Sibling Letter: Introducing Yourself on Mission

Hi Flora,

We have some good news.. I am having a baby!!! I am two months prego :) anyways I will tell mom and dad today so you are the first to know... good job on your talk that's good that you can do that. In Korea you would have to stand and introduce yourself in sacrament meeting in every area you moved to. I hated it haha. So you should practice introducing yourself like that cuz you will have to do it alot. Anyhow this is your St. Patrick's Day present...Have a good day!

Genevieve Bruno-Larsen

Sibling Letter: Interviews in the Church and On Missions

Dear Sister Bruno,

This week has been seriously ridiculous like no one's business. I have had a million things to do because we are right at the end of the second midterms the ones that come right before finals. It is strange that you can't start to really just get into a pattern and than boom things change that was how I always felt about my mission once you get into a comfort zone you leave the MTC or get transferred to a new area haha. So once again it is time to move and I think that I will live like a few blocks away from where I am living now so I will still be close to campus.

So in life, well Desi got a job which you probably know. Annika is still looking for one to go with her one hour of being a TA a week ha ha nothing new there. She is deciding where to nanny this summer, but wants to go o California so I hope she finds something. Genevieve and Stewart are pretty much the same really happy and honeymoonie (barf?) haha they are still trying to get pregnant but no luck so far ha ha. I am still boring and not dating anyone but working on it lol. I am starting to actually get serious about doing a study abroad my dream is to go to Jerusalem so I am starting to actually put in my applications and such so we will see.

I am studying the New Testament so that is always exciting and we have a test this week on Acts and Corinthians. I never realized how applicable they are to missionary work, but since Paul was a missionary who went to all of the Gentiles I guess that makes sense. I restarted the Book of Mormon also and I was reading Joseph Smith's account of when Moroni appeared to him. I liked how when he met each year before he got the plates with Moroni he called it an interview. In the church we have a lot of interviews and since the structure is divinely inspired I was wondering what it is about interviews that God thinks is so important. I was thinking about my mission, and how much I looked forward to our president's interviews because they gave us an opportunity to reevaluate where we were and to remind us of our role and to rededicate ourselves but also to get instruction from someone who really did have stewardship over us. I love that God gives us that opportunity. . . . and has since they very beginning since Joseph went to get the plates. Ne ways keep you eye single ha ha.

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=

Sibling Letter

Missionary Name: Sister Flora Bruno
Mission: Provo MTC
Date Submitted: March 9


Hey! Yeah dad read your letter to me before i read your letter to me so sorry.... I made you a card and sent you a letter in the real mail so expect that to be coming soon. Nothing really happening here. I made up my mind and im going to BYU-Hawaii! Well yeah i wrote about other stuff in my letter so Ill let you read that whenever you get it!
Love You
Desi

Sibling Letter: Get Companions For A Reason

Dear Sister Bruno,

This week has been terrible. I have been sooo sick with the flu. Other than that I have been getting into midterms so that is always awful. I am glad that you are friends with your district. I seriously believe that you get your district and your MTC companions for a reason. I am sorry about the drama haha you can tell me if you want, but do not have to... I am sure that it will get better though because you are trying to be Christlike and that is enough.

This week I decided to graduate in December so that will make exactly 8 semesters of school and I will be done before I am 23 so that will be good. I am nervous because that means that I will be single still but perhaps God wants me to go somewhere else to find my EC. I know...yuck. So I have to take the LSAT and GMAT and apply to grad school. I will let you know where I get in. We will see.

This week in my New Testament class I found my new favorite story in the New Testament. You should look it up. I feel like I am like Rhoda. So in Acts 12 a grumpy angel frees Peter from prison, so Peter goes and knocks on the door of Mary's house, and Rhoda goes to the door and hears that it is Peter...so instead of opening the door she runs to tell everyone that Peter is at the door and leaves him standing there hahahaha I am not sure what spiritually uplifting message we learn from this but I loved it. I love that every time I read the scripture I pick up new things that didn't seem as funny the last time.

I love you. Keep on keeping on. You are amazing.

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=

Sibling Letter: Seminary Drama

Missionary Name: Sister Flora Bruno
Mission: Provo MTC
Date Submitted: February 23


Well I already wrote you once today, but i read your email and i see you want to hear about drama. haha well. We got a new seminary teacher who is particularly annoying... Well last week she was teaching the class about grace and she brought up the example of when christ is on the cross telling the thief about seeing him in paradise and she was all like we can assume that the thief was baptized and repented of his sins and is going to the highest kingdom and i was all like no we can't we can say he went to the spirit world but not the highest kingdom and she tried to make me look stupid like if you dont think its true then just think of it as a what if its true and i was like its not true i know its not. anyways then i just stopped talking to her and i looked up in the bible dictionary the word paradise and it says usually it refers to the highest kingdom except in a few cases in the new testament and the example they used was the thief on the cross, and it says that Jesus was talking about Spirit Prison haha yeah ever since then shes hated me, and this morning i said one thing about Franny being annoying and everyone freaked out so franny left the room (not because of me, because everyone was making a big deal out of it). Anyways the teacher tried to make me go after her and i refused and she told me you cant be doing this anymore and i told her id do whatever i wanted... Well i feel bad for this morning and i told her sorry but seriously i hate when adults try to tell me how and how i cant act. Well thats the drama of the week... Oh yeah and i was right Franny liked Tanner all along hahaha and i dont even punch her when she says his name.
XOXO
Desi

Sibling Letter: Choosing Which BYU to Go To

Missionary Name: Sister Flora Bruno
Mission: Provo MTC
Date Submitted: February 23


Hey Flora.

I haven't written for a week and last weeks was kind of mean so sorry... Anyways what have you been up to? Nothing much here. Still just school and church and trying to find a job. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to Hawaii but then again I'm not 100% positive. It's actually cheaper in the long run which I did not know until I researched. The only thing is its more expensive up front which is kind of a bad thing since I'm pretty much broke. Oh well hopefully I'll be able to find a job soon. Well I'll keep praying for you. Love you hope your having a blast. I can't wait for my mission

XOXO
Desi

Sibling Letter

Hey Flora! Today's a four-day weekend, so i don't have to go to school thank goodness. Did you get our valentines box?? haha we did that for FHE. Pretty suprising that we actually had FHE. I got into BYU, and now i don't know where i want to go. Its either BYU-H or BYU. I really have no clue what i should do. Annika thinks I should go to BYU-H. Still can't wait to graduate haha. How's the MTC? hope your having fun, and feeling the spirit.XOXODesi

Sibling Letter: Valentine's Prose

Dear Flora,

Roses are red, violets are blue, I love you so does everybody else.

Flora you are adorable

From Michael

Happy Valentine's Day

Have fun in the M-to the -T-to the-C!

Franny

Sibling Letter: Valentine's Day

To Flora:

You stole my candy, but I still love you.

Nikki

Sibling Letter: Happy Valentine's Day

To Flo from Desi,

Happy Valentines Day!

Only 16 weeks until graduation. I can't wait. Hope you're doing good learning Chinese. We miss you... Enjoy the Valentine's care package. Send pictures.

XOXO

Desi

P.S. Share w/your companion.

Sibling Letter: Never Forget Why Doing Things in MTC

From: Genevieve Victoria Bruno
To: FloraAimee@myldsmail.net
Date: 02/02/09 07:22 am
Subject: Re: Repitition, Repitition

Dear Flora,

We are so happy that you are enjoying your companion and the MTC. Remember that the most important thing you can do is help your companion learn the language. For some reason on missions when you do your best to help those around you, you make the most progress personally. My MTC teacher told me "never forget WHY you are doing things, learning the language, studying, etc". The most precious times to me were studying the gospel. The more simply you can teach it. We were really lucky to get to go to the Draper Temple open house with Annika and Gigi. It was so cool to see how excited Annika was to see the rooms in the temple and for us to teach her what happens there. She wanted to go back through again at the end! It was also wonderful to remember that I am sealed to a sweet husband for eternity. The only complaint I have about being married so far is that Stuart does EVERYTHING for me! I told him we need to hurry up and have kids so I have things to do. Since I have a little extra time I started doing Family history work, I discovered I don't have the Spirit of Elijah...I think it should be called Family Frustration Work, but I am starting to things organized bit by bit.

I was doing personal study today and I found this quote that I hope means as much to you as it did to me, I felt prompted that you could use it:

Self-understanding was never an easy prize, and this is particularly true today. We live in a rapid, changing world; an environment of scheduled necessity, transient phenomena, attention-idverting advertising and news. David Riesman, Erik Erikson, Hendrik Ruttenbeek, and numerous other sociologist warn of an identity crisis--the desperate search of millions for a stable identity and peace not offered by material things.

Revealed truth concerning man's origin and destiny give the Latter-day Saint a much sounder basis for self-knowledge than most people have. A testimony of the simple scripture "Man was also in the beginning with God" (D&C 93:29) should add peace to any life. Nevertheless, even dedicated Church members sometimes permit themselves a "years-are-slipping-by-so-fast" despair, complaining of the shallowness of life, worrying over the mundane.

It need not be so. Only when we fail to search inward and find the beauty of our divininely sired spirits does frustration become a habit. Contrarily, a greater understanding of our premortal heritage and possible postmortal inheritance enables us to view daily affairs in the light of eternity. Frustration diminishes.

Self-knowledge is likewise an important element in the process of perfection. To his people in the Old World and later in the New, the Savior distilled the message of his Sermon on the Mount with the commandment, "Be ye therefore perfect." (Matt. 5:48. See also 3 Ne. 12:48.) To reach that ideal, we must know ourselves, for until we are conscious of our weaknesses, we cannot correct them; until we know our strengths, we cannot use them well.

I hope you are learning about your weaknesses so that Christ can lift you up...don't get discouraged, just remember "if Satan can't ruin this work, then don't be so prideful to think you can!" We love you and are proud of you.

Genevieve

Hey this is Stuart. What's up? How is MTC Life in Provo? I have never been a missionary there so I don't know how it is. I know that the mission is such an amazing time in your life and you have the chance to do a work that is unparalleled to anything else. Take advantage of all the incredible resources you have available to you. You will be a great missionary. Let the Lord guide you. We love you a lot.

Stuart

Sibling Letter to Missionary

Missionary Name: Sister Flora Bruno
Mission: Provo MTC
Date Submitted: January 24


Hey Flora!!!

I hope your having tons of fun in the MTC. I miss waking you up when i get home from school haha. Hows learning the language? I'm sure your doing great. SC is boring as usual. nothings rlly happening. Thanks for setting a good example. I love you and miss you.

XOXO

Desi

Sibling Letter

Missionary Name: Sister Flora Bruno
Mission: Provo MTC
Date Submitted: January 26


Hey Flora!

It is really good to hear from you. I'm glad to hear that you like your companions and teacher. It's such a small world that one of the sisters knew Annika and Gen. I hope that you are having fun in the MTC. Church has been fun lately. We have been focusing on being examples of the believers. That is the mutual theme this year. I think it is 1 Timothy 4:12. I really like it because it is a really good message, and it is something that I can definitely work on. I am also working on getting my young women hood recognition. If you have any recommendations please make sure to tell me, but make sure you stay focused and work on learning all that Chinese! I can't wait until you are actually in Taiwan and get to teach everyone. I'm so excited for you. I LOVE YOU! Have the best time and make sure to keep us all updated on what's going on!


Franny

Sibling Letter: Have Fun in the MTC

Hey Flora!!!

I hope you are having tons of fun in the MTC. I miss waking you up when I get home from school haha. How's learning the language? I'm sure you're doing great. SC is boring as usual. Nothings rilly happening. Thanks for setting a good example. I love you and miss you.

XOXO

Desi

Sibling Letter: Love the Missionaries in MTC

Dear Sister Bruno,

So, I am going to write you, but I do not want you to correct or judge me for my spelling and grammar, so by now you are probably adjusting to your schedule. Dani told me that your companion refuses to speak English and that she dated this Landon kid in our ward, that made me laugh, so I guess she is intense hahahaha, how annoying...just joking I am sure that you love her. I am sure that God gave you her for a reason. Don't forget to love the Elders and help them and be their friend because they will be your leaders on the mission, your future district leaders, zone leaders and assistants. It is strange when I look back man, my district grew so much just in the MTC and you get a whole extra month of no bake cheesecake. I am going to buy some and have it tomorrow to celebrate. I am looking forward to getting email and p-day. I hope your teachers are awesome, but well they all are so...Things are good here. Matt tells me he loves accounting, but no word on the Felicia front. My life is still boring and uneventful. I started volunteering for this thing called Project Read, I am going to teachy a illiterate adult how to read. I am excited. Today we will go to a baptism of a cute Korean girl, I will send you a picture once I get your email address and tell you all about it.

Ti Voglio Bene
=G=