E-Mail #41

 

 E-Mail #41

March 19th, 2012

 

 

 

Hello everyone!!!

 

Man do i have an eventful week to catch you up on! so much has happened i am so excited to tell you ALL about it! Well this week we had a mission conference, where half of the mission met together in Independence on Tuesday. The speaker at the mission conference was Elder Evans.....he is a general authority, he will be speaking in general conference, so you will all have to keep your eyes out for him and you'll know who was speaking to us. It was really cool, we all got to go through and shake his hand before he started speaking. I really loved that so many missionaries were together because i got to see a lot of missionaries i haven't seen in a while. That was a lot of fun. But it was even more fun to hear Elder Evan's inspired words he had to share with us. We spent 6 hours listening to him, of course with a lunch break in the middle. The first half of the conference, we talked about the scriptures he assigned us to read, which i was glad that i read them, because i would hate to be the one who said i didn't read them. So for the first half we talked a TON about desire! That is all we talked about actually. All about our desire, and how we maintain desire, and gain desire in things that we just wish would change. So forth. He is such an inspired speaker, and him and president keyes switched back and forth a lot, sharing great things with us. I really really enjoyed it! Then the second half we talked about finding! Which of course applies to ALL missionary work, especially us out here in Chillimo. One of the great things that he talked about that really stuck out to me was that we need to be finding those who will BUILD the kingdom. Not just those who will listen, or even those who will burden the ward/branch. But finding those who will help BUILD the kingdom. I really enjoyed what he had to say about that. Because it is very true. Our branch is super tiny, and it struggles at times, we can find people who will be more of a burden to the branch or we can pray harder and find harder to be led to those who will BUILD and STRENGTHEN the branch! So we have been praying a ton about that, and its been working out pretty well, we continue to find people who will listen, and those who will help build the branch! It was such a good thing to hear and listen to. It for sure helped me to feel motivated to work harder to find those that are ready! Wednesday we had a really cool experience, we were out trying to find some former investigators, two of them on the same street, well the one address the house numbers skipped RIGHT over, so we went to the other one just down the road. Well no one was home, but across the street were some ladies sitting out on the porch, so we went to ask them if they knew if anyone lived there. We got to talking to them, and realized that the one lady was the one we were looking for whose house number it jumped over, she had moved. So we spent a good 40 minutes talking to them, about their lives and their struggles. Both of their moms and in prison, and they both had children at a really young age, and so forth. It was so cool to spend time with them, and help them realize their faith and how they can help their children be better and so forth. I thought it was even MORE cool to know that HF wanted us to talk to her that day, that even at the wrong house the wrong address, and by chance she was there and outside. It was a real testimony builder to me. I love having experiences like that. I LOVE so much seeing how aware of us our heavenly father is. EACH OF US. He does so many little things to reach out to us, to show us he is there. To show us his love for us, and his care. I think of how many times i didn't realize that he was reaching out to me, showing me he was there. I challenge each of you, especially if you are struggling with something right now, which we all are.....with something....always. To really realize that heavenly father is aware of you, he is reaching out to you somehow. Take a minute i bet you can think of something he did to show you he was aware of you, and knows how you are feeling right now! Another great and special moment on Wednesday was at night. We came home and since Momma and Papa Sperry were in Hawaii they had different people staying in the house to take care of Nathan. Well one of the people is Teressa, and she comes in every morning of the weekdays to take care of Nathan. Well she had had a really bad day, her son is going to prison for some really really ridiculous and stupid things that he didn't do, but they are still pinning it on him. So forth. Well we come home and she is telling us alllllsoccer with them, and red rover with them, and it was just such a blast, i truly love that family so much! Man....i keep talking about how much i love the people in chillicothe.....does that mean i love this place.....i think so.....YEP....CHILLICOTHE ROCKS!!! hahaaha.............................weird. Anyways it was a lot of fun. That same family we went to go see yesterday evening, and she was telling us how she was just trying to get the motivation to cook dinner, we volunteered to cook it for her, and she said no, because she has to do her dishes still, so we went in the kitchen and did her dishes! of course her daughters were right there helping us. They are so fun. One of their daughters, who i need to get a picture with, is Aubrey, i call her my friend and she calls me her friend. She is so cute, she always has her arm around my waist, and we just play together. On Saturday, we were goofing off and she was trying to knock me down, but couldn't so i taught her how to knock people down, to push them and then put your foot behind them and trip them. So i let her do it to me a few times. She was laughing pretty hard. It was super funny, of course i told her she cant do that to her siblings because her mom wont like that! hahaha. Its been a really great week. Now i have to get to some of the big and GREAT NEWS!!!

 

We found out what days i am working at the temple open house. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12-5....COOL!!!! i am so excited, but wait, it gets better. We ALSO at our mission conference got very pretty Kansas City Temple pins that we get to wear from now until the temple open house is over! our mission presidents wife bought them with her own money for all of us, before they even came out to the mission! They are so cute, we get to keep them forever! i love it! oh and wait, it gets BETTER!!! WE ALSO found out that the BIG cultural event that they will have the day before the temple dedication, i mean its a HUGE event, the prophet, and whatever other apostles and general authorities with be there. The youth of like 14 stakes have been prepping and practicing for all the dancing and performing....oh no, it gets better, the missionaries of the Missouri independence mission will be in the cultural event, we will be led in by President and Sister Keyes, and we will all be singing the primary song army of helamen!!!! SO COOL!!!! i know right?!!? I really am so excited, i mean other than being in the Mormon tab. choir, which i wont ever be, i don't know when i will ever get to sing in front of the prophet, with a gazillion other people, but who cares, i will be there, and i know i will be there, and now you all know that i will be there!!! WOOHOO!! :)

 

Yep, so i am pretty excited, the month of April is just going to fly with the temple open house, and then may will be here and the prophet, and just amazing things will be happening! I LOVE IT!!!!!

 

Oh and the pictures i sent today, well of us and our awesome truck! LOVE IT, and the proof the SPRING IS HERE!!! and i got a really cute package this week, but the best part was the letter from my lil bro!!

 

 

Well I think that is all i got for now. I want you all to know that i love you lots. And i am so thankful that i am a missionary in this mission today. I know that Heavenly Father needed me here now, and that it was his timing as i do his work! I love it! i love being here! I hope you all continue to grow closer to your father in heaven, i know he is aware of you, he knows you and he knows your needs, sometimes he just waits for us to realize that we need him before he helps us. He is always there, turn to him, he will help. I have realized that over and over again as i have served here in chillimo, its true, he is there, just waiting for us to trust in his help! SO TRUST HIM!!!

 

Here are some quotes for you

 

The Light of Jesus Christ is stronger than any darkness we face in this life, IF we have faith in him, seek after him, and obey him!

 

As we love Christ, have faith in him, desire to be like him, and follow him. HE will CHANGE us, PERFECT us, and ultimately BRING US HOME!!

 

LOVE YOU ALL

 

 

Sister Brooke Barnum.