Week 78 - And then the time goes by . . . .

February 6, 2017

Hello everyone!

So this is it! I really don't believe that it actually comes to an end! Well, the being in Iquitos part of it. A missionary life lives forever if you do it right! This week was full of so many great things and put a beautiful ending to my mission. 

Me, with my sweet, sweet pensionista!

I have always had this thing in the mission that if a someone is not working right, my theory is that often I can love them into it. Love often works miracles! That is something we have been trying to do with our Relief Society president. I really just love her and she has so so many good qualities, so we decided to serve here and then as a result, her confidence in us grew and we were able to find a less active through her that sat and cried as we taught her of the desires to feel clean again. The Lord really does work through mysterious ways. 

Us with N* who has a son on a mission! She is working to be baptized!

We visited a family last night that we have been visiting off and on over the past couple weeks. They have had some really strong marriage and family problems, and I think because of it have been more open to our message. After teaching the Restoration of  the Gospel of Jesus Christ last night, they said they did want to be baptized. It surprised me because the husband is really hard hearted, but it is amazing that learning the doctrine can change people!

Also this is me with my last convert and the next progressing investigator, her daughter.

I wanted to end with my testimony of the truthfulness of this church, of this gospel and of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives. He has been my constant strength through these passing weeks and months, that are now turning into years. I know that God has a plan for each and every one of us. 

Despedida (farewell) with the mission president and his wife! 

I love you all and am excited to see you! Love you!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Briggs

Discovering Life'sPurpose

Week 77 - Repentance & Fasting is Amazing!

Hello y'all!

So this week was absolutely incredible! I'll just highlight a few points.

My sweet comps!

We had zone conference and also a world wide conference this week where they talked about the importance of teaching repentance. To help us do it better they changed the schedule of the mission and also the numbers that we use! Everything is much more to the agency of the missionaries in being able to plan their own day! It's so cool! But, it basically starts when I get home :( 

 Our pensionista's mom, who bought us aguaje(water) icecream!

Also, on Saturday, we decided to fast to be able to find families and to complete the mission baptism goal. Well, we immediately started to see miracles happen. Almost all the people we found committed to come to church and 3 of them actually did come on Sunday! We went to visit a family that we thought would progress but they didn't want to let us in. We remembered a contact we had there and found a group of 4 guys all watching "Batman." They let us in (with a member) and we taught them about the Sabbath day. Well, turns out one of them has a family and wants to get baptized, another went to a baptism in our ward 3 weeks ago and also wants to get baptized and the other 2 are interested! What an answer to our fast! 

Our district!

Then, to make it even better all of the missionaries in our zone came to tract or contact people in our area for 2 hours! We got a total of 40 references! So, God really more than answered our fast because I don't know how we are going to contact all those references!

 Alma 26:22 "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

Our Zone!

I know this is the work of God. People may reject. They may say that there is no way possible to become like our Father, but I know there is. It is through our Savior and Redeemer. I love Him with all my heart and hope I can serve Him with every last little bit of strength I have this week. Love you all to the moon and back! Keep smiling!

Con amor,

Hermana Briggs

The sweet sisters I'm finishing with!

"The Divine Gift of Repentance"

This is from an awesome article, "Repentance" by Mariel Wangsgard, on Mormon.org.

Week 76 - This is the Lord's Work and Lots of Companions!

January 23, 2017

Hello Familia!

Well this was probably the most companions I have had in one week! I had visits from 2 sisters this week and we were able to do splits and conquer a lot! 

We also got a new companion this week named Hermana Pac. I love her! She was trained by Hermana Wood and they act just the same! We have had some adjustments but really after already being in a trio, I just love it! We went to the airport 3 times this week to pick up and drop off sisters. 

I had a little experience this week when I was on exchanges with a sister from our ward. The family we were going to visit wasn't home, and so we went to visit another sister. On the way there, I saw a young woman sitting in her motokar on her phone. I felt impressed to contact her, so I did. We found out she was studying English and French and didn't have much time to listen to us. So, I asked her if I could help her with her English. So, there in the middle of the street, we practiced English. When she asked me what I love about Iquitos, I told her it was sharing the gospel with people. She ran into her house to grab her schedule and said "you can come back to visit me Monday, Thursday or Sunday." I know that service opens people's hearts and fills their souls with love. 

Never forget what your savior did for you and what glorious opportunity you have to share this gospel with others! I know this is the Lord's work!

I'm loving it here! Don't worry! If you can believe it, I even enjoy the heat at this point! Sorry it's so short this week! Enjoy the pictures! 

Love you tons!

Hermana Briggs

Are You Sleeping Through the Restoration?

Week 75 - Where Can I Go? & Line upon Line . . .

January 16, 2016

Hello everyone!!! 

This week has been crazy with its ups and downs, but I am always in awe to see how much God plays the center role in our lives. 

I think I mentioned that we were teaching our recent convert's daughter. Well, this week she accepted a baptism date! She came to church even though she wasn't feeling good and is so ready to change her life. She just kept saying that she wanted to feel the peace that her mom and brother had felt from the gospel. We are going to eat lunch with them today too :)

Alligator Sandwich!  It was sooo good!

We were walking down the street to visit an investigator because our other appointment had fallen through, and we found a woman who invited us into her house and although she was very catholic, when she heard about living prophets she asked us, "And where can I go to find this prophet?? Like his address, his phone number?" We talked to her about the restoration and she committed stronger than anyone I've ever met to pray to know if Joseph Smith restored the same Gospel that Jesus Christ organized on the earth. I know the Lord guides our paths!

Hermana Rodriguez always keeps me light on my feet and so happy. This week when I was a little down she told me a joke in Spanish, but still is funny in English..."What sound does a gorillas doorbell make? King kong, king kong." Its really not that funny, but her sweet spirit just made me laugh. I'm so grateful for those little celestial moments. 

Keep looking for those little moments every day! That is what life is composed of...lots of little moments. "Line upon line, precept upon precept." (Isaiah 28:10, and 2nd Nephi 28:30) We can't change everything in one day to the next, but God can help us one moment to the next. 

I love this Gospel and am so so grateful to be serving in Peru! 

Love you all! Keep smiling!

Con amor,

Hermana Briggs

Sorry there aren't pics...the computer doesn't want to work with me today :)

Week 74 - 7,000 Miracles!

January 9, 2016

Well, hello, everyone!

So #1, I love miracles….and #2 I love being a missionary because you get front row seats to see all of God miracles that He has to offer if we are willing to folllow Him and be obedient, even when we are tired or don't know what to do. I want to call this week 7000 miracles!

Only to hit a few, it was Hermana Rodriguez’s birthday on Thurday…so we ate 3 leches, and paneton and icecream and lots of great stuff. But when we went to work that afternoon, all of our appointments fell through and everyone we contacted rejected us. She was super disappointed, especially because it was her birthday. I told her God had a bigger plan for us and we kept going. Later that night we went to a recent convert's house and felt prompted to invite her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend to come. We didn't think they would, but they did!!! We had a powerful lesson guided by the spirit and the boyfriend ended up coming to church on Sunday! We are going back today and really it was a complete miracle!

Also, while we were waiting for some hermanas (sisters) to come accompany us for the afternoon, we decided to contact a house in front of the chapel. They were super nice and we went back yesterday to visit them! As we got done with the lesson, one of them said, "I never knew I could receive answers from the spirit by feelings of peace in my life!" The spirit of God often gives us answers by giving us peace!

Well, keep smiling all of you! A smile can change the first impression you have with someone, which sets up the whole relationship you have with them. I know this church is true with all my heart and am soaking up every day I have to share that with the people in Iquitos. 

Wish I could say more!

Love you all!

Hermana Briggs

Hermana Rodriquez's birthday!

Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayers

Week 73 - Back to Iquitos and Great Plane Rides!

Baptism in Iquitos

January 2, 2017

Hello everyone!

SOOO . . . I'm not in Tarapoto anymore! I just bawled when I had to leave! I really had grown to love the people there, and really just everything about Tarapoto SO much. BUT, I got changed to IQUITOS! And I am training a sister that just started the mission less than 2 months ago! Her name is Hermana Rodriguez, from Lima, and she is the biggest sweetheart EVER! She is one of the hardest working missionaries I've met!  When I got here there was already a baptism programmed for this Saturday! So what did we do? We had a baptism :) The candidate is also one of the sweetest people ever!

I met this awesome woman on the plane to Iquitos!

Leaving Tarapoto

I feel like I had a lot of really good spiritual experiences this week . . . from trying to follow the spirit and from prayer. When we were on the plane to go from Lima to Iquitos, (because there isn't a direct flight from Tarapoto to Iquitos, so you have to go to Lima first) I was praying for an opportunity to share the gospel with someone. Well, it turns out they had changed my seat, so I got to sit between 2 people! Usually people think that's the worst spot, but as a missionary I love it because it gives you 2 people who are stuck next to you for 1-2 hrs to talk to. I talked to them both and had 2 of the most spiritual lessons in my life. Hermana *C had so many questions and I was able to help her answer them with the Book of Mormon. I know that book is true with all my heart. I had brought a Book of Mormon by "accident" but God really knew why. I was able to leave that book with her and she wants to know so much more about the church! I am so grateful God answers our prayers when we ask with desires to do His will. 

Down to Lima and back to Iquitos!

About Hermana Rodriguez - man that sister is filled with the spirit! I love training because I get to help develop the kind of missionary they will be. I'm definitely not perfect, but I love seeing how excited she gets when the spirit helps us and we know exactly what to say or what to do. In one of our first lessons together, the lesson was struggling and so was the investigator. The investigator left the room for a minute, and during that time Hermana Rodriguez asked if we could say a prayer. We did and the rest of the lesson went beautifully! He accepted a baptism date too! The Lord looks out for those who seek Him.

I love this work! I really could just stay here for the rest of my life. I love you all so much! Keep smiling brightly! 

Love, 

Hermana Briggs

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Week 72 - Christmas & Jesus Christ Lives!

 December 26, 2016

Familia y amigos!
So this week was really such a good week just to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ! It made me grateful for the little moments...making the nativity video, singing in the plaza and contacting millions of families, eating panettone (click here to see pictures), sending off a sister who was finishing her mission, and also having the privilege to have Hna Gomez with us! She is the other missionary by the tree! She just started her mission 6 weeks ago and her trainer went home so she has been our little sister for a few days! I have learned so much from her humility. 

Singing in the Plaza

We did some service for a less active who introduced us to her sister! I love references because they have the most probability to progress! The other pic is of the A* family! I love this family so much! They are coming back to church and are so persevering! This day was one of the little moments I will always treasure. Everyone was so happy and we were bouncing questions off the kids. There is such a peace that comes to a home when the gospel is there. 

I love this family!

This Christmas Sunday, the most special part was probably taking the sacrament on the day that we remember our Savior, Jesus Christ. I really could feel his sacrifice for me and the divinity of his life on earth! I KNOW He is our Savior and Redeemer! He lives and because of that we will live again as well!

Sending off a missionary

Also, family, I loved seeing you! I really don't believe you are all that big and that so many of you have had voice changes! 

I love you all! Keep smiling brightly to light the world with the light of the Savior!

Con amor,

Hermana Briggs

Below is a video of me and my extended family reciting a document entitled, "The Living Christ" for my grandparents for Christmas! It was written by the apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We add our testimony to theirs of the divinity of Jesus Christ and his role as our Savior and Redeemer.  Hope you enjoy! Merry Christmas!

Answers to questions:
-There are about 117,000 people living in Tarapoto. 
-Tarapoto is hot hot! (It was close to 100 F today!), but it does cool down at night.  It is less humid than Iquitos (which is surrounded by water)!  Although the summers here are hotter than the winters, there are more rains to cool things off.
-People call me "Elsa" here:)
-The people eat lots of fish here and in Iquitos, but they don't necessarily serve it to us "gringas," because at some point someone told the pensionistas we don't like fish! I love fish.  They fry the entire fish, (head and all) and then you eat the entire thing:)

Week 71 - Floods, Rejection, Baptisms and Mangoes!

December 19, 2016

Hello everyone!!

I don't even know where to start! SO much happened this week!

This week we had a lot of rejection, but I think that it was necessary to find the chosen ones. We had so much rejection one day that literally every single person we contacted didn't want anything to do with us.  One literally ran inside and turned off her light and shut her door. BUT that does not mean that miracles did not happen!

Hna I* (the one in the pic) accepted a baptismal date and is going to be baptized the 28th of January!!!! Her conversion process has been so cool! She can barely walk and grab things because of a bone disease but came to church with us yesterday! She kept asking all sorts of questions, like "what is Zion," during the songs :)

Also we had a Christmas devotional that was so, so good this week! I learned about becoming more converted to our Savior Jesus Christ. I know He was born for ME, that he died for ME and that He did it for EVERYONE of you as well. We enjoyed singing Christmas songs together and eating good food...paneton as well!

It flooded this week! We helped one of our investigators, whose house had flooded!

Well love you all! I hope you all have a beautiful Christmas wherever you may be!

Love you all to the moon and back!

Keep smiling!

Hermana Briggs

Also, I've turned into the mango Santa Clause :) 

Week 70 - Be With Him

December 12, 2016

Hello Everyone!!! Feliz Navidad otra vez!

So this week was amazing! We did service with our sweet investigator B*, helping her make food to sell! She has a foot that swells up every time she works from an accident she had, but she is determined to make the money she needs to get married! I am so excited for her; there are going to be some difficulties in the way, but we will get there! Her mom is also in this picture. When she prays she always asks God to forgive her for forgetting things because shes just a viejita (little old woman :) I love this family!

Making food. Love this family!

We did a sister change this week with the other sister in our zone and I got to know Hna Gomez. She has only been in the mission for 4 weeks but she is so humble and willing to learn. I am so grateful for her example.

I was reading in Matthew 12:30 today about being with the Lord or not. "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad." It really struck me that it is so simple. We are with him or not. I know that if we decide to be with him we will find the peace that is sung about during Christmas time! 

Love you all!

Hermana Briggs

Merry Christmas!

Loved this about Matthew 12:30 (Student Manual)

The Pharisees took an untenable position when they accused Jesus of using the power of the devil to do something good by healing a man possessed with a devil (see Matthew 12:22–24). The Savior taught that “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (Matthew 7:18). In challenging the Pharisees to “either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt” (Matthew 12:33), Jesus was telling them they needed to make a choice about Him. Because of His good works they could not consistently call Him evil, and they could not take a neutral position (see Matthew 12:30). Confronted with His testimony and good works, the Pharisees had to choose whether or not they would accept Him as the Christ and follow Him.
Christian writer C. S. Lewis taught that we too must make an all-or-nothing choice in response to Jesus Christ: “You must make your choice. Either this man [Jesus Christ] was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to” (Mere Christianity[1952], 41).
Elder Bruce R. McKonkie said, “There is, in fact, no such thing as neutrality where the gospel is concerned. Jesus said: ‘He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.’ (Matt. 12:30.) … If we do not sustain and uphold and support the kingdom of God in all things, we are thereby aiding a cause other than the Lord’s.”

Week 69 - I love the Book of Mormon & Beauty

Hiking in the mountains near Tarapoto.

December 5, 2016

Hola Familia,

Yes! Merry Christmas starts today...before today! I love the Christmas season so much! Sometimes I still wait for the snow to appear, but sadly it never will. But the Spirit of Christ is the thing that doesn't change world wide!

This week has been full of its ups and downs, but I'm always amazed that even through the struggles, I am always at peace and have joy. What Elder Nelson said in General Conference is so true . . .that it doesn't matter our circumstances whatsoever, what matters is where we have placed our trust.

I worked a lot with members this week because Hermana W. had to go to Iquitos for a training, so, I got left here alone. Hermana M. worked with me, and when I walked into her house her son was listening to music in English. I was helping her wash dishes and had the impression to show him the EFY music from 2015. I did and he LOVED it! So now he will only learn good words in English. :)

I* accepted a baptismal date for January! I am so so excited for her because she is gaining her own testimony of the Book of Mormon and that is the basis for her desire to join the church. I know the Book of Mormon is true and it is essential to know to know everything else. She has artrosis (osteoarthritis) and can't walk very well, or grab stuff well, so we will do her hair for her and walk her dog when we go. I love being able to serve her!

On Monday last week Hermana W. and I went to hike the mountain a little bit in the other sister's area. Oh, it is so, so, so beautiful there! We found a few cute little women washing their clothes in the river and we just enjoyed the beauty.

Cooking at home.

I am so grateful for the Savior, Jesus Christ and that through Him we can Iluminar el mundo! (Light the World) mormon.org That is the theme! Light the world every day with the Light of Christ! I am loving doing it!!

Love you all!

Keep smiling BRIGHTLY! Iluminen el mundo!

Con amor,
Hermana Briggs

Week 68 - Gratitude & Service

LIGHTtheWORLd

November 28, 2016

Familia!!!
So this week we definitely received all sorts of blessings and there are so many things to be grateful for!

Our pensionista made us a Thanksgiving lunch! It was so so good! The mashed potatoes were probably one part butter and one part cream...and then potatoes, but so good. I love that Hermana Wood loves to enjoy all the little things in life!

We did service this week helping Hna D. clean her kitchen and put up her Christmas tree! She has had breast cancer and is fighting so hard! I really, really look up to her and am so grateful for her example.

Now, to explain the Juane picture. One night we were going to our appointments, when by 7:30 all of them had fallen through. That had happened a lot this week and, so, we were praying for strength to keep going. I looked at my planner and decided to go to a contact that we had done earlier that week. We were walking there when I felt prompted to stop at a house. The woman was making Juanes and we asked if we could help! Usually people are quick to say no here, but she let us in and started teaching us how to make them! She loved having us there and we made an appointment to come back. Serving in little small ways blesses the lives of those we serve and our own lives. The scripture that stood out to me a lot this week was 2 Nephi 28:30...line upon line, precept upon precept. We learn everything this way and everything comes in life this way.

As we start the Christmas season keep looking for the little blessings in your life! I love you all so so much! 

Keep smiling :)

Con amor,

Hermana Briggs

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is starting a "Light the World" campaign, Dec. 1st.  For 25 days, follow the example of Jesus Christ, and do an act of service, small or large, to use your light to share His Light. #LIGHTtheWORLD

Click to see how you can add light to this season!

Iluminar el Mundo

Click here for fun kits to guide you & yours in Lighting the World!