Dear Family,

Tacoma is basically the Meca of my mission and I didn't know why until this past week. We were able to tract every day and we were able to find four new investigators that way! The people here are really humble and prepared. My area has a rough part of town and a pretty nice part, so we have to be way careful where we park the car and what we leave in sight of the windows. Smashed windows are an everyday occurence here, and actually happend three weeks ago to our car when I was out here on a split with sister Crowley.

I was able to go to the house dad was born in! Its actually just right outside of my area. I'll have to go take a picture of it sometime soon so I can send it to you. He actually lives really close to Sue Horgan.

Ariana is doing great and is actually getting baptized this next weekend. We're super excited for her. Amanda didn't make it to church, but she's actually about to go through an intense legal battle for her two little girls, which is really sad. Keep them both in your prayers. I'm learning that the prayers of others really do make a world of difference. This last week we made a deal with two elders in our zone that if they prayed specifically for us, than we would pray specifically for them. It's been amazing, and I wish I had the time to write all the miracles that both our companionship and their companionship saw. I've pondered on why that is and I think I've had some personal revelation. It combines some of the most important principles of the gospel. First Faith. Without it we learn in Ether 12 as well as in Moroni 7 that "Miracles are wrought by faith" and not through any other way. Second selfless service. We put someone else needs above our own and the windows of heaven seem to open. I'm grateful for their willingness to pray for us.

The work is going great here. My testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is strengthened everyday as I share it with these wonderful people. There is no better way to strenghten your testimony than to share it. Thats why missionaries testimonies grow so rapidly, thats all we do. It's an amazing blessing and privelage to be able to do so. I love you all.

Love Sister Bradley

Doubt not Fear not

Family,

How is everybody! So crazy things happen on your mission! You just never know what the Lord is going to do for you. Transfers were this Monday, and for the first time since I arrived in Steilacoom six months ago I was transferred! I'm now serving in the Skyline Tacoma area, which is quite literally down town Tacoma! I LOVE it. Tracting is SO effective. People everywhere want to come on tours of the church. I can already tell that its going to be an amazing 6 weeks here. Funny part is I'm back with Sister Fox, which we were just together two transfers ago, but we're SO excited to be back together. We know how the other works and are really able to teach well together, so we're super excited to be put in such a prepared area. There are a lot of part member families that we're excited to work with!

Today we met with two people. The first is Amanda, she is 29 and she has five children. She has been investigating the church for forever, but has SO many questions. Today we talked about how ulitmately it all depends on three things. Is Jesus Christ the son of God, Is Joseph Smith a prophet of God, and is the Book of Mormon the word of God. She committed to pray specifically about these three things and I took the same challange and invite you to do the same. I sincerely believe that any concern can be solved if you have a steadfast testimony in these three things.

We also met with Ariana whose family was baptized three months ago, but she is the oldest of 6 siblings(she's 14) and decided to wait until she knew for certain. I've just met her but she told us that she is ready and wants to but that she has a lot of doubts after she decides. I told her what I did when I had doubts about my purpose out here on a mission. I shared Doctrine Covenents 6 "Look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not" And told her that the second any doubts or fears came to my mind, I litterally look to my Savior, whether through prayer, scriptures or just closing my eyes and thinking of Him. All doubts and fears are silenced by just the thought of his face. She's planning on getting baptized this Sunday! We're excited for her. I've got to run, but I love you all and pray for you!

Love Sister Bradley

I prayed about it

Dear Family,

It's been a hard week and a great week here in Steilacoom. It started out really slow and didn't really pick up til the end of the week. I think I told you about Carey last week, well I have an amazing update one here and on some personal revelation. So we met with Carey early last week and we asked her how she felt about her baptism on the 11th of July, she said that she wanted to talk to Elicia about it ( her 10 year old daughter who is in Kentucky for the next 2 months). I felt so discouraged that she'd want to wait for her to come home. So we left her with the commitment to pray about it and be willing to act on the Lords answer. But a few days later we went and taught her lesson four about all the commandments and I couldn't believe what I saw. We taught her everything and when we got to the Word of Wisdom we weren't too nervous other than we knew that she drank sweet tea, so when we talked about it she asked us a lot of questions and we talked a lot about D and C 89 and then she got right up from her table opened her refridgerator and pulled out a gallon of home made sweet tea and poured down her drain. She said "That doesn't bother me one bit to give that up" This woman is from Alabama and has been drinking sweet tea all her life! The next day at church I was introducing her to some of the Senior Missionaries that work on the military base when Elder Maughn asked her when her baptism was, she looked him straight in the eye and with out skipping a beat said "July 11th" and then turned to my companion and I and said "I prayed about it." It was a miracle to see Carey's conversion. In two weeks I saw her go from merely initerested to having an incredibly strong testimony. She's a tender mercy of the Lord.

I was also able to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting with my companion and it was an amazing meeting! I'm always nervous what people might get up there and say, but it was a really good meeting and just what Carey needed. Her baptism is this Sunday at 5pm :D I hope you all had a wonderful fourth of July. Steilacoom makes a pretty big deal out of it and closes the whole town for a street fair and then they set off fire works over the Sound, it was pretty neat. This week should be exciting. I'm going on an exchange in Tacoma for the next four days with Sister Crowley! I'm pretty excited to see a new area! I'll let you know how it goes next week. Transfers are only two weeks away! Can you believe how fast six weeks goes by! I want to stay with Sister Fisher longer, but I don't think I'll be staying in Steilacoom, I've already been here for a while, but she'll do great things here! I've got to run, but I love you all! Thanks for all your emails and letters!

Love Sister Bradley