Blessings - In Every Form!

Last Monday for P-day, we did laundry, went shopping, and played some sports with the zone.  I was playing basketball (shooting hoops) for a while, and then we played indoor soccer together.  There's an Elder name Elder He, and he kept saying to me: Same team! Same team! whenever I had the ball! The stinker!  He would try to trick me into thinking he was on my team.  I kept saying back: Stop it!
So, don't let Satan trick you into thinking you're on his team!  Just yell: Stop it!
For anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not very good at sports... I'm clumsy, and I'm a ball magnet (particularly the head area...).  But I like to shoot hoops and kick soccer balls.  Hopefully my zone thinks I'm good at kicking. :)
The first night in California, I spent with President and Sister Mella.  The family has a ping-pong table in the back yard, and I really enjoyed playing it.  At last! A sport I'm good at! ^_^

On Tuesday, some of our appointments cancelled.  We spent most the week walking around handing out cards to those who might be interested in learning about Jesus Christ.  There are a lot of challenges with teaching:  cancelled appointments, wrong addresses, no one at home, or not interested.  One thing I've learned this week is "DON'T BECOME DISCOURAGED!".  Just work hard for the Lord, and He'll provide a way.  Besides, I'll never know the good days without the bad days.

I've re-read my patriarchal blessing and so many great things have already happened.  I know that serving a mission was the right choice.  Heavenly Father gives me all kinds of hints throughout my blessing about missionary work.  It's not straightforward like: "You're going on a mission!"
But it says things like: "You'll be an instrument in the hands of the Lord."  How awesome is that?!

Read your patriarchal blessings as often as you can!  Especially in times of confusion!  You will receive answers to your questions and direction for your life!

-All My Love, Sister Brown!

Wings to Soar!

Up at 2:00 a.m. - I've never done that before!  Frontrunner from Provo to Salt Lake City, then Trax from Salt Lake to the airport - with a LOT of missionaries plus their luggage.  Thirteen on my flight with me heading to San Jose, California and were we tired.

San Jose!!!

I can't believe I'm here!!! I feel like I'm dreaming!  I was grateful to be able to call my parents before the flight, which was the shortest flight of my life!  I fell asleep on the way to California and woke up when we touched down.  I love the mission president and his wife, they are so cute! They were kind enough to let us take a long nap and relax for the rest of that day. We had dinner and for dessert: ICE CREAM!!!
President Mella asked his wife if he could try some of the new ice cream but she had already eaten it. He told me she loves three things:  Heavenly Father, Chocolate, and then her husband.
I LOVE my trainers! They are so kind and funny!
Sister Pockrus is so helpful and patient! She told me she saw herself in me when she first started her training days. She has six weeks left in her mission, but she's not sure if she wants to leave yet. She loves being a missionary!
Sister Uelese is awesome and hilarious! She is Samoan, and she and her family live in Hawaii.
A few days ago, we were playing a game called Gator Ball at the church gym with other missionaries.  One of the rules is when you're holding the ball and someone on the opposite team claps next to you, you have to drop the ball.  Sister Uelese didn't know this rule, so when she was running with the ball an Elder started clapping next to her.
Instead of dropping the ball, she just looked at him confused, shook her head, and said: "Sorry bro, I gotta do this!" She threw the ball at the goal. (The chair)
Whenever doubt fills our minds, and Satan tries to discourage you, and distract you from the work, just shake your head and say:
"Sorry bro, I gotta do this!"
"Sorry bro, I gotta serve the Lord!"
"Sorry bro, I gotta help people!"
(Or spit in his eyes, that works for me too)

So for my first assignment, I have been teamed up with these two wonderful sisters and assigned to the YSA ward in Santa Theresa and I love it!  Everything is going great and I'm just adjusting to the mission.

Here I am with Sister Pockrus and Sister Uelese.

We went to a couple of houses last night. We had trouble finding one of them, and we almost gave up. But then I got this urge to try again.  We pulled up to a house and it was the one we were looking for.  However, the referral we were given wasn't living in the house at all.  But the woman who answered was very sweet.  She was from India. We introduced ourselves and told her about our purpose.  She told us she wasn't interested, and she had her own church.  Sister Pockrus told her we don't MAKE people believe in our church, we just teach more about it and invite others to find out the truth themselves.  We left her with a card in case she did want to know more.  We invited her to call us if she had any questions.

Even though this woman didn't want to hear our message, she didn't insult us or shoot us down. She took a card.  That might be the first step for her, who knows?  I realized God might be preparing her to learn about the Gospel.  Slowly, and surely.  I went home that night, satisfied, happy, and exhausted.

Always - Sister Brown!

MTC - Moments To Capture!!!

I can't believe I've been here at the MTC for a whole week! It's felt like, six months!  Time is weird here; it's slow, but it's fast!  I have felt so many emotions in just the first few days.  Happiness, nervousness, anxiety, excitement... But now, after a week has gone by, I feel Love!  Love for my companion, district, teachers, investigators, everyone I meet!

The Spirit is so strong here!  Lately, I've been feeling the Savior's love for me, ready to catch me when I fall.  What a great blessing it is to have Him in my life!  Best...Friend...Ever!  ^_^

My companion, Sister Riggs is so sweet! She and I have been bursting out into Disney songs and Church hymns.  We can't help it!  ;)  The MTC is awesome! There's gym, classes, kind people, and food!  And I get to see my cousin Alec - I mean Elder Brown, every once in awhile as well before he heads off to serve his mission in Russia.

My second day here, I admit that I was feeling overwhelmed, and my emotions had caught up with me.  I felt inadequate.  Even though the MTC is a spiritual place, the adversary runs rampant here, trying to scare all of us into not serving.  I kept thinking: give up, it's not right, how can you teach when you're so unsure yourself?  This escalated to: The gospel isn't even true, it's brainwashing. These thoughts terrified me. So I asked the elders in my district to give me a blessing. Later on, I was able to open up to my district.  I learned that all of us were feeling this way, having similar thoughts and feelings.  I was comforted.  Once again, the Savior reaching out to catch me when I fall, reassuring me that this is the right thing, and that this gospel is true!

It was even more helpful to hear the General Conference talks this weekend.  President Dieter F. Uchdorf's talk about Simplicity was so helpful to me and all the other missionaries.  I've learned that when we truly seek answers to our questions, we are sure to find them.  After conference, we watched a video by Elder David A. Bednar.  He talked about how being on a mission is NOT about us, it's about those we need to serve.  We shouldn't turn inward and think about ourselves, but we should turn outward and think about others.  That is how we'll become Disciples of Christ.

We have an investigator who loves music.  She asked her friends who were members if they would sing their favorite primary songs.  The next night, the Sister Missionaries brought her her very own cd of the primary songs.  She knew that was NOT a coincidence.  We explained that we also wanted to sing some church hymns to her.
"See what I mean?" She exclaimed.  "That's not an accident, The Lord has perfect timing!"

The Lord really is a Master of time.  I will let Him guide me, and I'll be fine :)

Always - Sister Brown