Nov 1, 2021: Being in the reject room...

... is awesome! I'll explain that one later though!!! Happy Monday everyone!! I hope this last week was great for y'all!! Each week goes by faster and faster, and now they almost seem like they are just a blur!!! Also it made it ever faster because we had only 1 "normal" day this week and the rest of them were all different and unique in some way so that was pretty awesome!!! Even the 1 normal day was still pretty cool too, so this email may be a longer one, cause our week was PACKED!! But I'll start with...

EXCHANGES (vol. 2)

This week I had another 2 exchanges!! I had another one with Elder Parker, and one with the other Zone Leader, Elder Roundy!! With Elder Parker, I got to go up to the tiny city of Middlebury about an hour north of where we were, and we got to do a lot of finding! We spent the day knocking some doors, doing some Facebook and street contacting the few people that were out and about. We didn't have too much luck finding people (that day or this week as a whole) but it was still just awesome!!

My exchange with Elder Roundy was awesome too! I might be the only missionary in the mission who has been on an exchange with both zone leaders somehow Haha. But Elder Roundy and his greenie came down to Rutland for a baptismal interview (I'll get to that in a second) and they decided just to stay down in Rutland and we did some work! We knocked for a couple hours in the rain, street contacted all over the city, and just tried to make connections with people! We were able to get a few connections so hopefully we can follow through on them!!! But I learned a lot from Elder Roundy as well, and it was just a great time being with these other missionaries for the day, and learning and growing from them.

SHERRY

Well if you've been reading my emails till now you know who Sherry is! But for those of you haven't. Sherry is a blind woman that the elders before us met. She has been taught for about 3 months now and is definitely one of the elect in the Rutland area. She started meeting with the missionaries smoking 2 packs before breakfast and drinking at least 2 pots of coffee a day. 2 days ago she was able to be interviewed for baptism and honestly say that she has been keeping the word of wisdom! She has truly had the power of God helping her get off of these addicting substances, and it is awesome to see. I have been able to see the blessing flow into her life from doing it and her testimony has grown so much!! She is going to be baptized in 2 weeks from last Saturday! So continue to pray for her and I'll keep you guys updated!! But she is one of the brightest spots here in Rutland for sure!!

MEETINGS

This week we had Zone Conference, as well as ZLC!! Zone Conference was great! We had some trainings about members, about language, about 1 Nephi and how we can use it, and more! It was definitely a spiritual highlight so far, and again it is always good to see other missionaries!!! But my personal favorite part of the week was ZLC or zone leadership council. Now I'm not in the leadership of the Zone, but my companion is the District leader. So what did I do while he was in the meeting with the other Zone Leadership???

REJECT ROOM!

I got to be a reject! I went to another room, and got to meet 3 other Elders who's companions are in Leadership! Elder Green, Elder Carter, and Elder McNamee!!! Now when I first heard about this, they told me you just sit around and do Facebook or something, but that is not what happened! (Also by way of information, all 3 of these Elders are in their second transfer so they are all still greenies too) But when Elder Carter walked in, he just said "are you ready to go?" So we did! We went out around the church in Montpelier and knocked doors!!! And guess what?? In just an hour of knocking with the 4 of us, we found 3 people who said they would be untrested in meeting with the sisters (the STLs are over Montpelier) so that was awesome!! These Elders, while "young" in terms of experience, were all such amazing Elders and amazing people!! It was sooo awesome!! It was a testament to me about the value of just getting out and doing the work, no matter how much time you have, just doing the work is so important!!!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

This week it will legit just be a thought. In sacrament a story that i recently read was shared, and since It keeps coming up i figure it's important.

Some time ago while visiting Australia, I traveled to a beautiful horseshoe bay renowned for its surfing. As I walked along the beach, I was enthralled by the magnificence of the large crashing waves breaking just outside the bay and the smaller waves rolling in closer to shore.

As I continued my stroll, I encountered a group of American surfers. They were obviously upset about something, talking loudly and gesturing toward the sea. When I asked them what was wrong, they pointed to just outside the bay where the big waves were breaking.

“Look out there,” one of them angrily told me. “Can you see the barrier?” Looking more closely now, I could indeed see a barrier stretching across the entire mouth of the bay, right where the large, enticing waves were breaking. The barrier appeared to be made of a heavy mesh and was supported by floats on top of the water. According to the surfers, it dropped all the way down to the ocean floor.

The American surfer continued, “We are here on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to surf these big waves. We can surf the smaller ones breaking within the bay itself, but the barrier makes it impossible for us to surf the big ones. We have no idea why the barrier is there. All we know is that it has totally spoiled our trip.”

As the American surfers became more animated, my attention was drawn to another nearby surfer—an older man and obviously a local. He seemed to be growing impatient as he listened to the ever-increasing complaints about the barrier.

Finally he rose and walked over to the group. Without saying anything, he pulled a pair of binoculars from his backpack and handed them to one of the surfers, pointing out toward the barrier. Each of the surfers looked through the binoculars. When my turn came, with the help of magnification, I could see something that I had not been able to see before: dorsal fins—large sharks feeding near the reef on the other side of the barrier.

The group quickly became subdued. The old surfer retrieved his binoculars and turned to walk away. As he did, he said words I will never forget: “Don’t be too critical of the barrier,” he said. “It’s the only thing that’s keeping you from being devoured.”

This story is about the commandments. They are not restrictive. They are not a burden. They are a safety net. We all need the safety net to stay safe on our way back to our Heavenly home. If we stay on the right side of the barrier, we will be able to withstand temptations and have eternal life. So don't be tempted by the big waves. They may seem fun or more exciting, but there are predators lurking just beneath the surface. I know if you follow the commandments you will be blessed and more happy than if you dont.

(Also in case you were wondering, the last 2 weird days of my week were the Ward Trunk or Treat and also Halloween we had to be in our apartment by 5, so we were inside all evening so that was fun)

But this week was a blast!! I know this this work is truly part of the most important work of all time, the gathering of Israel! I'm thankful for you guy's prayers and love each week and I can always feel it sustaining me!! I freaking love you guys and miss yall so much!! Have a good week!!

Elder Bradshaw

PICTURES!!

1. Me and my comp in the rain

2. Me and Elder Parker in Middlebury

3. The fog is weird here, I dont even know how else to describe it.

4. Bowling for District P-Day

5. A really beautiful sunset

6. We do service for a few hours on weekdays at Meals on Wheels and it's pretty fun so I decided to take a picture just to show what we do. We clean the coolers.

Well I love yall!