PHOTO ALBUM: Cultural celebration! AYAYAY!‏

Our ward had the coolest activity this Saturday! Everyone represented their own country so we had Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, etc. SO AWESOME.

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Also... we represented USA. *cheesy smile* Got some pictures of the First Vision, a temple, and the Constitution along with some white kids. Solid.

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(and Idk why all of my pictures lately look so bad and blurry haha my apologies. I know, I'm frustrated too)

Not my will, but Thine be done‏

God is the ultimate author of all of our lives. The hardest thing is learning how to turn our will over to Him, but it's absolutely necessary in order to feel all of the goodness that comes from heaven. He wants us to succeed; He wants us to be happy; He wants us to come back home. This is what missionaries are out there preaching... there is a way to succeed, to be happy, and to go back home, and that's through our Savior Jesus Christ. And it's the best thing ever.

As missionaries, if we aren't teaching, we aren't doing what we were called to do. Which is pretty obvious. Duh. BUT some days, it's incredibly hard to just find one person who will open their doors and their hearts to what we have to share.

This week, we found 4 new investigators, and it was amazing!

1. Marisol y Carlos - At our last zone conference, one of the sisters came up to us and asked her to find a family that she used to visit. She didn't remember anything except for the mom's name! With faith and prayers and lots of asking around, we were able to find the teaching records of this family. We tried visiting their home a couple times, but no one was home. One day, we decided to try one more time, and sure enough, they were home. The mom looked at us, and asked, "Are you sisters my angels?" We laughed a little and told her that we were missionaries, but that we weren't the same ones who had taught her months before. She told us that she was struggling with her health, along with her husband. Her husband walked out, holding his stomach, and told us that he was experiencing internal bleeding, and that he was headed to the hospital. So needless to say, we didn't stay for too long, BUT before we left, we asked if we could pray with them. I offered the prayer in Spanish, and afterwards, the two looked at me in shock, and the mom said, "I like this one. She's got perfect Spanish." I can assured you that was the Spirit (lol) but it was really amazing to feel the difference in the home before and after the prayer. We promised them that God would be looking over them as they dealt with their health problems. They asked us to come back as soon as we could, and we promised them that we would!

2. Maria - We have an investigator who has been meeting with missionaries for 5 years! CRAZY. We still don't know what is holding her back from baptism, we're not even sure if she knows. But she loves having us over, and she loves reading from the Book of Mormon. One day in particular, we decided to go visit her, and we met her friend Maria. My companion and I were silent as the two friends talked back and forth, something that I'm learning about Hispanics haha they sure love to talk and it's awesome. But it lasted for about an hour! We agreed that it was time to go and teach elsewhere, when we both had a strong impression to talk to Maria. Later as we were talking about it, we both realized we got the thought, "Nope, you can't leave. You can't leave until you talk to Maria." So that's what we did! I pulled out a pass-along card and Hermana Grubbs pulled out the Book of Mormon, and we simply talked about our purpose as missionaries. Maria was really interested! She gave us her number and told us that she wanted to learn more! We are meeting with her again this week. It was such a cool experience.

3. Pablo - About a month or so ago, we got a referral from some English sisters of a Hispanic family that lived down the street from us. We tried a couple times, but the only time we got an answer, the husband told us they weren't interested. Unshaken, we decided to try again :) We were driving home and noticed that they were outside, sitting on their porch. Perfect. We parked the car and "casually" walked up to them, you know, "Oh, hey! We didn't see ya there!" Haha they were super welcoming and kind, and we spent an hour or so talking about God. It was incredible! When we asked if we could come back and teach more about the church, the husband said, "I'll tell you what. If you stop by, and I'm home, I'd be more than willing to listen. It's really interesting that you two 19 year old girls are doing this. It's really cool." We are a peculiar people :)

This whole week was just focused on learning about God's will. He needed us to find these people. Although sometimes it's super awkward or inconvenient, that's not going to change what God wants us to do. We're doing HIS work, not ours. God knows what He's doing. I'm learning the value of praying for understanding rather than praying for a change. God will always give us understanding; He'll always help us. And I love it.

I love you all so much!!!

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

PHOTO ALBUM: Pictures.. obviously

So ice cream is my weakness and I love Jimmy Fallon so when I saw this,

"The Tonight Dough" I died, but before I died I took a picture.

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And theeeen we had dinner with one of my favorite families!

The other kids were busy playing Just Dance... but at least I got these two!

Nathalia and Elena :)

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The temple with my favorite sisters.

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And appppparently we live right across the street from a corn field. Go figure.

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I'm so happy I don't even know what to put as the title lol‏

GUYS. THIS WEEK WAS SO GOOD.

But I'm struggling to put all of my thoughts together in my brain to form sentences to help you truly understand the goodness of this week.. so bear with me.

So on Wednesday, we had zone training. It was so perfect - it's weird, every training or meeting always addresses the needs of our companionship or area... it's like it was inspired..

Lol it is. It always is.

It was all about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and church attendance, which is the biggest struggle. Helping people come to church has been the hardest thing so far. We haven't been able to get one investigator to church, and we have more less-actives than actives right now. But! We're working real hard, and we were reminded of our vital it is to teach with and be led by the Spirit. 

Our zone leader ended the training by asking all of us why we were serving a mission, or who were we serving for. With so much power, he bore the strongest testimony. He told us that if we weren't serving for God, we needed to right now. He asked us to make the commitment, right there in that room. He said that there's no time to waste - there's no time to be selfish and there's no time to serve anyone other than God. The Spirit was tangible in that room.

To keep that Spirit going, we were all able to go to the temple on Friday. The peace and comfort I felt in the temple is something I can't describe, but something I really needed. It was the biggest blessing, to be able to step inside the Lord's house again. I was reminded of who I was serving my mission for. I gained so much strength and energy, I was ready for anything, and I knew God was with me.

As a zone, we were committed to try and find two new investigators a week. The commitments given by our zone leaders are always really inspired because we know they went to God first before extending the commitment to the zone. 

Well, we decided to do all we could to achieve this, but somehow, we found two new investigators without even looking! We met with two families who happened to have a friend over who both happppened to be interested. Inspired? Yes. It was crazy.

The best part of the entire week was yesterday... I about died.

So we've been working with this awesome mom, Esmerelda. She has two little boys, Leo and Jose. We found her family while we were trying to find someone else, actually. We were walking down the street, when this really strong feeling came over me to go and talk to this woman. I can tell you that was the Spirit because walking up to random people and speaking Spanish is still scary to me haha but we did it, and she was so cool! She welcomed us back to her house, and we have been visiting her ever since. She asks some of the best questions. She honestly just wants to do what is right for her and her family, it's really sweet. But she hasn't been coming to church. As we bore testimony to her of the reality of God, the truthfulness of this gospel, and the importance of church, she told us, "Yo quiero asistir, pero no puedo!" "I want to attend but I can't!" We prayerfully searched for a ride for her for a couple weeks, and found members who were willing, but Esmerelda never showed up at church, something always held her back. 

This last Saturday we met with her again, and simply bore a pure testimony to her and left it at that. We felt inspired that a pure testimony would help her find a way to come.

On Sunday morning, we double-checked with her ride, and just prayed with everything we had that she would come. Driving to church, I wasn't sure if she would actually pull through. But I had faith in God, that He would provide a way, He ALWAYS does!

As we were singing the sacrament hymn, I turned around and saw Esmerelda and her two sons sitting in the back of the chapel. She smiled and waved, and I honestly about died. I turned to Hermana Grubbs and said, "Hermana, she's here!" She was like, "WHAT. Shut up." hahah she turned around and saw her, and we both just started to laughing crying. A mix of both. It was pure happiness, I can't even describe the joy that came over me. God provided a way! Again! He's so amazing!

It may not seem like much, but she came to church, which means she's just one step closer to the joy that is this gospel. She's one step closer to eternal happiness. Ah my heart :)

All in all, this week was so good. I love my Heavenly Father. I love my Savior. I love the feelings that come through the Holy Ghost.

This gospel is true. I know it with my whole heart.

I LOVE LIFE. Missionary work is the best ever.

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

PHOTO ALBUM: Final farewell...

To the best mission president and his amazing wife! The Westons were incredible. I can't wait to meet the new mission president next week! 

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I'll never forget when I got to Nebraska, totally freaked out by the Mexican airport and crying after talking to my mom for 2 minutes on the phone, I finally saw my mission president. A light at the end of the tunnel... lol

Poco a poco‏

I am both amazed and intrigued by the power of God every single day.

This last week was so good. I can see God working, poco a poco, little by little, and it's incredible.

Milagro 1. So for the past month or two, we've been trying to find a lady named Shana. Turns out, both her address and her phone number were wrong, which means that we pretty much were at a dead end. It pains me to say that we decided to just to forget about trying to find her, only so we could move on and focus on others. Last week, we were at our bishop's house when our phone started to ring. I picked it up, leaving the room, and answered. It was Shana! She asked if we were missionaries and said that she needed us to come help her. We set up an appointment with her, and continued to pray for guidance and offer gratitude for this miracle. We found Shana! We ended up helping her clean her house and move some boxes, and then we were able to talk for awhile. She opened up to us, and we were able to share scriptures and our testimonies to help invite the Spirit into her home. We testified of the power of doing the little things, like praying and reading and going to church. Because those little things start to add up, and we start to find more and more strength. We promised her that if she came to church, she would feel God's love. And guess what? She came to church! We walked into the chapel and saw her sitting there, reading from her scriptures. This woman has been through the worst of the worst. She's been through some of the craziest things, and as I saw her sitting there, God's love for her just filled me up, and I knew that she was getting back on the right track. She was beaming! She looked so happy. It was amazing.

Milagro 2. About a month ago, we tried visiting a less active family in our ward. The only day that we could visit them was on Saturday, and we were always busy! But this last week, we had a lot of time in our schedule so we decided to go visit Susana. She let us in, and we talked about where she was from and about her family and work and whatnot. As she was talking, I was praying that we would be led by the spirit and be able to know what to share with her that would give her comfort and help her come back to church. I kept getting an impression that we should stay quiet and just listen. Turns out, Hermana Grubbs was getting the same impression. So we sat, often in silence, waiting for Susana. It was amazing because you could visibly see the spirit working on her. Her whole demeanor was changing. She opened up, told us her fears and worries and struggles. We were able to listen and discern, and then teach and testify, according to her own personal needs. With tears, she told us that she felt alone, and we instantly felt prompted to show her the Because He Lives video. As the video finished, she had more tears and told us that she wanted to return to church, but that she didn't know how she would be able to. The church was so far away, she often worked, and her husband didn't want to go. I promised her that God would provide a way and sure enough, He did. I was sitting in the chapel, and Hermana Grubbs was leading the music. Hermana Grubbs suddenly got so happy and mouthed to me, "tun around!" I turned around and she was there! With her two little boys! She looked so happy. I was so overwhelmed with the spirit, I started to cry and laugh, all at the same time! And I couldn't stop the whole meeting! In total, we had 4 families return to church today. It was amazing! I don't know how God did it, but it was incredible.

I am just so in awe of the power of God, of His infinite love. Every day I am discovering more and more layers and depths to who our Father is and what the Atonement of Jesus Christ is. The Atonement compensates for every imperfection, every weakness, every pain. Jesus Christ was chosen because He was perfect. He was the only one who could really suffer for all of our sins and pains because he was perfect. Somebody who is imperfect can't raise us to perfection. Every day I am learning more and more about how to turn to my Savior and about why I need to. My testimony is being strengthened and renewed daily. As I turn to my Savior, it's like I'm being embraced by loving, strong, and caring arms. To me, an embrace is like desiring to be one with someone. As I embrace my Savior, my Father, the gospel, I'm able to become one with them. Or at least try to be. All I know is that I have been stretched and changed in ways I couldn't have imagined before my mission, but that's because God knows me better. I have never been so aware of His infinite and perfect love before... I can feel it as I see Him changing people's lives, poco a poco. I can see it in the missionaries who are trying so hard to learn of and do His will. I can see it in my own family, as I remember and reflect on the goodness of God that has always existed in my life. God is everywhere. He is real, and He loves you. He is aware of you. Promise.

"Not one sparrow shall fall to the ground without your Father knowing... Fear not therefore, for ye are of more value than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

Keep working hard. Keeping being great. Keep loving with all you've got. When you work hard and you dedicate your efforts to the Lord, He amplifies them.

I love you all so much! Thanks for being the best support.

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

PHOTO ALBUM: Still Smilin'

LIFE IS GOOD Y'ALL

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...also this picture was a struggle haha you should see the outtakes..

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Feeling sorrow to understand joy‏

So this week was something else.

It was by far the hardest week of my mission, maybe even my whole life. Being rejected doesn't get any easier. Getting shot down doesn't get any better. Not seeing the fruits of our labors is frustrating. 

But listen, it's all good.

It's pretty cool how God is able to show you little miracles to get you through the day. 

The whole week was pretty bad, almost all of our appointments were falling through - either people weren't home or they cancelled. One day in particular was even more rough than the others, but at the end of the night, we had an awesome miracle happen. We pulled up to a family's house that we had taught about a month ago. The first lesson was amazing! The spirit was so strong, and they were willing to prepare for baptism. But then, we lost them. Every time we came back, they weren't home. There was no phone number to call, so we left little post-it notes on the door, until we just decided to stop trying. Well, we decided to try one more time, and sure enough, they were there. I can't even describe the feelings in my chest when I saw the 4 little kids run up to the window to see us and then excitedly open the door to let us in. They told us why we hadn't come back earlier, and choking back tears, we just said that we were sorry and that we'd keep coming. We read from the Book of Mormon, in 3 Nephi, when Jesus Christ comes to the Americas. The little kids drew pictures of our Savior, and we watched the Because He Lives video. We bore testimony of the reality of our Savior Jesus Christ, and as we were testifying, it hit me so hard - this experience might not have been so sweet, so special, and so amazing if we hadn't felt so much sorrow the rest of the day. 

We are given sorrow to help us better understand joy.

As we left that house, our week didn't get any better, but we were given more strength. God is constantly showing us His love. This is His work, so He's going to get the job done in His way... we just have to trust it.

Later in the week, we were able to teach Cyra and Toby, two of our investigators, the plan of salvation. As we taught, I was reminded again that God's plan is literally perfect. As we all talked about the life before, this life on earth, and the life to come, it was really cool to see Cyra and Toby beginning to understand more and more. They opened up and told us that they knew God loved them, it was really cool. We testified that He does love them, and that there's a rhyme and reason to everything that happens in life.

Pretty crazy that we taught that lesson and then lived it's principles all in the same week, right? As we discussed the reason for the fall of Adam and Eve - to allow all mankind to truly experience happiness - we didn't even realize that that testimony we had born would be put to the test, but that's how God works. I shouldn't be surprised! He works in the most mysterious but best of ways.

Just keep on trying, you guys. Keep on doing the things you need to. Life is hard sometimes, but I know for a fact that you don't need to worry if you just have faith and act on that faith. God is good... truly so good.

I love you all so much!

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

PHOTO ALBUM: Oro

SO LOOK AT MY HAIR!!! Mom you would be so proud, it's so long and healthy and shiny :)

God is taking care of my hair, I can assure you hahaha

My nickname in the ward is Hermana Oro... Sister Gold :)

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I don't have any good pictures from this week (i'm sorry)

but I put up some more pictures on my wall AND I LOVE THEM

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There's this super awkward picture of me pointing to a rainbow :)

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Una semana de milagros‏

Hola! Is it Monday again? How does that even happen? These weeks are just flying by... also how crazy is it that it's already June!?

Anyway!

This week was so good. So many miracles. So many tender mercies. So much greatness.

I only have time for one story, but let me tell you, it's a good one. This is the story about Dulce.

On Saturday, we were waiting for a call from our ward mission leader. We have to have a coordination meeting once a week, and we hadn't had one in awhile! We were waiting for him to call us back so we could plan our day around that meeting because they are usually 2 hours or so. After about half an hour of waiting (and let's just say missionary time is way too precious..) w decided to call our scheduled dinner appointment for the night. She told us that she had forgotten she would be out of town when she signed up, but that she wanted us to do her a favor and go visit her daughter in the hospital. Of course we would! 

Her daughter's name was Dulce, and neither of us had met her before. We made our way up several flights of stairs, through the hallways, and finally found her room. We said a prayer before we entered, asking that we would be led by the Spirit, mainly because we had no idea what to expect. When we went in, we saw Dulce, lying in bed, watching Harry Potter. She was hooked up to an IV, and her tiny body was covered in several blankets. There was something really special about her, she was so beautiful. 

We casually talked for about 20 minutes or so, with several moments of silence. She then turned to us and asked, "So can we talk about God?" We instantly perked up, and said, "Of course!" We ended up talking about God for 2 hours. This amazing 23 year old woman opened up to us about her relationship with God. She had fallen too far away from Him, she just wanted to come back.

We talked about who He is, what He has done for us, and how He has helped us all throughout our lives. We talked about our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how he conquered death. We talked about the plan of happiness, about the life before this one, and the life to come. We talked about temples and the gift we have of doing temple work for the dead. We talked about scriptures, the Book of Mormon, and the power that is found within the words of God. We talked about His love, His goodness, His grace. I can't even accurately describe the feeling that was in that room. The love of God was tangible.

All three of us were on the verge of tears as we bore testimony of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to each other. She wiped tears away as she told us of her desires to return to church, to leave her past behind, to be closer to God because she missed Him. 

Leaving that hospital room was hard. I know that God was there. He was in that room.

That experience alone has changed my life. I have never been so aware of the Holy Ghost before. I have never been so sure of the atoning power of our Savior. And I have never been so certain of our Father in Heaven's love.

A few days earlier, Hermana Grubbs and I had asked our bishop for blessings. In his blessing for me, he told me that I needed to preach the gospel with enthusiasm. In Spanish, the word is "entusiasmo." The Greek root in this word literally means, "Estar con Dios" or in English, "To be with God." And if you didn't know, the word gospel actually means "good news."

So.

To preach the gospel with enthusiasm literally means to preach the good news with God. 

This is what this work is about everyone. To go about, talking about God, helping people feel His love, telling people of the good news, about our Redeemer and our Savior, and all the while having God by our side.

This week was amazing... it was hard, there were so many ups and downs, but I know that I am constantly being refined. This work isn't about me. This work is the work of our Savior. If we truly want to become like Jesus Christ, we must learn to teach in the way He taught. We must be humble and kind; we must be bold and loving. We must teach by example, and we must never, ever be ashamed of who we and whose we are. 

Anyone can come back to God. Anyone. I promise you.

I love you all so much, but I know that God loves you even more :)

Be good this week. Make Him proud.

Mosiah 24:14

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould