Sister Madeline Brown: Week 9 - Nebraska City

Hello! Friends! Family! Loved ones! Merry Christmas and I hope all is well. Thank you so much to everyone who sent me letters and packages, I love and appreciate each one of you.

I thought I was gonna have a white Christmas this year but all the snow melted just in time, so that's cool. At least I had a white Thanksgiving.

Nothing too crazy or new has happened this week, all the people I am teaching are still progressing and I love them all so much. Sister Tuala and I do have one new person we are teaching. Her name is Ponida, shes from Laos and speaks Lao and very broken English. She is Buddhist but says she believes in God, so we are teaching her and helping her to know who God is and his plan for her. We use Google translate to teach her, and she understands very little English, but the spirit is the real teacher because somehow she is doing really well despite all that, so that's my little miracle for the week.

This Christmas I want to invite you all to remember Christ, the true reason for the season, and focus more on giving than receiving. This doesn't mean go out and buy every one of your friends and family a nice present, but look for and find small but meaningful ways that you can serve those around you. Clean the house for your mom, call your Grandparents or parents and tell them you love them, cook dinner one night, take your little sibling out to get ice cream and spend time with them, listen to them. I know that if you do this you will be able to see and recognize little miracles all around you.

I love you all, and your Heavenly Father loves you all. Merry Christmas!

-Sister Brown

Me and Hannah, She always steals my nametag and puts it on herself

The most precious child ever

Brother and Sister Martin

Brett's friends from his Mission...who happen to be home and also happen to be in Madi's current ward and also happened to have a Christmas party where she and Sister Tuala were invited.