He provides

What a crazy week!!! 
So I told you a little about samantha and how her family was going to get evicted if they didnt pay their rent. Well we did everything we could to find charities/programs/churches that would help them, but we had NO luck. Sister glenn and I decided to turn to our bishopric and asked them what we should do. Long story short, our church made it possible for them to get this new place down the road that they wanted and provided them with groceries. It was SO GENEROUS and more than enough. It is so amazing to be part of a church that is so giving and willing to help people that they dont even know. It was such a miracle. When we told samantha she just couldnt stop crying. She was so appreciative and grateful. They had to be out of their house before this weekend and they had just barely found out that they got the new place and we offered for people to come help them move! It was a lot of stress and hard work to get/find people to come help on such short notice (that is SUCH an understatement hahaha). And we couldnt find one person with a truck and we were so stressed cause we had a bunch of people coming to help move and nothing to even move the stuff IN. We were so desperate that we went door to door around her house asking random people if they would let us use their truck hahahhaha. That didnt work out too well. We felt so much pressure to make it all happen. But we just trusted that it would all work out and it DID. During the WHOLE process, we prayed and prayed and she prayed and prayed and heavenly father was LISTENING. Her husband brad also told us that he prayed for the first time in 10 years! The ward members and the elders were so awesome (and strong) and luckily everything fit into the vans people brought. It took a couple trips but it went so smoothly and everyone was so happy to help. It felt so good to help their family and serve them. 
Samantha and her two oldest kids (peyton is 7 and kyla is 5) came to church with us on sunday!!! Samantha had texted us that morning and said she was so embarrassed cause she didnt have anything to wear to church and so we went around to ward members gathering clothes that people were willing to give up and brought them to her. It was so stressful but once again, we trusted in the lord and he PROVIDED. 
Samantha and her kids LOVED church. She cried during the talks and participated in class and said she felt warm and peaceful there and said she wants to come every week! We were so happy!!! The focus was faith and it was so awesome cause she said faith was the only thing getting her through this trial. After peyton took the sacrament he goes "This is fun!! I like it here!!" It was SO CUTE haha. Then after church we asked kyla what she learned and she said "I learned that jesus loves me!!" Tears actually rolled down my face.
This is why we do missionary work. This is why we have faith in Jesus Christ. This is why we talk to our Heavenly Father in prayer.
There is one overarching theme that has stuck out to me throughout this experience and throughout my mission so far, and that is: as a result of faithful action, HEAVENLY FATHER PROVIDES. Not always in our impatient, demanding timing, or in the box we suggest he provides it in, but he provides. He provides perfectly and miraculously and better than what we demand. Just as a loving father would - he provides. He knows. He helps. He works. All because he loves. First and foremost: he loves. 

We were tracting one day and we knocked on a door and heard someone coming down the stairs pretty fast and all of a sudden heard this huge thump and grunt like they fell down the stairs. We were freaking out and didnt know what to do and the cutest old grandpa finally came to the door and was in so much pain but was trying to play it off and we have been so worried about him ever since hahaha.
Sister glenn talks in her sleep every night and it's probably the funniest thing of my life. And during our companion morning prayer she was half asleep and said "please bless our friends with hard tupperwares" and then wakes up and goes "what the heck" HAHAHAHA it probably doesn't even sound that funny but it was. 

I have been studying HOPE this week. I learned that hope is TRUSTING that the lord will fulfill his promises to you. It is BELIEVING and EXPECTING that something will occur. The word hope is often misunderstood. In our every day language, the word hope is uncertain. Like "I hope I get a good grade" or "I hope the weather is nice today". But in the language of the gospel, the word HOPE is SURE, UNWAVERING, and ACTIVE. Hope gives us joy and something to look forward to!! 
Moroni 7:41 "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise". 
I know that hope can sustain us through despair and that it gives us reason to rejoice even when all seems dark around us. "Embrace and rely upon the Hope of Israel, for the love of the son of god pierces all darkness, softens all sorrows, and gladdens every heart" -elder uchtdorf 

May we all have a perfect brightness of hope! I love you. Have a great week! <3
always, sister brinton