Manuel

WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!

That is funny, because I made Grandma's apple cinnamon cake TOO! haha. There was a family in the ward that was without lights and there little girl didn't have a birthday cake... so we made one on our break :) It was suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper delicious. I will always love the fudge frosting! Wow it sounds like the yard has changed so much! You are starting school again?! You can doooooooooooo it! Habla conmigo en espanol para que pueda practicar. Okay so Mission has been good :) I love working with Sister Cortes she just makes me laugh all the time. We are laughing all day while we are working and that is what I love. It is going to be a good transfer. I don't have too much time but I loved the Relief Society broadcast. Were you all able to watch it? I was sitting there and thinking how grateful I am because around the world, I have friends and family that I know are sitting and listening to the prophets too :) I am so blessed to have family that loves and cherishes the word of God. I don't know if I told you all but Manuel - my favorite Hispanic grandpa from Brownsville - quit smoking and got baptized! He also received the Priesthood and is going to the temple in a year! I know God's hand is in this work. I love you all sooooooooooooooooooooo much! I am praying for you! Sister Bricker

Sister Cano is awesome. She makes the spiciest food ever. I practically used a whole carton of sour cream on my dinner!

I know it was a tender mercy from Him to let me come to Edinburg to see this great event. I know that their family was a big reason for why I came here

Mom what a good email!!! Thank you, I loved it! Tell Carlos hello and I will need to practice my Spanish with him when I get back :) haha. WOW THAT IS SO COOL ABOUT YOUR FRIEND!!!!!! I hope things go well, I will pray for her! You are such an awesome missionary mom and I know that is definitely one of the reasons you are getting so many blessings. I know she'll love the Book of Mormon! WHAT KYLIE TURNED EIGHT?!?! ARE YOU SURE?! HAHA I think I've just been in denial that little sassy Kylie is growing up :O I thought of her on her bday _ I'll definitely send something her way. THIS WEEK WAS GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAT! VERONICA AND ISAAC GOT MARRIED SATURDAY VERONICA, RICARDO, AND ISAAC JR GOT BAPTIZED SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...and in other news I'M BEING TRANSFERRED AGAIN! HAHA CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Okay so on Saturday we biked and worked and biked and worked and then came home to shower :) Then we went to Veronica to help her get things ready for the wedding. She looked beautiful. We went to the church to get things ready - we just had it in the Relief Society room. It was super simple but very beautiful. They made their vows and then the Bishop let people come up to give speeches. All the family had been talking about how they had been waiting for this day and they were so glad that it was here. Veronica was soooooo happy :) I loved it. I got up and talked about how their wedding really strengthened my testimony that miracles to happen and everything is possible with God. I know God will bless them for living that commandment. Then the Bishop gave a bit of council and we took pictures :) I'll send you some! Yesterday they all were baptized... it was beautiful to see the whole family do it together. Next month, the Dad will get baptized too :) God is so good. I know it was a tender mercy from Him to let me come to Edinburg to see this great event. I know that their family was a big reason for why I came here. I was really shocked that God would move me again haha... like seriously. I have been transferred every single transfer (except for Brownsville)... I'm still trying to figure out what God wants me to learn from all of this changing. Sister Reese asked me "do you think it is a pattern for the rest of your life?" She said a lot of times, what we do/learn here prepares us for the rest of our lives... I'm still thinking about it. I DO know that God has a reason for me going to Mission East and I'm excited to find it. I love you all soooooooo much! Oh and we had a Mexican Independence day party!!!!!!! It was super fun and the food was yummy :) Pictures to come! LOVE SISTER BRICKER

Willie is going to be baptized soon. We just found him walking down the street. There are prepared people everywhere.

I went through my first pair of shoes!!

I wish I could record every little detail for you because it was awesome

WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL HELLO THERE!!!!!!!!!!!! You had stake conference too? We had conference here in the McAllen Stake, it was really powerful. That is awesome that they are promoting mormon.org. It is such a good website. It will be a really good way to get people in Western Washington interested. My mouth drooled a little bit when I heard chocolate zucchini cake!!! Freeze some for me!!!! THIS WEEK HAS BEEN SUCH A HUGE WEEK OF MIRACLES!!!! GOD REALLY HAS HELPED THE PEOPLE HERE SO MUCH. Man I wish I could just record everything and every little detail for you because it was awesome. Thank you for praying for our one investigator and her boyfriend. I was super stressed about it during the beginning of the week. We went on Wednesday to do service for them and help clean the house. I think that softened her boyfriend's heart a lot to see us come and help them. Later, he was asking us questions like "How long are you out here?" "Is this really all you do all day long is helping people?" "Does the church pay for you to be here?" I think when he asked us that and we told him that we have to pay our own way to be out here (or in my case my lovely parents and grandparents! thank you!) it really softened his heart. I think he started to really see that we aren't out here for any other motive than to help him and his family. He said "tell you what, to repay you for your service I want to have you over for a carne asada this weekend." ... Then the next day, we went over for a lesson. Our investigator was at the doctor with her girls. It was just the boyfriend and the boys. We taught the boys tithing and chastity to get them ready for their baptism. The boyfriend really liked the concept of tithing (surprising right? haha usually that is the one everyone hates). We invited him to live it with his family and he said "yeah it makes sense!" So we were like if he is going to live the law of tithing, we need to invite him to be baptized! Haha it was the most random but miracle lesson. During that lesson his heart changed from night to day. He said he would marry his girlfriend and be baptized too!!!!!!!!!! As he was talking about buying the certificate and everything I just wanted to cry. I couldn't believe that just a week before he absolutely refused... and trying to reason with them was out of the picture. We tried to get them to say one good thing about each other and they couldn't. I felt like I was Moses on a mission, knowing where I needed to be and who I had to lead there ... and then talking to the boyfriend was like running into the red sea. I had no idea what to do or where to go... but in that lesson, the Lord parted the red sea for us and now her boyfriend wants to get married and wants to make their family work. This week we are making some wedding cakes :) :) :) We are just going to have a small ceremony and a BBQ and the Bishop is going to marry them. WOOOOOOOOO! It is also the Mexican independence day so we are going to have a big ward fiesta this weekend too. WOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DIOS ES BUENO! I wish I could write more but I have got to go. I love you all! Thank you for your consistency in writing me Mom! I love reading your emails every Monday. Say hello to all my friends :D

COMPLETEY SOAKED coming from our appt.

Birthday Breakfast (this picture is from July)

I need to "be still" and know that God is going to take care of the miracles.

Well hellllllllllllllo there!  This email might have to be a little short because it is Tuesday and we've got to get out to work... but that is exciting about your zucchini!  Hopefully you have some before the frost comes... mmm chocolate zucchini bread!  Yayyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!  I'm so excited you are coming down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It will be super fun to show you around.  Right now my going home date is the 25th of January...whether that will change or not, I don't know...  the only possibility would be that President would want me to go home earlier (but I hope not!).

Yay I'm glad you got the pictures!  :)  I need to take more with the people we are teaching.  This week was good.  I think I've been stressing myself out a little too much.  I need to "be still" and know that God is going to take care of the miracles.  Thank you for sending that to me.  God is definitely trying my patience and faith.  I don't think He ever stops working on you to become better :)  I thank Him everyday for my loving and supportive family!!!!!!!!!!!  I know that your prayers help me so much.

Okay well I'm off for another good week!  oh yeah p.s. I was sick of long hair and so one of the sisters gave me an A line hair cut and I love it!

Have a goooooooooooooooooooood week!

Love,
Sister Bricker