Week 69: Single Digits! :) (9 weeks!)

 January 26, 2015

Took a stop at taco bell, pink starburst slushy.. I think YES :)

 

Friends & Family,

I AM SOOOOOO EXCITED I AM GOING TO BE AN AUNT AGAIN!!!!!! :) Congrats Derek and Jayden!!! I am so happy!!! I love my nieces and nephews so much!!! There is something about them, I can't wait to hug and play and meet some of them when I get home!!! :) I LOVE THEM ALL!!! 

So there was a young girl who is 8 years old. Her name is Catherine, she is in the branch where I am serving, she is so cute!! I just love her. I got her a little present and she loved it. So I have never been to a Hispanic baptism before. The service was the same. SO spiritual. It was amazing. but after.... they had all this food, 2 piñatas and music. It was crazy!! I love it. I love this culture so much!!! Everyone is so humble, fun, caring and loving!!! Oh I forgot... they turn EVERYTHING into a party... :) haha I love it!!! It was such a great baptism!!! :) 

So this week I gained a stronger testimony about how Heavenly Father answers all prayers. I feel like I have talked about this before but this week was a miracle!!! So we are in the process of finding new people to teach. This has happened once before on my mission. But we prayed that someone will ask who we are... so that people come up and talk to us first. So we walk into a store and we were at the checkout and the lady said, "where do you work? and pointed at our name tag. So we told her what our purpose is and what we do! She said wow that is so cool, can I get your number and ya'll can come over!! IT WAS A MIRACLE. Heavenly Father really is aware of us and knows our trials!! He listens to all of our prayers! There is a scripture in The Book of Mormon in Mosiah 9:18, "And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers..." It's perfect. I know that if we are doing all that we can to serve the Lord, he will bless us!!!! He loves us so much and wants us to be happy. BUT we have to be doing what is right!!! 

I love this church and I LOVE the Lord! This church makes me so happy! I am very grateful for my family and friends!!! EVERYONE of you!! I am so blessed to have my family!!! I can't wait to see ya'll again soon.. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!! :) 

Hermana Brugman 

Yummy food! <3

took a stop at taco bell, pink starburst slushy.. I think YES :)

Week 68: Stories of Door Knocking! :)

 January 20, 2015 

Friends & Family,

We have had an interesting, scary, funny, memorable week. 

So we are in the process of finding new people to teach. So that means... EVERYDAY, get up and go knock door to door for 3 hours a day... haha at times it is a bit frustrating. I just want people to teach but it can't be that easy. Patience is hard. There is a scripture that was an answer to my prayers, it's alma 17:10-11. It's in The Book of Mormon. When I was feeling like I wasn't really doing anything good, and seeing no success, I felt like I wasn't being a good missionary... I read it!!! It was amazing!!! We all could use a little more patience. (I don't have my English Book of Mormon with me but whenever you are having a hard time, you should read it!!!!)

Some people hate it, but I like meeting new people! :) So some stories, we knock on this door, it's a male screaming... "COME IN!!!!!" I get this bad feeling and RUN away. haha!! It was scary. Next door, a guy answers... with no shirt on... I felt very uncomfortable.... I was speechless.. couldn't even talk..... and I just sat there....... talk about awkward..... third door, (the same day) a guy answers, he is a NICE, OLD, FUNNY.... but drunk man.... so he starts talking to us... and got really serious. and said.. "You" and pointing at me. "When I look into your eyes.... I can just tell the you really love the Lord.. "At first I took it as creepy... but then I really thought about it.. Hey I really do love the Lord. My love for the Lord is so real. I had a testimony before my mission but like I said before... I can say I am CONVERTED. I love this gospel so much! This Gospel is the only thing that brings me SO much peace, without this gospel in my life... I'd be lost... and sad. I am so grateful for this Gospel in my life! 

WE are determined to find ONE new investigator this week.... :) 

I LOVE THE LORD! 

Well I don't have any time left... but I LOVE YA'LL AND MISS YA'LL!!

Hermana Brugman

Scripture Jaymee mentioned in Alma 17 10-11 is:

10.  And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them:  Be comforted.  And they were comforted.

11.  And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word: yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. 

Week 67: It's finally cold in Virginia! :)

 January 12, 2015

 

Friends & Family,

Time is getting faster and faster.......

So this week was FREEZING... Now the winter is starting, taking a late start.. but I woke up and it was 14 degrees.. ( okay for all you people that live in Utah... it's cold for ME)... hahaha I really don't like scraping the ice off my car every morning... and having my fingers turn into icicles.. NO THANK YOU! haha but I guess my life could be worse.. I don't know why I'm complaining. haha. 

So one day we weren't having the best day... so I told my companion, "You know what let's go to the Cheesecake factory for dinner!!! We deserve it!" So we took our dinner and went there.. It was DELICIOUS.

 My favorite place to eat!! I was one happy girl :) Then as we were walking back to our car in downtown, there was a fountain... and it was FROZEN...... it was so cool!! :) 

So I stopped and of course I got a picture.. as I was taking a picture a news camera turns to me.... and he starts videotaping me taking a picture of this fountain.. and okay I was being a little dramatic about it... sorry I am from Arizona I never see things like this. hahaha It was funny!   anyways it ended up being a good night and we set one of our investigators with a baptismal date. Yay :)

Once a week we go visit this man, he is currently less active in our church. We love him so much, he is so funny! So as some of you might not know we plan every week for the following week. We plan who we are going to see and what we will be teaching them. We follow the spirit to know what certain people need. I got an impression that we need to talk to him about something so weird... I was scared to do but I did anyways!!! As we went and taught him he told us.. How do you guys know what I need? Every time, EVERY TIME you come over and share a message, it is EXACTLY what I need... How do you do that? That right there is a testimony that this church is so true! How can you deny that? It is so powerful. I love knowing that Heavenly Father knows all of us perfectly..We are ALL his children!!! :) There is a quote that has stuck to me these past couple days, "Doubt not, Fear Not. He is there for us. Even when our footsteps falter-- ESPECIALLY when our footsteps falter." There is a scripture that I love that goes with this quote in Isaiah 45:22 "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is NONE ELSE!" Heavenly Father knows what you are going through.. He is here to help you!!!! HE LOVES YOU!!!! :)

I love my mission, it has taught me who I really am. I have changed in so many ways... Ways that Heavenly Father wants me to be. 

I hope you all have a good week. I love and miss ya'll!!! :) 

Hermana Brugman

The cutest Puerto Rican couple!

Week 66

 January 5, 2015

Friends & Family,

What? It's already 2015? Time seriously just flies by... All of my days just run together.... haha  

New years was good!! Nothing special happened, which I was kind of sad.. but it's okay. What can I expect I'm a missionary. haha! :) 

So one of our investigators is set to get baptized on the 24 of January, I am hoping that is still the case. She is amazing!! :) 

This week I experienced a hard trial for me. This less active we have been seeing told us that she didn't want us to come over anymore... We talked to her some more and she just wasn't interested anymore. My heart broke.. I love this lady. I loved visiting her every week. On our way home that I night I just starting crying. I was so frustrated.. and upset. I can't imagine the love our Heavenly Father has for ALL of his children. I am so hurt by this one lady but Heavenly Father experiences this every day, watching his kids walk away. It's sad. But it comforts me to know, even though His children go astray He still loves them! 

On a random note, on the way home from that less actives house we went to go get gas. So I get out of the car at the gas station, and music was playing... and the song was, "Don't you worry child." It was funny cause I was sitting there FULL of emotions and didn't know what to do and I was just praying that I will not be upset about it... and then that song came on. haha Tender mercies. :)   

This may be a small and simple experience but it is meant a lot to me.  It's about recognizing God in your life. Even if they are small, but another experience this week was, we were texting a member and I understood what the text said but it made NO sense... That night I was so frustrated... (it's obviously in Spanish) It was a bad day then I come home and I am so confused about this text message... I went in my room... and cried... ( I know, sounds dumb... but I was FRUSTRATED!!!!! and the only person I wanted to talk to was my Heavenly Father)  and I prayed to God.. to help me. After my prayer... I got up off my knees and the member we were texting called. So I answered. Everything was so clear after that. It seriously was an answer to my prayer!!!!!! I love my Heavenly Father and I have SUCH a strong testimony that we can pray and ask him for ANYTHING... and I promise he will answer!!!!!! 

It is so funny.. I can't even talk in English.. Okay I can, but it's HARD. My thought process is in Spanish now. Whenever I am trying to talk in English.. Spanish words come to my mind. hahaha it is hilarious. I love Spanish so much and I am so happy that I have the chance to learn this beautiful language. :) 

Gracias por todo y estoy muy agrecido por la opertunidad a servir nuestro Salvador. 

Guarda la fe. cuidense MUCHO

Hermana Brugman :)