January 12, 2015

With Heather

Dinner! She made that really good
broccoli salad that you always make mom!! <3
*Note to readers from blog master Shelly
(here in Gresham Costco actually makes that salad).

Letter #1 (to mom)

Dear Mom,

Okay, so I need to link up some names to my family tree because your step-dad's parents and Grandma Ferre's parents are not connected. We don't do a ton of family history, but on the occasional FHE or training that we have, I would love to have their names so that I can work on that side of things as well.

I had a dream that you and I were in the kitchen and we were just having a casual conversation when all of the sudden you said something like, "yeah, all of my husbands have had that problem" and suddenly I "remembered" that you and Dad, after you had been married for so many years, had divorced and you got married to Two-face from The Dark Knight (I Think his name is Aaron Eckheart or something)?... any way and two-face was actually Emily's dad. You were married to Two-face for about 20 years, and then you got remarried to Dad. So, it all worked out :)

Man, I love those pictures of the wedding! And I love Tessa's hair! How did she get my Millie wig? :) hahaha... but seriously, its cute!

We had an AMAZING! lesson in relief society. It was from the Ezra Taft Benson manual. Here is what he said:

"If someone wants to marry you outside the temple, whom will you strive to please--God or a mortal? If you insist on a temple marriage, you will be pleasing the Lord and blessing the other party. Why? Because that person will either become worthy to go to the temple--which would be a blessing--or will leave--which could also be a blessing--because neither of you should want to be unequally yoked" (see 2 Corinthians 6:14).

Chapter 1: The Great Commandment—Love the Lord

And I just thought about how in my patriarchal blessing it specifically addresses that my husband and I will be equally yoked to each other throughout our life! That has been on my mind lately (being equally yoked to my future husband), but it is amazing to me that Heavenly Father already knew that 7 years after I got my patriarchal blessing that would be on my mind and He addressed it! He knows us so perfectly!!!

What was the story dad wanted to tell me about Henry on the Bus and what Charlotte said about Grandpa?

Yeah we do Just Serve as missionaries!!! But there aren't very many opportunities around here yet... :/

EMMA IS SO AWESOME!!! I loved going to drama competitions!! Tell me what you did Emma and what the judges said and everything!!!

I am excited about your new calling!! I would love that calling! But i think that the calling I want the most is nursery :)

Thank you for your words from Uchtdorf. I will make sure to catch up on the Family Home Evening talks tomorrow!!

I am SO HAPPY!!! Life is so amazing! God is so real! I have seen miracles every day and had many tender mercies. I love being a missionary. These are the best days of my life :)

I love you mom!!

Love,
Sister Brady

This is a beautiful dog!

Same dog . . . a few seconds later . . .
Bahaha this picture kills me!!!!

Letter #2 (to Dad)

Dear dad,

I FORGOT TO SAY "rip snorter!!!!!"!!!! Ugh! Haha and I had SO many opportunities to do so every day because there were so many rip snorting moments this week!! I was with two other sisters most of the week because my companion was sick with the stomach flu all week :p but i am not sick!! Yay!! #blessings

Wow, that is a lot of work hours!! Hey did I tell you I bumped into one of your former coworkers? I think her name was Teresa. We saw each other at Christmas lights and it turns out that she is actually the mom of one of the members in my ysa ward! Small world!!

I love you so much!

The quote is from "elf" :) such a good movie!! But jspr is better. Oh and Meet the Mormons is now playing at the visitors center!! Yay!!

Dad you are so wonderfully amazing! I love you!!

Love,

Sister Brady

Sleepover while my companion was sick!!!

My favorite quote right now!

Letter #3 (to the family)

Dear family,

MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL OF THIS. ITS KIND OF LONG, BUT ITS AN IMPORTANT STORY!!!

This was a week of miracles!! So we have a mission goal in March to have 100 baptisms total. I am super excited about it, and I know it will happen!! .... But our ward council was showing some real concern about the reality of this goal... Specifically our goal to find 10 new investigators in the month of January. We have found two so far and because of the circumstances, they don't really count.

Someone asked in ward council asked "How many of you actually think we can find 10 new investigators in the next two weeks?" 

Three people (in a room of 15 people) raised there hands. And they were me, Sister T****, and our ward mission leader.

There was one particular person who kept saying this goal is so unreasonable (as though we had the ability to lower the Lord's goal for this mission). 

Another person said "I don't think its possible either, but that just means we need to pray for faith" yes!! I love that person!!

Anyway, so the person who was struggling the most (who had said "this is so unreasonable") was called upon to give the prayer, and in their prayer, they asked "please give us the faith necessary to reach this goal".

Not only did that take humility, it also showed that they had the faith to ask for faith!! Its so beautiful!!

And it gets better!!!

After ward council, we asked this person to make a phone call to someone who had just shown up on the updated ward list. A person who fell under their auxiliary. This person was nervous and kept saying "but what do I say to them?" We tried to coach the person a little, but then told them "you really just have to follow the Spirit" so they called the mysterious new name RIGHT THERE!! 

And guess what we now have? 4 potential new investigators!!! Two of which have met with missionaries before, and one of which has a baby blessing (that's why they showed up on our list).

The moral of this story is: GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO EXERCISE EVEN THE SMALLEST PARTICLE OF FAITH!!! 

If any of you feel you are struggling with a certain commandment, or with a trial of faith, or you just plain don't have the testimony that you want to have: I invite you to pray for your faith to be strengthened!!!

I have to do this every day! Missionary work is grueling, and it can be very discouraging. Every time I have prayed this month, I have asked for more faith. And I can bare witness that God hears our prayers and he strengthens our faith when we ask for it. 

I am so filled with the spirit right now!! I love being a missionary and seeing miracles and changes in the lives of those around me, and especially in my own life. These are days never to be forgotten.

I love you all!!!! 

Love,

Sister Brady

P.s. I got transfer news!! Sister T***** and I are staying together. We are keeping M******* ward, but losing the ysa ward. It is being replaced with the C****** ward.

Drawing by:
Erica Brady
2015
(We are not sure who this supposed to be . . . )