The 6th Chronicle

Side note from Christine:

You know that feeling when you lose a child in the grocery store?  Or it’s past curfew and you haven’t heard from your son/daughter?  Or when P-day rolls around and you check your email 100+ times looking for a letter from your missionary?  Yep, the minutes feel like eternity! So glad Elder Brady is a-o-kay! 😅 Turns out P-day was switched to Tuesday this week, so that he could attend the temple.  

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Hello Family & Friends!

When you are a missionary EVERYONE asks where you are from! So I get to share with people everyday that "I grew up in Tennessee and then moved to Logan, Utah... so from Logan to Logan basically!" and everyone gets a kick outta that XD. As I've pondered the memories I have from being a kid living in the South, I remember occasionally getting to run around on warm summer nights surrounded in a fairyland of fireflies. I've definitely missed that since we moved to Utah. So you can imagine my joy and nostalgia as I've seen fireflies every night this week! A field of fireflies in the summer... it's truly a beautiful experience.

Elder Durocher and I witnessed miracles yesterday! On Sunday night a member family, moving from Washington to Louisiana, was driving through our area. As they drove down a narrow backroad (next to a steep drop off) the edge of the road totally gave out causing the truck to roll over down a hill landing on its top. Miracle 1: No one got hurt. Miracle 2: Neighbors nearby (and members of our ward) were available and able to quickly rally together to help move all the stuff from the old truck to a new one. Miracle 3: Within minutes of finishing, a violent thunder storm hit us. I believe that the Lord held back the lighting and rain until everyone was able to find shelter, and for the newly loaded truck to get up and out onto the road. If the truck hadn't made it to the road before the storm hit, it may have sunk and gotten stuck in the soft ground. The Lord's hand is in our lives and we get to see that everyday. What a blessing! #Miracles #TheHandOfTheLord

I love it when people are like... "Hold up, you mean that you leave behind family, friendships, schooling, work, hobbies, music, basically EVERYTHING for 2 WHOLE YEARS? Wait and you're 18? Wow. You paid for it too? Do you get to text or call home? WHAT? Only get to email once a week and call home twice a year! That doesn't seem fair. Well, you two are dedicated... or crazy. I respect you guys for sure" XD Those conversations remind me that no one else does what we do. At the same time, no one else gets to experience what we experience because of that.

I love witnessing people who pray over their food at local restaurants. They aren't even members. Just people who love the Lord and know the importance of saying grace. Can people tell if you love the Lord? How often do you pray in 'public'?

So we knocked on the wrong door the other day. We thought it was the home of an investigator we had met the week before. Turns out it was his neighbor's house. Totally awesome! Got to teach the neighbor and set up a return appointment! #TheHandOfTheLord

Met a lady (and now investigator) and her daughter that love to go out and find old buttons and coins using a metal detector! She told us to not judge her 'cause a lot of people do, and we shared that we actually thought it was awesome! I told her, "We are actually on the hunt too! The Holy Spirit is our 'Metal Detector' and we search for those that are prepared and ready to come unto Christ." Funny thing is we found two old metal detectors while cleaning out a storage shed for a service project later in the week. We got to take them home because they were just gonna throw them away. No idea what to do with them though XD Maybe a present for this investigator and her daughter.

Brother Cortes is THE STUD MUFFIN. As he is the new Elder's Quorum President, we get to see him a lot. He's worked construction and so I've enjoyed getting to talk with him about my experience as an electrician. To say the least... he has a bold and "Let's Get This Done" personality. I love it cause he works fast, hard, and you better not get in the way! Service projects are a breeze when he is there.

Got my first slammed door! So sad :( Not sad for me, cause they aren't rejecting me, but sad because they rejected the gospel and the message we share. Are there things we do that "slam the door" on Christ and his Gospel? 

While out Walk 'n and Knock 'n I met a fellow photographer! She owns "The Perfect Shot" studio in downtown Missouri Valley. She wasn't interested in the gospel, but we got to talk for a couple minutes about photography! She appreciated getting to share the challenges and struggles only a photographer would understand and appreciate. Her Husband drove up as we were all talking and she said "Honey, guess what? He's a photographer!" and he said "Oh dear… boys, that's ALL she talks about!!" I loved it =P

P-Day got switched this week because we get to go to the temple today! I'm very much excited. I love the temple! As missionaries we don't get that opportunity very often. Crazy to think of how close I was to a temple in Logan, UT and how much relative time I had to go! I've asked myself "Did I take every opportunity I had to go?" Sadly, no. It changed my perspective to see that not everyone gets the blessing of having a temple in their backyard =) Or even a church building for that matter. We have people here in Logan, IA who drive a whole HOUR just to get to church. When they travel to the temple or stake conference it could be up to TWO HOURS to travel one way. Is it really that hard to drop what we are doing to go and serve? To minister to our literal neighbor (instead of having to drive long distances)? To visit the temple every month if not every week? Or even to go to all our meetings (as asked by the brethren and essentially, the Lord) by walking a block or two to our local building? I’m just realizing how incredibly blessed I have been, living in Utah.

Mosiah 5:2

Kia Kaha!

Elder Brady

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(Addition from Christine: Here is the scripture Elder Brady shared, Moses 5:2 "And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.”)