I'm beginning to think this is all real

 How we love the miracles of Temple Square!

I hope Easter Sunday was a beautiful day for everyone.  Temple Square was busy with individuals, friends and families who all came with a love and left with a passion for our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the way they hasten the Lord's work. As Temple Square missionaries, we feel honored, humbled and blessed to have the opportunity to work alongside them.  The way they testify of our Savior, the way they truly give all their time, talents and efforts to building up the children of God around the world through the powerful spirit of their music, leaves me in awe and wanting to do more.  It shows that no matter who we are, where we are, what our capacities may be, all of us have something to bring to the Lord's kingdom.  Whether you bake and bring treats to a neighbor, help your siblings with their homework, play a hymn in a piano recital, listen to uplifting music in the car with your friends, you are doing the work of the Lord and I feel tremendously blessed to be working alongside you.

When we do such every day matters with an eye single to the glory of God, we truly become qualified to inspire the working of miracles among His children.  What an exciting thought :) doesn't that just make you smile? Do you love the people around you?  Then you can bring them closer to Christ.  Do you look for ways to serve your friends and family?  You are bringing them closer to Christ.  Do you feel the spirit when talking with people in every day situations?  You have already brought them closer to Christ.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is by the Prophet of this marvelous work, of this Restoration, Joseph Smith.  I testify that he saw God, the Father, and His Son Jesus Christ and that he indeed was called to restore the very same organization Jesus Christ established when He taught during His mortal ministry. 

He said, "A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race."

On exchanges with beautiful Sister Chayama from Japan!

When we begin with this love we have for God, with this love we have for our fellow-man, the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ spreads throughout the world in a very real and literal sense.  When this happens, both sides of the veil rejoice as curiosity begins to develop into faith.

For Kathleen, it wasn't a thought-out lesson or a brilliant presentation that took her doubting curiosity into a beautiful desire to have faith, rather, it was a simple, ordinary text. Really...a very, very simple text.

It read, "Sorry it's taken us so long to get back to you! We were having difficulties with e-mail but will send it to you soon! We love you Kathleen and we're so happy to hear from you!"

However, what turned this ordinary text into a thought-consuming miracle was the timing of the Lord. 

In the middle of our lunch, Sister Gearheart and I felt this very strong prompting we needed to text Kathleen and we needed to do it right that moment.  It didn't make apparent sense as we were in a rush to get through our meal, but the prompting pounded and persisted.  So off went this simple text, but then came a powerful reply.

"Wow...I was just thinking about you both when you texted!" 

We smiled then when we read the text, but rejoiced today as we heard what a powerful effect this simple text had on her newly budding faith.  We met Kathleen here at Temple Square and had a powerful lesson with her on the Plan of Salvation with a wonderful member family who brought her.  When we called her again with our return appointment she said continually said, "Where's my proof? How can I have faith?"

Our district at our district meeting this week!

Today as we shared with her the strong prompting we felt to text her right in that moment she said, "Sisters, I'm really beginning to think this is all real."

All it took was a text and two willing hearts to follow the promptings of the Lord.

Brothers & Sisters, we are all at different points of our journey to being with God and becoming like Him, but we must help each other along this path.  We have not the right, but the responsibility to remind, re-teach and restore our brothers and sisters to this knowledge we have that we are literal children of God, our lives have purpose and our future is infinite.  This gospel is real.  It is as real, it is more real than you and me.  Whatever it is you are doing, whatever talents you have, use them to help our fellow brothers and sisters along this path.  

Kathleen is now going to church this Sunday for the first time in over 10 years.  We love her, we pray for her and have felt and found the greatest joy in helping her step by step to remember who she really is.  

I testify of the reality that our Savior died for each of us.  Such a profound sacrifice should remind us that we are so much more than the world would have us believe.  We are so much more than we can now see.  We are so much more important, special, and loved than we can imagine, or our Father would not have sent His Only Begotten & perfect Son to atone for us all. 

"O Lord, wilt though grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ.  Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee." (Alma 31:34-35). 

Will you each find a way this week to hasten the Lord's work?  Remember, it can and will be found in your talents, personality and character that the Lord has blessed you with, it may even be something as simple as a text.  Even the most simple of things can transform a curious thinker into a faithful believer who says, "I'm beginning to think this is all real." I know that the Lord's heart is full as we can all work together to bring each other back to Him. How great is our calling! :)

Sincerely,

Sister Briggs

SHOUTOUTS: Jonathan LeFevre (congratulations! Your fiance is beautiful! Thank you for the invite!), Rob Versaw, Britania & Tom Busath (so happy I got to see you both today!), Bryan & Casey Briggs (congratulations on graduating, really, congrats to all my friends graduating this weekend!), Mom & Dad, Robert Donakey, Grandmother, Grandma Jeanie & Grandfather, Sara, Mary, Becca, Brother & Sister Donakey, the amazing and wonderful achievement day girls of the cascade crest ward, Sister Stutz...thank you!!!!!

My Wonderful Bag Finally is Dying

"If the Savior Stood Beside Me.."

(From Kelsey, April 3, 2014) As I boarded the plane from Reno to Salt Lake City, I felt my heart not being split in two between the two missions, but my heart simply growing to be able to contain more love. The time the Lord allowed me to serve in Reno is such a treasure to me.  It was in Reno I came to know my Savior in a very personal and real sense.  It was in Reno where I implemented the vital importance of talking to absolutely everyone about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was in Reno where I was blessed with remarkable companions who showed me the way to truly love others with the pure love of Christ. 

I finally had to toss my tracting shoes, and it was a bit of a sad day.
I loved walking the streets of downtown Reno. 

Last good-byes at the airport with President and Sister Hermansen in Reno, Nevada

I am reminded of a verse in The Book of Mormon that talks about how a place was made beautiful and special because of the experiences had there.

Saying good bye to our investigator, Susan.  How I miss her :)

"And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever." 

(Mosiah 18:30).

Love everyone in the mission office in Reno! Thank you for everything!

My three months in Reno mean everything to me. I have such a testimony that we are called to our missions through inspiration from our Heavenly Father.  We are called to serve where, and we are called to serve who our Father in Heaven needs us to touch to bring them that much closer to coming home to Him. How fast those months flew by and yet how much my Father in Heaven allowed me to grow.

 I was so blessed with such tremendous companions in Reno! wow!

Our Heavenly Father seems to be constantly reminding me how quickly our privilege to represent His Son, Jesus Christ, as full-time missionaries goes by.  Now, I am back here at Temple Square and I feel so tremendously blessed to take all that I learned in Reno and apply it to our missionary work here. Never again will I experience this day as a full-time representative of Jesus Christ and His teachings, and that in itself makes today special and remarkable to me :) 

With wonderful Sister Smedley in the mission office! We always liked to snack on peanut butter pretzels together, miss her!

Marvin J. Ashton once said, "Our strides of today will determine our locations tomorrow."  

It is my greatest desire and my firmest hope to at the end of all my tomorrows, to sit and rest at my Savior's feet. I know to prepare for such a resting place, we must stride with our Savior, step by step, today and now.  I know that to stride with our Savior step by step, we must have faith enough in Him to know that He wants us by His side too. My incredible new companion and I learned very powerfully today that our Savior really will stand beside us as we stand for Him and strive to do His work His way.  Such miracles are brought about through including Him, and we can do this through the beautiful gift of prayer.

 Saying goodbye to all the sisters in our amazing Keystone Ward.  What a blessing it was to serve side by side with them for the last 3 months

Last night as Sister Gearheart (from Washington state) and I planned for our day today, we felt inspired to plan for a specific person we would meet.  

Me and my WONDERFUL new companion, Sister Gearheart from Washington!

With such powerful faith Sister Gearheart looked at me and said, "Sister Briggs, who are we going to meet tomorrow?"

As we sat there we started to describe someone as led by the spirit. We described a young mother with a child who has gone less active in the church. We felt that she would be someone who wants support as she doesn't feel support from the father of her children.  We felt impressed that she would feel strength as she made decisions in life, picturing her Savior at her side. We felt that we would met her between 11:00 and 12:00 and had the faith that if it was in God's will and timing, we would.

At 11:55, we met Tracey and her little boy, Isaac. Tracey is a senior in high school from Elko, Nevada.  Isaac's father is distant from their family and she feels that she is very much alone.  Our Father in Heaven made it so very clear to the both of us who we needed to meet last night.  Sister Gearheart and I couldn't help but smile as we stood there and spoke with Tracey.  We could feel so powerfully of her Heavenly Father's love for her.  We could see her great desire to raise her son Isaac in a way that brought in all the truths and beauty of the gospel she had been taught growing up.  As we were led by the spirit, we handed her a picture of our Savior and encouraged her to put it in a place where her and Isaac would see her each day.

Sister Gearheart and I paused for a minute as we were about to walk away, when our Heavenly Father brought back to memory a very key piece of information He had given us the night before.

"Tracey," we said. "We know that the road ahead may seem long, and it may look hard, but we promise as you picture your Savior standing beside you, every decision will become that much easier."  

Tracey looked up at us, and we saw we had caught her son Isaac's attention too.

"And as representatives of your Savior," we continued, "we can testify with absolute surety that He is standing right beside you with every step you take. The work you are engaged in as a mother of one of God's precious children is far too important for Them to leave up to chance. You are engaged in a noble cause."

I love the primary song, "If the Savior stood beside me," and thought of it so powerfully and vividly at that very moment.  I know and testify that the Savior stands beside each and every one of us in our daily labors.  

"He is always near me,
though I do not see Him there,
And because He loves me dearly,
I am in His watchful care.
So I’ll be the kind of person 
that I know I’d like to be
if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me." (If the Savior Stood Beside Me by Sally Deford)

So grateful I was able to serve with Sister Nakayama for two transfers in Reno.  We both love being back at Temple Square too!

So because the Savior stands beside us, let us all stand beside Him and be anxiously engaged in His work. I testify that the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from whom we will be hearing this weekend, are truly prophets, seers and revelators on the earth again today and they truly do stand for our Savior.  Listen to them this weekend, and I promise you too will be led by the Spirit to take the strides to stand with our Savior.

Sincerely,

Sister Briggs

SHOUTOUTS: Briana Layton!!!! (so exciting, I had been on Temple Square for about 10 minutes and ran into her! Yay!) Mom, Robert Donakey, all the Reno Nevada mission :)