Happy Birthday To Me

This week was a little better. I'm grateful for the support I receive from friends and family. Two good friends of mine sent a package with food, inspirational quotes and letters, and toys. Thanks you guys!!! And a huge thank you to my family for all the birthday wishes (and presents)!  I had a great birthday but I'm especially glad that I only have to be away from home for only one birthday!

Sister Mella came to drop off the invitations for Yuna's baptism. It's too bad that Yuna couldn't be baptized last week. I got to talk to Sister Mella about how I've been feeling lately. She was so kind and understanding. She told me I was now at the hardest part of my mission. From my understanding, it seems that all missionaries hit a hard block on their mission. And they feel discouraged and disappointed in themselves. But I've also heard that once that's past, the mission becomes the best time of their lives. So, maybe I just need to have more faith and it will all work out in the end. 

We met with Jimmy a few times this week. He told us that he has nothing better to do, so that's why he meets with us. We told him that we help people grow closer to Christ, and prepare for baptism. But he has no interest in being baptized and has no desire to change. I feel really sad for him. 

We got to visit the family history center this week. I printed out a new copy of my family fan chart. More of my Mama's side is showing up! My Daddy's side goes on forever! I love family history. I was also looking at cool pictures. I saw one of my Dad and his family when he was little! 

On Thursday, we did a lot of service. I basically swept floors all day. But it's okay, I actually kind of like sweeping... :) We had a lesson with a recent convert named Danielle. We talked about when Nephi saw Lehi's dream. She was a little confused, but it is a little confusing. I know the more we read and study and have a desire to learn about the gospel, the more we will understand. We went contacting, and met a man who had a bird. He (the bird) sat on my head and my shoulder. That night, we had dinner at institute and played foosball with the Zone Leaders. Elder Leishman and I were on a team. We both have gluten intolerance, so we were the "gluten-intolerant team". Elder Nuttle and Sister Smith made a lot of funny gluten jokes. Elder Nuttle said he was going to celebrate victory with a donut. I'm not the best at being a goalie, so whenever I missed I said he had a donut last night and it didn't settle with him. So our poor goalie was having an allergic reaction during the game. Haha! (It's not funny when that allergic reaction actually happens.)

On Friday, we went to Greenfinger to do some service. Another volunteer asked about our church. I told her a little bit about it. Part of me thinks I should've just taught her the restoration, but another part of me is glad that I had planted that seed. Sister Hosea and Sister Riggs brought us lunch and helped us with our weekly planning. They are the best! I love my STLs! President Mella came to inspect the apartment while we were having our little planning party. He gave us some finding ideas as well. 

On Saturday, we did service at the college by the institute where we serve. We helped with some decorations and Sister Smith got to dress up as the mascot. They were doing this thing called Geocaching. I'm not entirely sure how it's done, but it sounds fun! 

Well, it was a good week and a rough week at the same time. But I want to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support and all their help and advice. You, my family and friends, keep me motivated. 

I love all of you! 

- Always, Sister Brown 

Rough Week - Blah!

Rough Week - Sometimes you have to find ways to relieve the stress! And what better way than with this crazy group of kids.

We had dinner at Google. It was really cool. They have good food there. It was a hard week. Sister Smith and I kept getting punched in the face by the sun. She got sun-burned while we were trying to contact. Sister Mella has been helping us with baptism invites for Yuna's baptism. She has been so helpful and we got the chance to help her. We were looking at pictures on Facebook and saving them for her. I noticed my Mama is on there often. Good to know she's part of the San Jose California Mission Moms!

Wednesday night, we went to see Yuna. We taught her about fasting. When we invited her to fast she said no. It was unusual, she didn't seem like herself. She then explained that her parents were upset with her grades. They are also upset that she had been meeting with the missionaries. They told her they didn't want her to get baptized, or go to church, or see the missionaries. We had to cancel the baptism, which was supposed to be this Saturday. So, as much as we understand what Yuna is going through and that her parents want what's best for her, Sister Smith and I were really sad for her. Both of us cried. And then we had to tell Sister Mella to cancel the baptism invitation cards. It was really sad.

We had exchanges the next day. Guess who I was with?!?! Sister Hosea!!! I love her! Their area is crazy busy! I got to visit one of the recent converts I taught named Joe. He seems to be doing good. Still loving the gospel. Sister Hosea and I talked about a lot of things. She often would ask me what I think I learned throughout the day. She is so wise, and gives really good advice.

We went to the Temple on Saturday. We got to go to the Visitors center. We watched "Joseph: The Prophet of the Restoration." I got teary-eyed a few times. As I watched Joseph try to escape out the window of the jail only to be shot for the umpteenth time, I remembered my name tag. Joseph Smith died for all of this work. He is one of the reasons I wear the name tag and teach about the beautiful Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I remember that I represent Jesus Christ. And it's because of Joseph Smith that I have the opportunity to represent Jesus Christ.

So, I had a dream after going to the Temple. It was a moment when Joseph was being tarred and feathered, yet again! They dragged him to a room in his house. He was yelling Emma's name, and then he was yelling (more like pleading) "Leave me alone!" But he was just laying there and letting them tar him as if he was used to it, hoping they would leave his family alone. It was awful. And I was really sad when I woke up... I feel bad for him and for Emma. They went through so much together.

I learned that the Book of Mormon gives me the most confidence when I teach. I can't even teach without holding it in my hands. And on days and weeks that bring disappointment, I need to remember this:

And then I get to share a scripture that seems to work so wonderfully with our message!

Moroni 10:3-5:

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I invite all of you who read my blog and keep up with my weekly shenanigans, to read the Book of Mormon, and pray to know if it's true. Because if this book is true, then Joseph Smith really was a prophet, and that he did see God, and that God really does live and He still cares about us. And I promise the Holy Ghost will answer you.  Well, it's been a rough week. I'm hoping and praying for a better one next week.

Love you all!

- Always, Sister Brown

I Love Zone Conference

This week was pretty busy. We went to Rocket Fizz on Monday. It was awesome! It has a large candy and soda selection, with some joke stuff too. The soda flavors are crazy! They have chocolate, peanut butter, and all kinds of different flavors, even gross flavors. It's like Harry Potter's Many Flavor Beans (which they have), but soda!!!  And they had- wait for it....... Jelly Beans!
I'm definitely going back there to visit after my mission.

It's good to be back in a YSA Ward where we have Family Home Evening together. We played board games and had a big laugh. It was fun.

Well, enough about that- let's get spiritual. 

A few of the missionaries from our Zone.

Tuesday was Zone Conference. We talked about many different things. One thing that stood out to me was when we talked about trials. We still have trials because we're still human, even if we are the Lord's servants. I received a call later that night that my great Uncle Steve had passed away. I was surprised at first, and then I was sad. The next day, I was able to cope with working and teaching, but I still felt sad because I knew the family was sad, and I was trying to focus on the Plan of Happiness. But on Wednesday night, I cried again and I prayed for comfort. Then I received an impression to ask for a priesthood blessing. I thought: "Maybe sometime." But then the next day we had District Meeting. I sat in the room realizing there were four Elder Missionaries in the room. I again received the impression that I should ask for a priesthood blessing, and so I did. I became emotional when I asked for a blessing (I hate crying in front of people, yet I'm so good at it.) and the Elders kindly said "yes, of course." Elder Freeman gave me a priesthood blessing and I felt better. Yes, I'm still sad, but a heavy burden was lifted, and I knew everything was going to be okay. I felt so safe and so at peace. Elder Freeman told me that he had lost two of his grandmothers on his mission. He said he understood what I was feeling. I am so thankful we have the priesthood, and that I can receive these blessings from it. We talked about it and that it was okay to be sad. It's normal. When Lazarus died, Jesus wept. And I remembered the Plan of Salvation. I know that Uncle Steve is with Aunt Bev. I know they are celebrating being together again. 

The Natural Man -

Sister Mella talked about Jesus Christ and how He was always putting off "the natural man." He showed interest in everyone He met. At the well, He was tired and thirsty, but when the Samaritan woman came He took interest in her and taught her. He was always looking for teaching opportunities. And when He was on His way to help Jairus's daughter, He stopped when the woman who was sick for twelve years had touched his clothes. He still showed interest in her. And when He told everyone that Jairus's daughter wasn't dead, but asleep, the people laughed at him. The natural man would've said: "Oh yeah?! You just wait. Watch what I can do!" Instead, He went in and healed her, and then told the family not to tell anyone, and snuck out the back. That's how humble he was. One day, when He was tired and resting, people wanted Him to bless their children. His apostles tried to stop them, but we all know how much Jesus loves children, so He put off the natural man and served others.

Jesus Christ can Cleanse our Sins -

At Institute, the teacher was teaching about repentance. He talked about how our sins are seen by no one, except the Savior. But it is the Savior who can cleanse our sins if we let Him. He suddenly said it was hot in the room and took his jacket off. His white dress shirt was covered in black ink spots. They were all over his back, and from his front pocket it looked like his pen had leaked and caused the spots. At first that's what I thought it was. But then he realized we were all snickering at his shirt. (It looked like a cow.) and then he said. "Imagine if everyone could see your sins. Imagine if your sins were as obvious as the ink stains on my shirt. We'd be pretty embarrassed. I'd be embarrassed if my pen really had leaked and ruined my shirt. But the Savior can take away these stains. He can wash our sins away. He's the soap that can cleanse our sins.

I had sooooooo much to write about today, but I hope you enjoy my spiritualness. I love you all!

-Sister Brown 

Transfers - Always Something You Can Count On

Sister Vaisa is all finished with training! She's going to be great! But guess what? I'm transferring again! I don't have much to report on before leaving my old area, but yesterday was awesome! We got to teach gospel principles. There was a girl named Kimberly, and she feels like Heavenly Father is trying to teach her something. She feels really good about this church. I have high hopes for her. Then we got to go to Young Women class. We shared how the scriptures have helped us. I shared my favorite scriptures: 

My "birthday scripture": D&C 6:10 - "Behold thou has a gift, and blessed art thou because of thy gift. Remember it is sacred and cometh from above --"  I love my birthday scripture!

1 Nephi 2:18-19- when Nephi became my favorite!  "But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.  And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart."

And one that my Daddy gave me Moroni 10:3-5. Thanks Daddy!

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.  And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

So as for my transfer - Welcome to missionary life! You never know when you're going, or where you're gonna go next. I am now in the Saratoga Zone. I'm with another YSA Ward and a family Ward. Monday, we were able to get our chores done, and Sister Palmer, my former STL, went home. She completed her mission. In our mission, when someone starts their mission, they are "born" in their first area and when they're finished they "die" in their last area. So we "killed" Sister Palmer on Monday. Her companion, Sister Harvey cut her scarf. Elders usually cut their ties. It's an interesting tradition.

Tuesday was just as crazy. I got my new companion - Sister Smith and she is awesome. Her former companion, Sister Pattison has also completed her mission. Sister Smith had a hard time saying goodbye to her. I don't blame her. I've been there with companions. However, Sister Pattison forgot to give us the phone, so we had to drive to the mission home to get it, haha.

This week was amazing. We have an investigator named Yuna, who is getting baptized. She is from Japan and she is darling! Some of the YSA have been helping us teach her. We went to the visitor's center at the temple on Saturday and she got to come with us. We listened to the Jesus Christ Narration in Japanese. It sounded beautiful, and Yuna felt the Spirit. We watched a video about God's plan for the Family, and even though it was in Japanese, we all felt the Spirit and it was so strong that day. It really was. Yuna is golden! She's the best! Now I want to learn Japanese!

It was a good uplifting week.

- Always, Sister Brown!

He'll Be Your Best Friend Too!

There's actually not much to report on. It's been a rough week. But we've been doing our best and meeting with members. I realize that our church is unique. I mean, we have the Book of Mormon, and we have a living Prophet. And sometimes when we talk to people, they have a hard time understanding that. They don't understand that the Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible, but is a companionship to the Bible, another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Some people have concerns about Joseph Smith, and that he made mistakes. We all make mistakes because we are human. But I know that he was a prophet. And although prophets are servants of God, they aren't perfect either because they are only human.

Even though it's been a rough week, I know I have many people I can count on to cheer me on. Most importantly is my family, and they are always there for me, helping me to grow and encouraging me to be the best Sister Brown - and the best Tricia Brown - that I can be. This is me talking with my family on Mother's Day. And there they were, cheering me on!  I love them so much!!!

There is only one person who lived on this Earth and was perfect, and that is Jesus Christ. And it was Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father who called Joseph to be a prophet, the same way Moses and Noah and all the rest were called to be prophets.

I know that my testimony of Jesus Christ is the most important thing I can share with others. He is my Best Friend, and if people would turn to Him, He would be their best friend too! He loves all of us. And He will cheer you on to be the best person you can be.

-Always, Sister Brown 

Experiencing Trials

I've been going through a rough time. However, I can't complain much, because I have seen some blessings this week.

So...on Monday we got haircuts. I needed to trim my hair. On Tuesday, we visited a lady named Gina. She seems very lost. She lost her son in a car accident. She feels that her faith has been shaken. We've been trying to comfort her in the best way we can.  Wednesday was slow, but on Thursday we got to see a young girl who's turning 8 soon. On Friday, we had a good weekly planning session, and we did service for the cutest little old lady I've ever met! She makes wonderful cookies I've been told. It's sad that I can't try them. But she makes us lunch every time we go over to help her. On Saturday, we had exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. Sister Harvey and I did service at a house and we talked for a while. It felt good to talk about how I was feeling about being in a slower area. It's been a hard adjustment going from having lessons every day to having almost none. We've been driving around Livermore trying to meet people, and get investigators.

Sister Harvey told me that I have a great desire, and that I should just do my best and not be hard on myself. She told me her story, and that she used to be too hard on herself too. President Mella had an interview with her and told her not to be too hard on herself and not to apologize so much. She decided not to set her expectations for herself so high, and think about what Heavenly Father expected of her.

It was nice to bring that back to my memory. On Sunday, we were able to go on splits with a member. I went with Sister Bohn to contact a referral we received from the Elders. The referral wasn't home, but on the way to her home, we ran into a young girl named Kristi who immediately recognized my name tag. She knew I was a Sister Missionary. She had been investigating the church. I left her to read Alma 32. The chapter about Faith.  So that was a miracle.

It's been up and down, and this transfer has been rough. I know I said that last week, but seriously... I think I've hit that weird mission block of trials. The part where it's really hard and it kind of sucks. But I've heard missionary stories about that, and after those blocks, the mission gets better. So I know I just need to be patient. From trials come blessings. It sucks, but it's worth it. Just trust in Heavenly Father and it's worth it. I've also been learning some Spanish. Heavenly Father is Padre Celestial and Jesus Christ is Jesucristo. I love learning new languages.

Well, that was my week. Not much to report on.

- Always, Sister Brown

Un Poquito Espanol?

What a week! - I know I said that last week so I guess it's more like: What a Transfer!
We've been doing so much I haven't written in my journal for a week!

To start, I think I had a cold. Either that or my allergies kicked me in the face. Hermana Hill has been suffering from sickness. Her stomach has been bothering her so she had to go home. We went on exchanges a few times and Sister Hill and I got to talk. I'm glad I got to spend some time with her before she left. We dropped her off in San Jose at the other Hermana's apartment. Hermana Hernandez is in a state of "companionlessness" so Sister Vaisa and I are helping her with her area. It's a little hard because they speak Spanish for the most part. We're trying to learn some more Spanish. Good thing I know un poquito Espanol...which means, "I know a little Spanish". (I think I totally spelled that wrong.)

This transfer was weird for me, and quite possibly the hardest transition yet. We're having trouble finding new investigators and the ones we have are stubborn. But there is one I have hope for. Her name is Cindy and she has a few concerns. But she loves the church and that's a good sign.

I've had a lot of different kinds of "pains" on my mission. But lately, after listening to Break Up with the World by Hank Smith, I've developed this attitude that I would rather have a headache than temptation, and I would rather be in pain than to sin. I'd rather have physical trials than spiritual trials. I have found out the truth for myself.

While I was watching/reviewing the Restoration, a calm feeling of peace and reassurance swept over me. It was a real feeling that brought me great happiness. I know that I'm doing the right thing for the right reasons, and I want to share the message of this Gospel with everyone! 

- Always, Sister Brown!