Thanksgiving!

Mis Paisas! Como estan?

Sounds like ya'll are doing awesome! Man I am inspired every time I read about the experiences on the brigadas. I look forward to being able to have little mini missions every once in a while in the future when this mission is done--not that I'm thinking about that :D

So this week was crazy. Monday, Beth bailed on our appointment and we have literally had no contact with her at all. We've left a couple of notes on her door, and each time we've gone back, they're gone, but she has not gotten back to us at all, and we are worried about her. Yesterday we went by Jennifer's house and she came out to meet us. She told us that she had been thinking of us all week, and that her mom had come into town for Thanksgiving and had hurt herself, and needed to go to the airport to drop her off in 20 minutes and things were crazy. But she was really nice and seemed very interested still. I'm praying things will go well in our return appointment on Saturday. I am kind of disappointed I won't be there because I'll be on an exchange, but the Lord knows how to work everything out. We met with Jennifer Murray and her daughter Joy again yesterday. Jennifer Murray is a returned missionary that somehow Elder Washburn found when he was here, and has been wanting to get back into church. Her daughter Joy is super awesome too, she's 11 and half Tongan and is a noble child. We had committed them last week to read the Book of Mormon every day as a family. Yesterday they told us they had read it EVERY day. Joy had even been at her grandma's house several days, and made sure to read it with her grandma too. Jennifer's husband isn't a member, so we really want to be able to teach them as a family, especially with a returned missionary wife and an awesome daughter (who is from a previous marriage of Jennifer's). But, he's been too shy and afraid that he'd be too welcome in our appointments or at church. Somehow we have to find a way to meet with him too. I think there would be a lot of success there.

This week we have Zone Conferences from 9-4 tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then on Saturday I'm going on an exchange. So this week is going to be crazy and we're going to have to trust that the Lord will make up the difference in our work. I don't have much time at all, but I love this so much. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a missionary--a set apart representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Lord Jesus Christ who stands at its head. What a marvelous blessing. To be endowed with power on high and live every day as a servant and minister of the Lord is happiness. It is fulfillment. It is a manifestation of the miracle of the atonement and the Love of God. How He loves His children. I love Him. In this season and in all, let Him in. 

Love, 

Elder Logan Bryan

Taking cookies to the Kaiser Family

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip!

Fun at Kaiser's

Second Week of Craziness (Plus I botched my haircut)

Mi Familia!

 

How is it going? Sounds like things in Xela are going awesome! That's so cool that Dad gets to be around his old mission president. Thinking about it, I hope that someday I'll be able to associate with President Toombs pretty closely. It's such a blessing to be able to look up to such amazing and Christlike Priesthood leaders. They truly stand out from the apathetic and unenthusiastic attitude much of the world has.

 

Update on the work/stuff we do: This week was kind of a crazy week. What I didn't truly realize or accept when I got this assignment was how many meetings we go to and are in charge of. In the mission there are plenty of meetings: Zone Conferences, Zone Leader Council, Leadership Training Meetings, Trainers Meetings, and pretty soon there will be Zone Meetings. So every 3 months or so there is Zone Conference. We have 4 Zone Conferences in the mission. Usually 3 zones meet together for this. We are in charge of giving a lot of trainings at these, and setting up how the meeting will go and such. So Next week, we have 4 Zone Conferences to go to: Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri from 9 to 4 each day. Leadership Training Meetings we hold every 3 months or so too. So this past week we had one meeting from 9 to 4 for the south half leaders on Tues, and one on Thurs for the north half leaders. On Fri we had a Trainers follow up meeting from 10 to 3. We hold a two hour meeting with each group of trainers and trainees--the ones who have been together for a transfer and are finishing up training, and the ones that just got together a week ago. Zone Leader Council is once a month on the first Friday of every month. So the first week I was here we held it. It goes from 9 to 2. I've been on 3 exchanges so far. Tonight we're driving to Laramie for exchanges, the next day we'll go to Cheyenne. On Thursday we'll stay in the area for Thanksgiving, and then on Friday I'll be in Fort Collins, and on Saturday I'll be in Loveland. This week is going to be intense!  But, I guess I have to realize even though I'm not working in my area very much this week, we're still doing the Lord's work. It's just a different kind of work.

 

So an update on our investigators and people we're working with: Beth. She came to church a week ago, but then bailed on dinner with a family in the ward and on an appt with us. We texted her that Saturday to see if she could come to church and she texted back she needs time to think and pray. We decided to knock on her door a couple days ago to see how she was and what was up. She answered and was friendly, and said we could set up an appointment to talk about her concerns. So we're meeting with her in a couple hours to talk about things. We're taking an awesome family with us to talk to her, the Kaisers. Mom, I guess you're friends with Sis Kaiser on facebook? They're awesome, and do so much for us it's incredible. We are so grateful for the Kaisers!  I know they'll help Beth progress, and she has such a strong testimony anyway, I think it's just her family doesn't understand the gospel and thinks it goes against what they believe. We hope and pray that Beth will be able to have her concerns resolved and continue progressing and feeling how much God loves her. Anya left on thursday to go back to NYC. Elder Diaz and Elder McKay had an awesome lesson with her on Wednesday when I was on exchanges in Westminster. She was crying and said she needed to get baptized, and they encouraged her to set a date to get baptized in NY. Awesome! We haven't been able to meet with Travis because he is now visiting his mom in Denver because she is having heart surgery, and he's pretty worried about that. We did have an amazing miraculous experience yesterday where we were visiting a potential investigator Sister Tang, and we decided to knock on the doors next to her. We knocked on the one to the right, and the guy came out and was kind of disgruntled and told us they were religious and we asked him if there was anyone else he knew that might be interested in talking to us. He talked about the people next door (the Tangs) and then the people on the other side of them. He said when they moved in they were looking for a church, but that the father was a police officer, and his wife wouldn't talk to us because he was working and she wouldn't talk to strangers. Well, deciding that no unhallowed hand can stop the work, we went to that house and knocked on the door, and had an amazing spiritual 20-minute conversation with Jennifer on the doorstep. She had been interested in the Mormon religion--her best friend converted in high school. She told us that she had been asking her friend about the Book of Mormon and her friend told her to ask some missionaries to come by and talk to her about it. She didn't, but guess who came by to talk to her about the Book of Mormon yesterday? She was sincerely interested and had great questions and told us we could come back this weekend with a member family she knows in the area. She has two kids, and her husband. She had bad experiences with a church before and has honestly been searching for one where she can feel community and family, and also the peace that Heavenly Father gives through the Spirit. We asked her to find out for herself. And she accepted a Book of Mormon, we gave her 3 Nephi 11 to read, and one of the best moments of the conversation was when I felt prompted to testify how much God loves her. I told her that was the only reason we were there, because of how much Heavenly Father loves her and wants her to be happy. I saw her tear up a little bit and she said Thank you. It was an awesome experience. Please pray for Jennifer that she will be prepared and won't give in to opposition!

 

Well, I love the gospel. It's amazing how much it blesses our lives. How marvelous is the gospel and the knowledge that Heavenly Father Lives, He Loves Us, He Speaks to Us! I love my Savior. He loves us so much. His infinite and eternal sacrifice saves us and paves the way for infinite and eternal happiness. He died so that we might live. Thanks be to God! "Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen." I love Him. 

Love,

Elder Logan Bryan

First Week

At the Denver Temple for the Hurlburt's Sealing!!!

My Familia!

This week was a little crazy, but good.  I don't have a ton of time, but we taught Anya this week. We invited her to pray about being baptized before she leaves, and she said she would. The Spirit was very strong in the lesson. She's leaving on Thursday, and won't be baptized before she leaves. We hadn't been able to get a hold of Beth until on Saturday after Elder McKay had texted her about coming to church, she texted us back that she needed time to think and pray about things. Her parents are very against the church, and her dad was a Lutheran minister. I think she's getting opposition from her parents. We're hoping and praying she will receive the strength to get through this and do what she knows is right. We haven't been able to teach Travis or Lloyd again. Hopefully this week we will.

As part of this whole deelio, we go on 11 exchanges each transfer. One with each of the zone leader companionships. Elder McKay takes the senior zone leader into our area, and I go to the zone leaders' area with the junior zone leader. So I went on an exchange with Boulder last week, and this week I'll be going on exchanges with Westminster and Greeley (my two old areas!). It's pretty sweet, but also crazy because I'm gone for almost two weeks of the transfer and I don't get to know the area as well, or the ward as well.  It will be good though. We meet with President at least once a week for a District Meeting with just us and him. We also meet with him before big meetings we have. This past week we had ZLCs, so we had to give trainings at that, and then this week we have 2 Leadership Training Meetings, and a Trainers' Meeting. Then in 2 weeks we have 4 Zone Conferences. So logistically, things are kind of crazy, but it will help me to learn and grow so much. 

As probably the highlight of the week, on Saturday morning at around 11 AM Elder Washburn and his companion, Elder McKay, and I got to be in the Denver Temple and witness the sealing of Fred and Jessica Hurlburt. It was such a blessing to be able to see that and see Fred and Jessica so happy and making the greatest decision of their lives. It was so cool to see many of the people I was able to develop such great friendships with. Bishop Ross and Sister Ross from the Buffalo Ridge ward took us down to the temple. I have a picture of us missionaries in front of the temple. It was so cool. I love the gospel! It's amazing! How marvelous to see people enter into that strait and narrow gate which leads to eternal life. We as the gatekeepers must take seriously and solemnly the responsibility to invite all to enter therein. It is a calling that nothing can replace. It is rewarding beyond anything else. 

Love,
Elder Logan Bryan

Veteran's Day Lunch and Fun at the Kaiser's Home!

Bowling with Kaisers and Friends

WOW

Elder McKay, Elder Washburn, and Me

PREFACE: I am leaving you the choice to send the leadership call part to everyone else. I talked to Elders Washburn and McKay and they both didn't hold it back from people. I don't really care if you tell people, but I don't want people to think I'm boasting or anything. Believe me, I'm the last one who thinks I am qualified to be here. So if you want to send it on you can, if you don't, then don't. I love you either way :) END PREFACE

Well my wonderful family,

This week has been incredibly crazy. It started off normal, and then took a turn for ridiculous later on on Wednesday. We had interviews with President on Wednesday morning, and those went well. Then we taught the Busch Family, and they're awesome and will be baptized soon! Then we did some visits and had some things to do. It was Halloween that night, so we had to be in our homes by 6 pm. As we were driving home at like 5:55 I got a call from President Toombs. I had told him that morning in my interview that I was nervous and my stomach had butterflies about this transfer. He asked me, "Elder Bryan, do you still have butterflies?" I told him I did, and then he responded: "Well, I couldn't tell you this morning, but I want to call you as my new assistant. Will you accept that calling?" I told him I'd accept. So that night Elder Washburn and Elder McKay picked me up and we have been in a trio up until last night when Elder Washburn went to the last area of his mission for his last six weeks (he gets home the day before Kenna) in Greeley. Now it's Elder McKay and I again, at the same time of the year just one year later, ready to baptize the world!

So we have been pretty busy with transfers and everything. We had to figure out a ton of last minute stuff and try to arrange car transfers and missionary transfers and just a ton of stuff. On Sunday we had to pick up the missionaries that went home on monday and take them to the mission home. Monday was crazy. We drove a huge 12 passenger van to take the departing missionaries to the airport, and then we waited for a few minutes and we drove to passenger pickup and picked up all the new missionaries! There were 12 in this group including: Elder Andres Orejuela from Barrio Tarqui in Kennedy Guayaquil, Ecuador (yes, he knows Kenna!), and Sister Earl (Sis. Rowley's niece). We took them to the mission home and then to the mission office and started off their orientation. I then found out I had to give a training to the trainers before they met their greenies, so I prepared for that. Then we did the training meeting, and had dinner with the greenies and trainers (which by the way, Elder Aguayo [Elder Anderson's son] is training which means I have a great grandson in the mission, Elder Guymon). We had to drive Elder Washburn up to Greeley after that, and then we could go home. Crazy stuff. 

So as far as investigators go, we have an awesome lady named Beth that we're teaching. She grew up around LDS people, but lately has been having dreams about becoming a member of the church. She contacted her LDS friend who gave her the info of the missionaries and then she called the missionaries. She is set to be baptized on Dec. 1st, and is awesome. We are teaching Anya, a lady from Russia whose in-laws are members of the ward. She is really cool and has a lot of sincere and real intent. I hope she'll be able to progress. She is going back to New York where she was living before, in the middle of the month, and we're hoping to help her be baptized by then. I pray she'll be able to. We taught a man named Travis today who is a self-proclaimed atheist who is very interested in religion and if it maybe can help him have a better life, even though he thinks he has a pretty good life. I think he'll progress. He is showing faith by reading the Book of Mormon and letting us in. We taught a guy named Lloyd today who is a huge reader of the Bible and very knowledgeable about it as well. We answered a lot of his questions sincerely and I think if he shows humility and faith, he'll be able to progress as well. The teaching pool is very good at this point and we're hoping to add a ton to it. I can feel there are many of God's children prepared in this area to hear the gospel. 

Well, I'm nervous about this assignment, and there is a lot of unknown at this point, but there is a lot of comfort as well. I couldn't ask for a better companion than Elder McKay. He will provide the guidance and the example that I need. I look up to him so much. My greatest comfort comes in knowing that the Savior lives. He died and suffered for us, for me. For my sins, my pains, my feelings of loneliness, inadequacy, despair, and my discomforts. I know He knows how I feel. I know His atonement can lift me up and provide for me the enabling power that I need to fulfill my calling as a missionary and my assignment. I know He loves me and knows how to help me become the powerful and fruitful emissary of God that I am supposed to be. He knows you and will help you become the same. Moroni 10:32. I love my Savior. I love His work. 

Love,
Elder Logan Bryan 

My Former Companion, Elder Dodd--at the airport on his way home!

Another Former Companion, Elder Budge--going home also.

Elder DeVries--one of the elders I served with in Greeley--on his way home too!

Elder Washburn about to fall on a pile of leaves!