June 28, 2021 Grand Island

 Hey y'all! Well brothers and sisters, this week has been a Rollercoaster (which I feel like I say every week, but this week was particularly true). 

We've had so many lessons this week and it kind of feels like I'm ready to drop (or go to bed). Sister Poulsen and I have been using our dinner breaks for naps almost every day this week, we've been so tired.

Well, Monday, right after my previous email, I joined the elders in soccer and I jammed my toe on one of them so it turned purple and I had a limp for a couple of days. 

I've run into a LOT of Bible bashers this week, which is awful because you can't fight them. You just have to testify on what you know. And they try to rip apart everything you know and believe. Some are nastier than others.

We've been working with a LOT of inactive members. There are so many members who don't even remember getting baptized or ever going to church or whatnot and it feels a lot like finding lost sheep. Except the sheep are crazy, probably on drugs, and have chihuahuas.

And then, we have zone pday today, but since Sister Poulsen and I are over on miles (which is a little frustrating because they've never checked miles in my mission before and I didn't know we had to stay under a certain amount), and because we are the only sisters in the zone, we can't carpool to the zone pday. So the rest of our zone is paintballing right now and I'm at my apartment practicing some patience. 

This week, we stopped by this inactive family's house. We will call them Irma Jelly and Oden Jelly. Well, the records that we have are very vague on them.

Irma answers the door. She's short, wearing a extremely risqué prom dress, and a lot of other very large dangle jewelry. She also has a very thick and prominent beard and a very masculine body shape and facial features.

She welcomed us in with a very high voice, telling us to go sit on the couch. (It was one of those couches were you just have to remind yourself that you are a missionary and have to do hard things.)

We entered the house, but we didn't really know if this was a drag queen (we can't be alone with a man) or just a very well bearded woman. (And we really weren't sure still when we left).

We had a somewhat normal conversation as we were heavily questioned on the status of many serial killers and politicians making it to heaven, if magic was real, and a couple of other topics.

The entire time, there was this feeling that we needed to go. The room stank, like fresh mold and maybe cocaine. 

And Irma told us that she made porn on her phone. At one point, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Irma shouts "Dont come up if you're naked!" The footsteps stopped and no one came in. 

Well, as soon as we could, we left. I felt bad doing it, because she was genuinely curious about a lot of topics, but the whole thing seemed to scream to leave. 

The next day, we met with a couple who told us very sweetly that the Book of Mormon was evil and from Satan. She told us that instead of going to her church, they listened to a uplifting thought from an app.

They read a scripture from the app about allowing people to change and to forgive others who are trying to change.

Then, a family from their church texted and invited them to church and they laughed and said that the husband of that family used to hit his wife so of course they weren't going to come.

Brothers and sisters, I promise that the path to happiness is found in gospel roots. The people who are truly happy are the ones that follow the commandments, that love God and Jesus Christ and try their best to emulate Him. The ones that are happy understand the atonement. 

I challenge each of you to come to know your Savior a little better this week and I promise that as you do, you will feel greater peace and happiness than you do now.

Love you all,

Sister Brice

And remember, there's nothing you could do that would ever make Him love you any less.

Also, this mission is the hardest thing I have ever done. I have felt the most joy, exhaustion, and despair that I have ever felt in my life. It's changing my life forever. And this week was hard, but I wouldn't change my decision to serve a mission for the world. And for those of you who are serving or who are planning on it, know that its worth it. Its all worth it.