Week 35: The Ward here is so Awesome!

Mensch, this week has gone really fast.  We have been helping with lots of people who are moving back to the states.  The summertime is the time [in the military] that people get transferred because normally they only stay in a place for 3 or so years.  It will be crazy to see our ward after all the moves because about 40% of our ward is LEAVING!  It is crazy, and we will probably not be getting very many new families in this summer, either.  It should be an adventure.

The ward here is so awesome!  Everyone is trying to find opportunities to invite their friends to learn about the Gospel and even if it isn't immediate success, seeds are being planted.  I listened to a talk by John Bytheway that talked about how planting things takes time; you can't just put a seed in the ground and wait one day and expect a flower.  It is the same way with helping people come to the Gospel.  It is the same way for our own testimonies.  I just love the song we sing in Primary where it talks teaches the children:  'Faith is like a little seed; if planted it will grow' :) 

On Sunday Sister Peterson and I got to teach the Gospel Principles class ... AND Primary! (haha)  In Primary the elders helped, and some parents were there as a sort of crowd control (haha), but it was fun :)  I now understand why my dad would always bring so many treats to church for his class (haha) ...  That gets them to do ANYTHING.  It is great! 

I got to go to Hanau this week for a day on a split with Sister Gardner, and it was a blast!  We may have missed a few buses in the process and got to walk a while, but it was an adventure!  She told me we would be baking desserts for a baptism at a members house, and we ended up trimming hedges and weeding outside in our skirts ...  Good times!  We did end up helping her cook, but it was a fun day :)
 

Split in Hanau with Sister Gardner!

We had another member appointment this week, and something I loved about that appointment was before we all ate, we went around the table and said things that we were grateful for.  I thought that was really cool that the whole family was so excited to say what they were thankful for that day.

Well I hope you all are as excited for General Conference as I am!!  It should be wonderful.  I hope you all have a safe and happy week!

Tschuss!

Sister Brown

Week 34: Ich habe glauben in Sie!! (I have faith in you!)

Happy Saint Patrick's Day :)

I hope nobody got pinched :)  Turns out that is not as big of a holiday over here, but we got to go to a members house and have green milk, green mashed potatoes, peas, and mint shakes.  It was fabulous and way fun!

 

This week we had an amazing Zone Conference with the President and a few other zones in Offenbach; it was awesome!  We got to watch Meet the Mormons!!  For those of you who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!!!  I quite enjoyed it :)  This conference talked a lot about using our time wisely.  They explained the importance of not only filling our schedule, but to make the best of our day to use our time wisely.  Fill it with things that can really help others and not just fill a slot on our schedule, but to think when we weekly plan about who we can help, and what we can do to best use our time.

 

Sister Peterson and I got to go out to Nauhim the other day, as well, to go by a member and we didn't have the GPS, so we followed a map and didn't even get lost!!  I am very proud of us (haha).

 

Our ward here is so amazing!  They are getting so excited about missionary work and sending us referrals left and right of their friends that they want us to teach, or at least invite to learn about the gospel.  It is really exciting to see them all get excited about this work.

 

I can't believe its almost that time for General Conference again!  I hope you all are preparing for these talks and have questions in your hearts that you need answers too.  I will do the same and I know when we pray for answers and desire to be better, our answers will come.  I am so excited for conference that is coming up!!

 

In closing I just wanted to share something I found in my reading of the Book of Mormon this week.  I don't know about you guys, but I find that people can tend to be a little prideful at times (haha).  I know I have a problem with it, but I love to read scriptures that kinda throw me down and make me think. "I need to be better."  Don't get me wrong, the scriptures aren't meant to pull you down, but to lift you up.  I enjoy these scriptures that help me lift myself up.  

 

Anyways, I was reading in Alma chapter 5 and in verse 26-28 it says:  "And now behold, I say unto you, my bretheren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?  Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?  Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble?  That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?  Behold, are ye stripped of pride?  I say unto you, if ye are not ye are nmot prepared to meet God.  Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kindom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life." 

 

I don't mean this to be scary, but I think this is a great scripture to "keep you on your toes."  We really don't know when Christ will come again, so we need to prepare now and not procrastinate, but find things that we can maybe be better at in our lives.  Even as a missionary, I have flaws, but I will work on it :)

 

Well, I hope you guys have an amazing week.  On the 28th the church will be launching a new video called 'Because He Lives' and I encourage all of you to watch it when it comes out.  I got to see a sneak peek, and it was so awesome!  Take Care!! 

 

Liebe Große!!!

 

Sister Brown

 

Greek Russian Church

 

Week 33: Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

I sure hope you all wore green today! :)  Man, I was so excited to find an instant pudding mix in one of our cupboards the other day ...  But, as I began to make it I read it through, I found out it was one you actually have to cook! (haha)  NOT NICE!  So, I cooked it and then had to wait until I got home at the end of the evening to even eat it.  Lesson learned: read the instructions next time :)

 

Anyways, HI EVERYONE!  I hope your week was awesome :)  We had a fun week this week.  Sister Peterson and I had 3 potential investigators come to church on Sunday ... it was such a blessing!  We had a lot of talks on the Plan of Salvation, which I thought was inspired and brilliant.  It was awesome to have those types of talks for these potentials in sacrament.

 

Today we got to go to the temple again :)  I have been so blessed to be in an area not too far off from the temple so that I can go every 6 weeks to the temple :)  Sister Peterson was also pretty happy to go to the temple, too.

 

I've decided that finding American's is kinda tough in Germany.  You gotta eaves drop on like every conversation and see if you hear English and if you do, then game on (haha)!  It is kinda fun, actually.  What is also entertaining is when you try to speak German to someone and you think you're doing well, until before they even ask if you are from America they speak English to you right away.  Kinda like, "Nice try." (haha)

 

We have done a lot of street displays in the last two weeks; they are interesting.  Sometimes you get really interesting, spiritual experiences where you testify of the Book of Mormon and even hand them out.  But sometimes you end up with some pretty interesting people on the streets (lol).  It is fun to find both, I think.

 

Well, I won't make this blog too long, but I hope everyone is well at home.  Work is continuing to move forward and seeds are being planted :)  I am so grateful to be a missionary!  The Gospel is so powerful!  I love you all ...

Take care!

Sister Brown

 

 Sister Moreno and us at the Temple 

 Our District

​I love AMERICA!

Week 32: March! Woo hoo!

Man, it is crazy how the first week of March is already behind us!  Time flies when your having fun :)

 

This week has been really great.  I got to take my Golden, Sister Peterson, out to knock some doors for the first time and that was fun to teach her how to do that.  We didn't get in to talk to anyone, but it sure helps shake off some nerves when you realize it is not as bad as it looks :)

 

I am so excited to work with the American Ward.  Having two wards was a little tough to get to know everyone in the ward.  Butm now I've been able to get to know a lot of new members, and to share testimony and to help them build Family Mission plans.  I encourage all of you, if you haven't already, in your next Family Home Evening sit down and make a 'Family Mission Plan', which basically means to talk about how you can be missionaries in your daily life.  It can be as simple as praying for missionary opportunities, or to talk to a friend at work and invite them to a ward activity (because let's face it, we have many!)  I've seen lots of success with these plans, maybe not baptisms yet, but people reaching out and showing that we care for others.  It's amazing how simple it is :)

 

Anyways, I'll hop off my soap box now (haha).  This week I showed Sister Peterson that even her Trainer gets lost (haha) ...  We tried to find a street that was nowhere to be found, until I finally asked someone and they helped us out.  But ya, nobody's perfect :)

 

Also I'm proud to say that I was able to register Sister Peterson to the city and apply her for her Visa all in German! :)  Luckily, the church made the paperwork super easy, but quite proud that we got that done! 

 

A neat experience for the week was that on Sunday, an investigator from the Philippians came to our church.  I had only heard about her, but had not seen her in the 7 months that I've been here.  But she came to church and I was getting to know her, and she interrupted and said, "Are you gonna teach me some scriptures?" (haha)  I laughed and said, "Absolutely!"  So we had a good half hour talk with her about praying to God, and she asked some really great questions that have been on her mind for the last couple months.  It was really great that we were able to talk to her and hopefully we will be able to speak with her later.  It was a great Sunday! 

 

We had a Street Display this week, also, and we made a GIANT Book of Mormon for that.  It was a great attention getter!   I was able to hand out a few cards AND a Book of Mormon to a Turkish man, which made me laugh because I've been mistaken at least 7 or 8 times for being from Turkey.  So, I told everyone after he left, "I'm finding my people!" (haha)  It was a way nice man whose German was just about as good as mine.

 

Street Display!!

 

Well one last thought ... I was thinking back on a Lonestar song that I love that says, "God gave us mountains, so that we can learn how to climb ..." and I thought that was really neat.  He gives us trials and struggles in our lives so that we can learn how to overcome them and become better.  I can testify that every trial I've had and overcome, I have become a better person through them and learned through those experiences.  

 

Well, I hope you all have a great week! 'Til next week ...

 

Liebe Große

 

Sister Brown

Week 31: It's March, Baby!!!

Wow!  I don't know about you guys, but I feel like February came and left.  I just realized that General Conference is in a month!  What the ...? (haha)  I am so dang excited for that!  Maybe this time I will actually understand most of it in German :)

 

As you all well know, I am Training!  My new 'Golden's' Name is Sister Peterson and she is WONDERFUL!  She is such a sweetheart and I am way excited to work with her.  Even with the jet lag, she has been able to push through the first couple of tough days and get into the swing of things.  It is a new experience to train.  I am really grateful, because you see the example you set and it has made me be really careful to make sure to start her off on the right track.  But, everything is going great!  I am really grateful to be serving in the American Ward so that it is not all German ... (haha)  But, that might not be so good for the learning German process :)  We will just have to hit the books hard and talk with people on the streets.  YAY :)

 

​WELCOME TO GERMANY, SISTER PETERSON!!  (My New "Golden")

 

​Late picture, but here is our baptism with Sister Butler in the German Ward ...

 

I am really grateful for the opportunity to serve though.  It is a "Monkey See, Monkey Do" kind of situation, I've learned; which is really great.  I have been able to really pay attention to what I am doing in the days and to make sure I set a good example for what to do with Sister Peterson.  This week we got to go over to a member's house from the American Ward and have Mexican food, which was so dang tasty.

 

Cool story for the week ...  After church yesterday we were supposed to go with a member to a less active's after church, but she forgot and went home.  So, we just headed back to our apartment on the train since we couldn't get to the less active's on base by ourselves.  But, it turned into a blessing.  We ran into a man that I met a couple months ago and hadn't seen in a while, and the first thing he asked me was, "Successful?"  As I was passing by, this of course took me off guard because he said it in English and I knew he only spoke German.  But, I said, "Naturlich."  Then we started talking to him and had a good 10 minute conversation.  We were able to bare testimony and invited him to come see our church.  It was really neat and I am really grateful for that opportunity.  I have a testimony that when you do what you should and you are obedient, Heavenly Father will place opportunities in your life; to have small, but amazing missionary experiences, even if you do miss your ride home :)

 

I hope you all have a great week!  Take care!

Sister Brown

 

​The Özdemirs ... They are SO WONDERFUL! 

 

Helping Members Move

 

'Selfie' Time  with Elder Strong ...