December 7, 2015 Lampa, Chile

Zona:Colina

Sector: Lampa 1

Comp: Elder Rutan

This week has been amazing! We  have found new part member families! The members in these families are so prepared to receive the gospel; we had two progresssing investigators and they will be baptized the 25th of December- Christmas day! We are so excited. The Lord has blessed us so much! I feel like our sector is like the ´Promised land´. 

Today we invited the district leaders over for lunch and we talked a little on how we could help improve the work in the zone and we talked about some of the weaknesses that we have. This morning my dad came to our office while I was there practicing violin for a concert, and it was the weirdest thing! My dad was on the floor right below me talking to all the Elders haha. But it was cool, so many missionaries think my parents are heroes.

But the work keeps rolling on here in this part of Chile! And I am super greatful to be part of it!

I love you all!,

Elder Brady

December 2, 2015 Lampa, Chile

Zona: Colina

Sector: Lampa 1

Comp: Elder Rutan

Hola Hola,

Our P-Day was changed this week to Wednesday because Elder Krasnoselky of the Seventy came to visit us. It was a really neat conference! After the conference we had a leadership counsel with him and we pinpointed one of the big problems that our mission has -lack of faith. We talked about how we can help the missionaries develope more faith.

Last night my companion and I talked alot about what Elder Krasnoselsky had said to us. My companion asked me why I came on the mission and I told him that I came becasue I love our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. My companion then asked me "and why have you stayed on the mission?" That question made me think alot. Of course im still here on the mission for the same reasons to why I had come -but there is a difference from how I was working when I first started the mission and how I am working now. I realized that I have somewhat fallen into a routine, that there are times when I just 'go through the motions'. I realized that sometimes when I invite people to learn about the gospel I am not doing it because I love God or that I love this person and I want them to find happiness but I do it because I am a missionary. It's something that I have to do, it's part of my calling, part the the daily routine. I am not doing it for good numbers which is good, but Im still not doing it for the right reasons. It could be a lack of faith.

 I need to get out of this 'oh Im a missionary so that means i have to do this this and this' and get into this 'Wow!! I'm a missionary and I get to help God "to bring to pass the imortality and eternal life of man" I get to help in this great work so i´m gonna talk to that person, share the gospel with him, share with him why i am a happy person and what Jesus Christ has done for him.' 

So this morning my companion and I set some goals and talked about things we need to work on to get out of the 'routine, going through the motions´ type thing and get working. 

I now that I am not the only missionary who has felt like this. I thought things were going pretty good and that I considered myself an alright missionary then God sent Elder Krasnoselsky and we all got destroyed! But he has helped us realized what we can do to improve and progress. Even my last 4 months in the mission I can still grow. I am thankful that we were able to be visited by Elder Krasnoselsky.

So Yesterday we had our conference and we weren´t able to work the whole day. Today is P-Day, we still do contacts and stuff during the day but its hard to have a lesson because we have to prepare! Tomorrow we have leadership counsel with Presidente Videla... So we are not going to be able to work that much this week. 

We hope to have 2 baptisms the 12th of December! We have been finding perople like crazy and our ward works really well with us missionaries and almost everytime we go to church there's a member with a reference.

But thats my week. Woot! 

Que tengan una buena semana!! 

Elder BRady

November 23, 2015

This is a letter Wes wrote to one of his grandparents.  It was pretty awesome so I wanted to share it here with everybody.  I sure hope Wes doesn't mind!

Wow nonny! Thank you thats awesome that you found that! That makes a lot of sense. Being out here on the mission makes me love to learn- sometimes I just think about how exciting its going to be to go to school and learn more math or whatever it is. And learning more of the Gospel just everything. Being here has made me realize that i lack so much and I jsut want to learn. Someone asked me a question one time about the United States Constitution and I didnt have an answer and it made me want to learn more about the Constitution.

Whats the name of Elder Bednar's book?? I realized that I wasnt so much into churchy churchy stuff before. Like I would do the stuff - go through the motions but it was boring. Id rather do other things. We have investigators that dont want to go to church because its boring or they dont want to give up drugs or playing soccer or some are offended by other people. People who dont enjoy church and dont want to be there arent going to want to be in heaven either. As Brad Wilcox puts it: You cant put someone in heaven if they dont want to be heavenly. They will say the same - its boring, that person offended me, I have better things to do. 

So i have been trying to learn how to be a heavenly person. During my mission I have come to love going to church, participating in the clases, reading the scriptues and praying. I have come to realize at least a big portion of the power that these things have in our lives. Before I left on my mission i didnt even know what the word 'seer' meant. I was such an ignoramus! (as poppy would say)  I would litteraly just go through the motions but never learned and went through it with the 'this is boring' attitude.

I am so excited to be able to continue climbing ub that ladder after this life. I know that will not be boring, I have come to love it!

Thank you nonnny for sharing that with me! I love you!!

Elder BRady

November 16, 2015 Lampa, Chile

Zona: Colina

Sector: Lampa 1

Comp: Elder Rutan

Hola Hola!

We had changes today! My ex-companion Elder Gómez is now on his way home and I have noew recieved a new companion -Elder Rutan de Washington. Elder Rutan extended his mission and will be returning home this Feburary. So we are so excited to start this new change, we have recieved 9 new missionaries in our zone and we all just want to work.

It is super hot here. Not like Arizona heat -when your in the shade here its not that hot but when you leave it feels like im under a magnifying glass! Im sure missing the States right now.

My companion and I have created a verification system with the missionaries which should, if everything goes well, increase baptisms, retention, and reactivation. The missionaries are going to choose 3 investigadores and 3 converts, 3 inactives whom they will be working with for the next 3 weeks. These are the 9 people that have the most potential of progression. My companion and I along with the 3 district leaders are going to know the names of all these people and will be verifying the progression and doubts that they have. This will allow us to understand more how we can help the missionaries help their people. It brings the district class more to life because we know the doubts and challenges and we can get together into groups and share ideas for hop to teach a certain principle of the doctrine or how to help them make commitments. Our informe will be sent to the district mission leader and he will be able to help the leaders in all the unidades in getting involved to help these 9 people in every sector. At the end of 3 weeks the missionaries take out those who are not progressing and add new potentials. The missionaries of course are going to be working with alot more people than just 9 but these 9 people in every sector are just the focus for the 3 weeks.

This last week my companion and I found 2 families from Ecuador. We invited them to go to church but they didnt come so we are going to head over their with my new companion and continue hopefully they come this next week!

But thats about all thats been going on.

I love you guys!!

Elder Brady