Well here goes nothing - Jan 27

So news about transfers besides what you already know. I have a new companion named Sister Pike who is from St. George. She came out the same time Sister Schmutz did. Oh and we are the sister training leaders for the New Orleans North and South Zones. Which entails we are to see how each of the companionship are doing, and taking care of the needs that the zone and district leaders can't, which means we go on exchanges a lot....actually every week because we have six companionships we are over.

 

It has also been a long week, because I am use to having someone who knows the area a bit more. But it's OK I have had to help a sister get to know this area once before. Also it was freezing Friday. I think the highest I saw it while in the car was 33 degrees, and tomorrow is suppose to be even colder. President sent us an email telling the entire mission that tomorrow will be a no car day. Which means we will have to walk or bike and we will need to stay close to our apartments. We may even have to postpone district meeting.

It is funny you don't know how much you appreciate the car until you have a no car day and/or President takes away your car and gives it to another set of missionaries in your district (didn't happen to us but it did happen to the elders. President knows that we need a car and that is a rant that I will save for later.).

 

Also news that I was happy to hear at transfers, with some back ground to help you understand why  I am happy about this. As you may or may not know the missions in the south are told not to wear boots (unless the mission president allows it), well at transfers Sister Wall announced that we could! The requirements for them are: not rain boots, not booties so mid calf or higher, leather or look like it, and only brown or black. With the possibility of snow tomorrow I am most definitely going to go find me some boots...because we all know that I love my boots and that flats in the snow are a bad idea for me (just call me grace).

 

In summary this week I have had to learn how to do this new leadership assignment, while helping my companion get to know the area along with dealing with the cold and trying to keep warm. Well if freeze it is going in my journal! Not like I haven't pretty much froze before, but this one will be an entirely new experience, freezing in the humid cold.

Well I think that's all for this weeks letter. Hope all is well with y'all (one day you will get those recipes but that day is not today)

Love y'all and hope y'all have a great week!

 

Love,

Sister Brady

Guess I am staying again - Jan 23

Well transfer news is in. I am staying in Covington and Sister Schmutz is leaving, which will be hard for me. Her and I have been companions for four months. I don't know if I will be training a new missionary or what will be happening but I just know that for the next couple days I get to do all the planning.  Oh and Elder Madsen is leaving too. While talking to the Covington Elders last night I admitted to them that it is going to be hard for me and they pretty much called that at some point I am going to cry (they know me all to well to be calling that already). I also told them that it would be harder on me if either of them were leaving (which thank goodness that they aren't) because the four of us have become pretty close, to the point that they are like brothers to me. (No Hunter I am not replacing you, even though one of them could be you personality wise). Oh and we also have heard that they might be moving our district into the New Orleans Zone, which would be good because then we would be with  the rest of our stake, but at the same time it will be hard to leave the Denham Springs Zone because that is all I have known thus far, they are like family, and my trainer is one of the sister training leaders for that zone. Gah so many changes, and we all know how I am at handling change.

 

Anyways things are going good, we are trying to commit all of our investigators to baptism, and stressing that our less active families go to church more and helping them realize that going will help them.

 

Oh ya we had stake conference this last week. Elder Perkins of the Seventy came, and all I can say is wow. You can just feel that he is called of God the moment he speaks. I can't even begin to tell you the things that he taught me. But one thing that he said in the Sunday session was "I can't see why someone who received the endowment wouldn't want to share that power that they have with someone else (aka the dead)".

Oh I have another challenge for y'all. It is that you read the Book of Mormon  cover to cover by the time that I get home (which gives you a year). Not listening to it or reading it on the Ipad/Ipod. Sit down with the book and read it, and then do Moroni's challenge and ask with real intent if the things be true. I promise y'all that will help strengthen your faith and you will be able to do what 1 Peter 9:15 says " But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:". This in turn will help you with the challenge to go to the temple.

Well y'all I love ya and wish you da best this week (Yes mom I know you are cringing because I said da instead of the)

Love
Sister Brady

Let the craziness begin - Jan 13

So this week starts the craziest week of my mission so far. To start there was a youth fireside last night about missionary work that three of the elders and myself spoke and did a panel discussion sort of thing. 

Well Thursday we are going to Baton Rouge because Elder Perkins of the seventy is speaking to us at a zone conference....well it is more like a mission conference minus both of the New Orleans zones. Anyways then Saturday night we have the adult session of stake conference that we are suppose to attend and then Sunday we have an early morning session we have to go to and then the normal session, so we will be back and done with what is our normal routine a lot later then what we are use it. So ya it is going to be a crazy week but a week of miracles, we're hoping, as the last week of the transfer. We are hoping that with one of the dinner appointments that we have this week with a semi-active family will help the husband come to church and have them work on their goal of going to the temple.

Anyways I have a suggestion for y'all if you ever have the privilege to feed the missionaries. If possible do it on a weekend, preferably on a Sunday. Because I can tell you from experience not a lot of people feed the missionaries on Sundays which makes Sundays seem a lot longer in my mind.

Anyways I have y'all have a good week and that you have fun with all that you have going on. 

Love
Sister Brady

Picture Time:

Picture 1: Something that I thought was funny. The Cruizer had a sticker that said "yes I am a girl and I have great aim" yet she is parked crooked enough that the car next to her won't be able to get out without causing damage.

Picture 2: That is Sis Paulson. We took a picture with the Morgan St sign because we both have the same first name.

Picture 3: the prettiest street with trees I have found.

Picture 4: well this one is explains itself. 

Time flies when you are doing the work of the Lord - Jan 6

Hey y'all this week has been one that I hope that I never forget, mainly Saturday.
So this week we had exchanges and so I was down here in Covington with Sis Tiller's companion and Sis Schumutz was with Sis Tiller. Well Saturday the exchange had ended and I had planned for us to go up to Lake Ramsey and see some of the less actives up there. Well the first one we went to Sis Tiller and I had tried many many times, with no response or we could tell that she was home and just wasn't going to answer. Well she answered, and so we talked to her and she just came out and told us her concerns and why she wasn't coming to church anymore. When we got out and were driving off I turned to Sis Schmutz and asked her if that had really just happened because I couldn't believe it. The second one is an assignment that the Relief Society and Young Women presidents had given us, and she let us in, told us her life story and came right out and told us why she wasn't coming to church anymore. It was sad because with her you could see the remnants of her testimony buried deep inside her.  With both of these wonderful sisters I just wanted them to see that just because they don't understand something in the gospel or they got offended or whatever happened that shouldn't keep them from going to church. If anything it is at that moment that they need to hold on and turn to the Savior more then ever. There are things that we may not understand but He knows the answers and is just waiting for you to study about it so that He can give you the answer. We can't control people's actions but that is when we have to realize that everyone has to deal with imperfect people and we just need to deal with it and turn to Him that is perfect to have the strength to move forward and remove that burden from off of our shoulders.

Well besides that wonderful adventure things have been going well. Apparently half the mission is sick, but luckily I'm not (knock on wood that I won't get sick). Thank goodness for being pretty much in exile (the nearest mission boundaries are 40 miles southwest, Metarie,  and  30 miles northwest, Hammond/Ponchtula)


Sister Brady