What it Means to Sustain

 I am loving being a Temple Square missionary more and more with each passing day.  Just yesterday was my 5 month mark and I can hardly believe it.  I still feel so new, I still feel like I'm just getting my feet in, I still feel like...well, a baby bird :) (those of you who know me know I always use that saying haha) However, I do feel very different.  I really am seeing that the mission is the "MTC" for the rest of my life.  I have never experienced so much growth, felt so much love, witnessed so many miracles, gained so much knowledge  of felt such strong true happiness in all my life.  This truly is the work of God :)



Reunited with Sister Lin! She's training too and she's a district leader! It is so wonderful to have her back!

This last week was my first week as a trainer and in serving at the Beehive House and it has been a fun adventure! The Beehive house was Brigham Young's home when he lived here in the Salt Lake valley and it is absolutely beautiful.  There is so much history there and there is also such a very strong spirit. 



Exploring the relief society building...scripture power!

Earlier this week, Sister Taylor (my amazing and wonderful companion, you will all just absolutely love her!) and I took a tour with a Chinese man currently living in missionary and an adorable member family who was out for the day having fun exploring Salt Lake City.  It was a mother and her 4 children and they had such a strong enthusiasm that was contagious in being grateful for Brigham Young as a prophet as well as all the prophets we have had since then.  Sister Taylor and I were sharing about how a prophet is not called by the people, but we all sustain him.  We then went to explain the members sustained the prophet Brigham Young by the work that they did in building up the temple, in building up the community, in walking the 1,300 miles here with faith, trust and hope to push them through.



Sister Taylor and I loving the fall weather! aww it is beautiful!

The mother then said, "I really like that you two sisters keep saying 'sustain.' To sustain someone means we don't just support them, but we take some of their responsibility upon us as well.  We do the things they need help with and the things that they ask for us to do.  We carry part of their work."

That really stuck with me.  In the church, we are always asked to sustain those around us in their various callings.  The thought came to me that in fulfilling our various callings whether they be ward choir leader, Relief Society President, Young Men's second counselor, Bishop, Young Women's teacher or even missionary we are sustaining someone much higher than ourselves--we are sustaining our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We are taking some of His work, and doing parts of it, no matter how minute or small our contribution may seem. We are helping to carry His load and His most important work among His children here on earth.



Having fun at the Church History Museum :)

Whatever it is we are called to do, we receive the sustaining of our family members and our ward members, but most importantly we receiving the sustaining of our Father in Heaven--HE is the one who calls us and especially the one who qualifies us.

Alma 29:12 reads, "Yea, I have always remembered the captivity of my fathers; and that same God who delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians did deliver them out of bondage."

I do believe that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and I know that the same God who helped Moses is the same God who has called me to be a full-time missionary.  He is the same God who has called you to be in the nursery, to be the chorister, or to be on the high council, and He is the same God who called Joseph Smith to restore the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ here to this earth.

Alma 29:13 says, "Yea, and that same God did establish his church among them; yea, and that same God hath called me by a holy calling, to preach the word unto this people, and hath given me much success, in the which my joy is full."



I am so grateful that everything in this church allows us the opportunity to be in a partnership with God.  As verse 13 says, it is God that gives me success, it is He that sustains me and allows me to do any good or have any influence as a missionary, and it is my choice to sustain Him.  I know that every little good thing we do, is sustaining our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.  Through our contributions we are all able to carry some of their work as they keep their  arms extended in carrying us.

That is my invitation to you this week! Think about how it is that you can sustain those in your family, in your ward, in your stake and more importantly your Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ.  I have been so blessed to see so many powerful examples in my life of this and it completely makes me smile every single day :)

Alma 29:14-- "But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren..."




Out "proselyting" with Sister John!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Love Always,
Sister Briggs

SHOUTOUTS: Judith Genster (Sister Genster's Sister- congratulations on your mission call to Cleveland, Ohio!!!!!), Mom, Dad, Casey, Robert, Mary, Sara, Becca, Brother and Sister Donakey, The Johnson family (good luck to Anthony on his mission in Argentina!), Danny Payne and Angela Convington (all of those dinosaur stickers made my day!)