Dear Family and Friends,

This Sunday a family we have been teaching for a few weeks came to church and I was so happy!!! :) The parents are just incredible and they need to get married before they can be baptized but there is nothing preventing them from getting married and they are going to work with el presidente de la rama so that they can get married soon. They are both just so ready and everything we teach they fully accept and just love, even the Law of Chastity which they immediately committed to live (though they are still in the same house). They are sleeping in separate rooms, one in the bedroom and one on the couch. At first thought if makes me kinda laugh that they would do that when they are going to get married so soon but really thinking about it, I am amazed by their absolute faith and desire to follow God's commandments. They truly are an example to me, and I love them so much. Along with this family of 5, 2 other investigators came to church, one of which is preparing to be baptized on the 12 of December. It was an amazing Sunday.

As well there were 4 baptisms in our branch on Sunday evening. It was a father who's sons had already joined the church over the past couple years, and then 3 youth in another family, who's parents will hopefully be baptized soon. It was an incredible experience and there were so many people there to support them in the incredible choice they each had taken to be baptized.

After the baptism that night, at seven o'clock there was a fireside at which Alex Boye came and spoke. He has an amazing conversion story and while listening it made me think about how even though each of our stories are different we are all converted to the same gospel. We are here to share our experiences to help one another and to strengthen and encourage each other on the path back to our Heavenly Father. Everyone is unique and different but that is not a bad thing. We need to use our strengths to help others come unto Christ. The fireside went pretty long and we didn't get back until late.

It's been snowing here in Yakima and Tuesday morning during our exercise time we went out and had a snowball fight because it was the first snow fall of the year. Since then it's snowed a couple more times and it will probably start sticking more now, though the snow from Tuesday stuck around all week in places where the sun doesn't hit as much.

Well transfer calls happened this past Saturday. I'll be staying here in Yakima with Sister Bailey but we will also be receiving another Sister because Hermana Bailey will be going home mid transfer in order to be home to go to school in January.

There are so many exciting things happening in our area and I look forward to the coming weeks and the miracles we will see. 

Love you all so much!

Hermana Brighton

week 59

Autumn Leaves, Jesus Doesn't
Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving this week! Hope its wonderful and that you take time to really think about your blessings and even make this a habit throughout the year. 

It is getting colder here and we've had to scrap ice off our car most mornings. As well we've been getting little snow flurries today. We'll see if it ends up sticking at all.

We had stake conference this weekend and I remember that faith was a big topic. I invite all to study it and think about what faith is.

I know that when we have faith in Christ we are able to have hope and be much happier in this life. I'm grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that I can become better each day of my life, each moment even.

I love you all!

Hermana Brighton

week 58

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope everyone had a great week! I don't have a lot of time left this week to write but this week has been busy and full of learning and growing opportunities. I am growing to love my mission more and more every day, even though its hard sometimes. It's worth it. 

We are teaching this incredible family that hasn't come to church yet but I feel like next week will be the week! The mother Carmen is incredible and has been reading the Book of Mormon since we gave it to her and she loves to look up the cross references at the bottom and she has told us she just knows it has got to be true because it's teachings are so similar to the bible and they just go together so well. She just really understands things as we teach and I love it! Hna Bailey and I also had this opportunity of finding people that we referred off to the English missionaries that were just really awesome. We met this one man named Ken while walking down the street at the end of the night and when we invited him to be baptized, he accepted and wanted to come to church and learn more. Hope the Elders get to teach him more.

Well I love you all and wish you a wonderful coming week!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

Week 57

Dear Family and Friends,

This week Hermana Bailey and I had a lot of meetings that we went to as part of our leadership calls. I'm starting to realize that I am kinda more like one of those get out and do people, not just sit around and talk about what we are going to do. I do know that it is important to make plans though and I did enjoy the insights and spiritual experiences I had in the meetings. They were opportunities to feel the spirit testify of the importance and truthfulness of what we do, and made me more excited to get out and work and share the restored gospel. 

There are a few people that we have been focusing on this past week, but Hermana Bailey and I had been wanting to get out and find some more people in a specific section of our area and we were finally able to do that Sundaynight. We were able to find some good people that we have return appointments with as well as others that we could tell the English Elders to go visit. A very awesome moment was after saying a prayer with someone that was simple and sincere and after saying amen, the guy looked at us and was like "That's what's up! I like that." He was just really pretty interested in the first place and the prayer at the end I feel like really drove the simplicity and beauty of our message home to him. We are sending the English missionaries his way.

This past Saturday there was a baptism of a boy in our branch that we went to and helped out with the music. A recent convert and his 10 year old daughter came and we were excited for his daughter to see someone get baptized closer to her own age. We are wanting to teach her more to help her prepare for baptism as well. It's something that she seems to want, but we just need to help her learn more about and what it means.

Earlier in the week we went to a place called Northwest Harvest and helped out for a couple hours sorting vegetables- mostly peppers. I always enjoy getting to do something active during our service opportunities. It's amazing to me how much produce gets donated around here in Yakima, but it's awesome that there are just so many people willing to do that. We usually go to this place once a week and we have sorted all kinds of vegetables- bell peppers, jalapenos, all types of squash, onions, and more.

Well I hope everyone has a great week! I know that what I am testifying of as a missionary is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior. His church and the fullness of His gospel was restored through a living prophet Joseph Smith and I know we receive continued revelation and guidance through living prophets today. I love the Book of Mormon. I know it is true. It is physical evidence of the truthfulness of the first vision and the restoration of the church of Christ to the earth today. In moments of trial or difficulty I pray and study the Book of Mormon and by doing these things I receive additional strength and encouragement. I invite all to do the same. 

I love you all!

Hermana Brighton

Week 56

Dear Family and Friends,

This morning I went with the missionaries in my zone to the temple down in Kennewick. It was a wonderful experience that I am grateful for. I'm grateful for the tender mercies I have experienced through out this past week that have helped me continue faithfully doing the Lord's work and given me strength and support that wasn't my own. I know that God puts us in certain places at certain times to help us learn and make us stronger- to help us develop a depth of soul and character that we wouldn't be able to develop otherwise.

I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is what allows us to have hope. As we have faith in Christ, we trust that He knows us and can help us. I love the Book of Mormon. I know it is inspired by God and written by prophets. I have seen how as I read the scriptures searching for answers I have found answer after personal answer to my questions. I feel like I am doing better than ever because I am really learning to recognize the answers God is giving me as I honestly sincerely seek them.

This past week I got to go on two different exchanges with sisters in our stewardship- in Selah and in Toppenish. It was so awe-inspiring to work with these sisters and see their individual talents and abilities and learn from them. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve as a Sister Training Leader because I get to learn so much from other missionaries. It's incredible!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! Hope you had a fun Halloween!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

week 55

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been pretty good. It's nice that I didn't have to pack everything to move into a different area, rather I just had to change bedrooms. Ha, the only struggle has been going into the wrong bedroom sometimes. Otherwise things haven't been to crazy. The new area I'm in is not as predominantly Hispanic as the previous but we are finding people to teach. It's been really incredible to see how the Lord has guided us to people who we needed to talk to and we were then able to send the English Elders to go meet them. 

A little while ago I found a quote I really love.

"If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

I really like this because we are reminded that there is always opposition but that doesn't mean we should give up. Even the best people have had to be confronted with trials and struggles. Christ himself suffered "pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind" so that He could know how to succor His people- us. I believe that sometimes we pass through certain hardships so that we can know how to help others who experience similar hard times. I'm grateful for a Savior who understands me perfectly. I've always loved the words to the hymn "Where Can I Turn For Peace?" because they remind me of the unfailing source of hope and comfort I have when I may think no one else understands what I'm going through.

1. Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart,
Searching my soul?

2. Where, when my aching grows,
Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

3. He answers privately,
Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind,
Love without end.

So I hope everyone has a wonderful week and remembers our true source of comfort and strength and hope, our Savior Jesus Christ and what He did for us.

I love you all!

Hermana Brighton

Week 54

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was the last week of the transfer and we received our transfer calls this past Saturday. I accepted the assignment to become a Sister Training Leader and my new (not-so-new) companion will be Hermana Bailey. It will be fun working with her again because she was my companion for a transfer when I went back to Royal for the second time. 

So I will be staying in Yakima and will be working in a different area, but will still be in the same Spanish branch. I'm looking forward to learning A LOT as I work more closely with other Sister missionaries and do all I can to help and serve them.

Some great verses of scripture I'm ponderizing for the week is 1 Nephi 10:18-19. I love how it says we have to search diligently to really find out and understand the mysteries of God. We have to put forth effort in order to receive and/or find answers. We can't just expect answers to come easily all the time, exactly when we want them. I know this is true and I love when after a long search or diligent study I am able to receive guidance from the Spirit of God that helps me better understand different doctrines and principles of the gospel and how I can better apply them in my personal life.

So kind of funny news is that I will still be living in the same house as my old companion yet I will have a new companion and my old companion will be training a new missionary. It should be an interesting adjustment these next couple weeks, but it should all be fine. Because we've been receiving so many new missionaries they've had to change a lot of housing arrangements in order to accommodate the new missionaries. I'm looking forward to a great transfer though, full of learning and changing for the better.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful week! 

Love you all!

Hermana Brighton