Sister Brittany Ann Wilkins: Week 33

Hello Family!

Wow, it feels like months have passed since I last wrote...this week was SO GREAT!!! :) Can I just tell you how awesome it is to be companions with your best friend?! Because it's GREAT!!!! :) You don't have to worry about contention or disagreements; we just agree with each other :) haha our theme for this transfer is "yup" because that's the word we say the most. When someone has an idea of what to do the other one agrees and we go and do it! It is AWESOME! :) haha Sister Packard and I are working so well together. It’s awesome because we already have the friendship thing down and so now we can focus on God and His work, which makes us both like a million times happier! :) There's a quote that Packard gave me that I have found to be extremely true: "Men and women who turn their lives over to God will find out that he can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their opportunities, and comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whosoever will lose his life to God will find he has eternal life." - Ezra Taft Benson

Last transfer for some reason I had a hard time getting out of God's way. :) But it was crazy the immediate change that happened as soon as this transfer started. When I told you I was happy before I was not as happy as I am now! :) haha Life is GREAT! And how about that conference? Amazing right!? But we'll talk about that later :) haha But I know that quote is true, we try so hard to do things ourselves when really, if we would just let go and let God help our lives would be so much easier! :) Haha but it literally feels like we have wings on our feet! That might be because we run everywhere...oh! funny story! so after the second session of conference on Saturday this extremely old man came up to Sister Packard and I and told us he loved our companionship and could tell how much we love each other haha it was funny, but it's true :) we have fun and it's great :) enough of that ramble though... :) I am going to give you general conference part 5! :) haha because to prepare for conference Sister Packard and I listened to talks in the car and they are GREAT! :)

http://www.lds.org/new-era/2003/10/how-do-i-love-thee?lang=eng

This one is all about charity and it's probably one of my very favorite talks ever! :) by Holland of course :)

I can't find the other one but it's by LeGrand Richards and it's awesome :) But the talk by elder Holland is so great! Sister Packard LOVES love. So I have recently come to be obsessed with it too :) haha but I think it's cool! The love that Elder Holland talks about is so godly. Charity should be present in our earthly relationships. :)

Ah! So I have another talk for you to read about Character and I have an experience to go with it so read or listen to it first then come back :)

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/the-transforming-power-of-faith-and-character?lang=eng

So on Thursday morning this week (greatest day EVER!) we went over to Bishop Blackner's house, he feeds us breakfast every Thursday morning and we discuss the work with him :) Sister Blackner loves to cook new things and share little messages with us and she always gives us a recipe and a talk on our way out :) She always cooks a good but different thing! It's great! And this week she gave us this talk about Character. So we went home and read it for companionship study. And then that night we were heading to an appointment. It was about 7:15 and it was raining and dark. :) We're driving down the road when we see a car broken down at the bottom of the hill right in front of the shell gas station on Orchard Street. So sister Packard pulls over and we run out and a guy that works at the shell asks for a hand with the car so we go behind it and start pushing and we are pushing with all of our might and it's going nowhere...the guy that works at the stations slips and falls cuz the ground is so wet a slippery but he gets back up frustrated and keeps pushing, then out of the car comes 5 little tyquando boys one by one they get out and stand on the sidewalk, then the dad gets out and mom takes position as driver as the dad is pushing from the door. Then 2 bald black men come and start pushing with us and a guy who is high on life and smells like beer comes to help too and finally we get this car up the hill! And then everyone immediately disperses and goes back to their lives. Now this shows that there is an innate desire to do good in everyone. This is in the middle of Tacoma too, which is a big deal :) The difference between all of us is our character, who we were before and after, not just during I love in the talk this quote

"Faith and character are intimately related. Faith in the power of obedience to the commandments of God will forge strength of character available to you in times of urgent need. Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used. Your exercise of faith in true principles builds character; fortified character expands your capacity to exercise more faith. As a result, your capacity and confidence to conquer the trials of life is enhanced. The more your character is fortified, the more enabled you are to benefit from exercising the power of faith. You will discover how faith and character interact to strengthen one another. Character is woven patiently from threads of applied principle, doctrine, and obedience."

Our Character is not developed in our trials, which is something that many might think. But it is developed by our faith, how strong our faith is, if we have strong enough faith we will be obedient! Faith is an action word! :) So when we are putting our faith in true principles such as the gospel of Jesus Christ our faith will be fortified! So if you have a little knife and then you add more metal to it and put it in the refiners fire and pound it out it becomes a sword! (Remember this is a long process and it doesn't happen easily) and it's strong! It’s fortified. So when we exercise faith in true principles all the time our faith will be built and become fortified, strong. The stronger your faith is the more you will benefit, the more you will act! Sweet. And then we have our character which grows from the same things, applying true principles and exercising our faith. I love the end part! "Character is woven patiently from threads of applied principle, doctrine, and obedience." So take a scarf for instance and look at it. It is something that benefits you! It keeps your neck warm, it's pretty :) they're great! But it was woven patiently (hypothetically it was made by hand) strand by strand, thread by thread, until it becomes something beautiful and strong! :) Our Character is woven by our choices at every moment! Decisions Determine Destiny! :) And then when our trials come and we are tested we can still be beautiful and strong and use the fortified character we have gained to help us get through the storm. :)

Here's another amazing talk! :)

http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/transcripts/religionsymposium/2003_01_25_bednar.htm

The character of Christ! I read this this weekend it's amazing! :) Christ had fortified Character, He, in His very darkest hour when He was suffering more pains that any man could bear without dying, turned outward. The way we can be happy is to serve others. I know that is the TRUTH! :) Service is substance to our souls! :) And that is how we can develop a character like Christ's we must EMULATE Him :) I love the word emulate, because there's NO way I can be exactly like Him, He IS PERFECT! I’m not even close!!! But I have an example to follow :) I can BECOME like Him :) I can have His image engraven in my countenance :) and my character will become fortified along with my faith as I strive to become like Him. So funny story about service. I had to get another TB test last week because Sister Packard Dean and I decided we wanted to volunteer at a nursing home in our area! I"M CLEAN! And we wanted to sing for them :) So now Dean is gone so on Friday Sister Packard borrowed a Violin and made me sing all by myself! And we sang hymns and put all the ladies to sleep :) hahaha! But there was one LDS lady who came and she just LOVED it! She was so cute! :) It was out of both of our comfort zones...haha but it was fun! "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves!" -peter pan :) I loved the talks this weekend about missionary work! So often we think we can only be missionaries when there is a non Lds person around us, but truthfully we can always all be better members, we can always build faith. I am just a glorified visiting teacher! :) so visit and share messages that can build their faith and yours! (D&C 50:22) Go about doing good continually! And don't forget the challenge that was extended to you at conference about missionary work! :) speaking of conference was it not absolutely AMAZING?! :) So first of all I have to address the topic of women...I loved Elder Christofferson's talk because it's what the world needs right now! Sister Packard and I were talking about it while being sworn at and yelled at by women between conference sessions; embrace the fact that you are a girl! I loved the quote:

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."

We need to remember this! I know ya'll don't have a problem with this but I know the world does :) Especially the world in Utah! :) p.s. don't wear pants to church, show respect for your Heavenly Father :) I can't even explain to you all the things I got out of conference! Ah! :) First of all I loved Henry B. Eyrings talk! Can I just say I love you guys?! haha and he is just so precious! Henry B. Eyring has the gift of weeping! Families are the most important social unit in all of eternity! So I loved that he spoke on that it was very good! Uchtdorf and Monson were just so tender. I absolutely LOVED President Monson's talk, because he was practicing the character of Christ. He has been turning outward in his time of grief and sorrow! He is such an amazing example to us all. There's that saying "by their fruits ye shall know them" and he has very good fruits :) And Holland... bravo as always. I loved when Holland said "If the bitter cup does not pass, drink it, and be strong and endure to the end until relief comes." I think it's amazing how in tune with the spirit these men are; they know what the world needs. It doesn't matter where you are in life, everyone will have to pass through their own "gethsemane." We will each have to drink out of the bitter cup, but we must not shrink! Because of Christ, when He drank the most bitter cup, he was completely alone. He didn't want to suffer anymore. But He didn't give up. Why do you think He didn't give up? I think that in that moment He saw your face, and He couldn't, He will NOT fail thee nor forsake thee! I know that is true. Jesus Christ can succor us! He can help us. Man I just loved that! :) and Bednar is always bomb. :) He's a bold man...ps. pay your tithing :) I especially loved Elders Edward Dube and Timothy J. Dyches. They helped me out a lot on some of the questions I had :) Man! The CHURCH IS TRUE! :) I love being a part of this great work and I love that all ya'll are part of it too! I am running out of time! So your challenge this week is to go on LDS.org and read at least 3 talks and study them :) But I want ya'll to know that I love you so much more than you know. I do apologize for the times that I didn't show it. But I love you! And always will! :) Have an amazing week!

Love always,

Sister Wilkins :)