Sister Rita!!!

RITA GOT BAPTIZED!!!! AND CONFIRMED!!!!!

So, once upon a time me and sister carroll were teaching an investigator in front of the chapel and we were well on our way to marking him for baptism, the lesson was going great, when out from no where this lady shows up. I thought she was a member at first glance, but then she starting asking what the schedule was for the church and so we showed her around and got her number, but then our investigator had to go... so we were a little annoyed about the interruption. Well, that sunday she showed up for church. In a dress. and loved it. and we taught her the first lesson after that and it was a little rushed but she was so patient and then she came that week to a meeting with us and we marked her for baptism and then she did family history with the branchs family historian. And at first when we talked about preparing her for baptism, it was her saying, This girl wants to baptize me! to, Im going to get baptized!!! It was so cool. She accepted everything that we taught. She went on the church website and watched mormon messages and that helped her testimony grow. she stopped drinking coffee even though she was pretty much addicted. She first found the church website because she saw a picture of the temple, and wanted to get baptized in the temple really badly, but already has a goal to go. Our members know and love her. She actually already knew a couple of them from before she started investigating the church. And she got baptized on saturday and it was the greatest thing of my life.

The Lord did it all. we just marked appointments and taught lessons and did what we have been trained to do, but it was the spirit that touched her and testified to her. I have no doubt that Rita will stay active for the rest of her life. Literally the only thing that kept her from being baptized was how simple the baptismal clothing is. One night we passed by a members house and the lady was talking about how awesome Rita is and how wonderful it is to see her changing and accepting the gospel and i just started crying. what a priveledge it is to have played a part in all of that! It is all worth it. Oh, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God.

And that was pretty much the highlight of the week. Other than that, we worked hard and enjoyed life on madeira.

I love you!!! Have a good week!!

Peace, Love, temple marriage,

sister Briggs

40 days under way . . .

This week was the first full week of the forty day fast. Its harder than i thought! I'm doing my best, but im grateful repentance is real! Haha. But we are seeing the miracles. We found one of our investigators that had stopped answering our calls, teresa, and she came to church this week! she is wonderful. And Rita is well on her way to progressing to baptism. She came to a baptism of the other branch this weekend and was talking about where she wants to get baptized and what clothes, etc. What a blessing to work with her.

Some funny stories this week. The other sisters that live in our house have a less active lady that they are working with, who is really really old. She lets the jehovahs witnesses come in and talk to her and stuff. shes really really old. Anyway, one night this week, the JWs came over in the middle of the sisters visiting. And their less active let them in! they all sat down at a table together, and then they started to talk. Well, i wasnt there, but the sisters came home and just really freaked out and talking about going home and really scared, and i was trying to calm them down because i couldnt believe it, but it was freaking me out a little, but they were like, if you were there you would want to go home too! they literally grabbed the book of mormon and showed us things we didnt even know... etc etc. it was a little scary. and then as i was about to call the zone leaders to let president know that they were on the edge of going home...

Sister cardoso came and told me it was all a joke. How it really went down was the JWs came into that lesson and really wanted to bible bash with them, and the sisters were like, well, there is no way out, and the entire lesson was the JWs trying to find scriptures and the sisteres teaching and testifying and the JWs not having answers. Sister Prieto even said that one of them you could tell felt the spirit as she testified and accepted a card from them at the end. So basically, we won. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!!!!!!!!

Also, we tried to go visit this lady this week and we walk up to the house to knock on the door, and from around the corner come running dogs, and my comp hates dogs and goes running, but i didnt get away fast enough and one of them nipped at my foot and got me. it wasnt bad, but my comp was freaking, so after going to the chapel and cleaning it up, we had to go back to the house and ask the people there if the dog had all its vaccines and stuff. we spent the whole rest of the day walking between that house and the chapel and then back again. but at least it makes for a good story.

I love you all!!!

Paz, amor, casamento do templo,

sister briggs

pics...
the castle today!

Taking it to a new level

Helloooooo everyone!

Transfers happened. I will staying on Madeira and I will serve with Sister Hickey from Utah. Shes a sweetheart, it will be a good transfer. I'd already met her at zone conferences and such, and she seems really great. I'm going to miss sister Carroll a lot, she was wonderful and there were a lot of people here who loved her.

On Sunday, it was pretty spiritual. There was a recent convert young man who is going on a mission this week who gave his final testimony, and he was in tears and so was everyone else around me, and then one of sister Carroll's recent converts bore testimony about how she came to know the church was true, and she too wants to serve a mission, and she is absolutely incredible, and her and her mom and sister Carroll were all in tears. Oh, this gospel is beautiful. A joy that brings us to tears.

I'm fasting. for forty days. not from food, but from everything that cuts me off from the spirit. I'm trying to take it to a new level. To truly give it my all, to consecrate myself, so that i can get to the end of my mission and know that i gave it my all, and so that I can have His spirit with me, to guide me and to testify that my words are true. So, friends of mine, I'm sorry for being a bad friend, but I'm just trying to give Him my all.

This week we had a miracle, Rita showed up and had read the book of Mormon, loved it, accepted everything we said, and, with a little help, accepted the invite to be baptized on the 13th of June. Friday the 13th. We thought it was a Saturday. oops.

I love you all, so so so much. Ill keep you updated on how things are going, and i would love it if you asked me about it so that i have to be extra accountable.

Paz, amor, casamento do templo,

sister briggs

ps, even though I'm being consecrated, I'm still turning 21, and i would love to get letters from everyone in the world who has ever loved me ever!!!

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Madeira zone with Pres and Sis Fluckiger

Hello Everyone!!

This week was quite incredible.

Louisa, the daugher of a less active lady, who has been less active for about thirty years and is now coming back to church. She loves us and is super religious and believes everything she says, she just is really busy right now and feels unsure about baptism. But teaching her is awesome.

Diogo, a middle age man who comes from a family of atheists and has passed through a lot of hard things and wants to be clean again and repent. He has a sincere desire to be free from all his sins and start over. He drinks and smokes, so it will take some work, but he has a really really pure desire.

Tereza, the aunt of a recent convert who opened up to us about how she wants to quit smoking, and we are helping her do that, and in the process helping her  come unto Heavenly Father and feel His love for her. We love her so much, and she has a ways to go before she can get baptized, but the lessons we have had with her have been the most spiritual lessons of my mission.

Rita, who has been been investigating temples for a year and finally got around to doing a visit of the church. The members already love her and she wants to do family History and learn more. She is so patient and sweet and loving. We are planning on marking her for baptism this week.

All of these people we love so much. It has been the best week of the transfer. And I feel like it happened because me and my companion decided to put things on the altar of sacrifice. We named three things we could do better and be more obedient or diligent and we have been working at them hard, and the blessings are apparent.

This has also been presidents focus, to help us be consecrated missionaries. Yesterday we had a visit from one of the seventy, elder Kearon. It was so awesome. Just the 12 missionaries on the island and him. between what we learned with him and what president has been teaching us, Im planning on making some changes in my mission, but ill let you know more about that as the time goes on.

HELLO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO READ MY BLOG I LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH YOU DONT EVEN KNOW!!!!!!

Paz, amor, casamento do templo,

Sister Briggs