When two worlds collide

SAN DIEGO — A lot has happened this week! I suppose I will start with some "Miracles around the World"

August 17, 2012

I served at the Mormon Battalion this morning. It was one of those loud and crazy ones, but despite the mayhem in the lobby, I saw a family of three walk up. I soon found out that they were from Florence, Italy. The daughter, Chiara, spoke perfect English and was able to translate for her parents, Elizabeta and Giovanni. Because her parents couldn’t understand English, they didn’t want to go on the full tour, so I took them to the back to share a brief story of the Battalion and let them see the artifacts. We ended up standing in front of the glass case that holds the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I told them that I knew they probably had questions about Mormons, and I would love to answer them. They, of course did, and I was able to teach them about the Restoration of the Gospel. What a special moment that was, when two worlds collided, allowing us both to talk about the truth.

While not an international experience, Sister Newman had another colliding moment when @zbloxham, a twitter friend of her brother's, came by the Battalion

Just a few hours later, I had another one of those "colliding" moments. This time, with Pak from China. Pak came on a tour and was smack-dab in the middle of a bajillion Mormon families. Somehow, miraculously, I was able to talk with him after taking everyone’s photo in the resource room. This time we spoke outside, underneath the grapevines (it was quieter than with all the screaming kids). 

He told me he was an atheist. I felt the Spirit tell me that was not true, so I asked him, "So you believe that you are just here and that’s it?" He changed his mind and told me that he believed in a higher Being, he just didn’t know what it was. We were able to talk about how God literally is his Father. He agreed to read the Book of Mormon and talk with me about it.

My journey around the world ended in Belgium. The sisters gave us a referral for a man named Jeroen. We sat across from each other in his humble student apartment (he is going to pilot school) and started talking to him. I was stunned with all the questions of the soul that he had. 

He wanted to know what his purpose was on earth. He didn’t believe that all we have to do is believe Jesus and be saved (YAY!), but knew the truth that we must live the Gospel for the Atonement to work in our lives. As I looked him in the eyes, neither of us breaking eye contact, I told him of the 14-year-old boy who prayed to know the truth. The Spirit was tangible. I was struck in awe as we walked through the apartment complex back to our car. I looked up at the sky and just wanted to yell, "THANK YOU" to Heavenly Father for letting us find all the people from many lands that were thirsting for the gospel today."...

I think that is the lesson I learned today. There are people wandering, searching for the truth because they know not where to find it. I was so blinded before my mission, thinking, So-and-so would never want to hear the Gospel."  Or "So-and-so would never be Mormon."

Let me tell you all something: THAT is a COMPLETE lie from Satan.

Did you know that just this week, we talked to a guy, Ryan, walking to a bus stop? We told him that we had some great news to improve his life. A teenage boy who looked like he had plenty other things to do accepted, we met him at the church and he wants to learn more about the Plan of Salvation.

The other day when we were on our way to Jeroen's, we walked past a mother with her baby in the stroller. We just told her how cute her baby was and that we had something to share that would improve her family relationships. She accepted to learn more.

A sister shared with me that she took a tour of a non-member lady who has been to the Battalion a bunch of times, and NO ONE ever asked if she wanted a Book of Mormon. This dear sister asked, and the woman gladly accepted.

NO ONE can tell me that God is not putting people in our paths. I chose not to act before I came out here. 

For 21 years, I let neighbors, acquaintances, and coworkers pass by me. I know what you're thinking: "But she’s a missionary, she can be bold." I’m not saying we have to go up to a person and say, "do you want to hear about the three degrees of glory?" But have you ever asked a dear friend, "have you ever had questions about Mormons?"Or have you invited a less active or nonmember over for dinner? Have you invited the grocer at the store to look on mormon.org and given them a card?

I PROMISE you as a messenger of Jesus Christ, that if you would only do those simple things, you will be a messenger and advocate for the Father in bringing the Gospel to all nations, kindreds,, tongues and people.

The world is curious. 

They are thirsty. 

It is our job to bring them the fountain of living water.

I love you all. I’ve just written this email. I hope you don’t go on to your every day lives, but I hope you ask yourselves as President [Boyd K.] Packer would say,

"THEREFORE, WHAT?"

 Let's go out and do some good in this world.

The show must go on

SAN DIEGO — We sent off Sister Christensen this morning. She is a stellar missionary, and it broke my heart watching her leave. What an amazing legacy she has left for all of us. She is an example of a stalwart servant of God and has put true meaning to what it means to "Return with Honor". I was giving a tour with her yesterday and asked her what her last piece of advice would be for me. She told me to remember that no matter what happens in life, "The show must go on".

How true that is! Life goes on, the days come and go, the seasons change, the years pass by and nothing can stop it. Our attitudes, our actions, our desires are what give meaning to the precious time we have. Whatever trials we face, whatever heartaches come our way, it is our attitude that makes "our show" one of despair and disappointment or one of hope and happiness.



On the opposite scheme of things, this week I also sat in the front room of a sister that had no desire to be here anymore — who couldn't wait to pack her bags and go home. I sat in her living room, my heart broken, and sick to my stomach of what that kind of decision would do to this sister. I have learned that just as much as God is real, so is the adversary. Fortunately we are on the winning side!

I told you last week that Sister Kennington and I were going to irritate Satan this week, and I think we can say "mission accomplished." I don't know if you remember Ali. He is the Muslim that we had to stop teaching until President Clayton talked with him. He had his interview on Friday and President said we could teach him. On Sunday, we went over to his house and started completely from scratch. He doesn't even know who Jesus Christ is as he was never raised Christian, so we decided to watch the Finding Faith in Christ DVD with him. I want to share that part of my journal with you this week as it was one of my highlights. 

Sunday, December 19, 2011

Ali couldn't make it to church today, so we asked him if we could drop by later. We went over to the house he is staying at and watched Finding Faith in Christ with him. I can't explain how happy and relieved and thankful and excited I am to be able to teach him again. I can't explain it, but I know I promised Ali in heaven that I would find and teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Of course, I probably have done that for our other investigators as well, but it just seems different somehow. Words can't explain what it was like tonight, sitting with Ali, who has no idea what the Savior did for him. We had to keep pausing during the movie to explain things to him: who the man and woman were who were looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem, who the 12 men were that were following Jesus Christ, and what was happening when Jesus Christ was kneeling down and praying to God in agony in the Garden of Gethsemene. As we paused at that moment, and looked at our Savior performing the Atonement, he looked over at me with tears in his eyes, and all he could say was, "Wow".

The Spirit hit me so hard, it felt as though I could barely breathe. Heavenly Father not only testified to Ali that what we were showing him was real, but he testified once again to me, that my Savior lives, that Jesus Christ really did perform the Atonement. I love this Gospel so much. I love my Savior with all my heart. And I am so grateful for the precious gift Heavenly Father gave me during this Christmas season: a reminder that He loves me and that is why He sent His son to the earth. The only words I have to say, are those of my friend Ali — wow.

Let's not forget:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

Can't wait to talk to you on Sunday! :)

The crazy places He wanted me to go

SAN DIEGO — What is this I hear about SNOW?!? Are you kidding me! I keep thinking it is June here, I can't believe it is already November!

My time is so messed up — first of all, we do the same thing every day and so I can't keep the days straight, and then on top of that I can't keep the months straight because there are no seasons here! I hope you had fun playing in the snow though:) You will have to send me pictures!

Juli, Thank you for the Halloween treats — that was so ADORABLE! I took a picture of it, I will send home soon.

I can't believe Carla is having a baby! That went by so FAST! It is so interesting how life seems to just slip by in the wink of an eye.

Something I keep being reminded of, is that we can't take this gift to be here on earth for granted. This is such precious time and we never know when our time is up. Each time that a transfer comes to an end, I am forced to reflect on what I have done, who I have become, and what difference I have made. Sadly, there are moments I wish I could take back, times I wish I would have opened my mouth and I did not, burdens I could have lifted, smiles I could have given.

But fortunately, there are also miracles I have seen, people I have touched, and lessons I have learned. Every six weeks I think the same thing: what are my thoughts going to be when I get to see my Father in Heaven again? What will I have become, who will I have touched, what legacy will I have left?

I just want you all to know that you have a purpose here! You have a legacy to leave! You have burdens to ease, smiles to give, laughter to share, and only YOU can do what you were sent here to do. You can do this! You have angels in Heaven cheering for you! I am cheering for you!

One more funny thing: Sister Nelson and I were talking to some random person on the street the other day and the lady asked Sister Nelson if she was my mom (Yeah, I thought you all would get a laugh out of that!).

I wanted to share to experiences from my journal this week, so I will just get to it!

November 2, 2011

We planned to go contacting in the park at Mira Mesa today since no one is home and our investigators could not meet. It was so awkward! We promised Heavenly Father we would talk to everyone, so naturally the first people we saw were a couple on a date having a picnic at the park. Sister Nelson and I looked at each other for a second, both of us thinking the same thing: do we really have to interrupt this date?! But we promised Heavenly Father, so we marched up and talked to them.

They gave us a definite NO and did not want to hear our message. There were tons of moms at the park, so that was our next stop. Mother after mother turned us down, some of them were super cranky, we were about ready to head on to our next stop, but another mother was sitting farther back on the playground watching her children play. I thought to myself, "Heavenly Father, I have just been told by about ten people to leave them alone, all of them are watching me, laughing at me, not to mention, there is a couple at the top of the hill that are making fun of us. Can I just run away and hide PLEASE?"

But I promised Him.

So we walked up to her and invited her to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. To my surprise, she wanted it! She has Mormon friends and really appreciated the Church's stand on Proposition 8. We were able to bear testimony of the sacredness of family and of her divine role as a mother of God's children.

I know we went to the park today for a reason. Heavenly Father needed us to find her. I would talk to a million angry soccer moms to find the one Heavenly Father has prepared, because I know He numbers His sheep. He loves every precious soul, and He is preparing them to receive the Gospel. I just love being a part of the miracles and the tender mercies of the Lord.

Now for a really funny day I had this week:


November 4, 2011
We had to go to Pep Boys after study this morning because Sister Kennington (I was on exchanges) and Kearsley had to get their oil changed on the car. There was no room in the waiting room and it was loud anyways so we decided maybe we could walk to the Church while we waited for the car to get done.

We checked how long it was on the GPS and it said 9 miles. We thought, "Okay, we can do nine miles no big deal."

When we asked the Pep boys guy how long he thought it would take to walk nine miles he laughed out loud at us. Yeah, I guess we deserved that. So we reconsidered. We thought maybe we could find a quiet place down the street to read our scriptures so we headed out. This was the day that it was pouring rain outside and we had no umbrella or hood. Don't ask me what we were thinking!

We walked down the street, but building after building turned out to be run down or liqour stores or whatnot- not exactly the kind of atmosphere we were looking for. We did get to talk with a girl at the bus stop and and another girl walking to the bank, but by that time we were soaked and it was time to head back to pick up the car. As we were crossing the street back to Pep Boys, a car raced by and splashed through a HUGE puddle — the kind seen in a movie where the water sprays over the person crossing the curb, only thankfully Heavenly Father gave us a tender mercy and it only got my shoes. Not that it would have mattered anyway, we looked like we had just jumped in the ocean.

After that, we went to contact a referral Sister Kennington and Kearsley had. He is Persian and wanted a Farsi copy of The Book of Mormon. Sister Nelson taught me how to say, "hello, how are you doing?" in Farsi, so that helped us and he allowed us to come in and talk with him about The Book of Mormon. 

It is amazing to me the spirit of The Book of Mormon. Just talking about it, it touches people's spirits. It reminds them of who they are and where they came from. He allowed us to come back and teach him more about it this week.

At the Battalion, we were able to take a member couple through the tour. Afterwards, they wanted to go to the tower, but they wanted to take the elevator. We warned them it was slow, but they didn't mind. We have to wait for our guests to be completely done before we go up to the front, so Sister Kennington and I waited at the bottom for about 15 minutes. All of a sudden we heard, "SISTERS!" They were stuck in the elevator! About 10 minutes later after getting the site director and the senior couples, we got them freed. What a crazy end to a crazy day!

What stuck out to me most is that Heavenly Father will do anything He has to to remind his children who He is and to help them receive the teachings of the Gospel. Whether it means sending two silly sisters who think they can walk nine miles in the rain just to share two mormon.org cards with people at the bus stop, or having my companion teach me how to say things in Farsi to warm up a man's heart, all of it happens for a reason. Because He cares! Because He loves us!

I just wanted to share with you one more thing today. I was reading my scriptures this morning and I was reading the last chapter in Second Nephi. The last words that Nephi wrote down was his testimony of the Book of Mormon. His last thoughts, the last things he wanted to share with us were these:

"And if ye shall believe in Christ, ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ judge ye- for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory that they are his words at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things notwithstanding my weakness. "

The Book of Mormon is true. I know it! I can't explain it exactly, but because of the Holy Ghost bearing witness to my soul as I read its pages, I know that it is a book from God. I have seen it change people, I have seen it bless people, I have seen it work miracles. Such a book would not come from any other source but our Father in Heaven. Reading its pages brings great power.

This world is hard! It is distracting! And Satan is trying so hard to get us to take The Book of Mormon lightly (yes, even us missionaries!). Don't take it for granted! Think of the sacrifices that our ancestors did to bring it to us. We owe them and Heavenly Father more than to set it on the bedside table or let it collect dust on the bookshelf.

I promise that you will receive strength and power as you read, and blessing will pour down on you from heaven!

The miracle of the missed appointment and unanswered questions

SAN DIEGO — Wow, I can't believe another week has gone by! I am almost halfway through another transfer! I hope Little Brooklyn had a Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a fun little birthday party for her.

Well, once again Heavenly Father has been showing me miracles. It is amazing how when you open your eyes and your mouth, the miracles that He can send your way. It reminds me of the scripture in Mormon- 

"And who shall say that Jesus Christ did not do many miracles? And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being?" (Mormon 9:18-19)

I know with all my heart that He has not ceased to do miracles. I want to share with you a couple excerpts from my journal that happened this week:

October 7, 2011
I saw so many miracles today! Both of our appointments fell through — that doesn't sound very much like a miracle, but indeed it was. We had a member with us, so we went to visit Brian Murray, a less active member. I hate apartment complexes so bad! I always get so lost and of course once again we found ourselves wandering aimlessly around the complexes trying to find a building that didn't seem to exist.
We were about to say a prayer when a young guy walked out of the complex. Our member recognized him from high school and so we were able to talk with him. His brother is a recent convert who he is living with and he agreed to come to church with us on Sunday!

On our way to visit a former investigator's home, we saw a lady walking her little granddaughter and stopped to talk to her. She expressed that she just moved in and was looking to attend a church. Heavenly Father knew our plans for the day, and He needed us to talk with these two people. Just coincidence? There is nothing in this world that can make me think that this was anything less than a miracle from God. He numbers His sheep. Even in a little town in San Diego, a woman taking her granddaughter for a walk and a young man on his way to a job interview matter to Him.

October 10, 2011

We were able to contact Pani, a former investigator that the elders found, and set up an appointment for today. Pani is from Iran, but her family moved to Ukraine, converted to Christianity and now lives in San Diego.

As we sat in her living room tonight, she couldn't stop asking questions. She had so many, all we could do was listen to her concerns as she kept asking and asking and asking, giving us no room to answer — "How can I feel the Spirit?" "Where am I going after this life?" "Does what I do here even matter?" "Why do bad things happen to good people?"



My heart ached so badly for her. I watched a 19-year-old woman voice her deepest concerns and desires for her life and she didn't have the answers. She didn't know she was a daughter of God. She didn't know that her Father listens to every prayer she says, and knows exactly the intents of her heart. She didn't know that she lived with her Heavenly Parents before coming to this earth and that she chose to follow the plan to help her become like and return to her Father in Heaven. She didn't know that Her Father made a way to restore His Gospel on the earth for her day in this time.

We, of course, couldn't teach her everything at once, but we did talk to her about the Holy Ghost. After the lesson, as I was saying the closing prayer, my heart longed so badly for her to recognize the Spirit. I prayed with as much faith as I could that she would recognize the feelings of the Spirit. After we got out to the car, I got a text from her that said three simple yet beautiful words: I feel amazing.

Family, I love you so much. There are so many miracles around us. Something I wish I would have done better before my mission is not being scared to open my mouth and talk to people. There are people longing to hear about this Gospel — And yes, there are even people in Utah and Idaho, too! Please open your mouths, talk to people! You don't have to share a formal testimony, but your light and your spirit will touch your hearts. I want to hear about your experiences, I promise you that if you act in faith they will come! I love you more than you even know!
 

 Shoutouts:

Mom and Dad: HAPPY LATE ANNIVERSARY! I know it was on Sunday, but I forgot last week to wish you a happy day in advance. This is so bad, but I can't remember how many years you have been married? Are you on year 30 or are you passed that? Time goes way too fast! Also, I can't remember when Grandpa Newmans Birthday is? Is it like the 23rd or something?

Thanks for updating me on the goings on in football. It's so funny, we get a lot of visitors from Arizona and Utah who are huge BYU fans, so I get bits and pieces now and again. Sara told me Nick and Juli got moved into their apartment? Sounds fun! You will have to send pictures! Speaking of pictures, could you send some pictures of the family? I only have two — one of Sara and one of me and mom. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Sis: (I'm going to write you a quick note here, because I don't think I will have time today to write you a handwritten letter, sorry!)

My missionary plaque scripture is 2 Nephi 22:2. What do you want yours to be? And I just have to say, I almost stood up and cheered when I heard you placed your first NG tube- THATS MY SISTER! You rock Sis! I know the tests are going to be one of your challenges in nursing school, but don't let that discourage you. Remember, Heavenly Father wants you to be there, you have and always will put in your best, and He will do the rest. Trust Him, He will not fail you, I promise!

A pepper dare and Chinese coincidence

SAN DIEGO — Oh my goodness! I thought I would get over my tears on P-days, but I have a feeling I am going to be crying every P-day for the rest of my mission! It's not a bad cry of course, it is just that I love you so much, my eyes start leaking! I got a lot of e-mails from you, thank you so much for letting me know how you all are doing! The mail doesn't come until later today, so I will have to reply to those next week.

I have a few fun stories from this week:

District meeting was this week. We went to lunch, since it is one of the last weeks of the transfer. The elders were daring each other to eat these fried white peppers. They are called "white guy peppers" I forgot how you say it in Spanish. The first part of the pepper is hot, but the second half with all the seeds is definitely way hotter. The natives don't even eat the second half of the pepper. Anyway, they dared Sister Nelson and I to eat the half with the seeds. I bet you can guess what happened: you know me and being dared to do anything: I still have too much pride.

I looked at all of them, grabbed the pepper and stuffed the whole thing in my mouth. It was the funniest sight watching four Elders and Sister Nelson with their jaws dropped completely to the floor. It was the hottest thing I have ever eaten in my life! One more thing to add onto my list of crazy things I have eaten I guess!

Thomas is still in the hospital, but doing better. Hopefully he will be out in the next few weeks.

Michael is the investigator who we have been trying to get him to finish writing a letter to the First Presidency so he can get baptized. He handed me the letter on Sunday. Hallelujah! Hopefully he will get to be baptized in the next few weeks!

We are teaching a new guy named Archie: His mom and sister are baptized and we just taught him the Restoration. Keep him in your prayers, He has definitely been prepared by Heavenly Father to hear the Gospel.

I want to share with you a journal entry from yesterday. We had the tour uploaded in Chinese yesterday, and Heavenly Father really taught me how much he prepares his children and how much he loves them:

September 19th, 2011

Sister Nelson and I worked at the Mormon Battalion this morning. At noon, they had to shut it down for a few hours to load the new Chinese tour. Just as our shift was getting over, Sister Nelson and I were walking from gold panning to the front and a young Chinese couple walked up.

Sister Kennington and Kearsley were just four minutes away from doing the first practice run of the Chinese tour. Coincidence? Definitely not. The sisters told us how strong the Spirit was in the tour and both of the Chinese visitors asked to learn more. What a testimony of missionary work this is. Heavenly Father is fulfilling His promise that he will bring forth his Gospel to all nations.

There might not be missionaries in China, but the Chinese people most definitely are getting to hear the Gospel through other means. God does have a hand in our lives, He does care, and He has prepared a way for all of us to hear His message.

I want you to know how true that is. He loves you! He cares about you! God does have a hand in your life. It is your choice whether or not to notice it.

John 3:16 "God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten son...." He loves you that much. Don't ever forget it!

Let me answer some questions from last week and from your emails today:

Juli: Thank you for your letter last week! They are definitely not too long! I was reading it in the car to my roommate, and I could not stop laughing! Annalie and Brooklyn are hilarious! And your doodles most definitely were not "girly crap" as Nick would call them.

Thank you for loving me and writing me Juli, it means the world to me! I hope you are doing well with the girlies. I will be praying for you! You are such a great mom, really you are amazing. You can do hard things! Have you seen the Emma Story movie? If you haven't, when you get to Utah, have mom get it out of my closet and you and her should watch it. I watched a clip about Emma the other day and I thought of you and Mom. You both are Elect Ladies. Isn't it so neat that Heavenly Father trusted you to raise his little Annalie and Brooklyn? You are doing a great job at it!

Nick: Thank you so much for that letter you sent last week. I am halfway done writing you back, so I promise a letter will be coming shortly. I would LOVE to read your articles. The only thing is, you and dad have sent me links to them, I cant go on the internet to read them, so you would have to print anything like that off. Don't worry if it is too much of a hassle. But anything you would like to send, articles, talks, are all most definitely welcome!

Ha Ha, I laughed when you said you and Juli are working on wedding photography ideas for for me- how about I just make my future hubby come to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site and we can have a pioneer wedding?!?

I think you asked me about music. I would LOVE anything you send me! We can listen to anything that focuses our mind on Jesus Christ and keeps the Spirit. So anything is great. THANK YOU! I haven't thought of my top ten hymns yet. I will write you those next week.

Sara: You had clinical today right? Oh my goodness, how did it go? Were you on Labor and Delivery? What is the girl professor you were talking about like? Do you get to do pediatrics? What kind of stuff do you practice? I forgot to ask, will you keep your handouts, especially the calculating ones, so I can have a review when I get back? And what is this about a Snuggie? SEND ME PICTURES of that please! My imagination is running wild thinking of you wearing a tye dye snuggie!!! Too Funny!

To answer Erianne's question: my advice, use as many outfits as she already has. She is going to get SO SICK of her clothes. Then when she gets back, she can get brand new things! Ten outfits is probably good. I have four pairs of shoes. Two brown, two black. There will be shopping where she is going, so if she needs more she can always get it there:)

Mom- Thank you for sending me a package! If you haven't sent it already, I would LOVE Instant Breakfast! I miss that stuff SO much! Granola bars are also my FAVORITE! I can't think of anything else I need, But I will let you know. You are the best!

Dad: The GPS is awesome, in fact it is a definite lifesaver so thank you so much! I get done being a trainee next week. Can you believe I will be on my third transfer?!? CRAZY!!!!

Oh Dad, you know singles wards. Of course there is most definitely a handful of guys who flirt with the sisters. (Not as bad as my Russian buddies though, so no worries:) I haven't gotten the mail yet, but I'm sure the spreadsheets are there. THANK YOU so much for helping me and supporting me so much. I can actually make copies from the Battalion, so no worries- THANK YOU!

I heard about the BYU-UTAH game: All I can say is I am so glad I am in California right now! What a BUMMER! It is weird to think it is Fall in Utah- Still the same old 70-80 degree weather here. I forget that time is passing, because nothing changes here.

An accidental Brittany sighting and a miracle

Editors Note: Brittany's Dad, Mom and little sister, Sara, were in San Diego last week for a variety of reasons, and went to the Mormon Battalion Historic Site as part of the vacation. They had arranged to visit the site when Brittany was not around (it's just easier that way, especially for the missionary, who isn't supposed to see family for 18 months to 2 years, and only hear them on the phone for Christmas and Mother's Day). Unfortunately, things failed to happen as planned. Here's the story of what happened, from Sara's point of view, on Friday, August 19.

I 100% PROMISE we did not go to the Mormon Battalion Site to see Sister Newman. We arranged it so we went while she was out proselyting and we wouldn't see her. Funny story though: that didn't exactly happen. OOPS.

My parents and I were just getting ready to head into the site, but decided to take a little picture in front of the Battalion sign before heading in. While my dad was taking a picture of my mom, I randomly thought to turn around and low and behold is my little big sister!

I didn't know what to do! I was shocked and was not expecting to see her! Obviously, I squealed out loud with excitement as she waved at me and then both my parents turned around to see what happened. My mom was grinning ear to ear and my dad said "oh no... is that Brittany?" He started to run away! Classic!

She was already across the street coming our way. I stopped to see what she did. She was my cutest sister ever and ran towards me so I picked her right up and gave her the biggest hug ever! Apparently, she got a last-minute transfer and that's how it all happened with the timing being off and us seeing her and everything.

I LOVE HER SOOOOOO MUCH! You can tell she is sooo happy and such a great missionary. We all got a hug and got to say, "hi" for a quick second and then she was off and back to teach and spread the Gospel!

It truly was an accident but I am so glad it happened!

And now, Brittany's letter:

SAN DIEGO — First of all, Sara, Mom, and Dad, stop worrying about seeing me on Friday! Heavenly Father must have needed us to see each other, and it was really good to be able to give you all a hug! No worries, I am still focused and working hard! Thank you for being so awesome.

All the sisters kept coming up to me and telling me how amazing you are. They all think I am a cut out of you mom, what a compliment! Sister Christensen said, "Why can't all our member families that come through be like the Newmans?" Thank you for thinking of referrals and just being such great member missionaries! I am so proud of you, I keep telling everyone how lucky I am to have you all. I know I couldn't do this without all the love and support you give me.

Like I told you last week, we had transfers! I got transferred to a young single adult ward in Ranchos Penasquitos (Mira Mesa). My companion's name is Sister Nelson, she is from Utah. She is awesome. We are trying to figure out how to teach together and everything, it is hard sometimes, but somehow, Heavenly Father helps it all work out.

I want to share a miracle that happened this week, It wasn't anything Sister Nelson or I did, it was because of members just like you, shared the gospel by being examples, friends, and having true charity and love for God's children.

We started teaching Michael and Robert, two guys from Utah who are here for the summer working for a pest control company. They were roomed with five guys also from Utah who are members of the Church. We call them the "bug boys". We taught Michael and Robert on Thursday (they have a date to be baptized on September 3rd). Michael came up to us on Sunday and told us he wanted to be baptized this coming Thursday! I thought, how can you want to be baptized? We haven't hardly had the chance to teach you anything yet!

I learned two things from that experience. First, you have no idea how much of an impact you make in peoples lives. I was talking to Michael and he said, Shawn (one of the bug boys) was just my friend, he told me about The Book of Mormon, how it would change my life and then he left it on the table in case I wanted to read it, but other than that, he just cared."

The second thing I was reminded of is how powerful the Gospel of Jesus Christ is. It touches the soul so deeply and sparks a remembering in people of who they are and where they came from. I don't know if that made sense. I just see as I teach people about where they came from, and how they can live with their families forever light up inside. I know it is because their spirits remember. Of course, a daughter or son of God, who was created by a Heavenly King — no matter if they can't see or remember where they came from — will never forget it. It is part of who they are, and when they read The Book of Mormon or hear about Christ's church, somewhere deep inside, they remember who they are. Oh, it is so AWESOME!

I don't have much time this week, but I wanted to tell you all how much I love you. There are so many miracles around us! You are part of those miracles!

Nick, I have been praying for you, I hope your job interviewing goes well! Love you so much! Tell the girls hello!

Chris- Congrats on Graduation! Love you!

Sara- Can't wait to hear how San Diego went! I will write you next week, this week we are going to the temple, so I wont have much time to write.

Sister Garritson- I met President Peterson at the Mormon Batallion. He was Jordan's mission president. He couldn't stop talking about what a good missionary he is!

Jessica and Natassja- I saw Ken and Devin at the Mormon Battalion. It made me think of you. Hope you have an amazing start at school! Let me know what your address is in Provo!

Grandma Newman- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Grammy and Gramps Morgan- LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Mom- HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sure do love ya!

I have a joke before I go. Some guy told it to me at the Battalion.

How many Elders (from the Elders Quorum, not missionary elders) does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

....

one, but you have to wait till the end of the month!

Well, I thought it was funny.

Tears

Well Hello Family!

I am writing you with tears dripping down my face. I hope you know how much I love you! I am such a leaky faucet sometimes — I just read your names on the envelope and I start crying! I think being away from home was a good way Heavenly Father wanted to remind me how much you all mean to me. All of you: friends, family, roommates, you all mean the world to me. Thank you for your inspiration in my life! Thank you for all the love you send my way. I won't have time to answer everyone's letters this week because our P-day is cut short, but I want you to know I love you!

I'm trying to think of things that have happened this week. Honestly, it has been a long, hard week of trying to find people to teach. We got stopped by an atheist this week. It is so hard to talk to people that just want to argue. Mostly because I can feel how much Heavenly Father wants to wrap them in His arms, and they don't even see it. For some reason, every time someone is angry, they never look at Sister Tardiff: they always stare me down. It is actually pretty funny, because Sister Tardiff just laughs at me, I just don't get why they can't look at and ask questions to both of us.

Sister Burden (one of the sisters that works at the Mormon Battalion) her dad visited this week. I introduced myself to him and he stopped and stared at me for a second and then said, "I used to know a girl who looks just like you and her last name was Newman. Do you know a Dona Newman Staples?" I, of course, said yes! His name is John Burden, He said he used to date Aunt Dona. If she doesn't read this, you will have to ask her about it.

I think I told you about Martha, the woman we met on the street a few weeks ago. She is really interested in the Gospel. Sister Tardiff and I have been praying to find a family to teach and I know this is an answer to our prayers. I can't describe how amazing it is to see how the Gospel changes people's lives. I will keep you up-to-date on her.

To answer some of your questions:

When are transfers?

Transfers are next Tuesday. Can you believe I have been out six weeks?

How do you get the people you teach?

Some of the people we teach come from ward members and investigators who give us names of people they want us to teach. Other people we find on the street, and others Heavenly Father has sent us straight into our hands.

What was it like for you to go through the temple?
Going through the temple was one of the best experiences of my life. Making those promises with God that will bring me closer to Him and allow me to one day live with my family and God forever, with more joy than I could ever imagine, is the best thing anyone could ever ask for. As I sat in the temple with my family all dressed in white, I have never felt closer to heaven in my life. I love the temple with all my heart. Who wouldn't want to go to a place that almost touches heaven, right? I am so lucky that I get to visit the San Diego temple every other transfer. This next transfer is my turn. I can't wait!

Okay, time is almost up, so let me share an entry from my journal this week:

August 4 2011

This morning as I was walking around Old Town Square for exercise, I was talking to Sister Lewis and she was telling me about a story she heard. ( I don't know where she read it, but if someone wants to look it up, feel free) Spencer W. Kimball, who was serving as a Seventy to Harold B. Lee at the time felt so inadequate. President Lee noticed his feelings of inadequacy and said, "Spencer, you need to try to be the best version of Spencer and not a bad version of Harold!" I realize that I have been letting feelings of inadequacy cloud my faith, especially as I have fallen prey to Satan's trap of having me compare myself to others. I went to the bathroom to pray for Heavenly Father's help. I can't explain the feelings of love He helped me feel.

Shout-outs:

Sister Mears: Thank you for sending that letter and the essay. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I am so excited! I am glad to hear Tyson is doing well, I have no doubt he is such an amazing missionary.

Sister Thompson: Thank you for your letter, especially that quote. I really needed to hear that today. I can't believe Jessica has started school. Wow, that is so crazy. It is good for us to have that experience though. I think college is one of the places that really helped me rely more on my Heavenly Father.

Juli: Thank you for the letter. You know it is KILLING ME not to know what happens with Bones and Booth. That is okay though, I have so many things to think about here, but I feel a Bones marathon coming when I get back:) Me and you girl, Mom's house, candy, and the boys can babysit.

Annalie: Thank you princess for that beautiful picture. I am going to hang it on my fridge once I get home. You are such an artist!

Marianne: I got your card. THANK YOU so much for that. You are such a lifesaver, and such an example to me. I really do look up to you more than you know. Tell Lucy and your parents hello for me!

Karen and the girls: Hello Ladies! Hope you are doing well. I love you all!

Grammy: Thanks for writing me so often. I love you so much. I think of you and Gramps all the time. I was playing UNO for P-day last week, and thought of all the hours you spent with me and Sara playing games. Thank you so much for those memories!

I want you all out there to know that you are NEVER inadequate in the eyes of God. He created you. He wants you to be the best YOU you can be. Satan is the one who wants you to think less of yourself than you are. Don't let him win! You are daughters and sons of God! You are perfect, because He is perfect and He made you.