Birthday Wishes and Goodbyes | 11 Aug 2014

Where do I even start? this week has been REMARKABLE!

Well...for starters I turned 21...PAR-TAY! The celebrations started Thursday...A (an LA girl i met last week and instantly connected with) took me out to lunch and bought me cute little missionary things. I don't know why we become friends so fast, but I totally love her!

Then that night the Bs threw a birthday party for me and J and the kids came. They made me Texas sheet cake, and my birthday wish was to find a new investigator. When J had asked me earlier this week what I wanted for my birthday, i just said "MANGOES!" So she gave me a bag of mangoes :) mmmmm! Then we were totally going to be late to a meeting we had, and Bro B was the only one who could drive us...so we rode in the back of the truck. BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER! I would never have even thought of that one!

After the meeting, the LPs came down to visit and took us out to ice-cream! (yeah, I've been a fatty this week) It was SO good to see them. I totally wrote T this 3 page letter bearing my testimony to him and basically telling him he needs to get baptized already, and he called me and told me how much he loved it and was so grateful for the testimony I shared with him. It melted my heart when he called and told me that. I LOVE that man...and I hate to admit this, but I totally gave him a giant hug before saying goodbye!

Then next day the sisters took me out for breakfast at Denny's. Then some other sisters took me out to Starbucks at lunch (for lemonade of course!) We had weekly planning most of the day....but I told Sis Giani that all I wanted for my birthday was to walk down Greenback and talk to as many people as I could! So that's exactly what we did. and a MIRACLE happened!

The first 5 people we talked to were like..ehh.. go away, but then my feet just started walking me to a bus stop, and Sis Giani typically doesn't like to go to bus stops because its ALWAYS awkward. But I had already started heading toward it. EVERYONE AT THE BUST STOP WANTED TO TALK TO US! I was standing there talking to 2 different groups of people at the same time, wishing I could call in some reinforcements! This little 12 year old girl was like "yeah, I know what the Book of Mormon is. I checked it out from a library once and read Nephi, but then I had to give it back and then we moved. I LOVED it!".......are you joking me?! So I gave her a copy and started talking to her mom was was totally like, "yeah, I live in Antelope, but I would love missionaries to stop by. We've been looking for a Church to go to down here.".....MIRACLE! Then this other lady was like, "if I want to be a Mormon, do I get to be baptized again?" "Yup!" "What do i wear to the baptism?" Apparently she and met missionaries before and wanted to start coming. Seriously?! Then this other guy was in tears talking to us at the bus stop. We told him reading the Book of Mormon would bring him closer to God and he was like, "where can i get one of those?" and we handed it to him and he was beyond excited to read it.

#powerofabirthdaywish #miraclesgalore It was probably the most fun I've ever had on Greenback. Heavenly Father loves me :) He gave the BEST birthday gift :)

Then Sister Nelson took us to Black Angus for dinner :)

Saturday we got to go to Rocklin for the baptism of someone Sister Giani taught, and I told Sis Soliai and she totally invited everyone I love in Loomis to come! It was so super sweet! The Ts, A F, R M and my girls, and the Bs all came! I was probably the happiest girl in the whole world! Once again, Heavenly Father is so merciful to me in letting me say goodbye to everyone I love from the California Roseville Mission #Helovesme

Anyway, all is well, we're just working hard. I love my life. Have a great week!

Love ya'll long time!

Love,

Sister Most Blessed Girl in the World Byrne

CPR and Visas | Dateline August 4

Sooo much happened this week! I wish I had enough time to tell y'all all my adventures. Let's just say a cat snuck into our apartment. We almost had to do CPR on a deaf guy. And there was lots of sister missionary drama! And we helped some sisters move...

Wednesday Sis Giani and I were sitting at our desks, minding our own business eating our lunch. The phone rings. Caller ID: President Marston. Sis Giani picks up they phone and it's actually Sis Marston asking for me. Oh no...

"Hello Sis Byrne, I have some news for you."

Me, "Is it good or bad news?"

"Both...your visa for Brasil came through. All the departing missionaries are going to the temple tomorrow morning, do you want to come?"

"..?.....yes....."

"Okay Congratulations we'll see you tomorrow!"

The phone call ended and I couldn't move. I didn't know how to feel or what to do, so my eyes just started crying. I couldn't tell if they were happy tears or sad tears or both.

Soooo I got to go to the temple this week! I LOVE THE TEMPLE! And Heavenly Father loves me because it was such a beautifully coordinated event. I walk in and who do I see? Grammy T's best friend D! And she was in the session with me!! She represented my Thomson family. Then I look to my right and Bro J from Tempo Park ward who I love with all my heart is sitting just a couple seats down from me! Then a few minutes pass and Steph and Jon A from Loomis show up! I love them to pieces too! President and Sister Marston were of course there and my zone leaders from both areas. It's like Heavenly Father planned for someone from each aspect of my time in he California Roseville Mission to be there. If that's not a tender mercy I don't know what is! It was beautiful and I kept feeling this comforting feeling that change is part of life and it always leads to something beautiful. I felt the Holy Ghost say to me "You've don't all you needed to do here in Cali. You did what I needed you to do. Now go find those that are ready for you in Brasil."

Friday was E and S's baptism. What a special day! Those girls are angels and I love them sooo much! They asked me to play the ukulele for them at the baptism, so I sang and played "How Can I Be". I was nervous out of my mind, and I wouldn't have done it in front of everyone if those two hadn't of asked me. I just love them too much.

Sunday was probably one of the best Sunday of my whole life! E and S were confirmed and bore their testimonies after! S went first and said "I am grateful that Heavenly Father saved his life for me. And I am so happy to be here. I feel like I'm a new me." Then E got up and said "I am So grateful that my mom brought Heavenly Father to my life. I am so overjoyed to be baptized."

M, a guy the elders baptized a couple weeks ago, passed the sacrament for the first time and he was so cute! He was so careful with the trays and had a huge smile on his face the ENTIRE time! As I sat in the pew all I could think about was this is what it's about. And I felt like the most blessed missionary in the world. My heart was just overflowing with happiness!!

Earlier in the week I came up with an idea. We had just got a new box of 40 Book of Mormons (sic) and I decided that we were going to hand out the whole box before I leave for Brasil in two weeks. I knew we would need help, so I thought to make it a ward effort! I told bishop about it and he said that when I got up to bear my testimony I could tell the ward about it from the pulpit! So I did. I told them it was my departing wish to hand out 40 Book of Mormons in 15 days. I testified of how the Book of Mormon changed my life and then sat down. I also told them that if they took one they were making a personal promise to me that they would actually give it to someone. By the end of church the box was EMPTY, all 40 copies gone. Looks like we need to get some more Book of Mormons!

What a great week! I love being a missionary. It's the greatest calling in the world! I've never been happier. I'm so grateful that I get to be out here. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Byrne

Shotguns, Halo, Splits | Dateline July 28

What a great week! Last Monday night after dinner the members we ate with let us look at all their guns...! I got to hold a huge shotgun. It made me feel pretty powerful. I kinda felt like I was in Halo going against the flood... :)

Anyway, I had a lesson with B this week! I love him so much!! I finally got his address and sent the referral to the missionaries down in Brazil. He is so going to get baptized! He's been having trouble understanding why the Book of a Mormon is important and hasn't been really motivated to read it. BUT we were talking about Christ appearing in the Americas to the Nephites and he got super excited. So he said he would read 3 Nephi 11! I'm so excited to get to discuss it with him this week!

We had exchanges this week. I stayed here with Sister Rose. I LOVE her! Along with all the other sisters. Sister Rose is pretty quiet but incredibly hilarious! We had a blast together and watched the miracles roll in as we worked hard that day. We literally talked to every single person we saw. We had a surprise lesson with one of our investigators who told us she had been meeting with missionaries in Missouri who were preparing her for baptism!!! Yeah, she came prepared. No big deal...her only obstacle is this Boy friend she has...but he agreed to take the lessons too!! :)

Then we started talking to this random guy. I don't know why but I felt like asking him if he felt abandoned. He said yes. We started talking and testifying of God's love for him and turns out he's a less active member of the Church that the family we had dinner with the night before talked to us about! Coincidence? I don't think so. Anyway, we assigned him 2 Nephi 4 and he said he'd read it. But we're probably going to pass him to the elders because he's a young guy, so they'll be able to relate better.

I love being with newer missionaries. She had that fire so we did work that day!

We have a baptism this week!! Yahoo! I'm so excited!

Also, I didn't get to finish this email until now because we had to go so some stuff and now we're with all the other missionaries and I kinda wanna go play ball with them, so I'll keep it short.

Studies this week I was reading in Alma 34 and v 14-17 really touched my heart. They repeat "faith unto repentance" like 4 times! And I found this awesome quote that changed my life

Just how much faith do I need for the atonement of Christ to work for me?

In other words, how much faith do I need to receive salvation? In the book of Alma … we find the answer. The prophet Amulek taught this simple but grand principle: ‘The Son of God, … bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

Apparently faith great enough to move mountains is not required; faith enough to speak in togues or to heal the sick is not needed; all that we need is just enough faith to recognize that we have sinned and to repent of our sins, to feel remorse for them, and to desire to sin no more but to please Christ the Lord. Then the greatest miracle of all, the Atonement, whereby Christ rescues us from our deserved punishment, is in effect in our behalf”

I love y'all. Have a great week!

Sister Byrne

Sister Missionaries Riding In Truck Bed

So, they can't ride in a car alone with a man, but, nobody said anything about riding in the back of his pickup. Anything to get to their appointment on time. Being from Texas, I'm sure this isn't the first time for Sister Byrne.