Shaking in the Presence of Sin

I can't believe all the news I've heard!!!! A lot has happened this week for me too. Tuesday's devotional was awesome, Elder Piper from the seventy spoke on agency and how even though Satan can tempt us to make bad choices, he has NO power over us. We make our own choices. It was cool because earlier that day I was reading in 2 Nephi about when Nephi feels horrible about his iniquities because he knows and is grateful for all of his blessings, but he still has allowed Satan to tempt him. He asks GOD to make it so that he shakes in the presence of sin. Reading that chapter and then hearing that talk was so powerful to me because I've def. felt how Nephi did, and I know that I have the power to say NO to satan!!! I too pray that I can be disgusted when around sin, or when Satan is trying to tempt me. The next day, Wednesday was a super emotional day. My new companion and a lot of the newer elders going to Brazil got their visas in the morning. I didn't want it to effect me, but I was a little bothered. I kept thinking WHY is my visa not here yet? Am I going to go stateside?!?! Anyways, after giving it some thought, I really got my hopes up that and convinced myself that I really wanted to go stateside for a transfer before Brazil. NYC or Boston would be awesome!!!! But then I ended up getting my Visa that same night, and I was actually really devastated. I just starting crying. I love everyone here in the Provo MTC. I feel like I've really grown close to the people in my district and zone. I spend everyday all day with them and I'm going to miss them so much. But I'm also really excited for the opportunity to go the Brazil MTC on Tuesday for 2 weeks. Definitely Bittersweet. I know these next few weeks are just going to FLY by, and before Christmas I'll be in the field teaching REAL investigators and be speaking only in Portuguese. Sooooo Stoked for that. Thanksgiving was really nice as well. It started out by going to a devotional where ELDER HOLLAND was the speaker. We got to meet his family which was really cool. He is such a powerful speaker. He made me realize how lucky we truly are to be living in this dispensation where we are destined to win!! So many people in this world have lived in previous dispensations with no hope for their people, knowing it would just end in apostasy. I'm so grateful to be living in this amazing time, where the gospel will just continue to grow and will never be taken off the earth again. I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith too because he has done so much for the human race, and for me personally!!! The rest of the day was pretty fun as well. We did a service project for the people of Mali, putting together hygiene kits. Watching videos about them, and hearing about the humanitarian aid branch of the church really made me want to be pro-active about serving. If you can ever spare an extra dollar I would suggest donating on your tithing slip to humanitarian aid, It definitely is used to HELP people around the world. We also got to watch 17 miracles and eat popcorn. SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. Never seen so many elders cry haha. Anyways I hope everyone's having a good holiday break. I'll be in BRAZIL by next week so Dear Elder me letters to the Brazil MTC, send me letters to the mission home. KEEP ME POSTED!!!! Love you all!!!!! Sister Deseret Bruno

Elder Bradley D. Foster Tells MTC Missionaries to Give Heavenly Father Everything

Holy Cow Holy Cow Holy Cow!!!!!! Parabens para sua chamado de missao Franny!!!!!!! That is sooooo freaking exciting especially since I've become really close to two sisters that are serving in that exact mission!!!! I hope you serve with one of them! I wrote you a letter with all the advice they want me to give you so look out for it!!! Still can not believe it. Now my only hope is that Michael or Nikki goes Portuguese speaking :) This week has been a roller coaster to say the least. It started out pretty well. On Tuesday night we had a great devotional. Elder Bradley D. Foster came and talked for the devotional he talked a lot about the law of consecration and how we need to be willing to give the Lord everything that we have. He shared the story of Jared Carter in D&C 79 and how unique of a person he was and that because of his unique personality he converted John Tanner, who donated A LOT of money to the church and in sense saved the temple in Kirtland. He then showed a movie about John Tanner, I don't know what its called but its a really awesome movie about his life and about when after he was converted to the gospel he gave everything to the Lord, he sold all of his possessions (they were worth about 1 million dollars) and gave almost all of it to the church!!! He even lost a child on his way to Nauvoo, but he was willing to give everything to the Lord. If you havent seen the movie then find it and watch it!!!! I know that these 18 months I have to give everything to the Lord, I need to be working my hardest, I need to follow all of the rules of the mission, I need to be serving others even if I have to sacrifice my own personal comfort. The really awesome thing is that he promised us that if we give Heavenly Father our everything on our missions then our children would never suffer. How awesome of a promise is that?? I felt really pumped and excited after I heard that devotional, but as the week went on I started getting really frustrated. I don't feel like I'm progressing as much as I would like, especially in my teaching. Sometimes I feel like I have no clue what I'm doing and I have no clue how to teach or what to teach about, and it gets really discouraging. But yesterday I had a really good lesson about teaching with the spirit. We had a practice where I taught Sis. Lofgreen and Sis. Warburton (my old companions) about things they needed to hear in there life. We had to completely rely on the spirit, and I felt like the first half I went with the spirit and Sis. Lofgreen started crying because she really felt like it was what she needed to hear but halfway through I started freaking about because I was like uh what do I say now?? I started doubting myself. I tried to keep it together and finished the lesson but when we were doing feedback I just started crying because it was the same thing that I always feel when I'm teaching. It was annoying but at the same time it was a really good learning experience about how important it is to let the spirit do the teaching!!! If you have any advice on how to be a better teacher please let me know!!!!!! I tried fasting about it and it definitely helped but I still feel like I have a long way to go. My new companion's mom keeps updating her on her Visa situation I guess there's a website where you can put your name and birthday and they tell you the status of your visa... Maybe if you can try to find it for me.... and tell me what mine says that would be awesome. Hers is already authorized and ready to send so I have a feeling she'll get to go to the Brazil MTC soon.... I'm more than halfway done here. Muito LOCO!!!!!! only 4 weeks left. I made friends with the missionaries going to South Carolina last week and I felt really prompted to give them a list with people I knew on it. So maybe they'll find some of my friends there!!! I've also been seeing some people from the singles ward here too. I've seen Alyssa, and Will and Emily!!!!! We always have South Carolina get-togethers in the cafeteria with the elders going to South Carolina its fun. Anyways I hope everyone is doing good!!!! Write me this week!!!!! That means you too Michael and Nikki and Gen!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eu amo voces com todo meu coracoe!!!!!!! Sister Desi Bruno

Practice Teaching in MTC

Ola Querida Familia, Where has the week gone? It feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow will be my half-way point. 33 days left. I love the MTC, but I can't wait to get out into the field. This week for Devotional we got to hear Elder Zwyck from the seventy. He is such an awesome speaker! He taught about being a disciple of Christ. It's so important that we are all trying to follow Jesus and be like him and because thats what are goal here is! When were truly being disciples of Christ we put others above ourselves. I've decided to read the New Testament so that I can know more about Jesus and become more like him, and it has been such a blessing in my life. Still reading the Book of Mormon, of course!!!! I watched the Joseph Smith movie on Sunday, and I feel like my testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon have grown so much in the last 4 weeks. I love teaching about the restoration in lessons!!!! This week has felt really hectic because now I'm teaching 3 fake "investigators" with the 3 different elders in my district. Sometimes its really hard to teach with elders because they have such different ways of going about things, but I know that its a good experience for me to be able to learn how to teach with different personalities, and its so worth it to see how all of their testimonies have been growing and how much better they've gotten at Portuguese!!!! This week I got a new companion!!!! Shes a solo sister going to Brazil Velem (somewhere in the amazons) it was really hard at first to leave my old companions because I've grown to love them so much. It felt like a break up because even though I still see them a lot, it doesn't feel the same. But my new companion is really nice, and I think Heavenly Father has given me an opportunity to serve someone new now. I've pretty much given up on the thought of going to the Brazil MTC now that I've been here halfway. It would be nice to go, but I know HF has a reason for me being here. I just hope that I get it before my 9 weeks is up so that I don't get reassigned to Salt Lake or something.... I hope everyone is having fun back home and sharing the gospel with all their friends. It really is soooo important that you do. It's a matter of giving them eternal life here!!!! Write me back on Dear Elder so I know whats going on with everyone!!!! Sister Bruno

Loves MTC Devotionals

Hey Everyone! This week has been pretty good. A lot of ups and downs! I feel like I'm learning soooo much, and progressing in both Portuguese and the gospel. I still haven't got my visa, not sure what the hold up is. My favorite things in the MTC are the Devotionals and Firesides on Tuesdays and Sundays. I love singing with all of the other missionaries, its such an awesome feeling. This week Elder Don R. Clark spoke on how to help investigators and be a good missionary. It was awesome because he pretty much gave us the same advice that Gen Gianina Flora and Annika gave me before I came in. It was awesome. You sisters must have been awesome missionaries. He told us that we should be HELPING, if were not helping were not being good missionaries. We do this by Teaching them the doctrine, Helping them keep commitments, Help them Repent, Help them Love the Book of Mormon, and that we need to retain converts by getting to know the bishop and his wife and the mission leader and his wife. It was a really inspiring devotional for me. It made me soooo excited to get into the field and be a missionary. I also love the camaraderie (sp) in the MTC! I love gym time. Our zone loves playing volleyball so we play almost everyday, and every time afterwards we have a handstand contest and roll down the hill by the volleyball pits. It makes my day. I feel like I'm improving in my teaching because it's easier to explain things and I feel much more comfortable teaching. I love having personal study time because I feel like I've learned so much about the Book of Mormon. Right now I just finished Ether and am starting Moroni. After reading Ether 12 I felt like my faith grew about 50%!!!!! I want all of you to read Ether 12 before you go to sleep tonight :) I also love that the Jaredites brought Deseret with them on their journey!!!!! The Book of Mormon is seriously becoming the LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!! I love learning Portuguese and I love being a missionary!!! This week for relief society the 1st counselor of the primary, Jean A. Stevens, came and gave the lesson. It's so awesome to be able to see all these great women leaders here in the MTC. They have such sweet spirits and they love the lord. She gave a great lesson about building our relationship with the Savior and Heavenly Father. Anyways this gospel is true! I love you guys! Keep me posted on things. This week was discouraging not hearing from anyone but I know you all are busy. Thanks for package.... Love, Sister Bruno