Kelsey Sighting

Just in from Michelle & Terry Williams, from our favorite
Sammamish, Washington Ward. 

Thank You, Daniel for sending on this photo. 
It's fun seeing our Sister Briggs on duty.   

"This is a picture my daughter Danielle took at Temple Square that she thinks is Kelsey. Danielle had just read her blog the day before and knew she was going to Temple Square the next day so decided to keep an eye out for her."
- Thanks to Michelle & Terry Williams

Start where you are, and build from there.

Hello Hello! Okay, I apologize, I know last week I wrote a bit of a novel to everyone, so I will try to keep it a little bit shorter...there's just SO MUCH goodness out here being on a mission and I want to share all of it with everyone. First things first though...

Trying on some fun hats during Zone Conference - see below:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DAD AND MY BROTHER!

Both of them celebrated birthdays this week and I want them to know I love them and am thinking about them. It's true what we teach, "Families are central to God's plan." I know that families are such a blessing from God and I am so grateful for the amazing and wonderful family that I have.

IN THE DESERET NEWS:

(Here she is - can you find Kelsey? The story is in Deseret News - "MTC overflows with LDS missionaries, moves devotionals to Marriott Center"  at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865581535/MTC-overflows-with-LDS-missionaries-moves-devotionals-to-Marriott-Center.html. )

Goodness, where to begin...this really is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. There have been so many miracles this week.

We always have our relief society meeting on Wednesdays since Sundays are absolutely crazy here. For Relief Society, one member of our mission presidency, President Seppi, gave us an amazing lesson. He talked about the heart ache experienced when the Provo tabernacle burned down (check it out online). It was such a historic building and held a lot of value and memories to the people there. Not too long after it was burned, it was announced at General Conference that they would be turning the old tabernacle into a new temple!


Our District family photo :) I love seeing all the different flags

President Seppi has worked on the project and stressed to us the amount of time and expenses being dedicated to preserve what is already there, and to build from there. He related it to our own lives. Even as missionaries, our testimonies are still growing, we still allow doubts to creep into our minds from time to time when people reject Jesus Christ and our testimonies. However, he continued to say, "Start where you are and build from there." What you do know will always trump what you do not know. I know that when we doubt things, it is at our own peril. Start where you are, start with what you do believe, and go from there. The foundation that we each have is so important- it's vital that we never lose that. I've had to apply that in my own life as a missionary. Sometimes there are questions thrown at me that I'm not sure how to answer, sometimes I have people who continually talk over me and continue to speak false things even when I just sit there and try to politely smile at them. But I do know some things for sure...
 

God Lives. Jesus Christ lives and is at the very head of this church. Everything that we teach, everything that we believe, the way our church is organized is exactly as it was in the time of Jesus Christ. There was no reformation or changing of doctrines, rather, this is the restoration of what was before. God's plan for each of us is perfect and we can read about it in The Book of Mormon. Everything we teach, all the doctrines found in this gospel-they're all true.

In the conference center :)

 

Thursday was an absolutely crazy day. I know that there is no way I could be doing this all just because...nope, the thing that gets me through these long, hard days are my testimony of Jesus Christ and this gospel. Otherwise there is no way I would leave my family, my friends, my school for 18 months. I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father anxiously wait to bless us when we do what is right, and I am experiencing that every day.


This was Thursday...we were so busy with tours and had a few spare minutes to sit in the shade and rest!

Half of our Temple Square sisters were gone Thursday for Zone Conference and Sister Lin was the only Mandarin speaking sister at Temple Square. Our companionship took 5 tours all from 9-3, each tour is about 45 minutes-an hour. The wonderful thing though, is I never felt exhausted, all I could do was smile. I feel so grateful to be in a mission where the work is going forward and we are constantly busy. I have a very strong testimony that this is where I should be.

One tour we took was a group of 10 Mandarin speakers from Taiwan. It was our third tour and I was feeling a little tired and my mind was having a hard time staying focused on what Sister Lin was saying as..well...I still don't speak Chinese :) I just said a prayer in my heart that Sister Lin would be able to invite the spirit and to help them recognize it, and that I could do my part as her companion to support her. I just got the most overwhelming feeling and in a way heard a voice say, "Just be yourself, be who I created you to be."

 I may not speak Chinese, I may not know all the history yet, but I do have a testimony and I do know how to smile. So as Sister Lin spoke, I just put on the biggest smile I possibly could. It came naturally too- I could feel so much love for these people I couldn't help but smile. Afterwards, half of the visitors came up and asked for a Book of Mormon. They said they were touched by my big smile. Of course, I couldn't help but smile bigger knowing that God had helped me, and that He really needs each of us to do our best at whatever it is He sent us here to do. I am grateful for the holy ghost that guides me in times like that. I know that I am being helped so much out here :)

Friday- Zone Conference was awesome! If you have never been to "This is the place," Heritage park, please go. We had meetings in the morning all about taking large tours, how to teach over the phones and on chat, and how to just better ourselves as missionaries overall.

Afterward we got to explore the park with the other sisters. It's a park of where some of the early pioneers lived. There was a pirate ship, beautiful homes, and even a cow named Helga...she says "moo." :)


THIS IS THE PLACE park is so fun, we even got to ride on a train :)

Pulling A Hand Cart



By a little bridge

I always find my way to swings.

She calls me "baby bird" and it just warms my heart

I found my twin! This is one of my roommates, she's from Canada and quite a lot of people think we look alike, especially in this picture. She's so sweet!

Sitting in an old pioneer house :)

 

 

 

The last few days have been amazing too. Saturday I ran into some of my very closest and dearest friends at Temple Square and oooh it just made me so happy! Each of them were all so silly about it too...tapping me on the shoulder to ask a question, or sitting on a couch and awkwardly staring at me haha Thanks to Tom, Britania, Sean, Evan, Daniel and Taylor..you all made my day :)

Sunday I even got to go to Music and The Spoken Word. Did you know there's a group called the temple riders? They ride their motorcycles across country from temple to temple. I thought of my Grandpa on his harley davidson doing something like that...I love you Grandpa Chuck.
 

Today- Today has been such a wonderful day. Sister Lin and I were asked to take a group of young girls ages 8-11 around Temple Square. It was an amazing experience to take them all up to the Christus statue and to invite them up to touch the prints in the Savior's feet. I don't think I will ever forget that. I love how open children are to new experiences and to learning. I know that when Jesus Christ says to come unto him as little children that this is what he means. He just wants us to come to him, to trust him, to listen to him and be willing to learn.

One little girl named Kailey came up to me afterward, tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear, "I know that God is happy you're here. I know that even though you're away from your family, He is really happy you're here and He loves you." What she said made me so happy and almost made me cry. I am so grateful for her faith and her action to come and talk to me like that. I pray that I can be like that as a missionary--to just be bold, to let people know that God is happy they're here at Temple Square and that He loves them.

 I always, ALWAYS find dinosaurs

 

And now, my scripture for you all is something that I came across and something that really stuck me. In 1 Nephi chapter 4, Nephi's brothers are doubting that God can help them to complete a task even after an angel appeared to them and said that God would help them. In vs 3 , Nephi says, "an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt?" I feel like sometimes we wait for a giant manifestation that this gospel is true, that The Book of Mormon is the word of God. As missionaries, we teach that all people can know that The Book of Mormon is true and that this is the gospel of Jesus Christ through prayer and the Holy Ghost. Well..it hit me...an angel can be a spirit, meaning, in a way, the Holy Ghost is an angel. If we can know the truth of all things through the holy ghost, an angel, then how too can we doubt? We may not be able to see this angel, but we can feel it, and isn't that even better? Ohh when I realized that it just made me so happy :)

Such a missionary, but the church really is true

 

It's been a most wonderful week! I am loving it at Temple Square and am so grateful already for my time as a missionary. Please know I think of you all often and am always wishing for nothing but the best for you.

I made asparagus for our apartment...of course in my dinosaur shirt :)

Sister Lin and I made a feast last night!

Shoutouts to: Lauren Moran, Kennedy Rushing, Momma Briggs, Robert Donakey, Britania and Tom Busath, Sean Burton, Daniel and Taylor for letters and for your surprises. They all mean so much!

Love always,

Sister Briggs :)

 

First Week at Temple Square: Asian Invasion!

Woahhh first week at Temple Square is almost complete. 

Catching the bus to Temple Square at 8:00 am :)

It was rough to leave the MTC...I didn't see that place as a prison at all, rather I saw it as a place where I met some of my best friends, where I grew closer to Christ and where I learned the importance of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Sister Marsh and I had a rough night saying good bye to our sisters who left us at TWO AM for Omaha, Nebraska.  They will all seriously be so amazing.  I was able to experience that wonderful feeling of seeing them through God's eyes, of seeing them as His children.  I miss them all and hope all is well with them.  I feel very grateful I had Sister Marsh as my companion at the MTC and that I had the district that I did.

So happy and grateful I get to see my old companion, Sister Marsh, here almost every day on Temple Square! We took this just a couple hours ago!

So, those tears soon turned into nerves.  I was so excited and yet sooo anxious to get to Temple Square to meet my new companion, my new district and zone, and my new mission president.  I am happy to report, all went well :) I absolutely love the Temple Square sisters.  Everyone I have met has been so kind and loving towards me. They all ask me if my face ever hurts from smiling so much..the Tongan sisters especially :)  I love how many cultures are represented here.  It truly is like in Isaiah 2:2 where it says, "and all nations shall flow unto it." 

With that said...any guesses on who my companion is?  Any?  Well, they called my name up to the front of the room in front of all of the temple square sisters and asked me what I wanted most in a companion.  I said, "I want someone who loves God above everything, someone who will be obedient, someone who is hard working and always desiring to act as Christ would in all things."  The AP's (Assistants to the President) smiled and said, "Well you definitely are getting all of the above.  You will be the busiest Sister Missionary on Temple Square this summer....you're new companion, your trainer,  your Mom is...SISTER LIN!"  Sister Lin is from TAIWAN and has been out in Temple Square for 7 full transfers (each transfer is 6 weeks).  She is diligent, hard-working, caring and so much fun. Plus, she feeds me AWESOME food every day for lunch and dinner.  I'm trying my best to learn some Mandarin Chinese because almost all we do all day everyday is give Mandarin Tours!  I can say "hello," "thank you," "My name is Sister Briggs," and "come come come!"  My favorite is the last...all of the Mandarin people that we teach LOVE to stop and taking pictures of everything...so I end up saying "lie lie lie," (come, come, come) quite a lot :)

The top of the Church Administration Building with my trainer and new companion, Sister Lin from Taiwan!

Just from being assigned as her companion, I have received such a strong and powerful answer to my prayers.  I want to share this with you and whoever may be reading this because I want you to know that I have such a strong testimony that God lives and that He hears our prayers.  Not only does God hear our prayers, but he listens and responds in the way that He knows is best for us. Ahh...what an amazing gift.  I had been praying a lot to Heavenly Father to know if He trusts me enough to represent Jesus Christ, to have his name on my badge for 18 months.  In the MTC I would be overwhelmed by the knowledge that I was no longer Kelsey...I really wasn't even Sister Briggs...but that I am to act exactly, as much as I can like the Savior himself would.  I am to say what he would say, think as he would think, hear, help, comfort, do everything as he would.  This is something that intimidated me and I realized just how important missionary work and how sacred of a calling this is.  I prayed earnestly to God that He would let me know that He trusts me, that He feels I can be true to His only begotten Son in representing him here at temple square.  When Sister Lin and I were assigned as companions, countless people said to me that day, and every day since, "Wow, God must really trust you to put you with Sister Lin.  You two will be busy and God needs someone with her who will be diligent and endure." Those sisters were answers to my prayers, Sister Lin especially is an answer to my prayers. 

Sister and President Gillette

If you're reading this, please pray to God.  I know that He wants to hear from you.  The wonderful thing about prayer is you have nothing to lose by trying.  What would it mean to you if I told you that He really does live?  That He really does hear you?  That He cares about you, that He desires to guide you, to help you and to lead you to a complete fullness of joy?  I promise you that He lives.  Pray, please, just communicate with Him and pay attention to the way you feel and the different ways He will answer you, because I promise you He will :)

Some of the Portuguese sisters.  Bryan--I am trying so hard to learn some Portuguese! They are all from Sao Paulo too! :)

Our first day we got right to work...June 12- We gave a tour to 46 Mandarin speakers straight from China.  I really wasn't sure what was going on for most of it, but the spirit was so strong.  It really showed me that the spirit is the main teacher and that he just works through us as missionaries.  Then at the end of the tour, on the spot, Sister Lin asked me to sing "I am a Child of God" with her for everyone.  So off I went..singing for people I hardly knew, that I couldn't understand, and yet I was totally calm.  God supports us when we try to do what's right.  It made me happy too to go grocery shopping that night and to have two little girls beg their dad to come be in our grocery line with us.  They said to their Dad, "Daddy, can we really grow up to be missionaries like them?"  That meant the world to me and has stuck in my head every day since.  I want to be the kind of missionary that my family would be proud of, that God and Jesus Christ would be proud of :)

Touring the Relief Society building...scripture power! 

June 13- My second day on the square was great! We had THREE tours..71 Mandarin speakers from Mainland China and an English tour of 13.  It has been such a cool experience to teach these people from China...people who know nothing of God and Jesus Christ, people from a place where missionaries aren't even allowed.  I feel very humbled that God trusts me to teach these people, that in a way, there are missionaries in China...they are in the hearts and in the lives of the Chinese people :)  My favorite was when a little ADORABLE 5-year-old boy sang in the Tabernacle for all to hear.  My heart just about melted and everyone clapped for him. The English tour came during our lunch time (we only get 20 minutes) but Sister Lin and I decided to be the missionaries that everyone can count on, that the Lord can count on, so we took the tour without any hesitation.  Yes, we were hungry, and yes, our feet hurt a bit, but we were sustained and strengthened for the rest of the day!

Outside of the Beehive house. 

June 14- This was a day when we were literally going non-stop, and I loved it! I am quickly seeing why they said we would be some of the busiest missionaries at temple square.  Motor coach buses pull up to the sidewalk and out come billions and billions of Mandarin speakers.  Since there aren't too many sisters that speak Mandarin, if Sister Lin and I are doing something else, it has to be left to go and serve with the wonderful Chinese visitors.  I love being so busy though.  I am growing such a love for the Chinese people.  They are all so prepared to hear the gospel.  We taught 31 people from China today and even handed out 2 Books of Mormon!  My favorite moment though was taking a small group of 7 Chinese individuals up to the Christus statue.  (please look it up if you are not familiar with it!)  While up there, Sister Lin asked me to bear my testimony of Jesus Christ.  I would say a line, and then she would translate it.  I tried to give the most powerful and yet simple testimony I knew to give.  Afterward, a sweet girl, 20-years-old from Estonia ran up to me and said that my testimony was an answer to her prayers and then she just hugged me.  I felt so humbled, because I know the words that I spoke were not my words at all, I know that the spirit was working through me.  This gospel is so true everyone :)

Saying goodbye to my amazing Branch Presidency at the MTC, I love and miss them.  They are such amazing people.

June 15- Today we taught 60 Mandarin Chinese speakers and even one of them was over the phone.  Every day we have hours set aside to be in the Teaching Center, which is a room full of computers where we take phone calls and do the Mormon.org chats (yes, they are real people answering you on there).  Today was also really special as we got to take one of our progressing investigators, Vincent, around Temple Square.  He first came to Temple Square last month and was just completely hopeless.  Sister Lin tells me they lost touch with him for a couple weeks and they weren't sure what to do, but soon he started to respond to the e-mails and texts and told us he had been reading the Book of Mormon and that he knows it is true.  I love that about The Book of Mormon. 

Two students we taught.  I absolutely love the girl next to me.  Her American name is Snow.  I testified to her that God lives and she was curious to learn more.  I am so excited for her!

I love that as missionaries we are guides, that we teach people what we know, but that the people we work with don't have to put all their trust in our testimonies, they can find out for themselves.  I love telling people to think about how their life would be affected if this really actually was all true.  What it would mean to them if families really could be together forever, what if would mean if there really was a living prophet, that Jesus Christ really did die for them, that The Book of Mormon really is an ancient record that testifies of Christ.  When people start to think about this, that desire is built for them.  They know that if all these things really are true, then their lives can be tremendously blessed.  I encourage you all to do the same.  What would it really mean to you?  I know that this gospel is true, and finding that out for myself has been a hard and yet rewarding journey.  I know that this gospel really is true.  That everything that I am teaching is not just a fairy tale or a nice idea, but it's reality.  Sister Lin told me that Vincent's countenance has completely changed since he was last here.  We talked to him about the Priesthood and how he can bless his family, how he can be sealed in the temple with those he loves.  I loved the light in his eyes when we told him that.  He has accepted our invitation to be baptized. We are excited to help him in anyway that we can :)

This is a painting telling a story about women who would walk miles to go to the closest temple, they would hold their temple recommends at their hearts the whole way.  I love the temple and I am so grateful to serve on temple grounds every single day :)

June 16- Happy Fathers day :) Sundays at temple square are absolutely amazing! We have sacrament meeting in the Joseph Smith Memorial building.  WOW.  It is STUNNING in there.  If you have never been in the chapel in there, stop by next time you visit.  I absolutely love that room.  I sat there feeling so grateful that in one sacrament meeting I was able to hear testimonies from people around the world-a sister from Oxford, England, one from Mongolia, one from Arizona, one from Hawaii and one from India. I am a lucky girl.  The Sister from Oxford cracked me up.  She started by saying, "please, please listen to what I'm saying and not my accent."  (shout outs to my London girls-you know I LOVED that accent!)  I really loved her talk though.  She talked about the gift of agency.  I absolutely love something that she said that I have made as a goal not just for my mission, but for my entire life.  She said that we need to act and not react- that when we choose to react to something or some one's actions, we are giving up our agency to that person.  We cannot allow the harshness or cruelty of others determine how we act.  Do not let some one's bitterness, cold shoulder or impatience control how you act.  God is the only person that we should ever give our agency to.  And the wonderful thing about that is when we give our Agency to God, all He does is direct our paths for good.  After sacrament meeting we surprised our mission presidency.  They all received special island necklaces from the sisters from Fiji and Tonga that we all pitched in on, and then we crowded outside the chapel and sang, "Called to Serve," with our special last verse that is specifically about temple square.  Yep.  I cried.  It happened.  I love our presidency.  I hope you had a wonderful day all you fathers out there...current and future!  Dad...I love you :) Thank you for all your support, I couldn't do this without feeling that from you.  You mean everything to me :)

There's my whole little mission right there :)  So many wonderful experiences in this small area in just 1 week!

June 17- P-DAY!!!!! Yay! This last week has been absolutely the busiest week of my entire life! For those of you who think Temple Square is just giving tours, or that we are not real missionaries, I promise you, this place is intense.  I think the most I've sat down each day is 20 minutes, and sometimes it's not even that.  but I LOVE IT!  I love being busy, I love being anxiously engaged in a good cause, I love going from group to group and being able to teach people from around the world about the basic truths of the gospel and about the early pioneers.  Everyone look up the story of John Moyle the stone cutter...that story amazes me.  Already before our P-day began at one we gave three tours.  I loved taking two 22-year-old sweet girls from Taiwan on a tour this morning.  Neither of them had ever heard of Jesus Christ or God.  We took them down to the scriptures and revelation section of the North Visitor's center, played for them a testimony of Christ by Elder Uchtdorf and then took them up to the Christus statue.  I could feel the spirit sooooo strongly.  I could see the light in their eyes when we told them that someone knows them completely and perfectly, that someone loves and cares about everything they do and everything they are.  They took some information with them and we are excited and hopeful that they will move forward.  I miss them and pray that they are well!  While we were on the tour we received a billion texts saying that they needed Sister Lin and I for Mandarin tours, but since we were on a tour we couldn't respond.  I laughed so hard when my adorable companion looked at her phone and said, "AH! Asian Invasion!!!!!"  It made me think of my old roommate Britt who would always say that and I just smiled.

Well everyone...this e-mail is now looking like a short novel and I didn't even give you half of it!  Just know that I love and miss you all and think about you often.  I love this work.  I love being able to testify to people everyday about this gospel and the truthfulness of its message.  I love learning Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Fijian...soo many different languages to bring the gospel to the four corners of the world.  I am grateful to have this time to dedicate to God and I am so thankful for all your support and prayers.  I can feel them :)

Mormon.org chats in the MTC on our last day! So fun to see Eric in there! Shout out to him!

Shout outs:  Thank you to everyone who wrote! Thank you to Kate Thornock, Madeleine Kmetzch, Lauren Moran, Grandmother, Grandma Jeanie, Mom, Bryan, Casey, Robert, the whole Donakey family, Sister Lelle, Sister McDougle, Nate Smith and Elder Robertson!

I have found out that we can only write letters on P-days so I am going to try to write back to as many of you as I can! Please know that I love you and am thinking about you!

Love always,

Sister Briggs :)

Mosiah...1 Nephi 3:7--> God gives us commandments and then provides us a way to accomplish them :)

"So...why does the Bible not mention dinosaurs?"

Hello everyone! TWO P-Days in one week...how wonderful! I am so grateful to be able to write to you all again today since so much has changed since I last wrote on Tuesday! Our district, Elders and Sisters have been separated as now us Sisters are in Visitor Center Training and the Elders are grouped with other missionaries who are waiting for their visas. I was so blessed to have the district that I do...seriously. We have all become absolute BEST FRIENDS. I truly feel of God's love for them and it is the most amazing and wonderful feeling in the world.

Sister Marsh and I putting hearts around SLC :)

I don't know if I wrote this but our Elders received their mission calls to Brisbane, Australia. However, Australia is really struggling with handing out visas so a TON of missionaries are being reassigned. Our Elders were supposed to leave on Sunday...and we're sad...but kinda still happy they're still here! Exciting news though...they all received their new assignments yesterday! Yay! So...if you live in any of these areas...be sure to seek out these Elders. They are amazing and will do SO much in preaching the Lord's work and bringing people closer to Christ.

Elder Christensen- Atlanta, Georgia...Elder Low- PROVO, UTAH...Elder Iereneo- San Diego, California...Elder Spencer- Las Vegas, Nevada...Elder Pinegar- San Antonio Texas...Elder Huntington- San Diego, California

They really will be amazing. We have all written letters to each other that we'll exchange on Sunday, I know we'll all be best friends forever :) I have learned so much from them, and it has been so cool to watch these 18 and 19 year old guys, guys that I see as my little brothers, just absolutely change and radiate with the light of Christ in their countenance. Even that has made being here so special for me :)

 

First things first...Tuesday night's devotional was AMAZING! Tad R. Callister, the presidency of the Seventy came and spoke about the gospel in a way I had never thought about before. He taught us that when building a home, you create a blue print, and that blue print will only fit EXACTLY one house, ever. It is specific and unique..window for window, door for door, landscape for landscape...no other house will fit as perfectly. The same is true for Christ's Church, and the blueprint for the church of Jesus Christ can be found in the New Testament. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints follows this blue print exactly with everything! Organization (Acts 1:22,25), teachings (Luke 24:39, 1 Peter 4:6, 2 Cor 12:2, 1 Cor 11:11), ordinances (Mark 10:16, John 3:5, Acts 8:17), fruits of the church (1 Cor 3:16) and even having a link to heaven (Acts 1:2). Something that really struck me though is this...so many people struggle with believing that Joseph Smith really saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, that angels appeared to him. Why would our dispensation be any different than the time of Christ? God loves ALL of his children, and always will throughout time. Angels appeared to people in visions back in the time of Christ...think of Mary, Joseph, Peter, James and John. THIS CHURCH IS TRUE and JOSEPH SMITH IS A PROPHET OF GOD. I testify of that and I know that if you ask God to make this known to you, you will come to know it as well. Think of how this gospel could bless your life. No matter who you are, what you're going through, this gospel has the peace you need and the answers you are searching for, I PROMISE you.

I love my companion Sister Marsh :)

 

After the devotional was incredible. As companionships, our Branch President had us go around the room and in front of everyone tell our companion what we believe their most Christ-like attribute is. If you want to feel the spirit, try this out. We were all made in God's likeness and image and as such, we all have these attributes, they just haven't been fully developed yet. Turn outward as the Savior does :)

Wednesday we drove up to TEMPLE SQUARE! Yep...I drove past BYU, past Yogurtland, past Young Living Oils where my best friend Roberto works and off to Salt Lake City. It was so crazy to be up there.

Me and some of the crazy cool foreign sisters...most of them serving at Temple Square too!

 

I know that I was called of a prophet of God and that the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission is exactly where I am supposed to be! We go back tomorrow to actually be on splits with the sisters...which means I will be at Temple Square with a sister serving there, giving tours as her companion. I almost said I'll be up there acting as a real missionary...but then I realized I am a real missionary...AH! So cool :)

 Sister Marsh and I excited to start Visitor Center Training!

Ohhhh Bryan...my brother who I love so much! Did you know they're building a visitor's center in Sao Paulo? I thought you might be excited about that :) I have such a strong testimony of Visitor Centers already. We are living the dream of Alma in The Book of Mormon in Alma 29:1 when he wishes to declare the gospel with a trump to all the earth! Visitor Centers receive people from all around the world who have been prepared of God. I love that! And guess who shared that with me...only one of my besties ever...Sister Alyssa Lamprecht! Yep, she's my teacher here! She is one of the reasons I first started thinking about serving a mission and she even served on Temple Square! I am so lucky and SO BLESSED to have her as one of my teachers for Visitor Center training, I just adore her :)

Finally got a picture with my buddy Garrett from the PR program!

We got our first experience with doing Mormon.org chats that night and we talked to some quite interesting and lovely people. It's amazing that even though I can't see them, I can still feel the spirit so strongly as we chat. Sister Marsh and I chatted with a woman from California who was asking a LOT of questions about the Word of Wisdom, about our beliefs in God and finally even asked. "So...why does the Bible not mention dinosaurs?" Good thing we were on chat because I just smiled...you all know how much I love my dinos! It's great being on chat because when we get questions like that, we can pause, think about it, talk with our sisters and decide how best to answer to bring everything back to the doctrine of Christ which is faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End. The next morning (Thursday) Sister Marsh and I got to chat with a man named David from the Philippines. He simply asked us to bear our testimonies to him...we were so excited! He then said, "Thank you so much. I too know that this church is true and that Jesus Christ lives. I am being baptized on Saturday. Pray for me :)" I loved that. That got my morning off to such a wonderful start. I am so excited for him to take this first step. I still remember my baptism so clearly. I remember being baptized and then asking if I could do it again :) The spirit is so strong, and it then becomes our constant companion as we strive to live worthy of it. I love the Holy Ghost. He always does his job of teaching and prompting if we just listen and are worthy :)

The rest of the day was wonderful! We did a lot of role playing to practice how to invite others to come unto Christ in just a short visit. My goal as a missionary at Temple Square is to make sure that everyone I meet with or talk to feels uplifted when they leave. I want everyone in this world smiling...there is so much to be happy about! Sister Marsh and I had the amazing experience of role playing with two adorable sisters that are from Guatemala and Taiwan that will also be serving on Temple Square. Even though their English was broken, and much was hard the understand, the spirit was the ultimate teacher. Sister Marsh and I both cried as we were taught by these beautiful and wonderful sisters who were trying so hard to learn a language. My testimony was definitely strengthened. That night Sister Marsh and I got to do TRC with a girl who goes to BYU and her name is ASHLEY! I hope she's reading this because I told her I would give her a shout out! She will be submitting her papers soon and I just got so excited for her! She absolutely has the light of Christ in her countenance and will do so much good :)

All of the Sistahs of 67-A in our matching swag shirts...Thank you Brother Samuels!

 

And that brings us to today! Sister Samuel's dad sent us all matching T-Shirts from his Credit Union that say, "Born to Lend." So, of course we had to all wear them and match today! haha I LOVe these sisters and will miss them each so much as they leave Wednesday morning for Omaha, Nebraska.

Me and the lovely Sister Samuels...her dad is the one who sent us those AWESOME t shirts

 Later today we get to go to the temple again so I am so excited! I always feel so refreshed and uplifted when I go.

I Love Sister Rogers!

 

Also- EVERYONE..watch the Mormon Message, "Mountains to Climb." It is absolutely amazing. We watched it yesterday and I just cried. I love when Henry B. Eyring says, "If the power of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble." A testimony and knowledge of this gospel all begins with faith. It is through acting on that little faith we have, letting it grow, that ultimately gets us to endure to the end. Through faith we take those actions of repentance and baptism that truly show God we believe He is there and that this is Christ's church. I know it is :)

I am so lucky to be a missionary. I already never ever want to leave. On Wednesday I will become an official Temple Square sister! Okay, if any of you reading this are worthy, and are considering a mission...GO! This has already been the best experience of my entire life! Thank you everyone SO much for your support! We've been asked to tell you to write our new address starting Tuesday as we will not get mail that comes to the MTC!

Ohhh gotta love the awkward missionary poses...with Bennett!

I love and miss you all so much! You are in my prayers! Grandma Donakey- hang in there, we're all thinking of you :)

Love Always,

Sister Briggs :)

Shout outs to Robert Donakey, Casey and Bryan Briggs, Grandma Jeanie, Remy, Brother and Sister Donakey, Britt Lam and Kate Crump...thank you so much for writing!

Shout outs to Wil Ramsey who I now see everywhere, Eric Turner, Alyssa Lamprecht, Garrett Pierce, Caitlyn Fischetti, Bennett Forbes and Jake Mitchell...all who I saw this week!

Shoutout to my London ladies! We got some delicious digestives (chocolate cookies) from Sister Rodgers family!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 2- Pictures!

Write us... we live in here quite literally haha. We love mail! 

We LOVE it when our Elders are dieting..then we get to eat all their goodies..like my favorite carmel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!

We love Sunday Temple Walks!

I'll miss our amazing teacher and progressive investigator Sister Moffatt!

Sooo blessed and lucky to be the Sister Training Leaders to welcome in this amazing new district of girls!

Ryan Blaser! We were buddies freshman year and now he teaches here! So fun to see people I know!

Still don't like the Ducks! 

Teaching Elder Pinegar all about the dinos :)

Yesterday was our last class with all our teachers. Brother Scott Ellsworth was amazing and we will miss him!

 After teaching Ron and Sheri :)

Holla to the Cascade Crest Ward...It's Elder Wilcox!

Sister Marsh and I after welcoming our new district as the Sister Training Leaders...we had so much fun! The new sisters are all going to South Carolina and will be AMAZING!

Sister Marsh and I with our scripture tutor Sister DeSpain...she taught us SO much about the scriptures!