iPads

So the iPads are pretty sweet.
Not gonna lie but it is soooo weird having one. So yeah we have the full gospel library in English and any language that I could ever want so that is pretty sweet. The only catch is we have to have wifi to down load stuff and what not. So we are always at the church which it is way good to be at the church so yeah. But like if you want to show videos or anything during your lesson you have to down load them before the lesson and make sure that they are in Japanese and that they are down loaded completely so then you can show them to your investigators. The other day we showed the restoration video to an investigator he seemed to like it I think.. But I don't know he watched while kneeling so who knows if he really enjoyed it because everyone knows that watching a 30 minute movie while kneeling on the hard floor isn't very fun.... Hahaha But yeah they do have all these locks on them which is probably really good. 

This week has been so good!! Well it was valentines day so that was so much fun. But the coolest thing that happened..... I was companions with Owens Shimai again!!!! Wahhhhh it was about time. I miss that critter. It was so fun being able to work with her. Both of our companions had to go to some mission leadership counsel thing so we had a sleep over haha and then we did dendo together for a day!!!! Yahh it was a blast. Last week jack shimai said we were going on exchanges on valentines day.  So I was with Snow Shimai. Oh how I love her. She is awesome she is from midway. I am pretty sure her house is right by the Buckner's like a few roads down or something. Cool stuff haha it's a small world after all. 

Oh and other news we are getting another apartment. Like the week before transfers so who knows what will happen. I really love kiryu but I have been here for three transfers so I am really nervous that I am going to get switched out... Booooo I really want to be here for one more transfer.. Well I do but I guess it also depends on who I am companions with and who the other sisters are. But it's exciting to be moving, so now we hopefully won't have to deal with moldy floors and futons. Haha 

Soooo I am going to be an honorary bridesmaid haha I am so glad Haley texted me! (Haha that is classic, I am so glad that she emailed me) She is so cute. I love her already... I think. So I would love to have a cardboard cut out but please have it be a cute picture!! Haha like the the picture on the Christmas card.... isn't that cute I look nasty... Like my face has no shape or anything haha. 

Snow snow snow. There is so much snow in this place. Like seriously so much!! This weekend it snowed more than last weekend. It snowed all day long on Friday. Another day of snow dendo. On Saturday morning when we woke up it had snowed so much. Like the cars couldn't go anywhere because the snow was past there wheels. It was crazy. The poor people here... I think I broke my back shoveling snow all Saturday. So it stopped snowing but it was just raining and raining and raining. So that was cool.. Like it melted the snow a little but not a lot. So we were out shoveling and the snow was soooo heavy like it was all just full of water. I can't believe the little old ladies that were out doing it. I am surprised that they didn't like snap their backs in half. Like before we started doing that I was freezing cold my hands were hurting and I couldn't feel my feet at all. They were like soaking wet. And I was starving because it was 2 and we still hadn't eaten lunch. But when I saw the old people outside trying to do it, it all changed. I went over asked to help. I kindly took the shovels from them and started going to working 2 and half hours later, the street was mostly clear. I had completely forgotten about how cold my fingers and hands were.. In fact I could even feel all 20 digits haha. And I wasn't even hungry anymore. It truly is amazing that when you lose yourself in the work and service of others and The Lord how you forget about your self and the needs you have. It is just such another huge testimony builder. I am so grateful to be out here serving the lord. 

We have interviews with president budge this week. I am very excited for them!! I have had something on my mind lately and I really just need to talk to him about it. I just want to be able to do everything I can for him. And I want to do everything I can as a missionary to help my investigators out.  There is a hymn that I constantly have in my head... It is how great thou art. Like really.. That song is amazing, sometimes I feel as though I can't fully express how much I truly love this gospel and how much it truly means to me but when I hear that song, or when I sing that song, that's my true expressions are. I don't know, I just love this gospel. Like what else in this world can solve or fix any problem you could ever have?! 

So yeah pretty much all of our investigators like dumped us.. It's so sad. They had so much hope and they were progressing towards baptism and eternal families so well.. Some even had baptismal dates and still broke up with us and said that they didn't want to take the lessons anymore. We have one person who is progressing so slowly but he is progressing every week we go up to his house in the mountains where he has all these raccoons and beehives. Him and grandpa Wayne would get along. If there is ever a zombie apocalypse while in japan I am going there. We keepinviting him to come to church and he says he wants to come but that he just can't. He literally drove clear from he mountains down to the church, pulled into the parking lot then turned around and when back home! Haha like what the heck! He is crazy. Hopefully we can get him to church next week. So we went to visit this family last night, we made them some cookies and took them over because we haven't seen them like all month. They have been so sick and this crazy weather is making everything impossible. I have been really stressed because we haven't been able to have a lesson for so long so I had no idea what was going to happen or what their feelings would be. So turns out things are great. She isn't reading the Book of Mormon everyday but that is okay she told me that she is praying everyday still and she really loves praying and that she is starting to recognize all of gods miracles in her life!! Ahhh it was so great! Please pray for them. Our area is really starting to struggle so please pray. 

I can't wait for my package. Like everyone got one but me so it was a little awkward haha.. But thank you so much!! 

xoxoxox

Snowmen and moldy beds‏

Hello
I have an iPad now. So much fun its so awesome I am so blessed to be a part of this hastening the work. I love this gospel and I am so happy that I can be a servant of The Lord at this time and being able to do his work for him. It truly is such an amazing blessing in my life.
 

Well let's just say I am dreaming of a white valentines day. Just like the ones we use to know... Haha
On Saturday it started snowing it was snowing when we woke up and it snowed all day long and was still snowing when we went to bed. Needless to say it snowed over one foot!!' So much snow... Talk about making dendo really hard... I feel so bad for the people in kiryu I guess it hasn't snowed like this for almost ten years!! The worst about it is that like no one owns a snow shovel and there are no snow plows the roads are just a mess like everything is just a mess it was crazy!!' It still is a mess. But the sun is melting it away but then it gets super wet and then when the sun goes down it freezes like everything is just super icy haha so fun stuff.  That was Saturday when it snowed that was the second time that it snowed this week. The first time was on Tuesday I was on exchanges so I was in the city kumagaya. Which it snowed like crazy!! We had no idea but then we were about to go out side and while walking to our bikes it started snowing a little bit but  we thought it was okay so we just kept going and riding and then it started to dump on us. Like so much snow!!!!!!! Like so much I literally looked like a snow man on a bike it was crazy. My helmet probably had like 5 inches of snow on it.. Needless to say that is the last time I every ride my bike in the snow hahaha. And since everything was crazy we only had sacrament meeting on Sunday.  Oh yeah... And pretty sure my boots we bought they lied they aren't water proof if anything they soak all he water in Fun. Welcome to dendo
 

It is really cool that we have iPads now... But I am not really sure if I like the fact that we have... It is so weird that I have an iPad again.... But it is so awesome. Like we have the area book on the iPads and we can do all that and our daily planners are on here like the apps that we have are pretty awesome. So every person in the mission has their own iPad and you keep it your entire mission but at the end of you mission you have to give it back.
 

So lately we have been really lucky and have been eating with the members a few times. On Friday we went to the bishops house for the dinner. Oh my gosh I ,love them so much I want you  to meet them. I want them to come to our house so bad.  They have 3 daughters and I just love them so much. Like I would go live at their house if only I actually spoke Japanese so I could talk to them. Today we went out to lunch with this awesome couple they remind me of granny and grandpa. They took us out for steak!! Haha so good and last Wednesday we went to a less actives house for lunch and we had a meat party like no joke all this meat like so much meat it was crazy it was so good.  Like the members take great care of us here. It makes me so nervous to leave this place... I actually feel some what like I belong.

 

So it's great here and my favorite thing About my mission so far is that I have a moldy bed gross right?? So we sleep on futons and like they are on the floor and my futon really sucks it's just a bed spread but I sleep on it. Well since there are four of us in a really small room it gets way hot in the the room like the windows are so wet when we wake up.  our body heat goes to the floor and what not and it is so cold out side the inside of the walls like start to sweat and the hard wood floors get all damp and moist it is so gross and we we have been watching for mold so today when we woke up like the foot of my futon was super damp and just gross and no I did not pee the futon so we were looking at it and the floor and just everyone else's and guess what there is all this lovely mold. My bed is just lovely... Let's just say I a, looking forward to sleeping in a new bed hopefully a full or something

愛してますよ。日本は寒いけど大丈夫です。

Welllll I love you so much!!! 

Xoxo 

ブラウン姉妹

 

We are having so much fun here!!!  Me and my companion are both on the
ends!! My desk is behind her you can see my bike helmet!

It is freezing here!!!‏

 

February‏

I can't believe that is is already February!! I love sister Jack she is so awesome. We were just talking this morning and this week we are doing out weekly planning and we will be planning week 3 already and each transfer is only 6 weeks! wahhhh it is so crazy... but i love it

Well cool news on Thursday we get our ipads!! yessss I am so excited!! Some people from the mtc are coming here and we are getting a big training on them. I am really excited it is going to help us be such better missionaries. Like we will be able to accomplish so much more... But sad news..... last Thursday we lost our phone... We left it on the train and it hasn't been found yet.. which totally sucks and makes everything so much harder. like following up with investigators and just calling people and waiting for people to call us.. It is just kind of a burden but what can you do.. I am praying that it is found but its hasn't been yet.. we go to the train station everyday looking to see if they have it yet. Hopefully we can find it soon!!! i like hate it. being in the mtc was great i didn't have to worry about having a phone and all those problems that come up with one but now i am in the field and its like we depended so much on our phone haha 

So last Thursday, the same day we lost our phone.. We had a mission conference. Elder Whiting came for the day and he taught us all day long. It was SO GOOD!! I loved it. I just have been feeling like I am not the best missionary and I want to improve so much and I want to really focus on my investigators and know what they need and what I can do for them.  Elder Whiting answered all of my questions that i had!! It was so great!

Mission work all comes down to diligence. If we are not diligent we won't see the miracles that we need to see. If we aren't diligent in being obedient then we won't see miracles. if we aren't diligent on focusing on the work and our investigators we won't see miracles either.  Like so many things come from being diligent. But also with diligence, we need to have the attitude that we want to be here. Nephi is such a great example to me. He was so diligent. He also had such a good attitude about whatever came his way.  His dad was always commanding them to do things like move to the wilderness, go back and get the plates, move again. Just all these different things but he never complained he just diligently obeyed and he diligently did what the lord asked of him. The lord knows each one of us, he loves each one of us and he wants each one of us to be happy. We can show how much we truly love the lord when we diligently follow and obey him.  heavenly father is diligent to us so the least we could do is be diligent to him. Our investigators depend on us so much. they need us so bad and when we are diligent to them, we can teach them or help them progress the way that they need to.

That is basically a summary of what i learned! I am learning so much every day I love it here, I am so glad that I can be here on a mission. 

So jack shimai is great. We get a long really well. I like her because in the morning she will get up with me and go running. SO that is awesome. I need to do that. it makes me feel better. ha so my health i think it is pretty good. I am just tired but that is so normal! and yeah I am trying my hardest to eat gluten free.. but it is hard.. but I am doing the best that i can. That car seems pretty awesome!! I love it.  please save me the white car... haha no thanks when I get home i am only going to use public transportation and a bike.... just joking, well kind of. I don't know what it is, but i am just not used to riding in a car at all. So whenever I have to, i get super car sick and I just get like a really bad head ache its terrible haha needless to say, i don't really like riding in cars anymore.. and like its backwards here they drive on the wrong side of the road...

So how are all the wedding plans and what not? I love weddings. haha Is there anyone else that is getting married anytime soon?

I love the ward here!! They are so awesome and they support us is so much. I love being here on a mission. I love freezing my butt off. I love having my hands be so cold that sometimes it is hard to pull my brakes on my bike. I love riding my bike in a skirt and having it get caught in my wheels i love crashing on my bike. I love having to carry the food home from the store in my basket. I love having the whole world see what kind of toilet paper we buy. I love being like the only American people in my city. I love getting chased by dogs. I love reading my book of Mormon. I love coming closer to Christ. I love feeling his spirit all the time. I love being able to serve him and give him my all. I love serving a mission.

I can't believe spring training is start up!! what the heck that is so crazy!! Time is just going by so fast. All I have to say is that the angels better be good this year and mike trout better be good this year too!!

MOM get better already!! and tell grandma that I love her!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Thank you for all of your love and support!!!

XOXO

SISTER BROWN