Week 52: 1 YEAR DOWN!!

  September 29, 2014

Friends & Family,

Well 1 year down.. six months to go. It is truly crazy how time has gone by so fast and its scarier to know that it will only go faster from here... This mission has changed my life!!!!!!

So this week was great but hard and frustrating!! Let's just say that Satan is a really mean big butt.. He has ALL of our investigators. It's sad but this is the point where we have to have faith and patience. Everything is still going great but everyone needs/haves trials in their life!

We went to a festival to try to talk to as much people as we could, it was fun. We HAD to get a funnel cake.. :) hehe! But we talked and met a lot of people so that was great! :)

We went to the Women's broadcast, that was amazing. I love how it was focused on temple and keeping the commandments. Keeping the commandments are so valid. It's so simple but so hard for some people. BUT it is so important. I also loved how one talk was talking about how we are ALL children of our Loving Heavenly Father. NO MATTER WHAT. The savior is there for you and he has felt EVERY little thing you felt or are feeling!!!

We went and visited this wonderful girl Lisa! :) She makes my heart so filled!! This girl is amazing, she is less active, she can't go to church because she is in a nursing home. But I LOVE THIS GIRL SO MUCH. She can't talk, walk, feed herself. But she always has a smile on her face. I wish I could go see her every day!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!

Weird things I have found out about myself since being on my mission: I became a pumpkin pie and cheesecake LOVER. (It's bad...) I Need my bathroom to ALWAYS be CLEAN.... I LOVE vegetables.. ;) and I like almonds and cashews.. hahaha!!! :) I love KIDS.....I want more now than I wanted before I left. I have more PATIENCE. hallelujah :) oh yeah I don't know how to drive. (it's been a year) But I love how the mission has changed me!! I love being close to my Father in Heaven!! :) I love this gospel so much, it brings me so much joy!!! Thank you all for helping me and supporting me!! I miss and love you all!! Can't wait to see ya'll in 6 months.. get ready.. :) 

 Hermana Brugman

Jaymee and her companions!

Week 51: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYMEE!!

  September 22, 2014

 

Friends & Family,

Thank you everyone for making my birthday so special, I feel so loved!!! It was such an amazing birthday! I feel so blessed!!! :) Well my day was amazing, I woke up and my companions had 21 balloons and every one of them had reasons why they love me, and they made me pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes with peaches :) It was soooo yummy!!! Then I opened my present from my family!! IT WAS AMAZING and I got some cute clothes and random stuff. I also opened a package from my Aunt Tracey and her kids. Such a cute idea with scriptures attached to presents.   I loved it.   When I went to church someone made me a chocolate zucchini cake, (THE BEST EVER) and cupcakes!!! Than at dinner they made me another cake... it was good :)  I am so very grateful for my family and all that they do for me!! I really never knew how blessed I really was but ever since I have been on my mission it has humbled me to  recognize all the blessings. Then we went and taught some people and went to dinner with a family that I love so it was great!!! But today we are going to get pedicures cause I haven't had one since I left. haha! ITS VERY MUCH NEEDED...  But it was amazing. I loved it so much!!Thank you all again for sending me stuff and just writing a simple email!! I loved it! AND love all of you guys!! :)  I can't wait to see ya'll soon!! :)

So this week was GREAT!!! We are teaching this cute girl our age, and she is getting baptized on October 18, 2014. I CANT WAIT! She is solid and amazing!! It really is such a testimony watching someone grow from not having a religious background to wanting and having a desire to follow Jesus Christ. I just can see the light working within her!! I love her so much and so excited to see her at 1 year go throw the temple with her husband!!! :) ITS AMAZING.

I really don't think I could be any happier of where I am at in my life right now. I love this gospel and I LOVE SERVING THE LORD!! I never thought I could be this happy. But I really find so much joy serving the Lord! :)

Thank you for everyone that are helping me along this way, I couldn't do it without all of you supporting and helping me!! I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS!!!!

Have a great weekend!! :) 

Hermana Brugman

Week 50

  September 15, 2014

Friends & Family,

This week was good. Being in a trio (having 2 companions) is hard... but good! I have learned so much about myself and how to deal with certain things. It's really cool how much we are being prepared for our futures.

Gloucester Virginia is being BLESSED. I love this area so much! As of right now we have 3 people scheduled to be baptized in the next 2 months. Please pray that they will continue in the progress. It is a working miracle over here. I am learning so much!!! AND 5 investigators at church... that is not normal.... hahaha I really love being a missionary!!!

Funny story. We were driving home from Stake conference, 25 minutes away… so it ends at 9 and we have to be in our homes at 930.. so we are driving and our tire pressure light goes off.. hahaha 24, 15, 5, 0.... we pulled over and went to go look what happened.. there was hole in the tread.. so we are like great. 3 girls and none of us know how to change a tire... I could do it if I really tired. but I was scared. It was cold.. and we were tired... we waited forever for someone to come to us.. we got home at 10:45..... IT WAS A LATE LONG NIGHT... for a missionary.. hahaha!! But it's okay we are all safe.. :) No worries mom ;)

So we had stake conference and it was Amazing, spiritual, and uplifting!!! :) One quote that just stuck with me was "Whenever you fall He (God) isn't upset with you... He is happy of your efforts and how far you have came... GET BACK UP!! Who cares how messy it is. He wants YOU to come back to him.. so GET UP." I love that so much because sometimes we fall and we fall hard.. We get discouraged.. its natural.. but we have to get back up. Heavenly Father LOVES and KNOWS each of us... PERFECTLY.. He is there at times when we fall.. To help us!! Sometimes we feel alone.. and that no one has felt what we are going through, but Jesus Christ does. He knows us perfectly and what we are going through. That brings me so much comfort!! :) If any of you haven't seen "Because of him", go to youtube.com and search "Because of him". I promise you will feel the spirit It testifies that JESUS CHRIST LIVES. I love this church so much. I know for a surety that this is the true gospel and it helps you in times when you need it the most!!!

I hope you all have a great week!!

I love and miss you ALL!! :)

Hermana Brugman

Week 49

  September 8, 2014

So this week was great. It is amazing to see all these miracles happening right before my eyes.. I know I talk about miracles every week but they just keep coming. We taught so many lessons this week. Being busy is GOOD because time goes by fast and you are more focused on the work. I have never taught so many lessons on my mission. Other missionaries are so shocked and keep asking how we do it. But really it is not us, it's the Lord. We are being blessed when we do what we are supposed to do. When we are following the rules exactly we get blessed. ITS AMAZING.

So the elders here are teaching this guy who is very interested and he comes to church and it is really great. We don't share investigators, but he wanted to meet with us Sisters instead of the Elders for a lesson. The Elders asked him to be baptized and said no. So we went in there knowing he would say no, so as we were talking we felt prompted to ask him to be baptized... The spirit was so strong. So we followed the spirit and asked him. HE SAID YES!!!!!!!! it was amazing. He is so great!!!!! He prayed and asked for a blessing because  his wife and parents are anti Mormons, but HE KNOWS ITS TRUE!!!!! it was amazing. He called the Elders and they were so excited!!! :) They said "What did the Sisters do to you?" hahahah it was so funny!!! But it was an amazing experience.

So this week we were able to set one of our investigators up for baptism for the 25th of October. When we invited him he said yes, that's something I would love. It makes me so happy and grateful that someone is that willing. Yeah a lot of people have dates and they don't end up getting baptized but it's just amazing of how much faith they have to say yes!! :)

So Sunday night we had a dinner appointment and it was so yummy, Indian food. It was so great. Then we go see these Hispanic investigators an hour and a half later.. they FED US too... they had food to feed an army. Chicken, peppers, onions, beans rice, homemade tortillas... it was Delicious.. but they made us eat SO MUCH!!! Their culture is different. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. but I have NEVER eaten so much in my life. After we had 3 plate full's and the dinner before that they said we have congrejo ( crab) We almost cried.. We were so full it was insane.. AND you can't say NO.... you just can't. I tried.. it was blue crab and they had like 25 crabs... long story short... I was almost throwing up when I got home... I couldn't move.. all three of us couldn't move at all..... hahaha

Being a mission is GREAT.I love it! nothing better!!! :)

Hermana Brugman!

Week 48 - Scary experience!

September 1, 2014

This week was different than all the others....

So we got transfer calls. I love Hermana Nord, she is my best friend!!!! I was so scared we were going to get separated...  but we actually are getting a third companion... I am so happy that I am staying here in Gloucester with Hermana Nord. BUT being in a trio is hard... We both are going into it with a great attitude.. But It is what Heavenly Father wants... so we gotta do :)

So my companion and I and a ward member saw 4 Hispanics outside a house.( When we see that we go because we are desperate and need to teach Hispanics). So we go over and we know 3 of them.. that we haven't been able to see recently. We didn't know this big man. Hermana Nord was talking to them and this big guy said, "YOU, ME", get over here now.  I acted like I didn't hear him and he said it again. He had a scary face and looked really mean. I told Hermana, "He wants me to go in his house." ( MOM DONT WORRY I AM FINE... AND I LOVE YOU HAHA) So we just went and he took us to the back of his house and told us to sit down.  Automatically my whole chest started burning, my throat was hurting and my hands and feet were tingling... I said we need to go NOW. I turned around and we ran out. We got in the car and sped away.... When we got in the car I started crying.. I felt dirty and sick inside. I felt like I was going to throw up. This was by far the scariest thing... EVER... Right when we walked in the spirit said GET OUT. NOW. Everything was fine. He was a little drunk. (A LOT)He probably wouldn't have done anything he was just drunk, but the moral of the story is listening to the Spirit. If we didn't who knows what would have happened. Another point is being worthy to have the Spirit with you at all times. if I wasn't worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost I wouldn't have thought anything of it. But that was the most powerful feeling I have ever gotten in my life. The Spirit was so strong telling us to GET OUT!! I am grateful for the Spirit in my life! and the direction it gives us!! I am grateful for this gospel in my life!!!!!
 

This week was great. At zone meeting we all made a goal of 5 baptisms in October and we made goals to get to that goal. haha sorry if that is confusing but one of them was staying out till 9, no matter what. We had a lesson fall through and it was 8:15 so we decided to go Walmart and talk with everyone! so we did. We got 6 potentials and 2 return appointments. IT WAS AMAZING. Heavenly Father really does bless us when we are trying to reach our goals!!! It's just mind blowing!! We are getting more and more lessons each week! We are staying busy every day, running to one appointment to another. I love missionary work!!! I love serving the Lord!! :)
 

Have a good labor day!!!! :)
 

I love ya'll and miss ya'll!!!
 

Hermana Brugman

Jay and I just watched the Sarotov Approach two days before this so it hit close to home.

This was her companion Hermana Nord's view of the same story…….

My Version of our story ha :) 

One thing I'm grateful for is to know that heavenly father is watching over me and protecting us. Wednesday we were driving down this really winding/thin (like every street here) road and it was night and so we went around the corner (i am the driver mind you) and there is a huge suburban HAULING literally going 80 and it's 45 and he is on MY SIDE OF THE ROAD... and i can't swerve off the road because on either side there are huge ditches to prevent flooding... and so i honk and literally it looked like his car floated out of the way... (really really fast of course) and he literally missed us by maybe 2 centimeters. I would have probably died... because he would have hit us head on. on my side. None of us could breath after (we had a ward missionary with us) and i had to pull over and get myself together... literally probably one of the scariest moments in my life. 

Second, Yesterday we were driving to an apt and saw a potential we had met outside this house... with some other hispanics. so we turned around and went to talk to them... well while i am talking to the potential catching up (there was alcohol involved in this gather.. like usual) this BIG BIG hispanic guy (who looked a little crazy) pointed at hermana brugman and was like (in spanish) YOU! and pointed then to right in front of him and then in the house... she ignored him but he did it three more times and was very adamant (sp?).... so i told him i had to stay with her and she couldn't go alone... (and we had a member with us) so he said beuno... las tres. and did the same motions... so... we walked over to him and followed him inside.. he led us in the house and towards the back of the house (which was dark with a dim light) and then to the table in the kitchen (with some knifes out) and said (in english) pretty sternly sit down. i said como?? him.. sit down. me... porque? todo esta bien? him... sit down NOW. the spirit was not good in there to put it mildly and something was really wrong with him... so hermana brugman like lost it and was like no. i'm leaving. we're leaving and just started booking it towards the door. i of couse followed her.. and member was looking around quite confused (she is kind of spacey, but great!) and i told her to come on... so we left and hermana brugman booked it to the car... i said a quick goodbye to our inv and the potential and told them we would call them and sorry we had to leave... also the potential told me good idea cause that man was not okay.  :I hna brugman after was having like a panic attack in the car and told us how she had never felt the sprit that strong in her whole life telling her to leave and that her chest was so much on fire she couldn't breathe and her body was shaking... so who knows what could have happened... but i'm grateful that HF was watching over us and nothing did happen. 

Hermana Nord