Hola! I can´t believe it's week 4!
This week freaking rocked and just flew by!! Yesterday as a district we had an English fast. For every word you spoke in english you had to do 5 pushups.. I´m a little bit sore today :D But its incredible how much I'm able to speak after just under a month! The gift of tongues is real!!
On Tuesdays the service project we´re assigned is to greet the incoming missionaries and show them the ropes! It's much better then scrubbing the lunchroom down like some districts do. haha
Everyone's parents in our district figured out how to send us Krispy Kreme donuts from a Krispy Kreme here in Mexico! So we´ve been feasting on more than the Gospel :D Really though, our district of 11 people probably got 60 plus donuts :D ME GUSTA.
This place is amazing. Even when Im getting a soccer ball to the face and bleeding profusely I somehow have the spirit burning inside me. :D
I love all of you! Remember that you can pray always! God is just waiting to bless us :)
AMOR,
ELDER BRUNSDALE
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Llegar a ser un Mexicano
I can't believe its been 3 weeks, its flown by but at the same time feels like I've lived here for months.
It's such a thrill to be here and to be serving the Lord 24-7. I've truly felt his love and so many prayers have been answered. Remember that wherever you are and no matter how you feel you can ALWAYS pray.
The weather down here is just incredible. A nice cool 72 all the time. Miraculously, I haven't been bit by a mosquito yet which is funny because I've seen about a trillion of them. haha
I got assigned two new companions again so I've had 5 companions in 2 weeks. Good thing I'm used to 3rd wheeling. haha
I love my district and I know that I was meant to come to the CCM at this time so that I could be with these wonderful people.
I think one of my favorite things here besides the enchiladas and the service, is the cage soccer. I've never been a fan of soccer but maybe Mexico has rubbed off on me. I'm basically a full blown Mexican now.
LOVE ALL OF YOU
Till next week,
Elder Brunsdale
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| Squad |
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| I love to see the Temple |
¡El CCM es derecho fuego!
Wow.
Still trying to comprehend that I´m a missionary and I´m in Mexico city; Which is HUGE, it goes on for what seems like forever.
It´s nice to feel safe behind our walls, but it also feels like a prison at times. haha
While falling asleep we've heard screaming, gunshots, endless sirens and the store across the street has been robbed twice.
The parrots are beautiful but super loud and annoying. haha
Not much to say about the food besides the fact they literally have 2 GALLON BUCKETS OF NUTELLA at every meal!
The CCM is an amazing place, the spirit here is something I've never felt in my life. God truly blesses those who are obedient.
My companion went home yesterday so now I'm in a trio with Elder Horne and Elder Brady! I know Elder Brady from back home so its been awesome to have him as a companion for a bit.
The Mexico City temple is absolutely beautiful!! Feeling so blessed I got to go!
Spanish is very hard but the gift of tongues is real :)
More next week! Don't forget to pray.
LOVE, ELDER BRUNSDALE
Still trying to comprehend that I´m a missionary and I´m in Mexico city; Which is HUGE, it goes on for what seems like forever.
It´s nice to feel safe behind our walls, but it also feels like a prison at times. haha
While falling asleep we've heard screaming, gunshots, endless sirens and the store across the street has been robbed twice.
The parrots are beautiful but super loud and annoying. haha
Not much to say about the food besides the fact they literally have 2 GALLON BUCKETS OF NUTELLA at every meal!
The CCM is an amazing place, the spirit here is something I've never felt in my life. God truly blesses those who are obedient.
My companion went home yesterday so now I'm in a trio with Elder Horne and Elder Brady! I know Elder Brady from back home so its been awesome to have him as a companion for a bit.
The Mexico City temple is absolutely beautiful!! Feeling so blessed I got to go!
Spanish is very hard but the gift of tongues is real :)
More next week! Don't forget to pray.
LOVE, ELDER BRUNSDALE
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| My CCM District. |
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| The view from our dorm. Mexico City. |
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Hyrum's Farewell Talk
Hi!... I’m so happy to see all your bright smiley faces; to be here and to share with you the things that have brought me indescribable joy. It’s just an amazing feeling. I’m a little nervous, so if you could just pray for me quietly but fervently… that’d be great.
Today I’m talking about the Restoration. I’m going to start with going back to Christ’s time on the Earth: Since the creation, God’s children have been looking forward to Christ’s coming because, when He came, He ordained apostles and gave them priesthood, the power to baptize, and the keys of revelation. He taught His gospel to love one another. He performed miracles. He taught that revelation is the rock upon which this church is built. He lived a perfect and a sinless life so that He could atone for us and suffer for our sins so that we could be forgiven. He died for us on the cross, and he was resurrected, so that we could be resurrected and live with our families for eternity. After He was resurrected, He continued to guide his apostles through revelation.
Revelation 1:1 it says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:”
Even then, the church was led by Christ, not by men. He led it through his apostles through the keys of revelation. Wicked people continued to persecute and kill members of the church and all of Christ’s original apostles were killed. In time, the keys of revelation and the priesthood was taken from the earth.
In Amos 8:11 it says, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:”
God knew that it would happen. He knew the keys would be taken and that men would not be able to receive the revelation that they needed. But He had a plan, as he often does, and He prepared a Restoration.
So, jump forward to 1820, when Joseph Smith was 14. It was a time of great religious excitement where he lived in New York, and he was confused and wondered which of many churches was true. So, he went to his scriptures and studied and looked for the answer, and he came upon a scripture, James 1:5 “If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.”
Joseph said of reading this scripture, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart.”
So, he went to a small grove of trees not far from where he lived on a spring morning and in his own words, as he began to pray vocally, he said, “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me, I beheld two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said pointing to the other, ‘This is my beloved son, hear him.”
God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in that small grove of trees that day. Christ told Joseph Smith that he should join none of the churches. He said, “They draw near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” He was told not to join any and to wait.
Later, in 1829, John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and they were instructed to baptize each other. Of this, Joseph said, “immediately upon our coming up out of the water and being baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father...our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings.”
They were then, later, given the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James, and John, three of Christ’s original apostles. After having been given this priesthood, they now had the authority and keys of revelation.
He (Joseph) was instructed to organize the church and translate the Book of Mormon, which was brought forth by God as part of the Restoration. It is the truest book on earth because it was translated directly. No other book upon this earth was translated by a prophet of God exactly the way Christ wanted it. Every word in the Book of Mormon is exactly where Christ wanted it. Just like the Bible, it’s a collection of writings by ancient prophets, one of whom is Moroni. He promised that...
“...if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He shall manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And, by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:3-5)
I put Moroni’s promise to the test. I read the Book of Mormon and did my best to live by its teachings, and I know with a certainty that the Book of Mormon is a true record, that every word is right where Christ wanted it to be. It has brought me more joy than anything else on this earth.
In Abraham 3:22-23, it says, “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.”
Joseph was pre-ordained just as Abraham was, and just as we are. Joseph had a mission on this earth. He restored the true gospel to the earth. He brought forth the Book of Mormon to bless us in this latter day. And, just as he had a mission, so do we. The amount of good that has been, will be, and is being done now by the people in this room alone, is staggering.
In D& C 153: 3 it says, “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”
Joseph Smith had a great mission and Satan knew exactly what it was. He did everything that he could to prevent it. After the first vision, Joseph went to speak with the ministers he was close to. He told them about his experience. He did not receive what he thought he would. He received hate and persecution. He said, “despite all the persecution I have received, and while they were persecuting me and reviling me and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely, I was led to say in my heart, why persecute me for telling the truth. For, I had seen a vision. I knew it, and I knew that God knew it. And, I could not deny it.”
He (Joseph) continued to have great trials throughout his entire life. He was assaulted multiple times, I can’t imagine how many times he was spit on. He was tarred and feathered. He lost children. One such trial was in Liberty Jail with his brother Hyrum. They spent 5 months taken from their families, they were barely fed, and they nearly froze to death.
It was during this time that Christ revealed to him this revelation, “My son, Peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment, and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high, and thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”
This is a promise to us just as much as it was to Joseph. Just as Joseph did, we have a mission on this earth, and just as he did with Joseph, Satan will be trying to prevent it. Joseph said, “The closer one approaches the Lord the greater power will be manifest by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of his purpose.”
I don’t want you to be discouraged by that. Satan knows all of us. He doesn’t want us to be happy. He just wants us to be miserable. He knows of the goodness that you have in you. He will do everything in his power to prevent that whatever it takes.
We were meant to have trials and to be tempted by Satan. Its part of the Plan. These things are for our benefit. They allow us to use the atonement and to draw closer to our Savior and to God.
While studying the First Vision, I came across another account, written by Orson Hyde after Joseph had related the story to him. He gives in more detail the feeling before Joseph was able to pray. It reads, “On one occasion, he went to a small grove of trees near his father’s home and knelt down before God in solemn prayer. The adversary then made several strenuous efforts to cool his ardent soul. He filled his mind with doubts and brought to his mind all manner of inappropriate images to prevent him from obtaining the object of his endeavors, but the overflowing mercy of God came to buoy him up and gave new impetus to his failing strength; however the dark clouds soon parted and light and peace filled his frightened heart.”
I testify to you that this is the true church and that God has a plan for you and he has a plan for me. And, I know that Satan will do everything he can to prevent that.
Several months ago, I was deep in the clutches of the adversary. He had me believing things that weren’t true… doubting myself… doubting what I knew was true. I testify to you that the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes deeper than any of us can imagine. Just as Joseph had that experience in that grove of trees, I experienced the overflowing mercy of God to buoy me up and give new impetus to my failing strength. The dark cloud parted, and light and peace filled my frightened heart. This church is true.
Joseph Smith said, “After all has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel.” That’s because of the joy that it brings. I can’t imagine where I’d be without this Gospel.
I love my Savior, and I love Joseph Smith for enduring what he did... for staying faithful so that I could feel the joy I feel. I say these things in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today I’m talking about the Restoration. I’m going to start with going back to Christ’s time on the Earth: Since the creation, God’s children have been looking forward to Christ’s coming because, when He came, He ordained apostles and gave them priesthood, the power to baptize, and the keys of revelation. He taught His gospel to love one another. He performed miracles. He taught that revelation is the rock upon which this church is built. He lived a perfect and a sinless life so that He could atone for us and suffer for our sins so that we could be forgiven. He died for us on the cross, and he was resurrected, so that we could be resurrected and live with our families for eternity. After He was resurrected, He continued to guide his apostles through revelation.
Revelation 1:1 it says, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:”
Even then, the church was led by Christ, not by men. He led it through his apostles through the keys of revelation. Wicked people continued to persecute and kill members of the church and all of Christ’s original apostles were killed. In time, the keys of revelation and the priesthood was taken from the earth.
In Amos 8:11 it says, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:”
God knew that it would happen. He knew the keys would be taken and that men would not be able to receive the revelation that they needed. But He had a plan, as he often does, and He prepared a Restoration.
So, jump forward to 1820, when Joseph Smith was 14. It was a time of great religious excitement where he lived in New York, and he was confused and wondered which of many churches was true. So, he went to his scriptures and studied and looked for the answer, and he came upon a scripture, James 1:5 “If any of ye lack wisdom, let him ask God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.”
Joseph said of reading this scripture, “Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart.”
So, he went to a small grove of trees not far from where he lived on a spring morning and in his own words, as he began to pray vocally, he said, “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me, I beheld two personages whose brightness and glory defy all description standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said pointing to the other, ‘This is my beloved son, hear him.”
God the Eternal Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in that small grove of trees that day. Christ told Joseph Smith that he should join none of the churches. He said, “They draw near unto me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” He was told not to join any and to wait.
Later, in 1829, John the Baptist conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and they were instructed to baptize each other. Of this, Joseph said, “immediately upon our coming up out of the water and being baptized, we experienced great and glorious blessings from our Heavenly Father...our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings.”
They were then, later, given the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James, and John, three of Christ’s original apostles. After having been given this priesthood, they now had the authority and keys of revelation.
He (Joseph) was instructed to organize the church and translate the Book of Mormon, which was brought forth by God as part of the Restoration. It is the truest book on earth because it was translated directly. No other book upon this earth was translated by a prophet of God exactly the way Christ wanted it. Every word in the Book of Mormon is exactly where Christ wanted it. Just like the Bible, it’s a collection of writings by ancient prophets, one of whom is Moroni. He promised that...
“...if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He shall manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And, by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:3-5)
I put Moroni’s promise to the test. I read the Book of Mormon and did my best to live by its teachings, and I know with a certainty that the Book of Mormon is a true record, that every word is right where Christ wanted it to be. It has brought me more joy than anything else on this earth.
In Abraham 3:22-23, it says, “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.”
Joseph was pre-ordained just as Abraham was, and just as we are. Joseph had a mission on this earth. He restored the true gospel to the earth. He brought forth the Book of Mormon to bless us in this latter day. And, just as he had a mission, so do we. The amount of good that has been, will be, and is being done now by the people in this room alone, is staggering.
In D& C 153: 3 it says, “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”
Joseph Smith had a great mission and Satan knew exactly what it was. He did everything that he could to prevent it. After the first vision, Joseph went to speak with the ministers he was close to. He told them about his experience. He did not receive what he thought he would. He received hate and persecution. He said, “despite all the persecution I have received, and while they were persecuting me and reviling me and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely, I was led to say in my heart, why persecute me for telling the truth. For, I had seen a vision. I knew it, and I knew that God knew it. And, I could not deny it.”
He (Joseph) continued to have great trials throughout his entire life. He was assaulted multiple times, I can’t imagine how many times he was spit on. He was tarred and feathered. He lost children. One such trial was in Liberty Jail with his brother Hyrum. They spent 5 months taken from their families, they were barely fed, and they nearly froze to death.
It was during this time that Christ revealed to him this revelation, “My son, Peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment, and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high, and thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.”
This is a promise to us just as much as it was to Joseph. Just as Joseph did, we have a mission on this earth, and just as he did with Joseph, Satan will be trying to prevent it. Joseph said, “The closer one approaches the Lord the greater power will be manifest by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of his purpose.”
I don’t want you to be discouraged by that. Satan knows all of us. He doesn’t want us to be happy. He just wants us to be miserable. He knows of the goodness that you have in you. He will do everything in his power to prevent that whatever it takes.
We were meant to have trials and to be tempted by Satan. Its part of the Plan. These things are for our benefit. They allow us to use the atonement and to draw closer to our Savior and to God.
While studying the First Vision, I came across another account, written by Orson Hyde after Joseph had related the story to him. He gives in more detail the feeling before Joseph was able to pray. It reads, “On one occasion, he went to a small grove of trees near his father’s home and knelt down before God in solemn prayer. The adversary then made several strenuous efforts to cool his ardent soul. He filled his mind with doubts and brought to his mind all manner of inappropriate images to prevent him from obtaining the object of his endeavors, but the overflowing mercy of God came to buoy him up and gave new impetus to his failing strength; however the dark clouds soon parted and light and peace filled his frightened heart.”
I testify to you that this is the true church and that God has a plan for you and he has a plan for me. And, I know that Satan will do everything he can to prevent that.
Several months ago, I was deep in the clutches of the adversary. He had me believing things that weren’t true… doubting myself… doubting what I knew was true. I testify to you that the Atonement of Jesus Christ goes deeper than any of us can imagine. Just as Joseph had that experience in that grove of trees, I experienced the overflowing mercy of God to buoy me up and give new impetus to my failing strength. The dark cloud parted, and light and peace filled my frightened heart. This church is true.
Joseph Smith said, “After all has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel.” That’s because of the joy that it brings. I can’t imagine where I’d be without this Gospel.
I love my Savior, and I love Joseph Smith for enduring what he did... for staying faithful so that I could feel the joy I feel. I say these things in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
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