Elder Brayden Knowlden

Week 102 9-28-20 It's pretty crazy to think I'm already at less than a week left in the mission field! It sure has been a blast these past couple years. This week not too much happened. On Monday we went into Cambridge to do laundry at another Elders apt. While waiting we played some Frisbee something we do that a lot for our exercise time, its pretty fun! Well we also started to teach someone this week! Her name is Katie and she has lots of friends that are members. Both of these wards (Belmont 1 and Belmont 2) are pretty awesome! This week we were also able to do some service again! One at the Mass Audubon conservation and another at Belmont High School helping hand out bags of food. This week we had Zone Training with in our Districts. We met as separate Districts then had a video call with the other Districts and our Mission President, it was pretty fun! We also had in person Church this week with Belmont 1st ward and it was so nice to be back! I truly have enjoyed being so close to the Boston Temple while here in Belmont! Just simply being on the Temple Grounds gives me so much peace! "Something you say will affect at least one person in the congregation". This was told to me by Brother Grayson one of my young men's leaders back when I was 14. We were at a Stake Fireside during a stake youth trip. Those words touched me, and every time I have the opportunity to do so I love to bare my testimony. Yesterday I was able to bare my departure testimony to the whole Mission for our Mission Sunday Service via Zoom, So here it goes. Most of you know that before my mission I felt as if it was best for me to wait until I was 19, instead of going out at 18 like most missionaries do. Well finally I'm on the mission and it's my second area of Martha's Vineyard! I was so stoked for it, and to be able to say "oh yeah I loved there". In reality it was extremely hard for me, but Sunday night I called my Mission President saying I needed an "ET" (get transferred). It wasn’t necessarily because I didn’t like the area or companion or the people. While I was there I felt as if I was in a point if isolation, locked away from the world. At this point in my mission we could only call family twice a year, I last talked to my family 2 months prior. So yeah it was very hard for me. I ended up getting a therapist and meeting with a doctor. I prayed about it and I knew that getting on medication for my mild depression and anxiety would be something I should do. We then got the announcement about calling home every week and that definitely helped and I ended up serving there for 3 months! I asked Heavenly Father often in prayer "Why am I going through this"? Fast forward over a year later I am now in Methuen with a new companion, Elder Foster. I was once again struggling and wanting to go home. I've had these thoughts a couple of times but every time I prayed I knew I needed to finish my mission. Anyway, once again I am feeling like I did while on Martha's Vineyard. This time, though it was hard mentally I was better able to handle the stress of quarantine. Elder Foster helped me realize that the reason I was on the Vineyard was so I can better handle these hard times during quarantine and not go home early! I know that there is someone that I need to meet or maybe it was for me to learn to trust in the Lord and His timing! My prayer was answered over a year later, but He has been supporting me every day since! So I was able to share this during my Mission Wide Sunday Service, shortly after a missionary reached out to me and thanked me for my testimony because they are going to start counseling soon and it was something they needed to hear! So whenever you have the opportunity to bare your testimony, do it! You will help at least one person when you do so! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!