Elder Ballard and Rasband!!

I just got back from my first time inside the D.C. Temple. It's absolutely beautiful just like all the others. The temple is such a peaceful and amazing place. If you haven't been lately chances are there's 1 or 5 right around where most of you live ;) So go! 

This week we had the unprecedented opportunity to hear from and shake the hands of 2 Apostles and 9 other General Authorities!! It was an absolutely amazing experience. It was incredible to hear them speak to such a specific audience and to hear an apostolic witness of Christ somewhere other than General Conference. 

I quickly want to bear my testimony to you that Christ lives. That He is leading this church and that He calls his Apostles. The words they speak truly are the word of God.

 

Multiple times they expressed their great love for us and for their Savior. The Spirit was so strong and testified to me as they spoke. I'd like to include one thing that president Ballard taught us between his jokes. He said " Every time I get tired, I picture in my mind The Savior in Gethsemane. And I find the strength I need to push on." My invitation to you is to strive to remember the Savior in all that you do. I know that He will strengthen you as you strive to live like He did. 

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! Keep praying!

 

-Elder Brunsdale (Hyrum)

The Final Trip To D.C.

This week has been full of blessings! We didn't go a day without a lesson and most days had two or more! We came out with 16 this week. The work is really progressing in our area! We're very excited and know that we're being blessed every day! We put two more investigators on date tonight and it also finally snowed!!! 

For one of our lessons we found a new investigator who had an extensive knowledge of the Bible. He quoted many of the scriptures we typically use in support of the Restoration before we even mentioned them. But as soon as we brought up that Peter, James and John descended from heaven to restore the priesthood he got very upset. He shouted "False doctrine!" And then said they couldn't have descended because they have to wait for Christ to be resurrected. We kindly reminded him that Christ was resurrected on the third day. He realized he was wrong but was still very upset and just kept shouting "False doctrine!" And other stuff in Spanish I couldn't understand. It got to the point where he literally grabbed his keys, left his house and drove away just leaving us sitting there in his house. It was strange. haha, But right before he left he said we could come back! So I guess we'll see! 

We closed out a very eventful week with a trip to D.C! Rumor is it's about to be banned tomorrow so we had to get in one last hurrah! We saw the Smithsonian castle as well as the Natural History Museum (That was my favorite I could spend weeks in there). We also saw some of the American History Museum. We got to see a bunch of deep sea specimens as well as the original sun stone that sat on the Nauvoo temple. We went though the Holocaust Museum last. It was done very very well. There's just a sense of reverence and prayer while walking through it. 

   

So, here's some pictures of my last DC trip!! 

I love all of you!! Don't forget to pray.

Elder Brunsdale (Hyrum)

Transfers!!

My first transfer in the field is over!! I've learned so much and already seen so much in the way the Gospel can change peoples lives!! The Gospel is True people!!

I'll be staying with my trainer Elder Lucero for at least another transfer!! I'm super excited he's going to be able to finish training me! Our district is staying almost the same so it should be pretty fun.

Here's a picture of us! (Yes I am as tired as I look). We also got to go to the Temple lights one last time!!! It was an absolute blast! I hope you all had a happy new year!! Keep praying :)

LOVE YOU!!!

- Elder Brunsdale (Hyrum)

My First Christmas!!

This week was awesome! It never snowed which was a bummer, but it was still a wonderful Christmas here in Virginia! 

It was wonderful to be able to speak with my family and eat with the members. I took a picture of the last dinner table because this is how much food they prepared just for us four. haha, We were already about to explode but we did our best!

I also got to go to the Washington DC Temple Visitors Center with one of our investigators and his family! The lights were beautiful and the DC temple is just magnificent! I can't wait till I have the chance to enter it. 

I love all of you! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! 

Don't forget to pray :) 

Love,

Elder Brunsdale

Merry Christmas!

 It's already Christmas!! 

Not much has been happening, we're just working our hardest! We found 9 new investigators last week! If you don't know, that's pretty good. haha. 

It's amazing to be out here during such an incredible time! Spanish wards sure know how to throw parties that's for sure! I've been eating way too much. They just keep feeding you. For example we were teaching a lesson right after eating dinner and our investigators just brought out homemade tacos, so we were like "you know why I'm here" so we ate and they were so good, they asked if we wanted more and we said no that's okay. They insisted so we said yeah just one and they brought out 3 more each for us. That's about how every night goes. haha. 

But I've also been feasting on the words of Christ as well! The New Testament is amazing and it's a great time of year to start reading it! So what are you waiting for??

I love all of you. The church is true, the more knowledge I gain the more I know with absolute conviction that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and that his Gospel is restored once again and we can partake of the joy it brings! But it's up to us :) 

Never stop praying,

Elder Brunsdale

D.C. and Christmas Trees

This week was great, we're seeing some real progress with our investigators and everything is just going really good. I'm still learning a lot, and still wishing I could speak Spanish haha. 

We have an investigator who has a really bad drinking problem. He's been investigating the church for 5 years now with absolutely no problems besides that one. He understands and accepts all the doctrine and goes to church and all that. He just can't get over his alcohol addiction and because he speaks Spanish there aren't any twelve step or help programs available to him. So, I had the idea to go through the program with him. So I "lead" my first ever lesson! I wasn't comfortable with the language but I was very comfortable with the things I was saying and what exactly he needed to hear. 

 

There were actually a few times where my comp had to straight up translate what I was trying to say. But we got him started on the twelve step program. I really hope we can help him through this. My comp said I talked for 15 minutes straight (including questions) in Spanish though without his help! I don't think it was really 15 minutes but it's still encouraging to know that I had at least somewhat of a role. 

Then there's Hermana Guzman! Her husband is a member but she's been investigating the church for about 20 years! haha. They are just the funniest most wonderful people. What is kind of discouraging is they speak Spanish so fast I can't understand a word they say. So I'm not able to participate as much (or at all sometimes) in the discussions but she actually said she would consider finally getting baptized in January! After 20 years! We really, really hope that she does so that she can go to the temple with her husband, they're awesome! They're from the Dominican Republic and have a beautiful family.

But yeah, I've had a couple embarrassing mess ups with the language so far. Once I thought someone was calling me ugly so I very strongly asserted that I was handsome! Turns out they were just asking me if the donut they'd given me was bad. Literally the exact same words it just depends on context which I couldn't understand. haha. Spanish is weird. There are these things called purpusas here at restaurants that are super good and once I accidentally said "prepusio" instead. So I was actually asking what kind of foreskin this missionary prefers. He's a native to Mexico so he just cracked up. I just want to be fluent already. 

Today we got to have a guided tour of the Library of Congress! It was super awesome! We got to see one of the original copies of The Book of Mormon! Which was voted 4th in the top 40 best books that have made a difference in your life! It should be first buuut... We'll get there! haha. 

I also got to see the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence for the first time which was sweet! Then I got a library card and we just sat down and studied in the main reading room of The Library. It was super quiet and peaceful and made me want to be there for my studies every day. The mission is going great! 

Also just in case you were going to send a Christmas card or something the address I put in my previous email is wrong. It's apartment 13 not apartment B. My companion just has really bad handwriting. haha. Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

Don't forget to pray :)

Elder Brunsdale

Merry Christmas from D.C.

The Library of Congress.

First Week of December

This week had its challenges, one of our investigators was supposed to get baptized this Saturday but he got drunk a few days ago. We love him so much though and really hope we can help him and he'll choose to use the atonement and overcome his addiction.

I love the holiday season and it's really cool to be a missionary during this time! We'll be taking some investigators to see the temple lights soon so I'm really excited for that!

Today for our P day we went to see the Battle of Bull Run Memorial. It was super cool to learn about it and imagine what it might have been like. They've placed canons in the actual places they had been during the battle. I love History so I feel super blessed to have been able to see that.

That battle site was sosososo cool. Haha. Like seriously one of the coolest places I've ever been. and I haven't even really been to DC yet! This is seriously such a cool mission haha.

The coolest part for me was the big Stonewall Jackson memorial and then about 20 yards away is a memorial where one of his commanders died. Right before he died he said the famous quote "There stands Jackson like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!" So it was an amazing moment when I looked over to the the monument of Jackson on his horse and it was like I was there for a couple seconds. It was so cool. It's really sad that so many men died there. It was the first real battle of the Civil War, if the North had won it would have been over but they couldn't pull it out.

Anyway, have an amazing week!

-EDER BRUNSDALE (HYRUM)