Missionary work in Rexburg??? YES!!!

Some of my favorite people to teach. I loved connecting with people in the service of the Lord.

For a while now I have wanted to go to the Spanish Branch here in Rexburg. On Tuesday I looked up the address and everyday I thought about going to the branch. I was so excited. I woke up early on sunday and set out on my 5.5 mile bike ride to the building. Sadly I never found the church building and instead rode 11 miles in the sun on a beach cruiser. Needless to say my rear end was hurting and I was so sad I never got there.

Today while on a run I saw the missionaries at a picnic table in Porter Park. I decided to run over and ask them where the building was for the Spanish Branch. They gave me the info of the Spanish Elders. I then rudely asked them what they were doing (cause it seemed to be they were wasting time in the park). They informed me they were teaching Madison, a young man who wants to be baptised and his inactive brother would be there too with there girlfriends. They told me they were from the BAY AREA so I asked if I could stay considering I would have a connection with them.

Madison came over without his bro but his bro's girlfriend showed up. They started the lesson which was on the priesthood. They asked me to explain what it is which was really hard to do considering I haven't taught in almost a year. I just kept my mouth shut most of the time. Madison talked about how he understood better the priesthood and he is excited to be baptised.

I then couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer and I asked Madison "how do you really know it is true". He then explained that he has been to other churches but has never felt the way he does in this church. He said he just feels good. I looked into his eyes and said "Remember that feeling Madison, because Satan is going to work hard on you and try to convince you that that feeling isn't enough. Yuu must read and pray everyday so that feeling stays." Tears began to form as I testified and I felt the spirit confirm the truthfullness of my words. Madison looked at me and said "thank you".

I talked with his bros girlfriend Jenni and invited her to church, she asked for my number and said she wants to come. They set up the next meeting for this Thursday and Madison looked at me and said "You have to be there, Bree". My heart was so full and I of course said I would be back.

IT WAS AN AMAZING NIGHT. I have been feeling like something is missing in my life lately and I have been reminded what it is, the lack of service, missionary work, and testifying that I have had in my life. Yes, my fulltime mission is over but EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY is now how I should live.

I know that God lives, that Christ suffered for our sins. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God who translated the Book of Mormon which testifies of Christ. The priesthood is back on the earth and because of it you and I can be saved in the waters of baptism!

Now I understand why I couldn't find the church building, because if I had I would've never been able to have this experience.

Coach by NOT Coaching

In chapter 8 of Coach K's book he talks about "Game Day" and how crucial it is that a coach is ready and willing to make adjustments.

What touched me most was when he said "sometimes you need to coach by not coaching". He shares a few experiences where his teammates stepped up to the plate and created solutions to problems.

A great leader is someone who is able to lead by not leading at times. Someone who is ready to adjust when things aren't going as planned. A leader allows his followers to take the initiative and be problem solvers. A great leader wants his followers to be even better than they are, therefore the must give them opportunities to grow.

Christ taught us to be perfect like Him and His Father are perfect (2Ne 12:48). If we are to become like them, we must be given that chance. Our Father has taught us the ways, he has instruments in our lives who guide and direct us but the pathways are meant for us to walk.

As followers we must be ready to step it up and as leaders we must be able to step back and let our followers take the initiative. Yes, a plant needs water and sun but too much of either can keep the plant from growing, sometimes you just got to let it sit but its self and watch it grow all on its own.

Sometimes coaching without coaching is the only way to see if what you are teaching is being learned. "Teach them correct principles and let them govern for themselves."

Yes, I have ADHD

When I tell people that I have ADHD I just know that some of their first thoughts are "everyone thinks they have ADHD, it's just in your head."

I have to say I agree. It is in my head and that is the problem. But one thing that is important to know is that it is an imbalance that at times I really don't have control over.

ADHD is real and sometimes it takes more than just controlling your thoughts.

I always wonder how it is that people can sit and focus on one thing for hours at a time. Or how they just relax and not think about anything. Or how they can put a thought or idea they had on the back burner and not think about it until it is time.

I found out last fall that I am an extreme case of ADHD. After looking into it further my life makes so much sense!

Finally I realize that I am not dumb, I am not lazy, or a failure. I just now understand that I am a little different than others and I just need to find my niche and figure out how I am going to turn this "weakness" to a strength (Ether 12:27).

Let's journey together to better understand ADHD. Do you have any good information?

http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/learning/adhd.html

Your will or His?

Me and my comp Hna Admundsen making a contact in the street.

I chose to go on a mission, a decision that was incredibility hard for me considering I was in love and wanted to be married. But deep down I knew what the Lord’s will for me was and even though it was not exactly my desire, I had to go.

Once I made the decision to go I felt peace in my life, something I had not felt for the year prior to that. I was excited to get to work, to face the challenges that lied ahead and I knew that the Lord would be on my side.

I worked hard. I gave it my all, at times falling short and at times failing but I feel as though I pushed it till the very end. I saw miracles happen in my mission. I saw lives literally change over night. I was an instrument in God’s hands and I loved every minute of it.

I have now been home almost a year. When I first came home I had this excitement for life and what was to come. I made goals and promises so that I would not loose that missionary spirit and drive. I started off strong. With a plan set I was ready to face all the challenges that lied ahead.

But reality has set in and failure after failure has come. With little money, heartbreak after heartbreak, living far from everyone in the family, I have felt lost and broken. Don’t get me wrong, many things have been great but I have left them on the back burner while trying to seek my will and what I desire next for my life.

Today a good friend shared with me Helaman 10:4-5:

"4aBlessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with bunwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine cown life, but hast sought my dwill, and to keep my commandments.
5And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that aall things shall be bdone unto thee according to thy cword, for thou shalt dnot ask that which is contrary to my will."

What touched me is how the Lord is pleased with our work but at the end he reminds us to not go contrary to His will. We must ask of Him in faith for the things that we desire in our lives but they must be His will.

Have you felt as though you have given Him your all but have not received much in return? I think we need to ask ourselves “why?” Are you living according to His will?

I realized how I have lost myself in my own desires and therefore have found myself in a state of unhappiness. It is time to get back on track. And now we must live “not as I will but as thou wilt.”

Who cares how you get there...

I always seem to have a new plan, a new adventure. Nothing ever goes as planned. That’s what makes my life so entertaining. But one plan that I have always stuck to has been to be one of the first women in my family to graduate with a bachelor degree.

Since leaving my house summer of 2005 I have moved 15 times (not counting the 5 times I moved to different areas in my mission). I went from California to Idaho to Utah to Idaho to California to Idaho to California to Idaho to Utah to Virginia to Utah to Argentina to Virginia to Utah to now back to Idaho.

In the mean time I have either been working fulltime, going to school fulltime or part time of each. Not really sure of when or where I was going to finish school I just kept following my heart to certain places but I always knew that I wanted to finish school.

In the book “Leading with the Heart” Coach K talks about the importance of preparation and planning. “They have to plan and prepare for every phase, and then remain flexible when things don’t go exactly according to plan. Every long-term strategy must be adjustable and people on the team must be prepared accordingly.”

I have had to be flexible in my life, I have chosen certain roads that may not have been the best decision but I had to live with them. I never really fully lost my way, the long-term goal was always set and coming this December I will finally reach that goal and graduate!

5 Fundamentals to Having a Succesful Team

Right not I am reading “Leading with the Heart- Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life,” written by Duke’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski with Donald T. Phillips.

Just so you all know… I am most definitely a UNC fan but I saw this book at the store here on campus and couldn’t resist reading a little more about leading from one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.

I want to share with you some insight that I read today and really enjoyed how to build a more unified team.

He compares a team to a fist. On the court there are 5 players at each time, just like 5 fingers. With 5 small fingers a fist is made a little easier and is tighter then to have 5 big fingers. He talks about egos of players and how at times he would rather have 5 players that are considered less-talented who work as a team than to have to work with talented individuals who can’t seem to come together as a team.

He then brings up 5 fundamentals, if practice can make a team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring, and pride.

COMMUNICATION is key, we all know that, but what I love is that Coach K says “people learn how to think by communicating”. Though most people can communicate, leaders cannot assume that they will. They must teach people to communicate, train them to. When each person is able to communicate different sides are brought to the table and problems may be more easily solved having seen more than just one side to the story.

TRUST, “there are no words more important than trust”. In order for there to be success a high level of trust must be achieved first. To build trust a leader must be honest with himself and the members of his team. Straightforward face-to-face communication is something I feel we lack in our society at times. We are scared to stomp on toes or to hurt people’s feelings. Plus we lack being honest with ourselves, we fear failure and putting our weaknesses out there for people to see but I feel when we hold back we hold back the opportunity to learn and to build meaningful relationships.

COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY can be tough. It is so easy to put the blame on others, I recently have done it. Generally speaking the first thing we do when we are called out on a mistake is get defensive and think of all the other people who may have been involved so that we can pin it on someone else. A team that truly cares will all step up to the plate and take responsibility for each other.

CARE, it’s not just about caring for people as people, but also caring about how you perform. Coach K says that “caring can be a powerful motivational factor”. We must care about those around us and ourselves which leads to the next fundamental:

PRIDE. When many hear the word “pride” they instantly have negative thoughts, but a little bit of pride really can help a team succeed. We need to take ourselves, our jobs and our dreams seriously. We must give our best in all that we do.

FOR ALL YOU CRAZY GIRLS

CRAZY BREE

That was a nickname given to me my very first year up here at BYU Idaho while playing in the basketball league.

CRAZY and Bree have been put into the same sentence on numerous occasions. Whether it be for my overly talkative ways, my awesome dance moves, my stalker methods for my roommates and friends (oh and maybe myself at times) or for my boldness and fearless ways, many have had the same thought “dang that girl is CRAZY!”

One type of crazy I never want to be is that CRAZY type in relationships. You know that type, the girl who changes her mind everyday with what she wants. The one who will make out with you and then the next day say she never wants to talk to you again. The one who says she can handle certain things/situations but then all of sudden she can’t. She becomes an emotional roller coaster, a wreck.

I am sure many of reading this just had a name of some girl cross your mind because there are plenty out there. A guy once told me that every girl is CRAZY but the question is how CRAZY is she and can you handle it?

Why are we girls CRAZY at times? Why do we read into everything and allow our emotions to control us in so many aspects of our lives?

A lot of it has to do with estrogen, or that time of the month. Some of it at times is just the princess in us who gets frustrated when she doesn’t get what she wants.

Mostly a girl gone CRAZY is product of a relationship that goes against her natural instinct. Let me explain. We as women need the upperhand. The door must be open, the dinner must be paid for, and the kiss must be right and often. We need to be wanted and it needs to be clear that the man would choose us over anything else, that he will take care of us.

Basically we go CRAZY because the man is not giving us what we need.

Now I am girl who loves to take control. I don’t mind getting a boy to ask me out. I don’t mind encouraging the conversation or even preparing a dinner for the first date. I do believe that there are roles but you don’t have fit the mold of what society believes men and women should be.

BUT we are still women. And women need to be wanted and it needs to be clear that the man is willing to fight tooth and nail for her. It is not natural for us to fight to start a relationship, even when we want to (oh, and I have tried).

So why do we go CRAZY? Because we don’t believe he will fight for us. We see that we have lost the upperhand and so badly want it again. So we try and fight to get back in that place and when we don’t our emotions kick in and we realize that we are losing so we go into survivor mode.

We then have to decide if we are going to continue fighting. If we fight we possibly can win but if leave we possible can find that man who will give us the upperhand. Thus is the battle that rages on. We have to decide whether we will continue to fight. We want to, so we try, but then we realize it goes against everything we are intended to be which is completely admired by the man we are dating or married to.

We are in an emotional battle which makes for an awesome rollercoaster but can definitely leave u feeling sick. This is when she is fickle and indicisive. One part is telling her to fight and the other is telling her to leave and gain the upperhand somewhere else.

The world may see this girl as CRAZY due to the indecisiveness or the constant calls, text messages, or the random yelling match in the middle of a party with all close friends. But really this CRAZY girl is just trying to get her position back, just like mother nature intended her to. And most likely she has been lead to believe (by the man) that at one point she could win this battle.

Now, men, do you want to have this CRAZY girl in your life? No, so let me suggest something. Decide what you want and be clear about it, CLEAR AS GLASS. If she likes you and you do not see it going anywhere BE CLEAR, do not let her think there is a chance. Cause if she thinks there is a chance she will try to fight and when she has lost the upperhand she will go CRAZY, its inevitable.

So either just gives us the upperhand or choose to completely seperate yourself because most likely she can't just hang without wanting to fight to win you over and then the battle over what she wants and what mother nature intended will continue.