Spanish American Sign Language?

This week we had some of the coolest experiences!!! Last Monday we stopped by a friend's house (to give some more context this story the friend just moved here from Mexico and lives in a house with tons of people so we basically meet someone new every time). Well when we got there one of the people living at the house was telling us that our friend was not home. Something in the house caught my eye, and I saw someone moving their hands a lot, then I realized they were signing!! I got super excited and then nervous all at once. I knew I had to ask to talk with them haha. So I asked and got her attention, she was on a video call with someone. The first thing she did was ask me if I was deaf or hearing then she just hands me the phone hahaha. So I start signing with this woman and she asks me "oh you're a missionary?" So I got super excited because she recognized immediately and then she tells me that shes a member!! What are the odds! Shes from LA and she attends the deaf ward there. It gets even crazier because the woman I was talking with in person, she is taking lessons from the missionaries there in LA! Not even an hour earlier I was telling Sister Connor how I was a little rusty and how I had only had a few times on my mission when I got to use my Sign Language. I know that God answers our prayers and sometimes we dont even have to ask! 

Another super cool thing that happened this week was Teddy's baptism!!! We had a bit of a scare earlier in the week because he got hold of some anti videos (you cant believe everything you read on the internet my friends). But we talked with him and helped him see that he already had all the confirmation he needed. Our mission president helped so much and he said he would come to the baptism. He ended up not being able to come to the baptism, but he was able to come to church and give him the Gift of the Holy Ghost!! It was so cool. Teddy was so excited and we could just tell he felt the Spirit so strongly. 

Thanks for the love and support.

Sister Brown

More context for pictures: 

We made 'Otai this week. It's a Tongan drink the members here taught us to make. 

Those grape pictures are from this weekend when we did service in the vineyard!

Also this week we drew the Plan of Salvation on the sidewalk at a park.

el servicio del senor

This week we helped a member move out of her house. The first few days we helped it was just us, then we finally got some other people to help out which was a life saver because there was no way we were going to be able to do it all ourselves. Best part of the whole experience was meeting Juan. This member's neighbors were always out and about when we were there helping so we would just wave and say buenas tardes or whatever. One of them in particular, Juan, stopped us and asked if we had already eaten. We told him yes but he still asked if he could buy us a pizza. We said no at first but after he insisted a bit we said yes. He asked if we wanted two but we said that one was fine (we eat a lot, but not that much haha). Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, Juan roles up with a pizza and soda. Later that night he came back to check in on us, he ended up letting us borrow a light because it had gotten dark and it was hard to see in the moving truck. So the next morning when we went to return it we had a good little conversation. Well first of all he asked again if he could buy us pizza. Then after that he asked what church we were from, he then told us he is going to come to church with us! We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and later he texted us a picture of his copy of the Book of Mormon with a bookmark in it!!! He is so cool and we are super excited to visit him and share with him more about the good word! 
We're also teaching a few people that are progressing so much towards baptism! One of them is planning on being baptized this Saturday! He sent us the coolest text this morning which said "Sisters. I have begun reading the Book of Moroni and I am convinced of its true nature. God has blessed me with His confirmation and I wouldnt have been able to do it without you two. Thank you" (By the way Moroni is a book in the Book of Mormon). He is so cool and he has such a desire to follow God. 

On Friday I got to see some of my favorite people!!!!! One of them being my old companion, Sister Vollmer. I love her so much. We got talking about my old area, Lindsay, and it brought back so many good memories!! Pictures included below. 

Here's some funny quotes from this week. 

*talking with the neighbor across the street about his church*

Sister Connor 'Hey George what religion are you?'

George 'African.' 

Sister Connor 'That's your religion?'

George 'And actually I have a little Irish in me and Native American on my mom's side'

*Teddy everything 5 minutes when he would try and help Sister Connor and she would say no*

Teddy "I'm not saying you're not strong enough to do it, I'm just saying I can help"

TRANSFERS!

I have a lot of stories from this week. First one is a testimony that God answers prayers, but he doesn't always answer them in the way you expect. Towards the end of the week I was scarce on food because it is the end of the transfer so I didn't buy a ton last preparation day haha and Thursday during dinner when I prayed to bless my food and I asked Heavenly Father to help me think of something else I could eat because at the moment the only thing on my plate was a mango. I didn't think of anything else I'm pretty sure I just ended up eating popcorn. But I felt fine, like not too hungry. Well we went to have a lesson with my favorite family ever the Salazar-Carillo's and during the middle of us teaching Hermana Salazar tells us she bought us a pizza and that it would be arriving soon. Not even 30 seconds later the doorbell rings. We tried to tell her that we had already eaten but she sat us down so fast at that kitchen table and put three slices of pizza on my plate. You cannot tell a Hispanic lady no so I ate it all and oh my goodness it was way too much haha. That same night we went to teach another friend and the lady he lives with made us eat some fish she made for their dinner. Well when I say "we" I mean me because she tried to feed both of us, but Sister Connor did a nice little "oh I'm okay, but Hermana Brown would love some". Moral of the story.The promise "ask and ye shall receive" got took a little too seriously this week.

On Friday we also had the oppourtunity to go to the temple with Emiliano and his family. It was so cool. During and after was reflecting a lot on the Spirit. Yall know the verse in Galatians that talks about the fruits of the Spirit? It says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." That is what I experienced this week! While I was in the temple, I just felt so much love for everyone that was there and felt so much peace.

We had Victoria's Baptism!! It was so cool. She was so excited to be baptized. 

We also had an awesome lesson with our friend Marcelino. It was so amazing to see how much he wants the gospel! Even better. He wants his family in Honduras to be taught by missionaries there too so that they can be baptized and one day be sealed together as a family in the temple. How amazing is that?! 

Sister Brown is a little preoccupied so Hermana Connor is gonna take over. 

We had transfer calls this week and if this scripture doesn't answer what's happening, I dont know what will

2. Neverthless, after many days in the transfer, yea, even weeks. The Lord did hear our cries, and did answer our prayers, and has pondered on keeping us together to be instruments in his hands, yea, even in bringing the people of Los Banos to a knowledge of his truth

3. And it came to pass that after much time in Los Banos, the sisters, being Sister Brown and Sister Connor, did recieve their transfer calls, yea, and they did rejoice with such exceedingly great joy, even unto the Lord their God. For behold, he did place them together, yea, even for another transfer

So we shall be together for 6 more weeks! Probably because Sister Connor really needs help with her Spanish and Sister Brown is super good at Spanish. 

Qué bendición! We helped this lady with her cats, this one cat had its arm ripped open because these dogs were trying to eat it? We helped save the kittens and the owner took the mom to the vet. We met some super cool people this week and had a lot of really cool experiences, but unfortunately we don't have very much time. Sorry! Sister Brown loves you all. Thanks for supporting her! 

Con amor 

Hermana Connor 

Bautismos por los dos lados del velo

29 July 2019

Wow wow wow eventful week! We had a super cool lesson with our friend Teddy and the Spirit was so strong. We invited him to be baptized and he said yes! He almost got baptized this past Saturday but he just needs to know a little more about the story of Joseph Smith and some more support from his family. It was so cool because when we asked him if he believes that the Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through Joseph Smith, he told us that he can't confidently say that right now, but he knows that the answer will be yes. It is amazing to see how the Spirit can testify so strongly to us of truth even before we have a complete knowledge of it!

Saturday was a crazy day. In the morning I went to the Fresno Temple with Hermana Segura and two of her boys. It was all over the place haha. The Bishop forgot to sign Hermana Segura's recommend so we had to try calling him from the Temple and he didn't answer so I was waiting in the waiting room with her then we finally got hold of Bishop so everything turned out fine. But because everything took so long I was almost late for our baptism in the afternoon haha. It was a close call but we made it friends. 

We are teaching a little 8 year old girl who is going to get baptized this Saturday. Sometimes she has a hard time processing and remembering information because, well, she's 8 haha. But we taught her the 10 Commandments using some hand signs so that she could remember easier and she did so good!!!! My favorite is for "thou shalt not commit adultery". In order to simplify it, we just taught her that we have one husband and one husband on only. And "we don't even look at other boys because we just have one husband" so now every time we practice them with her and we do the sign for number 7 she says "marriage" and we say "what about it?" so she responds, "don't look at any other boys". It's precious!! Gotta teach 'em young ;)

Our friend Shakira came to church yesterday!!!!! It was amazing because she gets really nervous around people but she did so good!! She also wants to be baptized this Saturday. She is so sweet and so so prepared. I have so much love for her. 

One thing that has been coming up in my studies a lot lately is how Christ's Atonement works in our lives and how we are saved by Christ. The scriptures teach us that Christ "should not come to redeem [us] in [our] sins, but to redeem [us] from [our] sins". He himself said, "Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin". I think that is so significant because it helps us to realize our personal responsibility to repent and to leave behind our sins. So cool!!! Because of Jesus Christ we can literally change our nature to become more like Him. Sometimes it requires giving up things that we love but that lead us away from God. But with faith and trust in Him, we will come to be someone far better and happier and have "no more desire to do evil". 

Love yall, 

Hermana Brown