wow, cool!! 24 February 2011

Hello everyone my loves!!

Welp, it sounds like everyone has had a fun and busy and good week! I am very glad to hear that. And I have to apologize that i did not say happy birthday to terence last email. I thought about him all day saturday, but i just forgot to say happy birthday in the email. but late happy birthday t!!! wow, 25? thats crazy sauce. we are having pday today, because the patriarch was in town and was giving blessings. So as missionaries we were at the branch building tues. wed. and thurs. helping out, making sure people were talking in whispers and taking peoples cell phones and recommends. it was a very cool experience. The patriarch is american from provo, utah, but he speaks very good russian too so he could give them the blessings. He is Patriarch Browning and was the first mission president here in Russia. It was a very cool experience to hear all the different tribes that the people are from here. In america we have mostly Ephraim and Manasseh, but many people from the branch received theirs this week and they are from all the tribes. Very very cool! It gave me goose bumps. Oh, and I have not gotten your package yet, but hopefully very soon. I don't have any plans for my birthday, just a visit to once again try and get my ugly buggery warts removed. They are stinkers. But it should be a good one in the mission field. It was a fun experience to have my 21st in the mtc, and now ill have my 22 in kazakhstan. Pretty cool. I am very glad to hear that dallin gave a wonderful talk in sacrament. I would have loved with all my heart to be there. Dallin, you will have to write me and tell me more about what you said, ok? were you nervous? I remember that when i gave talks i always got really nervous and my face got red. oh man, good times. NOT! oh, sister "G" says hello to you all!

Lets think, this week has been a pretty busy one as usual. The days seem to be flying by. saturday the elders had a baptism. It was great. and then there was a ward activity, a talent show. It was good and funny. I was a little stressed at first because they all asked me like at the last minute to play these piano songs for them that I had like never heard of, but, I did it anyways like a good little girl should do when she is asked ; ) and it went ok. I would have loved to practice more, but it went well. It is wonderful to be a piano player here and to share my talent, but at times it is a big responsibility when you are the only one that can. And everyone expects you to be a master at whipping out songs at the last minute! Lets see, sunday was good, and monday was awesome!!! The day started off weird and we had a lot of "no-shows". and in the evening our one new investigator was supposed to come for her second meeting, and we felt impressed to invite her to be baptized. But she didn't show up, and we were disappointed. We walked home to do some phone calling that we had not had time to do that day. And the moment we walked in the door the Moores called us and said that our investigator was at the building and would really really love for us to come back. So we went back to the building and were so grateful to the moores that they were at the building and told her to wait for us. So we got to the building, had a lesson with her. Me and sister Gorkavenko just sat in a daze like the whole lesson, we were talking about something and then she said "ok, yea, but what do I need to do to get ready for a baptism. Do i need to bring like a towel or clothes or something?" And we were like totally shocked because we hadn't really asked her to be baptized yet. And then, We just said that no we have everything here but most importantly you need to have a testimony that this gospel and what we teach you is true. And she was like" No, of course its true! Yea, yea, its all true!" So, we now have a baptismal date scheduled for her on March the 12th. We are both shocked but both very excited. It is cool to listen to her story and look back at the little tiny miracles that got her here. And it all started a year ago when two elders on the street gave her our brochure. And then a year later she remembered about that brochure and came searching for the church and found it. Cool! It is amazing how the Lord works! Nothing goes unnoticed to Him.

We are still working with our young investigator and I think getting closer to meeting with her mother. So I'll definitely let you know how that goes. Lets see, and yea, then tues. and wed. and thurs. we continued with meetings and such, contacting, the usual, and we were also able to be there when people came out from receiving there patriarchal blessings. It was awesome, and there was such a wonderful spirit in the branch building when the patriarch was here. it was great!

This week the 4 elders that will soon be heading to Astana to open up the city are here in Almaty. So there are a total of 8 elders and us 2 sisters. It has been a little crazy with a super overload of testosterone in the district!! but it has also been fun. We got together for district meeting on wednesday, and all the elders just go crazy together! I think in about a week the 4 will head to Astana, and then there will just be 4 elders here and us 2 sisters. That will be a super awesome experience for all those elders to be working in Astana. They are all way super over excited. The 4 of them are not only working on perfecting their russian, but are also now working on learning the kazak language. wow, crazy!

дорогие родители сестры Браун, у вас ЗАМЕЧАТЕЛЬНАЯ дочь!!!!!!!!!(sister Gorkavenko typed this for you all! Enjoy!)

Well, that is about it for the week I think. I love you all and pray for you! Hope everything is going well! Keep up the good work and remember that I love you. Until next week!!!!

Love,

the one and only Sister Brown

ps...Happy birthday to Kori!!! Loves!