Week 15 - December 16, 2019 - Cloudy With a Chance of Transfers

Okay okay, WHAT? This week went by crazy fast! Like I blinked and here we are!

This week, Sister Davis got sick, so we were house bound for a day and took it easy the next day. But she is feeling better now so all is well (please pray that I don't get sick because that would be miserable).

Last P-day we played a fun game of basketball with our district! It was our last activity with a couple of the Elders who are going home on Thursday! Crazy! 

We went caroling this week with the Elders as well! It was in our area so we visited some of the families that we love oh so dearly and it was a blast! Caroling is seriously one of my favorites! 

We had a great amount of lessons this week which was awesome! We are hoping to invite a few people to be baptized soon, so please keep us in your prayers when it comes to that! We even found some new people that we are going start teaching this week and we are stoked! We had a goal to find 3 new people this week and we reached it! Goals are awesome and the best when it comes motivation! 

We got our transfer call last night... AND ME AND SISTER DAVIS ARE STAYING TOGETHER IN SARATOGA!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!! I am so happy and so excited! This seriously NEVER happens. Companions usually aren't together this long, but at the end of the transfer it will be 4 and a half months together! We got a LOT of work to do before either one of us leaves! 

Yesterday, I gave a talk on the parable of the sower in Matthew 13! I talk about what each of the different places mean and how each of us will probably be in every single one of those places at least once in our life. The wayside is when our hearts are hard toward the teachings of Christ and the Spirit. The stony places are when we have a testimony, but our roots haven't been able to grow enough because of the shallow soil. As a result, when times get hard, we turn away from God. The thorns are the things and lies of the world. This one is probably the most common place that we will find ourselves. I remember a time where I was being "choked by thorns" and it was very dark. But I remember praying for.strength to get me through, and God delivered. He sent His son Jesus Christ to suffer for our sins and to suffer our pains and afflictions. In that moment, my whole attitude changed because Christ was there for me and I could feel it! He helped me fight back against the adversary. He gave me the strength to get back on my feet. 

I am so grateful for my Savior, and for a loving Heavenly Father who listens to my prayers and cares about me. There is so much hope this gospel brings and I have felt it! Trust in God. Lean on Christ. They love you. They need you here, on their team. 

I love you all so so much! Today is a really busy day, so I won't be responding to any emails, but please know how much I love and care for each of you! 

Love, 

Sister Brady

Pictures: Our landlord's dog, DB!

Week 14 - December 9, 2019 - A Baptism ft. My Cousin?

Helloooooo! I hope everyone is having a bright and shiny and wonderful day! This week has been insane!!

For starters, OREGON BEAT UTAH AND IM SO PROUD OF MY TEAM:') But that has nothing to do with missionary work... oops

On Tuesday, we had dinner at one of our Bishops house and his nephew just happens to be Elder Sonne, who served in my YSA back home! It was crazy to see him and have the roles reversed! But it was also great go see a familiar face! 

Last P-Day, me and my companion spent sometime in the snowy mountains of Israel Canyon! And we slid the entire way and my feet froze so yay for me! But it was fun to get out of the house.

The Christmas season IS here and so are all the ward Christmas parties! Me and my companion sang at a few of them this week! We even got to sing our original song too which was the best! I really love singing that song. It is truly my testimony of who my Savior is! Email me if you want it and me and my companion can send you a voice recording of it :) 

So apparently all the missionaries in our mission get to work the giving machines at University Place Mall in Orem, so me and Sister Davis will be working it on the 16th from 3-6pm!!! We are SO excited!!!

The BEST thing that happened this week was that Thanya got baptized!!!!! She was so excited and she was like "that was so easy! I don't know why I was so scared!" She was also jumping around into her jumpsuit showing all of her friends hahaha. She is the cutest! And one of her best friends turns out to be my cousin, Ryan! And he came to the baptism which was crazy! What are the odds! With the Christmas season approaching, it was definitely nice to see a family member!  But seriously, what were the chances.

The baptism was truly beautiful. And I'm so so so happy for Thanya. There is nothing like seeing someone come unto Christ. And especially someone who was as ready as Thanya was! She constantly expressed to us how she was in need of something more and how she knew baptism was the next step! I think this is the step for a lot of people and they just don't know it! I encourage you all to come and know your Savior. He will help fill the holes in your life. Jesus Christ loves you! He needs you on His team. He did what He did for each and everyone of us. And our Heavenly Father has a plan for each and everyone of us. Trust them! 

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and support and prayers. You all mean so much to me! 

Love,

Sister Brady

Pictures

1. Thanya's Baptism!!

2. I hurt my wrist....

3. Elder Sonne (or Jake now??)

4. SNOW

5. Christmas Treeee

6. My COUSIN

Week 13 - December 2, 2019 - So That's What We Call It These Days

Shalom! Welcome back to my channel!! 

This week went by really fast and I did not expect that! But this week has been super busy which has been AWESOME! 

We had a lot of lessons this week and we were able to meet with Thanya again! She is on date for this weekend, so hopefully you will be hearing about how awesome her baptism is in my next email! She is such an amazing person and I am so excited for her! Keep sending prayers her way!

It was also Thanksgiving this week! Yay! And it was awesome! Me and my companion wrote a Thanksgiving song and sang it to both of the families we ate with. That's right! We ate with two families!! And they are such wonderful people! I feel so blessed to know both of these families and they definitely made my first holiday away from home easier! 

Also, thank you to everyone who emails me, reads my emails, and shows support to me! You guys are amazing and mean so much to me! Thank you thank you thank you! 

We officially have a new handbook as a mission! Ahhh! And we dont have any extra rules, or super new rules! It is super cool though to have a new handbook! Our mission president is awesome and trusts us a lot to make good decisions! He is the best! And this new handbook is awesome because it teaches us more skills that we can take for after the mission! Super rad! 

The new Christ Child video came out too, and after watching it, I want everyone to see it! It is amazing!!! I seriously think it is one of the best films the church has put out! Its finally the Christmas season, and it's the best! We have the beat opportunity right now to share and to talk about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ! I think this is technically an all year thing, but especially during this time, let's remember why we have this Holiday. Our Savior did so many amazing things for me AND for you! For EVERYONE! He doesn't ask for much in return. All he asks is for us to follow Him. To strive to be more like Him. To keep His commandments. In return, we can receive exaltation and live with Him and God again. How beautiful is that? How lucky are we to have someone who loves us perfectly when we are far from perfect? How wonderful is it to have a Father in Heaven who was willing to give us His son, so our sins and pains and trials would be conquered with someone who understands? I feel an immense amount of love for my Heavenly Father and Savior. 

This Christmas season, I invite you to come to know your Savior better. Read your scriptures. Pray to Heavenly Father. Love and serve each other. Reach out to Christ because I can promise He is reaching out to you. 

I love you all and I am thankful for each of you! Have a wonderful week! Send emails and pictures! 

Love, 

Sister Brady

Pictures: 

1. Me and my cute comp in matching outfits

2. Our Christmas tree!!!

3. It SNOWED

4. Honestly, I don't know

Week 12 - November 25, 2019 - Quick Quap

Ola! I hope all is well in your places of living. I miss you all so much and I appreciate the prayers and support I've gotten from each and every one of you. you guys mean so much to me.

This week has been crazy, But there have been good things that have happened as well.

It started out with me on Tuesday, Taking over the area for the very 1st time. I was so scared. Good news though, All went well. I was with sister Renan's that day.  She is usually an Eagle Mountain but both of our companions had a meeting that day, so we both were companions for the day. She is super sweet and it was a lot of fun to switch things up for today. And I learned I could run an area #ScaryExclamationMark.

Also, I am kind of lazy today and using the speak to text voice thing, so if anything comes out weird that's why.

Our week was a little bit sad. We are supposed to have to baptisms on Saturday, but one of them fell off date due to one parent pushing back. Our other one, Tanya got pushed back to the next week. Please pray that we can move forward with Tanya. 

We started teaching someone new this week. He is 9 years old and his mom actually wanted us to start teaching him so he could be baptized! She is inactive, but super supportive of her son! We are so excited! 

We did a lot of walking and contacting this week, and good news! I did wear a jacket this time! Other than that though, are week has been pretty slow for some reason. We've had appointments, but we've also had people cancel. I am noticing that the closer it gets to the holiday season, the more people are busy or out of town. Who knew! 

At the end of the week, I got sick. I am still recovering and it is not fun. But I should be better by tomorrow! Fingers crossed!

This week, I just feel a lot of love for my Savior. It is definitely starting to feel a lot like the Holidays, and with Thanksgiving coming up, I feel and an extreme amount of gratitude for my Savior and His Atonement. He suffered so much for my sins AND my pains. He knows ME! He knows each of us. And my life would be a complete 180 from where I am now without Him. My heart is full of gratitude and love for my Savior. I am also grateful for a loving Heavenly Father, who has shown me His love through each and everyone of you. I dont believe in coincidences. I know you are all in my life, on my email list, and in my thoughts for a reason. Thank you for being examples and influences in my life! I would not be the person I am today without all of you, my family, my Heavenly Father, and my Savior, Jesus Christ and His gospel. 

I hope you guys have an amazing Thanksgiving this week! Keep being rockstars and good humans! You all have a special place in my heart! 

Love, 

Sister Brady:)

Week 11 - November 18, 2019 - Ight, Imma Head Out

Zooooweeeee! Another week! And I honestly cannot even remember what happened this week! But I will try my best! 

On Monday, I did probably the coolest thing I have ever done! I had a staring contest with a kid we are trying to get to go to church and it last 48 MINUTES!!!! Yes, I held my eyes open for 48 minutes and beat the world record. I'm insane. But he said he would go to church! 

We had monthly interviews with our mission president this week! He's super awesome and he cares a lot about his missionaries which I am grateful for! 

A lot of people canceled on us for appointments this week, SO we did a lot of walking and street contacting (well, Utah style). It was nice though because I got to know the neighborhoods a little bit better and we met some cool people. And scheduled a few appointments!! The best part about this was seeing people's reaction when I wasn't wearing a coat! In my defense though, it wasn't THAT cold!

We also did this fun thing called a district blitz where we go to an apartment complex as a district (5 companionships) and knock the doors and see who lives there. We did it in the evening and it was fun just to knock doors and meet people! Once again, I did not have a coat on and people thought I was crazy! Maybe next time I will wear a coat... 

ANYWAY, the COOLEST thing that happened this week was with Joe. For a quick reminder about Joe, he is 85 years old and his wife and children are all members of the church! We had a great lesson with him on Thursday. We read 2 Nephi 9, and got to talking about baptism. We talked about what it would mean to not only him, but to his family as well. The spirit was so strong, so Sister Davis jumped at the chance and invited him to be baptized next month!! And he didn't say no!! But please, please, please keep him in your prayers! He is so close! 

This week has been a week of coming to understand and know my Savior a little better. My mission president encouraged me to start reading "Jesus the Christ" and it is AWESOME! But I have found myself, this week at least, focusing a lot on the gift of grace. Specifically the grace of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. This gift is amazing. A lot of people think that we believe that we are saved by "works" and not grace. That's not true though! We are saved by grace "after all that we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). We are given commandments from God and we are told to keep them. However, we are all imperfect people. We all fall short. But it is through Christ's grace and suffering that we can be made whole again. He can help us turn our life around after we mess up. And it is all about what we do after we turn to Christ. It is about striving to be more like Him! His grace is real and it saves us! But we can't just not do anything because we know that. We keep the commandments and strive to be more like Christ because we LOVE God and His Son. That's why we do it! And that is why I am here serving the people of Utah. Not because I felt obligated to, but because I have felt the grace of my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And I my heart is filled with love for them. That is why I am serving a mission. And I know there is no other place God wants me to be right now than here. 

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers, support, emails, and pictures. They bring me so much joy! Keep sending them my way pleeeaaaseee!! 

Love,

Sister Brady

Ps. If you ever need someone to pray for you, email me and I will add you to my prayers

Pictures! 

1. Staring Contest

2. We fit our whole district in the car! 

3. Utah is pretty :)

4. My companion and meee

Week 10 - November 11, 2019 - Dear Pepe'

Yo yo yoooo another week has come and gone and honestly, it's not okay. Where is the time going?? I feel like I just left like yesterday. This is weird. Ahhhhh. 

I just wanted to say thank you for all the emails and the prayers. I have definitely felt them and they have helped so much! I love hearing from you guys and getting updates from back home! So again, thank you! 

This week has been wonderful! I don't even know where to begin! We met with Thanya again, and we invited her to be baptized... and SHE SAID YES!!!!! AHHH IT WAS SO COOL!!! I am so excited for her, and as long as there are no complications with her parents, she will be getting baptized in just a couple weeks! It is so amazing to be able to watch her journey with God and Jesus Christ happen. That's definitely a perk of being a missionary! 

We also started teaching someone new which is super awesome! Her name is Ruby and she is just the sweetest thing. I look forward to seeing how that goes with her! 

I mentioned this last week, but Transfers officially happened and it was sad to see some of our district and zone go, but the new people are awesome and it will be fun getting to know them! I am just glad that I'm staying with my super awesome companion. She rocks! 

One of the coolest things that happened this week though was that last night we had a "Why I Believe" devotional. This is a thing that our mission president started, where he invites someone to come and talk about their conversion story to the gospel of Jesus Christ! And we got to hear from Tony Finau and his wife! For those of you who do not know who that is, he is a professional golfer who just got picked for the Presidents Cup which is rad. But honestly it was the most amazing event I have been to. We brought Thanya which was super cool and me and my companion sang the musical number (YIKES). It went well, but I was super nervous and we sang it a capella hahahahah BUT IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE! And I got to shake his hand which was groovy. Man, the spirit that was there though was absolutely beautiful. I wish you all could have been there. 

In the spirit of that wonderful event that we had last night, I would like to share why I believe. I have had my ups and downs in my life just like every person, and I have made my fair share of mistakes too. But I will say this, I have never felt more peace in my life, more guidance, more joy in my life than when I am trusting in God, putting my faith in Christ, and living the commandments. The world screams at us that certain things will bring us happiness, but if those things aren't in line with the commandments of God or are contrary to the truth, the will only hurt us in the long run. I've learned that the happiness that the world offers is only temporal. The joy that Christ and our Heavenly Father offer is eternal. It will always be there. Through stormy days and happy days. It is simply always there. I have felt that and know it. And that is why I believe! 

I love you all so so much. Please send emails and pictures! I will try my best to respond (sometimes days get busy)!!!! 

Love,

Sister Brady

Pictures:

1. We matched our drinks we had that day! 

2. We got a new car and I found a hat in it that I really like

3. THIS IS MY FAVORITE SIGN and every missionary gets a pic there so why not me?

4. An Elder in my old district that oddly looks like my nephew???

Week 9 - November 4, 2019 - JTM!!!

It is the dreaded transfer week... and me and Sister Davis ARE STAYING TOGETHER IN SARATOGA SPRINGS WOOT WOOT! We are so happy! We still have a lot of work to do here and we are thrilled to keep doing that! Part of our district is leaving though and I am super bummed. We went on a district activity today and I'm going to miss the Elders that are leaving! Sad day:( 

Me and my companion have become obsessed with JTM (James the Mormon). He actually has some pretty cool and missionary appropriate music! It is the best! 

Speaking of the BEST.. we found someone new to teach!!! Her name is Thonya and she isn't technically in our area, but we got special permission to teach her!! And she is soooo ready for the good news of this gospel!! We had our first lesson with her and she said she believed that it was true! This is by far the coolest experience ever for me! This gospel is so so so true!! I cant wait to keep teaching her!

This week has been crazy busy though! On Halloween, we got to go to the temple! It was so amazing! I love going to the temple and I love the beauty and peace that it brings into my life. Highly recommend going to the temple or at LEAST visiting temple grounds once a week! If I wasn't on a mission, I totally would! 

On Friday though, we got to hear from an apostle of the Lord! Elder Rasband came and spoke to our entire mission!!! It was so cool! He spoke to us a lot about how we are meant to be here and we are needed here! It meant so much to me to hear that. I know a lot of people might think that Utah missions aren't really cool and or necessary, but those people are so wrong. There are so many people here who need this gospel right here in Utah county. We are teaching people who are learning how they can come closer to Christ! I dont care what anyone says, but the Lord is gathering his elect to Utah and my job is to help them become closer to Christ! 

I am so grateful for the teachings of Christ. I am grateful for his love for me individually. Sometimes it is hard to feel God's love when we feel that we are far from perfect. But God is perfect. He does not make mistakes. He understands that we will mess up and go through hard times. He knows we get prideful. But he still loves us. He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, so we don't have to live with our sins and mistakes for the rest of our lives. I encourage us all, including myself, to swallow our pride and turn to Him. Talk to Him. He loves you more than you know! 

I love you guys so much! Thank you for your words of encouragement and the prayers. I have felt them immensely! I am here for God and for all of you! Keep believing and trusting in God! :)

Send emails and pictures!! 

Love,

Sister Brady:)

Ps. Me and my companion dressed up as my mission president and his wife for Halloween hahaah

Week 8 - October 28, 2019 - Taco Bellllllll

Guys. I'm getting taco bell today and I'm so excited. You have NO idea. I love gross but also really yummy fast food. And you know what, TREAT YO SELF. 

This week has been awesome though! I'm honestly just trying to remember it hahah. 

We had some ward parties this weekend because Halloween is on Thursday! (ok that's just weird) the ward parties were so much fun though! They had it all set up and decorated all over the church with games and everything! It was so cool! At one of them, the bishop asked me and Sister Davis to sing the song we wrote. Thankfully, Sister Davis brought her ukulele and we could do it! It is so cool being able to share a message of Christ through song! I love music!! 

We also spake at church yesterday! Again! It was about... you guessed it! Sharing the gospel! The thing that I really tried to emphasize the most is that we missionaries need YOU to help and so does God! Just because we wear a nametag and you dont doesn't mean that you can't be a missionary RIGHT NOW!!! Come be a part of the Lord's work! It's the best!

The biggest thing we did this week was exchanges! So for those who do not know what exchanges are, they are when you basically trade companions for 24 hours! So I was with Sister Comstock in the Polynesian Stake! And Polynesian people are the best! I met so many amazing people that day! And Sister Comstock was soooooo much fun to be with!!! Me and her laughed a ton and had a really good time! Next week though, I'll take her companion and I will run this area for a day (SCARY)!!! 

Teaching has been good, but we still need a lot more people to teach! Please pray for us! There are a lot of people that we dont know of yet who need Christ's gospel! Keep us in your prayers!

This week was definitely a week of growing closer to my Savior for me. It started with the song we shared on Facebook and then the attention it got. Which was UNBELIEVABLE for us! I was honestly expecting like 25 likes. Or less. But over 150 likes and over 3,000 views! Thank you! I know that everything we sang it that song is TRUE! Christ bore all of our sins. He knows our pains. He knows our weaknesses. And he loves us in spite of it all. He and God love us when we are happy and when we are struggling. Their love is perfect. If we asks for Christ's help, he can make us whole again. He will help us return to God. He is with us every step of the way, even when we think he isn't. 

I love my Savior. I love my Father in Heaven who has given me so much. They love you as well. They know you. They need you on their team. Turn to them. 

Please send emails. Please send pictures. I will try my best to respond! I love you all!

Sister Brady

Week 7 - October 21, 2019 - Caffeine Addicted Teens

Salahm and good evening to you! (Hah get it. Aladdin.)

Another Pday??? Already?? Is this for real?? I can't believe it's been another week, but boy has it been a busy one! Where do I even start? 

So many of the kids here hang out at the gas station and drink red bull. Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with Utah. SOMETIMES. 

We had the Saratoga Springs Temple Ground Breaking this weekend!! Sister Davis and I spent all of Friday night in the freezing cold dropping off flyers for it in the freezing cold. I'm not gonna lie, I had to rely A LOT on God to push through! But it was a very refreshing feeling when we finished and i was glad we did it! The groundbreaking itself was so cool and I can't wait to watch this temple go up! I feel so lucky to be a part of this journey!

The weather this week has been the "calm before the storm." I can tell that is gonna snow soon... I just KNOW it. And it's only October! What the heck?? It did rain on Saturday and I was SO happy!!! It felt and smelt like Oregon rain. I almost cried. Sister Davis was not as happy. She ran to the car while I stood outside. RIP Sister Davis during the winter time. 

I experienced my first zone conference and that was wild. At the moments where I least expected it, the mission president would call on me to answer his question, so I mean that was pretty stressful! But I made it! And they had really yummy burrito salad things for lunch and I was in HEAVEN for 30 minutes. 

The teaching is going good! No one new yet, but we will find them! This week was hard because everyone was on fall break and out of town. Literally half of the people we asked to come visit didnt even text us back. Oof. We took the L this week on appointments. BUT with the lessons we did have we felt the spirit and I could tell they did too! 

Sister Davis and I also started writing songs this week! It was spur of the moment, but it was super fun!! Its just us sharing our testimony through music. And I love that I get this chance to! We shared it a lot this weekend with people we love! We are going to post it on Facebook so stayed tune!!! (And share it!!!!) 

I talked in two wards this Sunday and it was insane. One talk was only 5 min, but one had to be like 15 min and I didnt know till we got there! But they went well! We talked about loving others as Christ does and that's what I want to share with you all today! Sometimes we over complicate what the gospel of Jesus Christ is! We think we have to say elegant phrases about the teachings that Christ taught. But we dont! We should just be trying to be like Him! Christ loved everyone and we should do the same. Just because someone doesn't believe what we believe or think the same way as us doesn't mean that we can be unkind or unloving towards them! The arr still God's child and our spirit brother or sister! Let us all work to love everyone the way Christ does. Unconditionally and as perfectly as possible in our earthly life. 

I love you all! God loves you! Christ loves you! They know you! They are with you every step of the way! Keep enduring. It is so worth it and the blessings will be unimaginable! 

Sister Brady :)

Week 6 - October 14th, 2019 - I met famous people (well their mom and dad)

Shalom! 

Another week has passed us by, and I am not sure how! I'm trying hard to remember what exactly happened this week! 

We have been sharing a lot of messages with members which is awesome! We are really trying to stress how important they are to the missionary effort! The families here are so wonderful too! And they all the most creative names (I mean this is Utah, so it makes sense)! 

I met the Canaan family this week (they are members), and we were talking about how I am a theatre major and they casually said their son was on Broadway for 25 years! And they showed me a picture and their son is Paul Canaan! I'm sure no one knows who that is, but I do and I couldn't believe it! Then she showed us a bunch of videos and pictures of him with my favorite Broadway stars. Oh my gosh I have to say that I was definitely in heaven for 45 min. 

BUT on a more spiritual note, we found some new people to teach! One of them is named scarlett and she is the sweetest thing! And her brother is super nice as well. Scarlet is 11 and her brother, Ellis is 14. AND THEY LOVE US WHICH IS THE BEST PART! We are going to start teaching them every week which is awesome!! 

We did a lot of door knocking because we are trying to pass out flyers for the temple ground breaking, and we met a good chunk of people! Some of them weren't interested, but some of them were totally okay with us coming back to share a message with them!! So yay!! 

On Saturday, we got to help finish the shovels for the temple ground breaking in Saratoga Springs! It was a nice break from door knocking and member messages and service always feels awesome! I encourage all of you guys to serve at any opportunity you get. It will bless you and the people you serve. And it makes you feel good! Win win situation, amiright???

Our mission president has challenged us to memorize 10 scriptures about Christ. I am honestly really excited about this challenge because I really want to know the scriptures better! One scripture I am memorizing is in the Book of Mormon. It is 2 Nephi 33:6, and it says, "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell." I know it's not super long, but it's super powerful to me. The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, and through him we can be made whole. It is not some big complicated thing, it is just this. God and Jesus Christ love each and everyone of you reading this. You are His sons and daughters. Turn to Him. Find peace in Him.

I love you all!! Thank you for your love and support! I think and pray for you every day! Miss you dearly! 

Please send me emails and pictures! It makes my day!!

Sister Brady:)

Week 5 - October 7, 2019 - Everything's a Blur

Heyooooo family and friends! 

I hope your week has been awesome! My week has flown by and I can't believe it's P-Day! Also, we had general conference this weekend! Wasn't it absolutely AMAZING?? I really didn't appreciate it when I was younger.  

I'm trying to think about what i did this week.  Last p-day we went on a hike and i sent pictures of that last time. I'm not gonna lie. It's not like the homes in Oregon and i was a little disappointed! You just really can't beat Oregon beauty!! It was still beautiful though and a nice break from looking at houses all day hahahah! 

On Tuesday we visited the people in charge of making the shovels for the temple ground breaking! For those that don't know what I'm talking about, there is a temple being built in Saratoga Springs (so IN MY area!!!!). For the start of construction, one of our apostles comes and uses a shovel to represent the starting of construction and then many others join in as well with shovels to start the ground breaking! It's super cool! Unfortunately, we don't get to go, but we get to watch it at a chapel!! I'm SO excited!

Also, a TEMPLE IN OREM???? We will be the first mission ever to have two temples under construction at the same time. And we will be the first mission ever to have 3 temples in it!!! I feel so lucky to be here at such a historic time! 

We started teaching Silviano the follow up lessons. He is progressing so well and I'm so proud of him! He truly has a testimony and I can see it when we teach him. 

Joe has been sick so keep him in your prayers!! They think it's just allergies, so hopefully he will get better soon! 

We knocked doors again this week and we are trying so hard to find new people to teach. It's so hard when people open the door, see our tags, and want nothing to do with us. If a missionary knocks on any of your doors PLEASE invite them in! The need some uplifting vibes! We get rejected a lot! 

This weekend of general conference was crazy! We were at a new place for each session and running to do things inbetween! But honestly, it felt a little bit like Christmas for us. We are usually the ones teaching, so it was nice to sit and be taught by prophets and apostles of God! 

As I reflect on the things that were said and the truths that I learned this weekend, the one I want to focus on is our faith. More importantly, the questions that may rise as we continue on our journey here on earth.  We are all going to have questions and moments where our faith is going to waver. Some of us will probably have some doubts as well. We need to understand that these questions are okay. Talk about them with those you trust and church leaders. If we think they are bad, they fester and Satan's lies take over our thoughts. God doesn't expect us to understand and know everything. What He asks of us is that we trust Him. If we don't understand a principle, pray to Him and ask for understanding and peace regarding that question or concern. The answer may not come right away or in the way we expect, but if we are honest and sincere, God will bless us. If any of you feel that your faith is diminishing, fight for it. The first step is a hope for the things that are true. If that's where you are at, that is okay! God loves you! He hears your prayers! The trials and experiences you go through are for your good! Continue doing the things that he has asked you to do! Pray to Him! Read the Book of Mormon and Bible! The truly are the words of our Heavenly Father and Christ! When you do these things, especially when  you have questions or doubts, the Lord will speak to you! Some one at conference said, "we may lose faith in God, but He will never lose faith in us." 

Everything comes back to Christ though. As you search for more understanding, search for Christ. I know He lives. I know He loves me and He loves you. Turn to Him in your hour of need! I know He will be there for you because he has been there for me! 

I love you all! Thank you for your love and support! You mean the world to me! 

Sister Brady

P.S. my mission home address is 612 W 100 S Lindon, Utah 84042 (cause my mom said people might want it?)