How Can I Be Like Moroni?

Hi everyone! Has it really been another week already?  The snow outside is the only thing that keeps reminding me it's November now.  I keep thinking I'm still back in September.  Time definitely flies when you are doing what you love :)


I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween this last week too! We had a fun activity put on by our mission presidency that was so wonderful.  I was sad to close the square so early, but I know it was all just for safety reasons so that made me feel better about that :)  We had a wonderful dinner and even got to watch a movie.  I have to say I was a little nervous about what the movie would be. My mind is so focused on this work that I didn't want anything pulling me away, but I am so grateful for the movie that we did watch.  We saw, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe," and it was amazing.  When we watch this movie with the right eyes, it truly teaches us so much about the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ and the matchless love He has for each of us.  I think I'll make it a new Halloween tradition :)


We decided to get these wonderful shirts at Wal-Mart with goats on them...we walked around saying,
"we are bringing them ba-a-a-ck to the fold." Ohh Halloween as a missionary :)

I hope I can gather all my thoughts today as I write.  My testimony grew so much this last week.  I am really experiencing and learning first hand the truthfulness of the saying, "Your mission is the MTC for the rest of your life," and I would even like to add, "Our lives and our personal missions are our MTC for the Celestial Kingdom of God."


I love our Senior Couple, The Frosts!!! Halloween picture :)

This last week I was reading in the book of Alma.  So often we hear people talking about the majority of this book being "the war chapters."  True--most of what is in here is wars, but we cannot discount it thinking that it only applies to us if we are physically fighting in a battle.  I have a very firm testimony that everything, I mean everything, in The Book of Mormon is for our gain
 and can be applied to our lives. Everything can be a direct letter from God to you.

One of my favorite scriptures this past week was Alma 48:17 which says,

"Yea, verily, verily, I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

I shared this scripture with a lot of young men that I came in contact with this week.  I shared it with Elders just about to enter the MTC, I shared it with soon-to-be Fathers who were nervous about fulfilling their important role as a parent, and I shared it with Danny.

Danny is a good friend of a Sister serving here who will soon be going home from her mission.  Danny and her grew up together in California and he has always been referred to by this sister as "a powerful guy, clean-cut guy with a strong desire to do good and to be a good person."  Before she left on her mission, she gave Danny a Book of Mormon and he was receiving phone calls from the sisters here at temple square.  However, after a while, Danny stopped responding to their phone calls.  This Sister felt she should give me Danny's information.  I tried calling Danny twice, but with no luck, that is....until yesterday...Danny answered :)

I got to know Danny and really have a tremendous amount of respect for the person he is.  He is 23 years old and is in the air force.  He is an engineer and helps to configure the engines of the various planes. Danny was sounding like he wasn't too interested in hearing much about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and then Alma 48:17 popped into my head. 

Very boldly I said, "Danny, I want you to write this down- Alma 48:17."  For those of you who know me, you know I'm not a very bold person, and I think Danny already could already tell that about me, and he sounded a bit caught off guard. 


SISTER TAYLOR PASSED OFF!!! (a mile stone for Temple Square)
and so we celebrated by going to The Lion House with some sisters!

He said, "What's Alma 48:17?"

I read the words to him, and then afterward there was silence for a few moments.  I wasn't too certain what I should say, and then he broke the silence saying, "Wow.  I want to be like him."  I went on to ask him what it was he would do if he could be a man like Moroni. 

He responded, "I would do anything to be like him.  If I knew how to be like that, I would do it.  The world needs more men like this guy."

Throughout my week I have thought just as Danny.  The words of this scripture have passed through my mind and I too have asked myself, "How can I be like Moroni?"  Can you imagine how powerful it would be if we were each like this man that could shake the very powers of hell giving more power to the powers of heaven?  Think about it.

And then think about this...

Moroni is an amazing man.  He was humble, he was meek, he was faithful, his heart gloried in God, he was true to the commandments (Alma 48) and yet there is another who was and is even more...Jesus Christ.  Do we realize that?  Do we realize that by following the example of Jesus Christ we can become not only like this man Moroni, but we can become like the Savior of the world? The question we should always be asking ourselves is not always just, "How can I be like Moroni," but "How can I be like Jesus Christ?" for it is in him that Moroni even received the power that he had to do such good.

I testified to Danny then as I testify to you now, that because this truly is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, it gives us every step to not just become like Moroni, but more importantly to become like our Savior Jesus Christ, our elder brother.  I know that obedience is the first law of heaven, and it is by obedience that we can fulfill our hopes of becoming more like these exemplary people we are meant to all become. 

The gospel of Jesus Christ sets higher standards because it doesn't just ask us to be followers of Christ, it asks us to be His disciples.

A bunch of the sisters dressed up as princesses and spoke to us in relief society about what makes them royal.  Remember girls...you are ALL daughters of a King

 

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!  I invite you all to read Alma 48 and to be familiar with the characteristics of Moroni and the characteristics of Jesus Christ, only by so doing will you be more familiar with their characteristics within your own self :)

Love always,
Sister Briggs :)

 

Sister Taylor and I carved a pumpkin and named it Charly!

SHOUTOUTS:  Mom and Dad, Nyal Sewell (sorry I missed you at the square!), Sister Dimatera, Barry Donakey (you're the best! Thank you for writing!) Robert Donakey, Sara, Mary, Becca, Liz, Reid, Brother and Sister Donakey, Sister Britt Lam and Sister Kim Blauer :)

"Your guide should be the scriptures, not Wikipedia!" -Elder Dallin H. Oaks




After the Music & the Spoken Word  This Temple Square 1/2 hour broadcast is on BYU TV most every
Sunday Morning and features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. 

Hello everyone! What an amazing week it was! I hope each and every one of you saw God's hand in your life this week.  If you are reading this and shaking your head thinking you didn't, look again, I promise you it's there :) You may have even been an instrument in God's hand this week in helping with His work, I mean it! Something I've really learned this week is that the Kingdom of God is built up by small and simple things.  It's those answers we get to our prayers, the verses that we read in the scriptures, the smiles that we share, the uplifting words we give and the testimonies we bear that bring people closer to Christ.



I got to announce for the first time this last week after "Music & the Spoken Word".  I announced in English as Sister John signed everything.  It was such a cool experience!

I am so grateful to be serving here at Temple Square, where we are able to hear from so many Apostles of our Savior Jesus Christ in such a personal way.  This past week Elder Dallin H. Oaks and his beautiful and adorable wife Kristin (that is what she asked us to call her) came and spoke to us! Ah! It makes me want to dance just thinking about it- it was amazing!  The spirit we could all feel when they entered the room was so thick.  The happiness they exuded was so real, and their testimonies of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ were a reality.  Elder Oaks said so many powerful things that stuck with me and all of the Sisters there.  He talked about always doing the little things to keep in tune with our Heavenly Father and told us to focus on the fundamentals of the gospel, that we can wait for the details.  One of his most quoted things however from our meeting with him was, "Your guide should be the scriptures, not Wikipedia!" haha Elder Oaks said this to his adorable wife as she kept quoting Wikipedia as her source for all of the statistics of Temple Square. Remember that :)



All the Announcing sisters after we had a tour with a wonderful couple from Holland. 

As I continued to read the scriptures this week, I felt so much more in tune with my Heavenly Father. I experienced such a powerful miracle this week that is now very near and dear to my heart.  I want you to know that God cares about you and He cares about who you have the potential to become.  He cares about your hopes, your dreams, the things you like most in life, He is aware of it all.

KELSEY SIGHTING:  Sister Briggs with Hometown Family Friend, Cindy Johnson.
Kelsey was so happy to see one of her favorite YW leaders from Bend.  Cindy was dropping off her son at the MTC for his mission and they took time out to go on the Beehive House tour with Kelsey.  Said she was happy and doing great!

The Announcing Sisters. 
 

This past Friday, Sister Taylor and I were walking over to the teaching center to make some phone calls and to do some weekly planning.  As we were walking past the flagpole just West of the Salt Lake temple, I saw a young man sitting next to the flower beds, hunched over with his head in his hands. It was important for Sister Taylor and I to get to the teaching center, but as I saw Him I just felt pulled to him and felt the spirit so strongly to go and speak with him.  I am so grateful that I have the amazing companion that I do, that we were able to support each other during this change of plans and do what it is that the spirit directed us to do.

We ended up speaking with this young man for about an hour--his name is Cade.  We came to find that Cade is a 19 year old guy with a big heart, really, I have never felt such a strong love of God and a strong love for others as I did with Cade that night.  Cade got emotional as he related to us all of the difficulties that he has had this past year of his life.  He shared with us that he loves the Lord, he loves this gospel more than anything, yet he was struggling to feel the spirit or to feel the guidance of God in his life.  As I looked at Cade, my heart felt broken to see such a strong son of God feeling so lost.  I could feel of God's love for him and I need him to feel it too.

I stood there for a moment trying to think of what to say that would click with him, that would bring him closer to his Savior at that moment.  The thought came into my mind..."talk to him about cars." Alrighty, I don't know too much about cars and I really was at a loss of words as to what to say, and I didn't know how that would help him to feel of God's love.  However, I know that as a missionary, I am a representative of Jesus Christ.  This is not my time to say what I want to say, but rather to act as the Savior and trust in God.  I began with, "So, I want you to pretend that you have a car, and you just absolutely love this car..." Cade just looked up at me, his eyes locked on mine and I felt Heavenly Father lock His voice with mine. 

I went on, "I want you to pretend that you have a car, and you just absolutely love this car.  If something bad were to happen to it and you had to take it somewhere to have it worked on, you would probably be hunched over, watching every step that took place to get your car back to working order. You would be there for every moment."

There was a pause to me for what seemed like an eternity.  I had no idea where those words were coming from, but I knew it was what God wanted me to say.  Cade just looked at me and said, "I love cars, I am a total car junkie.  I especially  love my car, and it just got wrecked really, really badly, I know exactly what you're talking about!"

You can only imagine my surprise, I had to control the look on my face to make it seem I knew what I was talking about or knew what I would say next, but then it just came, "Since you really care about your car, your watching over it as it's worked on.  God cares about you so so very much and is watching over you extremely carefully that if anything were to happen that would go against His will, He can intervene. You may not feel Him there, but He is just as you are with your car, and even more so."  He went on to say that that made such a huge difference to him, that he had never thought about it in that way, but it was because he could relate to it, he felt so much peace and comfort.


Brothers and Sisters, this may have been a little thing, but to me, it was a testimony that God really, truly and sincerely does care.  He knows us perfectly and He needs us as instruments in His hands to help others to see this sometimes.  God knew what Cade was going through.  I didn't know he liked cars, I didn't know he had just been in a terrible wreck, but our Father in Heaven did.  It is through those small and simple things, that God can reach out to His children and show them just how involved He is in the every detail of our lives.




We really do love it!

We love serving in the Home of Brigham Young.
(The Beehive House)

This is my commitment to you all...use the scriptures as the source in your life.  I know it can bring you answers to everything you are searching for, and on top of that, it can comfort you and so many others.  I promise you will feel of God's love for you and for His children, and that is one of the greatest things to be aware of--that God loves you, and that He lives.

Love always,

Sister Briggs!


Having fun with Sister Taylor and Sister Liao from Taiwan
(In the Beehive House)

SHOUTOUTS: thank you Mom and Dad for the amazing package and letters, Shane Myers (congrats on the engagement! So excited to receive your announcement!), Hannah Taylor, Jason Mosley (I promise I'll write you back soon! thank you home teacher!), Sister Kim Blauer and Dennis Elton






Miracles on West Temple

We had a fun little photo shoot since Sister Siegle has never experienced a Utah fall with all the lovely trees!
"Always remember, Look Up!"

Alright, who is ripping out all the pages in my calendar?  Where did September go?  Where did August go? The time here is going by so so quickly-it's already half way through October!

This last week really was a miracle.  When I add up all the experiences I had, little to grand, it may almost seem unbelievable, but I choose to believe.  I don't look for a way to explain all that happened, because I know that God's hand was in everything, and God is still surely a God of miracles. 

 

Yesterday we had our transfer conference and we all found out our new companions, new assignments, apartments, and even got to hear from our new Assistant to the President.  Sister Schill, from Virginia, is our new AP in the mission.  She walked up to the podium and shared an insight for God's miracles and with an enthusiasm I had never before seen. She explained that growing up she LOVED to make chocolate chip cookies with her Mom.  Although she would always get flour all over the floor, in her hair, really everywhere except in the bowl, her Mom always let her help because she enjoyed it so much. She then said,

"God allows you to be here, serving him in this mission, doing His most precious work, because He knows YOU love it, because YOU love being on the front-line to see all of God's miracles."


Brazilian Bakery Celebrations Last Week!

It is a miracle in itself that God allows me, allows all of us to be a part of His most important work, yet He does it because He loves us, and because He knows the joy and the happiness that it brings when we really serve Him in this way.

This last week I really saw that miracles especially happen when we give our whole might and mind to the Lord.  This past week I was working diligently to get caught up on reading my 6 pages every day in The Book of Mormon.  With General Conference and transfers taking place, all of us have become a little bit behind.  Any spare moment I had, I was reading the scriptures. This is not to say it was easy...there were times I had to sacrifice fun times bonding with the other sisters, or getting into bed earlier than 10:30, but it has been completely worth it.  As I have read The Book of Mormon, I have read of God's miracles, and each day, I have seen my own miracles :)


We'll miss our favorite Senior couple, the Creers!

One of my favorite verses I came across this week is Alma 5:7.  One line in there has stuck with me and has been something I have shared in almost every contact I have had with others this week...

"Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word..."

How beautiful and powerful is that?  All of us may be a little lost in some way.  Maybe it is not a thick mist of darkness, but many of us have fears, doubts, questions, concerns, worries that darken our view our cloud our perspective.  Is there something you wonder about?  Read The Book of Mormon.  Is there a fear that you have?  Read The Book of Mormon.  Do you wonder sometimes how you can be everything you were meant to be? Read The Book of Mormon.  Do you want to see miracles?  Read The Book of Mormon.


Happy 21st Birthday Sister Asay!!!

As I have read diligently this last week specifically, I have felt this in my life, I have felt my soul being illuminated.  The most beautiful part about being illuminated too, is that it gives off a light for others to see and feel too.  I know that because I was illuminated by the scriptures, I was able to be more in tune with the spirit, to say what it is God would have me say, to be where He would have me be and to love the way He loves.  Yes, by reading the scriptures, not only was I illuminated but I was "on the front-line to see all of God's miracles."


Remember Patrick?  "He knows where home is" man?  This is him :) and we just love him.  He shared with us this week that the one hymn he refuses to play for people on his harmonica is, "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief."  He said, "I may be financially stretched, but I am not poor; I have Jesus Christ, I have my Heavenly Father, I have their gospel, how could I ever be poor? I have everything and more I could ever need."

Cora and Katie were one of God's biggest miracles this week that I was able to witness and be a part of.  Sister Siegle and I were standing under the Tabernacle as the rain poured down, waiting to see if anyone would show up for our assigned flagpole tour.  Out of the door of the Tabernacle came a mother, Cora, with her adorable 4-year old daughter, Katie.  Cora said, "What is this place?"  but she said it in a sense of awe and wonder.  I stood there quietly looking at her and smiling as she glanced up at the temple.  Looking at me she then said, "This is a special place, isn't it?" I nodded my head smiling and responded, "Yes, it is." Our whole 20-minute conversation took place there, by the door of the Tabernacle, hiding for cover from the rain, and was one where I was completely led by the spirit, testifying of the temple and of the Plan of Salvation.  I asked questions I had never thought of, I explained things in a way I had never thought of before, and I watched as her eyes became misty that she was experiencing something she had never felt before- it was hope, faith, trust, love, and God was allowing me to be a part of it.  We would teach her things and she would respond and say she had always believed it, just never knew where to find it. 

Miracles don't just happen on 34th street or on West Temple Street, in The Bible or in The Book of Mormon, but they are happening today and they are happening now.  Be a part of these miracles. Hey, you yourself may even be one of God's greatest miracles.

 "And if there were ^amiracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he ^bchangeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles." (Mormon 9:19).

Let The Book of Mormon illuminate your soul this week and let me know what miracles you find.  Write them down, be aware and never stop believing :)

Love Always,
Sister Briggs :)


Celebrating Sister Nelson's 22nd birthday! :)


Roommate bonding one night.  We had a little testimony meeting together.

SHOUTOUTS: Brigham (thanks for the note, you're oh so wonderful! Sorry I missed you at Temple Square!), Bryan and Casey, Mom and Dad, The Donakey family, Robert Donakey, Caroling Slater, Sister Moffatt, Grandma Jeanie (thank you for the new dinosaur stickers! ohhh how I love them!), and Sister Brock's Dad (I met your daughter this week and she said you two would read this sometimes, I promise I'll take good care of her here!)

P.S. Two sisters are coming to the SALEM, OREGON mission for their out bounds...their names are Sister Mulli (from American Samoa and Tonga) and Sister Ichimaru (from Japan) please keep an eye out for them in Bend! :)


Sister Ichimaru (from Japan)

Sister Mulli (from American Samoa and Tonga)

The Gospel Restored and People Restored.

Hi everyone! It's been yet another amazing week here at Temple Square.  Each week I realize more and more perfectly how well God knows each and everyone of us.  I feel blessed that this is where He assigned me to labor for 18 months His full-time servant.  It is a very exciting time to be at Temple Square.  We have a countdown to General Conference in our mission office and it gets me so excited every time! Only 11 more days!  This week we were so blessed.  We were able to hear from Sister Ruth Todd, the head of public affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which for me was a dream come true as I studied Public Relations at BYU before my mission), we got to see MUSE come and take a tour before their big concert, we met inspiring members, we made new friends with visitors from around the world and we were even able to volunteer to clean the inside of the temple and see the room where James E. Talmage wrote "Jesus the Christ."

 Our wonderful district this transfer with our amazing district
leader, Sister Moldogalii from Mongolia!

I just have to start off this letter by testifying to you all that I really know the temple is the house of God.  I felt so blessed yesterday to have the opportunity to mop, dust and vacuum in the Salt Lake City temple.  Even with the vacuums and the scrubbing, there still was a peace there. It says so much about God and who He is not just as the creator of the Universe, but also as my Creator, as our Father as well.  Think of how many times you've wanted peace in your life, comfort or solace.  Think of how many times you've wished you could have a quiet place to rest and to be away from the world where you can just be.  The temple truly is a place set apart from the outside world.  As I walked up and down the halls vacuuming I couldn't help but think, "I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has homes here on earth and that He invites to come inside.  Do I invite Him into my home?"  I know that God wants to be a part of our lives just as much as we want to be a part of His.  Let Him in, and I promise you will see miracles :)

I call her "Momma Olden."  She is from Australia and has completely looked out for me since day 1 :)

As I have let God become not just a part of my life, but everything in my life, I have seen so many miracles.  I have started to realize that I really am nothing, yet to Him I am everything.  I feel very blessed to be here at Temple Square to be a link between these visitors from around the world and their Heavenly Father.  Every day this week I saw God turn my footsteps another direction, fill my mouth with different words, or talk to people I hadn't even seen there at first--He is trying to come to each and every one of you, let Him in :)

Thank you for the package Mom, you're the best!

Friday especially was a miracle day.  Sister Siegle and I were walking out of the mission office, past the Assembly Hall when a man stopped us to ask a few questions about the building.  I told my joke that I made up a few weeks ago...have I told you all my joke?  Okay, well here is a quick version of it without my silly Sister Briggs faces and hand motions :)  "The temple was built using granite rock.  These early members of the churches carved these granite rocks by hand and they gathered all the chippings together into a pile.  The pioneers were very resourceful and then used these granite chippings for the exterior of the Assembly Hall.  So we can really see that the pioneers didn't take anything for granted."  Get it? ahhh I crack myself up sometimes :) haha

Sister Ince gave me an honorary Canada skier sticker for the back of my name tag...
yes, there is also a BYU sticker :)

Anyway, here was this man, Paul, a member of the church from Saint George Utah who was taking around two business associates from New York.  Both men were wonderfully kind and had such a pure love for others.  Lester, originally from Guyana, is an "adopted" Dad to about 50 youth living in New York City.  He is there for them as a mentor and even throws them birthday parties so they know they are loved and appreciated.  He even said that for some of his youth, he would love to bring them up to Temple Square for their birthday--that Temple Square was the best gift anyone could have.  Karl, originally from Jamaica, is a man always involved in the service of others no matter what the task may be.  Paul asked us if we had just about twenty minutes to spare that we could show Lester and Karl around on Temple Square.  I feel so blessed that Sister Siegle and I were able to be with them for those short twenty minutes.  This was one of the strongest spiritual experiences not only of my mission so far, but of my life.  As we spoke with these two men and shared with them about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, they seemed to have a light go off inside of them.  In just those short twenty minutes, I saw the countenance of these two men completely change.  Lester and Karl would continually say, "yes, this all makes sense.  I feel something here I have never felt before yet somehow it feels familiar."  Wow.  That is the power of the spirit- and it is a power that cannot be replaced. So often we have people asking us for evidence something is true, for secular sources to verify The Book of Mormon, but I have learned a very valuable lesson on my mission.  Yes, there are secular sources, and yes, I have seen books that talk about the validity of these ancient inhabitants in the Americas, but this really means nothing to me. I pose to you this question, "Do you take physical and tangible evidences to be more powerful than God Himself telling you something is true?"  God is the source of all knowledge and truth, and I think it is so powerful that of all of the ways we have to find out something is true, He asks for us to ask Him.

Sister Siegle and I.  I absolutely love this girl, I am so grateful to have her as my companion
 and am learning so much from her.  My testimony is getting longer, little by little in
Portuguese and I am so grateful for all the time she takes
 to teach me her language!

Our experience with Karl and Lester really has stuck with me this week. I saw these two men change in just 20 minutes.  I saw that the light of Christ within them, within each and everyone of us, was being embraced and brought forward even more so than it already was. That night as I read The Book of Mormon, I really fully grasped one of the "why's" of the Restoration of the gospel.  
In 2 Nephi 30:8 it reads,

"And it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth."

Notice it talks about the restoration of the gospel, "his work among all..." but then it talks about bringing about "the restoration of his people."  Brothers and Sisters, family, friends, neighbors, strangers, whoever you are, this is the profound message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel restores God's children to who they used to be, so they can be who God wants them to become. At any stage in learning about the gospel, we start to feel a change within us, we start to feel a difference in our lives, and yet that difference is something familiar and something comfortable.  The gospel of Jesus Christ needed to be restored in its fullness to help each of us remember who we truly are and then gives us everything we need to grow into who God wants us to become.  We are His greatest work. 

 I was so excited, Sister Huffaker drew us all dinosaurs for our district meeting!

Thank you to all of you for everything you do and everything you are.  No good deed ever goes unnoticed, there is no such thing as a small act of kindness.  I invite you all to let the light of Christ shine more fully in you.  Get back to who you were so you can get to who you need to become.  It's like in a math problem--if we are trying to solve an equation and along the way we get stuck, we need to go back to the beginning and start from the top to get to the end.
Love Always,
Sister Briggs :)

SHOUTOUTS: Jessica & Katy (two amazing girls who did baptisms twice in two different temples in one day...such good examples!), Madeleine Kmetzch, Sister McDougle, Sister Samuels, Kayla and Kevin Lussiers (your picture from your wedding is beautiful!), Grandma Jeanie, Momma Briggs (thank you for the letter and package!), Bryan and Casey Briggs, Dad, Donakey Family, Robert Donakey, Kylee Rowley (from one Sister to another---you AMAZE me :) thank you SO much for your letter, I cannot tell you how excited I am for you, Washington D.C. is so very lucky! I'll be writing you soon sweet girl), Sister Rushing, Sister Dimatera.


Also, fun shoutout--Sister Marsh, my MTC companion, and I started dancing one day, laughing, crying, hugging one night because our MTC teachers, yes, the lovely Sister Moffatt and Brother Ellsworth are now engaged---to each other! Congratulations you two!  We couldn't be more excited!!! :)

Talofa!

Talofa is "hi" in Samoan and since I got to be with a whole group of Samoan sisters this week, I felt it would be fitting!  Be sure when you say it, to say it loud and proud :)  Oh how I love the Samoan Sisters here.  So...TALOFA!!!! How has everyone been?  I hope everyone is doing well.  If you ever need me, I am still here for you. 

I had a wonderful week that has made me so very grateful to not only be on a mission, but to be here at Temple Square.  I had so many mothers say to me that they are forever grateful for their decision to serve a mission as it has made them better wives, mothers, daughters, community members in every way.  I want to be the best I can and so that meant the world.  I feel so blessed to be here. 

Me and some of my dearest Sisters from all around the world.  America, Korea, Mongolia and Hong Kong!

I hope everyone had a most wonderful 4th of July! Happy Anniversary Grandma Jeanie and Grandfather :) I most certainly was thinking about you.  This was the most different 4th of July I've ever ever had, and yet it was one of the best. 

I even ran into the Fischer family (from Sammamish, WA, grew up with them) in the North Visitor's Center.  I just cried, it made me so happy and was exactly the pick-me-up I needed. 

We left the square early since it was a holiday and had a wonderful 4th of July celebration at a chapel nearby.  We had a giant talent show.  Yes, I cried at one point because I was so amazed at all the talent I was surrounded by.  Girls from all around the world did dances, songs, skits, games all unique to their culture.  I loved seeing the passion that these Sisters have for their country, and yet each Sister at the end would say, "Happy America Day!"  It just made me want to travel the world.  There is so much we can learn from people everywhere.  I am so grateful to be in a mission where I'm able to speak with people from all nations every single day.  Did I participate in the talent show?  Yep :) Please don't be upset, my talent was pretending to be Canadian. haha

With the Canadians before our skit for the 4th of July!...sorry it's a bit blurry

I've become really good friends with the Canadian Sisters here and they wanted me to pretend to be one for this skit. Kind of hard to explain but it was great and so much fun.  CASEY- We even used some mean girls quotes- "She doesn't even go here!" It was a wonderful day and such a fun night.  We even got to look out the window of our house that night and see the fireworks out over the Salt Lake temple.  I hope it was an amazing holiday for everyone.  This truly is a blessed land.  It was prepared as a land of freedom, which enabled the gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored once more.  Ah, I love it.

Friday was another wonderful day!  Sister Hillam, who has become one of my very dearest friends out here, asked if I would call one of her friends from back home, Austin...so I did :)  I felt so grateful and so humbled that she trusted me with such a dear friend of hers.  I had no idea what I would say, but it truly all just came to me.  I really felt the spirit working through me. I was able to share experiences from my life, share notes from my friends and family that have written me this last week, it all just lined up.  I 'm going to be teaching him and I am stoked.  Oh my goodness, I just want everyone to know about this gospel.  It makes me so happy.

Also..on Friday we got to go to Lion House! We get to go and have a free meal there once we "pass off," which means we are efficient at talking about the history and the gospel in tours.  It was purely delightful.  I highly recommend it.

Me and my Flor Linda (beautiful flower in Portugese) Sister Siegle from Sao Paulo Brazil! She is one of my roommates and we just have the best time together!

 Also, on our way back we ran into STEPHANIE NEILSON! If you are not familiar with who she is, she is an amazing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who was in a terrible plan crash years ago.  Her near-death experience has led her to write a powerful blog, mormonmessages.org to create a video about her and she is able to speak around the world on her experience.  Check it out--I think it's called "My new life," at mormonmessages.org.  I hugged her and it just warmed my soul.  She is such an inspiration.


I love this scripture.  I truly feel blessed and grateful to be able to serve as a missionary for my Heavenly Father right now.

Yesterday was an incredibly busy day.  We had mandarin motor coaches, and then were taking people through the God's Plan video one right after the other.  When Sister Lin and I were in one of the God's Plan presentations, we were around the corner and on her phone texted, "We are never getting out of God's Plan." I know that was just a simply goofy text, but I received so much more from it than she may have expected.  All of us---me, you, people everywhere are a part of God's Plan whether they know about it or not.  EVERYONE is in His plan and so many just don't know it, that they have a purpose, that their pains and sufferings have a purpose, that they were somewhere before coming here. 

Everyone needs to know-this is so very important, this is something that people everywhere guess at, and it's only natural.  And there is a straightforward, powerful and perfect answer.  I testify to you that there IS a plan for each of us.  I want you to just bear with me and picture that you are familiar with Heavenly Father, that He is like your Dad...what you're picturing is real.  We all are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, he created our spirits and we lived with Him before we came here.  Just like my own amazing parents here on earth, He saw that I could become more, that I had so much potential, that we all do.  The only way we could reach that full potential is by coming here and walking by faith rather than by sight.  Through Adam and Eve's decision, we may not be in God's presence, but we were given the opportunity to become as He is, to be apart from Him for a short time, and then to live with Him again if we remember Him and do as He asks.  Everyone is a part of this plan, and knowing this plan has blessed my life in so many ways.  I see things through an eternal lens. I see everyone I meet as a child of God. 

Hi to Liz and Reid Donakey...Books of Mormon in Russian and Spanish! Keep up the good work out there!

Will everyone please, just pray to your Heavenly Father, ask Him who you are in His eyes, if you are special to Him, if He has a plan for you.  I promise that if you ask Him, with a true desire, you will receive an answer.  Receiving this answer for myself this last week has given me strength I have never felt before.  We truly are all so precious in His sight, and I know that that is an important message to share with missionary work.  Everyone wants to feel loved at some level, and God and Jesus Christ provides that for each of us.  He loves us with a perfect and infinite love.

I wish you could all feel of my love for each of you.  I sincerely and genuinely feel so grateful for my family, for my friends, for the people who are so close to me and just for everyone that I meet.  Thank you for everything that you do-I hope you all know how important you are, not only to me, but to your Heavenly Father.

 

 

I love you all!!!!!  Now we are off to hike Ensign Peak and go out for dinner later for our Zone Activity.  Thank you for your letters, packages, smiles and prayers.  They mean the world!

Thanks for the basketball hoop, Rob! You're the best!

Sister Lin and I eating famous Donakey chocolate chip cookies! Thank you!!!

Got fancy with dinner last night...it was time, thanks for all you've taught me Mom and Dad!

 I loved my package from Robert, thank you for all the goodies! :)

 

 

Shoutouts to Casey, Bryan, Mom and Dad Briggs, Sister Sheen, Sister Clason, Grandma Jeanie and Grandfather, Chase, Grandmother, Sister Kim Blauer, Mary, Sara, Becca, Jean, Ed and Rob Donakey.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

Sister Briggs :)

S.M.I.L.E.

PS.  Excited to meet you soon Sister Tiritilli!  Thank you for your note. 

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 :)