March 23, 2015 Colina, Chile

Zone: Colina

Sector: Batuco

Comp: Elder Fernandez

Ohhh Man this week has sucked sooo bad. I have been sick for the past 6 days now and everyday this last week we had to travel almost 2 hrs to our mission office so I could practice the violin and that meant that we had to wake up so early to get there on time. The the song we will be doing will be so cool.

This week we found 2 new investigators. We have been trying to find a bunch of part-member families and found 2! We have started teaching them and we plan to put them with a baptism date this week. It would be so cool if their husbands could baptize them. These families are soooo good.

 ¨Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font? You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” ¹⁶ then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.¨ - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

I loved this speech from Elder Holland. Our Mission President shared this with us at our trainer meeting. This talk hit me alot. 

-Elder Brady

March 16, 2015 Colina, Chile

Zone: Colina

Sector: Batuco

Comp: Elder Fernandez

This week has been super long. The first few days of this week I have felt a little homesick for my old sector.This week I was bitten by a dog. Good grief I am never having a dog. Everywhere you walk theres a pile of poop or a bunch of dogs!!  My compaion doesnt talk much with me wich is soooo hard. He is so shy! haha but he is just starting and stuff too. I need some patience is all haha.  But theres the negative. The negative doesnt even come close to out-weighing the positive. This week was probably the best week I have had with the work in the mission. We had almost 40 lessions and we but a guy named Franko and a woman named Pakita with a baptism date for April 12th and April 19th. Hopefully things work out! 

Our chapel is so small.. well we are a branch but dang its small and we have around 150 attending church! Its crazy how packed we are!

An Apostle is coming to our mission...to visit ONLY our mission. 209 missionaries!! And guess who President asked to play the Violin for when he comes ;) Dues I am excited. They havent told us which Apostle for security reazons but I have a hunch its Elder Holland. But any Apostle would be amazing!! 

I dont have a lot of time to say much this week.. Next week I will have more to say and some pictures. This P-Day has been crazy!

I love you all.

Elder Brady

March 09, 2015 Cerro Navia, Chile

Zona: Colina

Sector: Batuco 1

Comp: Elder Fernandez

     Wow whata week!! We finally had our sector attack where we had our whole ward get together and we all went out to find inactive members and invite them to an activity the following week. It was a huge success. I did a division with a yong man named Daniel Alvarez. We had a really neat experience during this activity. We passed for an inactive family and the wife recieved us. We passed her an invitation and she invited us to sit down on her porch. She told us reasons why she and her family went inactive. I talked to her about all that but in the end she said that she would not attend the activity put she would pass it on to her children to she if they would like to go. Daniel was a bit bummed that she turned us down. Daniel started to bear his testimony and told her that he felt like God had put us in her way because God is trying to reach out to them. This woman changed her mind, and asked us to return. Unfortunatly I wont be able to be there but Daniel and the missionaries are going to go and visit her. I really felt the Spirit when he was testifying, he will be an awesome missionary. I am really greatful that i was able to have him to come with me.

    Yes the time has arrived for changes or intercambios as you say in español. I have been called as a trainer to train Elder Fernandez!! I am so excited!! We are opening a sector in Batuco Zona Colina. And GUESS WHAT!! I am with my cousin Elder Dirkmaat once again!!! He is my Zone Leader!! We will be able to do so many intercambios now I am so excited!! I am so excited to be able to train again. Elder Fernandez is from Argentina. He is from the city 'La Plata' which is pretty much Buenos Aires. HE is 18 years old and fresh out of the CCM or MTC. I am super excited, tenemos mucho animò!

March 2, 2015 Cerro Navia, Chile

Cerro Navia

Sector: Galvarino 2

C/ Elder Wilcox

Hola Everyone! This week has been pretty good! We didnt have many lessons but we did a few activities that worked out very well. My companion and I have had the idea to start teaching members the chapters in preach my gospel so that they can help us. We have been doing splits with the members and youth in the ward as well. The things that we are teaching them from preach my gospel will help them in their callings as well. I know that following the teachings in preach my gospel the members will be more effective at finding and teaching the less actives and doing their visting and home teaching. We hold a preach my gospel class once a week for the whole ward. It is awesome!

This week we acted out the Plan of Salvation for the youth in the ward. We used the entire church building and many of the ward leaders. The youth started in the chapel where we acted out a council in heaven and a war. The youth then went through a sheet that was draped over a doorway to represent the veil. The youth went through all the parts of the plan of salvation. A missionary was chosen to represent satan and whisper dumb things into the kids ears and try and lead them astray. They passed through another doorway with a sheet representing the veil of death and they were all put into the prison and there we talked about what its like in prison and after we all moved to the paradise and talked about that then we went to a judgment and moved into the 3 glories which were held in the cultural hall. Each glory was separated by a divider and we talked about those as well. It was a really fun activity. Many youth went to it.

After that we held our lesson on preach my gospel where we taught the members of the barrio how to commit people. Chapter 11 of preach my gospel. We are preparing to attack our sector as a barrio and go to all the less actives and visit and invite them to another activity that we will hold the following week after.

We have one week left of this change. I feel like I am leaving. I really dont want to. It seems like president doesnt like anyone staying in their sector for more than 5 changes. Its a bummer. But I would feel good if I left. I would know that I left the ward better than I found it. It has progressed like crazy.

This last Sunday one of my favorite familes moved away. Hermana Anna, Nacho, Almendra and lil´Emily. They helped us alot in the ward and with the work. It sucks saying goodbye to friends that you wont see for a while.

I found a scripture that I really liked. I thought it represented my difficult times that I have had in life and how the Lord has helped me find spiritual ground to stand upon.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”

—Psalm 40:1–2

I love you all! - Elder Brady