Elder Jaren Bryner A LDS Missionary Down Under in Adelaide Australia: After so many trials, God always seems to lift us back up.

Email #63
Area: Mildura South Pickers of the Marion Zone
Companion: Elder Fala & Elder Siaosi

Excerpts from Mom's email:

Hey Mom!

Well this week was full of cool little miracles! One was with a less active named V....... On Thursday Elder Siaosi was not feeling well and was sick in bed all morning. For some reason or another he got up and wanted to go out even though he still felt sick. So we took it slow and went on some visits and one of the people we visited was V....... When he answered the door, he just sighed and said "come in..". So we got to talking and asked him about his membership in the church. He in short told us of his experience he had with the Bishop and Stake President where his son couldn't serve a mission. This offended him quite a bit and he said that was the last time him or his family have ever gone to church. What happened next was a really cool experience.. it was one of those times where I didn't really know what to say, but words just came to me through the spirit. We extended the invitation boldly to come back to church. The next day, the Stake President and Bishop were doing visits for Ward Conference and they so happened to go and see V...... and his family the day after we did. V...... told them of what just happened the day before and felt that this was a call back from the savior. Well, he accepted and him and his family came to ward conference just yesterday, their first time back in more then 3 years. We are hoping to go visit them and see if they received the answer they have been asking for.

Another great miracle was the opportunity to once again teach our investigator T..., who we have not seen for quite some time! We taught him the Plan of Salvation and extended an invitation to be baptized. With tears in his eyes, he accepted the invitation for the 26 of May! We have been trying by T... so much because we know that he has such strong potential and such a love for his children that he wants to be an example to them and live with them again one day. After many many times of stopping by and him being on call for work, we have finally found a way. With his current roommates who don't like religion, we have to do the lessons somewhere else. T... walked 30 min to the Chapel, so that we may have a lesson with him. Pray for him, the adversary is trying really hard with this one! As I write he just texted us as well that he wants to have another lesson today at 1:30!

There are even more miracles that have happened, but I will have to save a few for Dad. It is weeks like this that show me how great this work is. After so many trials, God always seems to lift us back up.

Love you mom!

Excerpts from Dad's email:

Hey Dad!

To continue with the miracles:

Do you remember me mentioning a while back a women named L...? We found her back when I was in Berri and taught her for a long time. When we found her, she was with 5 others from Solomon Islands as well. She stood our from the rest and even after a crazy move, we still were able to continue teaching her. In the last lesson I had with her, we again extended the invitation for baptism, and at this point in time she finally understood what it meant to be baptized. I was really sad to not be able to go back to Berri to see her, but over the past transfer, the Elders there kept me updated on how well she was doing! She came to church every week! She quite all of these bad habits she developed growing up! She came to know her Savior and she has now entered into a covenant with her father in Heaven! Hearing of her baptism brought me so much joy and I was even blessed to be able to congratulate her over the phone! She is such a good person with a kind heart!

We attended a multicultural event this past week that had people from Fiji, Africa, even islands off of Madagascar and many more that I have never heard of before! We helped them set up this huge event and helped them take down as well. During the time of our service, we were able to get to know many of these soft heart people from many backgrounds. Even were able to share with them about our faith and what it is that we do! We arranged for the sisters to go and share more with the supervisor who is a christian from one of those islands I was talking about. As well our senior couple are going to go and see the head manager to discuss more as well.

The most recent miracle was just last night! Also was one of the most nerve racking. We were invited to what is called a lotu which is pretty much a devotional. With more then 200 pickers in attendance, Elder Fala shared a message in Samoan and I taught in a mixed English and Samoan. It was a really great experience and we were able to help them understand our purpose. Most of them have seen missionaries back at home but sometimes don't see us as teachers just missionaries. (it is hard to explain haha). Now they have felt of the spirit and even have received the invitation to learn more. Hopefully this speeds the work up with the pickers! My experience with it was pretty funny. We were sitting in the very front with the leaders and my back was turned from the rest of the room. I did not realize how many people were there until I stood up and faced the people.. Found out after just how many there were. Normally I would have been pretty nervous for something like that, but I didn't feel any nerves actually until afterward haha. I guess just another small tender mercy for me.

Love you heaps!