Biking It and Helping Hands

A Bigger Plan

Things are going alright here, sadly things don't always work out as we hope they will, but the Lord always has a bigger plan than we can see or comprehend. I know he will provide a way for us to be successful in this work as we are diligent and obedient in all that we do. I'm still working on that part, but it is coming along. Our investigator didn't come to church again this week, so he can't be baptized on November 8, but if his desire is still there, he will still be baptized just at a later date. It will all work out.

Don't worry, you aren't the only one who is excited. I'm not counting the days, but the elders are doing that for me, haha! They like to try to make people trunky when they are going home. Though I'm excited, I'm also doing all that I can to make the most of my last few weeks. I want to leave the area in a good place.

I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Bratt

Last Transfer - Staying in Arima :)

This week was good, busy as usual on a mission. We had some great success this week taking members out teaching with us. We try to involve them as much as possible to fellowship our investigators, but it can be a struggle. On Wednesday we were blessed to have a brother from the ward (his sister is the one on a mission in Ogden) walk around his area with us to some appointments and he helped us tract to meet new investigators as well. He is a great missionary! To answer you question about teaching males, we try to get members with us, but most often it isn't a problem to teach them if we can't get anyone with us. In order to teach them inside we have to have a third female with us, but in this mission we most often just teach people outside on the side of the road or on their front porch. As long as we are out in plain view of others we are fine to teach them alone. 

This Saturday we were at the baptism of two of the Elder's investigators and our whole zone was present. It was in the evening of the day we were all waiting for transfer calls, and none of us had heard anything yet. Of course, right as the baptism started our phones started ringing one by one. Haha! Luckily the second one who's phone rang answered it and took the call outside to let them know that we were all there and would call back after the baptism. Them baptism was very nice, as all baptisms are, and afterward we called back the APs (assistants to the president). We all just passed the one phone around to hear what our assignments were. Almost everyone in our zone is staying next transfer, all except one elder who was in our branch in a trio. He will be going to St. Lucia. As for Sister Feltis and I, we will be staying in Arima so here is where I will spend the rest of my mission, which is nice. I was hoping not to have to go to a new area my last transfer. 

I love you all! 

Sister Bratt

Placed in our Path

This week we saw much success. We had the wonderful blessing of having 3 investigators at church, though one of them came partway through sacrament meeting (But at least he came!). Either way, it was a great Sunday. There was also a lot of excitement caused by our friendly branch vagrant man this Sunday. He is in his 60s and is often high on drugs, but he loves church. He is usually fairly quiet, sometimes needing one or two friendly reminders to be reverent, but this Sunday he wasn't very with it. He started singing along with the hymns in a very loud, nasally falsetto voice that made it hard for the congregation not to laugh. He definitely keeps things interesting! Haha. He has been jumping over the church fence lately to sleep on the grounds, so the Branch President had to tell him to stop. His brain is just not what it used to be, he used to be a really great, maybe even well known singer here, but the drugs have taken over. It's pretty sad. 

One of the investigators that came to church is J. We met him just last week or so as we taught another couple people by the road side in a neighborhood. He walked by on his way to the shop and made some comment to the people we were teaching like, "oh, your having a bible study, huh?" They invited him to join, and he said he would on his way back. We didn't think much of it, thinking he was just giving an excuse, but sure enough, he came back and sat in. At the end of the lesson, he agreed to meet with us again a few days later. We left him a Book of Mormon committing him to read the introduction and to pray about it. The day of our return appointment came and we had a great lesson with him, he committed to baptism for the 8th of November and informed us that he had read the first 3 chapters in the Book of Mormon. The following day we were in his area again and he stopped us to tell us he had actually been wrong about how much he had read, he had read 9 chapters and continued to chapter 14 since the previous day. Sunday he came to church and loved it. Within a week of meeting him he has read 19 chapters, come to church, and has a solid baptism date. He is one of the elect whom the Lord truly prepared! We are so grateful that the Lord placed us in his path that day so we could meet him. 

It is crazy to think that next week will be the start of my last transfer! Time flies. We went to the beach, one I haven't been to yet called Las Cuevas, with our zone and the Francoms today. The Francoms let us email at their house after, which was nice. (Elder Francom says to tell you "hi" haha) They're great. We had a good time playing Football (Soccer), laying in Sister Feltis' fancy camping hammock she bought when she worked at REI before her mission, wading in the water, and getting Bake and Shark at Richard's. It may be my last beach outing for my mission, who knows, but it was fun to go again. I haven't been to the beach since my first or second transfer in Trinidad. I sent pictures on Dropbox. 

I hope you have a great week, and remember your missionary daughter loves you!

Love,

Sister Bratt

General Conference

I'm glad you enjoyed General Conference! We enjoyed it here too, though we had a few technical difficulties. We watched part of the Saturday morning session with the branch at the church when all of a sudden, in the middle of Elder Christofferson's talk, the power went out! We waited for it to come back on, but when it never did, all the missionaries went over to the Francom's to watch the afternoon session. Luckily on Sunday the power was back on so everyone was able to enjoy conference. 

Thanks for sharing what you learned! I saw a lot of themes during conference. Many talks touched on the importance and role of prophets, more than once the scripture Helaman 5:12 was quoted, we were told a few times to change our priorities, and there was a focus also on the family/the home. Those are just to name a few that stood out to me. I learned a lot though, and can't wait to review over the talks again when the magazines come. 

Love you TONS!

Sister Bratt

Baptism Date

Our week was good. It was nice to get back into the swing of things in my own area again. Sister Feltis is great! She is a terrific missionary, and I know we will serve well together. We finally got a baptism date set with our investigator, who I've mentioned to you in the past. He wants to wait until November 8th after his month long fast in October for his Birth month, but I felt like that was something he needs to do to really feel prepared, so it seems like a solid date. We look forward to continuing to work with him and see his progress over the next month until that date.

I look forward to your letters. Sorry this is short, but I had a lot that I had to do today on the computer. I got an email asking about what airport I will be flying into! I can't believe it is really going so fast! They will be booking my flight and sending you the itinerary before you know it!

I love you all lots!

Sister Bratt

Uplifted and Edified at Zone Conference

What an edifying few days we had listening to President and Sister Mehr, and Elder and Sister Zivic. I was grateful for the special opportunity to hear so many times from them in such a short space of time. We had Zone Conference Friday morning, leadership conference Saturday morning, an adult fireside Saturday evening, and a youth/ysa fireside on Sunday evening. What a great experience it was for the members as well to have that opportunity.

I have done a bit of bouncing around the past few days. Friday I came back to my area with a sister, Sister Kirton from Guyana, who was in Trinidad in transit to the MTC and then her mission in Tallahassee, Florida. We tried to round up someone from the branches to stay with me as a temporary companion so I could continue working in my area, but it didn't end up working out. So, after taking her to the airport, I was with the Curepe sisters, Sister Kime and Sister Tia. 

It has been a crazy week not being in my area, but I am back now. Sister Feltis made it safely in from Barbados this morning and we are going to work hard to apply what we learn in Zone Conference and Zone meeting to be able to get the work going again in our area. I'm grateful for President Mehr's insights on what we can improve on to make our work more productive. 

So, I didn't have to bear my testimony after all! None of the departing missionaries did, due to lack of time I suppose, but I'm not complaining. I was nervous enough just to sing my solo! Our zone sang the hymn Blessed Savior, Dear Redeemer to the tune of another song called Homeward Bound (motab sings that one). Since I was the only sister in our zone it looked a bit weird, so they decided it would be good if I sang a short part alone at the end. It turned out okay I guess, but I was so nervous! 

I love you all a lot! 

Thanks for you love and support

Love,

Sister Bratt

Goodbyes and New Companions

We had a scattered but successful week. It has been an enjoyable experience serving in a Trio with Sister Taufu'i and Sister Stahle. Sister Stahle come out with Sister Herrick and Sister Taufu'i, but volunteered to learn French when she got here, so has been on the French side of the mission most of the time. They are both great missionaries that have served faithfully until the end, I have learned so much from the both of them. I look forward to working with and getting to know my new companion this next transfer, Sister Feltis. I am going to do my very best to remain focused until the end of my mission so that she, or whoever I'm with my last transfer, won't be distracted by me going home. I don't know too much about Sister Feltis, but that she has served the first 6 months of her mission on Barbados. I have heard great things about her, and look forward to meeting her, unfortunately, she doesn't have her Trinidad visa just yet. So after taking my dying companions to the mission home on Wednesday morning, I will be in a different Trio, with Sister Ready and Sister Hyde, indefinitely until she gets here.

This Friday will be my last Zone Conference which means that I will have to bear my "departing testimony," yikes! It will be all of Trinidad there as well as Elder Zivic the new Carribean Area President. Plus, our zone is supposed to preform a musical number, but we don't know what it will be yet and won't be able to practice until Wednesday, because half of our Zone is changing this transfer. That will be an experience! 

Unfortunately, our investigator was very busy this week and sick this weekend, so we didn't get to see him. However, the Lord has been blessing us little by little with other wonderful people to teach as well.

Love you lots!

Sister Bratt

Destined for a Great Work

Sorry for not emailing yesterday, I hope you weren't worried. It was Trinidad's independance day on Sunday, so the Holiday fell on the Monday after. Yesterday being a holiday meant that a lot of places were closed. We decided to take advantage of the extra time to go visit people in Sando so Sister Taufu'i can say her goodbyes. She leaves in a week and a half! Crazy! 

In the morning yesterday we had an all Trinidad Sports Day with all the missionaries. There was football (soccer), American football, basketball, volleyball, and Frisbee. The senior couples provided snacks and drinks and President and Sister Mehr made an appearance on the way to the airport. Even in dress clothes, President Mehr got sweaty playing some basketball with the elders. Sister Mehr also hit the volleyball around with the sisters. It was a great activity made even greater by the participation of President and Sister Mehr. I'm sure he enjoys taking off the tie every now and again and playing with the missionaries; we enjoy it too. 

This week was good. We are still working with the investigator who's dream I related to you last week. The last lesson we had with him, he expressed considerable concern and fear at feeling that, when baptized, the Lord would put him on a different path than the one he has for himself. He has big plans and ideas for his life and he fears the unknown. He is nervous about what God might have in store for him, because he has been receiving different promptings and revelation that it may be something great. We have felt from our first lessons with him, that the Lord needs him in his work, but it was even more strongly confirmed as he expressed the same feelings to us. I've never felt so strongly that someone was destined for a great work in the Lord's vineyard. Nor do I know how to help ease his fears of such a future. All I know is that the Lord knows what is best and we must put our trust in him. 

I don't know what the new transfer will bring, but I will let you know next Monday who my new companion will be. 

Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Bratt