June 11, 2018 – Week 89!

This week has been one of the best! 

First off, we had a meeting with Elder Gary E. Stevenson, along with the mission Lima South and the MTC. We had the meeting in the MTC here in Lima, so now I can say I've entered 2 different MTCs as a missionary! Haha. It was such a great meeting. Elder Falabella also talked a bit about church attendance and the importance of keeping the Sabbath Day holy, and helped us so that we could excite our investigators to come to church on sundays! Elder Stevenson also talked about how to plan and teach more effectively as a missionary. He told us that FIRST we should think of what invitation we'll be giving the investigator. Then, we have the think of the blessings we'll promise when they follow through and act on the invitation. We can promise blessings, and specific ones, as msisionaries and we shouldn't have a fear of doing it! Then we need to think of our testimonies, and about what we'll testify to our investigators. A testimony can be planned, escpecially when it's focused on a principle in a lesson. It doesn't need to be an on-the-spot thing always. THEN the doctrine that we need to teach will come into our minds. It's a promise given from more than one Apostle, and I've seen it work to bless the lives of families! After applying this, 5 new people accepted the invitation to be baptized in July. As we testified, their eyes really glowed with that desire to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I could see it, and the members with us saw it too. It really shows that Apostles receive revelation from the Lord to guide missionary work. Revelation is real. God is our loving Heavenly Father who gives us answers to our questions as we look and wait. I'm here for a reason, and Elder Stevenson helped me to see that reason too!

We also had intercambios (companion exchanges) with the elders in Cercado as well. Guess what? I was working with Elder Morales in those intercambios! Yes, the same Elder Morales that I trained last July! How crazy! It was great to see his progress, and how hard he works! It was a great experience, and we both learned even more from each other. Even after 3 months with a companion, you can still learn even more from them as they learn more!

this week we had a total of 16 new investigators. I don't say this in a prideful manner, but rather I say it to show that there are a TON of people just waiting to hear about the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! To find these children of God, we couldn't realy on our own strength. We were definitely guided by the spirit to their houses, and we were guided to go in the correct moment when they were in their houses and ready to hear too. It's a blessing to teach families here. I honestly haven't had a ton of experience teaching complete families until now on my mission, but I see how a family learning together can really be strengthened together too in their knowledge of the Gospel! A family who is able to share spiritual experiences is a family who can grow together, learn together, and progress to return to the presence of God together. This is true.

Some more cool things that happened this week. My companion Elder Rios told me that an investigator in Caja De Agua that we were teaching got baptized last Saturday! :)  Also, the sisters in our district have an investigator who recently passed his baptismal interview and will be baptized on Saturday! This Saturday we're planning a Noche Blanco (white night), where there should be more than 10 baptisms in one night in the stake center! It'll be a spiritual experience!

I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ. I know that He is my savior, and yours. I know that God's prophets and apostles are called of Him to lead and direct the church in these latter days. I know that they receive revelation. I know that as we follow their counsels, our lives will be blessed in ways we've never seen before. The Lord is hastening His work. We must grow and become more dedicated every day of our lives. I know that we are all sons and daughters of God, and that He loves each and every one of us. I know that there is no other way nor path that we can enter into the kingdom of God except by Jesus Christ the Lord. He is the only gatekeeper and "employeth no servant there." Baptism is the ordinance to start us out on the path that leads to Salvation, Exaltation, and Eternal Life. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Have a great week :)

Elder Bruner

a catholic church near the zone leaders' house. A big bell sounded on the hour. Sounded like i was in medieval times in the night when we were on exchanges with them. SO COOL!

peru cereal for the mundial. (world cup haha)

With Elder Morales again!

with my companion

In the bus on the way to meet with Elder Stevenson and the mission

with the Ochoa family (part of the family) for lunch!

with the Pongo family for lunch on Sunday!

Juanes. A food from the Selva. Its like a type of leaf where inside is cooked rice and chicken and olives, or sometimes meat and other things. Cool flavor!

with the kids of our pensionista

my companion with the pensionista.