Week 77 - 5 things I've learned from my mission

February 5, 2019

Hola!!

Wow. What an adventure! I can't believe this is it! The mission has
definitely been the best experience I have had so far. It hasn't been
easy, but that is what makes it so fulfilling. I am so grateful for every
second I've had here. God knew I needed to serve a mission and that I
needed the people here, in Chile. I love these people. Words cannot
adequately describe how grateful I am that God has trusted me, as
imperfect and stubborn as I am, with bringing about His great work. He
has lead me and guided me with His hand, He's magnified my efforts,
changed my heart and answered my prayers. He's given me comfort,
counsel, and assurance when I needed it most. He's revealed eternal
truths to me, He's greatened my desire to do good and reach my
potential, and given me abilities beyond my own so I could bless His
children. I couldn't have gotten this far without Him, and have to
recognize His great goodness despite my definite weaknesses.

I've tried to sum up what I've learned from my mission into 5 points.
Really I haven't fully learned them, because I'm going to keep
learning and re-learning and putting them into practice and studying
them again and again throughout my life, but they are some things that
I've come to understand a lot more, thanks to serving here in Chile:

1. How to receive the Holy Ghost and the blessings that follow from
acting on his promptings
2. The gospel is the most valuable thing I possess
3. How to minister- and the great need there is for this in the world
4. Always look for the good, always
5. Charity (truly) never faileth

I know this is God's work. I know it more than ever now. I'm excited
to apply what I've been learning here. The mission is just getting
started!

Thank you for all you have done in supporting me. I'm excited to see
y'all when I get back! See you soon! wahoo!

Con tanto amor por ustedes y por mi Salvador,
Hermana Briggs

Mosiah 26:23-24

23 For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand.

24 For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand.

-also, I'll be speaking in Sacrament Meeting Sunday the 17th, at
10:15am, and you are all welcome to it! The address of the church is
6869 W. Vista Springs Dr. Herriman, UT
-I'll also be having a get together at my house Saturday night, the
16th, as I will not be having a luncheon after church on Sunday. I
would love to see you! If you would like the address to my home, email
me or message me when I get back (:

Week 76 - Semana 76!

January 29, 2019

Hooolas!!
A little from this this lovely week:

>This week Jorge came to church (and Franklin). Jorge is progressing so much! A speaker started explaining a Book of Mormon story and he leaned over to me and said, 'that's from the book you gave me, right?' I told him it was and he then said that he had read it all day and into the night and had finished it in just a few days. WHAT?! I was so amazed! Normally we have to pull their teeth to get them to read- remind them and remind them again but he read it all, AND he came to church all by himself. We didn't even have to invite him- he told us he was going. He is really golden and has been prepared to receive the gospel! He was a reference from some members in Nuñoa 1 (from this girl from Argentina who I went to the MTC here in Chile with, then she moved to Chile to live with her aunt who lives in Ñuñoa 1 - this same zone! Jorge is their massage therapist and they had invited him to go to the open house in the stake center in December. He didn't end up being able to go but she sent us his reference) Yay for members who share the gospel with everyone! I love when members understand that it's important to share the gospel with everyone- even with their massage therapist!

-with dear Ines and Felix from Las Condes. How I've come to love them!

- Hna Phillips- my aussie missionary friend who I've been in the same
zone with for half my mission (:

- me, Hna Phillips, Hna Ramirez (she goes home with me), Hna Gallion,
Hna Moreira (de Brasil) y Hna Vasquez (my second compy)

- sweet Hna Kelly. she's from the states but is half Chilean and also
like 6 ft tall...I'm still not sure how that worked out (:

Love you all! Thanks for all your support, love, and prayers. This
work is the truest work it is, and I feel so extremely blessed to be
able to see God moving it forward first hand.

abrazos! besitos!
hna briggs

Week 75 - fotos de la semana!

January 22, 2019

I don't have much time, but here are some pics from the week:

Hna Lopez- a member from the ward that we do service for- we love her
so much! she is a widow and her only daughter died from cancer years
ago (and was living in the states her whole life and never could see
her) she's pretty lonely and we try to help her feel loved and help
with what she needs cause she can't walk very well anymore

At the temple

there's one with a women in red- her name is Marlene and I visited
her family in my other area, Las Condes. She was very less active when
I got there, but we were working with her up until I left and she was
going to church. Then as I was waiting for someone in front of the
temple, she was walking in with a member from the ward for a session
in the temple! That moment was so so happy! She is able to enjoy the
blessings of the temple and that is the greatest happiness I could
receive.

Hermana Gallion and her AMAZING art skills

 
okay that was longer than I expected it to be. Bueno, I love you all
and am so grateful for the support and prayers I've felt. Truly this
is God's work. I know this and see His hand in my life every single
day. I am so grateful I can be a missionary. I love this gospel!

Have a lovely week!

<3 Hermana briggs

Week 74 - fotos

January 15, 2019

a few pictures from the week...(:

Week 73 - Pics!

January 8, 2019

Quick update: This last Wednesday I went to Hermano Vergara so he
could look at my foot that was hurting a lot last week, but now it's
pretty much fixed! So that is good.

We found Luis this week! We were teaching him for a while but then we
couldn't find him for a while, but we found him right in the precise
moment that he needed. He is really struggling with a lot of things
and doesn't understand why him. We were able to testify to him that
God loves him and is ready to give him the blessings he needs. He
didn't come to church this week, but we are hoping that next week he
can. The needs Luis has was kind of a theme for this week- we visited
quite a few people who are having the same difficulties and we were
able to help them feel of the spirit and learn of God's character.

Today we went to the temple! The temple is such a special place where
one can feel the spirit and peace from the Lord SO incredibly strong.
It's impossible to not feel His love for you there and the vision He
has for each of His children. It really is just a taste of the
everlasting happiness and joy that he has promised.

Pics : temple and a few things we made for the hermanas. the one with the
elders are a few that got to the mission the same time as me

Hermana Briggs

Week 72 - *FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!!*

January 1, 2019

Hello all! What a lovely week!! I'll tell ya why:

> I got the best Christmas present EVER and got to talk to my beautiful family who make me cry and laugh and happy that I have something so great to miss. I'm also so grateful I got to talk Gable, he's such a great example for me and as he always does, is making the world a better place in Togo! 

> I held exchanges with Hermana Ramirez this last Thursday. She got to the mission the same time I did and it was fun to learn from her! We went to correlation with our ward mission leader and we were discussing with the other missionaries in our ward a few of the challenges the ward is having- how nobody will step up and do things, really unless they get something out of it for themselves and so it ends up being the same 7 people that do everything! We were trying to think of momentary solutions when Hna Ramirez said "I think that the problem lies much deeper than just lack of organization or communication. It is coming from not obeying first great commandment- love God with all your soul and love your neighbor like unto yourself. Nothing is going to change unless their love for God does." Whoah. Such words of wisdom! Really if we love God enough, we will sacrifice anything to do what He asks, whether it's from cleaning the church building to doing ministering faithfully to attending the temple monthly. 

> okay there are a lot more reasons but I actually don't have time to finish. But I love the gospel and I love the mission and I love Chile. And I'm just happy.

Happy new year! what a great time to reflect on what you want out of this coming year. love you all!

hna Briggs

Week 71 - Merry CHRISTmas!!

December 24, 2018

This week has been a very special one! We've had something (singing in the plaza, visitas, choir performance, capilla abierta, contacting in Pocuro for the pesebre, to name just a few) every single day, but that is what has made this week so incredibly amazing!

If you look at the pics there's one of a choir. Really this was one of the most special things I have been able to do this Christmas! This Christmas has been fillllled with music that just fills my heart!

We put this choir together really just right before. All the singers in our zone sang and the others that didn't sing passed out 'Ilumina el Mundo' or 'Light the World' cards. They passed out stacks of them!

We communicated with the city to allow us to sing in the community and a man took us around to various locations in a plaza to sing. The plaza was filled with little tent shops- it's called a Feria and this one was made especially for Christmas, so everyone that was there, was there to buy things. After finishing one of the songs, a lady told me, 'This is the true meaning of Christmas, thank you for reminding us.' I thought that was really special, seeing as we were in the mist of money and physical gifts, yet we were singing of Christ and His life, which is the greatest gift of them all that money can't buy. I hope we can all remember this. Christ is the life, the light, and the hope of this world. Through Him is the only way we can find peace in this this life and happiness in the one to come.

 

I was reading in Alma 15 this week and came across these scriptures. It's talking about Zeezrom, a man who is very sick with fever because of all the terrible things he had done. Maybe we aren't sick exactly like Zeezrom, but we all need the power of Christ in our lives to heal us from the weaknesses, pains, and trials we each have. 

6 And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation?

7 And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught.

8 And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed.

9 And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words.

10 And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.

 

I know that if we have faith in Christ, He will heal us! He was born and He lived for us so that if we believe in Him, He can have mercy on us. His power is real and how grateful I am that God gave Him to us. His birth is a miracle, His life is too, and he can work miracles in us if we let him. 

Hope you all have the Merriest of Christmas's! Love you all!

abrazos,

hermana briggs