Week 61: Therefore, Ask in Faith

Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. - D&C 8:10

Hey, everyone!  I hope your week was great.  Our week here was filled with a lot of meetings, so that was an adventure.  On Tuesday we had a Zone Conference for 8 hours.  On Thursday we had 2 hours of Ward Counsel.  On Saturday we had 2 hours of Stake Conference, and Sunday, as well.  So, I am meeting-ed out for the week (haha).

We had a really cool appointment this last week with a referral from some other sisters in a area close by.  We went by this girl and she is so dang awesome!  She found the church on an exchange program to Utah, where she stayed with a Mormon family.  Man, can I just say that I think all of Germany needs to come to a Mormon family on an exchange and maybe we could have more members (haha). But anyways, she is so amazing.  She shared how she felt so much at peace in our church, but how she doesn't know if God is there.  I am really excited to help teach her about the relationship she can have with her Heavenly Father if she really wants it.  I love these cool experiences.

I was reading in the Pearl of Great Price this week, and I came across a really cool quotation in a student manual for institute students.  It was when God talked to Moses and then shortly after God 'left him to himself', Satan came tempting Moses to worship him.  But, what is amazing is that God just taught Moses and Moses then said, "Who art thou?  For behold, I am a son of God ..."  Do we really realize who we come from?  I know I forget all the time.  But, just think about it ...  If you were the son or daughter of a king, how would you represent yourself?  I would think that we would try to be as perfect as possible to set a good example to others.  Well, we are sons and daughters of a God who loves us more than anything in the world.  He created us and He knows every little thing about you and I.  Having this knowledge just gives me the desire to be better.

The quote that I found in the student manual said:  Do not entertain even in the slightest to listen to falseness or the words of Satan.  'Christ did not so rationalize.  He positively and promptly closed the discussion and commanded:  'get thee hence Satan.'  Meaning likely, get out of my sight-get out of my presence-I will not listen."  Prevent sin ... don't let it in in the slightest; it makes everything harder.  I found that really interesting.  To not even hear Satan out; don't wait and let him persuade you to sin.  Kick him out; any all things evil.  When you do this, you will be fortified in your life and you won't fall.

I hope you all are as excited as I am for General Conference this next week!  My companion sent me this funny picture, so I hope you all get a good laugh from it and remember that we get to hear from a living prophet.

Take care,

Sister Brown

Week 60: Happy first day of Fall!!!

I love Fall-time, especially over here in Germany because it is so green normally, and then the trees change colors and it is just beautiful!

 

I hope you all had a great week is week!  Our week here went fast and slow all at the same time! (haha)  I am trying to think back to everything that happened and my brain is tired, so I will do what I can to update you all on everything (haha).

 

So, we are meeting now with a really cool guy ... He ran into us on the streets and said he wanted to learn more about our religion.  He is a Jehovah's Witness and they are very strong in their religion, which I find admirable.  But, we asked him why he wanted to learn about our church and that if he were to find that this were the true church would he be baptized ...?  He then said, "ABSOLUTELY!" Man, that was such a blessing!  Now, it is Heavenly Father's turn to step in and help us help him discover he truth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ;)

 

Another really cool appointment we had was with another lady that really needs help in her life.  She wasn't able to meet for over 2 months, and I finally got to meet her, so that was a blessing.

 

Something I studied this week that I really liked was ... I am trying to read the Bible all the way through.  I was reading in Genesis and reading the story of Abraham and his brother Lot and how they were fighting over a land and Abraham didn't want war, so he let Lot choose the land he wanted.  Lot took the best land, but through time there was war in Lot's land and he was kidnapped and all his possessions were stolen.  So, Abraham saved him.  But, I just thought it was so interesting and a great example of how we shouldn't be greedy.

 

Well, everyone this email will be short, but I hope everything is going well and I hope you have a great week.  Take care! 

 

Sister Jordan Brown

 

Transfers!  Got to send Sister Taylor home (middle).  I will miss her!

 

Week 59: It's Raining, it's pouring ... the Old man is Snoring!

Man, it has been chilly and rainy this whole week here!  Hope the weather has been happier over where you are (haha).  But hey, it means its getting close to Christmas.  But more importantly, it is getting close to GENERAL CONFERENCE!  Man, I can't believe that is almost here again!  I am so beyond excited!  It is going to be fantastic.  To those of you who aren't members and are reading this, General Conference is when we get to listen to our wonderful Prophet and Apostles guide us in our lives and inspires us to do good.  I am so excited to hear guidance they have for us this time.  It is such an incredible blessing.

This week I found a "Daughters of our Kingdom" book in our apartment.  I remember receiving this a few years back, but I never read it.  But, I picked it up and started reading it, and man it is so great!  I basically read the whole book this week.  There was a really cool quote about Charity that I read in it that I really liked:  "Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down.  It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily.  It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings.  It is accepting people as they truly are.  It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time.  It is resisting the impulse to categorize others ... Life is perfect for NONE of us ... Charity has been defined as 'the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love,' the 'pure love of Christ ...; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.'"

I think it is really important not to only help other people, but to see them as who they are and what they can become.  When we truly love those we serve and do it ungrudging, then it becomes the pure love of Christ.

We had a really great week here in Dortmund.  Sniffles and coughs were around, but we got through it (haha).  Heavenly Father helped us position ourselves in the right places and the right times to find people that we needed to talk to.  We found two new investigators this last week that are way excited to learn more about the church.  They were at the most random places, too.  I think it is inspired how Heavenly Father works, because five minutes later or ten minutes earlier we could have missed these ready people.

Transfer calls were on Saturday, as well, and it looks like Sister Nielson will get to put up with me for another 6 weeks (haha ... jk).  We have a lot of fun together, so I'm very excited that we are staying together another transfer.

Oh man, I almost forgot the best part!  There is a member in the ward who has a clarinet and wants to do a musical number with me for a ward party that they are having on Saturday (haha)!!!  He let me practice on the clarinet and man, I am very very rusty on it, but it was so much fun to play on it! :)  It's going to be a great week this week!

Well, lastly I wanted to give another quote I found from a Mormon Message about giving thanks daily.  It says:  "Because we see things so often, we see them less and less."  It is so easy to forget what we have around us.  I know being out here and away from everything, I realize how grateful I am for everything I had, and I am grateful for the things I have now.  So, look around and notice the things that you have now and give thanks to Heavenly Father.  Notice the mountains, the trees, the people ... everything; and see the beauty in the world.

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Take Care!

Sister Jordan Brown

 Stuck in the Rain!!

 Winter is Coming!

Week 58: It's beginning to look a lot like ... FALL!

HEY, Y'ALL!!!!! 

It's beginning to look a lot like... FALL!  Man, leaves are falling, it's raining every day here and I've got the sniffles.  Yup, it is time for fall (haha).  It seems so crazy to me ... I feel like I was just barely trying to endure the summer heat, and now it's over.  Thank goodness, though (haha) ... summer heat as a missionary isn't as fun as you would think.

 

Anyways, we had such a great week here!  On Wednesday it was my birthday and I didn't expect it to be much, because being in a new area, I didn't really say anything to the ward that it was my birthday.  But, we went to a member's house that day just for a regular appointment, and I go in and the mom is like hugging me and shouting, "Happy birthday!", and the older son that lived with her was shaking my hand saying, "Happy birthday!", and I walk in and they had like a cake all set out.  It was the sweetest thing ever!  I guess the Elders told them about it (haha), so we had some yummy cake, and they even made us AMERICAN HAMBURGERS (haha).  That was fantastic!  It was so delicious!  We had a really fun appointment, and later that night we were able to find a less active member and talk to her a bit.  We got ice cream and did other things throughout the day, as well, but man, it was a great birthday!

 

We had a really great day at church on Sunday, as well.  There is an investigator that lived in Herne and moved to Dortmund recently, so she came to church and it was fantastic.  She got a blessing from the Elders, and man, can I just say how amazing the Priesthood is.  It truly brings a different spirit into the room when a blessing takes place.  I am so grateful that I have a father and brother that hold that priesthood, and I realize now what a blessing it is.

 

Also, on Sunday our new member, Monia, that was baptized a few weeks back, bore a really sweet testimony, and I had to attempt to translate her broken English into German (haha).  It was humorous, but I think everybody got the point.  But, it was a miracle ... I guess Monia has had health problems with her blood since she was young, and was going to have to have a surgery or take pills the rest of her life.  But, when she was baptized, everything just vanished; all the problems went away.  The doctors say she is completely fine and they have no idea how that happened.  Man, when she was saying this, I was just shocked.  She said that because of this experience, now her husband wants to be baptized, as well.  I am just so excited for her, and I know that God is really looking out for each of us.  It was an incredible miracle.

 

Speaking of baptisms, the Elders had one of their investigators get baptized on Saturday, as well.  It was really sweet.  She has had a baptismal date for a couple months now.  To see her complete that process and to see how happy she was when it was over ... that has been such a cool thing to see on my mission.

 

Well, I have jabbered on long enough.  Before I go there is one quote I'd like to leave with you guys:  "The Savior is the source of true peace.  Even with the trials of life, because of the Savior's Atonement and His grace, righteous living will be rewarded with personal peace."  - Elder Quentin L. Cook.

 

I hope you all have a fantastic week! 

 

Sister Jordan Brown 

 I'm feeling 23 "selfie"

 Happy 23rd Birthday, Sister Brown!

Chocolate Spaghetti Ice Cream ... Yum!