Home Sweet Home- December 14, 2014

Family and Friends

 

I can't believe that I am writing this email from my own home! The past 18 months really flew by and I am so grateful for all of your support and love!

It is really bittersweet for me to be home but my last moments as a missionary were totally worth it. The lost cowboy that I shared about a couple of weeks ago was baptized last Saturday after nearly 2 months of being taught and overcoming many trials! Late Saturday I began my traveling adventures back home which included a night-time bus ride, crossing the Rio Madeira on a barge, and catching a Sunday afternoon plane just to get to the mission home. Of course I flew home on an airplane like normal the next day :D

I would like to share with you my testimony that I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's church here on the earth today. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Book of Mormon really is Another Testament of Jesus Christ that was translated by the power of God and with the Bible they testify of the divine mission of our Savior Jesus Christ! I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of this world and it is only through Him that we can return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know that our families can be together forever through the sacred ordinances performed in the temple of God. I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to share the Gospel with so many in this world and serve my Savior.

Thanks again for all of your support!

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love,

Brianna Nay

Until Next Week- December 1, 2014

Well. The time has come! Talk and see you all next week!

Love 

Sister Nay

The Lost Sheep- November 24, 2014

Family and Friends!

I am so excited to share my experiences with you this week!  This week has been full of tender mercies and miracles and I would like to share with you one of them!

On October 16 my companion and I were making our way to an appointment when  my companion saw a random cowboy walking down the street slowly looking up at the sky. She turned to me and said, ´´ Do you think he is a drunk cowboy?´´ I responded, ´´ No he is a lost cowboy!´´ We ended up stopping and talking with him. We had the opportunity to teach a little bit but sadly lost contact with him. 

Suprisingly one day he called us out of the blue and wanted to meet up again and recieve more of the lessons. We challenged him to stop smoking and drinking and start reading the scriptures. This week my companion and I have had the opportunity to see miracles in this young cowboy´s life. He reads the scriptures everyday, he has stopped drinking, and the amount of cigarettes that he smokes has significantly dropped. Miracles happen daily through faith in God and Jesus Christ!

 

Today I studied the parable of the lost sheep and the Hymn Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd. Which reminded me of our young Cowboy. Then I remembered that afternoon that we met him, he was not a drunk cowboy but a lost cowboy, the lost sheep. 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/bible-videos?v=2750485711001

Remember the Lord never forgets you and the Church is True!!

Love 

Sister Nay

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are the sheep of his fold;

Dear is the love that he give them,

Dearer than silver or gold.

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are his "other lost sheep;

Over the mountains he follows,

Over the waters so deep.

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,

Dear are the lambs of his fold;

Some from the pastures are staying,

Hungry and helpless and cold.

See, the Good Shepherd is seeking,

Seeking the lambs that are lost,

Bringing them in with rejoicing,

Save at such infinite cost.

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd.

Dear are the "ninety and nine";

Dear are the sheep that have wandered

Out in the desert to pine.

Hark! he is earnestly calling,

Tenderly pleading today:

"Will you not seek for my lost ones,

off from my shelter astray?"

Green are the pastures inviting;

Sweet are the waters and still.

Lord, we will answer thee gladly,

"Yes, blessed Master, we will!

Make us they true under-shepherds;

Give us a love that is deep.

Send us out into the desert,

Seeking thy wandering sheep."

Out in the desert they wander,

Hungry and helpless and cold;

Off to the rescue he hastens,

Bringing them back to the fold. 

Something Divine- November 17, 2014

Family and Friends!

As you watch this inspired video and listen to the music remember and think about your divine purpose and potential. Never give up on your divine potental no matter where or who you are!

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love 

Sister Nay

http://www.mormonchannel.org/music-videos?v=3877082777001

Patience and Faith- November 3, 2014

Family and Friends!

Whoa this week passed super fast! But I am glad to always have this opportunity to reflect on my week and share what I have learned!

This week was a test of patience and faith. I was able to learn how closely patience and faith are related. Also that we need both patience and faith to face the difficulties in life. This week was a test of patience and faith in regards to the people that we are visiting and sharing the Restored  Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many people said that they were too busy to meet with us, others were impossible to contact, and others were super needy. But each one of these Children of God needed patience and faith. Patience in their needs and lives and not everything will go as planned. Faith that things would still turn out well in the end, that God would provide the way for these His children to come unto Him this week. 

I learned that only a small practice of patience and even the smallest portion of faith is sufficient for Heavenly Father to work His miracles. I was able to see the Restored Gospel enlighten the eyes and lives of many people this week. I saw Heavenly Father touch the hearts of countless people and help them develop faith and patience as well. 

I would like to invite all of you to remember to practice faith and patience as you go throughout your weeks! I know that as we apply these attributes of our Savior Jesus Christ in our lives many miracles will happen and Heavenly Father will bless all of your lives with countless blessings!

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=911104781001

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3792885561001

Love Always

Sister Nay

 

Enduring Hope- October 27, 2014

Family and Friends!

It is so good to back here again sharing our stories with eachother. First of all I want to thank each of you for all of the support and love that you all have so freely. Thank you for all of the prayers and emails each week! 

This week has a been a week full of hope. Hope that others can change, hope that miracles happen, even a theme of hope as I read the scriptures. Something that I have learned lately is that hope is essential in our lives. It comes through the Atonement and Grace of Jesus Christ. We have an enduring and powerful hope through the Savior. The addict, the wanderer, the depressed, the happy, the hopeless, the optomist, and the pessimist all have the assurance of eternal hope because of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We all have the hope to change our lives around. We all have the hope for a better tomorrow. 

I had the oppurtunity to finish the Book of Mormon once again. And once again the Spirit reafirmed to me that it is the word of God alongside the Bible. In the final pages of the Book of Mormon the prophet Moroni testifies about the neccessity of hope and that it all comes from the Savior Jesus Christ!

 40 And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto youconcerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save yeshall have hope?

 41 And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this  because of your faith in him according to the promise.

 42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for  without faith there cannot be any hope.

 43 And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith andhope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart.

https://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#the-power-of-hope

May we all remember to have hope in every moment. You and I can all pull through the roughest moments of life because we have a Savior that gives us enduring and eternal hope! Never loose hope!

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love

Sister Nay

Let Us Cheerfully Do All That Is In Our Power- October 20, 2014

Family and Friends!

It is so great to be here with you again this beautiful week!

Many times as a missionary it has been hard for me to see the blessings and miracles each day, especially when everything has gone oposite of my way. But this week I have learned to follow the counsel that we find in Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our   power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the   salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Many times in our lives we will want to see immediate results. Even more often we want those results to be according to our like and taste. But when we choose to follow God and His commandments we in turn are choosing to cheerfully do all that is in our power to be still and wait upon the Lord to do His part. Often we work, we share, we study the scriptures, or we pray only to seemingly not recieve an answer. But really what is happening is we are doing everything in our power and waiting for the Lord to show His. 

This week Sister Silva and I worked really hard everyday. We shared our message and we testified of the truth of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, many times to see nothing happen. But at the end of the week we were able to look back and see that we cheerfully did all that was in our power and really did see the arm of God revealed. I am grateful for every miracle that happens in our lives and for the opportunity that I have to be a missionary and see the miracles of God unfold before my eyes. All we need is a little faith, trust, and prayer!

Remember the Lord loves you and The Church is TRUE!!

Love

Sister Nay

The Power of the Holy Ghost!- October 13, 2014

Family and Friends!

Another week has come and gone! Each is full of learning experiences and wonderful miracles!

This week I have had the oportunity to learn a little bit more about the power of the Holy Ghost and the influence that He has in our lives! It is the Holy Ghost that touches our hearts, inspires us to do good, and be happy. I have seen this past week that it is through the Holy Ghost that miracles are made. If we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost miracles can happen through your influence. A hardened heart can be softened. A worried mother can feel comfort. A testimony can be gained. New friends can be made and lives can be changed all through following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. He speaks to us ever so queitly that it is often hard to tell if it is just a stray idea or the Holy Ghost inspiring us to do something, but if it entices to do good it is of God! This week I encourage you all to pay attention to the little thoughts and feeling and act upon them and miracles will happen!

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-011-patterns-of-light-discerning-light?lang=eng

Remember the Lord loves each of you and the Church is TRUE!!

Love Always

Sister Nay

Count the Miracles and Be Commited to the Truth- October 6, 2014

Family and Friends!

It has been some time since I wrote! Sorry it seems like life is getting busier and busier each day! But know that I love each one of you and think and pray for all of you often! 

This will be short and sweet but I want to share the importance of counting the miracles in every moment. When we have a attitude of counting miracles in our day we automatically change our attitude from ´glass half empty´ to ´glass half full´ and our day will be that much better. When we are looking for the good in each moment it is hard to see the negative. But like an old companion told me once `Life is like a camera. Just focus on what´s important and capture the good times. Develop from the negatives and if things don´t work out, just take another shot!´ So I encourage you all to take ahold of life´s camera and make it focus on the good and not the bad! 

Also I hope all of you weather you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not had an opportunity to listen to the talks given by a prophet of God and Apostles of God. Weather or not you believe the same things as the `Mormons´ at the very least these men give inspiring talks. I know that they are men called of God to guide us through this world. They speak the truth and the will of God. I encouage all to choose at least one talk listed on this website and listen to it! It will change your week! You will feel the Spirit of God in your heart and a renewal to be a good person and a diciple of Jesus Christ! 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2014/10?cid=HPSU100514465&lang=eng

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Sister Nay

The Baptism I always wanted to be at- September 29, 2014

I recieved the best news today!

Kurt Vanstone after about 1 year and 3 months investigating the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was baptized on Saturday! There is nothing in this world that can decribe the feelings that I have right now. It is the baptism that I waited for my whole mission!

So Happy!

Sister Nay

Aquriy Acre- September 22, 2014

My week has been awesome! My companion Sister Silva is amazing, love her somuch! The area is great! It feels like I am at home, kinda strange. Lots of dejavu here.

 

Romans 8: 35-39

Love you!

Here am I, Send Me- September 15, 2014

Family and Friends!

It is the beginning of another beautiful and sunny week! I am headed off to Acre (maybe to finish off my mission there!) This past transfer has been full of ups and downs but every moment was worth it because something was learned! 

This past week a song from I don´t know where was stuck in my head. Seeing as it has been a little while since I have heard music let alone music in English I can only remember a small portion. But is says the following: 

 

Here am I, send me

I will go where ever you need

I will let my light shine

And the glory be thine

It got me to thinking how willing am I to go where the Lord needs me and do what I need to do but let all the glory be the Lord´s. So often in this world we want something in return for our services: recognition, payment, a pat on the back, position, ect. But in the work of the Lord we all promised to go and do but let the glory be of the Father. We work for the glory of our Father in Heaven not for our own personal glory nor the glory of the world. We should be willing to go and do anything that the Lord commands and love it. It is our choice to be happy! It is our choice to be humble! It is our choice to be diligent! Like Joshua of old we can choose this day to serve and glorify the Lord through our actions, thoughts, and words! Joshua 24:15

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love

Sister Nay

He doesn´t Make UP the Difference, He IS the Difference- September 8, 2014

Family and Friends!

There never seems to be enough time in the day to write everything that I have learned and felt as a missionary. Recently I was figuratively slapped in the face by the fact that the mission is wrapping up for me. It seems like yesterday that I boarded that plane in Arizona for Utah, then that other plane from Utah to Pennsylvania, and even more recent that I boarded the plane from Pennsylvania to Brasil. How time flies and how much life is packed into these past 15 months! How many people have affected my life? How many changes have come and gone? How I have changed! Truly I have come to know the changing power that the gospel of Jesus Christ has in our lives and more importantly the power of change that Jesus Christ Himself brings to the hearts of man if we permit Him. 

I have never felt so strongly in my life such a gratitude for my Savior Jesus Christ. It is because of Him that we are permited to change and become a better person each day. It is because of Him that we are able to make mistakes and be imperfect (because those are inevitable) but still be able to overcome even the smallest imperfection because He doesn´t make up the difference He is the difference.  The only thing required is to go to our Heavenly Father through prayer and ask for help. There are countless times each day that I feel like I am not doing enough, that my imperfections are affecting the work of the Lord. But if we turn to the only One perfect, He will make the difference in how I can accompish His work. In reality He could do this work Alone, but He loves each one of us enough to patiently let us hobble through the work that He could do perfectly. He is allowing me to learn through imperfections and guiding me patiently to the place where He wants me to be! It is only because of Him that I can change, that you can change, and that this world can change! Becasue He IS the difference in this world!

http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/drawing-closer-to-god?lang=eng

But here is the point- rather than solve the problem Himself, the Lord wants us to develop the faith that will help us rely upon Him in solving our problems and trust Him.  Then we can feel His love more constantly, more powerfully, more clearly, and more personally.  We become united with Him, and we can become like Him. For us to be like Him is His goal.  In fact, it is His glory as well as His work (see Moses 1:39).

A young boy was trying to smooth out the dirt area behind his house so he could play there with his cars.  There was a large rock obstructing his work.  The boy pushed and pulled with all his might, but no matter how hard he tried, the rock wouldn't budge.

His father watched for a while, then came to his son and said, "You need to use all your strength to move a rock this large."

The boy responded, "I have used all my strength!"


His father corrected him: "No you haven't.  You haven't had my help yet!"

They then bent down together and moved the rock easily.

Remember the Lord loves you and the church is true!

Love

Sister Nay

The Power of Scripture- August 25, 2014

Family and Friends!

First of all sorry about last week! I had a few problems with the internet last week and ran out of time faster than normal! But I can´t believe that I am here with you guys again already! 

Yesterday at Church a member spoke about the importance of scripture study and how it is a show of gratitude for the people who sacrificed everything for us to have them. The scriptures have the power to bring personal peace in an unpeaceful world. The scriptures are the word of God and as such they can become our spiritual compass to guide our lives so that we can return to the presence of God. The scriptures invite the Spirit of God into our lives so that we can learn how to make correct decisions. The scriptures answer questions that no one has the answers to. There have been countless prophets and translators of the Bible and the Book of Mormon that gave their lives for us to have the word of God in our hands to read and ponder for ourselves. The sacrifices of men such as John Calvin and Martin Luther were for all of humankind to have the Bible in thier own language so that we didn´t have to rely on another´s interpretation, but that we can grow spiritually on a personal level. The sacrifice of Joseph Smith was that of translating the Book of Mormon as another testament of Jesus Christ, proving that he was indeed a prophet of God and that God still speaks to us. I put my testimony alongside these honorable men of God, that these books are truly the word of God. The Bible teaches us of the people of the old world and their testimonies of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon teaches us of the people of ancient America and their testimonies of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and we can learn through these sacred books of scripture His true character. I testify that the Bible and the Book of Mormon testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that together they bear witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Resurrected Lord! We have the opportunity in this day and age to make decisions for ourselves becasue we all have been given rights and liberties. If you have not read the Book of Mormon for yourself to find out for yourself if it is the word of God, what is stopping you? You have the right to know and the only way that you can know for yourself is reading yourself and praying in the name of Jesus Christ yourself it is truly a Book testifying of Him. You can know for yourself and not because I said that it was true and not because someone else said it is not true. The only Being we need to believe is God so study and ask Him yourself. Becasue with these two books of scriptures we can know for ourselves the truth of all things and the fulness of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ!

 http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=1198212593001

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=911029448001

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love

Sister Nay

Happy- August 11, 2014

Family and Friends!

My time is short today, I only have 10 minutes left! But I would like to share with you all the power of being happy. Happiness is contagious and we can all inspire someone else to be happy. Wednesday was a day that was full of a series of ridiculous things. Lots of appointments fell through. My comp. fell and skinned her knee. We lost the keys to our house. And other things. But we were both able to stay happy and laugh through out the day. At the end of the night we talked about how even though almost everything went wrong that day it was still great because we could laugh about it. Being happy has the power to change your perspective. There were moments when Sister Chucos was happier than I was and she helped me stay happy and others moments that I helped her.

This is the Happy Medley from the Pioneer Day concert! Stay happy!
http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/articles/happy-medley?lang=eng

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love
Sister Nay

Be an Example- August 4, 2014

Family and Friends

The transfer has come to an end and a new one has begun. I am continuing on in Dom Pedro and Sister Chucos is my new companion. I am way excited for this transfer and I know that it will be a transfer of miracles.

Yesterday one of the young men who is learning more about The Church told us a very touching story yesterday that I never imagined I would hear. At the begining of last transfer we were walking home and we passed a woman who was crying. We stopped and talked to her and gave her a hug. A week later a member of the Church gave us a reference of one of his friends. We started teaching this friend about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Restoration. Well, he saw us that night consoling the crying woman on the side of the road. He said that the only reason he agreed to meet with us is because we stopped and turned back to serve a stranger, he watched the whole thing happen. I learned yesterday how important it is to be an example in every moment of our lives. We are duty bound as believers in Jesus Christ to act like He did. As we live the things that we preach and that we know, miracles will happen and lives will change. You never know who is watching so always act like the Savior would!

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/cheering-each-other-on?lang=eng

Remember the Lord loves you and the Church is True!

Love

Sister Nay

The Book of Mormon- July 28, 2014

Family and Friends

Can it be that the clock is ticking faster? Because at least the clocks in Brasil are ticking so stinking darn fast, it feels like I was just here emailing you all!

This week has been full of miracles mixed with trials. But as always the miracles out weigh the trials!

This week the Lord has been showing me the incredible power of the words of God. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we accept and know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God alongside the Bible. To be clear the Bible is sacred and we don´t read the Book of Mormon in the place of the Bible we read them together. The Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ. The Bible and the Book of Mormon work together to proclaim to the world that Jesus Christ is our Savior, Lord, and King!

This week we had a lesson with a young man who recently joined the Church and he bore his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Before, his life was littered with drugs, alcohol, and smoking addictions. But once he found the Gospel of Jesus Christ he left all those things behind and changed his whole life. He is currently reading the Book of Mormon for the first time and he bore a powerful testimony of the truthfullness of the Book of Mormon. He said that he feels the love of God through the words that are written in the Book of Mormon. He also bore testimony that as he reads the Book of Mormon he feels God helping him stay away from his old life and giving him strength to continue on the right path. He has such a pure desire to share what has changed his life it brought me to tears. I too know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that we can feel the love of God through the written word of God´s prophets, just as in the Bible.

We also met a young girl who was so excited to hear about the Book of Mormon, she even made a promise to read it all. The sweet sincerity of this little girl showed me how lucky we are to have a second testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior! There truly is power in reading the words of God!

Remember The Lord Loves You and The Church is True!

Love

Sister Nay