Memorial Day

We built a fort in our apartment yesterday in honor of our families going camping without us haha. So that was fun :)

Are you reading the book of Mormon? cause it's basically the best :)

Here is a suggestion the next time you start the Book of Mormon.  Something our mission does, is the finding Christ activity. So one color for each of the following;

1. Christ's name, or any variation thereof

2. Christ like attributes

3. Joyful words

4. The gospel of Jesus Christ

5. When the lord is speaking

6. verses you like or that speak to you

I have never understood the BoM better :)

Here’s some adventures from the last week:

-we're starting the Hinckley 90 day BOM challenge with Adrian... look it up. It’ll be tough, but awesome. It’s really cool to watch him light up as he learns more and enjoys reading the BOM.

-we made cupcakes.... and I only had ONE. I’m really grateful that I don't frequently have a craving for sweets like that.

-I got a call this week from the mission office asking what airport I want to fly into.... yikes.

-we got a crockpot to make food!

-did I tell you about when we helped plant a tree a couple weeks ago?

-we went over to the browns (love them!) and made cookies on Sunday, to deliver to LA's and people. That was a lot of fun. Did I tell you, and brother brown told me that when I come back to visit El Paso after my mish, he has a hot date lined up for me? hahaha

-the member I offended when I first got here... we had dinner at her house yesterday. I was really scared, but it ended up being really good. I mean, we stayed too long cause I was scared to tell her we had to leave. But I don't THINK I offended her this time. lol

-did I tell you last week about sister miller coming out with us to teach?....

-if you have never had horchata, you should see if you can find some. I don't think it'll be as good there... but it's great. There are SO many good restaurants here. One day we can come back together and I’ll show you how to eat :) seriously Dad, you would love the food here. There’s chili on everything, and it's wonderful :) I’m sending home a package today with a lot of my clothes and stuff... but I’m including some Mexican candy. Some of it is weird, some is good. I don't think the family will like much of it, but you might. Good luck :) and have you heard of chicharones? I probably spelled it wrong.... but we eat those a lot too. Seriously, I love Mexican food :)

Sometimes when we teach people and they don't quite get it, I feel like I’m teaching someone like, Drew’s age (9). Which is so good, because then you just explain it in super simple terms, and that's all they need. And when they read and understand stories and concepts, or come and share insights and what they learned in Sunday school, I just feel like a proud parent :) it's awesome :)

We were making goals yesterday in FHE, and Sam suggested I make a goal to apply what I've learned from my mission, to my workplace one day.  I’m excited :)

Love,

Sister Brown

After Mother's day, and transfer week

Hi!
I was so good to talk to you and see ya'll yesterday.  Oh!  There is a member in our ward, Brother Brown.  (His name is Charlie Brown...for reals.  And they ae one of my FAVORITE families)  We went over there last night, and he said that when I come back to visit El Paso one day, he has a hot date lined up for me.  haha.  : )

I'm glad it's getting warm.  We were in the 90's yesterday.  Here's to a summer in El Paso!!  Yikes.

I can't think of anything I forgot to tell you...things are going good.  We're hoping for a few baptisms.  I've been feeling a little homescik lately...but I think that comes with the package of getting close to the end.  But Sis. M and i are best friends...that makes missionary work a lot easier and more enjoyable.  I'm really glad we're staying together...plus it'll help me with living with a person for more than 6 weeks...I've always had a change.  I don't know how I'm ever going to get married.  haha!

I don't know how I'm ever going to date when I get home though.  Seriously, I like to think that I won't be awkward.  And I might not be in general...but good heavens!  I don't know how I'm going to go on dates.  Talk to boys, yes.  That's fine.  but go on dates and not be awful?  I don't know if I'll ever get married!  : 0  haha

Love you  : )

Sister Brown

It's Mothers Day week!

Howdy!

We went to a Mexican Birthday party this week.   It was so much fun.  Maybe I'll see if I can send home some of the Mexican candy we got in the goody bag.  It's interesting, but pretty good.  : )  Also, we play a game as missionaries, called sandwich punch.  Did I tell you about it?  Anyways, when we are with Adrian and Yvonne, we taught them to play, but we play with any food, not just sandwiches.  It started when Adrian punched my cheesecake about a month ago......so anyways, we're at this birthday party for their nephew. And Adrian wanted us to start teaching his mom, so we took the Spanish missionaries, which also happened to be our zone leaders.  So the 4 of us sat and talked for a long time...anyways, after a while they brought out cake.  and the zone leaders went to go the bathroom.  Well, as soon as they came back, and Elder N took his fork off his cake, Yvonne punched it!  It splattered right onto the floor, and onto his shirt a little.  He was in shock.  It was so funny.  : )  I'll have to really try and explain missionary life and dynamics to you one day.  : )

My favorite person this week was probably Adrian and Yvonne.  They are not new...we've been teaching Adrian since I've been in the area.  But they are awesome!  Yvonne is less active and Adrian is getting baptized....in July.  Hopefully sooner that that though.  Anyways, they are awesome, and so chill.  We've seen Adrian come a long way, and we feel so at home with them.

We teach about 6 member present lessons a week.  A total of probably about 11 lessons a week.  We need more though!

I'm excited to talk to you on Sunday for Mother's Day!  : )

Love,

Sister Brown

End of April

Hello!
Things with Swa are good.  : )  She has come to church twice, and to our Wednesday class.  We don't have a baptism date set yet, but we're working on it.  She wants to get baptized and we haven't seen Ciller again.  We're really sad about that.  She probably moved back to FL, so we just need to try and get a hold of her and send missionaries to her there.
Journal...not good overall.  But we went to the temple yesterday (!!!!!) and we spent about 10 hours in the car, so I was able to get a little caught up then.  That was nice.  I guess that goal will have to carry over a little.  But one cool thing, is that over  a year ago I started a little journal type thing where everyday I write one sentence about something that made me smile that day.   I accidentlaly stopped that for about 2 months, but I'm picking it back up again, and just those little sentences remind me of so many stories, so that's nice.
 : )

Success this week...we tend to keep running into single men to teach.  So that's a little awkward.  But we met this man named Tony.  He's a single dad...and a little flirty.  So we take guys with us wehn we teach him.  But he is super nice, and very prepared.  He's way cool to teach.  Before we could even commiit him, he told us that he was going to read tha BOM and pray about it, and make any decision he was going to make, based on his feelings from the Holy spirit.  And we hadn't even mentioned it!

Other adventures...Like I said, we went to the temple yesterday!  It was a really, really long day.  But it was so good.  I loved every minute.

Love,

Sister Brown  : )

It's a great day!

Hi!
I don't think I really had any challenges this week.  It was a really good week.  : )

Success: we had a miracle!  We were walking to find a potential, and walked by a lady.  Her name is Ciller.  She commented on Sis. M's skirt, so we went and talked to her.  She's from FL, and so fun.  And black.  : )  She said that there had been a lot of drama, and she was visiting her son and daughter in law. She was drinking a beer, but said that she hadn't done that in a log time...things were hard.  She had just prayed as we walked up and we were and answer to her prayers.  She said that she felt a calm, and when we were getting ready to leave (after sharing a message with her about the restoration) we prayed with her.  She said that she had had a headache, and the prayer worked like Tylenol.  She has been searching, and we were and answer to her prayers.  It was so cool.  : )  She was probably my favorite person this week.

Goal for this week..actually, write in my journal.  Seriously, it's been so long.  We've just been so busy, and people keep calling us at night...our planning takes WAY too long, and we only have time at night to get ready for bed, not really do anything else.  It's ridiculous.

We had interviews with President and Sis. Miller this week.  Yesterday actually.  Something really sweet that Sis. Miller said, is that she referred to Pres. Monsons talk about love, and said that that was me.  That I am love, like he talked about.  I thought that was really sweet.

Also, she talked about patriarchal blessings, and how neat they are.  We are working on helping our members that don't have them, towards getting them.  I love reading mind and knowing about the blessings that are in store for me.  I love the constant encouragement when I read it.  A few months ago Pres. talked about finding our personal ministry...like Christ had a ministry.  I decided that mine is to help those around me feel that when they are with me, they can be themselves.

I'm doing really well.  Like, a million times better than a few weeks ago.  Things are so good.  : )

Love ya'll so much!

Sis. Brown

I think the Elders are late for a meeting.

Q&A

Hello!

 "How are you this week?  Tell me a few things about you..."
I'm doing good this week.  About me...I'm torn between cutting my hair or not.  I love it long, and I love that while it's long...it's easy to put up.  And that will be good for the summer.  But it generally looks lazy and takes a while to do, which is a pain.  I also am contemplating with dying it again...but I kind of want to see how blonde I can get it this summer.  But I'm going gray...no joke.

"What has been your biggest challenge this week?"
Geting member present lessons.  We did a lot of good work this week,, but we struggled to have lessons, and when we did, to hav emembers there.  But, it's not all about numbers I guess.  Also, trying to get better at talking to people...  Actually, I guess in a nutshell a big struggle this week was realizng (yet again) all the weaknesses, and things to work on.  Seriously, there is so much.  And it's so hard to know where to start.  And then to be thinking about school, and just going home and things like that.  It all sneaks up on you so fast.  : (

"What has been your biggest success?"

We talked with Bishopo, and it was really good.  Before, we thought that he didn't really like us.  But now we're not so worried about it.  (I accidentally offended another member.  Sometimes I reallhy wonder what on Earth I'm doing in El Paso.)  So that's a little mess.  But Bishop was SO understanding, and really wants us to reach out to him, and just kind of be his friend.  He wants to help us, and we just didn't know it. 

"Who has been your favorite person this week?  Why?

My favorite person this week was probably Swa.  We met her a couple of weeks ago.  But she is SO prepared for the gospel.  Her and her husband Chris.  They are fellowshipped well from her neighbor, and they are just so awesome.  I think one of my favorite parts about being a missionary, is when you are teaching the plan of salvation, and you finish it, and you ask ho they are feeling or what they think, and they say "I want to make sure I go there!" as they point to teh Celestial Kingdom.  She just gets it!  It's so cool.  And she is South African, and so darling, and they have an ORANGE wall in their house, and she made us homemade fried chicken.  It's the greatest.  :)

"Do you have a goal set for this coming week?  Tell me about it."

To write in my study journal every day, and to talk with my companion to at least 5 people a day.  Actually, that's more of a transfer goal, but anyways.  I LOVE writing in my study jornal as I read the BOM.  I forgot how mjuch more you learn when you do.  I'm really excited to show you my BOM that I've been reading from when I get back.  :)

Lucky you for the super long email today!

Love,

Sister Brown

  

Howdy!

I figure I'm in Texas now, so I could probably start talking like a true Texan.  ;)

It's been a pretty good week.  It's been a really long week for some reason.  Maybe because it's the beginning of the transfer...I dunno.  It was also a weird week for lessons.  We didn't teach as many as we would have liked, and they weren't all that great either.  But we set some goals, and wrote some good plans to get everything done this next week and make it super boss.  :)

We taught Rocco once (first time in the last 3 weeks) and did a turnover lesson so the Elders could teach him, because it was getting really awkward with us there.  So that seemed good.  We also had to give a man named Eddie to the Elders because he actually lives in their area.  I'm super sad about that, because he is AWESOME.  So cool to teach and so prepared for the gospel.  The Elders are some lucky bums.

We're trying to do more walking lately.  It's getting warm though.  Well, I guess lately it's been really nice.  We're hanging out in the 70's mostly, sometimes the 80's.  it's great.  :)

We were planning outside yesterday, and a 14yr old boy came up to us and asked us if we wanted to pet his dog.  Of course we said yes, and talked with him for a little while.  he was really curious as to what we were doing.  We talked for awhile, and we're going to meet with him again on Saturday at 5 :)  Miracles!  I think those are the most important things...at least for right now.  My comp is awesome, and we have a lot of fun, and get a lot of work done.  it's great.  : )

I still feel a little stressed.  Just with training, and general mission things.  But about a month ago, I definitely would have been at a red stress level, which is dangerous, and now I'm around a yellow, which is a lot better.

I hope that all is well with y'all.

Love,
Sister Brown