Monday, July 11, 2016

How many lives does Elder Brunson have? 

Dodging death several times this week!

Transfers again?!!!!!!!  Man the mission goes by way too fast.  I hit my year mark this week!  It’s gone fast.  I can't imagine how fast this next year will go by.  I still have heaps to learn so I need to use my time wisely.  I love being a missionary though, it feels so good to be able to learn more about the gospel each day.  I can't image not being able to dedicate my whole entire day to the Lord.  This last transfer has been so weird, it feels like it has been so long, but at the same time it has flown by.  It has been really awesome being companions with Elder Saurey!  We get along great!  I feel like we have been friends for ages.  We are both clowns, so it's not too hard to get along.  I'm really hoping that he doesn't get transferred.  He has only been in the area for 1 transfer so I'm thinking that he will stay for one more transfer.  I love being companions with him so I hope he stays.  We asked my papi Elder Holmes if he was getting transferred this morning when we did our accountability with the AP's and he said that he shouldn't have to pack his bags.  We think Elder Holmes would have told us if he was going to leave.

This week has been a solid week.  So many things happened I don't even know where to start haha.  Tuesday we were able to meet the new mission president and his wife.  Elder Saurey and I had an interview with him to get to know him.  He just wanted to see how our zone was doing, and what he could do to help.  We thought that President Cummings had been a mission President before, but apparently he has not.  He is really on to it though, he was a member of the seventy so he knows what he is doing.  We can already see in a short amount of time that he will do great things for our mission.  This week we will meet with him again and have personal interviews.  The meeting with President and Sister Cummings was really good though.  They pretty much just introduced themselves to us.  We got to know a little bit about them, and they shared their testimonies with us.  They both made me want to not break a single rule ever!  President Cummings shared an amazing story about when he was on his mission and the miracles that can come from being exactly obedient.  I really loved a scripture that he shared from Doctrine and Covenants section 20 verse 11.  It reads "Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind and strength."  I think that is one of my favorite scriptures now.  I really think that is one of the biggest things I have learned, the importance of being exactly obedient!  I really have seen the blessings that come when we are obedient.  I'm far from perfect, but the times I have been exactly obedient I have seen great blessings.

This week we went on an exchange with the Tongan Elders.  I was with Elder Tuione in his area.  We had a really solid exchange!  The Tongan Elders don't have a car so it was my first day ever riding a bike for the entire day!  I didn't realize how spoiled I have been to have a car haha.  I'm now so much more thankful that I can drive.  Elder Saurey and I ride our bikes almost every day during the day, but when it is night time we always ride in the car.  Man it was really crazy riding the Tongan Elders bikes!  Their bikes are absolutely wrecked!!  First off, the bike helmet I was wearing smelt like B.O. man it was so raunchy!  The other terrible thing was the bikes we were riding practically have no brakes!!  It was insane!  There were several times that I thought we were going to die.  The brakes were so bad that you had to start breaking at the top of a hill to be able to slow down by the bottom of the hill.  There were some times that we almost got smashed by cars haha.  So I'm also thankful that I didn't die this week, and that our bikes are in working condition.  I was actually thankful that I didn't die several times this week, this being the first of my near death experiences.

My second near death experience happened this week when Elder Saurey and I were biking in our area.  We were just out on our bike and going from our different appointments for the day.  We had just gotten back on our bikes after trying to visit someone.  We had barely started going when in the distance we saw a mean dog.  The dog started barking and making all sorts of mean noises haha!  It started coming towards us and I started getting nervous.  Then all of a sudden the dog started sprinting after us!  We started pedaling hard out!  I was praying that the dog would eat Elder Saurey and not me haha.  The dog was chasing us both down, but was going more for Elder Saurey.  I really didn't want to get attacked by this dog so I pulled in to this person’s driveway hoping that the dog wouldn't follow me.  Luckily the dog stopped following me and continued to hunt down my companion.  I couldn't help but laugh as I watched my companion bike for his life.  The dog was fast and was on his tail the whole way.  Luckily Elder Saurey was able to out bike the dog.  Unfortunately though, I was now ages away from my companion and needed to be with him.  The dog was now walking and was on the opposite side of the road than me.  I was praying that the dog would not attack me.  Well I think that the Lord wanted to pay me back for laughing at my companion and guess whose turn it was to get chased?  You got it, MINE!!!  The dog started sprinting after me.  I was able to get a little head start, but soon I could feel the dog right on me.  I didn't have time to turn around to see where it was, all I could think of was to pedal.  My adrenaline was pumping so hard!!!!!  Luckily I was in a descent gear because I was so scared I would not have even had time to change the gear haha.  I can honestly say that I have never biked so hard in my entire life.  I felt like the dog chased me for 10 minutes!  Luckily the dog did not bite me and I was finally able to catch up to Elder Saurey and leave the dog in the dust.  Afterwards, Elder Saurey and I had so much adrenaline we felt like we could do just about anything.

The final near death experience came on Saturday.  Saturday morning I woke up and was feeling great.  However, after studies I was not feeling well but I was not going to let that stop me.  So Elder Saurey and I got on our bikes and headed out to work.  We spent the morning visiting some people, and I felt pretty bad.  I needed to get to the bathroom so we headed back to the flat for our lunch break.  I really was not feeling well at all so I spent the lunch break sleeping on my bed.  However, I did not want to stay in the flat so after our lunch break we hit the road again.  We took the car this time in case I needed to come back quickly.  Well we went and visited the entire afternoon and made several trips back to the flat.  Around 4:30 is when I almost died.  We were sitting in a lesson with Francis, a less active member and I thought I was going to die.  I did not feel good at all!  It felt like we were in his house for ages.  When we finally got done I told Elder Saurey that we had to get home immediately!  Man I don’t like being sick.  I thought of Grandpa Ottley because he is very dramatic when he is sick, me too.  We still had a little bit of time until our dinner break and I did not want to call it quits so we went back out.  At 5 we came back for our dinner break and I rested on my bed again.  Unfortunately I fell asleep and didn't wake up until around 6:30.  Again I felt like I was going to die but I didn't want to stay in so we went back out.  We walked to a couple of people who live near our flat, but they were not home.  I felt like I was going to die, but I did not want to go back to the flat.  I then pondered about what my mom would want me to do haha.  I knew she would probably just tell me to humble myself and go back to the flat.  I decided that it would probably just be best for me to go back and take a rest.  So we decided to head back in for the night.  I tried to fall asleep, but couldn't because I had so much pain in my stomach.  My whole body ached, and I really just wanted to fall asleep.  I felt dehydrated.  I felt like it would probably be a good time to get a blessing.  It was just before it was time to get in bed and Elder Saurey was able to give me a blessing.  I was just praying that he would bless me to get better soon.  I really wanted to be able to have my stomach pain go away so I could sleep through the night.  Luckily, Heavenly Father was willing to heal me quickly and Elder Saurey blessed me that the pain would leave soon.  I was so thankful for the blessing and knew that it would allow me to get some sleep.  I layed down and it still hurt really bad.  However, I quickly fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning it didn't hurt anymore.  I was still really achy Sunday, but I felt much better.  I'm so thankful for the priesthood and I know that only in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do we hold the same authority that Jesus Christ held when he was upon the earth.  I know that Peter, James, and John restored this priesthood to Joseph Smith.  Never hesitate to get a blessing! The priesthood can work miracles in our lives, according to Heavenly Father’s will.  

Love,
Elder Brunson