Reaches my reaching

Hi everybody! I feel like I just wrote and I honestly don't have much to report. Everything is good!

Ben came to church and Why I Believe, which was awesome!

We had exchanges this week so I got to be with my trainer, Sister Harper, for a day. Just like old times. We went tracting in downtown Oakland and every single door we knocked on was Chinese or Cambodian and barely spoke English, so we got a lot of referrals for the Elders!

We did a mission-wide fast this weekend and this was the purpose: "That every missionary in our mission will be more driven to achieve our missionary purpose, so that we can see miracles from the Lord in helping us achieve our mission baptismal goal." And to increase our faith!

Gaby is getting married tomorrow and baptized on Friday! She texted us the other day and told us how ready she was to make this change :) She is incredible!

Sister Benosa and I are still reading the Book of Mormon in the morning! I have noticed the Lord blessing me with energy and motivation when I really shouldn't have any, considering the amount of sleep I get. I have noticed a clearer mind and more peace. I have noticed my love for the Book of Mormon increase. I have noticed things pop up all day that make me think, "I just read about that in the Book of Mormon!" LOVE

I love sacrament meeting and I usually feel peace, comfort, and hope as I sing, ponder, and listen. But this Sunday I was feeling exhausted and like a failure in a few areas of my life. I was thinking about me me me which made me feel worse because I know I am not supposed to be thinking of myself. I am a missionary! I am supposed to be thinking of OTHERS! Like sweet Ben sitting right next to me. This weight was lifted as "Where Can I Turn For Peace" began to play as the closing hymn. The tears of exhaustion and frustration were replaced by tears of peace, relief, and gratitude. Two phrases the really stuck out to me:

"Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One."

"Reaches my reaching"

I was feeling that. Where is He? Why isn't He calming my anguish? Who can understand what I am going through? He can. Jesus Christ can. He reaches our reaching. If we reach out to Him, He will reach out to us and meet us wherever we are! If we can only reach an inch because we are tired and worn out and sad, He will lift us. If we are reaching as far as we can because we want His help so bad, He will be there, too. I wasn't even reaching. I was just sitting there wanting to sleep and He STILL reached me! So He is there no matter what. I know it because I felt it.

I read this in the Book of Mormon and loved it. One reason Heavenly Father is so wonderful is that He allows us to choose. He gave us agency. What a beautiful gift! All of our choices have consequences. Good choices have good consequences. Bad choices have bad consequences. Believe it or not, sometimes we still choose the bad choice. But Heavenly Father gives us choices and will give us what we want!

"..For I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men..according to their wills, whether they be unto salvationor unto destruction."

"..He that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience."

Alma 29:4-5

If we know good from evil, which we do, we will be given what we desire. Good or evil! Life or death! Joy or remorse of conscience. Of course it's easier said than done, but HELLO! Let's choose GOOD! Let's choose LIFE! Let's choose JOY! Therefore, leading us to choose salvation. :)

Hope you have a happy week!!! I love you.

Love!

Sister Brinton