Creative, Cozy, and Comfortable: 2021

Family and Friends,

Wow, what an absolutely amazing week!! It's day 4 and I already LOVE being a missionary with all of my heart!!!!!

Tuesday morning my family (my parents and the 5 oldest) got the chance to do baptisms at the Bountiful Temple!! (We believe everyone should have the opportunity to be baptized and so in the temple we can be baptized on behalf of our ancestors who passed away without that blessing. They then have the opportunity in heaven to accept or reject that baptism). It's been almost 15 months since I was able to go with my family and oh how I've missed it!!! So good to be back and the perfect last activity before becoming a missionary! Tuesday night at 7, I got set apart as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My whole purpose and focus for the next 18 months of my life is to invite others to come closer to Christ. How awesome is that!!! I get a smile everyday putting my name tag on!

Since I am speaking good old English, I'm in the online MTC (Missionary Training Center) for 3 weeks! Let me tell you I LOVE the online MTC!!! I get the best of both worlds: getting to be trained in how to be a missionary and learn more about Jesus Christ and His gospel all day everyday AND I still get some extra time with my family!! Wednesday I didn't have my first class until 12:30 and so I got to study the scriptures that morning and then go on a run! Shout out to Spencer who even on his break will ride his bike next to me so I can go running!! (As missionaries we always have to have someone with us!) And Alexis is finally picking up her slack and running with me now ;)

Now that I've been a missionary for a few days I finally have a schedule down:

6:00am - 6:30 Study the scriptures with my family

6:30 - 7:00 Exercise

7:00 - 8:00 Get Ready

8:00 - 9:00 Workshop

9:15 - 9:30 Companionship Daily Planning

9:30 - 12:30pm Class with Sister Ethington

12:30 - 1:15 Workshop

1:15 - 1:45 Lunch

1:45 - 4:45 Class with Sister Potts

5:00 - 6:00 Companionship study

6:00 - 7:30 Dinner and family time

7:30 - 8:30 Personal scripture study

8:30 - 10:00pm Family time, journal, get ready for bed

Ok let me tell you I LOVE my companion Sister Peterson!!! I got so blessed to be with her! We are both going to the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, so we'll be able to fly there together (she's from Lehi, UT) and then see each other throughout our mission. I have learned so much from her already as we do companion study, I just love it!! My district and teachers are also just all amazing and I love learning from them. We do all of our classes with our district (a group of 11 of us missionaries who started the MTC the same day) and then the workshops are big meetings with up to 370 missionaries! I love seeing all these young adults who decided to dedicate their life to Christ for 18-24 months!!!

This week I have learned so much about God's love for His children. He loves all of us with infinite love!!! What is the evidence of this?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Because God loved us so much, He sent His Son - Jesus Christ - into the world to perform the atonement so we can find a way back to our Heavenly Father. Christ is evidence of God's love.

I am so excited to continue to learn in the MTC and then in 2 1/2 short weeks to fly to Minnesota!!! I know this gospel is true!

Sister Bradshaw

Hurrah for Israel! Let God Prevail!

Pictures:

After I got set apart