Week 12 - Grateful to worship "How, Where or What they may"

November 7, 2017

Hola familia y amigos,

Halloween in Santiago.

 Tues: Halloween! Yep they celebrate it here, but not everyone dresses up or gives candy either. Honestly I would kinda be afraid to accept candy ha ha! But it was fun to see costumes and we gave out candy too. There's a picture with a couple of girls that stopped by and wanted a picture with us, pretty sure it was because our costume was super realistic;)

Wed: Side story, one of our investigators is pregnant and we were asking her what name she was going to choose, and she said she wasn't sure and to write down some of our favorite names. We did and she chose my name! I don't know why but it made me so happy haha. Baby Nora:) Today was a good day, everyone was home or we showed up exactly when they did, and we found an investigator leaving her house that we hadn't seen in two weeks. We watched a video with a less active about the life of Christ, and it is really really beautiful. It was impossible to not feel the spirit during it. I am so grateful for the example of Christ that we have to follow. It always gives us something to aspire to! During a lesson we had, right outside their house, there were a bunch of rappers rapping with microphones and a gigantic speaker and it was SO loud! It was pretty harsh music and the environment was pretty hard to feel the spirit, but I learned that the spirit can always be present if we invite it, just sometimes it's harder than others.

Fri: We had a lesson with an investigator who has a hard time having faith. He asked so so many questions, and most of them were 'what if this' type of questions and I realized that it didn't matter how many questions we answered he was just going to choose to find something to doubt, and would continue to doubt until he chose to have faith. Faith is a decision that we decide to have, and then act on that faith. Our actions show what our faith is and what we have faith in. When we continually act on our faith that is when it grows. 

Sat: Was a super special day! So this never happens, and I hear this is the first time it's happened in our mission, but we got to leave our mission and go to mission oeste (west) to have a conference with mission norte with the presiding Bishop Davies and President Packer of the Seventy (the son of Elder Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve) and it was amazing!! We were so blessed to hear from them and their wives. Sister Packer talked about obedience, and how important EXACT obedience is. I thought about how important this is and how everyone can always improve on this and how I can apply it to my life as a missionary, but also at home too. It is so important to be obedient. So important. The spirit cannot be with us if we are not and prevent God from blessing us. Also you'll never guess who I saw there..Hermana Hayden!! Charissa Hayden from our stake!! I went to High School with her and she is serving in Santiago North, so crazy! When we got back we attended to baptism of an investigator of the elders in our ward, Wiliana, which was really beautiful, my first baptism I've seen on the mission! 

I got to see Hermana Hayden from back home at  a tri-mission conference!

Sun: I woke up super sick, congested, sore throat, headache, achy. It was pretty bad on top of my allergies. But I tried to keep going on trusting that God would help me, and he did. It was stake conference today and one of our investigators came to church for the first time! She wants to be baptized and seriously has so much faith. Later we had a lesson with a couple who rents from an older women. During our lesson we started hearing her shouting about Mormons and she was clearly super upset. She called for our investigator to come down and she started yelling at him about Mormons and how we are devils and teach lies and that we weren't allowed here etc. It was super sad to hear. He defended us and told her that he pays for his apartment and he can choose who he wants to listen to and that we were teaching the word of God. This was so hard for me, and really the first time I had ever heard someone get so angry and hateful because of my religion. It didn't make me question my testimony one bit, in fact strengthened it, but the saddest part for me was the hardness of her heart, and the adversary she was inviting into her home. But we all have agency, and for this I am grateful I can worship the way I know to be true.

Mon: Miracle, my sickness was gone. God answered my prayers so I could continue working! Today was Cambios, I finished my first transfer! Our zone had breakfast burritos which were super delicious. Hna S. and I stayed the same, which I am grateful for. 

Our zone

This week I want to encourage you all to find some way to increase your faith, and to make sure that your actions align with your faith and your beliefs.Also I know that God will bless you as you try to make changes in your life. Love and pray for you all, 

Mucho amor,

Hermana Briggs

Random side note about my area, there are fireworks all the time that go off in the middle of the day and night,and i found out it means that the drugs arrived haha. they eat so much bread here and yogurt. 

Hermana Fugal - neice of our friend from back home.

I got to see my companero from the CCM! (next to me)

The sisters in our zone.