September 30

Hello world!  Okay.  So I have so much to say.  So many miracles, so many stories, so much amazingness.

So this might be a little tiny bit lengthy but I promise you it will be worth it!

So to start off, let me tell you about Celeste.

She is one of the most faithful, amazing, and prepared people I have ever met in my mission.  In my life, actually.  She is the product of years of pain and mistakes.  But she is indescribable.

We went over there randomly one night.  Sister Fredrickson just got this overwhelming feeling that we needed to go... and we hadn't earlier because she lives like 20 minutes away in a different little city.

So we started the journey (mind you, we don't have a GPS so I am trying to figure out how the heck to use a map and direct Sister Fredrickson without accidentally taking us to San Francisco- which would be very very bad news).

Anyway.  We finally get there, and after some more adventure we find her house.  So she invites us in (mind you, this is our first time meeting her) and we are talking to her and stuff and we meet her family.  Rafael (16), Firmen (15), Cesar (14), Melody (8), Coco and Chiyo (2), and Abel (1).  And they are just the sweetest family.

So we were talking to her about what missionaries in the past have taught her, and then she just started opening up about how we were a direct answer to her prayer.  Earlier that day she was angry at God.  She has gone through a lot- and she was mad that things were happening this way.  And she was just talking to Him.  Saying how she feels like she was forsaken.  She was just going to leave.  She was so mad that she felt blind.  She had no idea where she was going to go, but she was going to leave.

And then we showed up literally an hour later.

We were not planning on it.

Nor did we know why.

Miracles really do happen.

So we went by the next day and started talking to her and halfway through she realized that Rafael had left. He and Celeste had gotten in an argument and so him leaving was not a good thing.  And so they ran out trying to find him and after a while, there was no success. And at that moment, Sister Fredrickson and I both had this mental image of us driving down a street and finding him.  We both described the street perfectly the same way and so we knew that we had to go find him.  Even though we had no idea where this street was. So we told Celeste we needed to leave and she just looked at us and said, "can we pray?" SO MUCH FAITH!  AH! So we got everyone gathered and prayed together.  

And then we left.  And after a while of driving around and literally just turning where the Spirit told us to turn, we found him.  Walking down the same exact street we had pictured.

That night we set a date for him to be baptized. 

Celeste and her other two sons drove by on their bikes a little while later and after seeing us she said, "I knew you guys would find him!  I just knew it!  The pack is reunited!"

I wish I could describe just how we felt at that moment.

Literally on top of the world.

Nothing is better than being an instrument in the Lord's hands.  Nothing.

"In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of greater importance"

-President Uchtdorf

I love being a missionary.

So!  Funny story of the week.

Sister Fredrickson and I live in a basement.  And it is fine, except we have a lot of little critter friends.

So the other day we go home and I walk into the kitchen and there is this GIANT spider.  Just chilling.  So if we would have killed it, it would have gotten gross guts everywhere!  I definitely didn't want that!  So my thought was just use the cup and paper trick.  That is always how we caught scorpions back home, so yeah!

But the spider was giant and up against the wall.  So there was no way to get it in the cup.

So there was like 15 minutes of me walking super close to the spider, trying to get it in the cup, and then having an emotional breakdown and screaming and running away.  So eventually, Sister Fredrickson put it in the cup and I did the paper deal, flipped it over, and now it is our pet(:  We fed it a cricket this morning.

I am not really sure what to do with it now.  I don't want to kill it, but I don't want to set it free and then find it eating my companion the next day.  Because I am pretty sure it could eat her whole.

So yeah!

Yay!  I love you all!  

And I challenge you to pray to be the answer to someone's prayer this week and then send me a letter all about it!

I LOVE LETTERS!

Love,

Hermana Bryant

Sept 23

OH hello folks!  It is just me, saying hello from SAN RAFAEL!

So... For all of ya'll who don't know, it is the city right above San Francisco.  So if we take the freeway accidentally too far, we cross the ocean and end up in a different mission.

It has been a source of anxiety for us thus far.

Anyway.  It is SO BEAUTIFUL here.  It is all hill-y and covered in trees.  And there are actually store and places you can shop!

Even though there isn't a wal-mart....  Which is super sad.  Because Safeway is super expensive!

I thought I was the time of girl who could be all farmy and stuff... but nope.  I am a city girl ALL THE WAY.

(:

Anyway!  I am in a Spanish branch here.  Which is so amazing!  I feel like a greeny again...  Mostly because I don't understand anything.  Yep. I thought I knew something, but I don't.

Hopefully by the end of these 6+ weeks here I will have some idea of what is going on.

So Sister Fredrickson is my new companion.  She is from Texas and she is just so sweet and so fun!  I already love her to death!  We are definitely going to tear this place up!

And we are opening the area here.  Which is the same thing I did up in my last area... SO basically we have nothing and we get to start from scratch(:  Which always has its perks!  We get to talk to a lot of people.  So that is fun!

We are living in the basement of this adorable couple.  She is from the Dominican Republic.  And he is from Italy.  And he happens to be a retired chef.

And I happen to be in HEAVEN because we eat there once a week.

I don't know why I get so spoiled sometimes.

Also, the members here really feed us.  Like dinner every night!  So that is just amazing.  Holy cow.  I have got to start running...

But yeah!  Oh! It rained the other day.  Like poured.  That is not something I have had to deal with yet... So that was exciting.  

And the traffic poses its own adventures as well.

Basically life here is extremely different.  And it is sad to not be with the people I grew to love, but I know I am supposed to be here.  It is hard, but when is life easy?(:  

 And for anyone who loves me, or who doesn't love me but still wants to make my day, feel free to send me surprises to my new address which is:

31 Carroll Ct.

San Rafael, CA 94903

I love you all and have an amazing week!

Remember who you are!

Sept 16

Well... this is a sad day.  I am leaving good old Clearlake.

Words will never be able to describe just how unique this place is.

I will never have experiences where we are driving through a neighborhood and almost die because this is ahead 

Nor will I get to wear some awesome authentic Panchos...

Nor will my mission leader have an amazing curly mustache

But... I guess it is time for me to leave home.

And I am leaving to go to San Rafael... which is in the southernmost part of our mission.  It is in the bay area, right about San Francisco.

In other words, I am going from this super secluded small town where there are only two roads going in and out to a big city on the coast.

This should be interesting....

I am definitely going to miss Sister Chavez!  And this whole zone!  The missionaries here are phenomenal.  Ah, they are so good.  And the people here are so amazing too.  I am so heartbroken to have to leave them...

You get so attached!  It is kinda unfair to be a missionary sometimes.  You can't afford not to open up and love them, but then you do and you have to leave/:  It is especially hard because you do everything that you can to make sure these people are doing the right things.  And when you leave, your biggest fear is that they will fall back into old habits or lose sight of who they are. 

But I can only imagine how sad Heavenly Father gets when He has to send us all down here to Earth.  He knows He has to let us go, but He is terrified that we are going to do the same thing, lose sight of ourselves!

Don't lose sight of who you truly are!

So funny story of the week...

On Monday, I had a mini breakdown because I was pretty sure I had completely forgotten how to cook and that escalated into me thinking that I am never going to get married, and if I do, my kids and husband will die of starvation.

Anyway, it was a moment.  So I decided I needed tor redeem myself and make some of my mom's good old Chicken Pot Pie!

Well... int the process of trying to buy everything, I locked the keys in the car.

Worst thing ever.

Luckily, the Zone Leaders are amazing and came and somehow broke into the car and got them out.  I am pretty sure it was only possible because we said a prayer beforehand.

PRAYER WORKS!

So... the adventure continued and with a few more disasters, we finally made some good old Chicken Pot Pie.  And my companion actually liked it!  (With Valentina, of course.)

Bottom line, I think I will be able to continue living.

I love you all so much!  Keep up the good work and don't forget that you were made to shine!

September 9

I feel really lame for not really having anything to report this week...

My companion and I have been working SO hard trying to find people to teach on Facebook and Skype.

We have seen results, too!  The work is hastening!

I guess all I have to say is that I love you all so much.  I am so grateful for every single person I have ever met.  Seriously.  I owe who I am today to those people around me.  I have been given so much and I have so much to be grateful for!  Including every single one of you who has helped me, put a smile on my face, prayed for me, sent me love, made me feel good about myself... etc.  I am such a lucky person.  And I love all of you so much!

When times get too hard to stand, kneel.

You can do this life, thing.  Sometimes it is hard,  but when you unite with those around you, then everything falls into place.

Don't judge, and treasure every single person around you, especially your family.

"NEVER let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." (President Monson)

I have a testimony of that.  I know that every one needs loved.  Nobody deserves to be hated.

And I love you all.  If you didn't know that before, I am so sorry.

I LOVE YOU!

September 2

Today the miracle is named David Ruiz.

And he is amazing.

Here we go.  We first met David our third week here in Clearlake.  We were teaching a different man (this was my first lesson ever) when this man, totally drunk out of his mind came up to us.  His wife was on the phone with him, yelling at him because she wanted him to get his life straightened out.  

So he started talking to Sister Chavez, asking if we taught about Jesus.  Of course, she said yes and totally ditched me from the lesson.  Mind you, this was our third week and I had no idea how to communicate with anyone.  So I just kind of stood there while Sister Chavez was talking to this guy.

I hate to admit that I was so confused.  Clearly he was not in a good place.

But he wanted to change, and that is all that matters.

So we started teaching him.

He talks faster than any other spanish speaker I have heard.  Holy cow.

At first, I thought nope.  I cannot do this.  I can't understand him, he is always talking, he is always drunk, he has a long time until he can make these changes.

But then Sister Chavez and I really started to realize how amazing he is.  And now, he is one of our favorite investigators to teach.

I mean, members to teach(:

Yep, that is right.

Meet Brother Ruiz.

Because he is amazing. And he has overcome to much.  So much.

There are not words to describe how far he has come.  Because he is one of the strongest people I have ever met in my entire life.  

My life has changed because of David Ruiz(:

Moral of the story:

Do not judge(:  Because legit, you don't know who they are to become.

In other news.  We had to go to Lakeport to get some stuff figured out when on the way, our Check Tire light came on.

No big deal, I thought.  We can do this.

So we went to the gas station and started fiddling around with things.  I had seen my mom fill up tires plenty of times- what would be so different about this?

Well. We figured it out sorta... and then Sister Chavez decided we needed to check our oil.

Yep.... we ended up calling the Elders and they came and did it for us(:

As excited as we were to get a truck, we decided that we have a lot more learning to do when it comes to cars...

Well. I love you all so much.  

Remember, "it was the worst of times, it was the best of times"

Right now is the best of times(: