Count your Blessings
Guess who's back, back again, Parma's back, tell your friends. I'm back with another update this one is a roller coaster. Let's go!
Feb 4, 2020 Tues
Today was good. We had "12 weeks training" (special training for new missionaries during the first 12 weeks in the mission field) in the morning, then had a great lunch. After that we had some good lessons with our progressing and new investigators. During one of our lessons it started pouring buckets of water so we sat in the investigator's house until it passed. Our last lesson and last stop were both great. The lesson was brief but a powerful one and our last stop was a check up with one of our investigators we hadn't seen in a while. Solid day.
Feb 5, 2020 Wed
Today we had a District meeting till lunch. Then during lunch it started pouring again so we were stuck for an extra hour. To pass the time we played cards, so it was nice. Afterwards Elder Falaula and I went back to the apartment and we watched over an hour of 12 weeks training videos, then we went finding (looking for people to teach). I was itching to get out and we found some people to teach just before an appointment. Today I found myself reminiscing about some good times with friends, family, cross country, school and other random times. I even laughed out loud at a few.
Feb 6, 2020 Thurs
Not gonna lie today was pretty rough. We got bounced, dropped, and our FHE (Family Home Evening) appointment fell through. I felt pretty low. I look at the good parts to make it better. During a lesson with the Mama who dropped us, I shared an experience that wasn't my experience. It was my Dad's. About when he lost his job. After I shared it, I realized that my Dad is a big part of my conversion story. When I share how I became converted, I start with how my Dad became converted. At the end of the day, we extended a baptism date and got rolex (rolled up eggs and veggies from a street vendor). The little things matter.
Feb 7, 2020 Fri
Today was another rough day. Lunch was a blast we laughed, ate, played cards, it was really fun. Then we had an o.k. appointment. After, a taxi decided to take a "short cut" which added another 30 mins to a 7 min drive. Our next two lessons were solid, but our ward movie night was a flop. It wasn't on time, the projector wasn't working, and the disc was scratched. Plus we had an investigator there. By the end of the day I was feeling like garbage. I came to the conclusion that I needed to offer up my soul in mighty prayer. I cannot say my problems were fixed or went away but I felt strengthened and knew I could go on. As the Lord said to Joseph Smith, "Thine afflictions are but a small moment."
Feb 8, 2020 Sat
Today was a good day. It started with a great personal study on afflictions (Mosiah 24 and D&C 121). Then we had a powerful lesson on the Restoration with a powerful investigator and a fun lunch. Then we had a ward reactivation activity which started slow but it ended up big enough to split up into groups and we got to visit with the less active members. After that we had another powerful lesson, went and got dinner and then called it a day.
Feb 9, 2020 Sun
Today we had 5 investigators come to church, and less actives as well!! I was supposed to give a talk, but my companion took up the whole time, which is fine, I don't mind. After church we talked with Bishop and had a small lunch. We visited some investigators who came to church and a couple new ones. It was a really great day.
Feb 10, 2020 Mon
P-day! In the morning we learned how to make chapati (unleavened flatbread) from our rolex guy, played pool had lunch, got groceries, emailed, and FHE. Just a good day.
This week was tougher than others and not because of homesickness, but because of my reaction to the stuff that was thrown at me. In my personal studies, I wrote down all of my blessings on my mission that I could think of:
I have a Nice-ish home
I have running water
I have easy access to clean water
I have enough money for my needs
I have access to music and movies
I have an MTC companion close by
I have a loving and understanding companion
I have a great District and Zone
I have family and friends supporting me at home
I have the gospel
I have the opportunity to share it with the people of Uganda
When life stinks and you feel like trash do two things. Pray to your Father in Heaven for help and count your blessings and name them one by one. If you do so you will feel better. I promise that in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Elder Bradford
***Parental Notes***
Feb 4, 2020 Tues
Today was good. We had "12 weeks training" (special training for new missionaries during the first 12 weeks in the mission field) in the morning, then had a great lunch. After that we had some good lessons with our progressing and new investigators. During one of our lessons it started pouring buckets of water so we sat in the investigator's house until it passed. Our last lesson and last stop were both great. The lesson was brief but a powerful one and our last stop was a check up with one of our investigators we hadn't seen in a while. Solid day.
Feb 5, 2020 Wed
Today we had a District meeting till lunch. Then during lunch it started pouring again so we were stuck for an extra hour. To pass the time we played cards, so it was nice. Afterwards Elder Falaula and I went back to the apartment and we watched over an hour of 12 weeks training videos, then we went finding (looking for people to teach). I was itching to get out and we found some people to teach just before an appointment. Today I found myself reminiscing about some good times with friends, family, cross country, school and other random times. I even laughed out loud at a few.
Feb 6, 2020 Thurs
Not gonna lie today was pretty rough. We got bounced, dropped, and our FHE (Family Home Evening) appointment fell through. I felt pretty low. I look at the good parts to make it better. During a lesson with the Mama who dropped us, I shared an experience that wasn't my experience. It was my Dad's. About when he lost his job. After I shared it, I realized that my Dad is a big part of my conversion story. When I share how I became converted, I start with how my Dad became converted. At the end of the day, we extended a baptism date and got rolex (rolled up eggs and veggies from a street vendor). The little things matter.
Feb 7, 2020 Fri
Today was another rough day. Lunch was a blast we laughed, ate, played cards, it was really fun. Then we had an o.k. appointment. After, a taxi decided to take a "short cut" which added another 30 mins to a 7 min drive. Our next two lessons were solid, but our ward movie night was a flop. It wasn't on time, the projector wasn't working, and the disc was scratched. Plus we had an investigator there. By the end of the day I was feeling like garbage. I came to the conclusion that I needed to offer up my soul in mighty prayer. I cannot say my problems were fixed or went away but I felt strengthened and knew I could go on. As the Lord said to Joseph Smith, "Thine afflictions are but a small moment."
Feb 8, 2020 Sat
Today was a good day. It started with a great personal study on afflictions (Mosiah 24 and D&C 121). Then we had a powerful lesson on the Restoration with a powerful investigator and a fun lunch. Then we had a ward reactivation activity which started slow but it ended up big enough to split up into groups and we got to visit with the less active members. After that we had another powerful lesson, went and got dinner and then called it a day.
Feb 9, 2020 Sun
Today we had 5 investigators come to church, and less actives as well!! I was supposed to give a talk, but my companion took up the whole time, which is fine, I don't mind. After church we talked with Bishop and had a small lunch. We visited some investigators who came to church and a couple new ones. It was a really great day.
Feb 10, 2020 Mon
P-day! In the morning we learned how to make chapati (unleavened flatbread) from our rolex guy, played pool had lunch, got groceries, emailed, and FHE. Just a good day.
This week was tougher than others and not because of homesickness, but because of my reaction to the stuff that was thrown at me. In my personal studies, I wrote down all of my blessings on my mission that I could think of:
I have a Nice-ish home
I have running water
I have easy access to clean water
I have enough money for my needs
I have access to music and movies
I have an MTC companion close by
I have a loving and understanding companion
I have a great District and Zone
I have family and friends supporting me at home
I have the gospel
I have the opportunity to share it with the people of Uganda
When life stinks and you feel like trash do two things. Pray to your Father in Heaven for help and count your blessings and name them one by one. If you do so you will feel better. I promise that in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Elder Bradford
***Parental Notes***
Elder Bradford seems to be doing well, despite his challenges and low points. He's slowly learning the Lugandan language and says that every week he is mastering a new set of words. He is excited for Saturday. They have 3 investigators who are to be baptized, and an additional 2 that are being taught by the other set of elders. They are praying that everything will go as planned. He is finding out that the Ugandan people are extremely nice and friendly, but sometimes that means they will go along with the missionaries and their lessons not because they are truly interested but because they are too nice to say no. As you can imagine that can become disheartening when you've been spending a lot of time and energy doing everything you can to help and teach and invite the spirit to testify of the truthfulness of the gospel only to be dropped. So we are praying for his investigators this week.
We have no new mission pictures to share this week. For some reason they didn't go through. But I do have a fun side by side of Sean when he was 12 and attending a special ward youth conference focused on missionary work and what it's like to be a missionary. So here he is getting dropped off at the "MTC" and his "Future Missionary" name tag (that he saved) next to his current name tag and a picture of him at the South Africa MTC. It's fun to see all the growth that has occurred these last 6 years.
Here is Elder Bradford's mission plaque that was hung up in the hallway at church this past week.
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