My Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

This is my second Christmas away from home!

It's easier than the first,

but I definitely still miss my family.

As I'm thinking about you and your travels later this month,

I can't help but not want to pack your bag with more gifts.

Make Rudolph's load a little lighter, you know?

This year my letter to you will be the top 10 gifts I've already received

and am very thankful for.

10. My Warm Socks- Winter is a lot more bearable when I can keep my feet warm. I'm sure you feel my pain flying through the skies on Christmas eve right?

9. Music! It invites the spirit like nothing else! Especially the spirit of CHRISTmas.

8. Scarf- The hand crocheted scarf is the perfect length to wrap around my head five times, once again makes winter that much easier! Plus It reminds me of the special elf that made it for me!

7. My iPad- Not only do I get to #sharethegift online but it also let's me save time on p-day and email at the laundromat. :D

6. Chance to serve a mission- Nothing that I've done has changed me for the better as much as this has. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

5. The Scriptures- they have carried me and redirected me when I needed it the most in my life. I don't know where I'd be without them.

4. Friends- Once again, don't know where I would be without those great influences around me.

3. Family- They mean the world to me. Each person has taught me lesson after lesson. I know that no matter what happens I have a group of people I can rely on and know they love me.

2. The Holy Ghost- I know what is true and where I need to go. It's like a compass that guides me and shows me the way. It testifies of God's love for me and for those around me, it allows me to be clean from my mistakes and be sanctified!

1. Jesus Christ- He is the Gift. My whole life revolves around His Atonement and I know that through Him I can return to live with my Heavenly Father again. Because of Him my life has a purpose! I know I can live with my family for eternity.

That is what I'm thankful for!

Oh and Santa?

Would you do us a favor?

Put one of these in everybody's stocking in Western New York,

I'm sure the elves will be able to help you make copies.

Thanks!!! :D

-Elder Bruner

ps. Here's the picture for this year! Thought I forgot about it didn't yah?

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All about the Outlook

Recently I just got moved to a different area.

As missionaries we have the chance of getting moved every six weeks,

but usually stay in one place for about 6 months.

Moving and saying goodbyes are the hardest part.

I have always had a pretty hard time moving for many reasons.

A missionary told me that the only thing I could do

was think positively and excitedly about this change.

I decided that is exactly what I was going to do!

And what a difference it made!

Now to my next story,

I promise they'll connect in the end. :)

With the new move, came a new companion: Elder McCarl.

Recently we saw this coming:

This was my reaction:

and this was his:

In case you can't tell,

that's pure excitement on his face!

He's from Florida and has NEVER seen snow.

I couldn't help but smile when he realized snow

was just frozen water!

Every morning we check to see if there's enough snow outside

to build his first snowman.

I have never loved winter this much.

Why?

because it's all about the outlook.

We determine whether it's a good day.

A day filled with chances to grow

or hard times that merely give you the chance

to act in self-pity.

YOU make the choice.

So make the choice today!

DO IT!

And enjoy the winters of life! :D

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 

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Common Misunderstandings

Talking to people all day every day about religion,

we get asked a lot of questions!

I've noticed a trend with some main misunderstandings of our beliefs

doctrine

and purpose.

That's why I'm dedicating this blog post to debunking those misunderstandings! :D

Here are three of the most common misunderstandings:

1. We are here to trick people into joining our church.

Our purpose is to INVITE others

to come unto Christ through Faith in Him,

Repentance,

Baptism and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost,

and Enduring to the End.

We want people to try our message out themselves

by kneeling and asking God if what we share is truly His message!

The last thing we want are those we teach to accept our word alone

without the witness of the Holy Ghost that it is true.

2. We save ourselves through our works.

This is easily the most common one we get as missionaries.

"Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah;

for he is full of grace and truth." 2 Nephi 2:6

We gain eternal life/saved through  and only through Christ's grace.

That is the cleansing power that allows us to be comfortable

in our Heavenly Father's presence and allow us to live with Him after this life.

Christ has said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

That is what He asks for us to do.

Love him and therefore feel his Grace working in our lives.

That is why we believe our actions or works are so important

because Christ has asked us to act by keeping his commandments.

"faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone...

shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."
-James 2:17-18

Our faith without works is dead and we believe strongly

that true faith leads to ACTION.

3. We worship Joseph Smith.

Our church has been given the nickname "Mormons"

but the true title is

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

We believe that God has called a prophet in these days

and the first prophet to restore his church in our day is Joseph Smith.

We have a current prophet President Thomas S. Monson.

Christ is the center of our worship services.

Yes we discuss Joseph Smith often because he restored Christ's church!

He brought back, in it's fullness, The Lord's kingdom

to the earth today.

It was through honest studying of the Bible

and personal prayer in which He received a miraculous answer!

His story is miraculous as those prophets of old in biblical times.

We worship Christ as our Savior and our weekly services include the sacrament

which is a reminder of Christ's sacrifice for all of us.


Christ is our Savior and I can testify that His kingdom is on the earth once again.

I can also say without a doubt that you can know it too

through your own experience.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Contact the local missionaries here.





 

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Sing that Tune

Excited to use our Piano playing talents

we walked in to the assisted living room.

Right in the middle of the foyer was an electronic baby grand.

This was our stage.

We carefully removed the cover and set up the music stand,

placing the binder open in front of us we began to warm up.

This rock-around-the-clock sing along session was ours.

Then within seconds our confidence plummeted.

They handed us a microphone.

Not knowing in the least bit how these songs go,

being WAY before our generation,

they wanted us to lead the sing a long with our own voice.

We managed to mumble something into the microphone

as little to no one followed our singing and playing.

At the end of one song someone asked if my companion knew how to sing.

Ouch.

The worst part were the nurses telling us to sing louder in to the microphone

assuming that their lack of hearing us

was simply us not singing loud enough into the microphone.

We managed to laugh at ourselves on the way home,

actually managed to laugh at ourselves the whole way home

and then some more.

We continued to return with the same results!

Finally one day one of the nurses started to lead the singing

and the foyer erupted into song!

At that moment I realized they didn't know

how truly clueless we were on how these songs went.

Otherwise they would have stepped in long before!

I can only imagine how frustrated they could have gotten

that we signed up to do this and we couldn't even sing!

We never understand anyone completely.

We don't completely know the reason why people can or can't do things.

There is only one person who does and that is our Heavenly Father

and THAT is why we should NEVER JUDGE someone's worth or person as a whole.

I have found that those people I'm around that may frustrate me,

my frustration at them quickly leaves as I come to know them more

and come to love them more.

Gladly we are not the ones doing the judging for others on Judgment Day

only our Heavenly Father is.

If we could see everyone's past

every trial

every miracle

every success

and every failure

then we could love those around us completely.

My companion and I were trying our hardest!

And in the end that's all the Lord asks.

Love others equal to the potential they have.

Be understanding to others and treat them like you would want to be treated.

No matter what their struggle,

no matter what their beliefs,

we need to show them Christlike love

whether we feel they are doing "their best" or not.

That love may lead to correction!

The nurse corrected us by showing us the tunes

in which after we could increase our capability to lead the session!

Love others enough to help them return to our Heavenly Father

and begin to realize their true potential!

In the name of Him who through we have potential,

Jesus Christ,

Amen.
 

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Forgiving Yourself

Having the tendency to dwell on mistakes,

tear yourself up over them,

and then wave a white flag in defeat,

will never lead you to improving.

Think of Peter.

He denied knowing and walking with Christ.

He denied faithfully standing by his side

He denied all of this three times.

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he

had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

I can't even imagine what it would have been like to be in Peter's shoes. 

Making a mistake I can barely handle my earthly father's "look"

let alone the loving, understanding, majestic, disapproving look upon my mistake

of Him who suffered all of our sins and has an understanding of each of us perfectly.  

I can imagine my reaction being much like Peter's:

 

"And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."

 

Imagine if Peter gave up.

 

If he tore himself apart in worldly sorrow, throwing up the white flag,

 

instead of becoming a tool in God's hand through Godly sorrow.

 

Think of the miracles that would have gone undone!

Think of how much of the Bible we wouldn't have today.

Don't tear yourself up.

Counsel with God,

Allow His Son's grace to work inside of you,

and continue to be the instrument He wants you to be.

Don't let Satan win.

#wearthewinningjersey

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

 

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One Step at a Time

The young men president over our congregation recently asked us to talk to his youth!

I LOVE these opportunities.

We felt inspired to talk about how, when, and why we decided to serve a mission.

As I was testifying of how I came to have the strength to take that step into my mission

I realized when I took that step, I didn't have the knowledge I could do it for two years.

I honestly didn't know if I would be able to do it.

However I did know the Lord's promises were true.

"I can do all things through Christ." Philippians 4:13

I knew He had a prophet on the earth today and after the revelation of the "age change."

It was manifested to me that now was the time.

The Lord will make it possible to do anything He commands us to.

"For I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men,

save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing

which he commanded them." 1 Nephi 3:7

He had commanded me and I knew he would provide a way.

Walking away from my family, knowing I wouldn't see them for two years,

was the hardest thing I've ever done.

I promised myself I wouldn't look back as I walked through those doors.

Sitting down in a huge congregation of missionaries I felt a definite power.

That night and continuing nights after I received strength for the next day.

Not for the next two years, but for the next day.

That's how God works.

He gives us enough to take one step at a time,

because if He gave us strength for the two years,

I wouldn't have the blessing of being constantly reminded how truly dependent on Him I am.

Jesus Christ is my Savior and yours.

Through His Atonement we can overcome and do anything.

In the name of He who makes all things possible, Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Cool People and Spiritual Moments

Recently we had the cool experience of meeting the one and only...

JJ!

Yeah, he's a big guy, I know!

When we first met him we were walking down the street

and he called us over from his car,

a Crown Victoria that was lifted and had 24 inch rims.

You can imagine how excited we were to get over there!

From then, for the next few weeks, he brought us out to dinner

and even went with us to visit someone we knew in the hospital!

Why is he here in New York?

He's an NFL football player who plays for the Buffalo Bills.

In his free time, the one day a week, he comes out with us.

We asked him why?

Because he wants his family at home to be blessed.

Who, pretty soon, is going to be sealed to him for all time and eternity.

Here's a man who is living a lifestyle that many American's dream of

and who's most important part of life is his family and religion.

Last night he met us in Palmyra on the temple grounds.

 

 

He quickly took out his phone and took pictures of the temple while there was still sunlight.

 

We then took the time to walk through the sacred grove.

 

As we walked in he said,

 

"I know you guys get to come here all the time, but it really feels special here."

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is restored on the earth today.

 

And I can testify, along with JJ,

 

that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in that grove.

 

No matter what lifestyle we live

 

we can find happiness in the comfort of our families,

 

in the comfort of the scriptures,

 

and especially in the comfort of our Savior Jesus Christ.

 



JJ is a man who knows who his savior is.

 

And you can tell by how happy he is.

 

Seek Happiness!!!

 

And share the goodness.

 

Christ is at the head of His church on the earth today.

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 

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