September 10, 2018 – Week 102!

September 16, 2018

Crazy how fast the time is all passing!

This week I've been a bit sick, but I know the Lord has been blessing me with health, because I've been able to keep working each day without stopping, and I haven't had any problems!

This week we had a great experience with contacting. We passed by someone, and I felt like I should talk to her. Her name is Adriana. Well, we talked to her and shared a bit of the Plan of Salvation, and she was pretty receptive to the message! She accepted another visit, and had desires to possibly go to church as well. Later I found out something while talking to my companion. He said it was the craziest thing, because he felt like he should talk to her, but inside his head he said "please help my companion to talk to her instead" and then I stopped and talked to her. Sometimes God works extremely fast. Sometime's he'll pass revelation and guidance to others to know how to work ebst with His children! I'm sure that my companion could've contacted her and it would've turned out the same way, but the Lord knows what He's doing! This just shows that we need to make sure we are ready to react to ANY and EVERY spiritual impression we have (if it induces to choose the right), because we never know. Maybe someone near us is praying for help to talk with someone, and we will be the means to answering their prayers.

I loved reading this week an article from Elder Oaks as well. I took a phrase and molded it to my life as a missionary, and I think we can mold it to our lives in any situation we're in!

-Am I a shy young man who was called as a missionary? Or am I a missionary who used to be a shy young man?

We can adapt this phrase to anything. We can accept the position we're in, and know that we're making a change in our lives to become better, or we can think that we're the same as always and we just have another assignment. I think the 1st way of thinking about it is the best! It shows a willingness to God to accept our callings and to adapt ourselves to them! Confidence is key!

I've been trying to get better at contacting, because even after 2 years, sometimes contacting gets hard. I know though that as I reach my goals of talking to at least 10 new people a day personally, we'll be able to find people who are really waiting to hear the gospel, and they'll be prepared to receive us as missionaries too! One day during companion divisions, we got to almost 30 contacts just to find one new investigator. Was it worth it to leave behind some gospel seeds? Yes. Yes it was.

In these last couple days, we've been working hard to improve our invitations as well. We would love to help more people accept baptism and accept coming to church, because there are so many blessings that come when we can do these things! For example, this Sunday at church, we saw a man walk in with his 2 daughters. After sacrament meeting, we talked, and found out that the dad isn't a member, but his daughters were baptized in another providence of Lima, and now he recently is here with them. They decided to look for a church in the area, and it was the 1st time he came to our church. He stayed all 3 hours and liked it! He was able to present himself in the 3rd hour as well (which is always a good idea so that members can get to know those who aren't members), and we have a visit planned for today at night! I know that God's been preparing him to hear the gospel, and I can't wait for the appointment we'll have!

Myrtha is still progressing in the gospel! We have hopes that she still can get baptized this week, but she may want to wait a little more until she makes the decision. I know that God can answer her prayers and show her the blessings that can come into her life, and she will have the desire soon to make this great covenant with God! We'll be helping her in every step of the way as well, because in the Church of Jesus Christ, nobody is alone. We ALL can receive help and guidance if we really desire it and look for it and act ourselves!

This week has been great, not perfect, but still great! With one week left, everything's going faster and it's crazy! I hope to give it my all this week for God, because He is my father, and this is His work. I know that as we do our best and give our all to God, he'll bless us more than we can imagine.

Thanks for all your support! Have a great week!

Elder Bruner

mission flag. But I didnt get it in on time. If i dont end up using it here, I'll make it a shirt when i get home!

working on card packs while my companion was getting visa stuff done

fish head!!!!

writing names on dusty windows haha

ward activity!

contacting rock. We pass it back and forth to remind each other that when its in our hands, we have to contact someone. It's a great little way to remember! It was an idea from some of our leaders, and I wanted to make it artistic!