Mary - May 28, 2012

Բարև ձեզ իմ սիրելիներ (barev dzez im sireliner-hello my dears)

Hello, hello! It's hard to believe that school is OUT! Crazy! Congrats to Beth, Joe, Josh, and Kris for making it through....it always goes so FAST! What fun to be Midway, and on a bit of a vacation! It is always nice for a little break! I hope you do get to go do baptisms, how wonderful!  And to see Uncle Don...oh how I love that man!  And how good he and Aunt Mima always were to leave the door open for us-they are such great people!  I feel so blessed thinking about all the wonderful family we have been blessed with:  their good examples and their kind hearts! I remember last time we saw him he was already struggling to hear, so I'm not overly surprised that he really is deaf now-how is he other than that? Is he still living on his own and taking care of everything?  I also realized I didn't congratulate Briant (sp?) on his engagement-that is so exciting! And fun for Cathy and Paul to have a few more grandkids. Will they live in Huntington?  I would love pictures! When you send them, you can't send too many in one email, maybe 3 or 4 or it won't send them, but feel free to send more than one email-I'd love to be able to update the pictures I have.  

This was pretty uneventful-good, normal, nothing out of the ordinary.  I take that last one back-yesterday was our Branch Conference so we had some district people come and speak in sacrament meeting, and teach lessons and such.  It was so good!  A couple of the leaders spoke about service and humility and the part that both should play in our lives.  How often serving others helps us be humble.  We had 89 people at church!  It was SO great!  It's just too bad that none of our investigators came....that's a pretty big struggle here, getting people to church.  I feel like it's like that everywhere, which is such a challenge since church is so crucial for all of us.  I've been amazed as I've studied a bit about it to see how the Lord has given us the sabbath so that we continue in the right way-its when people stop attending church that everything falls apart.  I was reminded of the talk a few years ago that Sis. Thompson gave for the relief society general meeting, where she talked about the commitment she made years ago to always be active in the church and how important that was in her life.  We gain so much from attending church-especially if we are seeking to receive revelation-seeking to be taught.
I just realized how wrong that sentence is....we had splits this week-they were SO good! Sis. Bailey went up to Ajapnyak and Sis. Tolman (she's training Sis. Bobzien) came down here with me.  It was only for a day, but it was wonderful! Just to see someone else's style and to see what works for them.  Plus it helped me see that I'll be able to navigate around Artashat well enough when Sis. Bailey leaves.  It was just great and Sis. Tolman is amazing!  Speaking of Sis. Bailey leaving her dad and brother fly in next week....so I'll be getting my new companion next Tuesday, which day is also Zone conference, so I should have a pretty eventful letter in a couple of weeks...
One thing that was kind of funny this week-a couple of weeks ago I got new nametags, but they said ELDER instead of SISTER-(I joked with Sis. Carter about sending them home to Josh so he could have them...)So I got the replacements this week-I think I will keep the Elder ones just for keepsake, maybe I really will send them home and maybe Josh will get called to serve Armenia speaking in California....

OK-so there's a few things I've learned about patience, besides how much I need to improve.  I was studying from Mosiah 24:9-15.  I really love verse 15 "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord."  Because while it does say that the Lord strengthened them so they could bear their burdens with ease-it also seems to denotes as is says they submitted cheerfully and with patience that it still wasn't easy.  And that while they waited for the Lord to deliver them, I feel that they continued to do all they could-that they worked in an effort to fulfill the will of the Lord.  A couple of days after, I read Pres. Uchtdorf's talk (ironic that you sent me quotes from that, Mom)-and felt even more that while we wait patiently for the Lord's will to be fulfilled, we do not just sit and endure.  We work, and we do so with a good attitude.  I really love a few things that Pres. Uchtdorf says, "...without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding,deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace." In other words we cannot become like our Father and Savior without the virtue of patience-it truly is crucial-and look at the awesome blessings we receive because of it! Continuing..."patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort....patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!" When I read this, I felt even more the importance of continuing to work-and I realized how connected patience and faith are.  That both center on the will of the Lord, giving up of our own will and desires, and both require action.  One more (this may be my favorite...) "Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.” Ultimately, patience means being “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord” every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so." I don't have anything else to add onto that-I just love how perfectly he says it-"being steadfast...even when it is hard to do" and doing so with a GOOD ATTITUDE.  How often do we think we're being patient but we complain the whole time? (I know I'm working on it...) Or do we think we're being patient, but really we're just passively sitting, hoping it will pass quickly, and hoping we don't have to do anything?  I am definitely working on applying this in my life! 


I can't begin to tell you how much all of your prayers and support mean to me!  I love you all! I know this is Christ's work-that all things we experience, we are experiencing for a reason and we must learn from them.  The Lord truly knows what we need if we will trust Him, as hard as it is to let go of our pride and admit that He really does know best.  He is SO aware of us!  I know He loves us! 

I hope you all have a great rest of the week! Be safe! You're always in my prayers!


Ձեզ շատ եմ սիրում:


Մեծ սիրով

Oh and this next week I'll be studying about knowledge, I'd love it if you studied with me.

Love you!

Քույր Բրադբենթ    

Barev dzez! 

I can't believe that Camryn is walking, well I can, but I could just picture everything you said she did....so fun! I can't believe she'll be 1 tomorrow (did I remember right?)!  I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am for all of you and your examples!  It sounds like the week was good-I'm sure the kids are so excited to be done for the summer, the kids here will also be done this week...I know they're all looking forward to it.  

Aww this week....I am amazed at how up and down I often feel, but even more amazed at the tender mercies of our Father.  So this week was pretty normal, it went by so quickly, up until Thursday.  But first I'll tell you about Wednesday-we went to a members house for a lesson and then did some service in her garden-so many people have wonderful gardens here!  We were basically human rotatillers-helping to do what rotatillers do, but with no machine-it was pretty awesome-and we were so tired after! I'm hoping we'll be able to do it again (I'm sure we will), it should be great!  Thursday was a bit rough.  We had a couple meetings fall through and then when we tried to pull other meetings they also didn't work out-and so we set to man galling (it feels so weird to write it in english and I'm not sure it's right, but then I guess you all don't really know the difference anyway....) and it just didn't turn out the most wonderful.  Just rough.  So when we got home, I had remembered a comment that someone in the MTC said, that when we have hard times we can always turn to the Book of Mormon, and always to the Lord.  So as I was reading and praying, I didn't particulary learn a specific thing, but I just felt the comfort and love of our Heavenly Father.  Since I studied up on charity a bit this week, it seemed like everything I read from the scriptures shows how much the Lord loves us.  And I truly know He does!  Then Friday was better-we had some good meetings, and my favorite was with this little old tatik, Nvart.  We were over doing a lesson with some members and were planning to go visit her; they said she was coming to shower at their house, so we just waited for her.  But then we helped her-nothing too scandalous-just to get ready to shower and then we helped her after also.  It is always so great to serve!  Some of the pictures are from that-she's a doll! And so funny!  

Then on Saturday we went to Khorvirap with a group of our single adults for their activity-we did a little picnic and then went back to the church for some kareoke-some of the pictures are also from that.

  Khorvirap is one of the oldest churches here-and they still use it, there was a wedding that had just finished when we got there and they still do sacrifices with chickens and such-it's so interesting the different things people have held onto, and it's kind of neat to see how they hold onto the light they have and worship accordingly-its like that scripture in D&C 123-how people are kept from the truth only because they know not where to find it.  What a sacred responsibilty we have been given to help find and teach those who want the truth, who are searching for it really, and just don't know where to find it.  Things with Varsik are going pretty well, she agreed to a soft baptism and was planning on coming to church until something fell on her mom-we praying it'll work out next week, since church is so important! And she is reading and praying :) Which is great!  Knar is still in Georgia, but should get back this week-we're excited for that and praying that she kept reading and praying like she promised she would-she's been so good to her word before.  We are also hoping we can start teaching a family this week that a family from the branch suggested-it should be good.  Oh and kind of funny-while we were contacting we ended up talking with this young man about the church in his khanut (store)-someone else came in and started talking about how wonderful our church is and how great the Book of Mormon is-we're hoping to start teaching both this week.  It should be good.

Quickly I just want to share a bit about charity.  As I was studying about it I just kept thinking about Christ and His perfect example and how His love was so evident in everything He did.  Everyone He talked to, healed, and taught-I'm sure felt His love, and I'm sure everyone who witnessed also did.  Then as I was reading from the Book of Mormon I realized how everything the Lord gives to us, does for us, teaches us, etc-is motivated by that love.  As we talked with people this week I felt that more-as I am trying to remember that each and every person is a child of our Heavenly Father-and He loves them immensely-as much as He loves us.  And they each have so much potential-just like we do.  And the Lord ALWAYS sees that-He ALWAYS loves them, inspite of the choices they make.  Sis. Bailey and I were talking about how sometimes it is harder to love people, but as we remember our relationship with our Father, and their relationship to Him, it makes it easier to love them.  Are we doing as Moroni admonishes-to pray with all energy of heart for this love?  For it is when we truly have charity that we are like our Savior.  Each descion we make can help us become more like Him.  But are we choosing to follow Him and do as He would do?  Sometimes we get caught in the doing, but sometimes I think we need to do it before we learn it and feel it.  Sis. Burnham also mentioned that she felt that often we are most charitable when we have our own needs, but instead of doing what is necessary to fulfill our needs, or instead of having our own needs taken care of, we reach out and serve others. Again, like the Savior.  So true, I liked the way she put it.

I love you all!  Hope you have a great week! And a fun time starting the new paper route-when do you start it?  Or have you already?  I know the Lord truly does take care of our needs-there are so many tender mercies He gives us that are evidence of His love and mercy.  He gave us His Son!  I know this is Christ's true and living church-we are apart of such a great work!

Metz sirov, 

Sis. Broadbent

Will you all study a bit about patience?  And what it means to have patience in the Lord?  Why is it important?

Happy Mothers Day!

What a wonderful time we had talking to and seeing Mary!!  We were a bit worried about seeing her face to face but it went well and it was great to meet her companion, Sister Bailey.  It was a great Mother's Day!




Barev dzez family!

It was so good to see you and talk to you!  I have to admit, I was also a little nervous to use skype, I wasn't sure how I would respond, but it was so good!  I am so grateful to the technology we have!  How wonderful that we can talk clear across the world!

It sounds like the rest of the weekend was good!  What a small world that Dad's cousin's daughter ran into Steve and Julie-what a tender mercy!  Sis. Beal and I were talking today about how neat it is to find those connections-and what a small world it is, since the connections seem to come so often!  I love how evident the Lord's hand is in our lives!  Be sure to give Kris, Marinda, and Camryn a big squeeze!

We don't have much time to write today-we had to go to Yerevan so Sis. Bailey could sign something to renew her visa.  And since you basically know all the goings on here....there's not much to say.  But, yesterday at church one of the members of the district presidency came and spoke in our branch-he spoke about charity.  I've decided to study charity this week-will you all study it too and tell me what you learn?

This past week there's been a couple of things I've been thinking about-I studied a bit about obedience and the role it plays in our lives-as a missionary, but it definitely applies everywhere.  As I've studied the scriptures I've come to feel and learn how important it really is, to be exactly obedient, and to always be tuning up-since there is always more we can do to become like our Savior.  And how truly amazing our Savior is, since it is only through His power that we are even able to become like Him (through His grace).  I love how our obedience is an outward way we show the Lord that we are willing and committed to follow Him-and it is through each choice to follow that we are becoming as we should.  Choosing wrong does the same thing, but in the opposite direction-where every choice that goes against the commandments leads us away from our Father and Savior-and we become less like them.  Always a consequence.  I love this scripture in Mosiah 2 And behold, all that he ^arequires of you is to ^bkeep his commandments; and he has ^cpromised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth ^dvary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do ^ekeephis ^fcommandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

 23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

 24 And secondly, he doth ^arequire that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately ^bbless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

We are strengthened for our obedience-and always, ever more in debt to our Savior.  And its like I was telling you about the 4th missionary talk-that it is giving all of our heart and mind to the Lord where we become changed.  Giving our will to Him.  And He blesses us all the more when we give Him our will. 

Couple of quotes on obedience: Obedience to the Lord’s commands, in spite of how trivial or unimportant we believe them to be, will surely bring His promised blessings....  Obedience to the Lord’s commandments provides us confidence in our chosen path, qualifies us for His guidance and direction as we pursue our efforts, and offers us the potential to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, and return to our Father’s presence.  Harold B. Lee said: “The safety of the Church lies in the members keeping the commandments. … As they keep the commandments, blessings will come.” ¹ 

Second thing I was thinkin about just this morning.  I was reading from the Book of Mormon in Jacob 1-verse 19 is what hit me.  It talks about how Jacob labored to teach the gospel diligently, to magnify his calling so the blood of the people wouldn't be on his hands.  I was thinking how that applies to us.  How exactly do we go about magnifying our callings?  In a general conference talk in 2010 Pres. Eyring says this about fulfilling our duty to God-hence magnifying our calling:  It is to learn what the Lord expects of you, make a plan to do it, act on your plan with diligence, and then share with others how your experience changed you and blessed others. And this is what we strive to do-as I've thought about it-I am amazed at how much Preach My Gospel helps us accomplish this.  So inspired and wonderful!

I know the Lord truly does bless us for our obedience and diligence.  I know He is aware of each of us, in our different situations, all things we are experiencing.  He loves us!  This is the only true church on the earth today!

I love you all!

Sis. Broadbent

May 7, 2012

Hello Family!

Thank you for sharing your Sunday learnings-I remember Kris and Cari
saying they missed that-and I'd have to agree! Sis. Bailey made me
translate for the senior couple in our branch-it
was...interesting-good thing it was only fast Sunday so I didn't need
to know quite as much vocabulary. It was good though-made my head hurt
a little, but it was good-I'm looking forward to doing it
again....looking for improvement.

The weather here is funny-it's really warm, we get rain, it cools off
a bit, then it gets really warm again.

I can't believe Sean is home-I knew he was coming home, but it's just
so weird!  Be sure to give him a hug for me. (Maybe I am becoming more
huggy....)  And when you visit Zona, be sure to give her a hug to.
That must be hard for the Bigalow's-what a blessing to have the
comfort and peace of the gospel.  Knowing that they are an eternal
family, and knowing the plan of Salvation.  It is so magnificent.
Everyone here is planting all of their gardens too-I was telling Sis.
Bailey all hte stuff we normally grow.  Everyone here raves about the
apricots and peaches-I'm excited to try them, since I think we have
such delcious ones from our trees.  Speaking of apricots-yesterday at
one of our investigators houses, we ate apricots from the tree-just
the little green, not even close to being ripe.  It was...different,
but pretty good.  Maybe you all could try it :)  I'm not sure how
expensive it is to go to the temple-maybe 300 or 400 american dollars.
 The sisters got back yesterday-they were both glowing.  I think our
little tatik that went was a little scared or maybe confused about
it-they do the sessions in Russian and she doesn't speak much russian,
but the other sister was absolutely pumped about it.

This week was a miracle.  I don't know if I've told you, but it had
been over a month since this area had any new investigators, so we set
some goals and started working for them.  We ended up getting a
referral from one of our members-we did introductions and explained
our purpose as missionaries with the member-and then we met with her 2
other times this past week-she's such a doll!  She had been a
Jehovah's Witness, but afew months ago didn't feel like it was true,
so she stopped going and started looking elsewhere.  She has so much
energy!  She's reading daily from the Book of Mormon and she came to
church with us-she feels so ready!    Then Friday, Sis. Bailey and I
were walking around-trying to get some street contacts, but there
wasn't anyone around.  We stopped to pray, then started on our way.
We came to this man sitting on the side of the road-stopped to chat,
and he invited us in.  We were really hesitant, but after he assured
us that his wife and daughter were home, we agreed to go in.  We sat
and talked to them about different things, cleared up some
misconceptions, got to know them, etc., and set a time to go back.
The mom and daughter both seem very interested.  So we went back
yesterday after church and taught about the Restoration.  We ended up
having 4 of their neighbors join us-and it was so good!  We'll see
where it goes!  We're praying for them.  It was so amazing though!  To
have so many tender mercies-and to have the guidance of the spirit.
Truly magnificent.  I am continually amazed by the effect the gospel
has on people-even a small truth-the way it strengthens them and
softens their hearts.  So magnificent!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers!  i can't begin to thank you
or tell you how it helps!  We didn't get a chance to meet with the
family that moved from Russia-we're hoping to this week.  I'll let you
know how it goes.

Congratulations to Dad and his new calling!  (Doug is the newest High Councilman over Young Men and Scouts) That'll be so great!

K-so we are doing skype for Mother's day.

I don't have much more time-so I love you all!  I hope your week goes
great!  I can't begin to express how grateful I am for your strength
and testimony!  I feel so blessed to be apart of such a wonderful
family!  This really is Christ's church!

Love, Sis. Broadbent

Ps.-I'll talk to you on Saturday :)

2 Nephi 10:23-25

May 1 - week 2 in Artashat, Armenia

Բարև ձեզ Family!   

It sounds like your week was great!  I'm excited to hear what Dad's new calling is and who the new 2nd counselor is.  Շատ լավ կլինի:  I can't believe that Derek is home already!  My, how time flies!  That means Sean must be getting home soon too....Վայ:  Technology is AMAZING!  Way cool that you can see where we are!  Crazy!  We actually live close to the church-our apartment is great!  Sis. Bailey and Sis. Kohler (sp?-the sis who was here before me) reopened the area and had a pretty rough time getting into an apartment-but it turned out well for us :)  Our church building is so wonderful-they built it a few years ago and it's one of the prettiest buildings in Artashat.  When we talk to people and invite them to come to church we can just say "That pretty building near the shooka-and they all know what we mean.  It even has it's own font.  And this last week the building just had wifi installed so the members can do their family history there.  We're pretty spoiled in that regard.  Speaking of family history and geneology work-yesterday we had a couple of members from the branch, along with other members, fly up to Kiev to go to the temple.  What a blessing for these people to have the new temple so much closer than other temples!  One of the members, Seda, is this dear little tatik (grandma)-her husband has already died and she had a son die when he was only a year.  Sis. Bailey and I helped her enter information for both of them, as well as her parents, a couple of siblings, grandparents, and husbands parents, so the work could be done for them.  So neat!  Մենկ շատ օրհնված ենկ: չեմ կարող պատկերացնել ավետարանը չունենալ:(We are so blessed.  I can't imagine not having the gospel) We were so excited for her to go!  

Maybe I am becoming more huggy :) ....The sisters are always hugging each other.  And the people here love giving hugs-they are so welcoming all the time.  Maybe by the time I get home I'll be so accustomed to hugs that I'll hug everyone all the time...we will see.  I've decided we have a lot to learn from them.  While they have their difficulties (as we all do)-guest loving is something they do not lack.  In that way-they are so Christlike-willing to give everything they have for us.  I have gained such a love and respect for these people already.  

Food....it's delicious!  For the most part...I did try this candied walnut-it's really hard to describe, but they do something to it that makes the shell soft and then can it in a sweet syrup-so when you eat it you eat the shell and the nut-it was not my favorite by any means.  It doesn't taste like walnut, but I still didn't like the flavor.  It was just weird.  We eat lots of hats-or bread (this is not pronounced like hat in english-its more like the vowel sound in hot) and lavash, which is kind of like a tortilla.  This last week I tried matsoon for the first time-its a fresh yogurt that is kind of sour and a lot of missionaries do no like it-but I thought it was pretty good, especially with hats and toma.  Toma (sp?) is this rice roll thing-its wrapped in cooked cabbage or grape leaves and fill with rice, meat, and spices. And you just eat it all.  Delicious.  We also ate this dish made from some cooked greens and eggs-and served with matsoon and hats-I don't know what it's called-but I think it's my favorite so far-and so easy to make. 

Oh, women's conference-it always sounds so wonderful!  And how fun for you to be able to stay with Susan, Joy, and to have Cathy there.  Joy's kids are adorable!  I'm excited to hear some from the new Presidency-I'm sure they were wonderful!  

Congrats to Carolyn and Craig, and Melanie and Brian!  That is so exciting!  I hope you'll send pictures when you get them!  Make sure you tell them congrats for me and give them hugs!  

Sis. Bailey and I were talking-we think Elder Menasyan is in the 2nd quorom of 70-but we really have no idea.

K-so I know last week I said I was going to write you, then write another email to be forwarded, and then whatever emails needed to be sent on (like I did for Callee).  But this week we received some new direction about email. So I'm allowed to email all of you (as my immediate family), but not anyone else.  You can forward on whatever you'd like from my email, but I don't think I'd be being fully obedient if I did it the other way.  We've also been told that we have about an hour to email, whereas before the missionaries have taken whatever time they've wanted.  So basically...it will be wonderful!  I'll try to make sure I tell you all the workings and such :)  Oh and people can still email me-I just can't email them-so make sure they include an address where I can write back.

I hope everything is going well at home!    I heard the Brigham temple has open house dates-how exciting!  Are you planning on going?  How are plans for trek coming?  Dad-there's a sister here whose parents are both from Ireland-and her mom served a mission in Scotland.  Her last name is Boyle (sp?) She guessed her parents both served their missions from about 79-81-her dad served in England.  And they're from Dundalk (sp?) I don't know if you'd know them and I don't know her mom's maiden name but we were both so excited to have the connection.  

I do fully attribute my language to the Lord-this is definitely His work.  While I feel that I don't speak well at all-I am still amazed by what I can understand and say-it is definitely only possible through our Father.  One thing I really love about that is it gives us another way to testify.  People always ask how we've learned the language so quickly, etc-so it's easy to say "Through God's help."  Funny story from this last week: we were out ման գալing (walking around) and talking with people-we stopped to talk with a man on the street-we exchanged typical greetings-he asked if I was Armenian (I've since come to find out, since several people, and not just members, have asked if I am Armenian, that it a very typical Armenian has dark hair and blue eyes....no wonder they ask), we talked about how we were from America, serving, that we're not married (lots of people think that is ամոտ or shameful), etc.  He then proceeded to ask if I would marry him and take him to America.....Sis. Bailey and I laughed pretty hard afterwards considering he was probably Dad's age :)  Not to mention that we had already said multiple times that we were representives of Christ and serving missions.  People are funny sometimes.  It's like they think that if they live elsewhere their life will suddenly become better-like living in the US is magical or something.  While I fully love and have come to appreciate more the many blessings, rights, and freedoms we have in the US, as we all know, real joy doesn't come from the money we make, the possessions we have, or where we live.  Joy comes through our Savior and living His gospel.  Through serving others and living righteously.  All over the world this single truth is evident.  Just this morning Sis. Bailey and I were talking about how there are some sins that cause diseases to come upon people.  Some pretty evident ones like smoking and lung cancer, and others that are maybe less evident.  I love what it says in the BD about faith-"Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith (Rom. 10:14–17). Miracles do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness....Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements and/or heal the sick, or influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants (Jacob 4:4–7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.... A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity."  We talked about how often people are become depressed because of the choices they make.  I was reminded once more of the scripture in Mosiah 2:41 "I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things" I know I say it every time-but we really are SO blessed!  To have the fullness of the Gospel-and everything we need to return back to our Father.  I feel so blessed to be able to share that message!  

So this last week was pretty good.  It was a little rough, but so good.  We did a lot of ման գալing-and some meetings-hoping to find some new investigators.  Friday we had this wonderful meeting with a family that is from here orginally, moved to Russia, where some of them joined the church, then moved back here.  Their daughter-in-law is not a member and some of the family isn't active.  So we went, anticipating to teach the family about the importance of the Book of Mormon and continuing to read it, etc.  When we got there, the mom, tatik, and daughter-in-law (I'm going to call her the hars....it's easier to type) were the only ones home.  The hars immediately ran up to us and gave us hugs-which has not been her usual reception of us-we were surprised.  So we taught about the Book of Mormon-what it means for each of them and why it's important to have a testimony of it.  The hars was SO receptive!  I guess in the past they've asked if she would read it and she never really said either way, but we asked if she would read it and she wholeheartedly committed to read it!  And the spirit was so strong!  We're praying she begins to read it and that she wants to continue to meet with us!  It was SO great!  Saturday and Sunday were a little more rough-but good.  Sunday we were hoping for at least 5 people to come to church and no one did :( I think the Lord must truly be so patient with us and how we use our agency, especially since He can see the many blessing we could receive if we would just use our agency to choose good.  Sometimes it's hard because no one seems to want to listen-but I know the Lord has prepared people to be taught!  And they are waiting for the truth!  We are working to find those who are ready!

I love feeling how much and seeing how much the Lord is aware of us!  And how much He trusts us with His work.  I was thinking about Nephi-in the book of Helamen-and how he was serving amongst such wicked people-but the Lord calls him blessed-because of His obedience and unwearingness in serving.  Then the Lord shows just how much He trust him and tells him that whatever he asks will be done because the Lord knows he will not ask anything amiss.  Can you imagine being at the point?  Where you want so much to do the Lord's will and have worked to do His will so much that the Lord knows, really knows that you will not ask anything that is not according to His will.  Are we praying in a way that shows the Lord that we only want His will?  Are we working to fulfill His will?  Are we using the Atonement in our lives the way Elder Bednar says we can? "Grace is the divine assistance or heavenly help each of us desperately needs to qualify for the celestial kingdom. Thus, the enabling power of the Atonementstrengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity....The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us. There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, “No one understands. No one knows.” No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power."   Ես գիտեմ որ Հիսուս Քրիստոսն իրոկ մեր փրկիչն է և որ ինքը իրոկ գիտի բոլոր մեր զգացումներն ու մտահոգությունները: Քրիստոսի միջոցով մենք կարող ենք մակրվել: Ինքը և մեր Հայրը մեզ շատ են սիրում: 

Ձեզ շատ եմ սիում: Շատ շնորհակալ եմ Ձեզ համար:

Մեծ սիրով

Քույր Բրադբենթ     

ps-normally p-day is Monday....so I'll let you know when its not.  Also, we'll be working out when we can call/skype on Mother's day, so I'll be sure to let you know.  Love you all!  Have a great week!