MAILING ADDRESS

Sister Brieanna MacCall Gould
Nebraska Omaha MIssion
11027 Martha St
Omaha, NE 68144-3107
United States

Monday, August 31, 2015

My heart is happy‏

Hellooooooo EVERYOONNEEE!

Can time slow down please? I've been a missionary for 6 months! I may have a whole year left but I'm beginning to realize just how fast time flies on a mission... not okay..

So WHAT AN AWESOME WEEK.

Let me tell ya all about it.

This last Thursday, we decided that we wanted to go to the Mormon Trail Center with Esmerelda and Jose... the following day. Haha. We probably should've planned it out better, but we had a lot of faith that it would pull through. It would just be so amazing for them to see the temple in person AND watch the movie, "Meet the Mormons." So we called a lady in our ward to see if she could give them a ride, and then we just prayed and kept working. The following day, as we were weekly planning, we were going crazy, calling Esmerelda, talking to Jose, trying to find them a ride, figuring out times... serves us right for trying to plan the day of, though haha. When we finally had everything all worked out and situated, we called Esmerelda one last time. Sister Bacy was on the phone with her, and my heart just dropped when Sister Bacy's smile turned into a frown. I was like, "Are you kidding me!?" Haha apparently Esmerelda was too tired, and she just didn't want to go. When she hung up the phone, I just said, "Alright, time to pray." We knelt down and prayed that some way Esmerelda would change her mind. This was important! After we prayed, Sister Bacy turned to me and said, "I think you should talk to her." My first thought? Why would I be any different? But then I decided it was worth a shot. Esmerelda answered the phone, and I said, "Hola! Soy Hermana Gould..." and instantly Esmerelda responded, "Si ok ok podemos ir. Si ya vamos." Hahah she changed her mind! I started laughing, Sister Bacy was in shock, and Esmerelda was just confused because I suddenly forgot how to speak Spanish because I was laughing so hard. Miracles happen, and sometimes they happen in the weirdest of ways.

So! We went to the Trail Center :) It was such a beautiful experience for everyone involved. We saw the temple, we talked about the pioneers, and we watched the movie. They both cried multiple times, and they kept talking about how good they felt. It was really cool to see how happy they were. After the movie, Jose put his hand to his throat and said he was, "Sin palabras" or he was without words. I think we all were. They were laughing and hugging each other and taking pictures. Not an inkling of stress or exhaustion was felt. It was just a good night. The elders ended up joining us with some of their investigators too! So great. 

I am so certain that one of the reasons I was sent to Omaha was to find Esmerelda and Jose. They have both changed my life. One night, when they were asking about exchanges and why missionaries had to leave, we explained that it was all up to the Lord wherever we go. With tears in their eyes, they told me that they would always be my second family. It has been an absolute honor teaching them and seeing them grow and change the last couple months. And in just a few weeks they will be married and baptized! They will be so much closer to Heavenly Father! Ah! My heart if just full.

Friday night and Saturday, we had exchanges, and I was with the amazing Sister Manning! We helped set up (& participate in..) a fiesta for our ward and then we went and visited some people in our ward! We were able to visit one of my favorite families, the Bernals. I hadn't seen them since I was with Sister Grubbs - so long! We were sitting at the table, and I was anxiously awaiting for all of the kids to come upstairs. I will never forget that moment when they all ran in, and came and attacked me with their huge hugs, yelling, "Hermana Gould!!! Where have you been!!!!" It was the most precious thing. I love them!

Guys, I just love Omaha. I love these people. Being able to serve with them and be around them has changed my life. I am so much more humbled by these people. And I am grateful beyond compare that I am able to speak their language. It's such a blessing, and I realize that more and more every day.

Gosh life is good. My heart is happy, and my heart is full.

I love you all so much.

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

PHOTO ALBUM: Zone Conference

Pictures from zone conference!!!
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Monday, August 24, 2015

Miracles, every day.

So I'm panicking a little because I just realized I don't have my planner with me which means this email might be all of the place... 

Anyway...

HI MY DEAR LOVED ONES.

This week was yet another amazing week of learning and growing. We only had about 7 lessons (crying), but we have so much faith that this next week will be 10x better and that we'll have 70 LESSONS! Hahah just kidding, that would be crazy, but we do have faith that this week will be better :)

Tuesday was one of the best days. And Saturday. And Sunday. And probably the rest of the week, but let's focus on just a few experiences.

Tuesday we both felt prompted to go visit the Ortega family. I was a little hesitant only because I thought they'd all be at work, but we followed through with that prompting and sure enough, Hermana Ortega was home. She let us in, hesitantly at first, because she was in her "cleaning clothes" and was embarrassed haha but we assured her we didn't mind! Come to find out, she had been cleaning the house all day and was in need of some help! So in our skirts and everything, we started helping her scrub the floors, do the laundry, clean the windows, move the furniture, and sweep all of the rooms. The whole time we were working, we were talking to Hermana Ortega all about her family and her work and the ward. She gave us ideas about finding investigators, and she told us that she would love to help us do the work. We also laughed a ton - she told us some Mexican jokes that I CAN ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND. Miracles, everyone. Every day. It was just such a good experience. It was so simple - we weren't doing anything too crazy at all. But I'm so glad that we followed that prompting to go visit her. She kept thanking us over and over and we just kept thanking her for allowing us to spend time with her! I've never loved service so much in my life. I felt so good leaving that house - the Spirit was there, I know it. We could all feel it. That feeling is something I will always cherish.

On Saturday, we were asked to help with New Beginnings for the Young Women. I was asked to play the piano! It was so fun to see all of the Young Women - they are all so beautiful! Throughout the week, though, we had been praying for new investigators. We had asked the Lord to bless our area that we would be able to find those who were prepared. After the activity, as we were all mingling and talking, we were introduced to this 14 year old girl. Turns out, she is super interested in wanting to know more about the church. She had come to the activity with her aunt, and she said she felt really good during it. She told us about the struggles she was dealing with at home and just in her life in general and the spirit testified to me again that the gospel of Jesus Christ can help anyone with anything. Neither of us held back our testimony as we told Korina how we knew our message would bless her life. It was cool to see Korina light up - we'll be meeting with her again this week! We also found ANOTHER investigator, a referral, and a potential one all in the same night! God heard our prayers and blessed us more than we could've imagined!

These weekly emails are becoming harder and harder to write haha there are so many experiences that happen every day! It's impossible to share all of them! But this I know... the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true kingdom of God. I have never felt so much love and peace before. I have never felt so much strength through my hardest times. I have never been so motivated to talk to everyone about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen Heavenly Father work miracles not only in myself but in every single person we teach. I love it.

I love you all! Thank you for all that you do!

:)

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

PHOTO ALBUM: 14 Acres of Beauty

We had dinner with the Dallon family yesterday and they have like 14 acres of beauty so we took some pictures :)
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Monday, August 17, 2015

Spreadin' the love

HELLO EVERYBODY.

SO this was a good week - I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I laughed a lot, I cried a lot. Lol. Typical week in the mission field.

This week was pretty slow again, but we did have Spanish Conference! Being able to see all of the Spanish missionaries again was so good - I got to see Sister Grubbs, my mama! Haha we were matching - NOT planned but also not surprising. It was so funny. The whole conference itself was so uplifting and inspiring, like usual. Being a Spanish missionary here is pretty special, we have our own little family :) I still have a long way to go with my Spanish, but I am so grateful for what I have learned so far. I've come a long way! I still remember my very first lesson in Spanish in the CCM... oh boy, that was a doosy. These people here, though, are just so amazing. I love them so much! I can't imagine leaving Omaha... so I hope I'm here a little longer. I have grown to absolutely adore these people. I'm grateful that I can somewhat communicate with them and speak the language of their hearts. It's really so special. 

This week we were able to find a new investigator!... who is moving haha her name is Rachel. She is 19 years old and she's heading off to college in a couple weeks. She instantly let us in though, and we started talking all about her life, her beliefs, her family, her dreams. I was honestly so impressed, as she opened up and told us about her past. It was so clear to me how far she has come. She has such a strong foundation built on Christ already - her love is so evident. Her love for her family is also incredible! We asked her why family is important, and she spent a good 10 or so minutes talking about her family. She finished by saying, "Well I guess to me, family is important because it's home." It was so simple and yet so significant, I actually teared up. I thought of my family back home, my future family, and all of the families I have grown to love these last 5 months. Of course God put us in our families... it's because we can find the most enduring joy within them.

Omaha is doing so great. Our ward is just on fire. They are taking care of things and getting stuff done. They are planning Esmerelda's wedding, they have started getting people prepared for the temple, they are helping out a ton with the missionary work. It's amazing! Prayers are being answered. 

Overall... life is good. God is good. Every day I'm out here, I'm learning how I can be more like my Savior, Jesus Christ. As I invite others to come unto him, I can feel myself getting closer. I never thought that by merely teaching and talking about the Savior would make me feel so closer to him.

I feel my Savior's love in all the world around me.

What greater thing is there in this life than love?

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

Monday, August 10, 2015

PHOTO ALBUM: Sweet Reunion

I also saw my best friend like an hour ago and I died. She's going to be such an amazing missionary out in the great state of Colorado! I love you!
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:))))) happy
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Despite the struggle

To be completely honest, this week was really slow. I mean... realllllyyyy slow... which I should've anticipated after the amazing week we had last week :) 

Everyone is about the same: Esmeralda and Jose are still doing great and progressing (yay!!!!), Isela is still set for baptism in September (yay!!!), and our investigators who weren't progressing are still not progressing (not yay). 

We actually had a surprising amount of returning members at church yesterday though, how awesome is that! I love seeing people come back, it's the best. 

We also got a new investigator, her name is Rosa! The elders found her, and she's golden! We taught her the restoration, and she's really excited about baptism and coming to church. She has a little 1 month old - super adorable. Her mother-in-law is interested in learning more about the gospel too, which is sweet! We're excited to see where this goes! 

I love teaching people who are just so open to the gospel. Their hearts are prepared and ready! It's so obvious who has been prepared by God - I love it.

This week we also went to the Mormon Trail Center with the Garcia family and an investigator, Cassandra. We got a tour of the cemetary and the temple grounds, and I can't even explain the feeling I get every time I'm on temple ground. Just looking up and seeing the words, "Holiness to the Lord, House of the Lord," gives me chills. I'm reminded of the amazing truth - our families have the ability to be together FOR EVER. Not just until death, but after that too. So grateful for that testimony I have and the opportunity I have to share it every day. After the tours, we headed inside to watch "17 Miracles." If you haven't watched it, just go watch it. It's on Netflix. Grab some popcorn, a nice comfy chair, and some tissues cuz it's just that good.

I'm sorry I don't have any amazing or miraculous stories to tell you this week! But I do have a spiritual thought... like always.. :)

"On a mission, the sorrows will outnumber the joys, but the joys will outweigh the sorrows." Brother Salway. My favorite. 

Despite the amount of trials or heartache we feel, there's always going to be a great sense of love and peace from our Father in Heaven. He loves us - completely and perfectly. His love with transcend any other pain we will ever feel. Trust in that.

I love you all so much!

BE GOOD THIS WEEK.

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould

Monday, August 3, 2015

PHOTO ALBUM: Zoo Part 3!

Yes we went to the zoo again and yes it was great.
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Elder Jensen and Elder Saunders straight posin'
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This is also my 6th month so this is my 6th month picture lol heeyyy.
I love being a missionary. My goodness. So great.
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Just my favorite, Sister Marshall, and some corn.

Just my favorite, Sister Marshall, and some corn.
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Email titles are really hard to come up with‏

So this week was amazing. Still in awe of how perfect this week was. It wasn't that it was without bumps and mess-ups, but it was just so obvious that God was orchestrating every little piece of every day. We had 27 lessons, 4 baptismal sets, and 5 new investigators. We are planning a wedding for Esmeralda and Jose! We are seeing so many amazing miracles here, and we are so very grateful. The Lord is merciful and kind and all-knowing. He knows exactly what He wants to have happen in this area, and all we have to do is do His will. Just keep chuggin' along, following the Spirit and seeking the know the will of the Father. That's how miracles happen. It's great.

One of many miracles we saw was with Esmeralda and Jose. Jose was actually taken to jail for speeding, but Esmeralda had no idea where he was. Our hearts broke as we sat with her on her front porch and she cried, watching her sons and worrying about how she was going to provide for them now. She was able to at least find a job - although she hated it. Just seeing her so broken was hard. We decided to go visit her one day, and as we were talking with her outside, the front door opened, and JOSE CAME OUT. WHAT! We were freaking out - Hermana Bacy literally screamed haha we were like, "Hermana! Why didn't you tell us!" They both smiled and laughed, and Jose actually hugged both of us haha it was so good to see him! We sat down and had a lesson with them - we set a date for their wedding AND their baptism. They cried tears of happiness and were so grateful for us. They told us that nobody had every helped them so much or even cared about them as much as we did. We choked back tears and told them it was because we loved them. And that's when it hit me, stronger than ever before, that if you don't have love for people, you won't change lives. You can't! Love is what changes people for the better. It has been such an amazing experience watching how far Esmeralda and Jose have come. I love them, honestly, and I can't wait to see them enter the waters of baptism and be just ONE step closer to Heavenly Father.

The second experience was with Michelle, one of our new investigators. She is friend's with Dulce, another girl we meet with. Michelle told us that she just wanted to talk about God, but as we met her, we felt her spirit and knew instantly that she was special. I don't know what it was, but as we sat in her apartment and got to know her, I couldn't deny the fact that God loved her so much. She told us that she was really interested in wanting to know more about our church, so we told her all about it! She said she could feel something really good in her heart, and we testified that that was the spirit. She visibly got happier and happier the more we talked, and I wasn't even nervous to invite her to be baptized. She instantly accepted it, with tears in her eyes. We set her for September 26th! God prepares people. She is such an incredible human - with so much strength. She is 22 years old, going to school, working, and raising her 1 year old daughter by herself. I can't even express how amazing the gospel will be for her and her daughter, Maya. Ah! God is good! (oh also a miracle because she speaks SPAANNISH! So good.)

Ah just so many amazing things this week! I am constantly taken aback by the love of God and by His ever-so-spanning knowledge of every single person. I am so grateful that I get to feel, even just a little bit, of the love He has for His children. There is absolutely no other place I'd rather be right now. Sure, I'm exhausted - emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally - but it's worth it. Every single day, I just fall to my knees. I can't go to bed without thanking my Heavenly Father for His infinite power and His infinite love.

There is so much happiness to be had in this life. Go find it.

xoxo

Hermana Brie Gould