COURAGE!

It has been another great week here in Myrtle Beach! I feel like it was just Monday a couple days ago. Time goes by so quickly. 

This week we helped a less-active member paint a room in her house. That was fun! It is now a beautiful creme puff room, instead of a dark pink dungeon. She is going to take us out to get crepes this week as a thank you.  

We also helped another less-active member (who really doesn't want anything to do with the church) move some things around in her house. We had met her about a week before. She made it very apparent she does not like the church and she has her own church now, so we gave her our phone number and told her to call us if she needed any help. She called us a few days later! So, we go over to help her. We weren't really sure what we were going to help her do. We get there and she keeps talking about a "treatment" she is getting done on her home. We were just taking pictures off the walls and curtains down. I was looking around and happened to glance upon a stack of papers titled, "How to get rid of bed bugs." First thought in my head was, "You've got to be kidding me." I showed Sister Peatross and her reaction was the same. I asked the less-active if she had a bed bug problem and she said, "Mhmm. A bad one." Sister Peatross and I looked over to our coats and bags sitting on the couch and cringed. We couldn't just leave, though, so we kept helping... Once we were done we took all our stuff home and put it in big garbage bags in order to suffocate any nasty little bugs that could have latched on to our belongings. Good times! So far we haven't found any, so I think we are good. By the time we left the lady had a much better attitude towards us. Service softens hearts, y'all! ...and occasionally aids in the travel of bed bugs.

Carnel came to church again and is right on schedule to bet baptized in the coming weeks. Just a couple more things left to teach him. He and Ivor (he got baptized in September right before I got here) are friends. It's so neat to see Ivor showing somebody the ropes. He enjoys it, too. He has been asking us how he can be a missionary to his friends. He is a sweet guy. And he passed the sacrament again! :)

I have been working on reading all the conference talks over again and looking for the invitations to act given in them. I was reading Elder Robbins about which way do we face. I found this quote, "The true badge of courage is overcoming the fear of man." It made me think of how often we as individuals do things we may not want in order to please another person. We do things, or don't do things, because we are afraid of what others might think or say. I invite you to ask yourself right now, "Whose approval am I seeking?" If you don't like the answer you find remember that often times all it takes is 20 seconds of insane courage to change any situation we may find ourselves in. I promise as you act on the courage to seek the approval of Heavenly Father you will not be confounded before men.

Y'all have a good week! It will be Monday again before we know it! Love ya!

Peace and Blessings!

Sister Broadbent

Faith is like a little seed... if planted it will grow!

Hey y'all! It's P-day again. It has been a good week in Myrtle Beach. It has been cold. I think I've worn my boots and coat everyday this week. But the work must go on!  

Well, to start off, three and a half people came to church! It was fantastic. It hasn't happened in a very long time. Carnell came. He is from Jamaica and just called up the missionaries and wanted to learn more. He works all the time, but he was able to get this Sunday off. Rick and Tina came. I've probably told y'all about them before, but I can't remember... So we found them when Sister Stolworthy was here and have been working with them for a while it seems. They always say they will come to church, but never did. Until this week! They didn't tell us they were coming and they were a little late. It was the primary program, so it was packed. I just happened to look back and who should walk in? Rick and Tina. and they brought a friend. It was great. Rick, Tina, and Carnell all loved it. All the members we have taken to lessons with them went and talked to them. It really strengthened my faith in member work. Because sometimes it is a lot more hassle to take members, but it just works so much better in the end.

The half person that came to church was Tiffany. She is a weird situation... Her mom is a spanish member, and they live out of our area, but she requested for the sisters to teach her daughter. The whole time we thought Tiffany was 9, but turns out she is still 8. So, technically the missionaries aren't responsible for her. However, she is getting baptized a day after her 9th birthday. We have been trying to figure out where we fit into the situation. It's a work in progress...

I have become comfortable with not knowing what I am doing ever. I never have any idea what I am doing. I kind of just wing it all... It used to be very stressful never knowing what was going on, but now I'm okay with it. I feel like I have gone through this "stressed not knowing what I'm doing" thing in each of my areas, but eventually I get comfortable with it. It's okay to not know what is going to happen, just do your best to prepare and and it will all work out.

Something that has stood out to me this week is the fact that we need to continually take care of our faith. It is just like a seed. If we water it and give it sunlight and good soil it will grow big and strong. But if we forget to do those things, it will wilt and die. I think it is also important to recognize that not everybody's plant of faith is the same size. And that is okay. We just need to work on making our own individual plant grow tall. Everybody is on a different spiritual level. So, don't get down when your neighbor has a taller plant than you. Just try your best to help your plant grow and rejoice in every centimeter that is gained. If you want to check out more about faith like seeds read Alma 32: 28-43. It's a great section. Studying it will in turn help your plant to grow. So, it's a win win situation. AKA do it. :)

I hope you all have a fantastic week and are able to do the little things such as scripture study, prayer, church, etc. to keep your plant of faith growing strong. 

Love ya! 

Love, Sister Broadbent. 

Have I done any good in the world today?

We eat lunch in front of run down hotels... Living the life. :)

Hey y'all! Another great week as a missionary in Myrtle Beach! I really like it here. There is so much to do and so many people to talk to. I like my companion, Sister Peatross, lots! We get along pretty well. I have been blessed with all my companions- in getting along with them all. I think I have learned that you can get along with anyone if you choose to. Of course there are people with whom we may clash, but we can always choose to be civil and kind to all.

This week I have been thinking a lot about simple acts of service. They can go a long way and can get you pretty far. 

There is a great story in the Book of Mormon all about simple acts of service. It's in Alma 17- AKA Ammon chapters. Ammon is a missionary and goes to a city of wicked Lamanites. They tie him up and cast him into prison. The king, Lamoni, talks to him and decides he really likes Ammon. In fact, he likes him so much that he offers his daughter for Ammon to marry. Ammon says, "No, I'll just be your servant." So, that's what he does! One day when he and a bunch of other servants are taking the sheep to get water a band of wicked people try to scatter the sheep and steal them. But guess what Ammon does? He chops off all their arms! The rest of the servants take the arms to show the king and the king asks where Ammon is. He is getting the horses ready for the king to travel to a nearby city, just like he had been asked. Fast forward and King Lamoni is converted and also all of his people,  all because Ammon served him. 

Serving others really does soften their hearts! This week we met a lady who had met with missionaries before and wanted nothing to do with us. We asked if we could do anything for her. She said no. We said a prayer and then asked again. This time she said yes! We just folded some of her clothes and put them away. She has really bad arthritis and hasn't been able to do it. By the time we left she was a lot more open to us. She said we could come back if we were in the area. I don't think she is interested right now, but maybe one day...

There are many people who help us. They probably don't even realize how much we appreciate it! We thank them and thank them, but the simple things they do to help us really do make a difference. They make us dinner, give us rides, and are kind. Sometimes just knowing that somebody has got your back is enough.

At the beach for lunch one day! 

I hope y'all have a great week! Serve some people this week. It's the greatest thing to do! 

Love ya :)

Love, Sister Broadbent

What a week!

It has been a good week. I feel like a lot has happened, but not much at all! First off, I just found out that my little brother, Trevor, is going to the Spain Madrid mission! He leaves a month and a half before I get home. I am so excited for him!! And because I just found that out I can't remember anything that happened this week... So, yep. If this is a little scattered that is why. 

Transfers were this week! I got a new companion- Sister Peatross. She is from Duchesne, Utah and will be done with her mission in December. I am going to be in Myrtle Beach for forever! It's a good place to be for a while, though! I am driving because she has driven a lot her whole mission and doesn't want to drive anymore. I am grateful. It will help me to get to know the area quicker. It has surprised me how well I do know the area though! Especially for only being here six weeks. And Myrtle Beach is city. I'm just proud of myself! I like her! She is nice and is a great missionary. She was just companions with Sister Christensen, and I guess Sister Christensen told her all about me... So that is sorta awkward... :)

Look at my new companion! Her name is Sister Peatross-

rhymes with tetris. I got that cool coat for free!

And it is an LL Bean one. Pretty good deal, I'd say. :)

In testimony meeting yesterday three people I have been working with got up and bore their testimonies. It was the greatest thing! Ivor got baptized right before I got here. Kalee got baptized in July, but is terrified of talking in front of people. And Nemi is a returning member who has PTSD from serving in the air force. She doesn't do well with big crowds or new people, and she has a lot of things she is working through. But she got up there and bore the sweetest testimony. I think it scared her more afterward when everybody kept telling her how well she did! It was a good Sunday! Oh! Also Ivor got the priesthood! :) He was so excited. 

Me and one of my favorite people, Amanda

We found a member whose records aren't in the roster. That was really cool! He was very nice. I went to bed at 9:30 Halloween night. It was nice to go to bed a little earlier. We already have two dinners planned for Thanksgiving. 

 And.... Now we are getting kicked off the computers at the library because they are broken. So... I hope you all have a great week! And I will try and figure out a way to email some more later today. Because I still have 30 minutes left of email time! Where there is a will there is a way... Right? Sure... 

Love ya!

Love, Sister Broadbent. :)

Random Foods...‏

Just thought you might like to know I ate sushi and chitlins over the past couple weeks... Yep. Not sure if I would ever eat them again by my own choice...