week 20

Dear Family and Friends,

I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. If we take the time to read it each day we will come to feel and know this. I'm grateful for the time I have to serve as a missionary, as a representative of Jesus Christ. Sometimes it is hard because so much is expected of us but I know the Lord does not expect more than we can give. I just focus on taking things one day at a time and when I do this everything is easier to handle.

This week has been one where I have learned a lot about myself and not being too hard on myself. I know the Lord will help me as I rely on Him and not my own abilities and strengths. This applies to everyone as well. 

I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 19

Dear Family and Friends,
This week has been incredible and full of miracles. For example the other day (Sunday) we started talking to a young man who was playing basketball and long story short he decided to come to a devotional we were having literally 10 minutes before it was supposed to start and his mom said she'd take him. We got all the way to the church with them following us and when we got there the mom realized that she had another thing going on so couldn't stay. She made it clear she really wanted to though. She also told us how she had been praying that her son would accept God back into his heart and so she was happy he had listened to us. We got her number and now we are trying to set up a time to come by. Just waiting to hear back from her but if she doesn't text back we'll probably just stop by. I also been a witness of a few other amazing events. Lets just say I have had many experiences that have let me know I am here on a mission for a reason and that God put me here to help people who need to find Him.

My new area is very different...it's in the middle of the city. I kind of was in shock the first several days because of the hundreds of cars and buildings and people everywhere. I'm adjusting though.

Also the apartment my companion and I moved in previously was lived in by Elders... lets just say my companion and I spent a good chunk of our P-day deep cleaning that apartment. Now it is livable in...

My companion is AWESOME. I love her. She is from Northern Virginia near D.C. She is hilarious and can do the best accents. Yes she is white, but her Spanish is good so between the two of us we are doing pretty well understanding and teaching. She also is a good singer and likes to harmonize when we listen to C.D.s in the car so that's fun. It's been so great serving with her and seeing so many miracles already.

Well I hope everyone has a great week!
Love,
Hermana Brighton

P.S. Email delay because yesterday the library was closed for the holiday and it is where we write.

Week 18 transfer pictures

Hermana Brighton leaving Royal City and her first companion

leaving Royal City

week 18

Dear Family and Friends,

This past week has been pretty good. Transfers are coming up this week and I have some big news. I'm being transferred to Kennewick. Honestly it was totally and completely the last thing I thought or expected would happen. I think sometimes things like this happen, just so God can remind me He is in charge and that everything happens for a reason. I am a little sad to be leaving Royal City already. In ways it feels like I just got here. In other ways I feel like I've been here for a long time. I guess since I was just starting to feel comfortable and get into the groove of things I just needed to be moved. As my trainer says- There is no growth in the comfort zone, and no comfort in the growth zone.

Well I hope everyone has a great week! I want to invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon each day and continually strive to find out for yourself its truth. I know when you do this each day, your testimony will grow and you will continually feel the Spirit of God testify to you that the Book of Mormon is true. I know it can help each of you so much.

Love,
Hermana Brighton

Week 17

Dear Family and Friends,

This week it kind of hit me how quickly my mission has been going by. It's hard to believe it's already February!

This past Saturday, Demetrio was baptized! The baptism went so well and 4 of our investigators came. My whole district did a special musical number- Teach Me To Walk in the Light (but in Spanish of course). I accompanied us on the guitar and incredibly I didn't mess up too much. :) I definitely have gotten a little rusty with the guitar and it was a little tricky, especially since I was trying to sing in Spanish and play at the same time but it was fun to play again.

It has been amazing to see how happy Demetrio and Alejandra are now that they both are baptized and working together to become the best they can be. When we first met them they had been seriously considering getting divorced and they had been thinking of it for a while. Now they are striving to live worthily so that they can be sealed in the temple to live together eternally. I know that this is not something that happens all the time. The thing that is special about them is that they both wanted the gospel, something that would give them direction and guidance and now that they've found it, it has helped bring them closer together as husband and wife, closer than ever before. They are just SO much happier together and just seeing them and being with them brings me so much joy.

One of their older sons (they have 4- 2 that live out of the house and 2 that live in the house- the one that came is only 20 but lives in Kennewick) came to the baptism and afterwards I asked him what he thought. His response helped me realize how much Demetrio had really changed. He said that the whole thing had actually been really emotional with him and that for the first time he had told his Dad he was proud of him. He never had a great relationship with him before but his Dad had told him he wanted to talk with him more. While talking with the son he said he was almost speechless and didn't know what else to say. He's just really happy to see his Dad making such big changes when before he was really stubborn and didn't seem like he was going to change. I think seeing his parents so happy now, has definitely planted a seed in his heart. My companion and I hope he will decide to listen to missionaries but we'll see.

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes families. Alejandra and Demetrio's family is just one of many that has been helped and strengthened because of the Gospel. They will always hold a special place in my heart. I love them so much.

On a lighter note, this week I feed a cow a handful of hay and got to pat it on the head so that was kinda fun. I also ate goat meat for the first time. It was pretty good- I had it with Alejandra and Demetrio. Their food is always delicious though so I enjoyed it. Also we ate a lot with someone else who just got baptized a couple weeks ago because she almost always makes us something when we come. She is an amazing cook. She has made us so many delicious things. I'll try to describe a couple things she has made for us.

• A green pepper that's kinda big stuffed with some kind of white cheese and then coated in a thin egg batter and fried.
• Potatoes mashed up with onion and seasoning and who knows what else and then shaped into patties and cooked in a pan kinda like a pancake- SO GOOD.
• Enchiladas- she's made several different kinds. One time they were just stuffed with cooked bell peppers I think with onions, but they were delicious. Another time potatoes and cheese, another time some type hamburger mixture. With the enchiladas we often have rice that is also incredibly delicious.
• Sopes...look up a picture cause my description isn't going to be good. She basically formed a flat small circle with raised edges out of some type of dough and cooked it in oil. They put a mixture of some type of meat with potatoes and other stuff on it, topped with lettuce, crema (basically sour cream), Parmesan cheese, and some type of tomato based sauce. Amazing.
• A soup/stew with sausage shaped into patties and potatoes and other things that made it really really yummy. :)
• Chocoflan- basically flan (which is like this milk based jello- really the only way I know how to describe it- you can look up a picture of it too. It's kinda yellow color with dark brown liquid at the bottom) with chocolate cake cooked on top. I've had this a few times and I really love it.

So basically I have come to love Hispanic food, or at least Maria's food. I would eat anything she cooked. Just trying not to get too fat. ;) This is why the mission has us exercise every morning. I now understand why people gain weight on a mission. My goal is not to...but I guess we'll see. I have been trying to work out hard so at least I know I'm trying to keep in shape...actually who am I kidding, I wasn't actually really in shape before my mission but maybe I will be by the end. :)
Well I hope everyone enjoys this incredibly long email- I actually tried to put some more effort into it this week. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

week16

Dear Family and Friends,

This week one of our investigators was baptized- Maria. She is so amazing and full of faith. Despite her fear of being immersed in water (because she almost drowned several years ago), she still was baptized. She bore her testimony afterwards and I can't express the joy I felt as she shared how she had been looking for somewhere where she would be as happy as she felt now. I know she feels so good because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  is the church of God. Through baptism she has taken one of many steps that lead back to our Father in Heaven, this step being one of the most crucial. There are still many things she has to do, but as she endures through life and continues on the path that leads to eternal life, she will feel the support and guidance of the Savior through the feelings and promptings of the Holy Ghost. She recieved the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday and she said she felt even better than when she was baptized which makes sense because baptism is not complete with out the conferring of the Holy Ghost.

Overall I have had a week full of trials of my patience and faith, but I am learning and growing so much. I love you all and hope you have a week full of happiness. Turn to the Lord in times of struggle and he will listen to your heart felt prayers. Sometimes answers don't seem to come immediately but they will come- often through the words or actions of another person.

Love,
Hermana Brighton

week 15

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been pretty awesome. We taught so many lessons and are seeing some amazing things. Two more people are getting baptized this month and they are so prepared. It's been amazing to see how the Lord puts people who are ready to accept the gospel in our path. A woman name Maria is getting baptized this Friday at 7 and then the husband of Alejandra (who got baptized last week) is getting baptized the 31st. I'm so happy for them and it has been amazing to see the changes that have occurred in their countenances and their way of viewing life. 

I know everything happens for a reason and although we may not always understand something in the moment, some day we will. I've had several moments this week where I've realized why I've had certain experiences in my life- to help me better relate to others I come in contact with and to help me better learn to trust in the Lord. I love the Book of Mormon and would like to extend a challenge to everyone to try to read daily in it, even if it's just a little bit. There is so much to learn and the Book of Mormon teaches a lot of those things we should learn in this life.

On a lighter note- we do a lot of driving in the dark and my companion and I have decided that there are some owls out there who have death wishes cause we've almost hit an owl several times. Also we almost hit another animal...not sure what it was...maybe some type of large rodent thing. Oh well, I don't think we hit it...barely missed it though.

The weather here has also been kinda crazy. It snowed then it melted then it slushed then it melted and the last couple days its been pretty nice. I'll just keep praying that we stay safe. All has been well though.

Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Brighton