Lions and Tigers and...MOOSE! OH MY!

Hello all!

So we are still here in Alaska, they haven't scared us off yet:) We are beginning to settle in and are getting to know the Anchorage area better. Our moving truck finally arrived! Wahoo!!!! And I am very grateful because it arrived just before Travis left for work, so he could help do all the heavy lifting while I stood and watched on:) Travis went up to the north slope for a week and I was able to get a good amount of unpacking done. We are so happy to have some things in our kitchen, and I am sure Travis is happy to have me finally cooking real meals again. (I don't think I have cooked a "real meal" since I started getting sick in my pregnancy, haha that was in March...about 5 months...)ya it's about time to start cooking again, spagehetti and salad never tasted so delicious:) I have felt a lot more homemakerish since we have gotten our kitchen supplies. I made homemade bread and salsa in our blendtec, and I made some homemade dressing. Those are big accomplishments for me:)

Me being a fatty and eating Burger King with a view of all our stuff:)

 

Trav got a mortar and pestle for his bday. And he really did want one of these, I didn't just get it for myself:)

 

We made borscht!!

So we feel slightly out of place because there are a lot of real Alaskans up here. They fish all the time, gut, pack and freeze their own halibut and salmon. And they kill their own meat and moose and have enough to last their family for a year. We haven't jumped on the band wagon yet. But I'm sure by the time we have lived here long enough to get fishing and hunting liscenses, we will be doing just the same:) But first we will have to invest in some fishing poles and hunting gear:) It is nice to enjoy the spoils of others fishing and hunting around here though. Everything tastes so fresh. We have heard that the gardening up here is a little harder. Leafy greens and potatoes and carrots supposedly grow well. My favorites, tomatoes and cucumbers, don't grow well at all, and they are quite pricey in the grocery stores, oh well :(

We absolutely love our ward up here! Everyone has been so kind and welcoming. People keep saying our ward is the best one in town:) So I guess we got really lucky and picked the right place to live. I had an opportunity to meet some great ladies in the ward at the annual Sister Splash. We carpooled up to a members lake house about an hour away in Wasilla, and enjoyed a nice, warm sunny day on the water. Well, I myself didn't do any of the tubing or riding of waverunners, but I had fun eating the good grub and talking with the ladies:) Travis also had an opportunity to help out the Elders with a lesson, so that was cool. We will have the missionaries over soon for dinner, so that is kind of fun. Not something that happened too often in Utah.

The weather up here has been beautiful and sunny and warm lately. So grateful its not reaching 100 degrees here without AC, but its been getting in the upper 70's and lower 80's this summer, and in our house that gets pretty toasty. Hence I go through lots and lots of otter pops:)

This is Travis and a view of the mountains south of Anchorage.

We love our home and its location. Just behind our condo is a trail and lake. Supposedly the trail is super long, so we haven't walked close to all of it yet, but it's a nice little area back there to walk (as long as you have bug spray and be careful) Getting eaten alive by misquitoes here is not uncommon, and you often may run into a wild bear or moose on the trail. Alot of people that go walking by themselves on the trails carry not only pepper spray with them, but bear spray too:)

Speaking of wild animals. We had our first sighting the other day! I was cooking in the kitchen and heard some noise outside our window. I went to go check it out, and there was a moose, just chillen right outside our window! It was pretty cool. She was just eating the leaves from the little tree right there(like she couldn't find enough leaves in the forest she came from behind our home, haha) But it was so cool I took lots of pictures! You don't see that very often. I could have actually stepped outside onto our deck and probably almost touched the creature, but I didn't for 2 big reasons: One, you don't wanna mess with a moose. If you get too close or make them mad they will trample you like a little ant. And two, even if I wanted to be stupid and brave getting closer to her, I couldn't because the door to our deck was blocked by moving boxes:)

Baby update!! I had my first appt with my new doc. He seems great and like he will take good care of me. I am now just over 25 weeks along. Little Baby J is kicking a lot more. Well, he doesn't kick like a ton, I think he is pretty calm, but I will feel him every once in a while throughout the day, and he gets most excited at night time. Last night while watching a movie from redbox Baby J was making some pretty hard kicks and punches, and Travis was able to feel the baby really good for the first time:) It was pretty exciting! Things are going well, I'm just feeling bigger. And I guess I walk with somewhat of waddle now, and I walk very very slow for some reason. I am sure Travis gets impatient having to walk so slow to stay with me, haha. But ya, things are good! We go in for our second ultrasound next week to check on the status of fluid in the babies kidneys. We are excited to see how the little guy is doing and see how much he has grown:)

This pic is my baby bump at almost 25 weeks:)

Travis continues to enjoy his job. For now he is doing 1 week rotations (1 week on the slope and 1 week at home). We think it may be that way for a little while, at least until the baby is born in November. But we shall see! He is working hard and learning lots while there. The long days can make him pretty tired, but he makes up for it on the week he is at home:) We could probably sleep in even more if the sun wouldn't keep us up:)

One of the main places Travis works at on the north slope.

We know you all want to come visit us up here! Just know that there is always an open invitation:)

With love from Alaska,
The Jones

Alaska Update

We are happy to say that we have made it safely up to Anchorage. But sorry to say that no pictures will accompany this post. My tablet cannot get pictures off a camera, and Trav's computer just decided to go crazy on us this last week.

But things are good up here. We are happy to say that we have not had to experience the heat that many of you have. It has been quite pleasant in the 60's.

After spending over a week in a hotel, we are now in our condo. Our things will hopefully get here soon so that I don't have to spend too many more days in an empty house. Trav is enjoying his first week up on the north slope and is learning lots. I find myself reading a bit more than usual trying to keep myself busy.

I am now almost 23 weeks along, and am excited to feel the baby kick and punch every once in a while. He usually moves around when it's my bedtime. We are happy to report that the baby bump is getting bigger! I would say that I pretty much look pregnant now, although a woman in the ward today told me she would have never guessed. (so do I always look this fat? haha) Once we can figure out a way we will post some pics of the baby bump and the beautiful Alaskan landscape.

Overall we are very excited about this new adventure! We are grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has given us this opportunity and grateful Trav has this wonderful work experience.

From Alaska with love,
The Jones:)


From Akaska with love

where has the time gone

I'm back. Back to blogging. We shall see how i do on updating this sucker.

wow...is this really happening???!!! 28 July 2011

Well,

Hello. Take in a deep breath and enjoy this awesome and short email, because it is probably the last one you will receive from me as I make my way home to the other side of the world. I don't even know what to say this week. It is weird and quite hard to express my feelings. All I know, is that I started crying tears of buckets when dad wrote and said that he just talked to the stake president about my release and reporting to the high council. I cannot believe this. It is so strange. You spend your entire mission, never believing that it will ever come to an end, and then bam....its already time to go home and to leave the people that you have grown to love so strongly. I thank my Father in Heaven with all my heart, for the opportunity that I have had, to really learn how to love people here on my mission. There have been bonds that have been created with this culture, these people, members, investigators, my mission president, companions, other missionaries and leaders and senior couples, that words cannot even describe. I love all these people so much. I feel so extremely blessed. I never knew at the beginning of my mission that I would come to love so many many people here on my mission. I love this work. I love my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ. I love this gospel. I love all my family and friends. They have been a huge support to me in this time on my mission, and for that I will be forever grateful.

I gave my lesson on sunday and it went well. Kinda funny, but well. Tuesday I went to my first and hopefully last russian funeral, for a member in the ward who passed away. It was very different from funerals I have seen, and very sad. The traditions they have are very interesting. I will have to tell you more later. Yesterday was my last district meeting. And today is my last p-day. it is all so strange. But I am loving it and enjoying every moment.

President called the other day to tell me that sunday I will be going into moscow on the train. And then sunday night I will stay with sister kelly, and monday we have the opportunity to be in moscow and do what we want, etc. Then monday night we will have the program president and his wife do, and the dinner and stuff, interviews, etc. And then tuesday morning I think the four of us missionaries in our group fly out. and as you said, you already know the time the plane comes in and stuff. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, i honestly don't know what else to say. I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great week! Until next week!!!............when I will see you and hug you and give you all big fat juicy kisses!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All my love,

The one and only (for one more week) Sister Brown

what a week 21 July 2011

Well it really sounds like all of you have been having a great and wonderfully busy week. as i always say, y'all are such the partiers. Dad, i am glad that you had fun in kanab with the little kids. I love the good ol kanab. Angela thank you for the email. sounds like you are doing great and having fun. don't forget your lonely little sis out here in russia, YOU are too cool for school! i am glad harry potter was good. you are the best and totally cool!!!

Lets see, this week was a good week. Rachel left this week to go back home to visit her family in africa. I think she is about 21ish, and she is here because she is studying at one of the universities. Her brother is also here studying. I don't know why, but a lot of africans come here to study at the colleges. it is cool. She came to our family night on monday, and we were really excited to see her. But then she said she was going home, so that was a little sad that we could not meet with her. she is great.

This week has been a little better as far as finding some lessons to teach. President has told me time and time again that my companion has not really had many good opportunities to teach, and so I am really trying to find more lessons, even if they are just with the members in the branch. But meeting with the members in the branch is totally awesome, and you can really build up a great relationship with them, and they really help in the missionary work. They are awesome. When they trust the missionaries, that is when they will bring their friends and family to come meet with you, because they know that you as missionaries will love them and take care of them. So, we have had a few more lessons this week, and that has been very nice. I am very very grateful for that.

Saturday we moved back up to the upper apartment. I feel like I am in heaven because the apt is way way nicer and the area is really great and it is really close to the branch. So, i really love it. And, the apt is high enough in the air that we don't get many mosquitos flying in and biting us. So that is super awesome. AND, when the landlord was just here fixing things up, there was a dishwasher in the apt. that never worked, and then they fixed it. It is totally AWESOME!!! and it takes so less time to wash the dishes. just give the dishes a quick rinse, stick them in the washer, and WALLA! your ready to go! when i used it the other day for the first time it was totally totally weird. at the same time i kinda want to go back to washing all the dishes by hand. I am just so used to it already. I have not used a dishwasher in a year and a half now. weird.

Sunday was a good meeting. I spoke in sacrament about the scriptures. It was short and to the point, but I think it went well. Luckily, i wasn't too nervous about the speaking russian in front of a large group thing. But, i am a little more nervous about the sunday school lesson that they asked me to give this next sunday. Because i have to speak in russian and involve all the people and make it interesting for them and such. And i can't just read from a paper. And the words i may need to use are quite large. I am speaking about the second coming and about the signs of the second coming. We will see how it goes. it will be great!!

So the other day I was humbled and realized that i need to have more faith in the Lord and in other people. As you know we have been having trouble finding people to teach, and contacting all the time is not super effective. And so I decided to start calling people from the area book. Most of them didn't answer or didn't want to meet or didn't have time, etc. etc. etc. And then I called this one girl Nastia, and asked her if she wanted to meet. And she right off the bat said "ya, maybe tomorrow! what time?!" i was a little surprised and was like oh cool, maybe 12. And she said ok, lets meet at the one square by the statue. and i thought cool!!! But then i started thinking too much about it and thought, there is no way that she is going to come. This is sketchy. She probably just asked us to meet there and she just wont even show up. And so the next day we waiting at the square. And she hadn't come for about 10 minutes. and i thought yep, i am right. she probably won't show up. And i was getting ready to be like ok, lets go. But then, i saw this girl like running up to us and i thought weird. that is probably her. And it was!!!! i was totally surprised but way excited. We took her to the branch and taught her english and then talked about the restoration. She said she already had a book of mormon, and that she would actually read it, and then she was like I want to meet again, maybe tomorrow?! And i was like sweet. of course we can meet tomorrow. Sadly, she forgot about our lesson yesterday evening.......but, it was a little miracle about seeing her in general. And we might meet with her on friday. She does go away for a week to some kind of camp, but I was still grateful that I had the chance to meet her and get to know her. I really pray the sisters after me keep in touch with her and teach her. she is really great.

So something i was thinking a lot about yesterday. We had a lesson with a member, and then she started asking us about why we came on a mission in general. If someone made us, or if we wanted too, or if we felt we needed to. etc etc. And so i started telling her about my story and how i received my answer, and how even though i was really scared and nervous about the whole thing, i had received my answer and could not deny the fact. So anyways, she said "you were scared? That's weird, because you don't seem at all scared to me now. You seem very confident to me" And i got thinking about this. Because I do feel good. And president keeps telling me about how he has seen my confidence grow in the mission field. And that is great. But at the same time a little sad and confusing. Because it is like the moment you feel comfortable, the moment you feel like you know kinda what you are doing, the moment you really get used to things, the moment you really start to love the people and the place, the moment you really start to just feel happy where you are, that is the exact moment that you got to leave to go home, and then just leave that all behind you. If sisters stayed in the mission field 6 more months like the elders, i really think they could do a lot more. and if only we came out into the mission field feeling like this, think of all the amazing things and wonders we could do on the mission just right off the bat. It is kinda interesting. I don't understand it all. I guess it just teaches us to love today, and make every moment count. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting and seems like a new adventure to start "normal life" again. But at the same time it makes you nervous, and I just wish that we could always feel comfortable and confident in what we are doing at all times. I wanted to explain that all in different words. don't really know if it all makes sense. It my mind in does, but for some reason when I try to put the words on paper it just doesn't sound the same : )

D-MAN!!!! Happy birthday next week!!!! the big 20!!!! yea! have a party for me!!!! Love you lots! to the moon and back!

Well, i love you all. Thanks for the emails. glad the week was good. Have fun this week and be safe and do what is right. Remember i love you. Until next week!!!

Hugs and kisses!

Sister Brown

welp, it's me again 14 July 2011

Hello my loves!

As always, thanks for the emails! Good luck family in all your travels and work and things. Stay safe and do what is right and have fun. I am excited to see how kanab is. Man, fun times.

This week has picked up maybe just a little bit in missionary work. Still trying to find people to teach. But we did have a new investigator, a young girl from africa. So it was fun teaching her and we have another lesson with her this evening, I think she will be a great investigator. She is super sweet and friendly and personable.

Lets see, our visa trip was fun on friday. I went with 4 other elders that were all in the mtc with me. we spent the day in the airport and on the planes back and forth from kiev and moscow. It was fun talking and sharing missionary stories, but towards the end of the day we were getting tired. We even went to Wendy's to eat dinner! cool right!? they just opened up a wendy's in moscow, so we walked over there before we needed to get on our night train back to nizhney. They had no such thing as a junior bacon cheese burger, so i went with the spicy chicken sandwich instead, and of course got myself a good ol' frosty (vanilla of course, its the best!) it was very tasty and it was so funny because the elders were just freaking out and so so excited! Man food really does make them happy. its funny. We also had a lot of time to spare and nothing to do because no one was in the office. and it was a friday night and not safe to wander around the moscow streets. so we spent our time in the metro going in circles and getting off at any of the metro stations that looked pretty and taking pictures of the design and architecture and stuff. it was fun! I was so excited to get back on the night train that night and just go to sleep! but, i didn't sleep too well because for some reason my bed was extremely short and i didn't really fit. it was weird. oh well.

Saturday was zone conference and President woolley and the ap's were in town. it was a great conference and i absolutely loved it. it was my last conference ever on the mission. crazy. and so i just soaked it all in and really had fun. They had me bear my testimony as one of the missionaries going home. it was totally weird, and yes i cried a little, it was embarrassing, but it was great. I love my missionary family. they are totally awesome. Sunday was church as usual, and i was supposed to give a talk, but then they didn't want me too. i think i will give one next week or something. other than that the week has been pretty normal. trying to find good productive things to do to find people here who are searching for the gospel. I have been trying to be really good at exercising on my mission, and so I ran a lot with sis gorkavenko and with sister cianflone, and now i am running with sister taggart too. it is so much fun. i love it. lately we have been running up and down the stairs in our apartment building. it is not the greatest view. but it is definitely a work out. i like it. and at girls camp in almaty, sister dick taught us how to do yoga. So i have been working on some yoga too. it is very fun and relaxing. So yea, i guess that is enough about my little exercising tangent ; )

Oh i forgot to say that one of my old companions who already went home, sister chetina, came to nizhney on sunday to visit people. So i got to see and talk to her. it was really great and fun. Also, on a bus the other day I totally heard the bee gees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it was awesome i wanted to cry!!!!!!!! they sang "how deep is your love" it reminded of all the times we would be in the red truck with the other siblings just rocking out to our bee gees and beach boys. awesome. pure awesome. Also, my little funny story, well kinda funny, for the week. I woke up one morning and out of my left eye it was hard to see and all i saw was an obstruction in my view. i felt my face and my eye and cheek was puffy. and i thought, oh no!!!!!!!! what has happened to me! i went and looked into the mirror and was so scared to what i would see, and my whole left cheek and bottom eyelid was swollen. i felt like hunchback face. it ended up that a stupid bug bit me and for some reason my face reacted that way. it is pretty much gone by now though. and then a few nights later i woke up, and a bug bit me on my forehead and i had a huge swollen knot on my forehead. that didn't look to attractive either. luckily i have bangs to cover it up, and i didn't scare people outside. it was funny. man those bugs are killer. my body has never reacted to bug bites like that before. needless to say, we have closed the windows.

I would like to make a shout out to grandma and grandpa brown to say thank you for the sweet letter i just got in the mail! love you! and thank you aunt julie for your email also. that was sweet. shout out to dallin too...i am glad you enjoy your new job! have fun! ps..where are my emails??? and to angela too...what's up girlfriend! you sound like super busy america's most hottest top model. you are so busy! where are my emails???????????

well, great to hear from everyone. remember i love you. Remember who you are. Have a wonderful week and be smart and safe. Until next week!!!!!!!!

All my love!

Sister Brown

I just love you 7 July 2011

Hello everyone!!!!!

Wow, can i just say wow. it sounds like everyone had a pretty exciting week, and that everyone is still planning some more exciting things. Have fun and be safe in all your travels. I am so happy to hear that D-man got the job at Nuskin!! way to go man! that will be fun! And you will do great! it is always fun to talk to random people on the phones. at least in english! but dude, that is awesome. keep up the good work and do what is right and just have fun in your job. I hope you meet some great friends there too. Here for the fourth of july we had family night at the branch. 1 investigator came and a few members. For our "celebration" we had cookies and juice and red and blue napkins. Fun right?! nothing like your fireworks, but it was fun. I always love being around the members. They are great.

So, Ipara did get baptized on saturday!!!! I was so so so happy for her. Before the baptism I called her and talked to her for a little bit. She sounded great and was excited i called. I have talked with sis cianflone already too, and she said the baptism was also wonderful. I wish i could have been there, but my heart was there and I am glad I had the opportunity to call Ipara before the baptism. I pray she felt my support. Sis. cianflone said that at the baptism Ipara probably told her like 5 times "hey, did i tell you that sister brown called me? sister brown called me, cool right!" i was so excited.

tonight i get on the night train with two other elders in my mtc group, we all need to go to get new visas. you may be thinking "what?", you just got a visa and just came to russia. it is not a big deal but just a long logistics story of passports to tell, so i won't spend the time typing all the lame details. We will arrive in moscow early tomorrow morning, and then take a flight over to kiev to switch over our visas. I think sister kelly will be in our group too, but i am not sure yet. after the airport the elders are super excited and planning to go to the new wendy's in moscow that just opening up! so we might go there, and then we take another night train tomorrow night back to nizhney. and then get in early saturday morning, and then head to the zone conference with president and the ap's. I hope i will be able to stay awake!!! it should be great. I always love conferences and I love to see president woolley and talk to him.

Well, missionary work here has not been to hot lately. I hope it is not all bad luck that i brought with me. we have gotten a lot of no shows with not many lessons set up in the first place. We really don't have any progressing investigators, and contacting has not been super effective lately. It is so hot and humid outside that people don't seem to want to talk for too long. But, we are trying. Just gotta keep pressing forward. My problem is that I always worry to much about what others think about me, and I don't what people looking at our statistics and being like "wow, what is sister brown doing up there in nizhney??? does she think she can just sit back for her last transfer?""" I am sure they don;t do that. And I know it is not all about statistics. But when that is all you count and report all the time, sometimes it gets a little consuming. But, we are trying hard, and I just need to trust in the Lord and not worry about the numbers. I just want to know that I am doing all that the Lord would have me do and being the type of person and missionary the Lord would have me be.

The other day we had a lovely lesson with a member family. After the lesson the mother walked us home to our apt., and I was talking to her about her conversion story. It was an amazing miraculous story. I loved listening to her tell it. It is mind blowing the things that she has gone through, and how they all somehow led her to where she is now. How it led her to first believe in God, and then search for His true church. I was just thinking and looking at her as she was talking and I just thought "wow" to myself. It is amazing how some people are really just so prepared. Just so prepared to accept the message, and be strong strong members of faith who continue to bring people into the church for generations. She has blessed her entire extended family for the great decisions that she made. It was just awesome to listen to her. The spirit was just so strong and I was just getting goose bumps. I could not help but just smile to myself. It was just a few minutes of pure joy. It is amazing those moments on the mission. They honestly don't happen all the time (contrary to what i thought before I came to the mission field) But they do happen. And measured up to those disappointing and sometime monotonous events, those joyful moments just seem all the sweeter.

Well family. i love you. I love this work. I love these people. I love this place and this country. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. I love this gospel. I love how we are "all in this together" (lovely quote from a high school musical song i think, wow, i am such a nerd). I love how we have been given the opportunity, duty, means, and ability to share this gospel and the knowledge we have with the world around us. I know that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. And we all need to love all those around, no matter how different we may think they are from us. Thank you for writing. As always i love to hear. Thank you for your loves and support and prayers. I am doing my very best each and everyday to not give up or get trunky. At times it is a very real temptation, especially with all the missionaries reminding you that this is your last transfer. Reminding you that you will leave soon, etc etc. But all is good. I love you! Have a wonderful week. Do what is right! Until next week!

Hugs and kisses from afar!

the one and only sister Brown