April 28, 2014 HAPPY HUMP WEEK!

Happy Hump Week!!

CRAZY that I´m half-way. It doesn´t feel like it that´s for sure! I love it so much, and it makes me a little sad to know that I´m on the down slope. I read a talk from Pres. Uchtdorf that talks about always being in the middle. I´m just going to keep saying that I´m at the half-way mark of my mission until the last day! It´s better that way!

This week was pretty good. Monday we picked up E and went to Dominos. We ate with all the missionaries, then went to the church to play sports. It was so much fun. We played soccer and basketball - then we went inside for a little bit, then it started to rain so we went and played soccer in the rain! Such a blast! It wasn´t pouring but it was raining enough to make it fun! Then we came home and showered quickly and went to the R's. (they wanted to have the family home evening earlier because they were going somewhere) When we got there, their return missionary son told us that there were investigators there. But I knew he was lying the whole time. The one girl played like she didn´t know much about the church for a long time. I could tell she was a member, one - I saw her garments. two - everyone was laughing. But she is really cute. She was H´s (the return missionary) mom in the mission. After, we went to A´s and R´s and taught there mother who is super old. R wants her to be baptized before she dies. She is a Jehova´s witness, but she is listening to us. R made us vegitarian paella and ensalada ruso! (russian) it was super yummy!! I loved it!

Tuesday we helped with the primary activity at the church. It was a lot of sitting around, which was a bummer - but we were able to help so that was good. During medio-dia we went to go stay with Hna. Nielsen at the bus station. After, we were able to see F and E. We wanted to watch finding faith in Christ, but the remote didn´t work to change it to Spanish. So we ended up talking about faith, E wants to be baptized - but F doesn´t want to commit to anything. After that, we taught English class then had the noche de hogar. As Hna. Read, E and I were walking to a lesson, I stepped in dog poop. In my sandals... (well, your sandals) and it got on my foot. It was SUPER gross. We went back to the church and cleaned it up. So we weren´t able to go teach the lesson. I ended up throwing the sandals away... they kind of hurt my feet. So I´m going to be looking for some other ones. I need some, especially here in the summer.

Wednesday we went to pick up Hna. Nielsen and the bus station and she came with us to a lesson. We saw this lady who is evangelical.. it was an interesting lesson. We didn´t have much time, so we decided to share a scripture in Alma. We opened up the Book of Mormon and she went and got her bible and she said ´´chapter 32, let´s see if it´s the same as in my bible´´ she opens up her bible to deuteronomy and chapter 32 and then she said ,´´not the same´´. It was a struggle of a  lesson - we arent going to keep teaching her because It´s a waste of time! Then we went to E´s and stayed with her during medio-dia. She fed us yummy ecuadorian food. Then we went to the bus station to pick up.... HNA LYONS!!

It was fun to see her for a few minutes! We talked and caught up a little bit. Then E came with us to see A because he called us and told us he was in town. We saw him and he invited us to come to his house to eat this week. He is a professional cook and works at a 5-star restaurant. After him, we saw F. We taught him about being a disciple and the he said the saddest thing. I´ll tell you more about it in a letter. Then we saw R (J´s uncle) we taught them and then as we asked for references, he said that his sister lives down the road - then invited us to go with him to meet her. We went and she seems really nice. E was dying at this point because she had been with us the entire day!! 

Thursday was my half-way mark!! we ate with the R family and it was super yummy - and filling. We went to the church to practice with F (8 year old member) the song for her baptism this weekend. That night we ate with E and M and J! 

Friday I started eating healthy. We got a text from F saying that he was thinking about us and that he was home. We ran over before district meeting to see how everything was. He was good... nothing special. We had our district meeting then we went to a pueblo to eat with A. E came with us but she had to be back really early.. .it was a disaster. We had to hurry and run everywhere - we didn´t get back in time, but everything was alright. Amadeu fed us pasta with mashed potatoes with chocolate. It was a random mix.. but it was good. We got home... and I threw up. I did not feel good. I felt a little better after, so we went and worked. We saw A, S - and F. F was better - we talked about the Book of Mormon. He really just needs to be willing to follow the commandmants and he´s ready to go. We came home because I didn´t feel too great.

Saturday we played a little soccer with E. Then it was F´s baptism.

We gave the message at it and we showed a video that was really cool. It´s called ´´We´re still a family´´. It turned out great. Then we went to two other baptisms. J A (the SHE´s investigator) who said he would get baptized after he finished the Book of Mormon and he finished it Saturday morning. Then D (the zl´s investigator) who came to church in our ward by herself. She is adorable! I love her lots.

Sunday we went to church with R and D another investigator came too. We taught him and his wife later that day. It was a super long lesson /: then we saw a few other people. 
Today we are going to the castle. It should be fun!

This week is the week of consecration. I know there are going to be miracles if we are obedient and trying our hardest to submit ourselves to the will of God.

Love you!!

Love

Hermana Brown

Semana Santa!! (April 21, 2014)

Semana Santa!!

Wow... what a crazy week. I feel like it went by SO fast, but then Monday seems like it was a year ago!! I feel like my weeks are kind of like up and down... but there are always little miracles that makes everything better!!

Monday we went and played volleyball. I was really careful, and had a LOT of fun! We played as districts - so, Elder Skousen (who played club and high school) was on the other team. He hit it so hard, and I tried to dig. (Sometimes worked out better than others) Before the game was over, my arms had little bruises all over them. It was a lot of fun though. After, we were in our house and S called us!! We were SO happy that everything was okay with him. He said he could see us, then he called us a little later and said he actually couldn´t. We tried to see M and F, but both of them failed us. The only thing we ended up doing was going to noche de hogar and heard a message about service. It was really good.

Tuesday morning we had zone conference. I must admit, I really miss Elder R as a zone leader. The new one is great, but it just isn´t the same without R. That afternoon, we were able to see M 1. He was one of the people Hna. Nielsen and I contacted the first week she was here.  When we saw him this week, he was doing great. We taught him about agency and how we receive blessings. He said he would read and pray - he seemed to be doing a lot better. Then we went to english class and had a fun lesson. We played a game with opposites then played telephone. I just love the people in my class - I´m going to miss them. Then we went to R´s with E. We got there quite late, and we were going to watch a dvd with them, but they couldn´t get it to work. 

Wednesday we saw F and he is just so much happier!! We talked to him and instead of asking if he has received an answer, we asked if he believed that the Book of Mormon is true. He said YES!! After, we saw A. She was just as cute as ever. She told us that she is in love with her therapest. ´´Qué guapo´´ she says! So cute.. she is just my favorite person ever. As we left the piso that afternoon, we were talking about Hna. Read´s sandals and how we hope they don´t break because she doesn´t have any money to buy new ones. About 5 minutes later, her sandal broke. We went to one lady´s house named R. She said she doesn´t really want to listen to us, so I said ´´if you don´t want us to come, we wont - we just want to leave this with you.´´ She said, ´´no no you can come whenever you would like.´´ She contradicted herself quite a bit our doorway conversation. It was pretty interesting. Then we went to ask A if she had a stapler and she said no, but she ended up giving Hna. Read new sandals. So nice! We ended up walking SO MUCH that afternoon, no one was home! We finally ended up seeing E and as we began talking to her, one of her fish died. We helped her clean the tank, and then her other fish started dying. She was super sad ): We also cooked dinner for her, it was a little bit of a disaster. But it ended up tasting good.

Thursday we ate with the R's. It was super yummy, and a ton of food. We had yucha, potatoes and meat! That afternoon, we saw M 1 and had a great lesson with him. He accepted a baptismal date and said he would work hard for it. Then we saw Andreia finally. She is doing pretty good, picking up work here and there! Then we taught english class, then headed to R´s again. We brought up his baptism, and he said ´´I´m not getting baptized, I´ve already been baptized´´ It was a little bit of a rough lesson. But it´s alright, E told him that he needed to pray with faith to know if these things are true! She is progressing so much!

Friday we saw J and explained a little bit about Family History. Then we saw S!! Yay! I was so happy to see him. He said he has a little problem, but he didn´t say what it was. We talked to him and he started to open up again. He said he wasn´t going to come to church though. ): Then we saw E and C. They fed us homemade pasta! It was DELICIOUS but they gave me so much. That night we saw D and A. They said that they both read, but neither of them prayed. They were really cute about it. After, we saw E and asked her if she thought the things we were saying were true. Then we invited her to be baptized and she said YES!! 

Saturday morning was the baptism of the Russians. It was a beautiful baptism. It was in a few different languages, but the spirit was SUPER strong. Like I said, the Hermanas sang a song and it was really pretty. We didn´t have much time to practice it, but it sounded good. Then that evening we saw E. We talked to her about authority and invited her to be baptized and she said yes!! She is super cute and I wish we saw her more. Then we saw S and he accepted a different date for his baptism. then we saw D and A and they both said they would be baptized when they knew it was right!! It was a great way to end the week!

Sunday we walked to church with S, C and their friend. S liked it a lot I think. I was really glad to hear that. S also came, H had called him Saturday to invite him. 

Well it was a good week!! We got some work ahead of us and I am excited!! 

I love my mission - It´s the best thing in the world.

Love,

Hermana Brown

Semana Santa

April 14, 2014
Happy Semana Santa!

This week went by pretty fast, but also seems like forever ago since I talked to you!!

Monday we were both pretty tired. We decided not to play basketball with the elders, instead, we went to a vegan restaraunt.

Can you believe it!? I did it for my compie, it wasn´t too bad actually. We know the owners, and we decided to pass by. I had pasta, and it tasted alright. That afternoon, we had a lesson with M 2. He had read the chapter we gave him, and has been praying. He hadn´t prayed to know it was true yet, but said he has been praying more. He told us that he wants to go to church, but he works on Sundays in Benidorm. It´s a pueblo about 40 minutes away - but he said that he is going to ask his boss if he can have a few hours sunday morning to go to church there. He´is pretty awesome, we had a pretty good lesson, it was just in a park. ): After, we went to noche de hogar and J came too. They fed us yummy hamburgers, and when I say us, I mean me, not my compy. They gave her something else.

Tuesday morning we ran into D. He is the father of a old investigator family. He said that he has read the Book of Mormon, and he likes it and says, ´´it´s a lot like the bible´´. He wants us to bring his girls to english class and noche de hogar so they can learn. He´s pretty great, and I am super glad we ran into him again. Then we saw M 1. He wasn´t drunk!!! We taught him the word of wisdom and it was such a great lesson. He said he would stop drinking and get out of the area where he lives because it´s just not a good scene. Then we saw S. We taught him about tithing and he just kept telling us that he doesn´t have money. We had to explain a few times that you pay only when you receive money. I think he finally understood us. (he doesn´t speak much spanish, only arabic) It´s a little difficult to teach him, but he´s the best. After we passed by F. We didn´t have time for a lesson, but as soon as we walked in, she told me I looked fatter, and that my chest looks bigger than last time. Yeah... Spain is weird. After that we went and picked up D´s girls and walked with them to English class. They were super cute, and the little 9 year-old, A was crazy excited for the noche de hogar. She had to leave early, right in the middle of the game, and she started to cry. ): E was there and she helped us comfort A. Then we went to teach R with E again!! This time, he asked HER to say the opening prayer, and she did- and it was the most beautiful prayer I´ve ever heard her give. Then we talked a little more about Joseph Smith and they asked, ´´why him? why is he the prophet?´´ E answered, ´´because he´s the one who asked.´´ She is growing in her testimony and when they asked her if she is a member, she said, ´´no, there are a few things I need to do before I´m baptized´´ AHHH best thing ever. 

Wednesday, we passed by A. She was SO excited to see us. She said she had been praying that we would come, then we showed up. She is just adorable. We passed by and she just lit up. Later, we saw J. We talked to him about the priesthood. He isn´t reading much in the book of Mormon, and it´s a little disappointing. We committed him to read and pray. I hope he does it. Then we ate at dominoes to break my fast. It was AWESOME!! So delicious. Then we saw S and talked to him about his baptism. He said he is ready and excited. He is just super funny, he said ´´I have to wear white right?´´ He is a cutie. Then we saw G and watched the Restoration dvd. I had never seen it before, and I thought it was super awesome!! G wasn´t as convinced that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus - we asked her to pray to know that it is true. Sadly she will be on vacation for these next few days. That night, we saw R but just talked to him in his doorway because there weren´t any women there. 

Thursday we had zone training and President Deere taught us about working with the members. It was a super good conference. Then we ate with the R. We walked in and I said, ´´wow, smells really good.´´ E said, ´´smells like meat huh?´´ Then we went to sit down and all the plates had meat, so I was a little confused. They were so excited and happy to tell Hna. Read that it was fake meat. It tasted pretty good!! As we walked out of the lesson, we saw a man down on the ground. At first we thought he was sleeping, but the way his body was - looked like something worse. We walked past, and then a police officer came and shook him and checked his pulse. Then immediately called the hospital. It was sad, and pretty scary. We´re pretty sure he was dead. Right after that, we went home and the SHE´s came and we did intercambios. I went with Hna. Johnson in her area, and Hna. Nielsen came to ours. It was fun, we saw a bunch of her people and I learned a lot. As we were walking back from a cita, I made Hna. Johnson laugh so hard, that she actually peed her pants. It was funny - we had to go change at the piso. That night before going to sleep, Hna. Johnson told me that I was her favorite hija! (: I love her a lot. She´s my bestie!!! Hopefully we just both get transferred to the same place again! She leaves in about 4 months!!! Crazy huh?

Friday we finished intercambios and in the morning, Hna. Johnson and I were so so tired. I have just felt weird too. Like sad, but I didn´t know why. People noticed too. I don´t know why - but I was exhausted. After medio-dia, Hna. Read and I had our last lesson planned with S. He failed us. He didn´t answer his phone and we didn´t have his address. We went to the area where he lived and searched for him. I tried calling and calling and finally he picked up. He told me he couldn´t come back to the church and that he wasn´t getting baptized tomorrow. He could tell the sadness in my voice as I was about to break down into tears. He said, ´´está bien, brown - no pasa nada.´´ I don´t know what is going to happen with him. But he didn´t get baptized on Saturday. We were really bummed. We came home and did our weekly planning and then then had a quick lesson with R.

Saturday we saw F. He is doing so awesome!! He got a job and he realized that it is from the fast and prayers. He realizes that God puts all the blessings he has in his path. We also saw A and then we saw D. She is a referral from a less-active. We taught her the Book of Mormon and lesson zero. As we were talking, she started to cry and then she explained how hard of a time she had been having. We promised her that the gospel will help her. She was really cute, and I already love her.

Sunday A and A both got callings!! Whooo it´s so great - I love when less-actives get rescued! We didn´t have any investigators in church, but a new family from England is moving in. There is a mother with 3 girls and the dad isn´t a member. I met the mom and girls and they are just the cutest. That afternooon, we saw J outside of the church while the other ward was going on. As we were starting the lesson, up the steps come, F, E, the two kids and F´s cousin, A. It was such a miracle and I´m sure E could see in my face how happy I was. I just went and hugged her! It was so great! That evening, F a less-active, invited her friend over to listen to us and then eat empanadas!!! The lesson was alright, it wasn´t as good as I would have liked, but the empanandas were amazing! I ate way too much, but they were awesome!

This week was a tough one. I struggled with a few things, but I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, and is taking care of me.

I love you all. Have a great week!!

LOVE CONFERENCE!

I just love conference!! Isn´t it the best!! (:

This week was great and full of miracles! I have loved it so so much.

Monday we went and played volleyball in San Vicente, and it was such a blast. I am super super rusty, but it was a lot of fun!! Then we came home and saw S. It was a good lesson, then he came with us to the family home evening. but it didn´t start until about 9:30... (an hour later than it was suppposed to) It was a bummer, but it ended up turning out great. H gave a great object lesson with cups and knives. S seemed to like it too.

Tuesday was a little rough, but we were able to see F for a minute. He was a little distracted and upset, so we left. Then we taught english class and the noche de hogar. Before it started, we had a member sit outside by the door as people came in, and she pretended to be really hurt. We videoed it to see who would stop to help her. Then we taught about the Good Samaritan - it was a pretty good lesson I think. Then we said goodbye to the elders that were leaving ): Elder Farrell, Durfey and Rojas ): It was really sad. But I´m sure I´ll see them all again before I finish my mission. 

Wednesday was my first lesson in French. It was crazy and I felt like being trained all over again. I had my part of what to say written down, and Hna. Read would look at me when it was my turn. It was fun, and the woman we were teaching was really interested! Then we got to see F. We talked to him about really asking with a sincere heart and willing to act on a response. He was different again, not really the F I used to know? Then we picked up my package!! I was so happy with everything they sent. (: So cute the letters I got from Rachel and Elena!! Then we ate with L. She made us yummy food, but I did not feel very good. I got a huge headache and could barely keep my eyes open. We came home and I took a little rest. Then we went and saw M. He is one of our new investigators and he is great. He had read the first part of the Book of Mormon and he had many MANY questions. He is from Peru and a really good guy. We had a good lesson about the restoration and when we talked about the first vision, he was in awe. He is great, and willing to read. Then A failed us, then we went to see J with the SHE´s so pass her off to them. It was  funny experience. She turned on Michael Jackson and started dancing, we all wanted to join her - but we sat there awkwardly! It was funny. She said she had been reading a bit from the Book of Mormon, they will be good teachers for her.

Thursday was a great day. We met with S and taught him 10 commandments, then we saw A right when she needed it. She was really grateful that we had passed by, and I¨m really glad we did too. Then we taught english class and then had correlation. E stayed with us for correlation so that was a little awkward. Then she came with us to a lesson with a future investigator. It was our first lesson with R, J´s uncle.  We walked in and the people who were there were... R, his wife - M, his daughter and son (who appearantly are  members) S, J L and his wife K. It was a crazy time. We just talked to all of them and at the end, K said, ´´look, all of us here have our problems. They came right at this time to help us.´´ It was pretty neat. Also, E said said ´´this church is the true church´´. It was a great miracle. Then as we walked home, E said, ´´I´m starting to like being part of the ´Mormons´.´´ It was pretty great!! That night something happened that woke us up in the middle of the night. It was this huge crashing sound with glass hitting the ground. I woke up freaking out, thinking that something had happened to Hna. Read. I hurridly turned on the light and saw that she was still there. Then we walked out looking to see what happened. We got a little scared and decided to look for the emergency number just in case. Then we figured out, that the wind had knocked over a huge thing with a light covering thing. 

Friday morning we had district meeting. Before it, we got something called, Pan de Bono. It is delicious. It is from Colombia and like bread filled with cheese. Then we had a good district meeting. That afternoon, we saw a future named C. She fed us after our little meeting, food from Peru. It was super good. Like potato chips, but they were bananas. Then we had a great lesson with F. FINALLY, he´s back to the F I used to know. He opened up and told us his doubts and fears. It was great. Made me so happy. Then we saw A and she said, ´´I have missed you so much, I was praying that you would come visit me.´´ She is such an angel, and I love her so very much.

Saturday we stopped by S and he was moving. We helped him move some of his things out and then passed by A. She had a friend there, and we taught him a little. Then we saw M. Then after medio-dia, we got to watch the first session of conference. It was so amazing... I will write a letter explaining things I absolutely loved. Right now, I¨m actually listening again to Elder Holland´s talk, because that one was probably my favorite. I just love him and I also loved Elder Packer´s. How powerful are their testimonies. They are so sure, and it is so amazing to feel the spirit when they speak. After that, we got to see R and J came with us. It was fun, and his uncle accepted a baptism date.

Sunday was a fun day. We watched conference, and that night we sang a little bit with all of the missionaries. I´ll write more about it because I don´t have time.

I love you all so much. I invite you to take the advice of Elder Ballard and get a preach my gospel and study it. That book has power, it helps us understand the scriptures and how to share the gospel with our brothers and sisters. I am so grateful to be on a mission. I know that my Savior lives. He loves us. The Church is True.

Love, Hermana Sara Brown