Happy

Hii friends and family! I love you. I miss you. I hope everyone is happy and healthy. I am!! I get happier and healthier every day! :) This week I was happy for a lot of reasons.

1. I got to face time my family for Mothers Day

2. I got to go to the temple

3. The weather is BEAUTIFUL

4. Our investigators are doing AWESOME

5. I found out I am not allergic to avocado anymore

6. I have felt the Spirit so strong

7. Sister Benosa and I are the best of friends

I could keep going on & on & on. First and foremost, seeing my family, talking and laughing with them, was THE absolute best. I am tearing up just typing about it right now. It was perfect. So good to see my sweet Momma on Mothers day and laugh with my Daddie and siblings. Those precious moments are a huge blessing from our Father in Heaven. I have few things to compare that kind of joy to. I love my family, they are my everything. And good news! They still love me and haven't forgotten about me! :)) I loved every second of it. Of course I have to share my Daddie's newest joke that he shared with me (it wouldn't have been complete without it): What kind of teeth can you get for a dollar? Buck teeth. LOL

The temple was wonderful. The Spirit is so strong there. My heart was filled with pure peace. I didn't want to leave ever!!! Being on beautiful sacred temple grounds on a gorgeous day with palm trees & a sea breeze & lunch did make it easier to leave His house. I just want to BE with Him. Imagine how happy that will be. Wow. But I am so blessed to be so close to a temple! :)

About the avocado.. I have been allergic to avocado since I can remember. It makes my throat itch and I vomit. I hadn't had it in over 7 years until the other day I accidentally ate it in a salad at a members home.. but nothing happened!!! So I went to the store and bought 5 and ate avocado every day this week I was so happy haha Tender Mercy for SURE.

Ben is doing great! We moved his baptismal date to May 28th because he felt kind of rushed and is going through some stuff so we are working towards that date! He works the graveyard shift but still comes to church!

The ward held a bridal shower for Gaby. So nice. Her date is May 20th! She is getting married the 17th! So exciting! & her husband came to church Sunday!

We finally heard back from the Castellano family. They had been out of town!!! Everyone else is doing well..we are staying busy with the Visitors Center schedule and loving it! The other night at the VC we had a bunch of Bishops and Stake Presidents come and tour the new VC. We performed a song called "This is the Christ" and recited the Living Christ. The Spirit was so strong as we were circled around the Christ statue. It is beautiful how testifying of Him, singing of Him,&speaking of Him brings the Spirit so quickly and powerfully.

We are still getting used to all the new exhibits in the VC and so I asked one of the senior missionaries, Elder Nielsen (one of my best friends here.. he is AWESOME) to show us how he presents this one video. It is a video of Elder Christofferson describing the First Vision and bearing testimony of it, the Book of Mormon, the Restoration, and Jesus Christ. As he played the video, I couldn't hold back my tears. I was overcome with the Spirit. I knew that what Elder Christofferson was saying was the truth! Suddenly my whole body was filled with love and I felt so warm and happy. I knew that God loved me. It wasn't because the video said, "God loves you," but because the RESTORATION of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a HUGE manifestations of God's love for us. Probably the biggest next to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We have the truth! We have hope, joy, peace, forgiveness, repentance, guidance, modern day prophets, scriptures, & a plan & purpose & sense of who we are because of the Restoration. I knew it was true from the core of my being. There was nothing that could shake me or convince me otherwise.It's funny and special how I study this and testify of it every day, but then one day it randomly hits you that it's true and the Spirit is so strong. It's kind of like, "It's still true in case you were wondering" haha. Elder Nielsen wept with me as he bore his testimony of the Restoration of the Priesthood, showing the pictures of Jesus Christ's twelve apostles, and the picture right next to it of the modern day twelve apostles. POWERFUL. We have the most beautiful message in the world. It's true. It is so true.

All throughout the Book of Mormon there are missionaries who face so much opposition, but they keep going. They keep teaching. They keep trusting. They get kicked out of one city and go to the next. They served 18 YEAR missions, not 18 months. I am reading in Alma right now and Ammon just went to deliver his brothers out of jail:

Alma 20:29 "And when Ammon did meet them he was exceedingly sorrowful, for behold they were naked, and their skins were worn exceedingly because of being bound with strong cords. And they also had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of afflictions; nevertheless they were patient in all their sufferings."

This is just ONE example of TONS of missionaries who were spit on, stoned, thrown out, yelled at, cast into prison, starved, beat, bound, ect. Wow they have all become my heroes. How did they press on? How did they not lose their faith? How did they not just give up or at least take a break!!!?Whenever something hard happens like one door is slammed in our face, I'm like, "wow I need some ice cream." They remained patient. They trusted the Lord. They prayed. They studied. Studying their lives and their missions has helped me to appreciate my mission. I have it SO easy compared to them!! When it gets hard, I just think of them and their examples and strength and faith. They help me to keep going and put my tiny little problems in perspective, "Hey! At least they didn't throw us into jail and spit on us!" I am so grateful for these incredible prophets, missionaries, and disciples of Jesus Christ that set the perfect example for us to follow, and big shoes to fill!

I hope this letter finds you happy & safe & healthy. Thank you for loving & supporting me & taking care of my family while I'm gone. I am the happiest ever and just SO grateful it is hard to express.

Love ALWAYS

Sister Emma Brinton