Bristee's Journey

I've been contemplating what I want to tell people on this blog. The thing I want everyone to know is that you are loved. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you unconditionally. No matter who you are. No matter how far you have strayed from the path; they love you. Whether you feel it now, or not. They truly love you, and I, unconditionally. They are not the only ones though... there are people all around you daily that love and care about you. I have seen the love and support that can come from friends and acquaintances that you are not close to. Just because they are not your best friend, does not mean that they do not love and care about you. There are friends, family, neighbors, and strangers that care about you. When you feel abandoned or unloved, please remember that we love you. If you are not at a point where you can feel that love, pray to Heavenly Father. He will help to show you that you are loved and known by Him. I know that as you pray to Heavenly Father, you w...

After we got to Omaha, I was able to get scheduled with a doctor and a counselor over the next few days. I met with a counselor first and she gave me exercises to try. I started working on those, but again little to no improvement came. I then met with a doctor that was great and put me on some medicine to help, but the effects wouldn't be immediate. They should be working in 4-6 weeks... What was I supposed to do?? How was I supposed to go on and teach others when I couldn't think straight??? These are answers that I couldn't find. I talked to my parents and stake president. They told me that everyone at home loved me and would support me no matter what. I decided to try the meds for a couple days. My mission president called me the next night and I had decided that the medicine was making me too tired and was still not feeling good. I decided after many prayers that I wanted to come home in order to get feeling better. I thought it was going to solve all of my issues,...

Anxiety has been a part of my life for a while... I personally did not struggle, but I have had lots of family, close friends, and acquaintances struggle and I have watched their pain. It is a lot different when it happens to you though. You won't truly be able to understand what someone feels like until you have personally felt this way. My issues started happening a few days after I got to Nebraska. I was so excited to finally be able to begin teaching. Things were great to begin with and I felt on top of the world. Until I woke up one morning super anxious: heart racing, headache, felt like I couldn't breathe, upset stomach, and couldn't focus. I figured I'd take some ibuprofen for the headache and call it good... This however did not fix the issue. It got worse slowly. Each morning I'd wake up feeling worse than the day before. The problems went from the moment I woke up to the moment that I went to sleep (even woke up because of it most nights). I tried keepi...

My MTC experience is something that I will forever remember. I loved it. At first it was scary, but as with anything new it got better over time. The Spirit of the MTC is incredible and not found anywhere else. You are constantly surrounded by the most amazing young men, young women, and older men and women. Every single person has a sweet Spirit that will help them to share the gospel to others. My MTC teachers were incredible. I learned so much from them about things that I didn't think I had more to learn about. Being a missionary showed me that there is more to learn no matter how much you already know. One very important lesson that I learned is that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father love us and are always there. If you have a rough day, sickness, or pain. They are there. Whether the feeling is there immediately or not. They love YOU. They know YOU. They want the best for YOU. They know each and every one of us personally. The other really important thing that I learned is th...

For anyone that was not able to make it to my farewell, here is my talk. It's nothing extravagant, but it is me. This is how I talk and that is ok. I am not going to claim to be a very spiritual speaker in this, because I am not. I like to relate it back to the basics. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me as I am. He will help me to become a better public speaker. I know that this church is true, if I didn't, I wouldn't be making this decision. I love that I know the gospel is true. I know that the Book of Mormon has brought so much joy into many people's lives. I know the Book of Mormon was translated through Heavenly Father and is here to guide each of us through our lives. I love the gospel and Book of Mormon. I cannot wait to serve the people of Nebraska and I hope to become better each and every day as I grow closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus.  Farewell Talk First, I would like to thank the bishopric for having my little brothers speak with me. T...

I leave on Wednesday... That is in, I kid you not, five days. Where has the time gone? I feel like yesterday I made my decision. Obviously not. I am hoping that I will be able to find a way to get this blog updated while I am gone so people can keep up to date on what's going on with me. I am so excited to be heading to Nebraska, but I am also scared out of my mind. Before now, the idea seemed like a far off land. Now it is here and I don't feel ready. I know that my Heavenly Father will help me to become ready though. He never gives us more than we can handle. This week, I have spent time with my siblings individually and I am so grateful for them. Chand and I went to Costa Vida, the movie theater, and Jamba Juice. We had a great time and he is such a funny kid. I hope he knows how much I love him. I love spending time with him, even when he's super quiet. I hope you know that you are going to be able to do anything you want in life. Bryn and I had a great time ...

Tonight, I was able to be reunited with one of my best friends. She has been attending BYU Hawaii. She is so cute and I love spending time with her. I have missed Bree so much. I also got to see my cute twins! Madi and Mo are hilarious and I never quit laughing when I’m around them. The picture that goes along with this post says #missionbound because each of us has made the decision to serve the Lord through full-time mission service. One is still on the fence about it, but the others have started the interview/papers portion. I am so grateful to have amazing friends who make good decisions in their lives. Tonight we went to the Ogden Temple to do baptisms for the dead. Since I’m endowed now, I had to do family names and was sitting by myself for a minute or two. I was reading in the Book of Mormon just to pass the time, but I was reminded of chapter four in the Doctorine and Covenants. That chapter is chucked full of advice for or about missionaries and their work. I know tha...