New Apartment, No More Roaches

My dearest family,

This week I went on Exchanges again to La Habra. It's was an English speaking area but I was able to do quite a bit of contacting in Spanish which was fun. Spanish is still pretty hard for me but I really do love it. I love the people, and I love their culture. 

Kitchen in the new apartment

(Briana and her companion moved to a new apartment last week. She enjoys not having cockroaches running around everywhere.)

We have three investigators who are progressing right now but there is something that it stopping all of them from making the next step which has been hard. 

One of them has a very strong testimony and he loves it when we come over. He says that he can feel the spirit when he reads from the Book of Mormon and when we are there. He has almost read all the way through Alma! He wants to get baptized and knows that he needs to, but he only works three days a week and Sunday is one of them. We had a lesson with him about sacrifices this week. I know that he will be blessed if he comes to church and I think he is really scared to take Sunday off because it would be a huge sacrifice for his family in Mexico. We are going to see if he will look for another job, but right now he is just not making that next step. 

We are teaching another lady who is so awesome. She has changed her life around so much and really wants to be baptized. She knows that the church is true and is doing everything that she can to be the best she can. But... do you remember me telling you about the lady that we were teaching in jail? She is on probation for like 6 months so she cant get baptized until after she is off. So sad! 

We are teaching another lady who is a friend of one of our recent converts and she loves the lessons. She has four kids and wants them to be able to come to church. Her husband doesn't want anything to do with the church though. She thought he wouldn't let them come. He is the only one that drives in their family but when she talked to him he said that she could come. The problem is that he works during that time. 

We are doing to try and find a member who can take her. (Even though our ward mission leader and bishop tell us not to ask members because they said our investigators should make sacrifices to get there.) But that is the only way to get them to church because so many of them don't have a car and live so far away. We were going to get her a ride this week but she just had surgery and she cant leave the house for a month now because of it. She still lets us come in and teach but she cant get out. 

We have a list of other investigators that we have found but it is so hard to find them again. I think some of them hide from us. 

I am loving every minute of the mission. It's not always easy but it's the best! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! :) :) :)

Love, Me

He Answers Our Prayers

Hola familia,

Like always, it has been another great week! I love working with Hermana Breitenstein.

Mom to answer your question, yes we do have some new investigators that we found this week, but they are not progressing yet because we have only met with them once. We have appointments with them this week.

We only have one right now who is progressing. We had an awesome lesson this week with him. He loves reading the Book of Mormon and loves it when we come over but he works on Sundays and he can never come to church. We have invited him to talk to his boss a few times to try and get work off but he kept telling us that when God wanted him to come to church he would give him Sundays off. Well this last week we talked about acting on his faith. We talked about how faith without works is dead and he couldn't just wait for something to happen but he needed to act. He said that he had heard that before. You could tell that everything just clicked when we started talking about it. He got a smile on his face and said he knows that he needs to act on his faith.

This week he talked to his boss. He wasn't able to get off this Sunday but his boss told him that next Sunday he can. He called us and told us that he will be at church next Sunday. We are so excited! I will be praying that he will be able to make it. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers.

Last week my companion and I made a goal that we would hand out 7 Book of Mormons each week. We prayed each day to have his help to find people who were ready for the message of the restoration and who would be interested in the Book of Mormon. When we had dinner with the members we invited them to pray that as we went out that night to tract that we would find someone we could share this message with. The first night we did that we handed out 4 Book of Mormons, taught two lessons and found two new investigators. We continued doing this each night and were led to people who wanted to listen. By the end of the week we had handed out 14 Book of Mormons and have return appointments with many of them! I know that it was because of the faith and they prayers of the members, and I know that it was only through the help of our Heavenly Father. :)

Dad you asked about the food. We almost always eat Mexican food, but this week we were able to have Salmon at the stake presidents house! It was the best. I really like Mexican food but they always try to feed me way more then I can eat!

I am looking forward to this week. We have zone conference again for my second time. The last one was a lot of fun and the talks were great! Anyway, I need to go write to the President. I love you all sooo soo much!

Hope you have a great week.

Love Hermana Tarde Sobre

Investigators on Temple Grounds



Briana's District

This has been a crazy week. I was worried that we wouldn't have time to email today but luckily we made it. Transfers were this weekend and they usually leave your trainers with you until you are done with the training program. We were told that we would all be together again this transfer. 
We had our day all planned out and we got a call this morning from the Assistants to the President saying that there was a last minute change and my companion Hermana Breitenstein needed to go to Anaheim for a couple of weeks. One of the sisters didn't get her visa and isn't here yet. We had to go to the meeting right then during our usual email time. Now I just have one companion.

Hermanas Vilches, Breitenstein and Layton

It was sad that she has to go, but I'm glad we will get her back in in a couple of weeks. She helps me out so much. Hermana Vilches is the coordinating sister so she goes on exchanges a lot. It is going to be way different now because I won't have Hermana Breitenstein to help.

Let's just say that I am really hoping these next two weeks will be exchanges with the Spanish speaking sisters so I have some help communicating with the people. :) If not then I know that I will at least have the Lords help. I know that if I work hard and am prepared then he wll help me know what to say. It will definitely be a good experience even if it's hard.

We had our temple tour this weekend. It was great! One of our investigators came with her three boys and there were many other investigators who came as well from all around our mission. We walked around the temple and a member from our ward talked about the it. We went back to the church building and they were able to walk around and look at the paintings on the wall. It was such a good opportunity for the investigators to feel the spirit. I am so grateful for the temple. I know it is the house of the Lord and love the spirit that is there.

Newport Beach Temple

Mom that is awesome that you signed up to go out with the missionaries. Member lessons are the best and they help so much. You would be great! Eric, congrats on winning 1st place! I am excited for you!! That's seriously awesome! I can't believe that you can turn your papers in so soon. Santa Vaca!!!

You should ask bishop for a copy of "Preach My Gospel" and read through it. That would be one of the best ways to prepare for a mission. I am sooo excited for you and can't wait to find out where you are going.

Curtis, stop growing and do not change until I get home. Pretty please! Ok, good.

Hope all is well with the best family in el mundo. Love you guys so much.

Another "Amazing Week" in the MTC



Sister Layton & Ricky Pullan (cousin)

It´s been another amazing week. The temple was great, like always! We woke up at five this morning to do laundry so that we have more time to write during our free time. Hopefully I will have time to write everyone back. Thank for all of the letters!!

It was so awesome seeing Ricky yesterday! I´m glad he sent you a picture. Now that I know where he works I will definitely go visit more often when I have time.

I got a new companion this week. again... haha! She is my 6th one!! I didn´t know I was that hard to live with but hopefully this one sticks around longer.

Mom you asked about the investigators. They are our teachers role playing investigators so no they are not real. Thank goodness because I´ve said some really weird things on accident. Haha!

The lessons have been hard since I have had so many companions. We keep starting over with new investigators so that we can both know what is going on in the lesson. Spanish is hard but I do feel like it is coming. I can understand quite a bit.

There was a fireside the other night and the first talk was in Spanish. It was so cool! I could understand most of what she said. It is definitely harder speaking though.

Sisters Layton and Hunter (First Companion)

MTC District In Front of Provo Temple

That is so cool that Chanel got called into the nursery! She is so lucky. I miss those kids soooo much! Well, I am about out of time. I am so grateful to be here at the MTC. The church is true, I know it! Love ya´ll!
(It was short but we also got snail mail letters last week. She's doing great!)

I Just Stare At Them With a Confused Look

Hola! We went to the temple again this morning. What a great way to start the day!! This week we have two new investigators that we are teaching. This time they are our teachers. I'm glad they are not real investigators, because sometimes I just stare at them with a confused look when they are trying to tell me something.

My companion Hermana Andreason leaves this Tuesday for the Guatemala MTC! She had a hard week because she doesn't want to leave. She will be great though!

Dad in your letter you asked what my favorite part of the MTC is. It is definitely the spirit I feel here. It is so amazing! I love the devotionals and the music. My least favorite part... well when I read that I sat there for a while trying to come up with something and I couldn't. Haha.

I know I have said this before, but I have amazing teachers. Spanish can be hard sometimes but Heavenly Father knows that we can do it and he trusts me. I just have to do my best, and he does the rest.

Grandma Layton I love your letters every week! You asked a few questions. When the general authorities come they talk to all the missionaries together. Also there is a temple in my mission, it's the Newport beach temple (picture is on the Blog header) and I do think that we will get to go often which I am excited for. There is no place I would rather be right now. I have learned that Heavenly Father knows me more than I know myself and I need to trust Him. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. He lives, and I know that without a doubt. I am on a mission because I know that they Gospel can bring so much joy into our lives. I know it is true and I love it! Thank you everyone for the letters and all of the support! I love you all! :)

I get plenty of rest but usually it takes me about 30 min to fall asleep because my brain wont be quiet with all the spanish sentences going through my head! Haha! Curtis, mom said you wrote me a letter, I cant wait to get it!!  Please tell Brother Bone thank you!

I love you all so much. Tell Sean that I am writing him soon and that I really miss him. Eric, prepare now for your mission. Read your scriptures every day and pray. Adios!