The 38th Chronicle

Hello Family & Friends!

I don't want to jip Hastings of a proper shout out and run down of the town. Hastings has a population of 25,000 making it ranked in the top ten if not top five biggest cities in Nebraska (with Omaha and Lincoln being the biggest with bordering cities). It was adjacent to a massive Navel depot during World War 2 which was home to a production force that made almost 1/3 of US Navel munitions. If you drive from Hastings to Harvard you will see 12 miles of munitions bunkers that stored all kinds of high-caliber shells. Some are reported to still hold live ammunition. It's an interesting little city with lots of quirks. It hasn't grown in years due to a lack of reliable industry to provide jobs. The town is mostly just full of fast food and churches. Hastings is also very proud to be the home of Kool-aid. I've never been too much of a fan but there ya go! They have a big ta-doo in August. Most locals will make sure to let you know, so it's hard to visit Hastings without leaving deprived of that knowledge. I've enjoyed serving here plus the ward is great =)

A mission has the power to help us make life-long friends, if we let it. A mission has the power to inspire spiritual study habits, if we let it. A mission has the power to teach the importance of obedience, if we let it. A mission has the power to teach us faith, hope, and charity, if we let it. A mission has the power to help us rely on the spirit, if we let it. A mission has the power to change us, if we let it. A mission has the power to truly convert us, if we let it. A mission has the power to push us to our limits, if we let it. A mission has the power to affect us for the rest of our life, if we let it. What an opportunity it is to leave behind the things of the world, stresses of life, personal affairs, and the meaningless distractions to serve God for 18-24 months. A mission is what we make of it. Really in the end, it's not the mission that does those things, but rather God, through that environment. But only... if we let it.

Imagine for a second the roughest kinda character you can muster. This guy has done it all. Swears, yep! Possible gang member, yep! Street-fighter, yep! Has been molested, yep! Been beaten out of his mind, yep! Ladies man, yep!  Fornication to the extreme, yep! Drug dealer, yep! User of every kind you can think of, yep! Collector, yep! Maybe even killed a guy, yep! Been to prison, yep! Has survived horrific accidents, yep! Brags about his exploits, yep! Basically the sort of dude you wouldn't want to find in a dark alley. Now imagine a month of trust building, love showing, scripture reading, fellowshipping, church going, spirit prompting, prayer seeking, and not to mention... the hand of God! Now imagine that same fellow is set on date to be baptized in March! Do you believe in miracles? I sure do.

Kia Kaha!

Elder Brady