I don't even know what to name these anymore... - Email from Jenny Aug. 28

Hello hello!!!

The ward has finally stepped up their game and started fellowshipping the Stith family! This week they had 3 dinners with different families in our ward!! We told them they are almost getting fed as much as us! :)  We are so grateful the ward is starting to love them as much as we do!!! At one family's home we taught the commandments of prayer and scripture study to the Stiths and Aiden Stith said the cutest thing! He said "when I read my scriptures, I feel like God is standing next to me." Aiden is 10 years old, and I thought it was so sweet how even at that young of an age, he could feel the power that comes into our lives as we read the word of God.

We had a cool experience this week as we went finding. These two ladies were sitting outside of this house so we decided to start talking to them, they both immediately told us not to waste our time because they weren't interested. We asked if we could serve them in anyway, one lady named Stefanie told us that she had some kittens she was trying to find a home for and asked if we wanted to see them. We excitedly told her yes and she brought out two little kittens! This gave us more time to talk to her and get to know her. She told us that she met with missionaries before 20 years ago, but wasn't interested in what they had to say because she had her own beliefs, she told us they kept trying to get her to read a book (the Book of Mormon) but she wouldn't. We told her more about the Book of Mormon and after explaining it she wanted one and was excited to read it!!! This experience  gave me hope for people who I have taught on my mission but weren't ready to accept the doctrines. Who knows, maybe in 20 years a missionary will run into them :)

Also, we had another funny tracting experience. We knocked on this door (remember you never know who is going to answer the door) and this old man answered the door. He smiled at us while he said, "CONGRATULATIONS!" We were pretty surprised and taken back #1 because you never know if they are being genuine or sarcastic and #2 he said "congratulations" like we had just won the lottery or graduated college or something haha all we were doing was trying to help him increase his faith in Christ. Anyway, with surprise on our faces, he proceeded to say, " I have never met another religion as faithful as you in evangelizing and spreading God's word." So, this man was Roman Catholic and very comfortable in his religion, but he appreciated what we do and told us if we were in the neighborhood and ever needed anything that we could stop by. Like I said, you never know what's going to happen :)

Lastly, I have been studying the principle of faith quite a bit lately and I have developed such a great appreciation for it. Sometimes I feel that we think we know enough about the "basics", but I have learned quite the opposite on my mission. I feel that as I have studied the "basics" my testimony has deepened and matured much more than when I have studied the appendages to Christ's doctrine. I have learned that having faith and then a confirming witness of the Spirit means so much more than having proof. Yesterday in sacrament meeting, there was a talk on the word of wisdom and on the Book of Mormon, both talks were great, but both speakers relied on tangible proof or evidence to back up what they were saying. Don't understand me wrong, it is really nice when scientific evidence backs up what we believe and I used to be really excited about evidence, but the Holy Ghost's witness is way more powerful to me than anything else. When the Spirit bears witness of a principle, it is ingrained upon your soul, so much so that when " the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo" and why will the adversary have no power over you?  "because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Hel 5:12) Jesus Christ is our foundation and is the only sure foundation that we can build on to bring us peace and joy in this life. He alone is the "author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2).

“The gift of the Holy Ghost comes after one repents and becomes worthy. … The Holy Ghost bears witness of the truth and impresses upon the soul the reality of God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ so deeply that no earthly power or authority can separate him from that knowledge.”  (Preach My Gospel)

Serving with a Smile,

Sister Bradley

Pictures!

1 & 2: Sister Soloa'i had her 18 month mark this week and one of the people she worked with in her last area came to take us to dinner to celebrate! Left to right: Soloa'i, Ashley, Me :)

Blasphemy - Email from Jenny Aug. 21

Weeeelll, hello again :)

We saw Jackie again this week, and it seems that every single time we go over, she has a new problem. It's her phone or her neighbor or her husband or her health. I could go on for days :) anyway, that is not the point, the point is that as we recenter her on what is important which is Jesus Christ and His gospel, her worries seem to melt away. She is able to remember that her time here is so so short in the grand scheme of things and that all of her current concerns will resolve themselves one way or another. It's also crazy too because she texted us before the lesson telling us this might be our last visit just because of how hectic things have been. Those are always SUPER stressful lessons, because you kinda only have one chance, but I never cease to be amazed by what God's teachings can do to help us :)

We started teaching a 17 year old girl in a part member family named Stephanie. She has a ton of faith!! We asked her about how she came to have the desire to learn considering all of her immediate family she lives with are not religious and she told us that it was her grandpa. He devoted time to teaching her and sharing with her his testimony of the gospel, and now because of that devotion, she wants to take her faith to the next level. I have observed over and over again in so many different homes the influence that parents and grandparents can have on children. The examples they set are a model for their children's lives, whether they know it or not!

We met with the Stith family and shared the Word of Wisdom with them. We read the scripture in 1 Corinthians 6:19--20 which says,

 "19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s."  After we read this scripture, Ryan looked at us and said "OH NO!!! I desecrated my temple!" (he has tattoos) Woah. We were talking about was goes in our bodies, but Ryan was able to learn by the Spirit how special his body was, and that is is literally a gift from God. This family is waaaay different than when we first found them. They are experiencing the change that comes from learning and living Jesus Christ's gospel. On Sunday, this brother gave a talk about Grace and said something really insightful about Christ's ability to change. He talked about the significance of Jesus Christ's first miracle being to turn water into wine. To be honest, this miracle has always slightly annoyed me because people will try to justify wine with regards to the Word of Wisdom. But, he said that this miracle shows Christ's ability to transform. He took water which is plain, common, and average, and transformed it into wine, something refined, exquisite and pure. The wine was of the best quality, and so the same is promised for us. We can be made of the finest quality as we follow Jesus Christ's perfect example and strive to live as He lived.

Also, the Spirit help me realize the coolest thing this week! What do all these scriptures have in common? :

-"Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?" (Mark 2:7)

-"The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy;" (John 10 :33)

-"Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy." (Matt 26:65)

-"And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" (Luke 5:21)

How often are we, as members of Christ's church, accused of blasphemy by others? I found it ironic, that just as Jesus Christ we are scrutinized for the truths that we know and hold dear to our hearts. It is comforting to realize we are not alone!

Serving with a Smile,

Sister Bradley

Side note: So, I got asked out over the phone (thank goodness, so he couldn't see my expressions) by a 45 year old black man....a new level of creepy has been reached. Don't worry, I shut him down very quickly. :)

Pictures!

 Sister Soloa'i and I :)

 THE ECLIPSE!!! You can't really tell in the pic though haha

The Riverwalk

Good, Better, Best - Email from Jenny Aug. 14

Okay, I'm just going to get straight to the good stuff :)

We taught the Stith family yesterday, and I am not even sure I could adequately describe how much I love them!!! We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ yesterday and during the lesson they told us that they had actually already quit coffee for a week (and we haven't even taught them the Word of Wisdom yet)! This is coming from the man who made coffee out of a sock when he was in the Marines because he was so desperate to get his coffee and now a week later with no coffee pot on their counter, they both said that it wasn't even that hard!!! "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27) They originally thought we were crazy for not drinking coffee too. Our 2nd meeting with them they told us they looked up things about us online (always a scary moment for a missionary) and they asked if we really didn't drink coffee, and now they don't either :) This definitely strengthened my testimony that God is truly preparing people everywhere! There are those who are just waiting for the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to come into their lives! (Oh, and just a side note, they were stoked when they found out they could serve a mission as senior couple, and even more excited when they learned they could come out with us!)

When we taught Yali this week, she told us that she had an epiphany. You honestly never know what you are going to get with Yali :) She told us that after Jesus Christ, there was no Prophet on the earth, not until Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ and was called to be a prophet! We definitely taught her that, but it is not until she pondered it herself and studied it out herself that she was able to realize the truth of the matter for herself. That is something that I have definitnely seen as I have served the Lord. I have been told Gospel truths my whole life, but a lot of them didn't make sense or "click" I guess you could say until my mission. "But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right." (D&C 9:8)

We taught Jozalyn, Reahlyn and Ethan Bryce about the Temple because they had some concerns about their family situation. They desperately desired their family to be together forever but felt sad that it didn't look promising for them. We talked about what the temples are for. They viewed the temple as more of a limiting thing, limiting their family from being together forever, when in reality it is the exact opposite. In civil marriage vows, they say "until death do you part" but in the temple we are promised "time and all eternity." What a special promise we are enabled to have through God's temples!

We have been trying a new way of counting new investigators. Instead of counting them as a new right after we set the return appointment, we are waiting until the return appointment happens, to ensure that they truly are a new investigator. It has been so wonderful to see how we are exactly where God needs us though. We have met around 3  new people this week that all said we were a sign from God that they were waiting for. 

Lately I have been thinking a lot about one of the greatest tools Satan uses to prevent us from doing the things that are the most important. We have seen out here in the field that if Satan can't get us to do anything bad, he will prevent us from doing good. Allowing us to think, "oh, I am too tired to study the scriptures" and then justifying it with"I won't get anything out of it anyway." Or "I don't have time for church on Sunday, I have to many other things I have to do." In our case it's "I'd love to meet with you, but I am just so busy, I don't have any time to." I don't doubt the validity of all of these statements, life is SUPER busy! But, it is a matter of what our priorities are. We all know the motto "good, better, best" and we can fill our time with all of these good things, but we should stop and ask ourselves if they are the BEST things we could be doing. Have we done our daily scripture study and filled our Spirit? Have we been to church and partaken of the sacrament to renew our covenants and our commitment to Christ? Have we fervently prayed to our Father in Heaven showing our gratitude and seeking His will for us in our lives? Have we taken a moment to serve another person, to lift another one of God's children who may be in need? Our mission president said something I thought was very profound. He said, "The enemy of the best, is the good."

Serving with a Smile,

Sister Bradley

P.S. This guy sitting next to me at the computers just called my name and said "sister Bradley, I have a picture of an authentic angel, can I show you??" He is so excited he is almost shaking, he is urgently trying to pull it up on Facebook. He told me that his brother took it and he thinks it is the angel Gabriel. He had to go to his car to get the picture for me, but he said I could keep it, and he encouraged me to show everyone I met. He also said that at least 4 Fathers from his church said that it was authentic. I simply told him that we definitely believe angels can minister to us today. He also told me he got in a car accident a while ago and has memory issues now, and is struggling with dementia.

Pictures!

 1. Mishawaka Riverwalk

 2. We found a cool road

3. I know I am pretty cheesy

Overcoming Stumbling Blocks - Email from Jenny Aug. 10

Hello!!!! We had transfers and now Sister Soloa'i and I are here in Mishawaka!! She is a quarter Polynesian and is from Wyoming. She is also vegetarian (which should make dinners interesting) :) and this will be her last transfer!!

We had an awesome week too!!! :) We met with the Stith family and they are doing so great! They always have so many questions about the Book of Mormon and are trying to absorb as much as they can!! We invited them to be baptized on September 9th and all 3 of them accepted!!! It was so cute too because after we met with them, Janet texted us and asked us what she needed to be doing to prepare for her baptism next month! She is so excited! They take notes of all the things that we tell them and put a lot of effort into retaining it all!! Please keep them in your prayers!!!

We also had a lesson with a new investigator named Melissa. I asked her why she agreed to let us come back (because at first she seemed hesitant) and she said that she had been searching for a sign in her life and had actually been wanting to go back to church for several years and she took us to be that sign! We taught her the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and wow the Spirit was strong! She was hearing impaired but I definitely believe that the Spirit helped her understand!! She committed to be baptized if she came to know it was true and agreed to come to church!!! Please pray for Melissa to receive answers as she prays!

We met with a girl named Kelly Jeffers that was a referral from a girl visiting the Notre Dame ward!!! She is 17 and the last time we met with her I wasn't exactly sure how interested she was. We tried teaching her the Book of Mormon but she seemed super uncomfortable. Needless to say I had no idea what to expect this lesson! She sure surprised me when she said she read through 4 chapters and LOVED it!!! We went through the Restoration of the Gospel as she told us A LOT about the Catholic faith (seriously, I've never met a Catholic that knew as much as she does!) At the end of the lesson we asked her thoughts and feelings about what we had talked about and she said she was so confused! She said she just had a big question mark in her head because she didn't want to leave the comfort of the religion she knew, and she knew if she joined she wouldn't be able to have her family come to her wedding and all these different things were going through head. Sister Soloa'i gave her great advice. She said "It is just as dangerous to live in the future as it is in the past." We told her to focus on the here and now and just reading and finding out if it was true and that everything else would be fine. Kelly calmed right down! She said she felt so much better and agreed to meet again!

We met with Yali, and I was super impressed when she said that she had decided to put aside the trinity issue because she didn't want it to block her or stop her from learning more. Wow, not a lot of people we teach are able to do that.

We also saw Reahlyn and Ethan! They are two of our investigators we have been struggling to see for the past several months! #1 they loved sister Soloa'i because she is a Poly and #2 they expressed to us a lot of concerns that they had that we started to address then, and are going to completely address the next lesson! Hopefully they start progressing toward baptism again!! Lots of prayers would be greatly appreciated!! 

There have been several experiences with people and myself that have directed my thought to the different stumbling blocks we face in life. Yali had the stumbling block of the trinity, Reahlyn had a couple stumbling block preventing her from progressing, Jackie had the stumbling block of discouragement, I had a couple stumbling blocks preventing me from being the missionary I am capable of. Everyone of us faces these every day. Yes, it is no fun, but it comes with a choice. We can choose to let these blocks stand in our way, we can set that stumbling block aside somewhere it can be addressed later, or we can move forward with faith overcoming the stumbling block. I know that these stumbling blocks do not come from God, they come from the author of all confusion who doesn't want us to progress and doesn't want us to move forward. With God's help, these things can be overcome!!! I invite all of you to look at your own lives. What are some things that may be holding you back from reaching your full potential? I invite you to make a choice to not let that stumbling block affect you any longer. The scriptures promise that Jesus Christ can take them away: 

"And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks" (1 Nephi 14:1)

Let Christ take your stumbling blocks away, all you have to do in return is to "hearken unto" Him.

Serving with a Smile,

Sister Bradley

Pictures!

Sister Soloa'i and our cute house!

Indiana Mission Facebook Page - Leadership Council

Mission Leadership Council on Friday August 4, 2017. Lots of new faces to this group. We welcome these exemplary leaders and look forward to some great mission leadership.