The 11th Chronicle

Hello Family & Friends!

Can you think of a better way to spend your preparation day than to run almost a 5K? I can't think of anything better either so it must be a good idea! And, that's what we did! Now you might ask, "What does an 'almost a 5k' really mean?”…and that, my friend, is an excellent question. You see, it goes like this... Elder Durocher wants to run 19-miles on his 19th Birthday. His birthday is in August and he's never run more than 5 or 6 miles at a time in his whole life. So we decided to head out to the high school track last Monday and give it a go (not the 19 miles, but something between 4-7 miles to train). We hit the track and I'm thinking I'll probably run a 5K or 3.5 Miles and then stretch or walk while Elder Durocher does his run. I was super pumped! I got 11 times around the track thinking I had made it 3.5 Miles only to discover that I had ran 2.5 Miles. Sad, I know. But my claim to fame is that I passed Elder Durocher twice... so I must've been really booking it =) Turns out, he ended up running 10 Miles!!! So proud of him. What did I do with the remainder of the time between me stopping and him finishing? Welp, I walked a bunch. I beat my "All-Time Mission Step Count Record" of 18,000 steps by getting 19,000 steps! I also ran from field goal to field goal on the football field (because I was getting blisters and running barefoot on bumpy ground covered in grass felt nicer than running with my shoes and having them rub my poor foot raw). So, I ran almost a 5K if you don't count a few breaks in between (and cut out all my walking miles). Here is the cool thing though... while I walked, towards the end, I prayed straight for 10+ minutes solid. It was so cool. I was tired, humbled, emotional, and crying through most of it. Basically I just poured out my soul like Enos. He has the record for the longest prayer though. I highly recommend. I'll always remember the prayer I offered on the Lo-Ma High School football field.

 In the last few weeks I've really started to learn the importance of kneeling or standing when praying to our Heavenly Father. In fact, I was actually pretty defensive when someone called me out on not kneeling during some prayers. I wanted to prove the person wrong and so I searched the scriptures for how we are supposed to pray. I looked for what is important to do and what really doesn't matter. I never found an example of someone praying while sitting. I did find a few when people totally fell to the earth, but I'd assume that's a case by case situation. Really, in the end, it is all about how we want to show our love and respect to our Heavenly Father. So from now on, I've tried to kneel or stand. If only I can just remember the cute quote, "Pray on your knees or your feet, but never on your seat."

Okay okay, I promise we don't serve ONLY Brother Brooks, but all the good stories come helping him out ...so here we go. This week included sawing off branches from a walnut tree. We both used hand saws and just went at 'em. It sure took awhile for me cause my hand saw was not made for tree branches, but that's all Brother Brooks had. As Elder Durocher and I finished up we tag- teamed on the last branch (the biggest one). I was surprised not only at how effective the other hand saw was, but also how quickly it went when we both had a side and went back and forth. It helped me see that when we work together as companions with the right tools, work can be slick. The timing needs to be perfect and both sides need to be able to give significant pressure and keep the slack taut. Any coincidence that we go two by two?

Pain is temporary. It's comes and it hurts, but then it leaves. Pain is not eternal. Freezing cold finger-numbing-winters always melt into Spring just like sweltering-skin-burning-hot Summers always cool into Fall. Bruises heal. Awkwardness turns into comfort. Broken hearts mend. And paper cuts, well... paper cuts just always hurt. Growing is painful, it is also SO important. Every time I've wanted to give up on something in life, I always look back with regret or with gratitude. The difference is if I missed or reaped an opportunity to grow. When we go through something rough, I hope we will remember... it will pass eventually because, PAIN IS TEMPORARY.

 

Ryan & Ashley got married!!! I love them so much. Their family is just amazing. First wedding I've attended out on the mission! Hopefully not the last, if that means we'll get to help couples and their families come closer to Jesus Christ. We are also looking forward to Ryan's baptism next week! They had the wedding at the church and Bishop Bendorf performed the ceremony. It was actually the first marriage he had performed. Super cool. They had the cultural hall decked out and it was such a sweet experience. I can only imagine what it's like at a temple sealing! Also more miracles, 'cause a member got to bring someone we are teaching ...and we met Joe who is interested in the gospel! Also on that same day, we learned that Kaden would be coming to church the next day! We've been working with his family for awhile now but they haven't come to church yet. So pumped!

So to end I have a couple gold nuggets to share. If you want a fabulous day and a super cool video to watch, check out "The Music of the Gospel" video on LDS.org. Second gold nugget is this wonderful quote from Mother Teresa, "There is no key to happiness, the door is always open."

Kia Kaha!

Elder Brady