Loving my Mission!

So I am now in the Cortez Branch. It is a huge area to cover. We walk and bike a lot, but sometimes need to take the car because of time and distance. I love it. We cover the Hispanic neighborhoods and it is so fun. They always have fiesta music playing and it makes me so happy ha-ha! I am always in the mood for chips and salsa. Everyone thinks we’re crazy for walking around in the neighborhoods and warns us to be gone by dark. We always are safe, don’t worry. Everyone is so nice. Sunday was so hard for me. I am trying to learn Spanish, but I am not as patient as I need to be. I am learning a lot but sometimes I just have no clue what's going on.

At the beginning of the week, we were teaching a lady. We taught the lesson.  (I helped. When it comes to lessons, I know what to say) but then she just started talking so much. I had no clue what she was saying. I was lost- so lost! I felt bad, but I just started praying that I would know how to help her. I had the feeling to explain how the gospel blesses families again. So I did. My companions didn't know what I was doing, but the spirit was so strong. After what I said/tried to say she completely changed. My companions later told me she was explaining all the problems that get in the way of going to church and following Christ but after I reminded her of the blessings, she was willing to change and put God first. It was really cool.

We also found a woman named------- this week. She is so prepared and is asking all the right questions. She is progressing and I love her so much. She can feel el Espiritu Santo but doesn’t know how to explain it. It makes me happy when she says that. I love helping people!

We are in Bradenton, so we have the beach and an island in our area. We went across the big bridge on our bikes and it was beautiful. I even saw some dolphins. I thought of Grandma. It's beautiful.

It is so hot here and our AC doesn't work very well. I am constantly sweating- ew ): I am so glad when people let us in and give us water. It's so hot I can’t believe it. There are lizards everywhere and they're so cute. 

I don't know if I told you this, but I have seen 3 alligators in the wild and a few more that were not wild. It's crazy!

We teach English every Thursday. It’s so cool to hear how it is helping them. One man came up to us this week and told us that because the missionaries were helping with him with his English, his boss at work gave him a dollar raise. He was so grateful! It's awesome. It also is helping my companion, Hermana Jahnel, learn English. I just love helping people.

Being in a branch is hard. Nobody really knows what they are doing. In our mission, we are not allowed to visit members unless there is an investigator there. It makes it hard to get to know the members and ask them to go to lessons, but it is okay. We are working hard to get to know them at church and through our ward mission leader.

My companions are so great! Hermana Jahnel and Gibson have both been out 9 months. I thought it was going to be weird being in a trio but I love it!! We all get along so well. They are helping me and teaching me so much. Every day they compliment me on my dedication and thank me for my hard work and example. We are learning from each other. It makes me feel good. I think I am companions with the best missionaries in the field (seriously, I think Pres. put me with them so I can have the best training). They always remember our purpose and always have a smile. It is so great.

One thing Hermana Jahnel told me the first day has stuck with me and it has helped me a lot. She said "hoy es el mejor dia de mi mision" (today is the best day of my mission). I repeat it to myself every morning and every day is the best day (:

We all stay positive together and I love them so much!!

It rains about once a day here- and when in rains it pours.

I am so grateful for my umbrella. Haha. It only rains for about 10 min though then it is nice and sunny. We have had good timing and been inside mostly when it rains. I hope our luck continues.

As far as anything I want… Pray for our investigators. Pray for our members. We are doing all we can and the rest is up to the Lord. We are just trying to find all the people he has prepared and is preparing.

Love you all,

Sister Bryan

Back out in the Field

I’m loving it here. I just got transferred again. That’s 2 emergency transfers in 1 week. Ha! It's been so crazy. I was in New Tampa, with 2 compas. but then one of them, went home and so I was with Sister Davis for a week. She was super nice and is from Spanish Fork. I met all of the investigators and helped get new ones. I learned to love everyone so much and it was so great, but then I had to leave ):

We had interviews with President Cusick and there were some things not quite right about the situation we had. He was so helpful to figure it all out and council us with wise advice. He says I am going to be a great missionary, but also a problem for him. (He told me not to smile at the elders HAHAHA) but he was actually being serious. He is intimidating but I love him so much. He really has my best interest in mind and he always follows promptings.

I have so many investigators to tell you about. Especially T&Q. They are so humble and just golden. They are getting baptized on the 11 of July. I am so sad I won't be there ): They are soaking up the gospel and it’s beautiful. T is so strong and she is trying to get her husband to be interested because she really wants an eternal family. Q is a crazy 11 year old. He is reading the Book of Mormon and praying. He will talk your ear off, but he knows when to be quiet and listen to the spirit. I love them so much!! Pray for them.

J is another one. She just turned 19 and is just the sweetest girl ever. She is quite the tomboy and is having to make the decision between her personal interests and God. She is smart and knows what is right, but just needs to act on it. Pray for her.

E------ is another beautiful lady. One day we were out tracting and I had a feeling to do something completely different than our plans. I told my compa and she said okay. So we went to this neighborhood that was a little sketchy. We skipped a few doors because there were men sitting out front with guns and it was creepy. But we found E------!! We knocked on her door and talked for a while, but she turned us away. We went around the corner and knocked another door- no luck. Just as we were walking away, she came around the corner with the handout we gave her and invited us back into her home. It was so cool!! She is just thirsting for more information. I was so glad I followed that prompting. She has a baptismal date of July 11th, but it may have to be moved back if she cannot stop smoking. She is trying so hard and I know she can do it. I love her so much. Pray for her as well.

I am in a Spanish area in Bradenton right now in a trio again. I am excited to learn more. One of my companions, Hermana Jahnel, is from Paraguay and is learning English. My other companion is from Oregon. I just met them today. They seem so nice. I will tell you more next week.

 Also, my new address is 

4601 66th St. W. #1500A

Bradenton, FL 34210

I can’t wait to get a letter from you all.

Nos quiero,

Hermana Bryan

Someone Pushed Pause

The strangest part of my mission so far was having the doctor tell me I can't go to Florida. As many of you know, I have been struggling with my health for a little while now. I have good days and bad days. The good definitely outweigh the bad, but it is still a problem when trying to do missionary work. They told me I will be on a medical leave and as soon as I figure everything out, I will be on a plane to Florida. Let's hope we figure everything out quickly!

I finished my last week in Mexico and instead of flying to Florida, I took a plane home. It has not been easy. If you see me and think it's strange, its even more strange for me. I want with all my heart to be in the field right now, but I also know that everything has a reason. 

In Proverbs 3:5-6 we read,

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." 

Trust in the Lord, including his timing. Although this is not what I want at this point in my life, I know that through this trial, the Lord is preparing me to help others in ways I don't understand. I will learn from this and I will grow from this. It is not easy now, but life was not meant to be easy. 

I bear testimony that God has a plan for each and every one of his children, including me. His plan will help us become the best people we can be and achieve our full potential. His plan will make me strong. I know that as I continue trusting in the Lord I will see the blessings down the road. I am so grateful for the wonderful opportunity to have been in Mexico these last 6 weeks. I have met so many amazing people and have grown so much closer to God. I love this gospel with all my heart and cannot wait to get back in the field.

Thank you all for your prayers in my behalf. I appreciate all the support. Don't worry, I won't let you down. I'm headed out back as soon as the doctor says its okay! Love you all. 

Keep smiling,

Hermana Jessica Bryan

Exact Obedience

Yet another week has come and gone here at the CCM. It's incredible how we can be doing the same things every day yet have so many different things happen.

This week was full of excitement. I have learned my lesson when it comes to withholding information from my parents to prevent worry. So I'm just going to say it: OUCH! My joints were killing me this week. Please keep praying! I am really doing my best to tough it out, but when I get stiff it takes me a year and a day just to cross the street. Doc knows I'm trying though. Ice packs seem to help with the pain. I had another blessing (I think our Elders are just blessing happy- they asked every half an hour for a day or 2 before I agreed.) I know I am going to get better, I just wish it would happen sooner than later. Well, enough about that.

As missionaries, it is very important to have the spirit with us always. Here at the CCM it isn't hard to do. We often watch devotionals and uplifting videos. This week we had the opportunity to watch an excellent address from Elder Holland. I don't know what was so different about this talk- and maybe it wasn't the talk, maybe I was just ready to hear it- but man, I just want to be so much better! I am a missionary of the Lord!! Each day I wear His name on my chest. I have no reason to complain or do anything wrong! I should be happy 24/7 because I have the gospel in my life. I need to try harder to be EXACTLY obedient so I can be in tune with the spirit. I've been pretty good, but I just want to be so much better! And I can be better each day! I am so grateful for the atonement and the opportunity I have to improve and be forgiven of every little mistake.

Sorry it's short but it will have to do!

Keep smiling.

Hermana Bryan

My District

Hermana Perez. My best friend here!

Service project of white washing walls. It rained the next day.

Hermana Perez left this for me.

One Month In

Hola,

Well it's been another productive week. Nothing too exciting happened. Our investigator Miguel started reading and praying. His testimony is growing and it's great! We had an awesome lesson with Daniel this week too. We were talking about families. He has a rough family life so it is a touchy subject. We had a completely different lesson planned, but I know we were prompted to talk about families. The spirit was so strong! Daniel started crying and we knew he could feel the spirit. It doesn't help that I'm somewhat of a sympathetic crier. It's crazy how much you can learn to love someone in such a short amount of time. I love all our investigators!

Speaking about loving people...my companion. I've always been able to get along with everyone pretty well, but spending 24/7 with someone isn't as easy as one may think. We have days that we get on each others nerves, but we get along really well. She is so sassy all the time and she loves to talk to everyone. We balance each other out quite nicely. I've been applying what I learned in conference to help me with my companion. They said things like, always talk nicely to and about them, so that is what I am doing.

All of my teachers here are so helpful. I just love Mexicans (:

We have a teacher who sings all the time. It makes me feel really comfortable because there's alwaaaaays a song being sung at home.

God really does know each of us and our individual needs. He is always there for us and wants us to be happy. All we need to do is reach out. We never have to do anything alone. I'm so grateful for all the blessings in my life. There really are too many to count. Whoever is reading this, please just take a second to think about all He has given you. Now take another to thank Him. 

Sorry for the short email but I'll hopefully make up for it next week!

Love you all! Thanks for your prayers!

Hermana Bryan

The Mexico Temple

 

General Conference and a Wheelchair

Hola Hola Everybody,

I'm beginning to realize how difficult it is to write emails every week. With every hour of every day planned, it's tricky to select just a few things to share. I suppose I will start with the best things and make my way down the list of priorities.

First of all, I'm still eating the frijoles every meal and my Spanish is progressing daily.

Just kidding! That is not my top priority, pero I love the Mexican food here. 

GENERAL CONFERENCE! As I listened to conference, the thought was on my mind, "be prepared." Before leaving home the family was really getting into preparation. We talked a lot about food storage and important documents etc. However, this time as I thought of being prepared, it was in another way. Being spiritually prepared. Have I developed the Christ-like attributes necessary to succeed? Do I "have root" enough to withstand the attacks this world has to throw at me? Are my actions indicators of my beliefs? Am I ready to stand with confidence at that last day to be judged before my creator? Obviously I would like to answer yes, but there are still many things I need to work on.

Also, there was a strong theme of family throughout conference. I cannot express enough gratitude for my amazing family. Mom and Dad: Thank you for teaching me the importance of families through word and example. You both love each other so much and it shows. I can tell through your actions that family is top priority for you. Dad, I think you are a super example of a "real man". One who recognizes and fulfills your God-given role. Mom, I thought of you when I heard Quintin L. Cook's talk on Saturday afternoon. You always say, "Don't worry about us at home because we do the same things every day. Nothing changes for us. We are boring." But it is perfect. It is so comforting to know that my family is up, reading the words of the profetas together every day at 7:00. To know that each day starts and ends with a prayer. I know this is strengthening the family and I can feel your love all the way down in Mexico. Also, don't worry Mom, I can hear the music. I also cannot wait to dance with you to the music (:

I guess the next exciting thing would be last Tuesday and Wednesday. In an attempt to not freak out my mom, I did not mention, or at least go into detail about my health concerns. However, with my joints getting extremely stiff and painful once again, I was worried. Later that day I went to the doctor. He was worried. He mentioned sending me home, but I will have none of that nonsense! He sent me back to my apartment with some meds and said is should slowly get better.

My companion is the sweetest person on the planet earth! The next day I woke up with the stiffest joints ever, but still wanted to go to class and learn. I mean, this is the Lord's time, not mine. So I jumped into the shower (okay, not really jumping- I could not really walk). After the shower I dressed and started putting on makeup. That didn't go very well. I passed out. It really scared my companion. After a while I got up to brush my teeth because I was feeling fine, but passed out again. Although this time I mostly sat down before I was out. My sweet companion called the doctor for me. Of course he thought we were crazy. I had just been to visit him yesterday!! He told me I had really low blood pressure and then he gave me a wheelchair. 

Seriously, A WHEELCHAIR. I did not want it at all. But he said I had to have it just in case I passed out and also because it was taking me too long to get from place to place. I understand that I am slow, but I don't want to be the wimp in a wheelchair. Plus my companion has rheumatoid arthritis and her hands hurt. Doc said we should go to the casa and just rest. So we went to get some food (docs orders, although I wasn't mad) and I had the Elders give me a blessing. I didn't think that I needed a blessing because my Bishop gave me one before I left and I already know I'm going to get better, but the doc said a blessing was a good idea, so we did it. It really did help. I was a lot more calm after and I knew again that everything was going to be okay.

It was super embarrassing to have everyone look at me. I wanted to cry. 

As soon as the doc said "wheelchair" my mind went back to the car ride home from San Diego. Dad said, "How do you expect to serve a mission if you have to be in a wheelchair?" I was so discouraged. But after the blessing I was feeling more confident and with a little time to rest and think about life, I guess now I can just say "Hey Dad, This is how (;" 

Also, I got my entire district to make a big conga line behind my wheelchair and we had a fiesta walking to dinner that night. 

The next day my companion was really sick, but I just studied a lot of Spanish and we're back on track now.

Also, I taught a real person this week. (: Her name is Lulu and she is a Jehovah Witness. We talked to her about prayer and she said she wants to learn more and even be baptized. The Elders taught her a lesson before we did. Want to know something super funny? When they taught her they didn't have an extra Book of Mormon so the Elder had to give her his nice ones. I was glad I learned that lesson already! Hahahaha!! 

Well, that's most of the exciting stuff. I love you all and hope life's going well. Keep smiling and remember you're in my prayers. 

Lots of love!

Hermana Bryan

My sweet companion pushing me.

I love you

 Sisters in my district.

Beautiful CCM!

One of the Sister's mom sent her doughnuts! She shared them with all of us. YUMMY!

Spanish Humor

Hola everybody! This week has been crazy. Time just flies by like nobody's business.

Remember my investigator, Anna? Well we had more lessons and everything was awesome. She committed to be baptized. So great. Also, she is our new teacher.. HAHA! Should have seen that one coming. Her name is actually Hermana Resendiz and she's so nice. It's nice because I can give her hugs unlike every other person here at the MTC. I thought there would be a lot more girls here but the elders run the place. They're good to us though.

We are now teaching 2 more investigators. Daniel and Miguel. They are our other teachers. But after 5 lessons with them we are going to have real people. I'm really excited for that.

Friday was a lovely morning so I took my umbrella out of my bag. (Didn't want to carry around the extra weight). Of course that night would be the biggest rain storm of my entire life. My companion and I had to walk home in the rain. It was so cold.

I learned a joke in Spanish!! 

Cual es la diferencia entre una pera y la novia de un misionero? Una es pera y la otra no espera.

I laughed for a day and a half it was so funny to me.

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It's so spiritual! I am also now known as the district cry baby because I just bawl my face off when I bear my testimony or feel the spirit strongly. Oh well, they're all really nice about it.

We had fast Sunday because of general conference. I got up and bore my testimony in Spanish then in Ingles because I wasn't sure if I said everything the right way. At the end of the meeting our branch president stood up and said specifically that he loved my testimony and he wants his kids to hear it. He said it gives him hope for the future in this church. Of course that made me just cry even more. It was so touching.

The elders in our district have been writing nice notes and hiding them in our scriptures. They're really nice.

Not much else has happened, just a lot of learning Spanish. Thank you all for your prayers. I love you all.

Best wishes, 

Hermana Bryan

My companion, Sister Epperson

Some of the Elders in our district.

After the walk in the Rain.

The force is with me in Mexico!

P-DAY

See ya later!