it's that time of the year again.....

Okay, so most stressful day since I've returned home from my mission EVER. It's been driving me nuts!! And as stressful as it's been, I've been sitting in front of my Macbook almost the whole day. Looking at this pretty screen.

School schedule. Bleh. 

I know, worst thing ever.
Before I explain my dilemma, let me explain. I am majoring in Family Consumer Sciences Education-basically learning how to be a home ec teacher (who didn't love their home ec teacher?!....I wouldn't know...I never took it...). So I'm all signed up for the funnest classes ever--and one of the classes lets me get into the classroom to check out what it'll be like.
So I take a look at my schedule, and it looks great. Best. Semester. Ever. School is so much fun (get an education)!!
I've been all set and ready to go with it, until today, when I took another look at it. For one of the classes I am required to have FBI clearance and finger printing done. Which is totally fine--I got it all done before my unexpected change of plans to serve a full time mission. Well, those kinds of things number one, are EXPENSIVE, and number two, EXPIRE. I have no record of mine with me at home, and so I started worrying. I was pretty sure that it only lasted a year and a half....and it had definitely been over a year and a half. So I sat here all day, looking up all the other options I could fill that time with. And dropping classes. And emailing advisors. And calling professors. And blah blah blah.  Of course I start looking for a car and job while I'm at it.  It's rough being an adult.

So.  I'm all worked up. Slightly (totally an understatement) stressed, since the other options that work are all full (minus marriage prep---must have been inspired ^.^). I wish I could say I knelt down to say a prayer and right after had this inspiration...but rather I prayed forever ago when I first noticed the problem--and about 8 hours later I had the inspiration to call the College of Education at BYU. nice man answered, and helped me figure out if my FBI clearance was expired yet.
After putting me on hold for a couple minutes, he returned to the phone, complimented my name (typical), and informed me that my FBI clearance expired on February 26, 2015. Literally one day after my class finishes.
I heard that and I just about died! WHAT A MIRACLE!!!! I seriously have no idea when I got it, how long it was supposed to last, or any of that. And when I got it, I was FAR from EVER serving a mission....and yet, it worked out PERFECTLY. I just think it might have had something to do with that guy I call my Father. :) He is just SOOO good.
He has a plan. And sometimes, we have to go through a little stress in order to recognize that He is there and the plan is perfect!! My life is good. Realllllly good.

"The Lord knows your circumstances perfectly."

(Elder Jorg Klebingat)

pearly whites

So, I guess it's been awhile since I last posted a miracle--but I PROMISE they were still going on on a daily basis--and I'd be happy to share them with you if you send me a message via Facebook!!
For any of you who don't know, I actually returned from my mission exactly a week ago!! I was going to post on the miracle of my mission--the change it's brought about in me--but if you know me you'll already see that miracle.  If you don't know me, lets chat:)
I felt like I should keep up on my miracles--because we seriously are SO much happier when we see the hand of God in our lives! If you haven't looked for it--try it out. I promise you'll find things if you'll simply look.
So I'm back home in Germany, where it's about 30 degrees colder than what I've been used to (Arizona....I miss you!!!!), where we build fires in our houses and have hot chocolate at breakfast. It's pretty cozy, I must admit.  And so chilly at the same time.
But honestly, the miracle I want to share with you doesn't have anything to do with the weather here. There have been a few days sight-seeing where it's been a miracle that I've survived--but maybe I'll save that for another day:)
So my second day back I was scheduled for all sorts of doctors appointments and dental appointments--and BOY, I was PUMPED to get these teeth cleaned!! I remember my trainer always talking about how badly she wanted to get her teeth cleaned and I never understood--until I reached about the point she was at. Maybe not such a big deal to some people, but man. I was excited.
So we got up and studied and did some things around the house--when we got a call. We were late. We had the completely wrong time and we had missed our appointment. They told us to still come in--they might be able to get a little something done. Of COURSE, I wasn't yet fully registered to get onto the air base so that took an extra 20 minutes to get to the clinic....but we made it there. Eventually. Phew. Signed in, and they called us back.
I sat and talked to the hygienist--told him about my mission of course (since I have no idea what else to talk about) and then his family (since I also don't know how to talk about much else besides that too....). The dentist was running late, so the hygienist said he might as well clean these teeth up! He whipped out his tools and just got it all done! He could have easily disregarded the cleaning--but he didn't! And I was just so grateful!! As simple as it is, that was my little miracle. My little tender mercy. The Lord often works by small and simple means to help us understand and have a great testimony.

He is there! And He knows our silly and serious concerns and cares. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been the end of the world if my teeth hadn't been cleaned--but that little tender mercy helped me remember my loving heavenly Father who truly is so aware. I guess my teeth were bad enough that even He insisted we find a way to get them done then and there! :)

"And let all things be done in cleanliness before me."

(D&C 42:41)

Holler!! Looking squeaky, huh?!?

half asleep

Finals week on campus means....lots of busy students. It means study groups and packed libraries, and it means lots of all-nighters. I honestly was doing the same thing not too long ago!
For a missionary, finals might not seem ideal. All the sudden, teaching is a little trickier. But, miracles are there when you look!

We were out the other day, simply trying to make contact with a few of the people we had been teaching. No luck. No doors were answered--and we couldn't blame them. Finals are finals, after all. As we were heading back to our bikes, we approached a girl who looked exhausted. She literally couldn't keep her eyes open, and she was speaking in practically a whisper. She told us her name and we started talking to her a little bit. She told us she had finally finished a final that she took at 6 that morning--so she was just heading home to crash.
She asked us what we did, and we started sharing our belief in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. It was miraculous the change that we saw take place in her. As we began to discuss some of the world problems and the hope that the gospel brings, she completely woke up! There was a very real and literal transformation. She was joking and laughing and completely awake--in fact, near the end of the conversation she said she was sorry for taking so much of our time! Talk about a miracle.
That simple encounter was a testimony builder to me that the Savior truly 'awakens, enlivens, and ennobles us!' He has power to take us out of out rut and to help us be happy! I love that so much!!

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." 

(2 Nephi 25:26)

Talk about Jesus Christ and BE HAPPY!!! 

college town

We've had the chance a couple of times this week to proselyte on campus…and it has been pretty interesting, to say the least! A couple weeks ago in a meeting we committed to more consciously live the Doctrine of Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end). Sister Taylor and I had a few conversations about how we can do that better…and we couldn't figure out exactly what we could change. A couple of days later we were given a GREAT opportunity to learn. Our questions were answered. God is so good. :)

We sat in the car in the parking lot and decided we needed to make a goal for how many people we would get a return appointment with on campus. We threw out a few numbers, and finally decided on 8. We would fin 8 new investigators! One of us offered a prayer, and in it, asked to find one new investigator. The other thought in their head, “TWO!!” We both totally wimped out! We were of little faith. We didn’t think 8 was really a possible—or even reasonable—number. We got out of the car and were kind of bummed we had such little faith! Just moments before we had decided on 8—and yet, when we went to ask the Lord for help we doubted our ability to accomplish such a task. We doubted His ability! As we walked across the street we both prayed—we decided we needed to repent and have faith. We prayed for 8 new investigators. We decided we wouldn't leave campus until we found them.

Guess what happened?! Two hours later, we had 8 lessons taught, like 10 new phone numbers, and a couple who set up lessons for the following week! We also received referrals for other missionaries. The fruits of our efforts were GREAT!!! (We also got some pretty good sun:)We saw that as we consciously exercised our faith, repented, and followed the Holy Ghost, we could overcome what had only minutes before seemed impossible and completely unreasonable! Throughout this week we have noticed points where our faith could be stronger—and sometimes it’s been hard to have more! Sometimes when you don’t believe, it’s hard to just start believing. BUT, I learned that when those time come (and sometimes they do), you pray for the belief!! Pray for the faith! Pray for the energy to work and try and believe. It’s not always natural and certainly isn’t always easy! But the Savior came here for that very purpose—to help us have more faith and do greater things.

I know that as we have worthy goals and faithfully work to fulfill them, our Heavenly Father will help us. He is on our side! He is out support, and He is our guide. He will always make the impossible completely possible!!

“And Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

(Mark 9:23)

real life

I have been so moved by the Savior's loving sacrifice for us. As Easter has been approaching, Sister Taylor and I have bore our testimonies over and over again of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He is truly the way to be happy in this life and to have eternal happiness in the world to come! I have realized that the moments that are often the hardest for us, we can come to understand better how our Savior feels for us. We understand better what He did for us. 

I don't love to go through hard things, but I am so grateful that I do! I understand better now than I did before how He feels about us. When we mess up--He loves us!! As simple as that!  He wants to reach out and tell us it's going to be okay. He wants us to have faith. He will never fail us--in fact, he makes it possible for us to start again and to conquer all our doubts and fears!! That is real life. It's the best!

Please, take a second to watch this video right now. And if you're having a bad day, come back and watch it again. I love at the end where it talks about all the things that He makes better. He is the best! I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and I know that He loves you! 

Happy Easter!! He is a miracle that can be a part of EVERY aspect of your life, if you will let Him in. 

"Oh what joy this sentence gives, 'I know that my Redeemer lives!'"

a week without bikes

Recently, I have felt very impressed to write about something that has helped me understand better how everyone feels when they are on the verge of something good. When we are about to make a good decision, it is often that the adversary pushes a little harder than normal. (It's a littler lengthy, but hang in there. I promise it's a good one!)
So, Saturday morning we woke up at 6:20, rolled out of bed, said a prayer, and went for a run. We ran further than we ever had before-2.5 miles! It was a beautiful day, and we felt good. We got back to the house and we cooling down on the driveway, when I saw that our bike rack was sticking out kind of funny and I went over to go and fix it. Sister Coy watched me and then we headed inside. As we walked towards the front door,  I thought out loud, "Where are our bikes?" Sister Coy looked towards the car, and suggested that we take a little lap around the block. No luck. We had heard a party going on the night before, and didn't even think to lock our bikes. I guess that taught us a little lesson. "always lock your bike" means ALWAYS lock your bike. We went in and filed a police report. The day continued--we studied and went out to work (borrowed the Spanish sisters' bikes). The work continues forward. I testify that NOTHING can stop the work of God.
Anyways, the day went on. Sunday came, and we had the best Sunday yet! We had lots of investigators and returning members there, and we couldn't have been happier. I haven't found any more joy than in the moments that I see people make real changes in their lives to come closer to their Savior! All day long we mentioned that Satan was trying to make us upset about the stolen bikes--only because such good was coming the next day! There were devoted members and nonmembers there. At the close of church, we went to talk to one of the nonmembers that we had been teaching for a couple of weeks. When we asked her about her experience at church, she informed us that the word procrastination stood out, and that she wanted to set a date for baptism. You better believe it--we were over there a couple hours later planning the whole service for the upcoming April 11! We were elated--Sister Coy and I were just so happy! After that, we went to visit with another investigator, who we also put on date for later this month! What a day. Nice try Satan--but it didn't work. Nothing's gonna stop us now!! (Sister Coy popped her first wheelie Sunday night).
Monday came around--we chopped off our hair and I felt a little bummed about that too (petty...but you know how girls are). Lets just say it was more a down-side than an upside to the start of the week. But no worries, hair is hair.
Tuesday came along and Sister Coy and I were making calls to coordinate building days and times for these baptisms--and here we hit yet another wall. Wedding receptions certainly aren't of the devil....but they sure can be a hindrance!! Wedding receptions were being held each night/day that had been set by our investigators. And we had felt the Spirit confirm these days--and so had our investigators! What was the deal?? Couldn't Heavenly Father at least let that work out? We made lots of calls to future brides and building coordinators--mostly left a bunch of messages and hoped that we'd get a call back soon.
The week still continued--we biked, locked our bikes like crazy, and worked some more. Building times started working out. Things were looking better.
We were making the last of a few arrangements for baptisms on the phone Wednesday morning, when----yikes. My iPad fell right off my lap onto the cement ground--screen facing the pavement. You know when there's a piece of clothing hanging over the edge of a piece of furniture and then randomly it will just decide to fall? That was TOTALLY what happened. There was no movement in my legs. It just fell. As simple as that. Sister Coy and I held our breath as I picked it up to analyze the damage. Cracked real good, we called the leaders and decided to get it fixed next week. I wasn't too upset--but COME ON! Really? This week? I was feeling the slightest bit defeated. But thank heavens for my companion. She kept reminding me that Satan was just trying to discourage us with our bikes and schedule and iPad now. We moved forward. That night we met a young man who had been searching for the truth and committed to be baptized and come to church. It was the coolest thing! And he came out of nowhere!!  I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord. Just when you feel at the end of your rope--He reaches out and reminds you who's work this is and who is over ALL the earth.
Thursday came and we got up to run, and BAM.
 Still no bikes (although, we looked in every ditch to make sure they weren't hanging around miraculously.)
Thursday was the hardest day of my mission. There was a literal unseen power in our companionship that was keeping us from working in unity and from being happy.  It was KILLING us--seriously! There was no happiness and just a slow pace of work. You know how sometimes for some reason in your head you tell yourself you just want to be grumpy and that's that? Well, try having two people that way who are glued at the hip the whole day long. It was rough, to say the least. I would NEVER suggest it. Avoid at all costs. Seriously. We tried working things out a couple of times, and not much was said. The next day we got together and really started sharing what was going on. We realized that there was nothing about the other person that was really bothering us....nothing had happened that specifically made us made or feel upset. It was purely the adversary--and us giving way to him. We couldn't believe it. We concluded that a preisthood blessing was needed to get us out of our funk. And, lo and behold, it helped tremendously. I am so grateful for the priesthood that is available to us all. The power is real. And it is no more for me than it is for you!! That's the beauty of it!
Friday was a great day--we taught like crazy. Saturday was conference and then Sunday was as well....our investigators were blowing up our phones with texts about favorite quotes and speakers and everything else under the sun--it was so exciting!

As I was studying my scriptures this morning, I found a scripture that is SO commonly known--but I felt that is applied to this week so perfectly!
It was Alma 48:17.
"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."
If we were like this man ( a MAN, not a God...not perfect, but always striving to be), the devil would NEVER HAVE POWER over the hearts of US!! That is amazing! I know that when things are about to be real good, he works harder on us. And he adds one thing to another. A stolen bike and a broken iPad were enough...but he still had more to throw at us.
What is so ironic though....I am grateful for the things I faced this week. I have learned so much. My most faith-defining moments have been those that have been the biggest struggle in my life. When times get hard--keep on keeping on! After all, "He is all-powerful, and He cares. Things will work out." Trust in Him. You can never go wrong.


(SWEET end of the story....Sunday afternoon during conference we got a voice mail. From an Office Treger. Our bikes had been identified and we would have them the next morning. Our prayers and trust in God that it would work out brought forth the blessing. I read in James today also, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." It's true!)

Read Sister Coy's version too...it's always fun to get another side of the story:)

taking a tumble

One night Sister Coy and I were out with our ward mission leader, Brother Barney. If you don't know Brother Barney (which basically everyone in Chandler does), he's pretty much the sweetest man EVER! He's a little older and everyone loves him---and of course,  he loves everybody back. We went to go and contact a couple of people in our ward, and one of them lived in an apartment complex. We climbed up to the second floor and knocked.
And knocked again.
And rang the doorbell.
No luck. But that's not really too unusual. We determined that he wasn't home and were leaving to go to the next place when Brother Barney fell down the stairs!
I didn't tell you, but Brother Barney is also the kind of person who laughs off everything, and makes a joke of it all.  But when I turned from the sound of the fall, I saw him practically upside-down on the staircase. It was so sad to see him that way! After a split second, he stood up, checked the damage (a few holes in his suit pants), and laughed it off.
Of course, he didn't think much of it, but Sister Coy and I were so sad about it! Watching him limp back to his car was really sad, and the whole rest of the night after he left I couldn't stop thinking about it. I felt literally sick thinking about it.
As we were headed back to the church to load our bikes onto the back of the car, lo and behold, there was Brother Barney--out walking the dogs.  Relief swept over me. We stopped and talked to him, and he was doing just fine.  As we were driving home that night we realized what a tender mercy the Lord provided for us that night!

Obviously, it wasn't a big deal (in fact, his wife said he got two new suits out of it!). But it was to us, and so Heavenly Father assured us that everything was okay and that we didn't need to worry. Some people might not consider that timely appearance a miracle--but I know that God's hand was a part of it!!
And who would've thought that seeing a friendly man walking his dogs late at night would bring so much joy to us?!

"The Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurance, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord suits 'his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men.' (D&C 46:15)" 

(Elder Bednar)

Learn more about Brother Barney and Mormons!

cars that start

Okay, so here starts some of the simpler miracles that I've seen since I've been out. This one is one I recorded in my journal the very first day. To make a long story short, I'm just gonna post my journal entry. It's more real and...well, I wrote it about 30 minutes after it happened...

'The last 15 minutes before we had to go in, we decided to street contact around the apartments.  Sister Winterton said the last 15 minutes are the miracle minutes. SO TRUE! God blesses us when we're at the very end and we put forth a full effort! It was pretty deserted outside, and we were both praying for someone to be outside. Then, BAM. 3. We approached them, talked--they gave us an address to come leave a message! They were super nice, and were surprised to see sister missionaries. I hope we can catch them at their home! After that, we were walking back to our apartment and we saw a man and talked to him--Terrin. He was trying to get his motorcycle to work, but it couldn't start. We talked for a couple of minutes, and we offered to say a  prayer with him. So we did! And then afterward, he have us his address. And then, he asked if we recommended anywhere to go to church! And THEN, his motorcycle started less than a minute after we started to leave. It was a miracle!! The Lord's work is beautiful. It's powerful. And yet, its so simple. I love it!!'

I was a pretty pumped missionary, huh? Miracles are all around us. Besides that first miracle, we had two other very memorable times where cars started after a prayer was offered. It is no doubt in my mind due to the prayers--it's SO COOL!! I just love seeing these miracles! Even the people that we talked with recognized that calling upon the Lord certainly brought about the miracle.
I testify that prayers work. I also know that ANYTHING that is important to us, is important to Him. Even if it's just a silly old car. Or a lost key. He is your Father. Nothing will ever change that.

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of the soul."2 Nephi 32:9

locker buddies

I'm going to go back in time a little bit, but bear with me. :) It's a pretty sweet story, I have to admit...

So, junior year my dad got stationed in Misawa, Japan........right in the middle of nowhere. I graduated from Edgren High School in 2011, with a class of about 58.  To say the least, we were a pretty tight class and we all knew each other really well. Senior year, I was assigned a locker on the corner of the hallway, right next to a super friendly kid--Xavier Major.  Xavier was the kind of kid that everyone likes--he always had friends around him and a huge smile on his face. I didn't really know him that well from the year before, but being locker buddies, I'd say we got to know each other a little better. Of course, at the end of the year we all graduated and went our separate ways.


Two years later, after deciding to serve a mission (which I talked about in 'china bound'), our mission President informed us that we would begin to use Facebook for proselyting purposes. We were SO excited! We would get to talk to old friends about the gospel--the thing that has brought us so much happiness! After a week of cleaning up my account, I finally began to post and message friends and investigators. On the 23rd of September, I got a random message.......from Xavier Major, of all people!
"Brynnley how are you liking Arizona!?"
I quickly responded, telling him how much I love the work and I love the place. After finding out he was living in Mesa, we talked a little about missionaries--it's hard to live in Mesa and NOT know who the missionaries are.
"My girlfriend is actually Mormon so I've been exploring the church myself."
I was FLOORED.  I sure didn't expect that! How exciting--someone I actually knew was learning about the church! Of course, as a missionary I started asking the typical questions...have you gone to church or read the Book of Mormon or prayed about it? Within a couple of minutes, Xavier and I were discussing the Book of Mormon and how to know if the church really was true. It was such a cool experience to be able to answer his questions and bear my testimony to him! I was really grateful that he knew me well enough to feel comfortable to approach me about it. And who would've thought we'd ever have a conversation like that??At the end of our conversation that day, he said,
"I have a question. Say that I find this is true to me after reading and prayer--what are the steps from there?"
Well, the rest is history. We taught a couple of online discussions and the Elders took it over from there. I was so amazed at the miracle that the Lord performed. I know that it wasn't sheer coincidence that we happened to end up in Misawa Japan with lockers right next to each other--it just wasn't! I couldn't deny that miracle in my life! God puts us where He does in order to help someone else come closer to the Savior--even our lockers may be divinely appointed--you never know! :)

Pray to see with spiritual eyes the miracles that surround you. God has a divine plan for you and for each person on this earth. He loves you! He is aware of the questions and concerns that you have.

Xavior was baptized November 9, 2013

In brainstorming this post, I asked Xavier to send me his side of the story and his testimony. He's seriously SO solid and I really love reading how this simple miracle has changed him--eternally. He's even planning to be sealed to his wife in the Gilbert temple this coming November!!

"I just want to say starting off that we are all part of something bigger then we know. It is crazy to think that back in 2010 when I met Brynnley that she would be the one that helped me on my path of finding a spiritual home. Until my first conversation with Sister Brynnley, I had been wandering around without much purpose and I went to church once every year almost. I hit a rough patch and needed somewhere to turn and one day I felt the urge to message a good friend from highschool that I saw was serving a mission in my area. I thought it was a long shot because I had no idea missionaries could use Facebook. I wasn't ready to officially meet with a missionary in person, so I gave it a shot. Next thing I know we are messaging back and forth and I learned so much in those few days--and for once I felt like everything was going to be okay. Then, fast forward a few months and I am awaiting being baptized; I felt a mix of emotions, but mostly joy. At that moment in time I felt that I made the right choice and I had been guided here all along. The room was packed with friends, family, and even people I just met. I know that this was all part of a bigger plan and that the church is true and that out Savior loves us. I am blessed that I was able to talk with Brynnley that first day and that from that moment on I have been blessed beyond measure. I cannot fully express my gratitude for all the help Brynnley has been on my journey! Thank you!"

finding miss daisey

Miracles are the best!! I know that Heavenly Father often works through someone else to help bring about something good.

Sister Hudson and I were in on Saturday night, planning for the following day. We looked at our weekly goals and hadn't quite reached our referrals. We talked about what would be a good goal for our final day of the week, and after some quick contemplation, we decided we'd go hard or go home--so we set the goal to get 6 referrals (our weekly goal).  Sunday came, and I don't even remember much about it, except that it got to be about 8:00, and we hadn't received ONE referral. With an hour left in the day, we went over to a neighborhood that usually had lots of people out in the evening.
We were biking around, and then we spotted a lady ahead that we had encountered many times. Each of those many times she had given us a grunt or two and a not-so-friendly shoo away. Not the most pleasant of experiences, to be honest. 

As we got closer to her I thought, "There is no way we're going to bother her again. I'm pretty sure she hates our guts by now."

Sister Hudson was my example--she went right up to that woman and had a similar encounter as the last 5 times. But as we were getting shooed away, Sister Hudson asked if there was anyone that this lady knew that might be interested in our message. She responded quickly and dully: 

"There's a cul de sac one street up, across from a park.....they're all interested."

And then she waved us away and went on her way.
We looked at each other. SWEET!!! There were 6 houses on each cul de sac. That's six referrals...why not go contact them all before the week was up??
The first door we knocked on was the home of Alex. He talked to us for awhile, and told us his wife was 'semi-mormon' and invited us to come back and teach her. The rest of the houses we knocked on were pretty friendly--two others also set up return appointments. Successful night!
The best part of that night was what happened in the months afterwards. We were blessed to teach Alex, his wife Daisey (who wasn't a member--just acted like one all the time:), and their three kids, Sarah, Blake, and Jackson. I have no doubt that this family is one that I was sent to the Arizona Tempe mission for--they have a place in my heart, and always will. 

It is just so cool, because we NEVER knock doors--but we wouldn't have found her unless we had gotten this simple referral from a grouchy neighborhood woman!
(....and a funny side note--we ended up teaching this woman's family just a few weeks later. Sharing the gospel really softens hearts I guess!)

What a miracle!! I know that the Lord sent us to Alex and his family through this lady--and I'm just so grateful that my companion had the guts to talk to her at least one more time to get those referrals!

"And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things." 

(1 Nephi 16:29)

Sister Hudson, Daisey and I

Sarah, Jackson, Daisey, Blake, me, and Sister Jensen

the gates were opened

Okay, quick little miracle. This happened in my last area, where we covered a cute little retirement community. We only had a couple of members who lived in it, and we were going to to try and visit with them this particular summer morning. There were also a few other names that we had received to go and visit that we were going to try and make contact with.
We biked up to the gate, and we tried the code we had received a week earlier.  It didn't work. We switched around the numbers (you know, sometimes the number you remember is just a little off...). Nothing was working. The sun was hot. We looked kind of ridiculous--just sitting outside of this community, kind of hopeless looking.  We even felt a little like we were trying to break in, waiting for a car to maybe drive up and just stealthily follow them in. But, no cars came.

We finally came to terms that we would have to gratify our pride and call the sister we were coming to visit and ask her for the gate code for the second time. We dialed her up---and there was no answer. Great. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.
As we sat on our bikes deciding if we should wait for a car or just go somewhere else, the gates opened. There were no cars around--not inside the community or outside of the community. It was a miracle!
We knew that God had a purpose for us in that community that morning--I still to this day don't know what it was, but I know there was a reason! Super cool, isn't it?

Heavenly Father has a plan for each of His children and often He uses one of us to help another. He will always make sure you are in the place that He needs you--as long as it's really where He needs you!

"It is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men." Moroni 7:37

china bound!

September 9, 2012 I turned 19. Big day---but not really. Just another birthday, right?
Then, October 6, 2012 I woke up and got ready to listen to the words of the prophet at General Conference.
As we eagerly listened to the words of the prophet, he made an announcement that absolutely floored me. "Today I am pleased to announce that able, worthy young women who have the desire to serve may be recommended for missionary service beginning at age 19, instead of age 21." All the sudden, I had a huge choice in front of me--and one that for YEARS, I had simply told myself I'd decide when I was 21 (and I was hoping I'd be swept off my feet before that ever had to be contemplated...).
Quite opposite from the responses of my roommates and other peers in my classes at BYU, I was determined that I would not serve a mission. I felt that every girl and her mom were going on missions all of the sudden--and I thought the idea of staying at BYU was much better. I think it disappointed my family, but they were very supportive of my decision and didn't bother trying to pressure me into anything. Good thing, because I was sure that I would not be serving a mission. No one would be able to change that.
I went on my way, but serving a mission just seemed to be brought up EVERYWHERE I went--at family get togethers, in classes, at church--everywhere it seemed. But I was determined that a mission was not for me.
I decided that instead I would give of myself in service in China. I would teach english in China (random, I know). So, I paid the money, got the Visa--everything. It all fell into place miraculously. Multiple times the workers who helped me get everything organized mentioned how things never happened that fast--but I was glad to have a plan for the coming semester. Much better than a mission...but still a chance for me to give of myself.
My brother and I flew home to Japan for Christmas break, where we did lots of traveling to surrounding countries. Sitting for sometimes hours at a time on buses, I pondered on a lot of things. Over and over I would think, "I wonder what it would be like to serve here.... or there..." I didn't think much of it--after all, I was headed to China in a couple of months!
After traveling for a week or so, we came home, my brother flew back to school, and I stayed at home with the rest of the family until I was going to go to China. About 3 days after my brother left, I was talking to my mom about how I kept thinking how cool it would be to serve in the different places we had been visiting. I even thought a lot about how it would be really fun to go to Germany--learn to speak German fluently. My sweet mother made a comment I will forever remember--she said, "Well, maybe you're supposed to go on a mission. Have you prayed about it?"
Well, believe it or not, I hadn't. I'd avoided it for about three months-- but all the sudden I thought that would be a really great idea. That night before bed I prayed. I asked. I went to my Father, who knows me better than anyone else. And there, I received an overwhelming feeling that I should go!
I can't even describe the happiness that I felt! I was so excited! Within 2 weeks my papers were in, I declined my service to teach in China, and within 2 months I was in the MTC.

I know that the Lord helped that to happen!!  It is just too real to deny. Getting set up to go to China was unrealistically easy--and had I not made that decision, I don't think I would be on my mission.  I would have been back in Provo before I would have heard the powerful words of my mother, "Have you prayed?" I am so grateful for the small miracles that lead to great miracles!

I know that my decision to serve was a miracle--the hand of the Lord was evident all along the way. I am thankful for the ways that He opens my eyes to see the miracles around me. And it's no surprise that I've learned that Arizona is SO much better than China!

"Know ye not that ye are in the hands of the Lord?"(Mormon 5:23)

the greatest miracle

I think a lot of the time, we fail to see the miracles that surround us. In my first few months on my mission, we met with one of the mission leaders (a stake president) and he always asked us missionaries, "How have you seen the hand of the Lord in the work?" After some contemplation, we would respond with some of the simplest of situations--but these small and simple situations brought about great things. 

There are countless times that the Lord reveals Himself in this work--His work.  I want to share with you some of the simple and yet profound miracles that have already and still do surround me in doing the Lord's work.  As I've been brainstorming ideas of experiences I can share with you, I have had one particular miracle stand out to me. It happened before my mission--but it is of the greatest value to me. Bear with me as I try to express in words the feelings that I have had as I experienced a very personal miracle. 


I've grown up in the church, and I have always loved it. But there came a time in my life where I had to really change who I was. Going through the motions kept me 'in-line,' but that was about it. You could even say, my purpose was kind of at a stand still. I wasn't off doing all kinds of crazy bad things, but I certainly wasn't always trying my hardest to do what was right. 
I realized though, that I wasn't happy. I wanted to change. And change I did--but one step at a time. As I read the scriptures with more excitement, as I prayed more fervently, as I attended church meetings searching for answers--I began to come to really know who my Savior was. 
Over some time, I began to truly feel I had, "spiritually been born of God" (Alma 5:14). I experienced a great change of heart--I wanted to become a better person and I wanted to live the standards because of the love that I had for the gospel, and for my Savior. I made changes in my life that even lead me to come on my mission, where I help people to have a similar experience.
 I know without a doubt that the Savior of the world, my Older Brother, made those changes possible. Many times I found myself calling on divine help to know the things I need to know, and to become the person I want to become. I can not even begin to put in words the joy that I have felt since I have experienced this change of heart--this miracle of love. Despite weaknesses and failures, Heavenly Father will always reach out to us. I love Christ's beckoning call: "Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Nephi 9:13)

I know that God is our Heavenly Father. I know that He has provided a way for us to be happy in this life and to become the beings that we were divinely designed to become. That way is through coming unto Christ...through doing the simple things He asks us to do. Isn't it a miracle?! I know that it truly is! It is only through divine help that we can experience a ,"mighty change of heart" (Alma 5:14). I am grateful for miracles, and especially for this one--one that has changed the very person that I am. 


 I know that the hand of the Lord is all around us! Sometimes, it's only a matter of seeing with 'spiritual eyes.'

So look around. They're there, I promise you. :)