Week 70

Hello Everybody...

Well, I realized I haven't ever shared any real personal experiences with you guys. I have shared ways how me and my companion have been able to help others spiritually, but not really ever about myself and the spirit helping me spiritually.. so her it goes!

For the last month I have been getting serious feelings.... about extending. I knew already when I started my mission that I would want to extend, I would want to serve the Lord forever... and wear a name tag while doing it :) Well, about a month ago these feeling were becoming stronger. The more the branch and zone would bring up me dying and going home soon, the more I refused. The more I hated it. The more worried it made me feel as well. Was I really ready to go home? Go back to Babylon? Had I really become all that the Father wanted me to be? Have I done all that I could have done with the time He has given me? I was mixed... was it my own fear of going home or the spirit telling me I had more to do. Throughout the 4 weeks I prayed about it constantly, I fasted, seeked the guidance of the prophets, and then emails President Maurer the week of zone interviews telling him how I had been feeling the past 4 weeks. I would get mino impressions of what I should be doing. You should go home.. but then something would happen and I would say no! I need to stay. I mean you can take 2 days of getting punted either way! Hahah, so on the day of interviews I knew.. I would finally get my answer! I would know what to do. This was also our first time meeting our new President and his wife, but I knew without a doubt, he would give me the answer I needed! And sure enough I did. It started off with the APs training involving the talk by Elder Holland The Miracle of a Mission. (I invite you all to read it!) They gave us such great advice on how to truly become and do all we are meant to do (partially an answer). Then as they were closing... Elder Santiago from Hawaii who has been such a great friend since I first got here said something along the lines of this: "Near the end of your mission, in your last 2 cycles, you are allowed an extension. No one really knows this. You are allowed to extend up to 30days. Whether to see someone get baptized or you truly know you have work still to do. Think about this, you can extend. And maybe you can extend again, and again, and again, and again, We would ALL love that, we really would. To be a missionary for forever and not have to go back. But, eventually, you will need to go back.. Your parents will run out of money. Your niece and nephews you haven't met will miss you, Sooner or later you will have to stop. you will have to go home. Your time is up. If you have done all that you can to give your all to the Lord, in the time HE has given you, just go home. GO. HOME. Your time is up." BOOM! Answer! And not even the way I expected it, but I am so much grateful it did come this way! In my interview later with President it was even more reassured.. it is time to go home. As much as it still hurts, I know that I am needed to stop at some point. I can't wear a tag forever(but I can share the gospel forever! holler!) So I am gonna give it my all this last bi tI got! If I pass out at the airport.. hahah sorry :)

OK I only got a little bit of time to share one last story... His name is Tatay Bernardo! He is the best thing ever! He is a less active member that we have been teaching for 4 weeks and has progressed amazingly! I talked about him in an email like a month ago, Tatay Benny. Well in this last lesson with him.. the whole time he just bore testimony to us. The power and will of God for us to find him and bring him back. He admitted he was shy, that was the only reason he didn't go back. He was shy. He just needed someone to reach out to him. We both could not have felt any better after that lesson with him. This Sunday he would have been officially a returned member, but due to the fact we has a baguio (typhoon) he didn't make it to church. A lot of people didn't But, we still love him and know he will progress!

Sorry the weekly update is shorter rather than the personal story but I hope it helps y'all in some way! LOVE YOUS!

Sister Bray....... FOREVER

Here is a pic of Tatay Bernardo and our Zone with the new Mission President Maurer and his wife! They have the greatest accents!