Dear Family and Friends,

Are you having a terrific day? I hope so. If not, take a moment to count your blessings...just think of 10 things you're grateful for before you continue reading.

Okay! Now I'm sure you're having a terrific day. 

This week for Thanksgiving we had posole (it's a soup with garbanzo beans) with shredded turkey. The family we ate with had prepared a traditional Thanksgiving meal as well but the turkey wasn't cooked in time, so we ended up taking home turkey and mashed potatoes and stuffing and sweet potatoes. So I had my Thanksgiving on Friday for lunch while we were planning for our week. It was REALLY yummy. 

I am so grateful for the members of our branch who love and serve us so much. They are really wonderful.

This week we also got to talk to a lot of new people and found some people that we are starting to teach. It's been a really good week.

This week is my last week with Sister O.; I'll be getting a new companion next Tuesday. I am so grateful for what I have learned from her. She has taught me to pray more fervently, depend more on Heavenly Father, listen carefully, and, most of all, work HARD. I love her very much and have been so blessed to work with her.

I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has seen fit to place so many wonderful people in my life to be my friends and examples. Thank you for what you have done to bless my life, even in the smallest ways.

Have a very fantastic week!

Love,
Hermana Brighton

Dear wonderful family and friends,

Happy thanksgiving! This is going to be an awesome thanksgiving week. There is just so much thanksgiving to do--I don't think I've ever been so conscious of how blessed I am.  I truly have so much to be grateful, not the least of which is your support and encouragement. Thank you! 

I love that in Spanish, Thanksgiving Day is translated as Dia de Accion de Gracias. The day to put our thanks in action! I plan to do that this week--to make a bigger effort to express gratitude to those around me and especially to Heavenly Father for the great things that are around me.

Speaking of which, it is beautiful here in Napa right now. The trees have changed colors, with lots of reds and yellows, and there are leaves on the ground. Today is particularly beautiful. In the car this morning, we just rolled the windows down, and the breeze and the temperature were perfect.

A weird thing is that with the time change and winter it is getting dark now really early. Before five it starts getting kind of dusky and then it's completely dark and you can see the stars by about six o'clock. This makes doing any kind of knocking on doors after dinner a little hard--even when it's only six, it seems later to people because it's so dark. So we try to have appointments in the evening or go teach people we think will probably be home. (:

This weekend Katie got baptized! Her parents were there, so we got to meet them finally. Her aunt made her a really cute white dress for her confirmation, and she was really happy. Everything went really well. I got to play the piano for the opening and closing songs.

I also got to play the piano in sacrament meeting and relief society yesterday.  I'm so glad I can play. Thanks, Mom, for the encouragement to do piano lessons so many years. (:

Well, time is flying by. The days seem short, always with so much to do. This week we were blessed with a lot of opportunities to just talk to people who crossed our path and to introduce them to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and invite them to learn more. I love those little conversations, times when I see how Heavenly Father places those who are searching for answers right in our way.

I love you all and appreciate so much your prayers and encouragement! Take time this special holiday week to think about all the blessings that you have to be thankful for. Even and especially the little things! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!!

Love,

Hermana Brighton

The sign reads "Captain Moroni Tree, 2.400 years old"  This is the district (group of missionaries) that Hermana Brighton is part of. They had a service project in the Redwoods. Dear Family and Friends, Hello! I hope that you all are doing fantastically. Thank you for your support, especially your prayers on my behalf. I have been so blessed and so happy in this week. Sister O. and I are working hard and seeing great miracles here in Napa. This Saturday, both Hisa and Max were baptized. It was wonderful to see how happy each of them was as they took this first step on the path to eternal happiness and joy. Almost all of Saturday was taken up with preparations for the baptism: we met Max to try on his white clothes in the morning, then we had to be back at the church to start filling the font at 3 pm. There was another baptism at 4:30, then Max was baptized at 5:30 and Hisa at 7. So we had a busy day!! With the extra time in the middle of the day, we were able to find a couple of people who we will be going back to teach later this week, and we also had time after Hisa's baptism to go and teach a couple of young boys who are members of the church but haven't been coming to church for a while. We read from the Book of Mormon with them about the miracle of the 2,060 young warriors whose faith and obedience preserved every single one of them from death. I love working hard in the service of the Lord all day, every day. It is such a blessing to be a missionary, and I am learning to look to the Lord in the times that are hard, for example when nobody is home and when people don't want to make the changes that would bless them so much. I've sent some pictures from the Missionary Training Center and from the camp the week before last. I'll also try to send pictures from the baptisms. Thank you again for your support and encouragement. I hope you all are enjoying your week and remembering the love and care that our Heavenly Father has for you in every moment. I know he gives each of us miracles every day as we ask for them in faith. When we look, we'll recognize those great blessings! Much love, Hermana Brighton

Hi!

Thank you for all the letters and prayers of support. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family and great friends who believe in me and remind me to keep doing my best!

This past week we had the opportunity to meet together as all of the missionaries in the Santa Rosa Mission at a camp and to learn how we can better serve the Lord and have more faith in the promises of the Lord. This is an exciting time for missionary work in this area because we have been promised by a servant of the Lord that we can increase the number of people that we help to come to Christ and enter into the covenant of baptism to 101 every month. That is a lot of people! But I know it will happen because I have already seen miracles that have brought us into the homes and hearts of people who are seeking the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that we teach. We will also soon have 86 more missionaries serving in this area, so the work is really picking up.

I am learning more and more every day the importance of the simple things. Our Heavenly Father works in simple ways--the most important things we can do each day are some of the smallest things. Prayer. Studying the scriptures. When we talk to Him each day and let Him talk to us by reading the words He has given us, then no matter what trials or problems we have, we will have peace and the strength that we need. Missionary work is hard work--it's wonderful work. I'm grateful for the peace and strength Heavenly Father gives me each day as I turn to Him to help me do His great work and serve the people here in Napa. I love them. I love my companion, and I love the members of the church here who love us so much in return. I love our Heavenly Father, and I know that he knows and loves us perfectly.

Make today a fantastic day!! I love you!

Love,
Hermana Alicia Brighton