ONE YEAR MARK!

Elder Bronson's year mark is June 5th. He has been loving his mission and has kept his fun-loving humor and personality. He is right where he needs to be. His missionary experience comes with many challenges (not excluding the AZ heat :), but his love for the people of the Gilbert area and his testimony of the gospel has proven to humble and strengthen him in so many ways. We love you Elder Bronson!

Here is to another great year hearing about his time in the Arizona Gilbert Mission!

Week 47- San Tan Valley

hello mother and family! haha what did dad say about reminding me of vacations that i will be on next summer? i don't want to discuss my coming home date or anything but it's at the end of june not the beginning. just a heads up. how am i? i am doing just swell! yes it is definitely getting unbearably hot here. slowly but surely! we're usually at like 105ish. constantly. and it doesn't look like it's going to cool down! it is supposed to be one of the hottest summers ever! that is cool to hear about everyone coming over and seeing the home and asking so many questions. you never know how much of an effect you have on people with those pictures of Christ. i thought it was just totally normal growing up. now i go to houses and i'm like, "where are the pictures of Jesus?" especially during Christmas. Santa is just not as cool as Jesus. you can quote me on that. that sounds like a good quote. no didn't have any investigators this week at sacrament. it was a bummer.... but i got to go to a baptism yesterday! i will send you a picture. His name is Tony. he was in my last area. elder abramson and i taught him for about a month before i left. he was studly. he was one of those people that can recognize truth instantly. the story is actually pretty cool so i will tell it real quick. 

we were eating dinner with the randall family. we asked brother randall who it was outside working on his house. he told us it was one of his good friends that has helped him with projects around the house for years. we went outside and started talking to him and asked him if he would join us for our after dinner message. we decided to share our "temple presentation"(baiscally a video on the temple and some testimonies). he didn't have any questions but we felt inspired to talk about baptisms for the dead. not really something you always feel inspired to do. but we followed the spirit and did so. he told us that he had a few children pass away. the lesson was great and we asked him if he would meet with us again. two days later we taught the restoration. he knew it was true. those are the best kind of people! the people that recognize truth from the Holy ghost when it comes. he has been catholic his whole life so he understood the holy ghost. we invited him to be baptized. he looked distraught. we invited him again. he looked up and said something to the effect of, "I know this is true and i know i need to be baptized. but i have too many hurdles to jump before i can. i don't know if i can."we share our testionies and promised he could do it. he accepted a date. and then i left. it took him a few months to overcome his smoking problem, but he did it. the service was the most spiritual one i've ever been to. it was incredible. after he was baptized, he turned and gave bishop walker a hug (the guy who baptized him) and started crying. and so did the whole congregation. it was amazing! anyway... he's such an incredible guy. the most sincere guy you've ever met. so funny too. but a heart of gold. he just wants to do what's right no matter how hard it is.

anyway... there's the story sorry it was a little long. the story doesn't do the experience justice. we don't bear our testimonies very often. always when we get into a new area though. we have the opportunity every hour of every day! you can't force anyone to share their testimony. you can invite but it won't do much either. when the spirit invites, that's when it's important. but yeah the fear gets in the way sometimes. just have to obey the spirit with courage. 

love, elder bronson

Oreo Collection

Tony and Elder Bronson at his baptism

the simmons family

Week 46- San Tan Valley

(Memorial Day)

good morning to you too! mother and family! shoot i love the beach! i don't so much miss swimming as much as i do the beach. marcus is going to efy? what a stud. everyone says they go for the spiritual experience, and i hope they all do feel that way, but that wasn't necessarily my top priority when i went. "the power of every day missionaries" is an awesome book. i actually have not read it, but i know the principles taught in the book. i love it. i think one of the principles taught, if i remember correctly, refers to our outlook on who is ready to receive the gospel. sometimes we think, "man that family is perfect! they would make great members of the church!" when we should be thinking, "man! that woman is having a really hard time. the gospel would help her so much!" We should share the gospel with everyone, not matter what situation they are in, but sometimes we think that way. I was reading an incredible talk this week. it's not out of general conference or anything, but it is from Elder corbridge. It's called, "the fourth missionary." Basically teaches us what types of missionaries there are and what ones we should be. It really helped me understand the effect my mission CAN have on my life. Christ doesn't force change upon us. he invites us with open arms, and expects us to come unto him. "return unto me, and be converted, that i may heal you" or "follow thou me" or "come unto me all ye that labor..." he invites us to change. in order to allow your mission to take the most effect, you need to give it all to Him. leave nothing back. give all of your desires, passions, habits to him. and he will change you into what he wants you to be. We need to surrender our own will to the will of the Father. "offer our whole soul as an offering to him" (omni) like Christ submitted to his father. "not as i will, but as thou wilt." Christ is a perfect example of utter submission. "I came into the world to do the will of my father, because my father sent me." We need to put off the natural man (our own desires, passions, hobbies, future, expectations), and become as a child, "willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (mosiah 3:19). Alright preaching complete.

Well good to hear you went out with the sister missionaries! if you help reactivate 2 people, you will get a baptism. statistically speaking. yeah it is so crazy that you can see her face. it's not even going to be a surprise at all whens he comes out. that's not even fair! you never got to know what we were going to look like! anyway love you much!

Elder Bronson

Elder Ash is going home this transfer

kichelle simmons. moving... dayquan's cousin.

elder harmon. one of my roommates. stud

black widow

Week 45- San Tan Valley

momma and fam.

haha no more seminary, huh? happy day! sleeping in must be pretty great. i can't imagine!! that is so great that you only missed one day of seminary. whom the lord calls, he qualifies! even if that means qualifying you with a capable back and a healthy body! what the heck. kellie is graduating in a year? when you said that, i thought you were kidding. that is crazy to think about! does she want to go on a mission? is she thinking about it? tell her to start studying! i'm so grateful that the desire to study and learn the scriptures was instilled in me since youth! thanks to dad's scripture chase stuff! nothing is better than learning from the scriptures. they are the best. the book of mormon is true! "the church is true, the book is blue." Anyway... yes i got the forwarded email from christine moody. man she is the best! yes i keep in touch with mostly everyone. i don't email them every week. but probably once a month. I am also probably going back for a baptism at the end of the month. elder abramson and i taught a guy named "tony." he is getting baptized at the end of the month. it was awesome teaching him. he is catholic. We would teach him truths of the plan of salvation and restoration, he knew they were true. didn't even have to think about it. when he heard truths, he recognized them as truths. We were teaching him once and he was somewhat frustrated when we invited him to be baptized. we asked him what he was feeling, and he said something to the extent of, "I know this is true and i have to get baptized. It's just going to be really hard. But I know i have to." He had some things to overcome but he is ready to go now!  what a stud! anyway... i get to see him get baptized at the end of the month. so pumped. 

next possible transfer is 3 weeks from wednesday. so not for a while. you're going out with the sister missionaries? that's awesome! for what? a lesson? i hope so. having good members there is one hundred percent essential. marcus is 5'7"? shoot. he's catching up. 6 more inches and he's got me. don't let him do it, mom. holy cow valerie had a kid? she got married like right when i left! you're going to israel and italy? shoot that is awesome. haha yes dad would definitely be mad if he knew you were talking about it. anyway... love you much! keep up the good work. i hope you get a new calling this summer so that you have no time off! but only because i love you! have a good week!

Elder bronson