Saying Goodbye

Hi, Mom!

Thanks for sending the package! I will probably see it in a month. :D  Thanks for your e-mail today too! I am glad that Eulalia will be back too.

This P-day, we said goodbye to a big group of missionaries, and to the office staff. The Andersons (office couple), the Bonnets (housing, and bags), and the Warners (medical) all finished today.  :(  It's like saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa again, three times over. :(  Things will be a little tight for the next few weeks. There's a new couple in the office, and they will get the hang of things soon. They are from here, (not Montana like the Andersons) and it will be a lot different in the office. It's OK though. Change is normal. They are really nice people too. I am glad that I will get to know them!

I'm not sure how much I will be able to write today, but I just want you to know that I love you and I am doing well. I felt the Spirit this week, as we taught, and in doing other aspects of the work. I heard a song this week, called Every Word, from EFY 2010. Yes I know its a cheesy EFY youth song, but I really felt the Spirit as I heard it. I am thankful for good music.

Thanks for being my family and for all that you do! I miss you, but I am doing well.

Have a good week!!! 

-Brigham

District meeting on Saturday, at the makeshift visitors center

Brie, Jambon, and Oeuf Sandwich

Hi, Mom and Dad.

 

Good to hear from you! Thanks for the e-mails.

This week, was a good one. I am TIRED, but good. We went to the airport for a 6 AM New Zealand flight, an Elder who's headed off to his real mission, after having served here for a few months. Afterward, we went to the store and I bought some Brie. Oh man, I love that stuff. I made a Brie (de Carrefour), Jambon (de Paris), and Oeuf (de Papeari :P) sandwich. Oh man. It was good. Ate an orange, and some more cheese to go with it. No toaster means camping style toast. Oooh yeah. Good sandwich.

Its funny how I just realized the only thing I'm talking about is food. I think the sandwich reminded me of breakfast at home. Besides the melty brie. :D

Earlier this week, I was with Elder Hunsaker, Rose, Molinari, Edwards, and Doit, all missionaries from my MTC group. They were at the mission home with us, for our leadership council meeting. It was fun to talk with them. I remembered the MTC, and realized that it has been a while. I can't believe how fast things are going. I can't believe it.

This week's been a full one. I am happy to be here, and I am happy to be a missionary. This week, we spent a lot of time with President. I know that I have such a rare chance to be able to spend so much time with him, and to learn from him.

 

Things have been good here. My testimony has been growing, and I know that the church is true. I am still learning about recognizing the Spirit, and I know that I will never stop learning about how to understand the Spirit, as long as I do my best to listen. This week, I re-read many talks from the last General Conference. It was good, and I just felt happy to be in the church. I know that sometimes people in the church mess up, and that some times (in fact always) people aren't perfect, but I do know that we don't need to be perfect to be a disciple, and that we can all learn at the same time, if we do our best, and if we try to stay on the path of happiness.

This week, a really special event happened.

 

Elder Lee Chip Sao and I found a family. A big one. I was with a returned missionary doing a split, and I stopped to say hi to a guy walking around in the neighborhood. He stopped, and was really nice to us, and then in getting to know him, I discovered that he is a less-active member. We asked him for a visit, and then we came back a few days later. When we came back, he was there, with his non-member wife, and many many members of their family. Some are members, others are not. We taught a way powerful lesson about the nature of God, and the Spirit was there. We went back, and they were ALL THERE, and we taught the plan of salvation, and tonight we are going to teach about the first principles of the gospel. I am happy to have found new investigators, and I really really hope and pray that this family will be willing and eager to follow the example of Jesus Christ. For the less active members of the family, that will mean some coming back, and for the non member members of the family, it could mean making covenants! I am happy and eager for this lesson tonight. :D

Other than that, this week has been very full. It was cool, at one moment, for the first time all week, we had 'dead time'. Then the phone rang. We were driving into the sector to see if there was something we could do. The sisters called, and asked us to give a blessing to their ami. Sweet! We filled the half hour of dead time, then things picked up. I really like it when Heavenly Father helps us use all of our time! It is the best.

Tell Grandma and Grandpa hi for me!

 

I love you guys! Have a good week.

-Brigham

This Week Has Been a Rush

Hello everyone! Thanks for the e-mails! 

This has been a slower P-day. We set up for the Meet the Mormons movie, and we came back so we could write home :D my companion is studying up on his driving code, so he might be able to pass his permit here. It'd be nice if he were driving. I've been off and on the computer, and I am gonna pound out an e-mail now, so that I don't forget, and so that you might read it before it's too late. We're gonna go visit some less active members shortly, and I am excited.

Writing this e-mail is a nice break. Sometimes I get frustrated or tired of all the computer, administrative stuff, and then writing home reminds me of why I am here. I love you all.

 

This week has been a rush (as usual) and I am tired. We had a lot of driving yesterday, taking a missionary to the airport, and picking up and dropping off his replacement. We had several investigators come to church! But we had to go before the 3 hours were over, to do the little transfer. Last night, as we polished up the Sunday night report, President came down, and we discussed together at the office. It is nice with President back, and I really enjoy working with him, and getting to know him. He told us that all the missionaries in Vanuatu are safe, but that we're not sure about much else. The storm was huge, but it isn't headed for Tahiti, and we are much more stable here than they are. The majority of structures couldn't handle a big storm there, but here in Tahiti is much more advanced. I am safe.

This week, I read the Liahona article about Jesus' suffering in the garden, and about how He was sent an angel to comfort him, and help Him. I really liked it, and I think on a mission is one of the times where you receive or notice Heavenly Father's help, and His love like that.

This week, I felt the Spirit very strongly during our District Meeting. A couple from the UK, the Jones, gave the training, and it was really a neat meeting. Elder Jones taught institute for a long time, and his studies are fun. He shares some awesome insights, and some thoughts about scriptures, that I'd never have had. The training was about Lehi's dream, and Elder Jones taught using some insights from Elder Bednar. He talked about 'where are we' on the path, and he used some good scriptures to explain things about the path, and about all of the vision. It was super cool. The more I discover in the Book of Mormon, the more I wish that everyone would read it, and that people would seek to understand it. I feel so lucky to have received a good education when I was smaller, and I feel really lucky to be able to read and write, and understand when I read. It is a gift, and something that I really really want to instill in my kids some day. Teaching is really really hard when people can't communicate, and can't reason, or comprehend reasoning. Thanks Mom and Dad, for always helping me learn, and for treating me like an adult, and talking to us. Thank you for helping us.

This week that is coming, I plan to study more in the Book of Mormon, and I'd like to read my patriarchal blessing again. Some one talked about patriarchal blessings, and related them to the Liahona. I really liked that comparison, and I realized that I need to have faith in the promises found inside, and I need to follow it like the liahona. If I don't have faith, or if I make bad choices, the 'Liahona' might stop working, and I will need to make some course corrections. It was a cool thought.

We had a baptism this Saturday! It was the grandson of our ward mission leader! We teach other members of his family, and it was really a good service. Another brother (taught by the sisters in our ward) got baptised, and his baptism was neat too. Seeing our little investigator (nine years old) get baptized, reminded me of my baptism, and really was a special experience. Our little convert gave a great testimony too! We had talked to him about it, the other day, and he prepared it himself. He said that he knew the Church was truly the true church, and that Jesus showed us the true example of how to be baptised. He remembers sooo much from our lessons. He is soooo smart, and gets the lessons. It has been fun teaching him.

These are my thoughts for this week. Thanks again for loving me. And for everything. I got an e-mail from many of you! Thanks! I love you all so much, and it is nice knowing that you are all there. Have a good week, and thanks for all your prayers. I pray for you all too!

Have a good night! :D

 

-Brigham

Our Little Convert

Me with Elder Hill. I love that guy. We took him to the airport so he can go to Tubuai! 

Hi!

Hi all! Sorry, I didn't get the time after the airport to write. :( President's flight came in late, and we had an FHE last nignt.

Thanks for all the emails this week!  I am happy that you are doing well! 

Sorry if my thoughts are breif.

This week was a good one, and I am happy to be here. We broke my all time AP teaching record again (but this time it was a high, not a low!) We taught 23 lessons to investigators, and we had a great week. Elder Lee Chip Sao teaches really well, and we met some new investigators. One of our new investigators had already stopped smoking, and drinking, and has been prepared to be baptized already. It is like magic when you find someone who already lives the standards, and who accepts the gospel. It is amazing to teach people who've been prepared. The big reason this ami is ready, is because his brother is a member, and he's been with him a lot. His example has made a BIG  difference.

Pday was good! I did a really thorough cleaning of the bathrooom, and then we went a fishing! We have an investigator (the one who fed me mahi mahi and lobster) who just moved out of our sector. We decided to visit him on P-day. We went and fished with him, and he showed us how he fishes for all the little surf fish. It was fun. We got lots of little ones. When we got back, we picked up President from the airport, and then we were busy again. Should have written more before the airport... sorry about that.

Thanks for all your love and support. Thank you for being my family and for taking care of us. 

I don't have lots of time to write. Just know that I love you! I am doing well, and I pray for you all! 

Have a good week, and I will write more next monday!

-Brigham

Off to Pick Up President

Thanks for the e-mail!  Happy to hear from Mom & Dad, and to hear that you are doing well! Sounds like the tandem will get some good use :D

I just got on for a few minutes to check e-mails before we go to the Airport. Gonna pick President up. And, yes, things will be getting very busy. In about 10 minutes when we get there. :D

I will get back on soon.

I went fishing today. Got lots of little fish. :D Ill tell you about it in the bigger e-mail. I love you!

Loving the Book of Mormon More and More

Thanks for the e-mails this week! I am working on the pre-major application you sent for school, so I think that my thoughts will be a bit more brief than long today. Thanks for helping me get all the school stuff set up. You guys are the best.

I am doing well. I am happy to be here, and this last week was a blast. Elder Lee Chip Sao and I are getting along well. He is a nice guy, and knows how to laugh, but work hard too. President has been in the islands, and was at a conference in New Zealand, which means that we've had much more time to spend in our sector! Wooohooo! We taught 20 lessons to investigators, and we found some nice new potential investigators.

I am no longer sick. What ever it was, has passed, and I am healthy. DON'T WORRY.

This week, I studied more in the Book of Mormon. I really enjoyed it, and the more that I read, the more I feel that it is true. I read the end of Mosiah, and started Alma. Wow. There are some stories in there that I am SURE I have read, but I must have forgotten them. Like Alma, fighting with his guards against the rebellious kings (NO WAY! Thats like movie cool) and Nehor, the bad guy. It was cool for me to read these stories again, and I really felt the power in them. Hard to explain. During a lesson on Sunday, we read the words of Mormon with an ami (he's 17 and reads the BoM a lot now). I helped him understand about the records being written and then abridged, and while we read the small chapter, I felt the Spirit and I had goosebumps as I realized that the PRECIOUS records, that had been hidden, passed from king to king, and protected like treasure, were now in my hands. And Mormon had his wish fulfilled. SO cool! Again, hard to explain. I just felt the truth of the Book of Mormon, and I have been loving it more and more.

This week, in church I translated for Elder Warner (a senior Elder, who will be finishing with his wife in about 4 weeks :( ) He bore his testimony and I had a hard time translating the phrase 'how often'... It came out kinda goofy, but it went ok. Translating in church is an adventure, but I like it, and I hope that I will get better :D I can't imaging the ASL translating, THEY NEVER STOP FOR YOU! YIKES ! I look up to you Mom! :D I did, even before you translated, by the way.

This week, Elder Lee Chip Sao has helped me be a better missionary, and I am impressed by his diligence. I don't know how much longer I will be in the office. President said that he is very happy with the changes that I have made, and the things that I have learned while working in the office. He said that being in the office is like training for church service later on. Whether I'll be gone in a transfer, or two, I am still happy to serve. I love being a missionary.

These are my thoughts for today.  I really don't like thinking about university too much, because when I do, YIKES I realize that I will see you too! Don't worry, the P-day BYU stuff is not too big of a distraction, and I am so thankful for your help, and thankful for the fact that I got admitted BEFORE my mission. I just need to do what you said Dad, and hold Jesus' hand, and keep going! 

Thanks for everything. I can not express, how much I love you all, and how much I want the best things for you! I pray for you! Have a good week, and pass my love to the family.

Have a good week!!!!

 

-Brigham