November 4, 2013

(David wrote to Carissa asking her to speak in two different sacrament meetings.  Lucky girl!)   
Yes I can, I got lucky and won´t have to speak here in Passo Fundo....so I´ll have to speek twice at home haha

I´m learning that enduring to the end isn´t as easy at is sounds. But this past week was really special we had a lot of success. Sadly i probably won´t witness the fruits but at least the next Sister that comes will have lots of work. Our area is huge and I´-m exhausted! But its good and I love it.



Hey,

So Halloween isn´t really a holiday here. People celebrate it because we celebrate it in the USA, so its usually just a few kids. But there were a few tricker treaters but they usually got money because no one has candy. But I miss halloween!!! haha

As far as the University of Utah, I´m not really stressed (and i don´t know why) I don´t have anything planned but its gonna work out alright. But thats awesome that we have a little extra time. My only thought is if I wait the classes I need/want will be full. And my hope is to graduate ASAP. Have you looked at any financial aid?? or a government loan or something. Finances are going to be a little tricky.

Ya that would be perfect to do something at home. I will need to be set apart by the stake president. Don´t know if you have already talked to him about that. But it will be nice to see everyone again! (You have no idea how weird it is to think about all this, its so hard to stay focused and this week will be even harder because every appt we make, every baptism we mark....I won´t be here!!!) Everything is a reminder, especially the members who like to bring up the subject! But its fun, the work continues and the day by day stays the same.

This last week was really good. Sister R---- went on her 1st Member Division. She was awesome. Luan was confirmed....after a long hunt all over Passo Fundo to find him. He lives really far and the member who usually brings him didn´t come to church. We went to his house, he wasn´t there his mom called him and told him to leave his Grandfathers house and we´d pick him up on the street. It was crazy but he came and was confirmed! Literally you receive the blessings after ALL you can do (which usually includes something crazy and requires a little attitude). I thought on the mission you learn to be more spiritual and everything, calmer I don´t know....but in reality what you learn is to be diligent and firm with people. Show them by what you do that the gospel is important, because they don´t know that, so we have to put our faith in practice to take an investigator where they need to go. Because they don´t know. Its what we call the ```new era``

Received a really special tender mercy today. Bernadete (a recent convert from my last area sent me an e-mail) She is so special. We're trying to work it out so I can see her before I leave! So glad I'll get to spend a few more hours in Lindoia before leaving!

Well its gonna be quick today but I love you!
Sister Bradley

October 28, 2013

Bowling!!!! Us and the Sisters we live with! It was a blast but we were all super sore afterwards. haha

the view from our apt, 11th floor in downtown passo fundo....yep we are living good! (and now thanks to our ZLs we have bunkbeds) But I´m sleeping on the top bunk in front of the window....so if we sleep with the window open.....and I fall off the bed....its a long way down haha. 

A part of our area....thats really really really far away. And we were super poor last week and so we walked!!!! Luckly this week a member gave us ´´gold´´ (little pink pastic coins) for the bus haha

To answer your questions:

The weather is undecided here. We have all four seasons in one day. Rain, sun, hot cold. It rained last week quite a bit, we´ll see what this week has in store. Our ward is amazing. And all the members here serve dessert....so I´m gaining weight AGAIN! Just when I was starting to go back to normal haha But its fun.

There are several families that help us a lot. For example this weekend we had two baptisms one was a member referral and the other we had a lot of help from a member family. This family when we asked the to help us integrate our investigator family told us of course they want exaltation and they realize that this is only possible if they help us haha. It is a really special family.....6 kids!!!! all younger than 13 but they are amazing.

Our mission leader is very young, a recent returned missionary.

The ward is very normal. Lots of families it seems, but lots of inactive members. Lots of work.

Well I think those were our adventures this week.

Oh yesterday we were knocking doors with a member (trying to get lessons with a member present) and a woman invited us in. The only problem she was a missionary for another church. She tried to teach us about prophets and then she said the closing prayer and said (almost yelling in her prayer) that our faith and mission and suffering and homesickness for our families was all in vain but that the Lord would forgive us and all kinds of crazy things. Oh the adventures of being a missionary. Luckly the member still wants to serve a mission so we didn't scare him too bad.

Well Love you
Sister Bradley

October 21, 2013

So far, I don´t have many questions (about the Masters program). But to be honest my head is such a mess I can´t process information straight for now. But I was looking over the list of classes. And I DON´T KNOW haha so many options.

Something I have been thinking about is FASFA or something. To see if i qualify for a little bit of help :)

Did you see!!!! I´ll be home (in CA) for lunch on the 14 of November!!!!! Wow, I thought I would be getting to Sacramento around 3 so that was a pleasant surprise.

Well this week Sister R---- was pretty sick. We stayed four days at home! Its interesting how different people are. She is really hard on herself. and puts really high expectations for everyone. Our Zone leaders are friends of mine and they were telling her how lucky she was to have me for a companion, the problem is it backfired and she created expectations that I have not been able to live up to. Its been really difficult. Because I don´t want to disappoint her I want the beginning of her mission to be special and memorable but so far its just been disappointments. Our baptisms for this last week feel through. It happens but she doesn´t seem to understand that this is part of the mission. We do all we can and we can´t choose the blessings or when they come.

But despite the difficulties this last week. We contacted a family really special. They accepted baptism, before going to church or praying they are so excited! The sad part is the parents have to get married and so its certain I won´t be here. That was a weird thought.

Well its raining and thundering and lightening which is pretty cool. We live on the 11th floor of an apt so the view is incredible! Today we are going go bowling as a district!!

Well Love you lots and lots!
Sister Bradley

October 14, 2013

There are not words to describe everything right now. This past week I had an interview with President and it left me thinking about life after the mission and what would happen. When he said the closing prayer he asked that I be blessed with all that would be good for me because I deserve it. I love the relationship I have with President and Sister Wright. Its amazing how the Lord plans everything to work out, perfectly. I have learned so much from them. Sister Wright is the kindest person I have ever met, she is so wise, so strong and yet so humble. I wish I could be that way.

I had been feeling like my application wasn´t very strong and started thinking about other options and nothing was coming. Its like I know the end is coming but still can´t see the light. I can´t imagine how life will be.
My mission has been so blessed, everything I have needed or wanted has happened. My dream was to come to Passo Fundo, and I´m here, last week we were out of money to take the bus and a member offered to drive us back to our area, members brought us food, a baptism showed up from nowhere. (She came to church we asked if she wanted to be baptized and she said she wanted too) Referral from the Lord!!!!!!
 Anyways receiving all this blessings here on the mission I started wondering if afterwards would be the challenge. And I´m sure it will be. But I can´t believe how blessed I am, I could not ask for my life to be any better.

This past week has been really interesting. Sister R-----  is a wonderful Sister but can be hard on herself and wants to receive the blessings she wants NOW! (ex baptisms). I´ve learned its all on the Lord table and sometimes we just have to work and work without knowing exactly why and not get discouraged. Thats obedience.

I can´t believe I have exactly a month left. I will miss President and Sister Wright SOO MUCH I have learned so much from them.

And yes I´m getting better at taking pictures...a little.

Kash still hasn´t gotten her vista how sad. Its another blessing I received (Sister Wright and I talked about that all the time).

I love Passo Fundo, its a huge area. Lots of work and so it keeps you busy which is exactly what I need and want.

My birthday package.....Friday was our Zone meeting and so we will only receive cards and packages my last week in the field. So if it arrives it will be then, thanks for thinking of me, but really want I wanted for my birthday I got, accepted to the U and transferred to Passo Fundo. :D


Anyways the best miracle this week. Sister R---- has been really disheartened because she´s two weeks in the field and still hasn´t had a baptism. (I think she imagined she´d arrive and have 3 baptisms). But we´re opening an area and don´t have investigators we´re starting from 0. But on Sunday a woman came to church with her friends. Her daughter was baptized last year and we were talking to her and asked if she wanted to be baptized. She said yes she had been thinking about it for next month. (Because the person she wants to baptize her will be traveling until then). But we talked with her and marked her baptism for that evening!!!! She had her interview, passed. A few hours later she called our Zone Leaders (who have the cellphone) and said she wanted to be baptized on saturday so her husband could watch! Out of nowhere this woman appeared. Right when I was running out of things to do and say to help Sister R-----. I had been praying that I would know how to help her...and the Lord blessed us with this referral!

Its just incredible!
Love you all
!!!!!!


( I was asking Carissa how she responded when she heard that she was accepted to the Masters Program at the University of Utah.  Here is her response.)

OH my goodness you have no idea. and my entire district is here with me! Its just too much, because seriously i was doubting. Now I´m just scared thats its going to be so hard, but i remember how i felt before leaving for the mission and how right it was to go there.

(in response to my question about what her new area, Passo Fundo, is like...)

Its a city with a countryside. So its perfect for me. There are a lot of apartments downtown (where we live) but we have a part thats pretty country, and yes green! lots of people but its not congested. Ok so i won´t print photos here hahah because its 90 cents a photo! Ya its been an incredible week!!!!

(I was telling Carissa how grateful I was that she has had President and Sister Wright as her mission president .  This is her response.)

you have no idea how much you and sister wright are alike. She makes me miss you everytime I see her, but so grateful that I have her to help me and be my friend. Its like you having Lauren when I was at byui.