny. What we do now determines who will become and who we will be. 

I love the people I am serving here in Yakima and I'm grateful for the opportunity God has given me to influence them and allow them to influence me. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 66

Dear Family and Friends,

Transfer calls came this past Saturday and I will be staying with my companion here in Yakima! I'm super happy about it because we are working with so many incredible people and I love the Spanish branch members here. They are all incredible. In fact mission wide they tried to keep changes to a minimum. In our zone only one missionary is leaving, but we are also getting a whole new set of elders who will be working in a new area that they made that is a part of our branch, so this means we will now have four sets of missionaries in the Englewood branch here in Yakima. The Lord is hastening His work! 

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to go back to Royal City to attend a baptism of a family I had gotten to work with when I was there several months ago. It was an incredible experience and a testimony once again to me that the gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to change and become better people.

As Sister Training Leaders we have the opportunity to go to a lot of meetings and feel the spirit and learn A LOT, so we went to 12+ hours of meetings this past week and it was awesome. Something we are focusing on this transfer as a Zone is how we can increase our confidence in the Lord. Something we talked about in our Zone Training Meeting was how as we have faith and are bold in sharing the gospel and remain humble we will see miracles and our confidence in the Lord will increase. I am so grateful for the wonderful missionaries I get to serve around because they are teaching me so much.

I read some great scriptures this morning- Alma 33:21-23. I just really like how at the end it says 'and even all this can ye do if ye will' because it shows that we have to have the desire and oftentimes we have to act without knowing- aka have faith- and then we will experience the fruit of our efforts with time.

Fun fact- 61% of the missionaries in our mission have been out for 6 months or less! These new missionaries are incredible though. :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! 

-Hermana Brighton

Week 65

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy New Year! It's crazy how the time flies! I am so happy to get to be a missionary in Yakima Washington right now. The Spanish branch I am in is incredible and I love the members and the people we are working with so much. It's amazing how much I have learned and am learning as a missionary. 

Something I have been thinking about is the importance of saying enough but not too much. For those who knew me before the mission you probably know that I was a big talker. For example my siblings once played a game in the car on the way home from a church activity where they didn't say anything and waited to see when I would stop talking... I apparently I talked all the way home (probably 15 or so minutes) and they didn't say a word. So coming out on a mission where I couldn't speak the language taught me a lot. You learn to figure out what you need to say, not always what you want to say. You learn to listen harder and pay more attention to not just the words, but the body language and you rely a lot more on the Spirit to tell you how to respond. You recognize how weak you are and you turn to God in fervent prayer and cries for help so you learn humility. Learning a foreign language has been a wonderful adventure for me though and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I have received so much help from the Lord, from companions and from the people I meet. I'm grateful for their love and patience with me. I've learned to think a lot more before speaking. Something I like that I saw one time is that what you say should go through three doors, Is it necessary? Is it kind? Is it true? Now I won't say I'm perfect with what I say and I'm still working on it and will be my whole life, but I feel like my mission has helped me to better recognize the importance of being careful of what you say.

I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon. I find it to be inspiring and it gives me strength and advice. Sometimes I'm reading in the Book of Mormon and I find something that sticks out to me that maybe I've never noticed and I wonder wow has that really been there all this time? I know that the Book of Mormon will help any seeker of truth to find what they are looking for and gain a testimony of Christ as our Savior and Redeemer as well as a testimony of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ through latter-day prophets beginning with Joseph Smith down to now Thomas S Monson. You just have to have a sincere desire to know and to act on the answer you receive. I love our leaders and I'm grateful for their guidance and I know that they are directed by Christ as they are obedient and follow the commandments.

I hope everyone can make the goal to read the Book of Mormon everyday and not just read it but study it and feast on it. Share it with others and invite all who want to come learn more at church and from the missionaries. 

Love you all!

Hermana Brighton