Happy Easter

Hello mother hello father
 
What's up....????
How was Easter.

So I am sure you have already seen the video because of him... But if
you haven't please please please look it up!! And if you have, just
look it up again. Because I love it so much.
 

I got your package!!! Yessss it came the next day. So Tuesday haha. So
asada Shimai was able to have some of it!! Thank you so much. I loved
everything. It was like the best package ever!! Like no joke I was so
excited over it!! Once again thank you so much.
 

This week I have really been focusing a ton on church attendance.
Since Sunday is Easter, I thought it would be great for many people to
come to church!! I thought a lot about what I needed to do to see
people at church on Sunday. I did everything I could. By Friday night
I still had no confirmation that people could come. It seemed as
though everyone I asked said they couldn't come. It was getting
frustrating. I invited everyone from kids eikaiwa to come, even the
less active people that were there. On Saturday night I prayed for a
miracle. I prayed so hard that we would have people at church on
Sunday. Church is soooo important. I had put so much work and effort
into getting people at church on Sunday. Ivory Shimai and I asked
everyone to come. But still... No one said they could.
On Sunday Morning, everyone started settling into their chairs for
sacrament meeting to start. There was probably 5 minutes until it
started and still no investigators at church. That's when the elders
came up to me and said go out to the hall people are here. The family
from eikaiwa is here. I got up and went right out. Sure enough the dad
and his two daughters were here.
 

During the sacrament I was pondering and praying. I was overcome by
the spirit, a feeling  of  validation came over me. It was like
Heavenly Father was  telling me your work is not being wasted. So often
I get caught up in not seeing results right away I get frustrated and
lose hope. I had the feeling that with patience the miracles will
come. I thanked Heavenly Father very much for showing me such an
amazing miracle. And teaching me such am important lesson.  I know
that this is his work. And I know that what I am doing is important. I
know that with diligence and patience I will see this work come to
pass.
 

Right now it is 10:45 am. We are at the church emailing. I am glad we
have wifi here. Very thankful for that. Ahhh I am a little sad I
missed Brandon and Haley. I can't believe that their wedding is coming
up so soon. I am so excited for them. I saw some of their wedding
photos. Well engagement photos.  They are soooo cute. I can't wait
until I get to finally meet Haley!! I am pretty sure that I will like
her. I love hearing all the wedding details. It's needed. Sometimes I
need to give my mind a break and get rid of the stresses of being a
missionary. So never hesitate to tell me any of the goods!! I am glad
it's a hot Easter for you!! Remember last Easter I went to that
baseball game. Haha everyone in japan loves the Seattle mariners. So I
feel cool saying that I have seen them play. I like to think that my
Japanese is getting better. Well for the most part, my understanding
is becoming so much better so that is a major blessing!! I know
Heavenly Father is helping me it every single day.
 

This transfer is going to be a great transfer I just know it. I know
we can see awesome miracles. And Elder Cook is coming to speak to us
next month so I am way excited about it!! I love serving a mission. I
love it I love it I love it!! Thank you for all of your love and
support.
 

I love our savior and have come so close to him this time while
serving a mission. Something that I have learned is really how much he
truly loves us and how he is so aware of us. I know that I am never
alone. I know he paid the biggest price for me to always feel this
way. I know that he was so utterly alone at the hardest moments in his
life but because he was so alone and he never stopped and he finished
the fathers will. I never have to be alone ever in my life. I will
always have him there and have a testimony and a knowledge of that is
the biggest comfort and blessing I could ever have!! Have a great
week. I am sorry if I snows for you!!
 

XOXO
 Sister Brown.

Ward activity on Saturday. We played soccer ice. Most of these people
are not members but eikaiwa students so fun!!!

Agency

 
Wow I can't believe that this transfer is already over!!! What the
heck, I thought I just got here!! It's crazy. I saw so many miracles
this transfer. I am so blessed to be here that's all I have got to
say. I don't know if my speaking a little improved a whole lots this
transfer... But I know my hearing did and I understand so much now.
Well at least I think haha.. I love asada Shimai so much. She is
awesome. I am so blessed to have been her companion last transfer. I
know The Lord really is in charge of all of this stuff and he places
us with certain people for certain reasons... So yes. My new
companions is sister ivory! She is so cute, we served in the same zone
while in kiryu. We have done exchanges together before. I am way
excited for her to be my new companion!! She is transfer 6 and I am
transfer 5.
 
So general conference was so good. There were so many talks that I
really loved. I really liked the Sunday morning session the best
though!! I thought all of those were really good! I forget that how
blessed we are and how we get to be home in the couch watching
conference on the tv. Like everyone has to go to the church to watch
conference. We went to the church in Niigata to watch it. It's awesome
seeing people how dedicated they are because they can't sit at their
home to watch it so the travel over an hour to the church to watch it.
Like that is so awesome to me. Because come on we sit on the
couch in our pjs watching conference. Haha
 
This week the biggest thing that I learned is no matter what is
happening with your investigators you must always keep faith and keep
them in your prayers. I know that Satan is working very hard on God's
investigators. He doesn't want them to join the church. He doesn't
want them to receive the message of the restoration. It is so hard
seeing people use their agency in a negative way. I know Heavenly
Father would do anything for his children to come back to him but he
won't take away one of the most precious gifts he has given us, our
agency. Preach my gospel says "When people do not accept the gospel,
do not be discouraged. You have raised a warning voice. You have given
them a clear choice. Disciples of Christ feel sorrow when people
choose not to repent, but they maintain a vision of who they are and
what they are doing. They continue to diligently move forward." I
believe that statement 100%. I know that I have to move on and keep
working my hardest. I know that sometimes my faith is the most
important thing. I mission is full of ups and downs. I know that this
is heavenly father's work not mine. I know that as long as I follow
heavenly father's will I will see miracles happen here in Nagaoka. I
am so blessed that he trusts me to help bring his lost sheep back to
him. I know that sometimes our investigators don't use the agency the
way they should but I also know that there is a seed being planted in
their hearts. So if not now someday they will receive the message of
the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
So nagaoka is famous for all of their fireworks like they have a huge
firework show!! And it's August 2 and I really want to see it... But
chances are that I won't be here in august. Today we went and watched
a little movie of them oh my gosh, they were so good!! They are best
show in japan. Like I was so moved haha the fireworks were so moving
like they were so good I almost wanted to cry hahaha.
 
So spring has sprung!! It's so great here!! Oh my gosh I love it, I
wish spring would last forever. The sky is blue it's nice and warm
with a light breeze and the Sakura are amazing. Oh my gosh soooo great
:))
 
Easter is nonexistent here. It's so sad. I love Easter. Such an
important time for us to always remember our savior. I know that this
week we will be able to see many miracles. Thank you for sending me an
Easter package. I am very excited. Well since I live in the North Pole
who knows when I will get it... Lizzy sent me a letter over two weeks
ago and I still haven't gotten it. Hopefully this week or next week.
But I will be sure to share that candy with asada so she can feel
another joyful part of Easter haha.
 
I love my mission so much. I love seeing all the miracles, I love
seeing how the gospel can change lives. I love seeing people after
they have accepted the gospel. I know that being a member of the
church is hard and I know that we aren't all perfect but that's why we
have the atonement. The hardest part of the mission is those days when
you feel like you can't do anything. When people have problems that
you want to help them with but you just simply can't. And you just see
them slip away. Seeing people slip away from this gospel is the
hardest thing to see.

Have a good week xoxox

Sister Brown 

WOW!!!!!!

WOW
 
I am so excited for lizzyyy like really my words can't explain. She is
going to love it and the fact that she will be in the same mission as
Elise is so awesome. She is going to love it soo much, maybe she will
meet Taylor swift... Maybe.. Haha if only she spoke Spanish. And it
will be so cool for josh and lizzy to speak to each other! Haha gotta
love it. I didn't get to see the video of her opening it though... Which
totally is lame. My iPad is dumb and doesn't let my down load the
videos anymore..more problems a lame block they put in this thing haha.
It's crazy how everything for lizzy is happening the exact same
time that happened for me!! Wow so crazy! She is going to love it!!
I am so pumped!!
 
So how was conference?!! Did you love every minute of it? How
many times did you fall asleep watching it. I missed conference from
the couch this year :( haha and eating all the food you want during
it. But oh well.. Next spring right.. Haha anyways the general
woman's meeting was pretty awesome!! I am glad that I was able to
watch it and yes, I watched it in English so I actually understood it
and was able to get something from it!! Something that I got from it,
like if I have to pick like two or three sentences to describe what I
leaned this is what it is. Stay on the straight and narrow pathway.
Keep my feet planted firmly and walk, do not hesitate do not look
back. I know the example I must follow, I know where the path leads,
just stay on it and follow it. I am not only in this journey I have my
savior and all the sisters of the church. Okay so maybe that was more
then a few sentences but yeah.
 
This week was awesome though, we saw so many miracles but my favorite
miracle that we saw was this. On Thursday we had lunch with a former
investigator. She had a baptismal date and everything. The reason why
she stopped meeting with the missionaries is because of her family and
that is why she didn't get baptized. She is amazing, she has so much
faith and truly has a desire to know and understand these things. She
talked with her family about the church and being baptized but they
were against it and she didn't want to cause a problem... On Thursday
we were able to meet with her and just see how she was doing and if
she still had the same feelings about the church. We met her and her
son at a restaurant. She said she just found it and she had never been
there before but she wanted to try it. We have never heard of it
before so we were like sweet lets go. We get there and sit down and
order our food. It was a little awkward because we didn't really know
what to talk about and like we were having a very hard time bringing
up the gospel. When the cook walked out of the kitchen and brought us
some food. He looked at asada Shimai and and I for several seconds and
was just like ohhhh hmmm mmmmm ohhhh i see. We both are thinking what
the heck is going on, we don't know him. We figured maybe we said
hello to him or something during smile dendo or what not. He then
brought us some more food we never ordered and we were just so
confused. And then he says to our investigator are you studying about
the Mormons. And we were just blown away. We weren't expecting that at
all. So we had to ask. We asked do you know us? Have we met before? He
said yes I know the missionaries and several years ago I was baptized.
Whattttt we all just looked at each other and didn't really know what
to say. We asked his name and then it all clicked. Turns out he is the
less active member the elders are working with and this is his
restaurant that they always go to. Our investigator was extremely
impressed by how kind he was an everything. She asked is that how
everyone is? Like it was so perfect. That right there was gods hand
creating miracles for both her and him. That week he met all 6 of us
missionaries with out us even planning that. With our investigator we
were able to talk about a lot of things, the main thing was prayer.
She loves how she feels when we are with her and when she prays. She
said she gets so busy with her little son sometimes she feels like she
can never pray. We talk about being able to pray anytime and anywhere.
Needless to say today was full of miracles and it was amazing. At the
end of the day we got a message from her saying she was so grateful
for today and that she learned so much and she felt so much peace and
calm and joy. I am so happy that I can be apart of this work and
helping people just like her really feel gods hand and strengthen
testimonies in these hard times!!
 
So the cherry blossoming are coming... But yesterday was a blizzard.
So lame.. But I think this time it's finally done snowing haha. Or it
better be at least. There is this really awesome river here and it's
just packed with cherry blossom trees it's sooo cool!! They have like
all these lights stringed up in the trees and everything. I am way
excited for the blossoms to finally come!!
 
So today was zone pday so guess what that means next Monday is
transfer calls!! Wow this transfer has flown by!! I can't believe it.
Things are finally starting to roll along here. Our investigators and
people are awesome. I don't want asada Shimai to leave but I think she
might... Which is really starting to stress me out, because I am not
ready to be the person who speaks better Japanese in the companionship
because i can still hardly speak at all... I am so nervous like
really. But all I guess I can say is come what May and love it. Oh and
sad news.. Since I am serving clear up in Niigata.... It's too far to
come for temple pday... So I don't get to go. Which is lame but I am
blessed that I had the opportunity to go while be a missionary. So no
complaining, and I am sure that I will get the chance to go again.
 
Mom I am glad you had a good birthday week, every one deserves that
once in a while!! :) haha anyways I can't wait to try that swing out!!

poor grandma I will keep her in my prayers!  I don't think I even know

who alisa and Riley are... I think I remember those names but I am not

sure. I got a letter from Tanya and Shaun so that was nice! Hopefully 

those two write me.. I mean I am still a live.. I just don't live in 

America or have a cell phone haha. Thank you for getting mad at them.. 

They deserve it haha.  Oh so umm do I have another brother.. I think his 

name is Brandon... But I can't remember or not.  Dad that's so awesome to 

hear about that meeting. I look forward to being able to meet him in one 

year!! Wow that sounds crazy!! Thank you so much for all your prayers and 

support. From you and everyone. I am so thankful for it!!
 

 
I am doing so good here!! I am so blessed and so thankful to be
serving here in japan. There is no where else I would love to be.
 
I love you have a great week!!
Xoxo
Sister brown!!