Nagaoka Week 2

Hello how are you doing?? I feel like I have been here in nagaoka forever but really it is only my second pday here. Needless to say, the weather is getting better... Well kind of. It is still way cold it isn't really snowing that much it is just super rainy now if it snows it's like a blizzard for an hour or something and then it gets better. But it is still awesome here!!! Today was been great so far blue skies and a little chilly I hope it starts warming up!! I am ready for some cherry blossoms.

I feel like it has been a slow week here though... Like not a ton has happened. I don't know what the deal is. We have investigators but at the same time we really don't. So that is way frustrating. We have a family we are teaching right now, well we are teaching them English and we try to share a little message with them every time we teach some times it goes good but sometimes it's a complete disaster. But the English lessons always go great haha. Nagaoka is just way different than kiryu haha. Like it is so weird having elders here.. And only teach women. Like that is what I loved about kiryu was that we always had to have members present for the lessons because all of our investigators were male. And members are so important in the work. But with that being said I love it here though. Like even though investigators are slim and so are lessons... I know that The Lord is preparing people and I know that people will be converted. It is hard not to compare myself to the other missionaries here. They are all so good at Japanese and are the same tankin as me or just one a head. My Japanese still isn't good haha which is totally lame. I am trying. It's like they have so many people they are teaching they are setting baptismal dates and getting people to come to church and we are having such a hard time with that. But whatever. Gotta keep the faith strong. I have to always believe. Because I need to believe that I can see a baptism in my area each month. I need to talk like I expect it to happen, I need to plan like I expect it to happen, and if I do so, it will happen. Missionary work is awesome but it's so hard. But I am truly blessed and being humbled here. This is what I needed in my life. On Friday we have a two zone conference with president budge and the assistants, so that will be good, I am way excited for that.

This last week we went with an investigator to aerobics class.  It was the greatest thing I think I have done my whole mission hahaha.  It was classic. First off I haven't worked out like that for so long.  But at the same time I wouldn't even call it working out.  Like aerobics in Japanese is so awesome.  Like I have no idea what they are saying at all. Haha and they are sooo genki like it is crazy.  But it was such a great laugh. I told asada Shimai I wish they would come to our apartment and help us work out in the morning.

This week we finally were able to ride our bikes.. But then it was like pouring haha. So cool. But riding a bike is so much better than walking. So that's good. I still like hate bikes but they are better than nothing. Our apartment is so far away compared to the elders. Like we are about 40 minutes away haha and they are only like 7. But people in the branch are so nice and pick us up on Sundays and drive us to church.

BASKETBALLLLL let the fun begin. I love that holiday! Good luck with your brackets!!  I am glad Las Vegas was fun. Trips are always good.

The poor Timmermans. I am way sorry that happened. That truly is heart breaking. Gosh I will be sure to keep them in my prayers, I hate freak accidents like that!!! It just proves again that God has a plan and he knows the bigger picture.


How is all the wedding stuff coming along??
Tell everyone I say hello :)
Xoxo
Sister Brown

This week we had root beer floats!! We found an international store
here and I bought root beer and string cheese and pace salsa

Smarch‏

Welcome to Nagaoka!!!

Transfers are sooooooo weird. I can't even believe it. My last few days in kiryu were so sad but I am proud to say, This last transfer, I haven't cried once. Not once. That is a big break through for me haha.  My goal was to cry only three times and I didn't cry once hahaha. I think my heart is getting strong again.

Where do I begin:

Thursday, transfer day!! I was lucky and I didn't have to wake up early. Just the normal 6:30. Snow Shimai and I traveled to the honbu together to Nakano in Tokyo. It takes about 2 hours and 35 minutes ishhhh. From there we separated she went to Chiba and I started on the journey to Niigata. There were 2 other sisters going to Niigata as well so we just traveled together. We had to ride a bus there. I was asleep and then next thing I know I wake up and I look at my window and it is covered with SNOW. Like I mean 120 minutes ago I was in sunny warm Tokyo and now I am in frozen Niigata. It was pretty much a blizzard driving the whole way up here. Ohhhh it looks so cold. I am pretty sure I am going to die haha like its march haha this can't be real. But secretly I am a little excited to be up here. It is going to be an adventure that's for sure. Hopefully I don't lose any toes or fingers... But at times that is a real fear of mine haha. We finally got to Niigata after like a 5 hours bus ride. In Niigata we were meeting all of our new companions. And there wasn't any snow there it was just really cold. But I mean I can deal with the cold it's the snow and the wet is what makes it hard. We had to stay the night in Niigata because it is a 90 minutes ride to nagaoka. Friday morning we woke up bright and early and got on the train. Nagaoka is amazing. I love it here sooooooo much. It reminds me of park city. But the crappy thing is there is some snow here. So I had to drag my suit case through the snow 40 minutes to get to our apartment. You can send 2 suitcases and your bike. So I sent my bike and my big suit case and a box. Some how I have acquired so many things here haha. So I had to carry my other suitcase with me. It was a little hard but let's just say by the time we got to our apartment I was dead!!!  So in nagaoka there is a branch we don't have a ward because we don’t have enough people for a ward. But there are 6 missionaries. 4 elders and 2 sisters. The ward is great. The branch president and his wife our awesome, but the dendo shunin and his wife are so awesome! I already love them. I love all the people here I love the branch and I love my companion. This is going to be such a great place. The member number is very small but I know it will grow and I know I will be able to see many miracles.

So pretty much every day since I have gotten here it has been a blizzard. Like all day just snow snow snow. It will be sunny and snowing haha so cool. But they have such an awesome system here. Like all the roads and sidewalks have a sprinkler system built into them.  And when ever it starts snowing the turn on and shoot water out of them. And it like melts all the snow it is crazy. But it's so smart I am not sure how it doesn't change to ice but it never does. Utah should consider it because then we would never have to shovel the side walk or the driveways again, the only problem is everything is sooooooo wet. Like so wet. We can't ride our bikes yet so we just walk and walk. But the good thing is I wasn't here during the worst months so it should be getting better soon or later I hope hahaha. Gotta keep a positive attitude.

My companion is sister asada. She is amazing. I love her so much already. I am way excited for this transfer! It's going to be great. I just know it. She is from Kobe. Do you know what area Jake brown is serving in right now? Maybe in her home ward? Haha who knows. It's weird going from 4 girls living together to two living together but I know that it is really going to strengthen mine and asada shimais relationship and help us be more united.

Kiryu was way hard to leave I lot it there so much and I loved all the ward members  and I loved our investigators. I just loved everything about it. In kiryu we have an investigator getting baptized  March 22.  And then his wife and son started meeting tool and they are getting baptized in April. So I way sad I had to leave but I know great things are going to happen here is nagaoka. I have so much faith. I have such a desire to find investigators here and teach the gospel and see lives change. I know it might take a while and it. Ishtar be slow but I know it will happen.

I am doing great though. This is a great place for me to be and I know that I am going to grow so much as a missionary.  Nagaoka is going to be a hard place but I know that it will be so awesome here.

Basketball... I am glad some thing's never change. Mostly mom and Michelle. That is so fun though. Brandon is getting so old....Awkward... The tourney will be fun in Vegas. Do you think the Utes will last? I am glad they are doing better than last year. Poor Murray.  How is Jason. I mean you can't be awesome every year.. Unless you are lone peak....

I hope I answered all of your questions!!!! I love ya!!
Have an awesome week and I will talk to you next week.
XOXO
sister brown

My new companion Asada Shimai

Potty break on the long ride up

Transfer

Well it is Monday morning so guess what that means. It is transfer
calls. And guess who is leaving kiryu. This sister. Bahhhhhh I am
crushed. Haha but I am very excited. This past weekend I have been so
stressed. Like I have been praying so hard. I have just had this
feeling that I would be leaving kiryu. It's been so hard because if it
was my will I would want to stay. I love it here. Like more than
Murray. But I have been praying to have the strength and the faith to
know that Gods will is what is the most important thing and that's
what I need to follow. Last night after I said my prayers I laid down
on my futon I just felt so calm and so peaceful and then that started
stressing me out... But i still felt so calm and just everything. It
was weird. Monday morning I woke up. Just waiting for my destiny. I
was trying to think of all of the places that i will be going. In the
shower I had the strong impression I was going to be going to the
Niigata area and the nagaoka area. I just tried to shove that idea out
because I didn't want to go there. So personal study started at 8. I
was trying so hard to stay focused but it was just way hard. Like at
8:40 I finally broke the silence and said I am pretty sure I am going
to Nagaoka. Snow Shimai was like yes please I really hope you are
because that was her first area and she loved it there she was there
for 3 transfers. She was like yes please i hope you do. Well like a
minute later the phone started ringing. My heart fell into my
stomach I know my destiny was about to be handed to me.  I get told I
am transferring. And guess where it is to!! I am being transferred to
Nagaoka. Wahhhhhhhh I can't believe it. I am in shock. I am like dying
haha. Snow Shimai started freaking out. I am so excited but... I am
going to miss kiryu sooo much.. We called the sisters that are there
right now and so my new companion. I don't really know a whole lot
about her. Except she is Japanese and she doesn't know too much
English so this could be good or bad... I am not sure which.
they said that right now it is snowing and it snows or rains like
everyday...... Yes just what I wanted to hear.. I have to buy new
boots that's for sure. But I guess the nice part is right now they
aren't allowed to ride bikes due to all the snow. So I might get a
little break from my bike finally. But I am excited just a little
nervous and I think the worst part is that since my area is so far
away. We aren't allowed to go to temple pday.. So I will probably be
able three or four transfers until I get to go to the temple.. Which
is a little sad. But I am extremely grateful for all the times that I
have been able to go to the temple. What a blessing I have. I mean
most missionaries don't get to even go to the temple. So I have been
so blessed to be where I have been serving.

So this week we have been way busy? We had to pack and clean the
apartment in one day!! It was so hard. Like we had to do all of our
study in the morning and then start packing and then jack姉妹 and I had
to go to a meeting. And that was like almost 4 hours.. So let's just
say there wasn't a lot of packing time. Saturday morning came way to
soon and it was time to leave. The ward was extremely helpful and they
came in and just started taking boxes and desks and everything.
Needless to say moving is stressful but... Moving in another language
is even harder. They were like throwing things, taking things we
didn't want it was crazy. Like it felt like a raid. Like one moment we
had everything and then the next moment it was all gone and just
crazy. So our new apartment is so cool. It's awesome its way big
and way nice. The only problem  is that it's on the second floor and
it was impossible to carry the desks up the stair way. So we had to
like pull it up through the upstairs window. It was crazy. Our
neighbors were probably thinking who are there crazy people moving in.
Like we had desks literally flying through the air. I think my biggest
regret of my whole mission will be not getting this on video because
honestly it was the craziest funniest scariest thing that has happened
my entire mission. One lady from the ward made us all lunch so
everyone was in our apartment eating food. It was so weird having
like men, woman, children, investigators, and elders all in the
apartment. But I love the new apartment.

Sunday was so good. The ward really said how grateful they were for
the sisters and that really made me feel good. Ohh I am just going to
miss everyone so much. I really want you to meet everyone from the
ward. They are so great.

So for pday we went to Brazil. What?!!! So fun. I have always wanted
to go there and I was so glad that I was finally able to go. Haha
there is an area oizumi. It is where like all the people from Brazil
live. Like you really don't feel like you are in Japan when you are
there. Like no joke. So that's cool. I am joking that I am going all
over the world. Like Japan Brazil and Niigata. Haha.

Friday there was a meeting that sister jack and I were able to go to.
It was for the new missionaries in the kiryu zone. I got to go with
her because she is a sister training leader. It was so good. I love
going to those things because it really just  gives me the extra dendo
fire boost that I need. The thing I learned is that god is preparing
people. Like I said last week. I am here doing the lords work. I am
here teaching his investigators. He is preparing people. Everyone
investigator you are teaching right now belongs to The Lord. And he
obviously is making each one of them ready or else they wouldn't have
contact with the missionaries in the first place. Each one of our
investigators is a child of god and god wants each one of them to
return back to him. It doesn't matter if they are progressing fast or
slow. It doesn't matter if you have a lot of investigators or only one
or two. Those things don't matter. What matters is that you have
investigators you have people hat The Lord is preparing. And it is my
job to do everything I can for them. I need to hold onto them and
never let them go. I need to put all my focus on them and help them
enter into the straight and narrow path. I love doing this work. I
love that The Lord trusts me enough to call me to watch over his lost
sheep and bring them back to the fold. A mission is he greatest thing.

I am so excited for lizzy, this literally is just like last year, can
you believe it was just a year ago already. What the heck. Lizzy will
be a great missionary, I hope she gets called to the Tokyo Japan
mission. Haha but really though, 6 months, it seems like forever since
I have been home but can you believe it, it is already March!! This is
crazy! Soon it will be Mother's Day and we will be able to talk. Sorry
dad that I don't get to call you on Father's Day.

I am excited for all this wedding stuff. I love weddings please be
sure to send me pictures of it all. I am every excited for Brandon. He
is going to be an awesome husband and father some day. I can't wait
tell I get to meet Haley. I am a little jelly you get to go to Arizona
for the wedding I have always wanted to be apart of a wedding in
Arizona. That just seems like such a great place for a wedding haha. I
know.. I am a freak.

I am sad to be leaving sister jack. She is great and I learned so much
from her!! We had such a great transfer and we saw so many miracles
together. But cool news guess who is coming and taking my spot if you
call it that. Sister Edwards!! Yanno aunt Cindy's friends. She is so
cute!! I am super jelly she is coming here because I have wanted to be
companions with her. She is great. Whenever we had to go to the honbu
we always stayed in Shibuya with her. I like to say we are friends. But
I guess this might be as close as we get to being companions. Kiryu
will love her. I trust her enough to leave her with the ward and the
investigators.

 

I am glad you had fun in Vegas mom. Dad have fun with the boys. I am
glad you get to have a trip with Brandon before he gets married.!!

I miss you all but I rather be here in japan!! Be safe love ya
XOXO
ブラウン姉妹

 

Me and Sister Snow

 

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