Hello!
I love you all! And as always, sounds like you are just partyin it up there in the Brown house! man, good good times. Angela I hope you had a wonderful birthday and gave thanks to all the people that were so wonderful to you on your birthday. I hope you gave dallin a giant hug too (one from me too) because knowing the amazing d-man, I am sure he really gave you a party there at home. well, thats awesome. I hope you had fun. It was so great to hear you all on Sunday!!! as always, it was hard to hang up the phone, but I enjoyed every minute that I got to talk to you. It seems like it has been forever, but at the same time, all your voices sound the same. For some reason I expected them to be different.
Anyways, this week has been good. I am still just getting used to some things here. And it is kinda an awkward stage here, because I know i won't be here for long. As i told you I am in nizhney novogorod. And I was expecting to leave today back to almaty, but there have been some problems with my visa, and so i have not received it yet. I really hope it comes soon! So yea, i am here with sister taggart (friend from freshman ward), and it has been pretty fun having this opportunity to serve with her, and reminisce about the good ole freshman year, chipman hall dormitory times! Her real companion, Sister Rosenblatt, is in Lativa getting her new russian visa. She is Estonian, and so she needs to go to Latvia to get a new visa. So, me and sister taggart have been together. I don't know much of the ropes here in the town, but I am tryin to really help out, and we are trying to get some good lessons, this week. After I talked to you on Sunday, we got Sister Rosseblatt off to the train station. And on Monday, it was Victory day in russia. A very big holiday here. So that day we were asked not to contact and we were allowed to go to the parade that morning. So we went to the parade, but sadly the weather was very cold and rainy, and with everyones umbrellas it was impossible to really see anything. So I have some nice pictures of peoples umbrellas and the backs of there heads : ) I told the other missionaries that it was funny, because for both victory days that I have had in russia, I have been in a city that isn't really "my city" where I am serving. A year ago i was in Lipistcks with the sisters there, waiting for my companion to come back from her visa trip. And now I am in Nizhney, on my own visa trip. Kinda funny. But that day was good, had some lessons, and also family night which was fun. The elders gave a great spiritual thought, and then we played a game. So we had lots of fun, and there was a good turn out of investigators there, so that was awesome. Also, Sister Muhina (my mini missionary that I had in January) is in the branch here. So I got to see her and that was lots of fun. That night we watched the fireworks from our 9 story apt. and we honestly had the best seats in town. So that was fun. Yesterday we had district meeting, and it went well. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve here in Nizhney and to meet other great missionaries that I don't really know since I have been in Almaty this whole time. So, it has been fun serving here and meeting them. Oh, and there is an Elder Brown in this district. And it has been fun to finally meet him and talk to him, because I feel like every city I go to, they all say "Hey! we know elder brown! Is he your brother?!" And i always just have to say no, no, he is not my brother. So now, I finally met my missionary "brother"! Anyways, district meeting. Sister Taggart and I were in charge of doing the training, and I think it went very well. We taught about helping our recent converts stay active, and activating those that are inactive. It was a very great discussion I think, and I enjoyed teaching it. Yesterday was also english club, and that was pretty fun. And, yesterday was angela's birthday, and I thought about her a lot!! Today is p-day, and we are going to get some things done, and then sister taggart wants to go shopping. and then i believe we will meet up with the other missionaries and do something fun and play games or something. I am excited. As I sat in the bus on the way to a lesson yesterday, I just thought really quickly about how grateful I am for the missionaries, senior missionaries, and members here. Throughout my mission, they truly have become my second family away from home, and I am so grateful for that. They are all wonderful!
Back to this visa thing, I heard that maybe MAYBE i might get my visa on friday, but most likely monday i will get it. And I am a little bit bummed and sad about that, because president is going down to almaty and there will be a conference there with the almaty and astana missionaries. And the reason I left early on my visa trip was so that I could be back in time for that. So, i just really pray that I will get my visa earlier than that, and that I can be in almaty for the conference. If not, that might have been my last one. But we will see, it will all work out for the best. And, I have been worried about the baptism of Ipara, but the sisters said that she has pushed it back until the 21st. So i should be there. And I didn't pick up on if she moved it just so I could be there, or if she moved it because there will be others being baptized on the 21st too. I am not sure, but I am grateful that I can be there for her on this very special and important day of her life.
So, all in all, things are going well here. And yes mom, at times I feel like i don't know much and that I am running around with my head cut off, but that's ok. I have felt like that most of my mission. just kidding. only sometimes. But anyways, it has been wonderful to see a new city and to get to know the members and investigators of a new place. I do miss almaty too, and I will also be excited when I can get back and settled in there again. I feel bad for my greeny companion. We have only served together like 3 weeks so far, and the transfer ends sunday. So, hopefully soon we can get back into the swing of things, and that we will see each other more.
Well, i love you all and thank you all for your examples and sweet kindness. It is great to hear from everyone, and was so fun to see that video of joe hitting the baseball. You are awesome joe! I love you! But make sure you don't eat too much ketchup. That is just not good for anyone. I can't believe that school ends soon. Crazy stuff. Well i love you. I love my mission. Everyday I am so grateful to my loving Heavenly Father who gave me this opportunity to serve on a mission. And I am grateful to all of you who were so supportive and happy for that "out of the blue" decision that I made not long ago to serve a mission. And I am grateful to this day for the support that you still give to me. I feel it everyday. I love the people of Russia and Kazakhstan. I love this work. I cannot even begin to express the joy that I feel because of all I have learned here. Of course its not easy. I don't think it is ever easy. But it is so worth it. So worth it. The joy that comes from missionary work is indescribable. I truly have been greatly blessed with this wonderful opportunity. Ok, well, i love you. have a wonderful week! Be safe and have fun! Do what's right! Until next week!
All my love,
the one and only,
SISTER Brown
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