Monday, August 8, 2016

Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow

Well, it might as well snow here in South Auckland because it is freezing cold haha.  This last week has been so cold!  I don't know why it feels so cold, but it does.  It gets way colder in the states, but for some reason it feels so cold here.  I think a big problem is because the heating in houses is so bad in New Zealand, so everywhere you go you are cold. 

This week was really busy!  We had so many events packed into one week I have lost track of all of the things we have done.  This week on Tuesday we got to drive up to Hamilton for Missionary Leadership Council (MLC).  It is about an hour and a half drive from here to Hamilton.  Luckily I have Elder Saurey as a companion because he is really good at getting around New Zealand.  I, on the other hand, am very inexperienced and have no clue how to get around.  MLC was really good.  It was President Cummings first MLC, but he did a really good job.  He emphasized knowing the Missionary Hand Book.  One of the quotes that I liked from the meeting was, "If you have to ask the question whether something is right or wrong, it’s wrong." MLC is always awesome because we are spiritually uplifted and we also get to see everyone from the mission.  After MLC we had a mean meal from sister Papal.  Sister Papal is the mission chef, and she makes the best food!!!  It was so good!  I ate heaps of this really nice salad that she made!  Dessert was an apple pie that was really nice.  It did make me miss my momma’s apple pie though!  Nothing beats my mom’s baking haha.  I think she is the best baker in the whole world.  After MLC we had to go to the bike shop and get some bikes fixed so that took a while.  By the time we got back we had pretty much no time to proselyte.

Thursday was Zone Meeting.  Elder Saurey and I gave a training on how to recognize the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  We watched a video by Elder Bednar about 3 ways to receive light and compared it to receiving promptings from the Holy Ghost.  This was a talk that really helped me at the beginning of my mission, when I was struggling to follow the promptings of the spirit.  Guess who told me about the talk?!  Of course it was my awesome sister Katie, who always comes in clutch haha.  I think the training went really well.  Thursday night we had an awesome feed with Brother and Sister Papal!!  The Papals actually live in Hamilton, but they were up in Manurewa for the day and so they told me and Elder Saurey that they would take us to dinner.  We went to a really nice Vietnamese restaurant.  They bought so much food!!!  It was awesome to get to know them since I have never served in Hamilton and have only met sister Papal a couple times and haven't really got to know them.  They are such a wonderful couple!  Sister Papal looks like she is in her 60's and I think brother Papal is a little older.  They gave us all of the leftovers from the meal, which provided us with like 3 more meals each!

The spiritual highlight of the week was teaching Jay, Mary, and Serina!  I think I talked about them in a previous email, but we were able to teach them the restoration this week and also teach them the stop smoking program.  Both lessons  went so good!  The spirit was so strong in both of the lessons, and Mary said she would be baptized if she came to know The Book of Mormon was true.  They each committed to quit smoking, and we are really excited for them!  They are really progressing and we are hoping to get Jay and Mary married so that Mary can get baptized.  It has been so awesome to get to work with them!  I wish I could explain more about them, but I don't have heaps of time.

I would just like to close my letter by sending my love out to my grandma Brunson.  I found out that she will be going in for surgery on Tuesday to remove a tumor in her brain.  It's not the easiest or best news to hear when you are thousands of miles from your home and a loved one is going through a trial.  However, I am confident that Heavenly Father will hear and answer our prayers, and that everything will be okay.  My grandma is the sweetest person in the world.  I'm not sure that I have ever heard her raise her voice, or get mad at someone.  I don't know how she does it.  I think she most have learned patience having to raise 5 boys.  Not just any 5 boys either, Brunson boys. I know they are trouble haha.  She is an amazing woman and has a great love for the gospel.  One of the most amazing things is her love for the temple.  Before I came out on my mission her and my Grandpa went to the temple with me.  It was such a great experience getting to go and spend time with them in the house of the Lord.  I learned from that experience and several other experiences their great love for the temple.  I love you so much Grandma Judie!  I know our family would really appreciate it if you kept her in your prayers.  

Love,  Elder Brunson