"Solidly Awesome" Week 14

Hello Family,
Wow...this has been eventful week as it sounds like yours has. I may possibly be finally getting into the routine of being a missionary. I realize that I am even thinking a lot more like missionaries do. How weird is that? Here is the other thing, remember how I use to hate stories that missionaries told. I would totally be like...get over your mission you crazies. Yeah.......well the Lord has a way of changing people. Haha I love listening to crazy experiences from missionaries. I ask R.M.s in my wards to share stories with me. I seriously cannot get enough of them. Is that ridiculous or what. So. Brothers and brother in laws will you please send me your craziest missionary stories...I will send you one of mine. Which is probably the weirdest thing that has happened to me in my entire life. Seriously...super crazy, but I will not divulge it until I hear some of yours.

 This week has been pretty awesome. We have seen a multitude of blessings. Last night we got a referral and we decided to stop by immediately. Well, we knocked on the door and she invited us right in. She is basically awesome. We are going to meet with her again tomorrow so I am pretty stoked. We also were able to make dinner for a family this week. They are so solidly awesome. We took them Idaho Tacos....no one here calls them that....and brownies. They loved them. We will be visiting them again this week. It's kind of funny sometimes I am out doing things, and I think I would never have had the guts to do this before my mission. How funny huh? I got several letters this week. I so enjoy letters. Britton is dead on. Letters from anyone is awesome. I seriously eat them up. I got some from aunt Gail and ann and grandma and the webbs and the wades. If you see them, thank them for me. I really do just love letters. I spent an hour and half this morning writing letters to people. In most missions you have Zone activities....we however do not. To many elder sister relationships forming. So, I have a lot more time on prep day than other missions to write. Thus, I told you I would write back to people and this morning I sent out 9 letters. Honestly, it is like a tension reliever for me to write letters to people.

 Mother Dear, our X navy Seal is in the Hospital. When I visited him the other night, he told me to tell you happy birthday. He was born the same year as you so, i think that is why he said to say it. haha. He is solidly awesome. He was telling us all about being a navy seal. Not to many details because that is against the code of being a seal. He loves the show burn notice ( amity, ken and ben) will appreciate that. He has surgery today, so yesterday we fasted for him. He called to thank us the other morning for being so loving to him. Honestly, you can't help but be loving to him. He is probably the most converted man I have ever met. We keep praying that his family will want to Join too. I love them to death as well.

 Ok...the whole business of the mission splitting. I will find out in a couple months which one I will be in. The mission president in the Chicago Illinois mission will be Paul Woodbury, President Fenn is the president over the Chicago Illinois west mission. I really do not have a feeling of either places that I am going. I honestly don't care either. I will have been out 8 months when it happens and will almost be half way done so it truly won't matter to me. I do like change of pace of things, but whatever the Lord intends for me I will do. I have basically given up my own desires because I know that the Lord knows best. Umm...what else can I tell you about my mission....oh i know...I have been studying a lot in my scriptures. Something I have noticed about miracles is that they come according to our faith and our gratitude.If you look at the saviors example, he gave thanks before he did anything. Think of the times when he fed the 4,000 he gave thanks and blessed the bread and fishes. Remember when he raised lazerus from the dead he said, " Father, I am thankful this day that I am able to do this" than he cried out to Lazerus to come forth. The blessings we receive in this life will be multiplied as we give thanks to our Heavenly Father for the Beautiful things he has given us. I remember a few weeks ago being especially sad. I had been trackting and trackting and every door had been slammed in my face. I remember kneeling down and the only thing that would come out of my bed was thanks to my Heavenly Father for the wonderful things he had blessed me with. I cried for a long time in gratitude for the many things he had blessed me with. Well....we got a lot of people to start listening. We bore our testimonies more boldly, we shared from our hearts and we saw many miracles. Not every door was slammed, not every potential dropped us. How grateful I was to receive those tender mercies from the Lord. I know it was him because I had done nothing different but give thanks.

 You asked about how to make a lesson more catchy...something I try to do is think about the person I am teaching. I think about there individual needs and try to apply the lesson particularly to them. I think about feelings I have had when I heard the message I am sharing and I try to be ready to help them understand those feelings. Visuals usually always help. Simplifying the lesson does as well. You asked why it was so important to be worthy to enter the temple and to prepare to serve a mission, well....Number one God will hold you accountable for the people who you might have been able to teach if you had been living the life you were supposed to be as a missionary. In the temple, you are making more covenants that are binding. As a missionary, those covenants keep you protected. I often hear the spirit whisper covenants I have made in the temple. Those promptings influence decisions I make. Each day, you are making two choices to draw closer to God or to Go away from him. By being obedient you are drawing closer to him, by being disobedient you are going away from him. If I want to be able to be worthy to be instrument in the Lord's hands, I have to do my part. I have to be living in a way that he can trust me with impressions and promptings in order to bless other people's lives. The Lord will hide people from you if you are not worthy to teach them, but he will also hold you responsible for not teaching them because you weren't worthy. Ultimately, the reason I try to be always worthy to enter the temple and to be a good missionary comes from Jacob 3:2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm forever....D&C 121:45 let thy bowels also be full of Charity towards all men, and to the household of Faith, and let virtue garnish the thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God....." There is no better feeling than being able to feast upon the Lord's love and be confident in doing his work. Honestly, I have to go through daily repentance in order to put my life more in line with my Heavenly Fathers. I know though as I do that that I am worthy to do his work, I can feel of his love, and I can speak the words which he puts into my mouth. I often feel very alone out here, but as I try to be more worthy of the spirit I am able to feel his very very loving arms encircle me about (2 nephi 1:15). I see the person I am becoming as I make my life more worthy to serve him, and Alma 5:14 and 19 definitely apply. Truthfully being worthy to be in God's presence is the most important thing that anyone can do.

 I hope that helps. Sorry, I really am a terrible writer. I wish I could just call and tell you it, but that won't be for a while. Well, I love you Family. I really do. I hope you all know that. I hope that you know that I pray for you daily. I hope that the best things are happening to you. I pray that the strength of the Lord is being felt in your life. I know it is being felt daily in mine. I know that this is his work. I am grateful to be his servant. 
Love, Sister Braten.

week 13 "Ne hao Familia"

Hello My dear Family, How is everyone this week? I am glad to hear everyone is getting over sickness and health issues. I know I have been greatly blessed to not be doing to bad. I do still pass out, but I am mostly on the mend. I have increased my exercise time from half hour to an hour a day and that seems to be making the big difference. Thank heavens. I did have a bad one last week. Sister McCluskey was in the Shower and she yelled for me to get her a towel, so I got up from studying my scriptures went to the room and yes fell over. haha. I did read that it is a side effect of one of the medications I am taking. GREAT! haha however, Increasing the exercise has greatly reduced the amount of times it happens. Praise the Lord. Mother, that is a pretty cool quote you shared. I really like that. Funny thing is those are things I have been thinking about all week long. Conversion truly is a lifetime process. This is why we are truly all converts. I remember an investigator asking me if I wasn't a Mormon, would I become one? I said yes. He asked Why? Well, I have learned for myself that this is the true church. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. I know that through the power of the Holy Ghost. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that because I have studied it, I have pondered about it, and I have prayed to know if it was true. I have received a witness of the truth of it through the power of the Holy Ghost. I remember waking up one morning, and the thought that came to me was the Book of Mormon is true or Joseph smith is a liar. I know Joseph did not Lie, thus, the book of Mormon is true. Amazing how that works. The work is still slow. But, I read this in Galations 6:9 and let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. I know that to be true. As a missionary, the Lord does not change your environment, no he changes you. I feel like I am continually being changed by the grace of God. I feel very grateful for this. Today, as I was studying the book of Mormon this thought came to me from 2 nephi 26:24 - Nephi is foreseeing the day when the Lord will come again. He is prophesying of what he sees and why the Lord does what he does. "He (the Lord) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation." As I read this I cross referenced it to mosiah 24: 9-16, 1 nephi 11:17, 2 nephi 2:24 and a few others but those ones in particular. Heavenly Father loves all of us so much. I am continually learning of his mercy and love. It definitely has changed my outlook on the people I serve, and the mission itself. Ty Nelson told me that a mission is the training ground for the Gods. I truly believe that. You learn quickly how the Lord sees you and how he feels about you and how you need to feel about others. Obviously, some people don't need to come on a mission to know that, but I guess I did. Ok, so that is enough of me. How is Jules and Benton? Ben and Abe? I hear from Amity and Beth, so I feel like I know how they are doing. Thank you so much for your letters. I enjoy them. They bring a smile to my face. I hope that my emails and letters do the same for you. I know that like Nephi I am weak in writing, but as Moroni said the Lord giveth men weaknesses that they may be humble, but If I bring my weakness to Him, he will make it strong. Maybe by the end of my mission I will be a better writer. Don't hold your breath haha. Grandma sent me a lovely note. I sure enjoyed it. I got a letter from Tyler Olson, he is doing great. He will be home may 3, 2013. Wow that went fast. He says his dad got married and moved, but that he will let me know on his homecoming. So, Mother I know you are so busy, but would you mind going for me? I'd sure appreciate it. Funny of the week was this, Sister McCluskey and I trackted into a lady who told us she had a one night stand with wayne newton. She than pulled out a note that he had sent her with flowers. She keeps that note securely in her wallet. I seriously love this lady. Sister McCluskey and I could not stop laughing. I also have developed the nasty habit of slurring my words. The other day I was trying to say rehab but for some reason it came out something not the best. Transfer calls are this Saturday. I do not think I will be transferred but you never know. I hope I won't be. I love Naperville 2 and 3. They are seriously so awesome. I am buying bike though for 40$ because a sister is leaving. Do not worry I will not bike in the dark. That is against the rules. Mother, I am excited to hear all the stories about your chicken coop. Please watch the egg and I before you get them. HAPPY VALENTINES. We have zone conference that day, so I will definitely go to dinner with the money you put in there. You are so kind Mother. I really appreciate it. Lots of Love. Sister Braten

Week 12!

Hello Family, Well another cold week has passed by in which I froze again. haha. I can't believe how much cold is not my friend. Thanks dad for the update on weather. I am glad to know it is never as cold as Buffalo. I think I can handle that. Luckily the Lord is very merciful and is making my body adjust. I may also try to go outside with less clothing on so that I will adjust...thus far it is working. I am not sick. I usually get some allergies in the morning, but last week we deep cleaned our apartment so it is not as bad. Thank you for your continued prayers, I sure can feel them. As a missionary, you learn quickly how powerful prayer can be when done correctly. It changes lives. Prayer changes me. My desires truly change as I pray for the hand of the Lord in my life. I can honestly say that my prayers are much more meaningful than they used to be. I feel help me throughout the day. Yesterday was a powerful experience for me. Church is such a time to grow and be nurtured by the word of God. In Moroni 6:4-6 it talks about that a lot. I know it is true. I know the spirit that comes as you humbly submit your will to Heavenly Fathers and fill your heart with gratitude for the tender mercies he gives you. Truly, when I do that, the spirit cleanses me. I am so appreciative of Church. Mother, you asked about p-day. On p-day you shop, you clean your apartment, you do laundry, you exercise, study, and write letters. Today we are going to Golden Corral as a zone and afterwards we are going to a two hour question answer with President Fenn. As much as I enjoy these, I have no questions for him. My questions are normally answered through prayer, scripture study, and pondering. I enjoy Gospel discussions, but so often in these people ask questions that truly do not need to be answered. They are mostly speculation with no real doctrinal background. President Fenn, usually doesn't answer those ones, but still the questions are not really important as missionaries. Truthfully, deep doctrine is not necessary for salvation, and I am on a mission to save. However, I will enjoy listening to any spiritual lessons president Fenn decides to teach us. I heard last time he talked about the second coming, and I hope he says somewhat on that today. The second coming is pretty amazing, and I would like to learn more about it. Also, you asked what it is like to be a missionary. Well, each morning you arise at 6 or 6:30 and exercise. You then either study or get ready (you switch off with your companion as needed), in your study you try to focus on Preach my Gospel the Book of mormon and the ensign. I honestly love my hour of personal study. I learn so many things from the book of Mormon. I am reading two copies of the book of mormon right now. One copy is studying the atonement and the commandments, the other is an in depth study of the chapters on how to be a better missionary. I also study the Lesson's in preach my gospel. I role play how to teach them in the shower or at night when I can not sleep. I have had many spiritual experiences with this. I have found that I am better prepared to teach that day if I have done this. We then have companion ship study. We read from the white handbook, sing and pray. We then share with each other the things we have learned. I think I will keep this as a practice for if and when I get married. I have learned so much more from what I have studied then ever before in my life. It is awesome. We then plan and prepare for the rest of the day. We set out for appointments, trackting, findind referrals or service. I serve at the pantry. Every week we unload food and stock it. I do the pastries section. I am the Master of this section. In fact, I have been so blessed from my retail experience on shelving that I am the one called to do the pastries. I stack and organize them. Each week they keep telling me that they aren't challenging me enough. However, I feel challenged. We usually have dinner appointments after that. I enjoy dinner appointments. We are able to help ward members and get to know them better. It makes missionary work a lot easier if you get to know the members....ps do not tell benton that. Then, we do training for an hour, we update the area book, daily plan and get ready for bed. Most nights I write in my journal, read the scriptures and pray. Some nights I dance to some disney music from Mulan in order to relieve stress and other nights I color in my Garfield coloring book (a method to relieve stress). It is quite awesome. My companions mostly just laugh at my quirks, but oh well. So does that answer a few questions? I hope it does? If you have any others please ask. As far as investigators, we are somewhat struggling. I am somewhat discouraged by this, but the Lord keeps telling me to keep moving forward. I remember the many blessings dad gave me to keep moving forward and to allow course correction; I honestly have learned so much about not quitting or giving up. I think of Nephi(8 years in the wilderness) or ammon 14 years as a missionary. I realize as I change my heart and allow the Lord to mold me I am able to do his work better. I think this first part of my mission has truly been to humble me. Although I am far from good at it, I am learning how to humble myself before the Lord and accept his timing. I have learned that from dealing daily with others who have different ideas than I, and I have learned that through continual changes the Lord is making in me. I am so sorry for the person I was, and I hope I never go back to being that way. How grateful I am for your patience with me, and your continual love despite my many many issues. All right, well now that you know a little more about what I do, I shall ask about everyone else. How is Jules Benton and Dezy? I haven't heard from ya'll in a long time. I hope all is well. Amity and Fam has a dog? What? That is absolutely awesome. I hope daisy is a lot like old yeller? Where did you get this pup? Abe has five room mates? That is cool. I hope they are all awesome and chill. Guys with drama are worse than girls with drama. Who are they? What is Ben up too? What kind of Camera does he use? I have some people I am working with who wanted to know. Grandma Stott is Legit. I shared with some members how she has a hand gun. She may be signing autographs for people in naperville. I think that is so inspired that she is in Young Women's. She will help those girls more than any one could. She will teach them the finer points of being a woman. I am so grateful for Mom and Grandma for teaching those things to me. They sure help on a mission. Dad I am so sorry you and mom share all things. That is not always the best as you are expressing. Mom thank your for the package. Packages and letters are honestly a ray of sunshine on the very cloudy days in Chicago. Did you get my letter? I always wonder about that. What is abe's address? I would love to write him. How is Beth doing? I always pray for her. She is basically the female version of a stud. Mom what is willie's address. I would love to write to her. If anyone in the ward would like a letter once a month, let me know. I have learned that the Lord inspires you to write letters to people. I have also learned that spending even P-day in the service of others is more important than worrying about self. I love you all a lot. I am sending your february challenge this week. Love, Sister Braten

Week 11

Dear Family, I really don't have lots to tell about this week. It was basically a trial of my faith. We had some solid things set up and all of them fell through. We had a lady yell at us at her porch, and about a thousand doors slammed in our face. Missions are wonderful and horrible at the same time. You get so excited when people are genuinely being changed by the savior, and then you get the adversary trying to discourage you with all the rejection. However, the book of Mormon is true. Jesus Christ is the only way back to God's presence. I know this to be true and I pray that the Lord will help me find someone who is genuinely ready for the gospel. We have this thing that the president Fenn sends to us each week called the Harvester. It is called the Harvester because NOW is the time to harvest. The Lord is calling to his elect. I hope that I will be worthy to find the elect. Church was wonderful yesterday. The topic of the sacrament meeting was enduring to the end. The Lord was definitely sending me a message. haha. We ended up cancelling the next ward because we had ICE RAIN. That stuff is brutal. Your car basically has no tracktion whatsoever. That was pretty fun to drive in let me tell you. I am driving now. I drive a malibu. It is a pretty descent car. I call him Orkie the Malibu. He doesn't talk to me yet like Rufus did. Don't worry though, I am breaking him in. My companion and I, have several laughs a day. We are both from utah, and thus we are use to having mountains to gauge ourselves with. Yes, this doesn't work out here. We get lost a lot. haha. umm..we are trackting a lot. The stories that you hear about in the Ensign from trackting experiences, the trial of the faith ones, that is definitely us. Haha. people hiding behind a wall thinking you can't see them, people not opening their doors but looking at you through the window and getting angry. Yup...we've got them all. Sister McCluskey say's it's not as bad as her last area. haha. Any way, Mom is there anyway you could send me some work out dvd's Like P90x or Jillian Michaels? I would do them everyday. It's to dark in the mornings to go out of the apartment and too cold. Well I love you lots. Love Sister Braten.