Week 52 - December 28, 2020 - "jOsEY dOg"

helloooooo my good people. my dear friends and loved ones. those who read my emails and the ones who have it go directly to spam.... the transfer calls have arrived... and SISTER MATTHEWS IS LEAVING ME. Kind of rude if you ask me:/

But i am staying and getting a new companion. I was terrified that i would be training, but be not alarmed. I am not! But my new companion will be Sister Little and she looks super sweet! 

This week has been an amazing week to end on! First of all, MERRY CHRISTMAS OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! It was definitely a treat to be able to see and talk to my family! It was maybe a little bit chaotic but its fine! I am so grateful to everyone that has supported me on this journey. Best christmas gift a girl could ask for is yall! 

We had a lot of good lessons this week! And I guess the biggest and coolest thing that happened is that Christian agreed to be baptized!!! Like... what???? It was seriously a miracle and the spirit was so strong! So he will be getting baptized on the 17th of January! We are so so happy for him:) 

Me and my companion spoke in church yesterday and that was pretty fun! We spoke on goals and that's been taking up a lot of my thoughts the past few days. I personally hate new years resolutions because I think that goals can be made ALL year round. They arent just a one and done thing. And for that matter, neither is the Atonement of Jesus Christ! We can change and improve every single day. That is a promise from God to us. So this isn't me saying "goals arent important" because they TOTALLY are!!! Goals see where we could be and plans help us get there. And God sets goals so shouldn't we? I just think everyday is a fresh start, so let's repent and use the Atonement of Jesus Christ cause it's awesome! 

Well thank you for coming to my TedTalk! Love you all! Thanks for everything! 

Love,

Sister Brady

Week 51 - December 21, 2020 - Sophomoric tendencies

Wow what a week. We got out of quarantine Wednesday which was awesome!! The work is going but everyone is getting sick which is so so sad! 

We had a lot of good meetings though with Stefano and guess what!!!! HE IS ON DATE TO BE BAPTIZED ON JANUARY!!!! WE ARE SO SO SO EXCITED FOE HIM!!! OH MY GOSH HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK!!! He is so ready, he just needed that confirmation for himself. He reads the Book of Mormon and prays everyday. Ugh. I'm so proud of him! He is a dear friend.

There were lots of Christmas parties this week (covid friendly don't worry!) And it was SO wonderful to finally meet the people in the area. I have felt so out of touch with the whole being quarantine thing so I love being out and about and doing missionary work again! 

This week has been a little hard, but all is well. As always I appreciate your prayers and good vibes. I love you guys so much!!! Have a very merry Christmas (or holiday if you don't celebrate Christmas)!!! Stay positive and remember you have a Savior who understands perfectly! 

Love, 

Sister Brady!

Ps. I hit 1 year! What???? 6 more months:)

Week 50 - December 14, 2020 - my life is a bad snl skit

 sooooo, out of EVERYTHING that could have happened this week, sister matthews and I got thrown back into quarentine and tested for covid (well her not me). Basically, our mission President's wife thought she might be contagious since other people were starting to get sick. She didnt have any symptoms but here we are. 

Sis Brady & Matthews: 0

Covid: 2

We arent exactly sure what this means quarentine wise because she doesnt have symptoms (but she is tired so I guess that's a symptom) but yeah, looks like we will just have to wait this one out. SO PLEASE PRAY FOR US!!! 

The hotel we live at has been super nice and they even left dr. Pepper and snacks and toilet paper outside our door today??? Like what??? We love our hotel staff. 

My sanity is slightly going, but it's fine, we're fine, I'm fine. 

Anyways, other than being extremely sad and stuck inside once again, we had a great week before our quarentine started!! We had some awesome lessons with Christian and Stefano and Skylar and I have so much love for each of them!!! We also had some good teaching lessons over video this week with Kevin and Jovany (who we just picked up!!) We are so absolutely excited to continue in the work that's been happening so hurrah for Israel! God is so good. He truly is a God of miracles. 

Forgiveness has been on my mind a lot lately. Sometimes it is really hard to forgive others for hurting us or to even forgive ourselves for doing something stupid. I feel like it is SO easy to put the blame on one person (which is usually ourselves) and direct every emotion at them. I've felt that a lot this week. Every minor inconvenience, every bad day, every bad contact, I have felt responsible for. And I'm embarrassed that I take on that responsibility. It's this huge mind game that Satan plays with you, making you feel like you HAVE to do EVERYTHING ALONE. but that is just not true. If you're going to put it on one person, put it on Christ because He understands. He gets the feeling of shame, guilt, not being good enough, falling short of expectations because He felt it all for us. It's okay if you don't heal from your actions or the actions of others right away. You know why? Because God never asked you to and He definitely never asked you to do it alone. So if you're struggling today, turn to Christ. Know that there wont be judgement from Him or your Heavenly Father. Start forgiving today. Take your time and trust God. I can promise that you will be healed. 

I love you guys. Thank you for everything. 

Love, 

Sister Brady

Week 49 - December 7, 2020 - but like for real Mary... did you know??

Another day, another dollar. And we FINALLY got out of the house yall!!! YAYAY! And this week has been a week of miracles for real. I am so grateful that we are back out and working. 

First things first, I forgot what it was like to breathe fresh air and talk to actual real life people. Amazing. And the first night we were out of quarantine, we met with a friend and her family/friends for a game night/lesson. AHHH it went so well!!! We are meeting with the family and just sharing messages right now, but so far so good! We also met someone named Aycee and she is super awesome! We met with her family and shared a Christmas message (The Christ Child video... go watch it!!!!) and they said they have questions so we are starting to teach Aycee! We will meet with her separately and then with her family on weekends:) THINGS ARE GOING WELL. I AM SO HAPPY. THE LORD TRULY DOES PROVIDE. 

THEN, last night, we were contacting an address we had for someone that somebody used to teach, and they did not live there anymore (we were bummed because contacts haven't been the best this week). Come to find out, his name is Christian and it was actually somebody we were trying to get in contact with!!! Some missionaries from Ohio were teaching him and were going to pass him off to us, but couldn't get in touch with them!!!! BUT HERE WE ARE AND WE ARE MEETING WITH HIM TUESDAY!!! MIRACLE!!!

Also, one of the highlights of the week was going and sharing a message with the homies, Ivan and Colton!!! I served in Ivan's family's area in Saratoga Springs a year ago, so it was so great to see some familiar faces. God knew I needed that. 

Nothing too crazy happened this week. I had a pride battle with one of the elders I served with on who could stand out in the cold longer. So basically, I am a child. 

You GUYS! Christmas is the best. I have felt so focused on my Savior and the miracle of His birth. Last night, as we shared the Christmas message, I got to testify of who my Savior is. He truly is my best friend. He knows everything about. And not only that. He understands everything I have been through, am going through, and will go through. My heart has been heavy this week. I have had a lot on my mind and I have just struggled to see hope for me and for some of the people I love. But, I have never felt alone. I have always felt like I can turn to my Father in Heaven and Jesus. I know that I am loved, even if sometimes I don't feel like I should be or that I am. My negative thoughts are the worst, but with my Savior by my side, I know that all will work out. 

I love you guys!!! Stay safe! Wash your hands! Wear your masks PLEASE HAVING COVID IS NOT FUN. TAKE IT FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS LITERALLY HAD IT!!!! please listen to science and help a sister missionary out! 

Love,

Sister Brady<3

Week 48 - November 30, 2020 - just call me rapunzel (cause I got corona)

Well y'all. a full week of quarantine is NOT the move on the mission. So last week, we got tested for COVID-19 and my test results came back... POSITIVE! So we had to spend this entire week inside our tiny little hotel room. And we couldn't leave. At all. So is my sanity still here? No. Not at all. I can't remember what fresh air feels like. BUT HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS! WE GET TO LEAVE TOMORROW!! Our quarantine ends and we can finally be free. I am so grateful for the prayers we have received. Seriously, cannot thank you enough. They helped immensely. 

Nothing too exciting happened this week. When you can't leave , it's hard to do missionary work, ya know? But we had a few video appointments and did a couple lessons so that was super nice. We rested a lot this week though because since I had mono, my body hates being even a little bit sick. So I was told to take it super easy lol. 

Thanksgiving was awesome though! The mission provided us with dinner which was super nice and then we had a devotional. We watched the Other Side of Heaven 2. And don't worry. It was all virtual. We did NOT contaminate anyone. 

This week, despite it being super lonely and just hard in general, was such a blessing in disguise. The people in this area care SO much about the missionaries and about helping us. Honestly, it was just a testimony builder to me that God IS aware of us. He knows what we need and when we need it. He is constantly in the details of our life. So many people dropped off blankets and missionaries dropped off food and people would call and text us and check in like??? There is no way that God isn't real because I have seen His hand and felt His love this week. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who is always looking after me. And I am so grateful for those people that He has sent to be angels and look over me while I am here. 

I love you all. Thanks again for the prayers. They mean the world. I LOVE YOU.

Love,

Sister Brady 

Week 47 - November 23, 2020 - call us... but like not in a weird way

well well well.. if it isn't me again! just kidding. I mean not really. sorry my brain isn't working today.  I may or may not have been tested for corona today because I am sick and have been sick since Saturday. RIP ME. like seriously. pray for me and my companion. we are not here for quarantine. 

other than the fact that we have been inside for 3 whole days, I am loving the new area! It was so so so hard to say goodbye to Sister Vela, Sister Hart, and Sister Howard. I absolutely love them so so so much and saying goodbye was the worst. If you're reading this, please know that I love and miss you!! 

I met this guy that we are teaching named Kevin this week. HE is a HOOT. Seriously think that he is so funny. I think we are going to get along well. I am here for it. I think that i am really going to love this area. If I ever get better.

So the prophet's devotional on Friday??? AMAZING. I love that man so much. I also love the focus of gratitude!! like wow. i need some gratitude in my life so bless up. Let's all focus on just the good (even though there is a lot of bad rn we can do this!!!) 

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!! <3 

Love, 

Sister Brady

Week 46 - November 16, 2020 - Bye bye bye

Well we got transfer news and... I'm leaving the Orem ysa  buuuuttt I'm going to ALPINE YSA! the young single adults aren't done with me yet I'm actually v excited!! Wish me luck with my new companion though. I'm gonna miss Sister Vela so much!!! Who else will understand Oregon the way I do?? 

Sorry for not writing last week! Everything was just kind of insane. And I needed a break hahah! But please know that I did mean to write one, I just spaced it !! 

Last week we did exchanges and that was super fun! I got to spend it with Sister Mafi and Sister Ball (they are both SO cute:)) I loved doing them. It's always fun to see how other missionaries work.

OH. I got asked out on a date the other day. It was so awkward. This guy we were talking to on campus was like want to come to a concert with me and I was like "ummmm we dont date??" And he was like oh it's okay you're just accompanying me. And I was like "uhhh nah I'm good" my companion thought it was hilarious. I about had a heart attack. 

We have seen so many miracles lately! Finn, who we started teaching a week ago, got baptized Saturday!! It was amazing! He has been waiting two years and it finally happened!!!! Then we have found SO many people who just want to learn more. God is really putting people in our path who are ready to hear His message.

God is a God of miracles. He will never change. He loves all of us perfectly and beautifully!! Im so grateful for Him 

Love you all!!!

Sister Brady

Week 44 - November 2, 2020 - "just call us your mama galletas"

SPOOKY SEASON IS OVER AND I AM SAD. BUT IT'S OKAY. CAUSE NOW IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!

Ok it's actually Thanksgiving I know buuuuttttt, I love it. 

This week was so good! Sorry I forgot to write last week. I was just exhausted and some weeks that just happens ya know? But I love the mission. I'm so glad i came back out.

Big news, ZACH GOT BAPTIZED ON THURSDAY!!!! MY HEART IS SO FULL. There is nothing like watching a friend come closer to the Savior. And he was so happy. I'm happy for him ahhh good time. 

Also, we had MLC this week and we decided as a mission that we would keep a goal of 851 baptisms. Miracles can happen yall so please pray for us. I have the faith we can do this but we need all the help we can get:))) we've already seen miracles!!!

Okay and funny story, we were at church and these people who are super aggressively nice asked us if we need more food. So they got us chipotle and cafe zupas (god bless their souls). And THEN they told us to call them their "mama galletas" and so basically we have some homies on the mission. God bless us everyone. (This story was not that funny. I'm so sorry my humor has died a little bit.)

I love you guys thanks for the support. God is so good. I am so happy to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that I can share my testimony and God's love with others every day. Life is goooooood. 

Love, Sister Brady