my loves!! 27 October 2010

Hello my family!!

Thank you for all the emails, they are great as usual. And mom, yes i did get the package as i came through moscow last week.; Thank you!! it was fun to read all those letters!!! And the only thing that you might want to stick in the other package is just another bottle of the multi vitamins. I am good on everything else. And ange, the address is the same. When someone comes to kazakhstan they just bring us everything that went to the mission office. Actually i heard there might be an address here too for packages. i will ask and let you know.

So kazakhstan is good. We have a lot more investigators here, which i am not used to. And most of them are english investigators like I said, and then we also teach them the gospel. Some of them are progressing very well,and others are not quite as accepting. But we continue to work as best as we can with the investigators.

I like how joe called this place "the other part of Russia". To be honest it is nothing like Russia! it is crazy different. People speak Russian, but mostly the native language here is kazak language. All the signs and things outside are in kazak, and if you are a native you know how to speak kazak. So usually when we hear people talking outside or when we hear music outside it is always in the kazak language. I would say the language sounds like some kind of mix between the russian and chinese languages. So, people will talk to us in russian though. And english. There are a lot of international schools here and A LOT of people learn english. So in all of kazakhstan our city, almaty, is the only open city to missionaries right now. There are a total of 10 missionaries here in the city. A senior couple, 3 elder companionship's, and then one sister companionship. I think they are working on opening other cities, but i am not sure how soon that will be. Sometime i think they want to make kazakhstan its own mission, and the missionaries will learn the kazak language instead of russian. I heard that the kazak people here are very very patriotic, and a lot of them don't like it when russians and other people come to live here. I heard that they are slowly trying to make it harder and harder for other nationalities to come and live here as registered citizens. So yes, a lot of the people here do look chinese, but they are kazak. As we have been outside, the people seem to be a lot more open too. The culture is just very different. This city has many more rich business type people, and some really really nice cars!

Right now, for the first two weeks, I am not allowed to wear my name tag,and I am not allowed to talk to people about the gospel. So i just talk to them about our english club and lessons. So in about a week I will be able to wear my tag (i feel so weird without it!) and then not too long after that I need to make another trip to moscow to get my full 6 month visa. (They only give you a one month visa first, then you have to leave and get your 6 month visa and come back). Kinda crazy and a lot of traveling. But its all good i guess. And yes, there is only one branch here in almaty. It is not like huge, but it is not small either.

Last friday and saturday the mission president let me and sister chetina go to the relief society conference that they have here in almaty every year. It is up in the mountains in like a cabin type thing, and we went there and spent the night and did spiritual things with the women in the branch. It was fun to get to know some of the wonderful women here. They have very strong testimonies and really love the gospel. I am excited to get to know them better. Also, when we had conference with the president last week, for p day he wanted to do something fun with us, and so he took the district to these like grand canyon stuff. Of course it is not as big, But it was beautiful and i got some good pictures. We had a fun little picnic there also.

Let's see. I don't really know much of what else to say. Im sorry but i have the hardest time concentrating in here with all these gamers and loud music!! So i can't really think about what to say next.

Oh i forgot to tell you that there are a lot of muslims here. So it has been very interesting to talk to them and to learn about their traditions and beliefs. We know some islam people who their parents still choose their wife and husband for them. Crazy huh? Oh, and i can see mountains from my window here. cool huh!

I love the people here, and I love working with our investigators. My companion is great, and I am excited to be serving with her. She goes home in 2 months and i think it is very hard for her. She loves it here. I really miss voronezh, russia, the branch there, our investigators, and sister gorkavenko. But...the Lord needs me here in almaty now and I am doing my very best to stay focused and grow to love the new culture here. So far, i like what i have seen. But yes, I hope that I can grow to love the place and people here just as much as i did in voronezh. I love this work, and I know that it is the work of the Lord.

I love you all! Stay safe and do what's right. Remember to always say your prayers and read your scriptures. Live worthy of the influence of the Holy Ghost in your lives. God loves you! Show your love to Him by keeping His commandments. My prayers are with you, as always.

all my love, until next week!

Sister Brown

ps...funny story. I was talking with our mission president, and somehow the subject of xango came up. You remember how you told me that zach baxter's family was moving to moscow? Well, they are the neighbors of President wolley and his wife!!

hello from kazakhstan!! 21 October 2010

Hello my loverly family!!

Well honestly i don't have much time to write right now, we are in an internet club writing and we need to run home really quick soon and get some stuff done. Oh and how much i want to fill you in on everything new and my exhausting and exciting week. Lets see if i can do it fast ok?

so i literally have like 5 minutes now. I won't be able to tell all, but I like it here. It is very different from the rest of the mission. I feel like i have been picked up and put in a new mission. But it's good. Just need some time to get used to things. We teach english a lot here, and then have a 30 min. spiritual thought with the people we teach english to. It actually has worked very well. I went on a night bus sunday night to get to moscow, didn't sleep at all, and then got lost in the metro like 3 times at 7 in the morning on monday while dragging 3 bags around. By the time we got to the ap's i was tired and exhausted and probably not very happy :) So monday i sat in the office all day, and then that night took a night flight here to kazahkstan. and again, did not sleep. But I am here, safe and sound, have slept really good the last 2 nights, and things are going well. My companion is great! She is 25 and from eastern russian. She is a wonderful teacher and I pray I can learn a lot of great things from her. President told me that I will be training a new missionary in January probably, because many sisters are leaving in december and 5 new are coming. i am nervous, because by that time i would have never been even a senior companion. But i am also excited for the challenge and pray that I can pick it up and work hard. Things are going well with me. Sorry the email is so fast and short.

I loved the pictures gma sent me. I love you all and miss you! I pray for you all the time and hope things are going well at home. Remember that you are children of God and that He loves you and is always watching over you!!

All my love!

Sister Brown (i will have to talk in more detail about everything next week! loves!)

sorry to disappoint ya 13 October 2010

hello family!!

Well first off, I enjoyed all of your emails, but....Im not in kazakhstan yet! I thought I would be but we are still working on getting my visa for kazakhstan, and so right now i am still in voronezh. I will head to moscow sunday night not on a train, but a bus..(yahoo! this will be great fun!! maybe.......) All the members that have heard that are like eww..that's not fun. So we will see how it goes. But anyways, yes i will be up there monday morning and hopefully everything will be good with my visa, and then from there on out im not really sure when im getting to kazakhstan, but sometime i will take a plane from moscow and head on over there. I already have a fear of planes and everyone says the ones to kazakhstan are very small and not too fun. ahhh! all will be good i hope. But anyways, yes i am in voronezh right now still with sis Gorkavenko and it has been lots of fun. She has her new companion (a russian mini missionary) coming tomorrow night. So then it will be the 3 of us for a few days, and that should be pretty awesome. I am excited!

Thank you for the emails. I am glad that everyone had a great packed week as always. Send me some pics of the wedding and birthday ok? And no dad, i didn't get any poem. Oh and no i have not gotten the package but hopefully it will be in moscow when i go on monday. And yea just send things to the same address. We don't ever go anywhere out of almaty, but assistants and president come down for conferences every once in a while and bring things down to us. And ange and dal, what funny dance are you talking about? I don't dance funny. I dance like a pro!!

So didn't you all just love conference!!!! I did! it was so good and I was so happy that president let us watch all the sessions. The only thing is that they never broadcast the womens programs here. Weird right? My companion said that she has never seen the young womens or the relief soceity broadcast in her whole life. I was like WHAT! They need to do something about that so that the women are also able to get together and watch. But anyways, conference was wonderful and the spirit was strong, and I am so grateful for the prophet and the apostles. I have faith that their words are truly the words of God. And I know that if we follow what they teach we will not be led astray.

That is great that you are going to go through a talk each week. I think that is a great idea. We should have done that when i was at home, since i always fell asleep :( I really loved all the talks, but i especially remember the talks by president Monson (about gratitude and not judging others), elder uchtdorf, elder hales, elder holland, i thought the talk by elder ballard was very powerful and very well said, and I don't remember who said it, but I remember someone talked about the commandments. And how people say, well can't I still love Christ but not keep the law of chastity? And can't I still love Christ but not go to church on sunday? And then he flat out said NO, the scriptures say, If ye love me, keep my commandments. I was like wow. awesome!! But, the best part is, did you see the world report after the very first session on saturday? I hope so cause it was awesome. if not maybe you can find it online or something. But the very first segment on the world report was all about Russia and Ukraine! And about the temple! and then they talked to a few members here from Russia! it was awesome!! And if you watch it and see the streets and buildings and cars and everything, that is where i am! That's my life! sweet huh?!

Ok, so this week has been another good one. Things have slowed down a little bit with lessons and things that we have, and they have gotten a little crazy with transfers and things for everyone, but it has been a good one. We continue to meet with the investigators we have, and it has been nice that conference was just recently, and we love to share messages from conference with out investigators. Contacting outside has been tougher because not as many people are on the streets, and everyone seems to be in a huge hurry because they are like running to get to a warm place. So it does get frustrating when every person you stop wants to ignore you, and the only people who want to talk to you are strange men that you don't even have to stop, they just see my name tag, say "sister brown", chuckle a little, and then interrogate me. who are you, what is that church, why are you here, and on and on. I try really hard to understand and talk to them, but for some reason it is so difficult for me to understand random men that stop us on the streets. I don't know why, maybe it is just that their voices are low or something, but so i just stand there and am like huh, um, um, yea, um...it is probably pretty humorous to watch how uncomfortable sister brown gets when strange men off the street stop to talk to her. ok, sorry about that nice little tangent. But anyways, work as i said is pretty good. But it could definitely be better, so i am trying to have a positive attitude about it all and not let people that ignore us let me down.

I know that this is the Lord's work, and that as we are faithful and do all that we can do, that He will work through us, and that people will be brought to the gospel in the Lord's time, and in the Lord's way. The trick is just working as hard as you can, all the time, even when things get disappointing. But, God is always with us, as missionaries and as members who help the missionaries, and I know that through prayer and faith, we can all have the strength to do the work of the Lord.

I love you all, thank you always for all of your support, your positive attitudes, and your good examples to me. I am glad everyones week went well, and i pray that this week is another good one. Good luck in all your work and school and church activities. All my love! and until next week!!!

Sister Brown

I am sending a few pics because i am not sure how easy the emailing system will be in Kazakhstan :)

For a culture activity on pday we went to a puppet theater and watched "Aladdin and the Lamp". The puppets were amazing! This is our district outside the theater.

Me changing our water filter...the clean one is of course the white one!!

Our district after the puppet show. There was this little stand where kids could get their picture taken and then printed off and Sister Gorkanvenko wanted one of the whole district together...so after a lot of moving around and tryin to get situated in that tiny little place, we FINALLY got all 6 of us in there and looking good, and so this is how it turned out. If is doesn't look too well it is a picture of a picture, so sorry!

i'm definitely not in kansas anymore 6 October 2010

My dear beloved family!!

How are you! i love you!!! I wanted to say congrats first to skyler and jordan on the mission calls!! YAHOO!!! I love you guys! You are both awesome and will be amazing hardworking missionaries! Are you excited? I am! When do you both head into the mtc?

I am glad that everyone enjoyed conference, and I am very excited to see it this weekend. There will be an english translation for us americans who don't speak russian well yet, so that will be wonderful! Im glad that everyones week went pretty well and it sounds like everyone is just doing well and growin up. Mom i had to laugh when you said that joe and noelle had gotten home from school and were already raiding the fridge. I can totally picture it! because we all did the same thing. funny funny. I am sure they are both just growing up like bean stalks. Sad to hear about the loss in football again. man, what's goin on?! AND...Mom, Happy birthday!!! I hope you have a wonderful wonderful one and know that I love you very much!! It is crazy to think that it is already your birthday again, because i was thinking how just a year ago on your birthday was when i decided to serve a mission. I can remember it perfectly. It is so crazy. I remember I left your little birthday party that night and drove back down to provo, and then that night I called you and probably greatly surprised you with "umm...guess what?...I think I am going to serve a mission" And here I am! in RUSSIA.

Speaking of Russia, I have to tell you the big news of the week. President called me yesterday and i am having my first transfer of the mission. I will be serving in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with another russian sister there. So, i won't be able to experience an awesome russian winter :( I heard that in Kazakhstan it is a little warmer. But, I am very excited of course about the transfer. But i think a little more nervous (as always). It will be a whole new country and new food and new geography, weather, people, culture, etc. But, it should be exciting. And, I will miss out on all of the mission conferences that our mission has in moscow, and in december there is a big christmas party and all the missionaries go there for a day and are together, and i won't be there, sad :( (but anyways i guess that's not really important) It is like we are banished to our own little island out there! not really. Everyone who serves in kazakhstan actually just loves it. The missionaries talk about how it is a paradise there compared to the rest of our mission, because they say that the city is nicer and that the people that you meet on the streets are usually nicer and talk to you a lot more than you experience here. It will be another adjustment, but it will be good. I do really love voronezh though, and I would be perfectly fine spending the rest of my mission here. I have met some wonderful amazing people, and as always it will be difficult to leave our investigators. The members here are wonderful and really just love the missionaries. It will be sad to say goodbye to them. They have so much love and such strong and big hearts. I love them alot. It still hasn't set in with me yet that im leaving voronezh. It just all feels like a weird dream or something. sister kelly who was with me in the mtc will come and be companions here in voronezh with my beloved sis. Gorkavenko. It will be hard to leave her too. She has been such a strength and amazing example to me.

This week went well. We continue to work with our progressing investigators, and strive our best to spend the rest of the time meeting with inactives and searching the streets of voronezh for those people who are looking and are ready to receive the restored gospel. One of our investigators has not come to church yet because she has been really scared and nervous. But she says that she will come to conference this weekend and so we are very excited. She has struggled to feel the love of the Lord and other people, and so we had a wonderful lesson with her yesterday with a member also, and we just really strived to convey to her the love the Lord has for her, and the love that we have for her. And the love that all the members in the ward have for her. I think she feels less nervous so that is good. It is shocking and sad how many people in the world do not know the immense love that our Father in Heaven and Savior have for them.

Also sunday was fast and testimony meeting and it was very fun and sweet to see our new convert get up and bear her sweet testimony in sacrament.

So this past week has gotten very cold very fast all of the sudden. Im already wearing boots, gloves, scarfs, winter coats, and hats. Yesterday it was 0 degrees celcius. I think that is like 32 degrees or something, right? i don't really remember. But it has not snowed yet. I am waiting for the beautiful snow. But i may not see snow until i get to kazahstan. Man! And i always wanted to see some good ol russian snow. Anyways, yes it has been cold, and I don't know when the government turns on the heating systems, so its getting pretty cold inside too. Last sunday it was freezing and I wore my coat and gloves all through the 3 church meetings. The members laughed at me and told me they are worried because if i am that cold now i might die this winter. I told them ill just bundle up really good though. So to end this crazy and spastic email of the week, i will tell you about an awesome service project we did that will give you a little peek into a part of the russian culture. I think in English you would say that we glued a members windows closed for them. So first off, here a lot of the apartments and homes are very very old, and most of the windows are made out of wood and are not plastic and insulated and close tight like the ones we are used too. During the cold cold winters here the windows let in a nice freezing draft. So every winter when it gets cold they glue their windows shut, never to be opened again until summer. Anyways. So here is the process. First, you clean the windows, and the wood surrounding it the best that you can. Then you close the window as tight as you can. And then, we took this cotton material with a knife and shoved it into the cracks and crevices all around the window. Once you have that all shoved in nice you take either masking tape, or paper and tape all the windows closed. For this members house she had us take long strips of paper, and then we smothered them with a water and flour glue paste, and then we pasted them to the cracks and openings of the window. And then you are done. pretty crazy right? That takes a lot of preparation and time, and then when you take it off in the summer, you strip off the tape and then all the paint comes off with it. Anyways, that is how they keep warm in the winter. It is amazing that they have to do that every winter. I think that plastic insulated windows are becoming a little more popular here, but with all the homes and apartments being so old it gets pretty expensive to put in all new windows. So they just make do with what they have. anyways i don't know why i went on and on with that story, but there you go, and i will stop now.

Well i love you all! I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy spending time with the family at the wedding!! Wow, crazy crazy. My cuz spence is just growin up. Well have fun and i bet it will be beautiful. Dress, decorations and all. Send me pics ok? I love you all. And as always, keep up the good work!!

all my love and until next week! (in kazakhstan!!)

Sister Brown

it's getting colder....29 September 2010

Hello my loves!!

Hey! so first off i need to say happy birthday to g-ma brown, i know your birthday is coming up soon. Hope you have a great one!! Dman thanks for the email and get better! and you too ange and noelle...dang, why is everyone there sick!?? And...happy conference to everyone this weekend! I hope it is wonderful! We won't get to see it until the next week. And mom no we were not able to watch women's conference. I think they broadcast it somewhere at the same time they broadcast priesthood session here. So hopefully i will get to see it saturday. I heard it was good. And i can't believe that you are already putting up the halloween stuff, crazy crazy. I miss that. And sorry again to hear about the loss of byu. what is going on?! but really i thought about it and I have decided that the reason that they lose all the time is because my older bros don't even have time to write me. maybe if they wrote me more they would win more? i don't know, just a thought. hahahaha jk.

This week has been a good one. President has asked that the big branches (nizhney novgorod, voronezh, almaty...) spend a lot of their time right now activating inactive members. I guess there are a ton of people on the church records, and only about a 4th of those in voronezh are active. So, we are trying to seek out the inactive members and teach and befriend as many as we can.

Our investigators are doing well. The woman that we met and that is really excited about the gospel is doing well too. Yea dad we met her outside street contacting. She has a lot of questions though and has ran into many other faiths since we have met with her and just has a really hard time knowing what is right. We continue to give her commitments and pray that she will do them so that she can feel the spirit. And we strive our best to teach with the spirit. Because we can say as much as we want about the church, but she will not know for sure until the spirit testifies it to her heart.

I have a little funny story for this week. Last thursday we were running around trying to get a bunch of errands done, and we got unto a marshrootka (really small bus/van thing) which was really really really packed. There was no room to sit so there were a bunch of people just kinda half standing up with our heads crinked over. Me and sis. Gorkavenko were crouching near the door. And i was wearing my rainjacket that day because it was kinda windy and cold. So anyways, it was really cramped and we were by the door. And then at the next bus stop someone ripped open the door and next thing I know is that Im kinda going with it! The hood of my jacket had gotten caught in the top of the door and I was being pulled. But no one saw (or at least if they did they didn't help) and I was like being choked as more people were stuffing into the marshrootka. I didn't know how to yell, "hey stop my hood is caught in the door and you are choking me!" so i was just like "ow, ow, ow, wait, wait" My companion said she hadn't seen what happened but she couldn't figure out why i was saying ow,ow, and then she saw me pointing to my jacket, and helped me get it off the door. Of course this all happened in just a matter of seconds, but sis. Gorkavenko and I could just not stop laughing, and it probably looked really funny to the people on the bus. And then at the next bus stop the girl who slammed the door like basically slammed me in it. And then after our bus stop and on the way walking home the big bag of potatoes I was carrying split open and the potatoes spread all over the street. It was pretty funny and we enjoyed the laugh. so that was my story of almost dying on the marshrootka....not really. ah, another kinda funny packed bus story, some days the buses are so packed it is ridiculous!!! and not fun!! Anyway this day the bus had so many people on it that when it came to our bus stop and we had to get off, i could not get out. I told the people i was getting out and they were like ok, and then just stood there and stared at me because they couldn't move and probably just wondered how i was going to get out. There was honestly an inch of space between the two people that i was somehow expected to squeeze through with my bag, and that inch of space was not budging. It took us forever to squeeze our ways through, and i basically ended up having to like jump up and out of the bus onto the ground. It was pretty funny because people were still waiting to get on and then started yelling at the bus driver to not drive off, it started to sound like a jungle or something and reminded me of the funny story brian regan tells about people trying to squeeze themselves through the gate to load the airplane.

Sorry, that's about it for this week. Again I hope that everyone really enjoys conference this week and goes watching with an open heart. I don't know why but now on my mission i am more grateful for conference then ever before. And it has so much importance to me. To bad i would sleep or not pay attention when i watched conference before. I really wish I had. There are im sure a lot of great talks that i tuned out on. But anyways, enjoy conference everyone and I hope you are able to come out of this conference with more faith, love, hope, and endurance. I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God, and I know that the words that come from his mouth and the mouth of the apostles are words that Heavenly Father himself would have us hear. Listen to the prophet, he will not lead us astray. I was also reading in Preach My Gospel this week and read about before everything we need to have faith. If we don't have faith we are not going to believe that through living the gospel we will receive blessings. And thus, we won't live by the commandments and won't receive those blessings that the Lord has promised. At times it can be hard to see how living the commandments will bless our lives, but that is where the faith comes in. At times it can be hard for people who have fallen off the path to see how reading the scriptures, saying prayers, going to church, partaking of the sacrament, fulfilling a calling,...can all make a great difference in our lives, when the acts seem so small, but they do make a difference. We have hope and we trust in God that what He says is true. And then we act and take that leap of faith and do something, having the hope that our lives will be blessed because of it, and having the hope that the spirit will be stronger in our lives. And then it happens, because we had the faith to do as the Lord has asked.

I love you all and pray that this week is a good one! keep up the good work! Until next week!

Love,

Sister Brown

A pic from the baptism 22 September 2010

hello..it's me!! 22 September 2010

Dear Family,

Im glad to hear that everyone is doing pretty well this week and had a good time at work and school and church and things. First I need to say thank you to grandma and grandpa for the letter that i got in the mail. It is always fun to hear about how things are going for you down in kanab. And mom, no i did not receive a package yet? what is it for?! Thank you dallin for you email. its always good to hear from you. and its always cool to get some thing in hand. Congrats ashley on the brand new baby! And i am sad to hear that noelle is not feeling well. What is her deal with getting that strep throat? i remember she has had it quite a lot. But noelle, know that I am praying for you and I hope you get better very soon! i love you and stay healthy and strong! And that stinks about the football game and that the QB is out for the WHOLE year! pretty crazy...and im pretty much positive it is because i am not there to watch and be the byu football teams good luck charm. haha.

So saturday was another baptism here. It went very well but at first it was a little ordeal. Whoever fills up the font forgot to fill it up, and so we all arrived here and there was no water. And it would take two hours to fill, and be freezing cold water. So we just started filling it, and then got a bunch of buckets and started filling it with hot water from the kitchen. and when the hot water ran out, we started boiling water and pouring that in. In the end, it still took forever to fill the font. And i saw the scariest and biggest spider I have ever seen. with it's legs and all it is like the size of my palm. Elder lowry told me it was a "hoe boe" and a really really poisonous spider. So i just let him kill that one for me. And the poor little babooshka got baptized in really cold water. But it ended up being great and she was very happy. You could see it in her face.

Another little fun experience this week is that one of the days sis Gorkavenko and I worked with one of our zone leaders. And we contacted into a man who is a taxi driver at the bus stop near where we live. And we got his contact information and gave him a book of mormon. And then the next to days as we walked to catch a bus, I saw him two times sitting in his taxi, and reading the book of mormon. It was kinda cool to actually see the process and see him read and do what he said he would.

This week we got a new investigator. And in slang missionary terms, you would probably call her our "golden" investigator. She has so many questions and wants to know about so many things, but she just soaks in everything we say and believes with all her heart that God answered her prays when she found us. I too believe that God heard her prayers and answered them. She says she has been searching for a very long time for the right church, and everyone she goes to just doesn't seem right. And then she met us, and she says she doesn't need to go searching anymore. so our first lesson with her was this past sunday, and i felt the spirit so strong there. It was wonderful. I don't know why, but it was one of the first times that I really felt the spirit that strong on my mission in a lesson, and when it finally kinda clicked in my head what we are doing as missionaries. How we are truly representatives of Christ, and how this gospel is truly for everyone. It was a good experience, and we pray everyday that she will have the strength to overcome her challenges, and that she will continue to turn to the Lord.

So last week just after i sent you the email, one of the ward members cut my companions hair. And I decided to have her cut mine too!! haha, again right? im sure you think i am crazy. But our leaders here have really been focusing on be very professional and good looking, and if my hair was long enough, I would always just put in up in a ponytail. So i decided to cut it short enough so that I don't do that anymore. It is like that short a-line bob cut that I had when i was in my first year of college. I am very sad that i don't have long hair anymore, but this is good too. I think i have finally accepted the fact that my hair is thin and i don't have very much (a lot has fallen out here for some reason) and that sometimes long hair is just a hard thing for me to do. My hair will never be long and beautiful and thick like some people you meet (ange....) but, im learning to like my own hair and just do with it what ya gotta do. im sure you liked that little spill about hair there. Speaking of looking professional. The missionary department has come out with completely new dress standards for the sister missionaries. Remember the pictures they had in the pamphlet before? well now the clothes are so cute!! and you can wear bright colors and be a lot more in style! And your skirts just have to cover the knee when you sit down. I really wish maybe i would have known this and i could have just brought clothes from home, and not spent so much time looking for long skirts and clothes that don't draw to much attention. Big Sigh...oh well.

Well family and friends, I think that is about it for this week. I always have lots of things to write, but somehow i always forget at least some of them. Im sure I left something out today. oh well. But i love you all and pray for you always! Please keep doing what's right, and noelle get better! I know that this work is the work of the Lord, and that even though at times He calls His weak ones to do the work, He will strengthen us. I know that as we put our trust in Him, that the work will be done, little by little, step by step, He will move the work along through us all. And this is not just for the full time missionaries. We all have a part in this missionary work. Every member of this church can help move the work along. Through our examples and sharing the word with neighbors and friends, we all have a great part in this marvelous work. I love you all! and keep up the good work!!

ps...it has been cooling down a little bit here, and so I had to buy some boots. I only wanted to buy one pair for both fall and winter, but i was told by everyone here that it is best to get a pair for the fall (kinda like the boots we wear in utah in the winter) and then get a really super duper warm pair for the winter. So, i finally broke down and bought some boots for the fall and spent more money than i would have hoped on them, but they should be very good quality so I am glad about that. And I hope they last a long time. They better! The people here are really intense about their boots and winter gear. I never knew buying boots was so difficult. In utah if they look cute you buy them, they don't really need to be uber warm because you'll probably be in a car or in a heated room the whole day. But here the boots have to be waterproof, comfortable, big enough to wear socks with if you need but small enough if you don't need to wear socks that day, warm, durable, long-lasting, and of course good-looking too. Who knew shoe shopping could be so stressful! well it was more stressful to me than i would have hoped, and it was in Russian. The ladies there were asking me questions about how they felt when i put them on and blah blah blah, and I didn't understand a word. So i just stared at them and had my companion translate for me into easier russian words that she knew i would know. But, it was fun too. And now i know how shoe shopping is done in russia. And I have a nice lookin pair of sleak boots too! D-man, I think you would be proud of me. When i tried them on, i thought "hmm...now if dallin were here, would he approve of me wearing these as a sister missionary? yes, Yes! I think he would!" haha. my new motto...WWDD (what would Dallin do?)

с любовью,

Сестра Браун

pics 15 September 2010

Me and my companion with my short hair :)

The yummy cake I made for Sister G's B-Day!

we're not in kansas anymore 15 September 2010

Hello my loverly family!

Well, as always i was very excited to hear from you all and hear that everything is going normal and well. Spencer it was great to hear from you, and i hope that everything is going well with your wedding plans. Crazy how time flies. Tell Jill i say hello and I want you to send me a pic of you engagements over email sometime if you can.

I have to apologize. I am like the worst sister and daughter ever. I totally thought about your birthdays and knew they were coming up, and was very excited for you and everything, but i just totally forget to say happy birthday in my email. So sorry...but late Happy birthday dad, rhen, and grandpa!!! I love you all!

And, i totally want to cry right now, i saw that picture of the family and those GORGEOUS pictures of angela, and everyone is growing up so fast!!! Wait wait, wait for me! But seriously, ange, DANG GIRL!!! those pictures are beautiful. Good job kate! and angela you are just growin up like a bean stalk. Try not to steal all the boys ok, leave some for me! But seriously, it is amazing what 7 months can do and how weird it is to see everyone changing. I'm still the same, so yall don't have to worry.

So this week we have just been up to the usual! We had zone conference again on monday with president and his wife, and also with President Lawrence and his wife, a new member of the 70 over this area. They gave some really great talks and some really great advice. It was fun to hear from them. He was a mission president in Novosobirsk Russia a few years back. Sister Lawrence talked all about the tribes of israel, and it was awesome! because I had been thinking about that about a week ago and realized that I really didn't understand much, and I talked to Elder Lowry a little about it, but then Monday Sis. Lawrence talked a ton about it and answered all my questions! so it was pretty sweet and very interesting. I realized that even before I was born I covenanted to share the gospel...So that is pretty cool that that is what I am doing now. Everyone morning me and Sis. Gorkanveko head out the door and when we contact we think..."ok, lets find the house of Israel!!" Another couple in the branch here had a wedding on sat., and then went to the temple to be sealed. So that was pretty awesome. It is always wonderful to hear about the ward members going to the temple and making covenants there. Me and sis. Gorkavenko also had some training with the ap's and zone leaders this week, so I learned a lot of things that I can improve. So im trying to set some good goals and striving to have the will to accomplish them.

This week I have received about 5 comments that I look like a pure russian girl...and about 10 more that I speak horrible russian!! It's funny, people just don't hold back on anything they say. Whatever they think, it always comes out. It is definitely different, and an adjustment i will have to make so that i don't get offended every time someone says something somewhat blunt to me. This week i did get kinda down on myself about the language. It is tough, because if i were to compare myself to others and how they speak the language, (which i would never do by the way! hehe) I would find myself somewhat falling behind on the scales. And at times i feel like people treat me like a child and don't listen or pay attention to what I say or my testimony, because im just a 21 year old girl whose from america and has had it all good and doesn't know how to speak. BUT...i know that's not always true (or at least i hope, ha). So, when i get down on myself and frustrated, I just try to think my best about how the Lord thinks of me. I try to do all that I can, and then just pray that that is enough. It doesn't matter if i get praises from the world or not (even though often times we want to world to recognize and praise us for the hard things we have done and our doing...well i don't know about you but at least i feel like that sometimes. Like when i see someone getting praised like "oh look what see did!", "look at how amazing they are!" "aren't they just the best!"...I think wait wait, what about me?!) But i know that doesn't matter one bit. I was reading the other day in 2 Nephi chapter 4. And i always love the verse where Nephi talks about how he will not put his trust in the arm of flesh. And for some reason I just thought about how the arm of flesh and the thoughts of man and the world don't matter. Whether or not we trust in God is what matters. We don't do things to please the world. When we have done all that we can, we know that Heavenly Father is proud of us. And that should be enough. So, when i ever get down on myself, I just do my best to work harder, and remember that the Lord is always on my side.

Family and friends, I love you. Keep up the good work. You are in my prayers. Have a wonderful week and keep doing what's right!! All my love and hugs and kisses! Until next week!

Sister Brown

wow! 8 September 2010

Hello my loves!

Wow, well it sounds like another busy and just life-livin week in the Brown household. Seriously, does it ever stop?! I know this is horrible, but i have to admit that I thought about you all saturday evening when i assumed that you all would be getting ready for the big game back in america. Im glad to hear that the game went well and that everyone played well. And i am also upset myself to hear about the camera. Im not even there but honestly? honestly!? I swear there is like some creepy curse in our household, or some monster, that steals our cameras, and then goes and sells them for money. He is gonna get pretty rich if he still keeps this up! Seriously though, you and dad have broken a few. I don't know where the heck mine went, and then yours, and now dallins?! wow. WEIRD is all i can say. and mom, like you said, when i think about it it just makes me crazy. so best not to think about it.

So, dad had quite a few questions this week, so lets see if i can get all those answered in one quick shot. Who knew you were all so interested in my life? So yes, it was my companions birthday last p-day, she turned 23, and we had a fun time. We got fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner by the people here. It was cool at first but then by the time our dinner appointment came around we were like "ah, please no, i can't eat anymore!!" ps...just a little side note. One lucky thing about being a sister here in russia rather then an elder is that they don't push the food as hard on you. Of course they are like come on eat, eat. You're missionaries and you need to eat. But with the elders its like pretty intense. The elders will be like no no i can't eat i will explode. and they will be like whatever thats not true and they will just keep putting food on their plates until literally the elders are sick. its kinda funny, but not. anyways. Yes, i think sis. Gorkavenka had a fun birthday. I made her a little birthday cake so that was fun. And yes dad, they do have birthday cakes here. They sell a lot of small birthday type cakes in the stores too. I don't know how popular the colored icing and all that jazz is, and I haven't seen candles around here yet but I haven't really looked and Im sure they have them. So we just pretended we had candles with sis. Gorkavnenko.

So monday and tues. of this week we helped put together some more kits for the people affected by the fires. And yesterday we took our trip out there and delivered them. As always, the people were very grateful. But yesterday was rainy and very wet and cold. And let me tell you, i did not really dress appropriately for the occasion. And i thought to myself wow, its like only 45 degrees now, and in the winter on average it will get down to -30. I think i will die. and if not lose a toe or a nose or ear or something! No not really. But it was cold. And i will just say that I am not to excited to experience a cold Russian winter. And dad, yes mostly i think that people have good feelings here about americans.

In answer to your question about the Kiev temple dedication, yes, it was live, and in the actual temple they had a translator to speak in russian when the prophet was speaking in english and things. And then us american missionaries were in another room in the church where we had the english translations channel turned on for when people only spoke in russian. I was very glad for that to because my russian is no where near to understanding that well. The people are very excited about the temple, and now it is probably about a day train ride or something to get there. And no, the school schedule here is a little different i think. Sis. Gorkavenko told me that every school starts on the 1st of Sept., and that they all end on the same day too. And, i learned yesterday that schools here don't have names or mascots. They are just numbers. like, "I go to school number 32" "Oh, really, I go to school number 17" Different right?

So we continue to work with our investigators. Our investigator now has a baptism for the 18th of sept. So we continue to really work with her. And we are really trying to pick up our finding and trying to do more contacting so that we can find those people that are really prepared by the Lord to accept baptism. It really is an act of faith here. I think I need some more of that.

Well family, enough for this week. I love you and pray for you. I hope school and work and play is going well for everyone. Keep up the good work and keep doing whats right and following the guidance of the spirit. There is an awesome mormon message video on lds.org about listening to the spirit. Watch it. It's GREAT!! Until next week!

With lots of love and hugs and kisses!

Sister Brown

ps....maybe a good idea would be for your to just duck tape your camera to yourself so it would be with you at all times and you would always know where it was...no questions.