Smartphones, Nearly Killing Someone, and the Temple

The last two weeks have just been wonderful! I'll keep it short, but we've recently been given smart phones and authorized to use Facebook. So friend me!

The big story of the week is Alicia's baptism! So, I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned her but I've known her for a long long time! It's a bit of a long story but basically we went over to try to teach her boyfriend who spoke Spanish but wasn't interested and we ended up having a few lessons with her! Her boyfriend wasn't always there so we passed her to the sisters who started teaching her. But we would stop by every once in a while to visit and to read from the scriptures with her because she was going through a really rough time. She was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and was in a lot of pain and suffering. So if we were in the area we would stop by and share a thought with her. 

To summarize 5 months into a few sentences she had a few surgeries and had one lung removed and 5 ribs. She spent a lot of time in the hospital and we lost contact for a little bit, then we got a random phone call in December and she said that she was getting baptized and that she wanted me to baptize her! 

So I was honored and she said that her baptism was on my birthday! So we were super excited until she got pneumonia earlier that week in her one remaining lung! She spent the whole week in the hospital and we had to postpone the baptism. 

       

This is when it gets good. So when she got out of the hospital we scheduled the baptism. So when the day arrives and we drive down to Alexandria and we get to the building, the water heater and furnace are both broken! 

Then Alicia arrives and tells us that that very day she broke one of her few remaining ribs! So she looks like she's on deaths doorstep and I literally thought that I might be the cause of her death if I dunked her in that freezing cold water! So she asked me for a blessing before we began and one of the promised blessings indicated by the spirit was that she would be able to recover from her baptism. A strange blessing but it sure comforted me! 

So we got the towels ready and all the space heaters we could find and decided to brave the font! As soon as I stepped in my foot went numb hahaha. It was sooooo cold. I thought I was going to kill her!! As soon as her foot hit the water she just started cussing all the way into the font. Asking why it was so cold, I slowly lead her down one step at a time reminding her to pray and to be brave. 

At the second to last step she stopped and said "I need to cough." the cough that followed sounded like the final breath leaving her body. I told her that she just needed to make it down one more step and then turn around. She replied "Let's do this." With so much determination it gave me chills! So I baptized her and it all worked out! Definitely a baptism I'll never forget. 

Today we went to the temple. I received some very needed guidance and inspiration. My life is about to get a lot harder. But I take comfort knowing that I am on the path that the Lord has set for me. I love you all! Christ lives and this is his church! 

Keep praying :)

Elder Brunsdale 

New area 😢😭

 I've finally been transfered... I was super sad to be leaving Elder Kemp but it's been good to be in a new area. I went from the largest ward in the mission to a Spanish group which is quite a big change. Now I live in the most wealthy county in the united States! So it's a real big change, lots of really big houses and our apartment is really nice. Yesterday I got to participate in a baptism! It's a pretty funny story but I'll tell it next week when I have the picture to go with it. The update on Paco is that he will be getting baptized in February by the less actives that we've been working with! I'm so incredibly happy about it. 😊well this is a short letter but I just want you all to know I'm doing great and just loving the work and loving being a missionary. The church is true and the Gospel changes lives when we live it 😊 Love you all! Never stop praying!

Elder Brunsdale 

Happy 2018!

Well this week has been quite eventful! I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year and just share you a quick little experience that I had this week.

       

So my companion and I were walking up to a lesson at the apartment of one of our investigators and he was already standing outside. This is one of our main investigators, he's on date and progressing really well. Anyway, I had the strangest spiritual prompting! I just all of a sudden knew that I needed to fake a sore throat and not say hardly anything in the lesson! So I pointed to my throat and shook my head and it really threw my companion off at first because I was going to lead out but instead I took the role of just being the guy that was drawing on the board. 

       

This lesson was incredible!! This investigator has a minor learning disability and it's often hard to help him understand but he just kept saying "Wow!" "Oh my goodness!" "I'm getting it, this is amazing!" He said that the way in which Elder Kemp was explaining it was just perfect for him. Which is incredible because this investigator speaks half English half Spanish and always switches between the two, which is exactly how Elder Kemp taught. 

If I had led out it would have been all Spanish which wasn't what he needed. He also told me that the pictures I was drawing made so much sense! I felt super inspired about them too. 

        

So that went into the books as an amazing lesson :) In other news I got to wear another even more expensive watch and we spent Christmas day with the beloved Osorio family :) I love my ward so much. They brought me a birthday cake to church and sang to me while I was teaching Gospel Principles class with my companion and then later that night my second family (The venturas) threw a bunch of cake in my face :) 

I love you all! Pray always! 

Elder Brunsdale

Merry Christmas!

This week is gonna be short! 

I did our missions weekly Warrior report this week so if you'd like to read my thoughts on Humility that is where you would go :)(Attached) 

We had an incredible Christmas and spent it with our most beloved families in the ward, we went and saw a house with a A LOT of Christmas lights and had a wonderful ward party. 

I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas! Love you!!

Elder Brunsdale 

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Misael and Cooking and a Rolex

I just realized that last week's email didn't send so here ya go! 

I feel like I often neglect to write about how the work is going in our area, so I'm going to start with that this week. 

Firstly we're still teaching Paco who is incredible! I can't even explain how amazing our lessons are with him. They're always in the house of a member and he always studies what we ask him to and sends us a list of questions to answer the day before. This last week he said he was up until 2 am studying Preach My Gospel and The Book of Mormon because he just couldn't stop! He'll be baptized this coming month :) 

We recently found and are teaching Misael who is incredible as well. We heard him talking to some sisters at church and he said "I just feel so much joy and peace in my heart when the Elders visit me. I hope they never stop." He's trying to quit smoking and he's already gone from 20 a day to just 5! In only a week! He also has a date to be baptized next month :) 

We also started teaching a friend of our recent convert Liliana, her name is Corali. She came to church and said she thought it was boring but liked the classes, so we're gonna fix that. If you don't look forward to church then you're missing something. 

Lastly we have Eduardo who has a son who is autistic and he is showing a lot of interest. The work is going so great!

We recently started sending daily scriptural texts to members and investigators with a personalized message. We've already had 3 active but struggling members open up to us and tell us how much our texts have blessed them. I'm so blessed to have had this chance to spend 9 months in an area and grow so incredibly close to the members, I've really seen the ward change for the better before my eyes. It's going to be really hard to leave them...

     

In other news it snowed!! I cooked some spaghetti with Lupe, the most incredible ward missionary ever. She does almost as much work as we do and has been crucial in helping Paco towards his conversion.

I love my companion Elder Kemp, he's really one of my best friends. I also wore a 27,000 thousand dollar Rolex watch at a member dinner. 

     

I love you all so much, I know this is a true work :) Christ lives and loves us, every one. Don't forget to make him the focus of your Christmas. :) Also pray ;) Merry Christmas!!

Elder Brunsdale 

The Pentagon

This week has absolutely flown by! We had some great lessons and found some new investigators who show a lot of potential. 

One is named Misael and he's super funny. He insists on being taught by us even though he prefers to speak in English. So I won't speak a word to him in English but he'll answer everything I say in English. He says that he just can't feel peoples emotions in English. I think that has more to do with the culture than the language though! In Priesthood he stood up and said (Verbatim) "Me encanta when I'm visited by los Elderly's because I always feel so warm inside. I really like esta Iglesia." He said if there was a church in Spanglish that he'd go to that one. 

Paco also came to church for the 5th Sunday in a row. He's doing so well and it's been incredible to see the change in him. I feel like if there was one person that I was sent here for it would be Paco. I had an extremely spiritual experience with him this last Thursday and Sunday. He's helped me to learn a lot about myself and progress in the Gospel myself. He will be an incredible member. 

      

Today we had a super unique opportunity. A few months back I befriended a member of an English ward.  He's a retired black hawk pilot who reached the rank of col. and commanded the largest brigade in the army before retiring and starting a multi-million dollar company. What made it really special was that he was stationed at the Pentagon when it was attacked on 9-11. In fact he was injured in the attack. So we were given a private tour and heard plenty of stories. He was actually able to get us into the E-ring to see the office of the Secretary of Defense.  We also got a pic with Suddam Hussein's golden plated AK-57. It was a really unique experience and it was cool to walk by several 4 star generals and to see the hall of heroes and the 9-11 memorial. 

    

Well that's about all that's gone on from D.C.! Keep reading and praying and trying to make Christ the focus of your Christmas season! Love you all!

Elder Brunsdale 

Thanksgiving was a real TREAT

Wow! This week was just wonderful! I'm really pressed for time today so I'll make it short. 

So, ever since Elder Kemp arrived to this area with me we have been praying for more service opportunities, they've come and gone like they usually do but last week we really had an answer to our prayers. We started on Tuesday by doing some service for one of the greatest members in our ward. We raked her leaves and just cleaned out her entire backyard for her. We then had some fun jumping into our leaf piles. I'd send videos if I could! 

The next day we were blessed with a HUGE service project helping a business next to our chapel unload their new delivery of Christmas trees. It was a huge blessing and it felt so good to do some hard physical work. I think the greatest part of it all was that our most progressing investigator Paco came to both service projects and helped us. He's been at church every Sunday this month and hasn't used tobacco even once in the last 3 weeks!! We're so excited for him and it's amazing to see that change that's been wrought in his life through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We had 3 thanksgiving dinners and an awesome ward party as well. I had to say goodbye to one of my greatest friends Elder Cottle... Oh yeah one more thing! Elder Kemp and I will be going for a third transfer together her in Old Town!!! I'm so excited to spend Christmas and my birthday with such an amazing companion. I'll be pushing 9 months in this area but I honestly never want to leave. It feels like I'd be leaving my family all over again. But that's okay, I'm here for now :) 

Love you all! 

It would be just so cool if you did the light the world challenge this year. Have a great week! 

Elder Brunsdale

Liliana's Baptism 🌊🔥🏊‍♂️ and Elder Anderson😶

This entire week has been pretty incredible, however Saturday turned into a legendary day so I'm going to focus on that this week. 

We began with driving down to the Potomac river because we didn't have any baptismal clothing for our investigator in our building. We found the perfect dress for her and also got to see the most stunning chapel I've ever seen.

 Anyway after that we high tailed it to Centerville across the entire mission because Elder Anderson came to the mission to speak to us! We got to shake his hand and it was incredible to hear him talk. He's the 3rd apostle that has personally come to the mission and it is so special to hear them speak more directly and personally than they are able to in general conference. His testimony was so powerful, it was a privilege. 

        

After that meeting was over we drove back out across the mission for the baptism of Liliana, it was so great! A little bit stressful especially because we don't have a ward mission leader at the moment so it was all on us. We made a couple embarrassing errors in the baptismal program but most of the ward knows that I'm a goof so it ain't no thing. Nothing can stop the work of the Lord! 

       

 I had the wonderful opportunity to do the ordinance myself! I love Liliana and it was such a pleasure to be able to see her take such an important step in her life. She's converted to Jesus Christ and has found the promised joy and peace that comes from following him.

         

In other news this week our investigator that has been investigating for 6 months (Paco) had a huge breakthrough after our lesson on grace and hasn't chewed tobacco since! Before he couldn't even go a day! It was definitely an answer to prayers. He'll be getting baptized here very soon. 

Well, I love you all and hope that you've been saying your prayers and studying not just reading! Chow! 

Elder Brunsdale