Funcie Muncie

Hey so I am out of time! #60seconds

I am training.

Sister Kenison is awesome.

And hilarious.

I am BACK IN MUNCIE!

Muncie 1st ward.

I was trained in the 2nd ward.

Life is great!

2 twins are going to be baptized on May 1st!

Work is moving along!

Love ya!

Sister Brown II

4001 N Everett Road

Apartment E

Muncie, IN

47304

Oh man okay so I am not going to be "that" missionary that writes this big ol' long letter and makes you wait for a long time without telling you that I AM BEING TRANSFERRED AND I AM TRAINING!!! Yes, that does mean that I will be being doubled into my next area and President told me that I am also opening up an area. And I felt SO good as we talked. Not freaked out at all. Sure a little nervous, training a new missionary is a big deal. But I know that this is right. And I know that Heavenly Father is going to help me. This is going to be such an adventure!

So on Monday I cooked an Asian Invasion meal at the Porter's and it was delicious. It satisfied my craving I have had for a year for dad's cabbage and chicken Thai food. So my tummy was really really happy. And all the Elders in the ward liked it too. President Porter loves international food and he was thrilled with everything.

This week was also Floral Friday and there were these rockin' tights at Target on sale and so I had to get them. I have a love for them. And also this week I got a fun package from my dear family in Malad! So thanks for the cutest sweater ever Cobabe fam!! Love it!

And my district leader Elder Seegmiller is literally the coolest person ever and I was feeling inadequate about my finding so I asked him if we could have a training during district meeting about finding. He said only if we would agree to do whatever he asked us to do. I agreed but my companions said they weren't sure (aka no). But then we haven't have district meeting for the past two weeks because of specialized training and zone meeting and so Elder Seegmiller arranged for us to go on exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders and we had a finding adventure! I was with Sister Christensen and we literally just were talking to everyone on the streets of the ghetto and trying new finding techniques. I learned SO much. It was a great training and I know that it will help me with my training adventures!

Love ya fambam and I will update you with my new address and name of my lil' baby next week!

Sister Brown

Ohio Cincinnati Mission

Happy Easter

Hope that everyone had a great Easter Sunday and celebrated while they watched General Conference!

Highlights from Sister Brown:

-Consider the Lillies (cue the laughter from Hills)

-Uchtdorf speaking in German (made me think of my germy sis)

-That ONE guy in the motab with a stache

-When we stood up to sing the intermediate hymns and I had a flashback to all the conferences in the past where we would have conference playing on the upstairs and downstairs TVs and I would yell that I couldn't hear the people upstairs singing and then dad would start belting the hymns. #openthebackdoor #brownstyle

-Elder L. Whitney Clayton's talk about choices. MAN! That answered so many questions that I have had. That was a great talk. 

-Bawling through Elder Hollands' talk. Loved loved loved it.

SO many great things were taught in General Conference and I cant' wait to study the talks more!

The assistants pranked me on April Fools day. Which was also my year mark of being in the field. So many memories of my first day in Muncie Indiana. My trainer had dyed the milk green to try and freak me out but I was so out of it anyways I didn't even notice! haha (: And that I taught my first lesson that day. Or more like sat in on my first lesson seeing as I was too scared to open my mouth. 

Also on that April first day the assistants called me while we were out to lunch after a lesson and said that they had left a green sticky note on my desk with some information that an Elder needed pronto. I said we would be back from lunch in 45 minutes and then would get it before we went to our next lesson. They called 10 minutes later saying that they needed it RIGHT THEN. So we packed up our lunches and ran to the office. As we were pulling up they sent me a text saying "It's on a GREEN sticky note" and that was when I started getting suspicious. I walk into the office and my desk is covered in green sticky notes.... oh Elders...

And then Elder Beckman comes out and they were FILMING the whole thing and my dumb reaction on their go pro! We watched it back and it was super funny because I am kind of a dramatic fool. But it was really embarrassing in the moment. So funny though (: haha those Elders make life so much fun!

So this week we also had specialized training. And it was really great and we talked about studies and teaching and how we can refine to become better. But halfway through the assistants tell us they have an activity they are going to have us do and they will explain the meaning and application behind it later in the training. 

So they have us all stand up and they tell us to put our hands in the air and move our tables and chairs around to face the other side of the gym without our hands as fast as we can. So we do it and then we sit down. And the tell us to do it again! To move our chairs and tables back how they originally were without our hands. And then once that is all done they just move right along with the training.

After the meeting as we were driving home I sat there pondering about the training and what I can change to be a better missionary when I realize that they never told us the reason why we did that. So I called them and realized that they just wanted us to look like fools. Sister Porter was taking photos the whole time and I realized after the fact as we were doing it that they kept saying "keep your hands up!!". Our mission is ready for any challenge. Let's just say that. I laughed SO hard at that. The assistants are so funny to me.

It has been a great week and I hope that you all felt the love of our Savior this weekend! I know that He Lives! And Because He Lives we will live again. Because He lives we can overcome the person that we are today and become someone new. I have seen that on my mission. I am not the same frustrated person I was 4 months ago. I no longer want to go home. I want to stay and help those around me. I want to be the Lord's hands here in Ohio. 

There is such joy in life and so much to laugh at! Even if it is just the four year old sitting next to you at family prayer after a lesson growling and saying he wants his legos. That literally happened. Yes Kai you have a Caucasian twin (:

I love my Savior and I LOVE YOU! 

Sister Brown

Conference is around the CORNER

Hey Fambam,

So we didn't get to write yesterday because we had a lot of things to get together for specialized training that is going on today for the Muncie and Fort Wayne stakes. Ours will be on Thursday. But yesterday for Pday we also had a zone fun day and went to the park and played Ultimate Frisbee and Sand Volleyball. It was super fun! And I also got a little tan so that was fun.

We also went to Jungle Jim's with Sister Porter to buy some ingredients because Sister Low cooked a Scottish feast last night for the missionaries in the ward at the Porter's house. Jungle Jim's is pretty much an international food store. You can literally buy anything there. It is HUGE! It was really fun to spend some time with Sister Porter. She is the best. And Sister Low made this delicious soup that I could probably eat for the rest of my life. And President Porter was super happy because he went on his mission to Scotland and so he kept making comments about how he felt at "home" eating the Scottish food (:

This week has been fun. The women's session of conference was AMAZING and I learned tons from it! I hope that everyone is pumped for General Conference this week because it is going to be amazing! Email me with your favorite part!

The work is going well here and missionary life is awesome!

Love you all!

Sister Brown

Weekly Adventures

Last Monday it was GORGEOUS weather. The warmest it has been in a while. And so we got permission to go downtown and go to the top of Carew tower which is the tallest tower in Cincinnati (: And it was so amazing! Seeing everything and it had just been raining buckets and so the river is overflowing. Like there were streets that we could see across the river in Newport Kentucky that were just going off into the river!

We also had an emergency call this week that a missionary was having to go home for a little bit while our companion Sister Low was on exchanges and so Sister Porter and I ran down to the Kentucky Airport. We had to deliver her renewed license to her that had been sent to me at the office and we were just going to do it at interviews, but then she needed it that day and so we took a road trip. Traffic was AWFUL and I got bored and so I started putting skittles in my mouth and seeing how many I could hold in there and still be able to whistle (: It was super weird being in an airport but I complimented a girl who was on a layover and we talked to her for a time. Airports are the best place to catch people because they literally have nothing else to do but sit there. Abby was super nice!

I also got this really awesome package from my daddio that had only TONS of Oreos in it. Let's just say that my tummy has been really happy and that we had to buy another gallon of milk (: AND a package from my mamma with a super cute Ohio shirt and a hula girl key chain! AND a package from the Boyle family!! AND a letter from Hillary with emoji songs to figure out! I have the best family ever!!!! (:

OH! And we went and helped a less active member clean out her old house because they have moved and are selling it and so we helped her scrub down the floors and walls and kitchen. But in her son's room there were glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. But all the furniture was gone... So we put our heads and bodies together and I climbed upon Sister Porter's shoulders (imagine at this moment Matt Meese being the shoulder devil) it was awesome. And OF COURSE we captured it in selfie mode.

This morning I lived through an audit! That was exciting....

It's been a great week! Lots of awesome lessons and people we have met! 

Sure love ya!

Sister Brown II

Week of Memories

Hey fambam! So the theme of the week has been "Do it for the Journal Entry" which is half a joke because none of us write in our journals... I should do better at that... #repentance

Journal Entry #1

So Monday we go over to President's house for the conference call (perks of serving in Western Hills) and before it starts I was telling Sister Porter about this rash that I have had (long story short I'm fine) so then Elder Seegmiller tells me that he knows the home remedy for rashes as he walks to the spice rack. At this point all I can think of is Googles putting cayenne pepper into your eyes to help with your sinus infections...

So he pulls out the cinnamon and tells me that a spoonful of cinnamon will cure any rash. And I know that he is just kidding and trying to do the cinnamon challenge... so he talks me into it a little bit and I agree so we load up our spoons and Sister Porter grabs her camera to record it and we do the cinnamon challenge! Dang. It BURNS! I couldn't taste anything for a solid 12 hours. It all tasted like cinnamon and BURNED! My ears killed and I was involuntarily crying. It was awesome. 

Journal Entry #2

So on Tuesday the Elders come into the office with a bottle of doterra peppermint essential oils and Elder Beckman says that we should all put it under our eyes on our cheek bones to see what it feels like. So we all put it on there and it BURNS! I literally could not open up my eyes from how much it hurt and my eyes were watering like crazy! We tried having a staring contest and it was the most painful thing I have done! haha (: It made for another great video though! And while we were doing Elder Beckman throws out there that the bottle specifically says NOT to put it near your eyes...

Journal Entry #3

So on Wednesday we had ZONE MEETING and my zone is so much fun right now! So we played this super fun game during zone meeting as part of our training on finding and talking to everyone. 

So one person in the companionship is an investigator and one is the missionary. And the missionaries go and walk the halls while the gators decide which missionary is  going to be "theirs". And the point of the game is for the missionary to find and get a return appointment with "their" gator. And the gators are supposed to reject everyone who is not their missionary.

So we start playing and all the gators are running around in costumes and playing really funny parts. One elder grabbed the cub scout flag and book from a classroom and is pretending to be a boy scout. Two Elders got the wheel chair and some funny hats and were being old war veterans. The sisters were more tame and just texting or reading books. 

So I start talking to everyone and Elder Gibb is one of the old war veterans and he was pretty grouchy. So I try talking to the sisters and they "reject" me and so after I have talked to everyone I feel like everyone rejected me! So then I just decide to try everyone again. But by this time a lot of people already have found "their" person. And the only people that are left are the war veteran grandpas. And they were kind of intimidating! Even as missionaries. And so I go to talk to the grouchy men and one of them ends up being "my" gator but I am such an awkward human being that I am so glad it was a missionary and not a real old man. 

Journal Entry #4

So on Friday we had the opportunity to go to the TEMPLE! But this is the journal entry for Thursday. And our ride fell through. No ride for us. We call and text EVERYONE in the ward and NOTHING. Nada. Zilch.  We had no idea how we were going to get to the temple. So then our awesome STL's call and say that they are catching a ride with the Fairfield sisters and that they have two extra seats. And the assistants were going with our Bishop's wife since there are three of them and so then I called President and we got it approved that I could go with Bishop's wife and Sister Porter and Sister Low would go with the other sisters. It was a crazy night of arranging rides at 10pm at night and then getting up early the next morning so that we could make it to the Louisville temple for the 10am session!

Journal Entry #5

So on Friday we got to go to the LOUISVILLE TEMPLE!!! It was so amazing and it was dumping buckets that day and so I was so grateful that nobody got in an accident and that everyone was safe while driving. And it was such a great experience! The feeling in the temple is like none other. I was just so happy! And excited to be a part of this and to have the restored gospel in my life! It feels so good! I have a testimony of modern and personal revelation too because of the things that I have been learning lately in my scripture study and from the Temple today!

Journal Entry #6

Saturday we had exchanges with our STL's Sister Anderson and Christensen. Sister Porter and I were with Sister Anderson and it was a lot of fun (: We went out and tried to contact a less active family that the YW president has been wanting us to see but they didn't live there and so there was this guy raking his leaves and we went and talked to him and his name is Jimmy and he was really excited to talk to us and to get his family involved too! Plus we went over to a member's hosue to teach them this member lesson that our stake president and President Porter have put together and they gave us a sack lunch at the end (: They are so cute.

Journal Entry #7

Sunday was just a great day! Church was awesome and we went to a nursing home where the Dixon's live and Brother and Sister Dixon are both recent converts and so we have sacrament meeting at their nursing home (long story short). But this time all the missionaries in the ward (all 8 of us) went and there were like 5 other people from the nursing home there and it was really awesome! Plus I got to go out on splits with my good friend Lauren to teach some lessons and it was awesome to get to talk to her. haha plus she told me that all the girls in the stake have a crush on one of the elders... haha that made me laugh so hard.

It's been a great week! Hope you had a great one! 

Sure love ya!

Sister Brown II

Happy Snowy March