One Transfer Down

Hello family! It sounds like things have been good and busy back at home! Happy first snow fall to you guys!! We have just had glorious rain here in Tennessee. And when it rains it pours. It pretty fun... I'm kind of starting to get a bit of a cold so I'm just grateful we have the car this week :) this last week was so good!!!! We didn't have the car and it was probably our best teaching and finding week! We were pretty excited. We actually did exchanges with the sister training leaders in Franklin this last week and I was super stressed that I was gonna have to stay in columbia and attempt to speak Spanish by myself. But thankfully I went to Franklin so that was fun!!! But I did have to speak some Spanish. Since we have some investigators there sister Dixon wanted me to go and follow up with them... HAHA it wasn't too bad.... I did have to default back into English a couple of times. It was actually a really good experience to have. It made me realize how I need to just be that much more confident in my Spanish. It's getting there. Little by little. We had like a wayyyyy good lesson with Felipe this last week too. Sister noble came and kinds just told him what's up. It was awesome. Sister noble is the bomb member missionary!!! Felipe said he was going to start reading her Book of Mormon for real this time and start praying. So that was really good!!! :) we have this new investigator, Felix who is probably like 65 or so and he is really cool! But just such a crazy Hispanic. Sometimes he just says how he wants to learn more and know God better and then he goes off about something random like about midgets and satan.. It's rather strange... so we taught him Saturday and we asked him not to drink alcoholnSaturday or Sunday and to come to church.... And on Sunday morning guess who was at church? Felix!! And his friend. It was great!!! And the Spanish members were totally just fellow shipping him like crazy. It was so great!! We were so happy and he told us he didn't drink for those two days :) hopefully we can start seeing more success with him!! 

Our Ward had like a breakfast for dinner, Ward dinner on Saturday and it was great!! We had 8 nonmember Hispanics come and 7 less actives come!!!! Plus our Hispanic members too. It was great!! We were so so happy. Our Ward is starting to get more comfortable with them and with us too!! And on Sunday our less active margarita and her kids came to church!! And stayed for all 3 hours too!! It was awesome. We had a lesson with her after and she said that she really loved the sacrament. She felt so much peace and happiness. Yay!! I love her she is so amazing! 

So something kind of funny that happened this week was we were teaching and this little boy brings out his pet chicken. And it's just running around the trailer. Hahahaha I felt like dad would have died. It was so funny. I got some pics with it to show you! Also it was transfers and I am obviously staying here in Columbia so that will be fun!! :) I can't believe thanksgivings next week!! How crazy. And then soon enough it will be Christmas. 

This week was so busy but so good and this next week is going to be even busier I feel!! So that is just even better :) I love being a missionary. Everyday I am just happy to be here to be with these people. I couldn't imagine doing anything else!!! I have really been able to draw closer to my father in heaven and truly trust and rely on him and my savior Jesus Christ. I just love this gospel so much!! And I just am so honored that I get to wear Christ's name over my heart everyday day :) 

Also very glad to hear that's the Utes are still doing good!! I can't believe that basketball is already starting up!!! That kind of makes me sad. Just because you know how much I love basketball too... Oh well! You will just have to keep me updated on it all!! Thanks for all your love and support!! Love you all so much!! 

Love always,

 Hermana Lizzy Brown :)

 

Trying to take artsy pics while walking and walking and walking some more

Chicken in trailer

Chicken selfies

My district before transfers

montzy at the breakfast for dinner

 

I'll have some of the yeller‏

It sounds like y'all have had a crazy fun filled week! I'm glad you had a good rest of the week in Arizona! I hope you got some videos or at least a photo or two of you guys sliding down the slide or something! Hahaha that sounds like a blast! 

Well the weeks with the car go by wayyyyyy to fast!!! But it's okay because this week was a great week!! But first off, so sad news... Felipe won't be getting baptized on Saturday :( boo. This week we had been talking about it and getting him excited and answering his questions. But something just felt off. On Friday we had the trainer trainee meeting where we got with all the other trainers and trainees, I got to see Hermana Levao, I was so happy!! :) anyway the meeting went great!! But after, Hermana Torres and I were talking and we both felt like he just wasn't ready. But we didn't want to tell him that... But we went into our lesson and he told us he was thinking about that, just not ready.

This last Sunday was also our primary program. It was SO cute!! We have a ton of kids in our ward. I love it.  our bishopbric is amazing!!! Seriously. Just the best. So we are thankful for that. This week was a pretty good week though!!! I feel like where did the week go? But that's pretty good I guess! 

This morning I actually had a really good scripture study! I was reading in 3 Nephi 9 and it is right after Christ's death and right after the 3 days of darkness and they hear Christ talking. I love love love verses 13-14

13 O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unt

I was listening to a conference talk by Elder Allen Packer and he quoted Elder Oaks and he said "A testimony is to know and to feel. Conversion is to do and to become."  And I really just love that. And that's what Christ is inviting us to do. To be converted unto him by using his atonement. 

The frustration with Spanish is definitely still here but I'm just trying to take it paso a paso. So in lessons I try as hard as I can to pay attention and to speak but sometimes I just can't then she has me explain something in Spanish that I have never even taught anyone before and I don't know how. That happened last night and I was actually just mad. And I might have started crying in the closing prayer cause I was so mad. It's just so frustrating. But I am trying to take the frustration and use it to my advantage. My writing and reading in spanish has gotten better so that is a plus! I'm just trying to make the most of it. :) 

I'm glad you got my letter and that all is well at home :) I'm sorry it's starting to get colder. It's back and forth here. One day it's freezing, the next day it's super warm... So we never know what we'll get! Sad the Utes lost :( do they play this next week? I hope hope hope they do good!! Thanks for all your love and support and especially your prayers. I love you all so much! :) 

Love always, 

Hermana Lizzy Brown :)

 

November

Can you believe that it's November already!? What the heck! This is crazy. And I'll tell you, it's starting to get pretty cold here... Uh oh I might be in trouble. The actual temperature isn't too cold but the winds are what are killer. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's so weird to have holidays on the mission. Seriously. But it was a good Halloween, how was your guys? Although I had no scones I did get fed pozole, so you know I was the happiest girl ever. We went to the wad party and it was fun. They had a chili cook off and a trunk or treat! One of our less actives came with their families and some investigators too :) our Ward is nice but no parkview Ward. 

Haha okay so this week was crazy and went by so fast. But that's good. It was really warm the first couple of days of the week and we rode our bikes... Joy. Haha it's getting better. We had a crazy experience with Irene and her oldest daughter Betsy on Tuesday. We went into going to teach about the plan of salvation and all of a sudden Irene says she really wants Betsy to get baptized and how she wants to too. WHAT??? Hahaha crazy. So I mostly talked to Betsy in English and Hermana Torres was talking to Irene in Spanish. Betsy is so confused and has so many questions. She said she really loved how we teach and that it all just makes sense! It's crazy. Hoping to set s baptismal date next week with her :) and on Wednesday we had our English classes! We had 5 people come. It was great but English is actually really hard! I had a hard time teaching it. But everyone said they liked it so that is good! And we hope next week we will have more people come too! We also had interviews with president and that was really good. He made me feel a lot better about how I am feeling as a newbie missionary. He is such an amazing president and I am so glad to have him as my mission president. He truly has the strongest testimony and cares about all the missionaries. Also we have been visiting a less active family a ton, well the parents are members (less actives) and none of their kids have been baptized though. Their oldest daughter invited us to her band concert on Thursday night and we went. I love this family so much. The mom is margarita, the dad I actually don't know his name, but he is never home when we go over cause he works a lot... But he is kinda interesting... Then their oldest daughter Ariel is 11, Robert is 9, Erik is 8, Ilene is 6, and Gordo is 2! They are so dang cute. I will send a picture. 

FELIPE SET A BAPTISM DATE FOR NOV 15!!!! Yayayayayayayaya! The happiest girl in the world. We challenged him on Wednesday and he accepted but it was kinda like a soft acceptance. Then on Saturday we had a lesson with him and before we even started he said, remember the 15th. And we finally got him to pray with us too. It was a great lesson and really overall great week! It's been hard with him because he doesn't really express his feelings all that  well so sometimes we don't really know what he is thinking. But we have been starting to ask him more questions so that he can teach us. 

ALSO! I was sooooo surprised what I found on our door step on Thursday night. How nice of the rasbands and Marcie!! I felt bad because we never got in contact with her but she left another note on the door Saturday night too. She is so cute. Tell her I say thank you and I'm sorry I missed her, it was a crazy week and weekend. It was so nice to get that and just feel all that love and support. 

Like i said, the weather has gotten pretty chilly but it's also been so dang pretty too. I will send you pictures of all the fall weather we have been having!! I love it. Since there are tress everywhere, that means, leaves everywhere!! 

The Spanish have their own sacrament meeting on fast and testimony meeting, so I bore my testimony! In Spanish of course. I think it went pretty well. It wasn't totally awful I don't think but man our Spanish members need some help. About 2/3 is made up the Abac family, and they are great and usually come every week, man they are different. Haha one of the little girls was walking around drinking a coke and eating chips.... It was hard because 1 I can't drink coke on the mission and 2 it was fast Sunday haha temptation at its finest. We are hoping to work with them so that they can feel the spirit more while at church. 

We also had a kind of interesting experience last night. We were knocking doors and this lady answered and at first she seemed really nice but something was off. She invited us in and Hermana torres and I both just kind of had a weird feeling about her but not s bad get out feeling. We kinda might think she is a witch. She really liked our message and the restoration of the gospel, but then she would go on tangents and just quote random bible scriptures and told us how she is a seer? And has like a crazy mind and stuff... It was interesting. We probably won't go see her again... Just refer her to the English sister.

This week I have really been focusing on the atonement and how I can better understand the atonement and apply it to my life so I can help those I teach to better understand it. I have been finding some really good talks to help me better understand it. Elder Nelson gave a really good talk about the Atonement and why it's so important. He talks about how the creation, the fall, and the atonement all loop together. My favorite part of his talk was this part "The Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished. Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation. To phrase that statement in its negative form, if families were not sealed in holy temples, the whole earth would be utterly wasted. The purposes of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement all converge on the sacred work done in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The earth was created and the Church was restored to make possible the sealing of wife to husband, children to parents, families to progenitors, worlds without end." I just love that. I love the temple and I am so grateful I am able to be sealed to my family forever! And wow I just love it. 

Last week was a really good week! I am excited about this next week. We have a pretty full week ahead of us so that's good! And we have the car. Even better :) thats crazy there weren't too many kids at grandmas Halloween party! But it's good cause we are doing what's right, right!? Sounds like Jake and Hayden are doing well too :) I'm sad that Halloween was so lonely :( but those scones just looked so good and so did the sugar cookies! Haha I saw them in a corner of the picture. I'm so sad the Utes lost :( but it sounds like you have had a good little trip and get away to Arizona! I swear now that my parents are empty nesters all they want to do is go on trips.... Haha I'm glad you guys are having fun! 

I love you so so so much! I hope you guys have a great, fun, safe week! I love you :) 

Love always, 

Lizzy 

 Brown street! And parkway kinda funny :)

Me in leaves

Cute twinkle lights and town square

Halloween balloons

Me and Ilene