Sister Erica Brady's Mission to Mesa: August 10, 2015

Turtle!

Me, Sister M, and Sister B

Dear Mum!!

I am glad you had a good simple birthday!! My birthday was pretty simple this year too ;) actually the last three birthdays I've had have been pretty simple :)

We had a lesson with ***** this week! Yay! It was kind of a hard lesson.... But I think the next one is going to be really good!

Transfer news: ....... I AM STAYING IN THE AREA!!!! Hahahah yay! At the end of this next transfer I will have been in the L and MP wards for 7 months!!! Crazy!!

Grandma M, me, Sister M, Sister B

Also......... I am getting TWO companions!! Yup, I'm going to be in a trio- again!!!! My companions are Sister B and Sister M (I served Sister Mwhen I was a Sister Training Leader!!). They are both Visitor Center sisters and this will be one of their "Full-field" transfers :) I love trios though so I am stoked!!

Me and Sister R. she is leaving the district!! :(

Me and Sister H!! My Day-Trainee

Also... I am "Day Training" which is pretty much when you take one of the brand new missionaries who has just gotten off the plane less than 24 hours before and you are their first "companion" on the mission. And then at transfer meeting you send them to their trainer! As my good friend Sister R describes it: "so I get to pick up a new sister basically right off the plane and be with her for her first day before she gets her real trainer. Its like being an aunt, all the fun of having a child but you get to hand them off to their real mom at the end of the day!" #PreachItR

I am not sick anymore! I feel great this week!

Oh so on Tuesday, Uncle Keith and Aunt Shirley took us to the Cheese Cake Factory!! It was good to see them and visit with them! They asked me if we needed to say a prayer over the food and I said yes and quickly proceeded to say a blessing on the food. It was a good time and Uncle Keith said he wants to take us out again soon! Uncle Keith also told us that the Sister missionaries in their ward (Sister G) stopped by and visited with them! They said they really like Sister G and GUESS WHAT?!? Sister R is going to be Sister G's new companion!!! So my lovely past companion, Sister R, is going to serve in Uncle Keith's ward!!!!! Yaaaaayyyy!!

Oh hey, I should join Emily's online Seminary class and then I could skype in every Friday ;) hahha, jk, but I actually do want to follow along on the study schedule. I love the Old Testament!

I AM SO EXCITED THAT I GET TO WORK AT THE DAYCARE AGAIN!!! Yes I would love to start working the day after I get home!!! Or even the DAY I GET HOME if she needs me!! (When would we go fly to see family? If you guys are still thinking about doing that?)

Going clockwise starting with me: Me, Sister G (housemate),
Sister B, Sister H (Housemate), and Sister M

Hahaha C is the red head who was in the Sound of Music. We went on a few dates! And now he is married!!!!

Tell Emma to write me about the 4th year hike!! I want to hear!!!

Yeah, I plan to go on another mission around age 28 or 30..... Marriage or Full-time missionary service ;) either one works with me!

Well I've survived a summer and a half in Arizona! The summer won't be over until late September or early October, and we had a long spring, so we might have a long summer :/ good thing I love the heat!! Oh, and I don't think it's as bad as last summer.

Dust Storm in Mesa!

I love Sister Howard!! Tell her I say hello!

Is Anita the one who does her eye brow waxing in that little gated community?

I am soooo excited for you to be a librarian!!! I wish I could go with you!! I guess I can go with you on that Tuesday that I first get back? But then I will go off to work :D

Yum, I love waffles... I haven't had waffles in forever...

Wow, you never bought me any costumes when I was a kid...

Paul Blart Mall Cop 2?? Mission Impossible?!? I haven't even heard about these movies at all until now!! What the what!? I must be a missionary or something..

Sounds like you had a perfect birthday mom :) what is Razzelberry pie?

Me! :)

So I was at a members home on Sunday night and it came up that Dad is a sealer and he was just so blown away because Dad is so young, but I had never even thought about that! I mean, Dad is still super young so it is crazy that he is a sealer and a patriarch. It wasn't until you wrote about that that I also thought about how hard the calling of a Stake Patriarch is. Just because you have to prepare yourself so thoroughly and it is probably emotionally, spiritually, and mentally draining to give a patriarchal blessing.

I love Jacob! He is a good teacher!

I love this area and I am so happy that I am staying again!! Maybe I will finish my mission here :D

I love you Mom!!! Oh so much!! Thank you for your emails :)

Love,
Sister Brady

Roommates!

Dear Dad,

Wow what a cool experience!! I have been thinking a lot this week about your callings as a Temple Sealer and the Stake Patriarch.

I wanted to tell you that at Zone Conference two weeks ago, President Jenkins asked every one who was not from the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh to raise their hands. Only two people did. One was from the Philippines and I think he was from the tribe of Zeblun. And then an Elder from Idaho told us that he is from the tribe of Judah!! How crazy!

Also I was reading in D&C 133 where it talks about the gathering of the one of the lost tribes (I think it was the tribe of Judah).

And President told us a story at zone conference about a Patriarch who was sent to go give blessings to people in a country where there wasn't a patriarch to give those blessings, and when he returned to report to the 12 apostles they asked him "What tribes were the people from?" And the Patriarch said that there was someone from every tribe!!

Anyway, I just think it is really cool to think that the gathering of Israel is already happening!!!!

I love you dad sooo much!!

Oh and I forgot to mention this in the email to mom, but.....

M IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! She committed to be baptized on September 5th! Oh and we learned this week that her husband is a less active member and that his parents are still super active and super supportive of M :) and her mother-in-law is there almost every week helping with M's kid! Yay! How awesome, right?!

Please keep in your prayers:

The L family

Thank you!!

I love you Daddy!!

Love,

Sister Brady

Heritage Zone

Okay, so I just wanted to send you all this story because it is an adventure!

So we went to go visit Sister U. She is an older lady, probably in her 80's. Very hard of hearing, doesn't see very well.

Sister U invited us to sit on her couch, but as I got closer I noticed a black blob by the fireplace and the edge of the couch. Sure enough, it was a lovely big black spider. It was in a web connected to
the couch and the fireplace... "So, um, we can't sit on the couch because, um, you have a really... Lovely spider and it's web is connected to it.... And I think it's a black widow..."

(And then naturally I take a picture. The couch is on the right)

[Shelly here - there was more to this story . . . but it disappeared from our emails ?!?!]