Mary's Mission 27 May 2013

Barev marev Family jan! 

I am so happy that you were all able to get together! Last week when you said you were going, I thought of some of the many memories we have in Vernal and with Uncle Don and Aunt Mima in Heber-playing with marbles in the basement, the time Kris sneezed all over Cari's cheek, Aunt Edna's chocolate popcorn, and so many more things! 

I can't believe school is out! That May is already ending.  Wow.  Time goes by so quickly! The kids here are out of school, too, and since the sun comes up so early and goes down so late, there is a group of kids that are always playing outside our windows.  I love it.  I love the long days of sunlight. We're also starting to get into fruit season....there is nothing better in the entire world than teaching the gospel and eating fresh Armenian fruit.  You all just don't know what you are missing!

I feel so good about this last week, I feel like there were a lot of good things that happened.  Robert was baptized and the baptism was beautiful! I know his back has been hurting him since, but he was so happy at church yesterday when he received the Holy Ghost and he bore a sweet simple testimony.  I can't wait for the day when Robert and Hasmik will be in the temple together! We also had a really neat miracle this week.  We've been working with the sister of one of our members, Narine.  She has expressed a lot of desire to be baptized and then always says she isn't ready or that she hasn't received her answer yet.  We've been trying to help her recognize her answer.  She came to the baptism with us on Saturday.  We were talking with the taxi driver on the way over and she explained so well what repentance is and bore a powerful witness.  Then before the baptism, our wonderful Elders, Elder Conway and Elder Olsen, were talking with her about her own baptismal date and about her knowledge of the gospel.  We had the opportunity after the baptism to sit with her and her family and have a little lesson.  As we talked, Narine told her member sister Nelly that she is getting baptized on June 28 and that she'll need her help to prepare.  Then she looked at us and just beamed.  The Lord truly does answer our prayers-and the prayers of all His children! I am beyond grateful for the influence of the Elders and the influence of the Holy Ghost in touching hearts.  I know this is the Lord's work and that no matter how we try to do it on our own, we can't.  

Manushak, one of the women I talked about last week, is so amazing! She is so willing to act! She keeps telling us how good she feels with us and talks about how God is answering her prayers.  With her work, she is allowed four days off a month and has already said she'll be coming to church on those days.  There is a chance that she may be going to Russia to work, so we'll keep going forward until we hear more.

Yesterday in church we had a couple of young dads sitting on the stand and their children kept coming up to sit with them.  I couldn't help but think about the countless times we did that as children with Dad and then I had to express gratitude that the Lord blesses us with such wonderful families and those sweet, tender moments and relationships with one another.  This truly is the church of Jesus Christ and it is the same all over the world! Phenomenal! 

Sister Ledingham and I have talked a lot about following the spirit this week, about the commitment we have to make to follow the promptings of the spirit, and how if we really commit and then give all we have to follow what the Lord asks, that is when we begin to turn ourselves over to the Lord.  I also read from D&C 58:27-28 and have thought about this and the connection between Moroni 7:13.  The Lord expects us to go forward, to act and think for ourselves-to use the spirit within  us to decide.  We know when something is good and we shouldn't have to wait for the Lord to tell us, "Yes, that is a good thing, do it"  We have a responsibility to be "anxiously engaged" and always looking to do good, to be better, and to reach out to those around us.  I know I have much room for improvement.  I want to be someone the Lord can rely on to accomplish His work, someone He can trust with His children.  Will you each be more "anxiously engaged"?  Will you seek to do good?  I know the Lord will use you to answer the prayers of others and you will begin to recognize the presence of the Holy Ghost more in your life.  

I love you!! Have an excellent week! Keep your smiles on and let your light shine! 

Metz sirov, 

Quyr Broadbent 

"No good thing comes without effort and sacrifice"

"Our personal testimony is a protective shield and like an iron rod, it is guiding us safely through darkness and confus

Mary's Mission 20 May 2013

Barev family jan! 

  I can't believe that school is almost out! Life sure is good, isn't it?! Our Heavenly Father has blessed us so much!  We're on exchanges again, this time Sister Wynn came to me and Sister Ledingham went to Artashat.  I love them both-I love seeing the different gifts the Lord has given each of us and how He uses each of us and our talents to help the work go forward.  

We have had so much rain the last few weeks.  So much.  I love it.  We'll have a half a day of sunshine and gorgeous weather and then in an instant it changes and is pours.  The rain always reminds me of that primary song that says "I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain and ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.  I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain, I want to be the best I can and live with God again."  I love that song.  

I feel like we had a pretty good week.  Robert (Hasmik's husband) passed his baptismal interview yesterday and will be baptized tomorrow.  He is so much more at peace and has so much joy in his eyes constantly.  He was a good man before, but the change the gospel has brought has made him so much better.  I know it will continue to change him.    One of our new investigators, Manushak, is a miracle and evidence of the subtle promptings and small workings of the Lord.  We talked with her over a month ago on the street but we haven't been able to contact her.  The last couple of weeks I've thought about her a few times, and even more this week.  I just kept remembering the conversation we had with her.  We called and were able to talk and able to get into her home.  As we talked, she expressed two things that amazed me.  First, she told us how she began smoking years ago, feels it isn't pleasing to the Lord, asked what we thought, and then asked if we could help her quit.  Wow.  Of course we can.  Then, she talked about some friends and relatives she has that are part of other faiths that have asked her to join them and she just hasn't been able to.  She told us that anytime anyone would try and talk to her on the street, especially about religion, that she would immediately tell them she wasn't interested and then continue on her way.  But with us, she said she felt a little prompting that made her want to talk with us and accept us into her home.  She expressed not knowing why before she had never been able to accept other religions, and then she said it must be because Heavenly Father wanted her to find us and accept our teachings.  Wow.  The Lord truly does prepare His children to hear His message!  Then this morning as I was studying, I came across a couple of things, one, a quote from President Monson that says "The more we act upon the inspiration and impressions which come to us, the more the Lord will entrust us with His errands."  I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if we hadn't listened to that small prompting to call Manushak.  The Lord truly works through small means to bring about His purposes.  The second quote I came across was from President Eyring that says "God will put prepared people in the way of His prepared servants who want to share the gospel....How often it happens depends on the preparation of your mind and your heart."  As I thought about those two quotes, I thought about the need to improve-the change and become, so that I can be prepared in my heart and mind and so that I can always follow the promptings of the Spirit.  What can each of you do to be the Lord's prepared servants?  As a missionary, I can honestly say that we need the help of the members so much-the example you set and inviting friends and family to learn does so much more for the work than we could ever do.  Will you pray for opportunities to share the gospel daily?  Sister Wynn and I were also talking about the Atonement and I have to express how grateful I am for our Savior; who suffered beyond all comprehension so that we can be cleansed from our sins and so that we can improve.  So that we can change from good to better and better to best.  And not just in spiritual ways, but in every aspect of our lives.  I know He is God's Son, our Savior and Redeemer, my Savior and Redeemer; He is our friend and comfortor.  He gives us strength to do and be so much more than we could ever be on our own.

I also want to express my thanks for teaching us to be worthy to enter the temple always.  And for setting the example by going to the temple.  We've been talking a lot about the importance of the temple lately and how really, baptism is necessary so that we can reach our goal of going to the temple.  Baptism is not enough.  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for taking us to do sealings so I could have that picture in my mind, so I could remember the real goal.  You are the greatest! 

I love you family!  You are the best! Have a great week! 

Metz sirov,

Quyr Broadb

Mary's Mission 6 May

Barev Family!!

It sounds like your week was good! I'm glad women's conference went well! You always come back raving about it! I honestly had forgotten that it is already that time of year!  Thanks for the pictures as well-they are beautiful! Be sure to tell Jon and Jess, and Melissa and Matt congratulations! 

Where to begin?  I'm not exactly sure.  We moved out of our apartment, were in between apartments and we are now living in one of the nicest apartments I have ever seen.  Even the senior couples were jealous of it.  It's funny, because it really is great, but there is always opposition, right?  We nearly got locked in our house and locked out of it.  The door is just a beast-I guess we'll be gaining some upper body strength while we're here :) Being out of our apartment and with the other sisters for a few days was good, I feel like I was reminded of the most important things and I was reminded of how important this work is! As we went back and forth to Arabkir, I couldn't help but be grateful that we usually live right in the center of our area, especially when at the end of the week I was feeling like we were losing so much time to traveling, but the Lord is still so good to us, despite our circumstances, our imperfections, and our weaknesses.  Hasmik's baptism was amazing.  President Carter invited all the rest of her family to work towards baptism before the end of the month so that in a year from now they can be ready to go to the temple with the group that will be going.  And she bore the sweetest testimony! I wish you all could meet these people!

I don't know how we've been so blessed lately! And it's not just us! The entire mission is just flourishing!  The Lord is just so good to us-we are truly nothing without Him.  As I watch the work go forward here, I am just amazed at the goodness and greatness of it all.  The Lord is truly apart of everything! Last week during our district meeting I was overwhelmed with gratitude for our other missionaries.  We've been working with some of our investigators, feeling at a loss for what to do, and then learning from our Elders and Sisters, feeling their strength, and being uplifted by their prayers was a huge blessing.  I am amazed at their great ability to embrace and live the Christlike attributes and am humbled by their example of Christlike service.  During our meeting someone made a comment about understanding the why of getting baptized, and feeling that perhaps I had lost sight of that, I determined to study it throughout the week.  Our Heavenly Father is truly so good to us! He's given us the opportunity to show Him our willingness to do as He asks, to promise to follow Him, and He promises so many blessings in return! Not just blessings for this life, but blessings for eternity.  All by accepting the invitation to follow the example of our Savior and enter the waters of baptism.  Why is baptism so important to you?

Yesterday, we had a really neat sacrament meeting.  We had an elder here that served here 20 years ago with his wife (when the church was new in Armenia), a man that was baptized as a young boy by that elder and the man's beautiful family.  They all live in Utah now, but they came to visit the wife's family.  The first time back here in over 10 years.  They each bore testimony of the gospel and as I listened to the testimonies of them, as well as our local members, all from different walks of life, my own testimony was strengthened.  This is the church of Jesus Christ and this is the only way back to our Father.  

I love you my dear Family! You are the best! I hope and pray that as we each go forward this week that we can remember all the wonderful blessings the Lord has given us and that each of us will give our best to Him, after all, He has given His best to us.

Have a great week! Can't wait to talk with you (it's hard to believe that it's that time already!!)

Metz sirov

Quyr Broadbent