Elder Jaren Bryner A LDS Missionary Down Under in Adelaide Australia: Salvation was never easy, but it is so worth it!

Email #28
Area: Grange area of the Firle Zone
Companion: Elder Danielsen-Jensen

Excerpts from Mom's email:

Hey Mom!

Man it feels like it has been a while haha. Yeah we had temple today so p-day is today as well. As always so much has happened since the last time I emailed, so it will be hard to cover. I didn't really hear much about the eclipse. Only that some people thought it was a sign of the end of the world or something. The baptism went pretty well, but it was an interesting one haha. L... is really really struggling at the moment, so we had to push her date. We don't know what it is exactly that is holding her back, I think it is mostly those that are around her unfortunately. Yeah it's tough, but we know that it is in the future, just don't know when.

So this past week we had the chance as a mission to experience something really rare, especially here in Australia! We were visited by Elder Gary E. Stevenson, a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles! Apparently south Australia hasn't been visited by an Apostle for ten years or something like that. The experience is hard to describe. The first day he arrived, he had a meeting only for the missionaries. Almost all the missionaries in the mission except the ones in northern territory came down for this visit! I never have shook an apostles hand until now and I don't think I have felt the power of one until now either. It was something special! He gave us direct direction in the mission and I feel it was needed at this time more then ever! The whole day was really special, as we prepared, we sang every song we new by heart together and there is real power behind all these missionaries singing together! Wish you could have seen it. Over all these past few days the greatest thing I have learned is how to better understand revelation and the spirit because I think I have felt it more abundantly then ever before!

The work at the moment is moving at a slow pace, but still is moving. There is a lot of struggle at times, but there is many miracles all the time that we see. I really wish I could tell you more. Guess it will have to wait for a time!

Love you heaps mom!

Excerpts from Dad's email:

Hey Dad!

Life is good over here! Definitely getting better, yeah there is still trials daily, but that's okay. Something I have never forgotten is the quote "Missionary work is not an easy task because salvation is not a cheap experience." It never was easy, wasn't easy for Christ, Not for Joseph Smith. Not for any of the Saints so why should it be easy for me? I guess it is to help me greater understand what he went through. I have become more and more grateful for my trials everyday which is a strange thing to say, but it is true. This past week there has been more rain here then any other time on my mission. One day while we were biking we could see the storm coming in, but we just kept on going of coarse. We took that on because we knew we would be blessed in some way, but it was not the way I expected. The next day I got pretty sick, sick enough that it hindered the work and we ended up having to stay in the flat for a day. My companion got sick as well through the day and it made me wonder at first "is this our reward?" Well my answer came in such a loving way, a better way then I could have asked for. We of coarse had a lot of time on our hands with not much at all to do. I couldn't sleep, could barely lay down without coughing up a lung haha. So I decided to study... and study for a very long time. Just two days before we heard from an apostle of the Lord who gave us such spiritual strength! It gave me more motivation to be sure my testimony is in the right place! So I did exactly what we tell our investigators to do. I prayed and I studied. My answer came and my testimony is higher then ever! In the end I was able to completely receive my answer today in the temple. The rain keeps coming, the trails of our investigators continue to persist, but I am not discouraged. Salvation was never easy, but it is so worth it!

Some good news, F... is doing really well! Not sure how long it might take to get him there, but trust me, he will get there. L... still is struggling and we have to push her date, but she said she will pray for a date. It is kind of crazy to see an area this long. I know where everyone we are teaching has been and I can see the change in all of them. I can also see how the area has changed, all the new investigators that we didn't have before. Some I am not to sure of where they will go yet and others I have come to love like family and I want so badly for them to change and see just how amazing the gospel is. I understand them more than I did before, why it is so hard for them to change, it is all they have known. In the end though, it is up to them if they test it out or not.

Love you heaps dad!