Late Night Emailing 2/25/14

Wow the wind has been crazy!!! Like I thought it was a bad last
month.. This month is crazy!!! The wind is crazy!!! We went to eikaiwa
on Monday night and literally the wind just pushed us the entire way
home I think I only peddled when we were going up a hill. We had to
walk our bikes cross the bridge though.. Due to the uncontrollable
wind that catches your helmet and lifts you into the air off of your
bike. Even with walking our bikes the wind still about blows you
over.. That almost happened to me and put it in top of walking on the
ice.. Let's just say I have a nice winter coat and a helmet to catch
me if I fall... But it is so fun!! It's like playing fear factor.
Being on a mission in japan and probably anywhere is actually like one
huge game of fear factor. But I love it because we have The Lord to
help us out!! So you cam never lose because the Atonement is 100%
always there for you!!
 

So a few of the miracles that I have seen this week are..
We had a self referral contact us. His name is Abe. He is awesome!!!
We had our first lesson with him on Saturday. He use to be a pro boxer
haha. He has a wife and a son. I guess he came to the church sometime
last week but no one was there... Whoops... We were able to talk with
him about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We talked a lot about the
atonement and how you can become a new person through it and baptism.
He thinks that sounded amazing. It was really awesome. Like we didn't
formally invite him to be baptized, he like asked when could he get
baptized. He is so awesome. He started reading the Book of Mormon and
praying, he came to church on Sunday for all three hours and said that
he loved it. Please pray for him. I don't want satan to tempt
him, even though I know he probably is. pray that he can withhold
satans temptations and receive baptism in March!!
 

We met with this kid who is 18. He loves service and everything about
it. He is so awesome, he has like so much figured about life already.
I really admire that. He made me remember youthlinc and Shriners
hospital. I miss doing that kind of service. Even though I know that
this is the best service that I could be doing with my life. I miss
doing that kind of service!
 

The temple today was so great, I just love it. You two need to come to
it. The celestial room is amazing. It is so beautiful. I miss going to
the temple as often as we did and I miss going with you. But I am so
happy that I am able to go.
 
Poor grandma I am so sorry that she is having to have surgery again. I 

will be sure to pray for her so much. I am so sorry for her. Tell her to 

stay strong and to keep up the faith. She will be fine, I know she can
recover from all these things.
 
Thank you for the package!!! I loved it. It is just what I needed. I
love the sweater!!! It is darling. I have been wanting one like that!!
And candy hearts you know those are my favorites. And let's be honest
hugs are so much better than kisses :)) thank you so much for it.
 
So I got a package from gran. That was so nice of that cute couple
missionary to send me that. They sound like they love their mission. I
am so happy for them. I emailed gran a video... So please make sure
she checks her email so she can watch the video. It's from my iPad and
she should open it on her iPhone so she should have no problem with
watching it!! Just please make sure she can see it! ありがとうございます。
 

 
I love you so much :)
Xoxo
ブラウン姉妹
 

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

Sister Jack

Thank you so much for my package! Probably one of the best packages ever.. but really though. Thank you so much for it. I got it in one week too!! That is pretty fast!!

So I am in kiryu again. Party! I am ready to see some miracles this transfer. I know that there are going to be many. So Sister Jack is the bomb. I love her so much. I mean i was really nervous at the start just because  I wanted her to think that i was a good missionary and I wanted her to know that I am willing to work hard and i just wanted to make a good first impression on her. I was sad to see sister taketomi leave.. but I am so grateful for her. I know that sister Jack and I will work so great together this transfer. She is on transfer 8. Pretty much one of the oldest sisters in the whole mission. Her Japanese is so good and she is soo cute!! She is from Payson i believe.. i just kind of forget.. she went to Salem hills high school. She graduated in 2010 so she is one year older than me. 

on Friday night we had a lesson with a member present and the lesson was a complete disaster, like the guy isn't interested at all so it was like a terrible pity lesson, so i was super embarrassed because my Japanese was so bad and the lesson just went like no where at all... I am really frustrated with that. Today we have such an important lesson and I am really excited for it because the investigator she has so much interest in eternal families that it is just going to rock, but we are having a member present and I am afraid that she is just going to think we can't teach and will just over power the lesson.. Please pray that our lesson goes good and that it can and will be successful.

So Kate haha oh my gosh she is crazy i love her so much. She honestly is such a great example to me. Bless her heart.. I pray for her all the time. I hope she doesn't have to go through anything like that again. the other day i like almost cut my finer off on a piece of glass but it is fine and i was all worried about it and then i read kates letters... and i was like sweet... maybe my finger isn't as bad as her foot... She is going to be so strong when she gets home.

Sorry life hasn't been too exciting for you lately..I am sorry you have been sick..no one likes that. 

Kiryu is cold and windy haha living the dream. Riding your bike is a nightmare.. haha but i just have to do it. This week should be a good week but a busy week. We have the Elder Whiting conference so that is going to be awesome and then next week we get our ipads...  YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA

I am so sad that amberly is moving. Will you ask her to fly to japan so that I can get my hair cut one last time.... haha I need a cut so bad but I am too nervous to get it cut here... haha  but i will probably man up and do it.

I love serving the lord 

I love being his servant

I love this gospel so much!

When times are hard I just always have to remember

STICK TO THE TASK

you can apply that anywhere. I am so grateful for my amazing family their love and support it means the world to me!!

LOVE YA

XOXO 

Sister Brown

the start of transfer 3‏

Helllooooo

 

 

Well who is ready for the big news...??

for transfer 3, I am going to be staying in Kiryu!!! I am way excited but... at the same time I am also pretty sad, because sister Taketomi is being transferred! I love her, she is the best missionary that I know, I have learned so much from the past two transfers, it has been a true blessing being able to have been her companion!! My new companion is sister Jack. I have no idea who she is but  i think she is like transfer 8 or 9 so she is way experienced and is going to be a very good companion. I am excited. I hope that I can be a great companion for her as well!!! I am happy to be in kiryu for one more transfer though. I have like grown up here, it is like my home so it is great.

 

Needless to say, a mission is so hard.. I feel like at times if i didn't have a testimony then I would be back home in salt lake. I am so grateful for this gospel. I love it with every oz of my body. I love the temple so much!! Honestly it is probably my favorite place in the whole wide world. I love feeling so free when I go there, that i have nothing holding me back or down, every burden is lifted from my back when I go. So there is a new temple video?? AHHH what the heck. like i mean... the really old one isn't bad, but it just isn't good compared to the new one. They still show the old one here in Tokyo, the new one hasn't been translated yet, I hope they hurry up though because I am ready to start seeing the new one again. 

 

i am so happy for Emily!! I love her so much, she is so cute!! I actually got an email from her this week, so i emailed her back!! I can't wait until we can go to the temple together when I get home.. I am a little sad I am going to miss Brandon's wedding.  I still can't believe he is getting married I am so exited for him!!!!!! Gosh the whole family is changing so quick, Lizzy could be on a mission by the time i get home and josh and Britt could have a baby on the way haha even Brandon and Haley. but don't you two worry I won't be going anywhere when I get back home. I am gonna go right back to going on dates with you two on the weekends. I can't wait to be third wheel again!!! :) try not to miss me too much!

 

 This week we have been trying so hard to find new investigators, but we haven't been able to!! but oh well we are still seeing so many miracles here so that is all that matters.  I went on exchanges the other day to a place called oizumi! and like it is where all the Brazilians live.  they only speak Portuguese there, needless to say when I was there I didn't really talk to a single person haha  but it was so fun!  it honestly felt like i was just chilling in Brazil. James and Vivian should mover here because then that way  I could see them. 

 

Something that I have been trying so hard to work on this week, is being a confident missionary. The past week I have been the senior companion and lets just say it is the hardest thing in the whole world, I am terrible at it!! haha but hopefully i can improve.

 

Temple pday was great. I love being in the city like honestly it is so fun!! but its like way weird  being around so many people and being a missionary. I want to go there one time when I am not a missionary.  i heard beyonce playing when were were walking down the street same with katy perry and that was just so crazy like what? I am missionary I haven't heard that stuff for so long. It is just so weird being so apart from the world. I am so blessed though because its great being in the world but not being of the world. That is something that I want to still be like when I get home.. but I think that that might be a little hard!!

 

I am so excited to get the i pads its going to be awesome and going to help out so much!!! but needless to say I think when i get home I am going to be all apple as well!!!

So with the ward we are doing an activity night every Saturday night!! It is way fun. We have done a sports night we played ping pong and soccer!! OH how  miss soccer and then we played like the game where you act things out!

 

SO to answers some questions.

Kiryu is freeezing cold!!! like sooooo windy!! today we are going shopping because I need to buy some more thermals its so cold here but my clothes are good! I am healthy... I think... but I am doing great. I love being here on a mission!!

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

GOOOOO UTESSS

 

XOXO

Sister Brown

 

 

 

 

tooooo much taco‏

So too much taco. taco in Japanese means octopus. I feel like that's all the explanation that i need.

SOOO in japan no one celebrates Christmas, but new years is kind of a big deal here. LIKE it lasts for 5 days, that makes dendo really hard. Needless to say today finally people started going back to work and going to school and now we are able to set appointments with people so hopefully this week brings tons of promise!! I am ready to see some real miracles.

Since New years is so big here president budge made this week a little different than normal. We had one day that was strictly all cleaning. We weren't suppose to go out side or anything just deep clean the whole apartment which was probably really good, just considering that we really needed it. And then the next day was suppose to be dedicated to only book of mormon reading the whole day. We are all pretty sure the reason why we had those was because he wanted to keep us safe and not let us get in bad situations which actually is really nice of him when you think about it.

This week we ate so much food with members it was so great!!! but they fed us a lot of traditional Japanese food... needless to say it was very Japanese and I don't really want to eat it anymore haha. we had it on Wednesday and Friday. haha it wasn't terrible but just very fishy like i ate these little fish probably two inches long and like a cm wide but they were dry and flat its so hard to explain and then the shrimp still had its eye balls and its whole body shell included haha. and just lots and lots of octopus haha So on Saturday we had lunch at the bishops and i was just thinking the whole time please don't have new years food please please please I can't take it. I can't eat that food again.  when we got there i saw what we were eating and I almost cried because i was so happy!! It was like pure costco food!!!! hahah They had costco pizza costco rolls they had croissants they had tortilla chips they had hamburger helper but best of all they have my favorite the thing i ate most of it!!! Rotisserie chicken ahhh it was soo great!! Honestly the best meal ever had. Like I always thought that cutting one of those things seemed really hard but watching bishops wife cut it with a knife and chop sticks blew my mind!!!

there is a lady here in my ward she is the coolest lady ever!! Like I want to hang out with her. She is so awesome and she dresses so cool and I could just go on and on about her, but so you can try to understand her better and see how she cool she is.. like think of pat thomas, she is pretty awesome. If pat thomas was Japanese then they would be pretty similar like i don't even know.  Its really awesome being able to find people that remind me of people. haha 

This next week i don't know if i will be emailing you just because next week is temple pday and like pday is on Tuesday and we have to travel back from Tokyo and just yeah so hopefully i will be able to but if not i am very sorry but with that being said, please please please still write me!! haha it would be sad if i got on and i had no emails

WELLL COOOOOLLL NEWSSSS!!!!!! in this past year in my mission, every area had a baptism except for 2. and in December we had 35 baptisms!! that's almost every area in our whole mission!!! 

The work here is progressing and I am so happy that I can be a part of it!!! 

And finally we have gotten word on the ipads. We will for sure be getting them the first week of February!! I am excited to have another tool help us see more miracles. 

I don't know i feel like i had so much more to tell you but I can't remember anything right now!! :( but oh well. Just know that I love ya!! And have fun with out me!! haha 

tell everyone hello!! 

XOXO Sister Brown