Elder Brayden Evans

This week was kind of interesting… not a ton of work but very productive.

I got to see a family that I taught in my first area get baptized after a 3 week wait. Crazy baptismal service it was really fun to see that.

This whole weekend I was at a baptismal service or doing Interviews for baptisms which was a good break. I had one interview in Particular that has really been stuck on my mind that last couple of days so I thought I might share it with you guys.

 I interviewed a middle aged woman who had struggled most of her life with drug addiction and had really lived through some horrible things. The interview ended up being about an hour and a half long which in all reality is about an hour and fifteen minutes longer than most baptismal interviews. She unloaded everything. From the time she was 15 years old until now.  I don’t want to go into too much detail.  I watched a nervous, broken woman sit down and after our hour and a half meeting I saw the light of Christ fill her eyes. I saw that load that she had been carrying for years lifted off of her back. I can’t even begin to describe my feeling about repentance but the only way I can explain it is that our Heavenly Father loves us so much. He wants to forgive us. He only requires one thing. Humility. Humility is doing the will of the Lord. We learn in Kind Benjamin’s Discourse that it is the only way to receive a remission of our sins. I can’t imagine how many hours that woman has spent on her knees asking the Lord to forgive her. From what she told me it had been years of living with guilt and worry. Watching her get baptized and confirmed was an experience I will never forget, watching the spirit of the Lord come into that woman’s life. It made me reflect on the changes made in myself in my time as a full time missionary. I had the opportunity to renew my temple recommend to come home Friday with my Mission President, and I am so happy for the opportunity that I was given to be a priesthood holder in these last days. Being forgiven is the best feeling ever. I remember my own personal time on my knees begging the Lord to help me change. I am so happy for the mountains that have been put up in front of me in these last 21 years. If I never would of climbed them I wouldn’t know how satisfying the view from the top really is.

I love you guys

I pray for you every day

Elder Evans

Elder Brayden Evans

This week I was reading in 2 Nephi 2 and I learned a lot pondering on the teachings of Lehi. Pretty incredible guy if you ask me. I would really like to read the lost section of the Book of Mormon that had more about his life. He really speaks for direct and simple, I like that. You can CHOOSE Eternal Life or you can CHOOSE Eternal Misery. It's crazy the measures Satan goes to to try and make us forget that. We can return with God or go with Satan after this life. There really isn't much middle ground. Think of how much happier we would be if we didn't lose sight of that. Having an Eternal Perspective is extremely Difficult. Repentence is difficult as well. One thing that I have learned in my mission is that the Grace of God is something increadibly real. The other thing that I learned is that it's not the same for everyone. It's not fair, we are all unworthy. It is a decision of the Lord when we feel the Grace of God, and it usually doesn't come all at once. It kicks in when you have that real change of heart like it talks about in Alma 5.

So is it cold back at home?? hahaha I see all of these Gringos come on Sunday to church they are so grossly white. Like it hurts my eyes to look at them. I completely forgot what cold and snow feels like.. Next winter is going to be a long one.

One of the Less Active guys we have been working with just gave me an Exercise Bike until I go home..!! haha yeahhh babby.. Never thought I would be so excited about something like that.

Well I love you guys and thank you for everything
I pray for you guys every day

Elder Evans

Elder Brayden Evans

So this week I read the Book of Ether and I learned a lot... Watching the whole destruction of a civilization really is an eye opening experience and that is what I did in my studies. I was amazed and the end of Ether how many different opportunities the Lord gave Coriatumr and the people the option of repenting and being saved... Over and over again they are given the direction to repent and change.. They reject it with pride every single time until, destruction. Another thing is that they destroy themselves.. The Lord says ¨you will be destroyed.¨ In the scriptures when that is said I always thought of someone being struck down by a lightning bolt dead haha but in all reality the destruction comes from ourselves. The Lord can do nothing to reject our agency even though he has all power to do so.. He simply cannot protect them when they don’t live the commandments and he allows them to destroy themselves.. I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon it really the difference between our church and the others.. President Wagner gave us an assignment to underline in the Book of Mormon every title of Christ.. I did it and also counted them at the bottom of each page. It mentions Christ more than 4000 times by a direct title in the Book of Mormon.. We aren’t Christians hahahaha? My testimony has become what it is because of the Book of Mormon I’m so grateful for the Gospel and the peace it brings to my life :)

Well I miss you guys

I love you guys and pray for you guys every day

Con Amor,

      Elder Evans

Elder Brayden Evans

So I thought I would share an experience that I had this week.. After the conference in Guadalajara we were on our way back and we got stuck in the bus station with about a half hour wait.. As a missionary waiting for more than about 3 seconds to do anything you feel lazy so it was kind of hard. ha. I received a letter at the conference and while I was waiting I decided to open it.. It was from one of my converts in my last área. (The chubby lady if you look at the pictures I sent, I'm wearing a purple tie in her baptism picture) I had some of the most sacred experiences in my misión helping that woman receive a confirmation from the Holy Ghost and helping her overcome her problems.. She stressed me out, I think, more than any other convert I have had in my misión.. When I left I didn’t really get the chance to tell her good bye.. I was super excited when I got her letter.. I wasn’t really expecting what I got haha..

She bore one of the sweetest testimonies I have ever heard in my life.. She explained her story of how we found her and well.. Saved her life. She explained some spiritual experiences she had and how it was because of how we found her and loved her. She told me that she had never felt the type of love we showed her, and the type of respect she received as from us to her as a daughter of God. She wrote a whole paragraph of the type of man she sees me as and what time of father I’m going to be, and everything she learned and the gratitude she has from the gospel of Jesús Christ. 

I lost it, one of the few times in my misión that I have shed tears.. Sitting there in the middle of a bus station with everyone staring at me.. My companion looking at me like I was crazy. There isn’t really a feeling to describe when you see someone who really has changed.. Who has allowed the Savior to come into their life and become. I can’t explain to what it is like in words to know that you have been an instrument in the hands of the Lord to change a person and bring them into the góspel.. These type of experiences give you the energy to move on, to get up in the morning and keep working.. I’m really excited for my last six months to get started.

I love you guys

I pray for you guys every day

Elder Evans

Elder Brayden Evans

This week one of our progressing investigators came to us broken down and explained to us how she couldn’t keep going and visiting with us. She explained to us what was going on and it was one of those really big problems. She has had some very strong spiritual experiences with us. One of them we prayed about the book of Mormon and she said that she felt somebody "Slap her in the back of the head and tell her it was the truth... DUH" haha If I didn’t feel the spirit in that room I would have thought she was crazy. Anyways She sent us like a 5 page text about how it was over and she wasn’t going to continue and explained to us why... At first I felt like, well that’s a really good reason I think we lost her. I was heart broken to say the least. I’ve really grown to love this woman. In all reality the only thing Satan can not combat is love. I got on my knees and asked the Lord what to say. I sent a text telling her how much we loved her and how big of a blessing she was in our lives. It was really heart felt and from my heart. My companion was in his greenie "I don’t know what the heck to do" phase so I had to handle the whole situation on my own. At the end of the message I sent I told her the only thing that the Lord cares about is if she can get up in the morning, keep moving on, and go to church (It was Saturday night) She didn’t respond...

I tossed and turned the whole night. It was just pounding me in the back of the head. I was pretty devastated. I was sitting in Sacrament meeting the next day praying and looking for spiritual guidance (it was a long week haha) and boom, She walks in with her daughter about 10 minutes late.. :)

We have a lesson with her tonight... It was a really rewarding feeling to see the Lord go to work on her. Charity is what we are all trying to develop and in all reality we have the best example in the world in Jesus Christ. People accepted what he said because of the Love he showed. One of my favorite chapters in the book of Mormon is 3 Nephi 17 If you read the start of the chapter until verse 7. "Have you ANY that are sick among you? Bring them hither.....or that are afflicted in any  manner?" and then in verse  9. I love the way it is written when he is healing the people. "and with ALL them and that were afflicted in ANY matter; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him." Sometimes I think we forget when we see a trial the the Atonement heals all. Literally fixes everything. Christ told the people there to bring all unto him to be healed. He put no exceptions because there are none. He heals all. The Atonement is Infinite and Perfect.

Elder Evans

Elder Brayden Evans

Well this week was pretty good, We had a really good baptism this weekend and we have had a lot of spiritual experiences with our investigators. Well Erin made it to Sweden :) sounds pretty rough if you want the truth. The first sixth months of the mission might have been the worst six months of my life if you want the honest truth. The Cleansing process of the Lord that every person goes through on the mission really isn’t fun. But looking back I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. They have slowly turned me into who I am. We had a leadership conference this weekend and I was informed by the president that I was sent to be District Leader in my District to fix what was going on.. There were some problems and I think a missionary might have gotten sent home but I’m not 100% sure.. Wow a lot of work, I have been on the phone talking to bishops and counselors and basically doing the zone leaders job.. but hey I guess that happens sometimes. My companion is a stud, Professional soccer player. Thanks dad for the pictures, definitely a manhood crisis, and relive the past.. Everybody here is super concerned about soccer, and they have no chance to ever win the World cup so I don’t understand why. They say stupid stuff and I just fill my mouth with tacos and don’t comment. So I have been studying the genealogy of the Book of Mormon.. (That’s how many times I’ve read the stinking book) and I have learned a lot. The Book of Mosiah is probably my favorite book in the Book of Mormon. King Benjamin, Abinidi, and Alma back to back to back. Definitely worth my time. I have studied D&C 121 very in depth as well. The Power of the Priesthood is a very interesting subject. One thing that I have learned in my mission is that Miracles don’t make testimonies. I saw a miracle this week, and the people affected by it are still not interested in the gospel. God give us signs, sometimes little, sometimes big, but it is a decision that we make before if we are going to find these evidences. Literally as a missionary I can find a miracle in every day of my life. Eternal Life is a decision. I’m so grateful for the training and preparation im receiving right now from my Heavenly Father to be a father and a husband because in all reality that’s what the mission does more than anything.

Well I’m coming up on a year the 21. Wow haha when people tell you the mission flies by.. its a lie, but I’m very content with were I’m at in my mission right now. I’m very at peace. I go to bed at night and wake up in the morning with a smile on my face and there is really nothing else in the world that can bring those feeling other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That really is the message we share as missionaries. There is nothing else in the whole entire world that will bring the peace and comfort that I live with every day as representative of Jesus Christ. This next year will define the whole entire rest of my life and I’m super excited to get started.

The Lord answers prayers, I can honestly say that there is not one thing that I have asked of the Lord that I have not received in this last year. I live in peace, I fluently speak Spanish, My family still writes my, Erin isn’t married to some other dude (WHOOO) waiting 4 months for her is definitely better than that, and I’m not dead, which is always a plus.

I love you guys

I pray for you every day

Elder Evans

Elder Brayden Evans

¿Como etan la familia Evans?

Well this week was a really good week. I have had a lot of reflection time this week on my life and a lot of time to focus on my studies of the Savior. There really is not another phrase more important in the existence of time than ¨He is Risen¨ (Mat. 28:6) When this was said, it was complete. We had the chance to return to our Father in Heaven. Because of this we can progress and have eternal happiness. I had some very intense feelings in my studies this week as I followed Marry and Joseph to Bethlehem, Jesus through is ministry and miracles, to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem where we would be Spit on, beaten, and Crucified... After he suffered the pains and tortures of the whole entire existence of humanity, until the day of His Resurrection. I can't really put my Testimony into words other than to say I know that Jesus Christ died for us, and ¨He is Risen¨ We really need to take a minute out of our day and think about that. The other things really don't matter. Repentance is possible. The Healing power of the Atonement is real. Repentance needs to come first, and after the healing process will proceed if we allow the Lord to mend our heart. Sometimes Healing takes a while but what is really important is not how we feel here... Its about what is waiting for us in eternity.

So everyone down here is obsessed with a band called One Direction. Its kind of annoying but just so you guys know that I'm not weird and I'm still funny,  I'll share with you what I did. I put a bunch of music on a CD with Church Music and wrote on it ¨Juan Dirección ¨ and we gave it out to people in the street. ¨Saying Free CDs for Juan Dirección!¨ I'm hoping to draw someone to the church with that. We wrote our address on the back of all of the covers and our number... No one has called us yet... :( That's just to show you how much people intended on listening us this week.



This week we had our interviews with the mission president. We ended up talking for like 25 minutes about Eternal Marriage. It was a good learning experience. President Wagoner is a Man of God. There is no other way I can describe him and Hermana Wagoner is super honrey with all of the missionaries. She not the type of person who is going to kiss your boo boo better. So basically, shes like mom so we get along great!  haha. I called her when I had to buy medicine for an allergy I got on my arm and the first thing she said was, "Well Elder Have you rubbed some dirt on it?"( haha) I don't think she was kidding, if you want the honest truth.
Well that's about it this week, everything is going well, still alive. We had to buy Raid to kill all of the Bed bugs that have been eating us alive in the night time for the past week but besides that I'm all healthy.
I pray for you guys every day
Elder Evans

P.S. Landree soccer is a good choice :)

Kade, that happened to me my sophmore year too.

Rylee, just get married before I get home, I hate weddings.

Mom, Love you :)

Dad, I know you still haven't cleaned the garage

Mr. Elliot, I'm thinking about you buddy :)