Bryndee Down South: Proper Prior Preparation Positivly Prevents Poor Preformance.

This week has been an adventure for sure!

It kicked off with exchanges with Sister Robinson from Amarillo, TX (Her parents are living in mesa though!) She is companions with Sister Mumford, so it was way fun to swap companionship stories. Have I ever told y’all how much I love that I have the opportunity to go on so many exchanges? It’s great to watch lots and lots of different teaching styles, and I feel like I learn waaaaay more than I ever teach. This assignment is probably more for my learning and benefit than it is for the sisters. Anyways, our exchange was miracle filled! We were knocking because our appointment fell through, and we knocked into a less active that the ward didn’t know we even had! We taught him about how his Heavenly Father hasn't forgotten him. He has decided to start returning to church, and has asked us to teach the lessons to his friend in his home. Score!

After our exchange, Sister Belyea and I had something of a mishap. We were in the middle of Greenville (the northern most part of our area) when my GPS broke. It shut off and wouldn’t turn back on again! It took us something like 3 hours to figure out how to get back home, because all we could do was travel south, until we hit something we recognized. It was certainly very exciting, and we were very grateful that it happened late in the transfer instead of in the beginning, because we would have been sooooo lost.

We had zone conference this week, which I was SUPER excited for, because for the first time ever, sister Belyea and I hadn't gotten the call to do training! I was so excited to just sit back and enjoy the meeting for once. We got through the first half of the conference and lunch all right, and then one of the assistants stood up to announce the program: "we will be having a training by the Spartanburg zone leaders, and then a musical number by the sisters, and then another training by Sister Derrick and Sister Belyea...."

I wish I could have seen my face. I’m sure it was hilarious.

A couple of discreet texts later, we found out that we had been assigned a training, but for some reason the information hadn't quite gotten to us. So, I got the opportunity to plan a training in less than 10 minutes, without being able to talk to my companion. I now truly have a testimony of D&C 38:30 "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear"

Luckily, it went all right, but my heavens.... that is not something I EVER want to do again!

Funny story about Bryson: He went to the wards family history workshop this Thursday, and when we went to his house Friday night, we found out that not only did he have more family history done than most of the ward, but he ended up teaching part of the workshop and telling everyone about a new website that helped a bunch of people find names and dates they were missing! Have I told y'all yet how awesome this guy is?

Bryndee, Bryson, and Sister Belyea post baptism!

After his baptism, Bryson gave Bryndee and Sister Belyea his pipe...this was his companion for 40 years

This is the last week of the transfer. Every transfer, I’ve tried to have a new theme... something to focus on, like we used to do in stake conferences and youth conferences back home. My theme for last transfer was 2 Timothy 1:7 (for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.) I have done a lot of scary things this transfer.... things like training a new missionary, opening an area, training a zone of missionaries lots older than I... But I have come to have a testimony of this scripture. I know that my Heavenly Father helps us do things that are hard and scary. I feel like I’ve grown at least 5 years older this transfer... I now can handle tough things. In fact, I love tough things. I'm first to do tough things. I do tough things first. I'm a finisher. And I LOVE being a missionary :)

My theme for next transfer: Discipline: doing what you don’t wanna do, when you don’t wanna do it, because you know you should. -President Riggs. :) Should be a great transfer! By this time next week, I’ll know if I'm staying or not... We'll see!

Y’all have a blessed day!

Sister Derrick