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 

Fear not 😱

As the celebration of the pagan holiday we call Halloween came to a climax I began to ponder on the nature of fear. I resolved upon taking a scriptural excursion appertaining to this subject. For when I crack open the pages of the sacred records I truly do feel as if I'm embarking on a journey of learning and spiritual enlightenment, the likes of which would capture the jealousy of adventurers as great as Marco Polo or Lewis and Clark. The details of said excursion have far surpassed my expectations, and while expounding upon them would please me greatly I must forgo that delight for lack of time. 

    

So fear, as Homosapien-sapiens we are all very well acquainted with our friendly little monster under the bed. Fear is an unavoidable consequence of the human condition. But without delving too deep into the engender of it all and the "why" to the way things are, I would like to briefly touch on how we can trounce the little bugger. John so handsomely wrote the following

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

"Perfect love casteth out fear." So how can we beat out fear? Well with love of course! Cue the "awwwwe." Being in a state of fear is rooted in ourselves. We're scared of what may or may not happen to us. Whereas charity, the real and true love of Christ is entirely focused outward. When we're following the example of our savior Jesus Christ and turning out in perfect selfless love. We are disinterested in our own carnal desires and are therefore fearless, trusting in God and the plan that he has set forth for us. Let us overcome fear by turning out in Christ-like acts of service and compassion. 

Sorry that I changed my writing styles like three times in this email :D I thought I'd practice my English because I'm starting to lose it because of all this Spanish business. But that ended up taking too much time so this is what you're left with! 

    

 Anyway this week has been incredible, we have an investigator named Liliana who just passed her baptismal interview and is going to be baptized this Saturday! We're so excited for her! It's going to bless her life so much. Elder Smith my former companion came back and visited the mission, it was pretty crazy to see him especially because it feels like we were companions just last month! We had a super fun Halloween as well with the Ruiz family and taught them how Americans celebrate Halloween. The work is going along super great, thank you all so much for your love and prayers. We've seen so many miracles it's been incredible. Love you all! 

Elder Brunsdale

George Washington's House

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the estate of the beloved father of our nation. General George Washington. I was very moved by a few of his words. 

“Whereas it becomes us humbly to approach the throne of Almighty God, with gratitude and praise for the wonders which his goodness has wrought in conducting our fore-fathers to this western world…and above all, that he hath diffused the glorious light of the gospel, whereby, through the merits of our gracious Redeemer, we may become the heirs of his eternal glory.”

George Washington understood the value of the truth and light that God has revealed to us. Even before the restoration of the Gospel by Joseph Smith. When we pray do we humbly approach the throne of God with gratitude and praise? 

      

George not only had the Gospel to thank God for because his house is HUGE. Just the view from his back porch inspired me to say a short prayer of gratitude! But I believe there's a lot to learn from the inspired words of this founding father.

      

I'm sorry it's been a cool minute since I sent out an email but things here have been pretty crazy! We have an investigator on date who's getting baptized soon and we've been really focused on helping her prepare. Her name is Liliana and she's the greatest! 

        

We're also still teaching a man named Paco who has been investigating with us for over 6 months (since I got into this area.) He has a testimony but has been struggling to overcome his addiction to tobacco chewing. The other day I was praying for him and I suddenly felt as though he didn't understand grace. My companion and I prepared a lesson for him on grace and the spirit was so strong as we were teaching. Probably the most powerful lesson I've ever taught. Afterwards the member who's house we went to for the lesson texted us and told us that she had never felt the spirit so strongly in her entire life! So we're so thankful to know that God is conscious of Paco and that he's guiding him to where he needs to be. I don't imagine it'll will be too long before he's baptized. 

       

There's a million things to write but that's all I've got time for so I hope that it makes sense. I love you all and I hope that you're doing great! :)

Elder Brunsdale  

Sorry It's Been Awhile

Hey ya'll!!

Sorry it's been a while! My companion and I have been super busy, we're super excited because we just found out that I'll be staying in this area so I can finish training him.

We said goodbye to our favorite senior couple which was really sad :/ but we also met a red head who is from Honduras! He looks like he's Irish but he doesn't speak a lick of English haha. He loves the book of Mormon and is excited to keep learning from us! He asked us to give him homework!

We also took a picture with our neighbor Debbie and a bunch of kids when we went to eat dinner at a park, they said a prayer with us and loved it!

That's all I've got time for so have a great week! Keep praying!

Elder Brunsdale

Participating in a Miracle

Wow! Well, I'm very sorry it's been so long since I have written an email. It's been a little bit crazy. Things have really been great though. Training is a real blast and my trainee is hilarious and a great missionary.

This last week the sister missionaries gave us a call and asked if we could come to the house of their investigator to give a blessing to an old man named Santos. He had been really sick for a long time and couldn't hardly move or speak. He just sat in a chair for weeks while they helped him to live. The only thing that he was able to communicate to them was "I'm so scared, God is going to take me." So when we arrived there to give the blessing much of his extended family was there. Probably 15 people. Not one member. So, the sister missionaries taught a little bit about the priesthood and then Elder Kemp anointed in perfect Spanish and I had the chance to give the blessing, it was a very spiritual experience for me. At the end we were able to shake his hand and he just looked up into my eyes, tears streaming down his face. Although he was unable to speak I could feel his gratitude and know that he had felt the spirit. His family kept saying "thank you, thank you, God is with him now."
   
The next day we found out that later that day Santos stood up from his chair and started walking, and then dancing! By the end of the night he was telling the family stories and laughing. He says he knows that God healed him. It was incredible to witness someone with so much faith, as well as a blessing to be able to administer to him and to see the Lord's hand in his life. The Lord's priesthood is restored!
   
I hope you all have a wonderful week! Pray always :)
Elder Brunsdale

New companion... like NEW!

 Arguably the greatest gospel writer of our time, President Joseph F. Smith, once said, "The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life." 

   

I've recently started a gratitude journal.The impact that this has had on me has been profound. Every morning after doing some stretches I sit down and start thinking about something I'm grateful for. I take about a page or so and then through writing I express to my God as best I can the feelings of my heart concerning that one thing. Yesterday I wrote about shoes, but today I wrote about Elder Kemp.

Elder Kemp just flew from Germany to join me here in Mt. Vernon! He's in a military family so he was born in Arizona and speaks perfect English, but he's teaching me some basic Korean and German while I teach him Spanish! It's a lot of fun, he's an extremely prepared Elder and is ready to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart. I'm excited to have the opportunity to be his companion. I've learned a lot and know that the next 11 weeks are going to be incredible. 

We're doing some great work and have quite a few investigators with baptismal dates. On Elder Kemp's first full day we visited a referral and put them on date on the first lesson! They're incredible and they're been praying for God to lead them to the church that they should be in. It's such a humbling privilege to be able to witness the Lord's hand in the lives of these people. 

This week we also had an activity in our church!! It was called the noche de hispanidad and we set up a bunch of tables with food from every country. There was músic and dancing and a show! 

It was an incredible turn out and I think that the table that I set up with my companion is just beautiful don't you? The picture of the stage is a bit too early. We eventually filled every single seat! Crazy right? It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of non-members :) 

Well, have a fantastic week! Love you all. Pray hard will ya? 

Elder Brunsdale

Come and Claim Your Blessings

This morning I went to the Temple. I haven't been in a while and wow, it's been too long. 

I'd like to share with you just a little bit of the experience I had this morning. I've recently been more stressed than usual because of some recent events in the mission placing a lot more weight on my shoulders. I've been having some personal challenges weighing heavenly on my mind as well. 

I echo the words of Boyd K. Packer when I say that I don't know a lot in this world. In fact, the more I learn the more I've come to see how little I actually do know. But there are some things that I do know of... I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is his son who came to the earth to die for us. 

This is a spiritual knowledge that cannot be taken from me by any power on this earth. I'd like you all to know that I have a similar knowledge, in other words, a similar testimony of the holiness of the Lord's temples. In the Temple I feel closer to my Savior and farther from the world, farther from the weakness of the natural man that I fight with every day closer than anywhere else on this earth. 

Elder Packer himself said, "Sometimes our minds are so beset with problems and there are so many things clamoring for  attention at once that we just cannot think clearly and see clearly. At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift and we can “see”  things that we were not able  to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known. The Lord will bless us as we attend to the sacred ordinance work of the temples. Blessings there will not be limited to  our temple service. We will be  blessed in all of our affairs ." 

Our Temples are specially set apart and dedicated for the Lords holy work. His power is there, his peace is there. I feel it every time that I go. Whether I need specific guidance or comfort or I'm unsure of what I need, the house of the lord has always been a place of refuge for me in the few years that I've had the privilege to attend. I love the temple and everything that it stands for. It is a shining light in an ever darker world. 

"Our labors in the temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people. So come to the temple—come and claim your blessings. It is a sacred work."

Elder Brunsdale