Halfway There

Oh dear the weeks go by so fast!! Speaking of going by fast... this week marks exactly nine months ago that I entered the Missionary Training Center to begin my mission. ¡no puedo creer que sólo me quedan nueve meses! (I can't believe that I only have nine months left!)

These past few weeks we have been working so hard! Just to get y'all up to speed. Here in Lindsay we live with two other Sister Missionaries. So last transfer we both had cars and we would just do our own thing. Then, at the start of this transfer (the beginning of April), we got informed that we were going to be sharing a car. Meaning that when we have the car the other Sisters are biking and when they have the car, we are biking. But the plot thickens because one of the other Sisters found out she has mono. So for a while they dont want her on a bike. That means they get the car everyday and we are on bikes everyday!!!! 

Now to be fair I love doing missionary work on bikes. Especially in Lindsay because not too often are two girls biking around looking goofy in helmets with sweat dripping down their faces. Haha. You become part of the town real quick. We have made so many friends just by smiling at people as we go by or stopping and talking to people walking along the sidewalk. So many people want to know more about what in the world we are doing (or they have seen missionaries on bikes before so they already know ;) ). 

We go to this one little town, Strathmore, a few times a week which is a bit outside of Lindsay. It is my favorite place ever!!! Its a super small town so you become a regular real quick. We get dinner in town once a week at this place (one of about two places to eat lol) and we became a regular our second time going hahha. 

Strathmore is a little over 6 miles from Lindsay. So one day we went to Strathmore and one of the Ranchos outside of Strathmore, back to Lindsay and all over Lindsay. I calculated it up and it was almost 20 miles haha. 

Let me tell ya. If I didnt believe that this was the restored true Church of Jesus Christ, I would not bike 20 miles in the California heat just to go tell people about it.

This week we have seen God's hand in His work so much. Yesterday was just one of many instances. We had a lesson with our new friend Rey. It was so cool because we got there and started talking and we were reading from Alma 36 in the Book of Mormon. Alma is telling his son, Helaman, his conversion story. We had just read a few verses and I was explaining what the verses meant and giving him more context to the story and he starts freaking out was saying like "Did you really just say that?" Haha I was a little nervous I had said something offensive but he went on to explain that that was exactly how he had been feeling and that is exactly what he had been praying to God about before we showed up. It was amazing to see not only how much he connected with this story from the Book of Mormon, but also the impeccable timing of it all. Tell me that's not the working of someone higher than us. 

I hope (and plan) to get just as much, and more, out of my last 9 months as I have my first 9 as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and testifies of Christ just as the Bible does. It has blessed me with knowledge, peace, joy, comfort, the list goes on. Read it and find out what it can do for you and your life :)

Love yall

Have a great week! 

Hermana Brown

2. The view from a Rancho in Strathmore. Tender mercies. 

3. Had to sport my Easter attire that I got in the mail this week. 

4-5. Shout out to random Hispanic ladies for always letting me use your bathrooms!!! Featuring the start of a sweaty summer my friends. 

6. Mmmmmm tacos. 

General Conference

Twice a year (first weekend in April and first weekend in October) we get the opportunity to hear from God's living Prophet and Apostles!! That my friends is this weekend!!!! I have such a strong testimony of Christ restored Church. We need that guidance and direction in our lives! 

I know that if each and every one of us will watch General Conference at least just one session with a question in mind and a prayer in our hearts, the words spoken will touch us and guide us to the answers we need. That is the power of the Holy Ghost!! 

It will be Saturday and Sunday. Both days there is a Morning Session (9-11am California Time. 12-2pm for my friends on the East Coast) and an Afternoon Session (1-3pm California Time. 4-6pm EST). You can watch it live on ChurchofJesusChrist.org :) 

This week has been amazing. I have seen so many miracles in the lessons we have had. It has been so fun!!! We showed up to one lesson and when we got there he mentioned something about not being too good. So we really tried to patiently let him open up to us. He hasn't really explained much in detail what he is going through, but he told us he lives everyday knowing it could be his last and it has something to do with his living situations.

Regardless, we talked about Christ's atonement, the sacrifice he made when He suffered for our sins. We talked about repentance and becoming clean, grace, forgiveness, and change. I shared some experiences from growing up and cried haha. But it was just such an emotional lesson!!!! He really is struggling right now and as we talked with him about change he basically said he is scared of change. It was so sweet though because at the end he was talking about how we as missioanries bring light into dark places. People try and hide, but we light up the darkness anyway. The way he phrased it I cant remember exactly, but the way he phrased it made me recognize that he knows the light we carry isn't ours. But that it is the light of Christ (John 8:12)! Also he said that he was one of those people being stubborn and trying to cover himself with a blanket but he said that we are poking holes in his blanket. Haha it was so funny, but so amazing that he can see how applying the Gospel into his life brings light! He totally already knows these things are true. The Spirit is already helping him to see it. 

I hope you all have a great week! 

Hermana Brown 

Oh yea we did service this week for the sweetest woman ever!!!!

And more tacos of course

Clearing up Misconceptions

This week we had some pretty amazing lessons! We taught the Plan of Salvation to one Spanish family and it was just so fun! The mom was so cute. At the start of the lesson we asked them if they had ever wondered where we came from, why we are here, or where we go after this life and she literally had been praying the night before and asked God what her purpose is. He answers our prayers! 
We were talking about the fall of Adam and Eve. And I asked the dad to give us a summary of the story of Adam and Eve. So he starts recounting the creation of man and then said "let's read about it from the Bible" haha so we read from genesis 2 and 3 and talked about the need for the fall. He loves the Bible. And it was awesome because he really loved all the scriptures we shared from the Book of Mormon. Hes so funny. He would say "I like that" in English in his super thick Mexican accent after we read each verse.Haha. Its cause the Book of Mormon is TRUE!!!! And as the lesson progressed I think it finally clicked for him that we study BOTH the Book of Mormon and the Bible hahaha. And that we rely on both for our knowledge of God's plan for us. 
When we started talked about the gospel being preached in the spirit world, Norma was very sceptical. So we pulled out 1 Peter 4:6. She read that verse about 10 times haha. Then she read it from the start of the chapter to make sure she got the context right. I pointed out the second part of the verse where it explains why. So we discussed the nature of God and how he is merciful so it makes sense that he was give everyone a chance to hear and accept His gospel. And then after a second she said "that was my question... how could God send someone who died without a knowledge of the truth to hell if it wasnt his fault that he never knew the Gospel?" She was so cute she got so excited after that and said she is going to study it more. At the end of the lesson we invited them to be baptized and talked about the proper authority. Oh my goodness Norma thought we got baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost and Joseph Smith. Hahahahahahaha I about died. No way. Of course we belive that our church holds the proper authority to baptize, the same power that Christ administered to His disciples when he was on the Earth. But it was THROUGH Jospeh Smith that that authority was RESTORED. That power still comes FROM God. That authority does not come from Joseph Smith. 

With that being said haha if any of you all have questions I would love to answer them!!!! I know there are a lot of misconceptions about our church and our beliefs. No matter how silly the question may seem, please feel free to ask!!!! 

I love you all and I am so grateful for your support. 

Cuídense y que pasen una buena semana. 

Soy Mexicana

I love Lindsay so much!!! It has been so fun getting to know the ward members here. It is funny because they are all related Haha. They are either in the Vega family or Hurtada family (which come from the same family). They love missionary work and are so ready and willing to help us with whatever we need. Its amazing because many of them are converts to the church so you can see how much the missioanries have changed their lives!!! We visited Hermana Lupe Hurtado the other day. She is so cute. She asked if we wanted to eat and we tried to say that we had already eaten (because it was like 8pm when we went over to her house) and she responded with something like "you dont want to eat?" With her face saying "you dont want my food?" Hahha Hispanic women really dont take no for an answer. But she is so sweet. We asked her if she read the chapter we left her with the last time we visited and she started to say she didn't have time to but then stopped herself and said she really just didn't make time for it. So we reinvited her to read it and I think now that she know we are following up she will do it!! Haha I've learned so many life skills on my mission. I'm a great accountability partner now. 

Now for the highlight of the week. 

So Norma this woman that we contacted last week, had met with missionaries before. And it was so cool! (Btw these people are puro Español) So we went back to visit her, and her husband answered the door and he told us that they have met with missioanries in every city they have lived it!!!!! (And they've moved 5 times! From Mexico to different parts of California!) I asked them in a joking manner but being totally serious "una señal?" Because seriously that is not a coincidence! The husband believes that Jospeh Smith really did see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ but doesnt understand what the implications of that knowledge and belief are. The wife has a problem with the Book of Mormon. She doesnt believe that there is more scripture than the Bible. All we could do was testify of how the Book of Mormon has blessed our lives and explain that it is only through study and prayer to God that we can know that it is true!!! 

But that was not the highlight (even though that was geat, don't get me wrong). During our lesson, their daughter was sitting in the room with us, not necessaryily paying attention and participating, but for sure listening. And she had to leave during the middle. So as she was leaving, she asked me if I was Mexican!!!!!! It was the greatest compliment I think I have every recieved!!! Haha I was literally shocked because I surely dont look like a Mexican. But I guess I sound like one 

I know that God exists and that He loves each and every one of us. 

Les quiero. Cuídense. 

Me voy a Lindsay

Every week in the mission field is amazing in it's own way but this week has had a little bit of everything!!! 

One night we passed by a former, Javier, and asked him about the Book of Mormon he said he remembered two guys coming over and talking to him about it but he wasn't really interested in us coming back. He said he didn't feel uplifted or strengthened when he learned more about the Book of Mormon from the other missionaries. We talked a lot about the spirit and peace that comes from the Book of Mormon and I asked him if he feels that peace everyday and he says some days but not everyday. And I asked him if he would want that peace everyday and he basically said he wasn't sure anymore. By asking a few more questions, he expressed that he isn't too sure of God right now or where his life is going. I testified that our message would bring that assurance and he still wasn't down to take it. While we ultimately just left him with a gospel of Jesus Christ pamphlet and no return appointment it was such a powerful contact. I felt the spirit so strong and I truly felt the Holy Ghost guide me to ask inspired questions. I really feel like he needed a full opportunity to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, and although he didn't accept it. I hope that one day he will remember that experience when he is in need of the peace that comes from this gospel. 

Also l had the best adventure one day this past week. To start off the day, we had an appointment very early in the morning and we are a bit low on miles so we decided to bike!!! As we were leaving we realized it was drizzling but we didn't think much of it and told ourselves, people in biking areas deal with this all the time, no way out we cant be complaining! So we biked to the far end of Farmersville (7.4 miles) and our appointment fell through hahaha. So we turned right back around and biked to the Conyer Building from Farmersville for weekly planning (8.4 miles) and it was poouuuurrrrriiinnnnggggg rain. Seriously my bag and my shirt both turned a few shades darker.Haha. But so fun because on the Church building there is a farm with a bunch of cows!!! So we took a break to try and get them to come over to us so we could pet them!!! And one of them licked me hee hee. It made my day!!!!!

Transfers are this week! I am being transferred to Lindsay. A small little town near Porterville, Ca. I will be training again!!! It will be another wild adventure, but I'm ready for a fresh start and new challenges! 

btw my missionary email has changed to kmbrown@missionary.org

Love yall!! Thank you for all the support. 

Stick this into Google translate

Vi muchos milagros esta semana pasada. Tuvimos muchos miembros del barrio salir con nosotras para enseñar y eso fue buenísimo!! Un poquito por todos lados, pero bueno jajaja. Una vez en específico un miembro estaba un poquito enojada con nosotras porque antes de salir con nosotras, pensaba que fue tan tarde para andar a fuera (fue 7:30pm). Y nos dijo que no debemos tener citas a las 6:30 de la noche y adelante. Pero lo que no entiende ella es que cada día andamos hasta a las 9 de la noche jajaja. Y no podemos evitar a hacer citas en este tiempo porque este es cuando las personas están en casa.
Nuestro amigo, Alvaro, nos dio CIEN QUINCE naranjas. Jajaja nos dijo que tenía las naranjas y llenó 2 bolsas de ellas. Pensamos que eso fue todo hasta que vino a nuestro caro con una bolsa más. Son tan ricas y creo que cada día desde nos dio las naranjas, he comido 3 o 4 por lo menos.
Pero él está progresando TANTO!! En serio. El último lección que tuvimos con él fue tan bonito. Él recuerda mucho de lo que le explicamos. En este lección en específico estudiamos de Alma 42 y del bautismo de Jesucristo en Mateo. Y platicamos de la caída de Adán y Eva. El pudo recordar todo de la fruta del árbol y del árbol de la vida. Y le explicamos lo que es la expiación de Jesucristo y todo.
Y también hablamos sobre los miembros de la Trinidad y cómo son separados pero que tienen el mismo propósito.
Y por el fin de la lección ÉL ORÓ!!! Estaba tan emocionada. Al principio de la lección nos dijo que la diría la última y la hizo!!! Hemos tenido más de 10 lecciones con él y cada vez nos decía que no sentía listo o preparado. Trabajábamos tanto con el para ayudarle entender la importancia de la oración y este relación personal con Dios. Entonces por fin lo hizo!!!

Translated by Google:
I saw many miracles this past week. We had many members of the neighborhood go out with us to teach and that was great! A little bit everywhere, but good lol. Once in a specific member was a little angry with us because before leaving with us, I thought it was so late to walk out (it was 7:30 pm). And he told us that we should not have appointments at 6:30 at night and later. But what she does not understand is that every day we walk until 9 at night hahaha. And we can not avoid making appointments at this time because this is when people are at home.
Our friend, Alvaro, gave us ONE HUNDRED FIFTY oranges. Hahaha told us that I had the oranges and filled 2 bags of them. We thought that was all until he came to our expensive one with a bag. They are so rich and I think that every day since we got the oranges, I have eaten 3 or 4 at least.
But he is progressing SO MUCH !! Seriously. The last lesson we had with him was so beautiful. He remembers a lot of what we explained to him. In this specific lesson we study Alma 42 and the baptism of Jesus Christ in Matthew. And we talked about the fall of Adam and Eve. He was able to remember everything about the fruit of the tree and the tree of life. And we explain what is the atonement of Jesus Christ and everything.
And we also talk about the members of the Trinity and how they are separated but have the same purpose.
And by the end of the lesson HE PRAYED !!! I was so excited. At the beginning of the lesson he told us he would say the last one and he did it !!! We had more than 10 lessons with him and every time he told us that he did not feel ready or prepared. We worked so hard with him to help him understand the importance of prayer and this personal relationship with God. Then he finally did it !!!

MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

Missions are special for many reasons. And serving Spanish speaking in the California Fresno Mission is just on a whole other level. 
We are teaching a man who works in the oranges. One day, we were talking with him about his work and he asked us if we liked oranges. We told him that of course we did!!! So he told us that the next time we came by he would give us some. We kind of were like oh no we dont want to take your oranges! He looked at us so confused of why we were concerned about taking his oranges. (I'm telling yall these people are so generous and give without a second thought!) Well let me tell you friends, this sweet little man has given us a bag of oranges everytime we visit him now. And we aren't talking a little wimpy grocery bag with 7-10 oranges in it. We're talking those big California grocery bags (cause you have to pay 10c for every grocery bag you use so there like slightly higher quality, smh) with like 50 oranges in a bag (I have counted) And he's even given us these big yellow grapefruit/orange fruits that I dont know the name of (if anyone knows or can look it up let me know haha). And the best part is, he gets so excited to give them to us! 
But on the more spiritual side of this sweet person we are teaching. He has grown so much. Were honestly buds and it's so fun. But it's even more fun to see how much light he has in his life now! He is learning so much and seriously words cant even explain. Let me try by giving you an example. Our last lesson with him he was trying to understand revelation and how God speaks to us. We were discussing how important it is to do our part, for exampke reading the scriptures. So he said (in slightly more words and in Spanish) "so its like if I go looking for deer in the mountains one day and I search and search but I dont find one. Then the next day I go back and search some more I might find one that day. It's the same with the scriptures if I read one day I might not find an answer, but if I keep reading the next day I might get my answer. So that's what it's so important to read everyday?" I sat there blow away at how much he had taken from what we had taught him, but even more that that what the Spirit had taught him!!!! 
And when we invited him to church he said he could only come if it rains because he wouldn't have work or would go in later. So we were praying harddddd for rain. But it didn't rain when we needed it to!!! Sunday morning about an hour before church we called and asked if he had to work and he said yes and that he was about to go so we said "qué lástima!" Like what a shame! And he said no I'm going right now, to church. I'll just go and go to work after. Even though he had to leave half way through, he told us right when he was about to leave that he changed his schedule so that he will be working Monday through Sunday so that he can have Sundays off. He takes everything we talk about and strives his best to apply it and that is what is so amazing!!! We know that he can feel the Spirit testifying to him that what we teach is true. I know that God knows us. That he knows our needs. I know that God doesnt give us a commandment we cant keep because when we exercise our faith into action, he will provide a way! (1 Nephi 3:7).