Preparation Day

We went to the Planetarium today! I look at the world from this perspective and know without any doubt that God lives, that we are His children, and that this place was created for us.  The Restored Gospel answers why and how.  I am so happy to know the answers to these questions with full confidence that could never be shaken.  

Hello Hello everyone! I want to start by saying congratulations to everyone for  everything and anything that has happened this week! Whether it was rough, uplifting, inspiring, educating, discouraging, I am proud of each of you and grateful to you for your faith and for your diligence to press forward.  Know that the Savior notices and knows everything that comes our way, and with the Atonement, we always have great reason to celebrate.  I want each of you to be happy, I want you to feel joy and know that you are loved.  My desires during my time as a missionary have changed so very much.  We are here with the sole desire to help others choose to have joy, and because of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been given the message that emanates joy in every corner!

"For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy." (Mosiah 3:4).

This is a joy that is not shared just on Sundays, or just during the week at church events, but is something that completely becomes who we are--even on our Preparation days.

For full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a couple hours on an assigned day every week for grocery shopping, laundry, writing letters, and taking care of other personal needs.  Oftentimes, this day is called "P-day" for short, but I have seen that this takes the whole significance out of what this day truly represents.

Sister Brink and I prayed that for today's Preparation day, we would be filled with the Spirit, that where ever we may be, we would be able to encourage and help those around us as disciples of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Not only did we want to be prepared for the week ahead, but we wanted to help others be prepared for whatever it is that may come their way. 

All at the David Archuleta fireside! He came and sang at our Temple Square Mission Fireside.
Check out his new song/video "Glorious"  (It's truly amazing) 

Today we walked to the Gateway mall just down the street from Temple Square.  As we ate up in the food court, we saw families and friends eating together, enjoying time to relax and get-away, but we also so so much more than that.  We saw and experienced the great and in-depth plan the Lord has for each of us.

As we sat and ate in the food court, a woman continued to look at us from a small Brazilian cafe just next to us.  She would take great, deep sighs, and fold her arms, almost as if to pray.  The prompting came to me to look in my bag.  There, in the small side pocket, was an old temple recommend cover--the painting was one of the Salt Lake temple.  It was a recommend holder given to me by my Mother.  When it broke months ago, I continually felt the prompting that it was to remain in my bag.  When I looked down and saw it there, the Lord sweetly and gently whispered to me that it was for her that it had been preserved there in my bag--there it had sat waiting for months on end, and all for this very moment.

We went over and spoke with the woman there, her name was Luitha. Her and her husband from Guatemala worked in this cafe together, and we were humbled to see their eyes meet ours when we walked over.  Luitha worked in the front folding pizza boxes, her husband Luis in the back cooking and cleaning for the next day.  She shared with us that they had been baptized nearly two years ago, and that they were preparing to be sealed in the Salt Lake temple in two weeks.  With the painting of the Salt Lake temple in hand, my former temple recommend holder, we handed it to her, and her eyes began to water.  She turned back to her husband and called him to come forward.  He held the painting in his hand, looked to his wife and looked back at us.  He said that he knew that the Lord had sent us to them that day-that we were helping them prepare for one of the most glorious days of their lives.

How humbling it was to see that our Father in Heaven knows every little detail of our lives.  He knows when we need to hold onto something old, to become something new for those around us, even a new ray of hope, a new answer to prayers, a new and more meaningful experience with the Spirit, and a new desire to follow Him more fully. 

It was a preparation day I can never forget, for each day is a day for us to prepare to meet God again.  I am so excited for that day.  I know He lives, I know He knows each of us by name, and I have come to know this through the personal ways He has reached and touched my life.  I know that the promptings that come to each of us are by Him.  Even if we do not fully understand them at the time--know and trust that He does.  Trusting Him comes with experiences with Him.  Follow His promptings and know that people beyond measure are counting on you, and pray in gratitude for what you do each day. You never know, but He does, and one day He will tell us in the most perfect and glorious way--where we are able to see Him face to face, and know that we went where we were called.



I love each of you! Thank you for everything!

Sincerely,
Sister Briggs :)

SHOUTOUTS: David Archuletta (He came and sang for our mission this past Sunday night, what a blessing! He is as Enos 1:26, his joy in life comes from serving our Father in Heaven more than anything else and the spirit bore powerful witness to us of that, we are proud of him!) Jessica Helms, Kate Thornock and Landon (congratulations!), Grandma Jeanie, Mom & Dad, Bry & Case, Jacque, Amber, Robert Edgie Donakey, Barbara Keil, Donakey family,