Saving Souls and GPAs

May 25, 2020

¡¡hola y'all!!

    So sorry I didn't write last week, just trying to keep y'all on your toes, ya know?;) But I hope everyone is doing so well! Orange is actually a dream. We went and walked around downtown today and it's SO CUTE! I love it. 

    So since we're kind of limited with different ways to talk to people, we had this idea to offer free math lessons on one of the local market pages on Facebook! Since I'm an el-ed major and Hna Jensen is a math major, it was actually so fun. We taught some cute little niños how to multiply big boy numbers, so I'd say it was a success:) 

    This past Wed was our bff Max's 75th birthday, so we made him a big ole plate of brownies and wrote him a little card and left them on the table in his front yard. Whenever he called us after he found them, he told us he almost cried!! How precious:')) I love that man. We also have been talking to our sweet friend Rosa a lot and she's so funny. Every time we call her she just tells us that right whenever we're allowed to visit people again we have to go to her house so she can feed us, so I am v excited for that. 

    ALSO just recently I've been asked to be más o menos in charge of our new Facebook page in Orange County (Representantes de Jesucristo en el Condado de Orange), so y'all should go check it out! It's all in Spanish, but maybe learning a new language will make quarantine a little more exciting;) 

    In some of my studies this week, I got back around to my FAVORITE chapter in the whole Book of Mormon, Alma 26(!) and wow it's such a good one. The whole thing is really just glorifying Jesus and recognizing how amazing and powerful and merciful and loving he really is. My favorite verse is 16, that says, "Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel," and I LOVE that bc I really can't even express to y'all just how grateful I am for the never ending love and light of Christ. This week too I've been learning "Nearer, My God, to Thee" on my ukulele and the lyrics just match this idea so well. He is good and He is kind and I •always• want to be near Him:) (and truth be told, I think He wants to be near us all the time even more) 

    But hey I love y'all so so much and I'm really truly so grateful for each of you! I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Con amor,

Hermana Brayton:)

some cute lil flowers

our pretty purple trees in our cute little neighborhood

Max's card and brownies🤩

How's Your Heart? ♥

Monday 11, 2020

¡¡¡hola y'all!!!

   How is everyone doing?? So good I hope! So like I was saying last week, I got scooted on over to the cute city of Orange and so far it's a good ole time:) ALSO like I was saying, my new companion is a reassigned missionary! Her name is Hermana Jensen and she was in Argentina for a little over a year before Corona kicked her out, but she's the best and we're really just loving life rn here in Cali (in the best mission aha;))

   Pero sí, since we're both new to this area, we've just been doing a tonnn of calling all the members and all the people missionaries have taught before to try to get to know everyone. Nothing too crazy, except we are teaching two of the cutest old men in the world!! One of them is named Max and he's actually so funny, and then the other is Narciso who we actually just barely started teaching this week! He's way cool and loves Jesus a whole ton, which is good bc we do too. But we're hoping to find some new amigos here soon bc everybody needs a little more esperanza and a little more love these days, ya know? 

    Something that actually made my whole week though, was that this Sunday I was able to join in a little scripture study with my sweet Grandparents in New York and some of my cutie pie family members that put it all together. I just have to say, I have the best family ever and they really inspire me so so much. Something that we talked about was in Mosiah 13:11 when the prophet Abinadi is talking to some super bad priests, and he tells them that he can see that the commandments of God weren't "written in [their] hearts." We talked about that for a while and what it really means to have something written in your heart, and here are my thoughts: I think the things that we have written in our hearts determine the very deepest parts of our character and nature. If we have God's commandments and love written in our hearts, I feel like that's when we'll find ourselves striving to be the most like Christ in ~everything~ that we do. But when we don't, that's when the ways of world take the front seat and our priorities switch up. BUT I was listening to a super good devotional from Sister Jean Bingham and her husband and he explained so clearly that EVERYONE can change!! We can change our hearts to be softer so that God can write on them a little easier:) So how's your heart? I know I'm really working on mine right now, so maybe we can do it together:)

But hey, I am so SO grateful for all of you, and I hope all my strong beautiful women on here were reminded of just how incredible they are yesterday for mother's day. You have all made such an impact on my life and the lives of so many others, and I am really so thankful!! Love y'all!

Con Amor,

Hermana Brayton:)

hna Jensen y yo on our little trail we found

ran into my favorite chicas Hna Franklin and
Hna Rodriguez before Frankie had to leave:'(

so last week on the way to transfers we took the ~scenic route~ and
 I got to see the beach for the first time in 10 million years🤩

picking up Hna Jensen from the mission office
 and Cali is already so much brighter now that she's here!!🌞

washing the new whip: JB

Adiós Santa Ana :'(

May 4, 2020

¡hola y'all!!

    How is everyone? So good I hope! :) Today is officially my last day here in wild Santa Ana and I'm sooo sad about it. I've absolutely loved my six months here and all the mems that have been made and all of my amazing, amazing companions. Tomorrow I'm moving to Orange which is pretty much right next door, and as sad as I am to leave this area, I'm even more excited about going to my new one!! I have no idea who my next companion is going to be, but I can't wait to meet her! She's is a reassigned missionary, which basically means that she was serving somewhere outside of the country, but bc of all the Corona craziness she had to come back and so now she's coming here to the best stateside mission ever! ;)

    This week though went by sooo fast whoa. We had THREE super, super awesome lessons with our amigo Tino, and he for surely is going to get baptized soon. And of course we had a lesson with precious Marleen and sweet Joshua. I'm going to miss them so so much, but I'm so excited to hear about how they just keep learning and thriving :)  

    So last week I asked for all of y'alls favorite quotes/scriptures/pictures of Jesus, and I wanted to say thank you to the people that sent them!! I would still love some more too so it's not too late to send them :) but this week I've been thinking about one of my favorite quotes, "bloom where you're planted." One of my favorite ppl on the planet gave me a bracelet that says this, and I've literally worn it just about everyday on mission. I feel like it's pretty relatable to everyone rn, no matter what situation you're in, it's probably way different than where you were a few months ago. I know it's like that for me and with even more changes happening, that's been my little motto to boost me up :) 

Oh also(!) today is my 11 month mark and it's actually wild how fast time is flying by. And hey I love y'all a whole whole bunch and I'm really so grateful for each of you!! Lmk if anyone wants to have a good ole gospel video chat and I'm here for ya ;)

Con amor,

Hermana Brayton :-)

RIP best trio in the world :( + hiking/sunset pics (I ♥ CALIFORNIA)