The power of the Book of Mormon

This week went by so quick! All the people here are so loving and kind. They are very embraceful. When we say "hi" to the people or the girls and children, you go cheek to cheek and make the kiss noise...lol. I think it's hilarious! All the kids play with old fashioned little wooden tops called Trompos. I tried playing with one and failed miserably. I got a package from my mom today and on the way to pick it up we had to take a taxi....sketchiest thing ever! He did not know how to drive!!!! He was swerving everywhere and ended up scraping up against a bus on the same side I was sitting. I hate when other people drive, his taxi was dented and scratched where it hit the bus...but the package was sooooooo worth almost dying for! I love getting all the letters, it's like a piece of that person is here with me. So I am still working in the temple every day. We got to take an investigator and her daughter through it the other day. They really enjoyed it. I love watching their emotions change when they can feel something, something good....its such an awesome moment to witness. So I get to still draw here, I draw pictures for the little kids, and they make me sing "Let it go" every single day! It makes me smile because its like them getting presents at Christmas....their faces light up and they all start singing it in Spanish. I am also learning how to play the piano because no one knows how to here so for church I want to be able to play the hymns. So we went out proselyting and ended up at a house that had a huge pit bull, it was horrifying. It came running out at us barking and nipped my hand. This is one of many dogs that have come running after me! So this week we went and talked with a girl named Zury. There is an older man that lives with her family, I think he is her uncle. He was trying to talk to me and I was trying to understand him, but it is still really difficult for me. He told me he wanted to come closer to God and that he feels Him a lot in his life, but what more can he do. He told me he couldn't read, so scriptures have been something he struggles with. I bore my testimony to him about how hard Spanish has been for me to learn and understand, but by reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish I have learned so much and understand more. I know its with the power of our Heavenly Father that I can do this and it only happens when I trust in the Lord and have faith knowing He can help me. He looked at me and asked much did a Book of Mormon cost? I told him it was a gift, and that he could keep it. He also said he would come to church this Sunday! It was truly an amazing experience. I know that was the power of our loving Heavenly Father. I have faith that He can learn to read with all my heart. I could see in his eyes he wants to know more so with his faith he will be able to, and that was my promise to him! I have had the opportunity to read the Book of Mormon in two weeks. I have highlighted every word that pertains to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I would challenge you to do the same. You realize how God has helped in the people's lives as well as ours now.. I know this Book is true, and it has blessed my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to share this truth with others...I love you all and miss you tons.

Trujillo Peru Temple

I have attached a video of pictures from the Trujillo Temple. I know you all will love it!

I am thankful for the little things in life!

Wow, it has been a long week for me.....I think I have fleas! I itch all over....so not fun. I also got to try beans this week, which many of you know that I hate beans...ew, ew, ew, but I pushed through it. I also have eaten an avocado which wasn't too bad! So I found out that there isn't enough missionaries here so they are saying if you have the priesthood here and are worthy and of age they will call people to the work without an actual mission call! It's really intense. I got a package from my mom today, it almost made me cry seeing all the food, especially the Peanut butter and Nutella! It's funny how much you appreciate the little things in life that we seem to not even pay attention to .Honestly it has been a really hard week, but I know that we are given weaknesses to see all the good in our lives. I am so thankful for the little things in my life and notice them so much more. I love and miss all of you!

FOOD.......I'm so happy!!!!!




 

Temple's are a blessing!

 Well we got moved into our apartment. We live in Huanchaco. My companion and I have been working at the Trujillo temple everyday. The open house is this whole month. It is a beautiful temple. 1000s of people came to the Trujillo Temple today. There were busses from Piura, Chimbote, Casma, Otusco and Huamachuco, and people from Guadalupe, Cajamarca, Trujillo. It was amazing to see so many who entered the house of the Lord and the sacrifice of those who traveled 8, 10, and 12 hours to walk on temple grounds and feel the Spirit of the Lord. After the reception at the temple I noticed a man crying and walked over to him to see if he was alright. He said he felt something....something he doesn't understand. I explained to him that the feeling he was having was the Holy Ghost bearing testimony of the truthfulness of what he saw and heard. I was able to share a Book of Mormon with him and all he kept saying was " I need this feeling and want to know more!" It was awesome.....How was Mother's Day for everyone? I hope everyone had a great day. It was good to see and talk to my family. It made me homesick though. I hate being homesick. Sometimes it feels like I have no one to talk to because my comp doesn't speak any English and I have no clue what she is saying most of the time. I do know I can talk to my Heavenly Father and this brings me so much comfort. I know that the language will come eventually and this is a trial I will be able to overcome with the Lord's help. Keep praying for me....I do feel the help from all your prayers. Send me letters...I love them. I love all of you, have a great week.

Huanchaco

My apartment

We live right next to the beach.

What I see from my window! Rooftops!

The line to enter the Temple at the Open house

The Field is White and Ready to Harvest.....

05/06/15
I made it to Trujillo! We left last night and I am staying at the mission president's home tonight. I get my companion tomorrow. Her name is Sister Cervante. She grew up in Chili, but now lives in Trujillo. She will be my trainer for the next 3 months. The mission president took us directly to the Trujillo temple. He spoke to us about the importance of the temple and the great privilege it is to invite people to the temple to receive the blessings from the Lord. I am so thankful to be a part of this work and to have the blessing of a temple so close. I am so excited to get to talk to the family on Mother's Day! Have a great week......

John 4: 35-36

Meeting my companion for the first time.

I got cold cereal!!!!! Hooray!

Last week at the CCM

It has been a crazy couple of weeks for me and I haven't had a lot of time to write! It is my last week at the CCM, I can't hardly believe it. I was able to attend the Lima temple. They let all us missionaries go before sending us to our mission area. It was an awesome experience to do it all in Spanish. They give you cards to help you out, but they ran out and I had to repeat everything that this temple worker was saying and she was speaking so fast I could hardly understand her, so that made it a little scary. I was able to sit and ponder and pray in the Celestial room of the temple and what an awesome experience it was for me. As I sat there I felt a heaviness on my shoulder, like someone resting there hand there. I looked up and saw no one but had the distinct impression that Colton was there.....I am so thankful for this wonderful blessing and miracle. I know he watches over me. We also had the opportunity to teach English to some of the missionaries there. It was so much fun, and to be able to help others the way they have helped me felt great! In one of my classes this week I had to randomly pick somebody that I knew and loved and that was struggling with different things in there life and had to be them as I was being taught the gospel for a training. It was one of the most spiritual experiences I have had here. I cried the whole time, and the love I felt for this person was overwhelming! I am thankful to be taught by the Spirit and able to have these experiences. I have had a feeling that things will not be easy in the mission field at first, but I know that as I am obedient and listen to the Spirit and do all I can that the Lord will make up the rest. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve the Lord and the people of Peru!

Week 4......It's been a long week!

This week was super long because we got to go out proselyting and it was sooooo humbling! We went to North Lima and the city literally looks like the aftermath of an atomic bomb, the people are so pooor. The first house that we went to their door was just a piece of plywood and inside their house they only had dirt floors and it was only a one room, it was sooo sad! It loooked like they lived in a shed. We also got to go teach a 17 year old girl who is a member but less active. It was a neat experience. My Spanish is better, I am trying my hardest to learn as much as I can. We get to go to the temple next week, I am excited for that. So I have a challenge for everyone!!!! Try to talk to somebody every week about the gospel....It can be hard, but the blessings are worth it. I am sorry I didn't get to really write a whole lot this week, we were so busy. I will write more next week. I am excited to leave the CCM, only 2 more weeks! I miss good food, like Chic-fil-A! Love you all and miss you. I hope you take my challenge!

Love,
Hermana Bronson

Lima, Peru, Temple

My District

CCM....week 3!

So this week was Crazy!!! I love all my teachers, they are amazing and like older siblings to me. Hermano Onompa plays futbol with us and is super funny. They are the best teachers to have. It's like I'm in a room full of comedians, I am always laughing and smiling which keeps me sane while I'm in class most of the day! So I tried a new fruit this week. Its called Granadia. It is like peeling an orange but the inside looks like a brain and is slimy but so gooooood! I can eat so many, but it also ends me up in the bathroom. :) During our practice lessons we were with an Hermana. We talked about baptism and she kept asking why her baptism wasn't valid..........how do you tell someone that!!!!! We literally were not talking during that lesson, the Spirit was and took over. When we walked out we asked her to be baptized, Holy Smokes, the Spirit was so powerful, probably the most powerful experience yet here. We also got to hear from a member of the quorum of the 70. He spoke in Portuguese so we had to wear headsets that translated everything for us. He answered questions us missionaries had about the doctrine. It's weird writing in English, my brain is trying to translate it all to Spanish. I don't know lots of words, but I know that with the information I have I can use it to share the Gospel. I have been able to teach 10-15 minute lessons in Spanish.....it's really incredible the gift of tongues and the help from our Heavenly Father. There is an Elder in my district who always gets to be a fake investigator. He is always so goofy and loud, until it comes to this moment......His whole personage changes instantly. The investigator is his dad who is inactive and drinks. His parents are divorced. I can tell by the way he looks, it's a look of sadness. To play your dad like that would be a very spiritual experience. He has a desire for his dad to change. It brought tears to my eyes thinking about this. He is still out here on a mission and striving to do good. I'm grateful to have been born into a family with the gospel. I want families to be together forever and that is one of my reasons of serving a mission. The gospel blesses families. I love this gospel..... from it I strive to come unto Christ as well as inviting others to do so as well. Look at the little things, the beautiful things that you are blessed with...your family, the laughter, smiles, triumphs, even the trials given to us to strengthen our faith and testimonies. Know this day that Heavenly Father is there watching, and waiting for you to come unto Him. With and open heart and mind you may receive the truth testified by the Holy Ghost. For all that is good comes from our Savior Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. I miss you all and love you!
      Love,
Hermana Bronson

CCM....Week 2!

Hey Guys! Well this week was great! We are teaching the lessons already, but in Spanish. Man it's a struggle. The language is really hard. I can't understand when people say stuff to me, but I can say stuff really well, and when you don't know what to do....you just go "BAM" testimony time hahaha. I've only been gone 2 weeks.....It feels like forever. I'm not sick with the dragon anymore, I think my body has adjusted. :) General conference was really good here, besides sitting on hard chairs for the whole thing....My favorite talk was by Wilford W. Anderson because it talked about music and dancing...lol. So we have been playing gringo soccer. I really stink at it, but we play everyday, so I should get pretty good. It's kinda cool that I'm playing soccer in South America. We get newbies this week and I'm so excited to get to know them all. We got to go to the temple store  which is like somebody's little apartment, and I bought a scripture bag with a Llama on it! I also got to go to a 3 level store like Walmart...Uhhhhh YaY! There is Nutella here but no Dr. Pepper, makes me sad! So it's pretty much like high school here at the CCM, but I'm in class all day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.. By the end of the day I can't even think straight. My brain feels like its on overload. My companion is from Utah, her name is Sister Ragsdale, and she is pretty much like me. That is a blessing. All the people here are so nice. We taught one of the Latino Elders here how to say "See ya later alligator, In awhile crocodile. He was confused about the whole phrase, but he understands now. Oh by the way dad, all the Elders here have pocket knives...lol. We aren't allowed to listen to any music here at all. I catch myself singing and have to start singing I am a child of God! So Dylon I haven't seen one airplane in the sky while I have been here, and there are seriously only like 4 stars in the sky. I found out there is like 10 different kinds of mangos here and more than 100 types of potatoes!!! :) Makes me so happy!!!! So we were teaching this guy about Joseph Smith this week, and he asked " Why Joseph Smith?" As we were trying to explain to him about Joseph Smith I heard "Testimony" pop into my head, so I opened my mouth and bore my testimony to him on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. You could feel the thickness of the spirit in the room. This has happened many times during lessons and on other occasions. Sometimes I feel like I am so out of it and feel like I can't think, speak, or understand anything. It's good though because we learn so much from our triumphs and mistakes. We can preach, but it is the spirit that teaches through us, without Him there is no conversion.  Keep the prayers coming. Sometimes when I just want to sit back, something keeps me going, and I know it's your prayers. We watched Meet the Mormons this week and it made me really homesick, but I have great Hermanas that act like a mom to me :) so I will be ok. The spirit is always with us here as long as we are in exact obedience (I miss being loud)....I can hear the spirit so much more now though. Even though I feel uber stressed, and my brain hurts and the language is slow, it is all worth it, to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ! The Holy Ghost bears witness of this to me whenever I start to doubt. Don't ever brush off the prompting of the Spirit, you will regret it....Thank you mom and dad for everything you taught me! Be super duper loud for me to keep it chaotic there, that's my specialty! Write me letters, I really need them. I love you all and hope you are doing good. Love.....Hermana Bronson

First week down!

I can't believe how fast this week went by! So much has happened. I don't have a lot of time. The electricity has been out because we had an earthquake this morning,.......it was terrifyingly  awesome!!!!! I am having loads of fun, everything is so fast paced here. I have made so many friends already, including the cute little latino sisters...(legit as small as Kari!) My Spanish is sooo bad....it's ok, it's coming though. I 've learned as much here in 6 days than all the years of Spanish I took. My companion is awesome, her name is Hermana Ragsdale....she is exactly like me! It's really hot here, but seriously not that bad. I'm getting a tan on my lower legs...woohoo. Now these legs won't reflect the sun like mirrors. The food is good. You guessed it, I have potatoes every meal, muy fantastica.... it makes me cry :) I've had awesome churros, rice, weird fruit, delicious bread, and meat. I STILL DON'T EAT THE BEANS! All us missionaries are sick with puking and  "The dragon who breathes Fire!" hence, we are slaying the dragon,(ask my mom if you want to know). I can bear my testimony is Spanish now. The language is definitely the hardest part. One Elder here reminds me of you dad with lots of Jim Carey! He is hilarious. It makes me miss you even more. Dad I love you sooo sooo much. I get to wear pants tomorrow...Halleluiah! It's P day and we are going outside the walls without leaders. I get to ride a sketchy bus with muchas personas. People are psycho path drivers here. There are no speed limits and everyone always honks their horns and gets as close as possible to everyone else. There are a lot of rules, but it's ok, I keep them all :) I get so tired at the end of the day, I can't even think straight. My brain is done. We play sports everyday. Ok, when playing sports, garments and clothes are miserable! I can wring out my clothes and sweat will drip.....props to me! We are teaching our first lessons today....lol train wreck! but good learning experience. I bore my testimony is sacrament meeting in Spanish. Dang the spirit here is strong!! Hermana Sinks is so funny, she is exactly like Jackie, so it makes me happy! This truly is a great experience. I love it here and can't wait to get out and teach. I'm here to learn Spanish, Yo habla espanol muy mal. Oh, I'm senior companion which is way cool. Our district consists of 2 sets of Elders and 2 sets of Hermana's. So I got into trouble already! Can you guess what for?????? Ha, for laughing too loud. There's so much stuff, I can't get it all in, but I will write everything down. This Gospel is truly real. I can feel it all around me. I can see it in these missionaries eyes. I know I'm supposed to be here. The Holy Ghost bears witness to me everyday! I know my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me. I love you Mom, Dad, Paige, Dylon, Macie, Ellie, and Coy. I miss you so much and love you guys sooo soo much. Hasta Luego my familia!!!!!! Te quiero mi familia. Open your eyes.....See angels......and look for miracles. Yo se que Jesus Cristo es mi Salvador.

                                            Love Hermana Bronson

P.S. Tell everyone to write me letters, I need them!

Peru MTC

The flight was ubbbeerr long and a guy had a stroke on the plane! I got here safe and the humidity here isn't that bad it just feels like a sauna. So I wont ever be cold I guess. I got my official nametag today and it was pretty cool. The city here is like Burley. There are a lot of buildings that are destroyed and broken up from the mudslides. I can already feel the spirit really strong here. I don't think I prayed that much ever in my entire life yesterday haha I got a crack out of it. When I got off the plane and was driving to the MTC like at 1:30 this morning I just got an overwhelming calm feeling that this is where I'm supposed to be. Make sure that the kids read their scriptures, it really does help and my P day is Wednesday so that is when we will be able to email. If I want to haha JK!  It already feels like I have been here for awhile... which is strange I'm not nervous at all! Love you guys hope you are doing awesome!!!}

The journey begins....

From the time I received my call until I was set apart has been an awesome learning experience. I was able to go to the temple right away to receive my own endowment. I wanted to be able to attend it as much as possible before I left. I was given a calling to serve in the temple and that has taught me so much but also strengthened my testimony of the temple and families. I am so excited for my mission. I am ready to start my journey as a missionary and forever more a servant of the Lord!

See Ya!

Atlanta airport with Sister Sinks