Dear family and friends,

I hope that you are having a fantastic week! 

My time here in the Texas Houston Mission is flying by. We have been blessed this week with a lot of work to do and have had a busy schedule. Even when the schedule didn't go as we planned, there were so many times that we came to the right place at the right time to teach someone. 

We are teaching so many families and individuals! I am finally getting to really know and recognize and remember the people we are working with, and it is such a sweet experience. I know that Heavenly Father loves his children more than we even understand. He loves us missionaries working in his kingdom, He loves the people we meet and teach, He loves everybody. He loves you! Because he loves us, he lets us make our own decisions so that we can learn and grow and become more like He is. He prompts and asks and commands us, but He never forces. This is something we explain a lot to the people we are teaching, or trying to teach, because a lot of times they are afraid that we are going to force our beliefs on them. We don't ask them to take what we teach and blindly believe it--we ask them to listen with open hearts and minds and then to go to their Heavenly Father in prayer and ask if what we've taught it true. This ability to communicate with Heavenly Father one-on-one and receive answers directly from Him is such a great gift.

One thing people often ask us about, especially when we are contacting them for the first time, is how we learned to speak Spanish. They are usually surprised by how little time we have been speaking, and I've learned from my companions that this is a good opportunity for us to explain about our calling and purpose as missionaries. We get to explain that Heavenly Father wants all of his children to hear the gospel taught in their own language, and that we receive the gift of tongues to help us complete that purpose. This is such a blessing, and I am grateful that I am able to communicate the truths of the gospel to these wonderful people. I know that my Spanish still needs A LOT of work, and I have a really strong desire to understand more fully and speak more fluently.  However, my limitations are helping me learn. When I can't catch everything people are saying, I can still listen for the promptings of the Spirit to know what to say to them. 

I am grateful for your support, for your letters and your prayers on my behalf. It means a lot to have that encouragement. I also pray for you! Remember that you have the love and support not only of family and friends but also a Father in Heaven who loves you more than you know!

Sincerely,

Hermana Alicia Brighton

P.S. As per Alex's comment last week, I've refrained from using so many "wow"s in this letter. But they would definitely be applicable. (: