ONE MONTH

Hi everybody!! I can't believe I've been out a MONTH!! It has gone by so fast, but after I think about everything that has happened, it seems like forever haha. WOW I didn't know it was possible to learn and grow so much in so little time.
I love Fall. We decorated our apartment with lights and candles and pumpkins :) It feels a lot more homey now and I LOVE IT. It's also cooling down. It's perfect weather in the day and perfect at night with a chilly breeze.

A few random things-Investigator's prayers are seriously my favorite. They are so sincere and say the cutest things, you can tell that it is straight from their heart! One of our eternigators (an investigator who has been investigating for an eternity) said in her prayer this week, "Thank you for helping us rise with the sun." I just love that. -We went to visit a less active family last week and they have a dog. I was admiring it and asked what his name was. The lady was like "Dog." I was like, "yeah the dog, what's his name?" She was like, "Dog..." THE DOG'S NAME was literally Dog. I was crying. -Every person in my ward has tattoos, fake teeth, piercings, and colored hair. I'm kidding haha but our ward is EXTREMELY diverse and is full of converts!!! It's a whole new world here. I love every second of it. I love the ward. Everyone hugs hugs hugs

There are miracles happening here in San Leandro! MIRACLES. We had an awesome zone training about our focus! President Frandsen changed the mission focus this month from OYM (Open Your Mouth) to RFR (Request For Referrals). So instead of just talking to everybody, we talk to everybody and ask for referrals. About an hour after the training, we got to the VC and had a series of miracles happen as we asked people for referrals. This one man came in, a member, and we talked, showed him around or whatever, then he left. The Spirit told me to ASK HIM FOR A REFERRAL. And I didn't. I was kicking myself over and over after he left. All of the sudden, he came back in and with tears in his eyes told us that he sat down in his truck and the Spirit told him to come back in and ask us if we needed anything. With tears in my eyes I said, "We need a referral." He weeped and thanks us for asking as he had someone in OUR AREA who really needed the gospel and he was wondering how to help them. That is just one example of the many miracles that occurred that day because 1. President Frandsen was inspired 2. Heavenly Father's timing 3. our obedience 4. our faith 5. (and most important) THE SPIRIT. I was overcome and humbled as we followed the counsel of our Mission President and the Savior. We exercised faith and the Lord allowed us to become His instrument to work MIRACLES.

We have an awesome GOLDEN investigator named Roslyn (the eternigator.) She has been taking the discussions for about 2 years now. The missionaries have extended the invitation to baptism tons of times and she had always said no. She has a hard time accepting that we have prophets today. We prayed so hard for her as we prepared to teach her about PROPHETS. I was guided by the Spirit as we taught and I bore my testimony of prophets. It was going really well, she was accepting it (YAY). Then all of the sudden my heart started to beat out of my chest and the Spirit told me to ask her to be baptized!!! This was definitely not in the plans. I looked over at Sister Harper then looked right at Roslyn. I could not control it, I asked her with tears in my eyes if she would be baptized. She readily agreed. OH MY HEART. I knew I would experience joy on my mission but I had no idea it would be anything like the joy I felt right then. I was OVERCOME. I didnt even know what to say next I was so happy. She has a baptismal date for next month. So does our investigator named Sarada from Sri Lanka and our investigator from Norway named Ann-Helen. November is going to be amazing.
I came across this scripture in my studying and fell in love with it. I would love to share it with you and how much I have learned from it. "And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about GREAT things." 1 Nephi 16:29   I am the small means. I am weak, inadequate, prideful, lazy, stubborn, and HUMAN. I am these small and simple means. BUT THROUGH ME, a 19 year old, the LORD can bring about great things. The Lord can work miracles through me. Whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. I am seeing miracles happen daily because of this beautiful concept. All things are possible through the Lord, through the Atonement. He gives me strength beyond my own. He teaches me love and patience and kindness and charity and compassion for these people who have no family, no food, no homes, nothing. How can I love a stranger? Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Another thing I learned this week that my Hero (my Daddie) taught me, is to not fear. I am so grateful that he, along with the Savior, taught me through example not to fear. What if I would have been too scared to ask Roslyn to be baptized?? What if I would have been discouraged because of all the failures in the past?? "Having conceived of her purpose a missionary should mark out a STRAIGHT pathway to it's achievement, looking neither to the right, nor the left. Doubts and fears should be rigorously excluded: they are disintegrating elements which break up the straight line of effort, rendering it crooked, ineffectual, useless. Thoughts of doubt and fear never accomplish anything, and never can. They ALWAYS lead to failure. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts CEASE when doubt and fear creep in. The will to do springs from the knowledge that we CAN do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and she who encourages them, who does not SLAY them, thwarts herself at every step. She who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure!! Her every thought is allied with power, and all difficulties are bravely met and wisely overcome." This quote has changed my mission. I am so grateful for my Daddie and the example that he is to me. It is not me working these miracles, it is the LORD!
I am so happy. I love being a missionary and I thank my Father in Heaven every single day for the PRIVILEGE and HONOR I have of being His missionary and THANK him for being my companion. I love Him. Choose to be happy.Thank Him for letting us rise with the sun.I LOVE you all more and more every day. every day. Thank you for your love and prayers.
XOXO
Sister Brinton