I AM SO TIRED.
I literally cannot keep my eyeballs open!
It's
funny to think in college I got a lot less sleep than this but I wasn't
quite as tired. I think having every minute of every day planned and
constantly in deeeeeeeep thought and feeling the spirit more than you
ever have in your life before is #EXHAUSTING.
Here's another picture with my cousin Elder Cole and I and our companions :)
Sundays
in the MTC are amazing. I loved every meeting! We got to go on a walk
to the temple on Sunday night and it was really fun. Here is a picture
of Sister Hartley and I, and then one of our whole district :)
I
had my very first real missionary lesson on Monday and that was
exciting. Here in the MTC they have people you get to practice teaching.
Some of them are LDS members that are actors, some are converts that
portray themselves before they joined the church, and some are REAL
INVESTIGATORS. So you never know! It's crazy!
One of the Elders in my district named Elder
Guillume is from Farmington as well and he went to Davis High school...
it's fun to have someone to talk about University of Utah football,
Lagoon, and everything else Farmington with. He is the Elder on the very
far left of the picture above.
Here is a picture of my friend from my district -
Sister Ridge and I. She reminds me SO MUCH of my best friend serving in
Baltimore Maryland! We love to goof around :)
Sunday Night we got to go to a devotional and Carlos
A Godoy of the 70 talked to us about his conversion story, it was
awesome! Something i loved that he talked about was the fact that we are
called to teach "ALL." Someone that may not look like the perfect
investigator can be just who is waiting to hear the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Then we watched an old devotional titled "The
Characters of Christ" talk by David A. Bednar. He talked a lot about
missionary work being more about who you are - rather than what you say. That
has been so comforting to me along with "Teach people, not lessons." I
feel like I don't know a lot of doctrine and so I love the fact that I
can teach people what they need, and not worry about every single thing I
am going to say. The spirit will guide!!!
Turning outward and converting myself is going to be such a big part of my missionary experience.
Christ truly turned outward in every way. The natural man turns inward and we all know that "the natural man is an enemy to God.
When you replace the word "repent" with "turn" you will find it's
necessary to live with your Heavenly Father again. It's possible and I
know it is!
I don't know how I never realized the the LDS church is literally CHRIST'S RESTORED CHURCH! It
blows my mind! The ministry that Christ had during the New Testament
times with his 12 deciples is RE-ESTABLISHED on the earth today!
How could you not want to hear about it?!
I don't know why that never clicked before...
We have been meeting with a lot of investigators. I have 2 favorites... Linda and Sarah.
Linda is a 58 year old retired special ed teacher who has a deep
love for the Bible and love for God. She has been meeting with
missionaries for a year and can't get an answer if the Book of Mormon is
true or not. She tells Sister Hartley and I that she's "not a feeler"
so I think she has had a hard time recognizing the holy ghost. Sister
Hartley and I just want her to feel so badly of God's love for her
because she seems so lonely and sad!
We have also been meeting with a REAL LIFE
investigator... Sarah :) We have run into her quite a few times outside
of classes and we don't think it's a coincidence! She is from Tennessee
and moved here to Utah pretty recently! She has given us all sorts of
tips about the south and food and I think she got a crack out of the
fact that my Grandpappy was a moonshiner from Signal Mountain! Here is a
picture of all us girls from the district with her!
Halloween was just another amazing day of missionary work.... :)
My
family was thinking of me though and I was so happy to get some Pumpkin
Chocolate Chip cookies in the mail! It made my whole week and my
district LOVED THEM!
We had another lesson with Linda and it was really
powerful. She is still hung up on the Book of Mormon being true. Sister
Hartley and I gave her a card and a Halloween present that she loved! It
seemed to touch her that we genuinely care and love her. I asked if
maybe she's not getting her answer about the BOM because she is already
in her head doubting it since she loves the Bible so much. How can she
get an answer when she's not open to one? ----- yes or no!
"How do you know the Bible is true, Linda?" She says she just
knows... and we asked if she has prayed to know the Bible is true. She
said no, she we invited her to pray about BOTH books :) and that if she
really wants to grow and progress... she has to get out of her comfort
zone! I also told Linda to "Doubt her Doubts" and never doubt the faith
that she has. I think she really liked it.
I auditioned to play a musical number this week and it went really well!
I can't believe it is November now.....
Yesterday
we had In-field orientation all day and it was really fun. There were
lots of object lessons which I loved. One of my favorites was when you
tried to squeeze a hard boiled egg through a bottle.... it just crumpled
and smashed. But, if you lite a match and toss it in the bottom of the
bottle and place the egg on top.... it just magically fell through! This
was to show that we can't force our investigators to conversion... they
must do it for themselves.
There was also a really neat play they put on for us
exemplifying the first few weeks out in the mission field and how to
work with our ward mission leaders and bishops. Member missionary work
is so so so so important! At the end of the play there was a short
video. It was a map of the world and it started with one dot on the map
in Kirkland Ohio. The dot moved to Nauvoo and more dots began to appear
as time progressed and different colored dots popped up, indicating all
the stakes, temples, and members all over the world. It was so powrful
to me and made me cry!
My favorite part of the day yesterday was teaching
Linda her 5th and final lesson since we have to leave to Jackson on
monday! The lesson went so well.... we shared D&C 20: 11-12 with her
and invited her to be BAPTIZED! After a very long pause...............
She said YES!
I am missing a lot of things... My mom's cooking...
my dog Dexter, listening to and playing music all day, watching finding
nemo... and my family. Mom, I even miss your green smoothies!
Well I have to go get packing.... but I love you all! I
can't believe that Monday afternoon... I WILL BE IN JACKSON
MISSISSIPPI!!!!!! The time here in the MTC has flown by and I already
feel like a completely different person.
And
thank you for the mail.... it keeps me going. I'm sorry I don't have
time to respond to you all right away... But i will soon, I promise!!!!!
Please keep writing!!!!!!
I love you all so much!! Goodbye, and I will talk to you in MISSISSIPPI!
Love, Sister Brown
Favorite Scripture of the week: ETHER CHAPTER 12
Awkward moment of the week:
Sister Brown and Elder Guillume Beat Boxing some Hymns! LOVE IT! :)
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