Week 8 - Nebraska City

Hey all!

I'm alive, despite the cold weather. Its actually been pretty nice this week, the sun is out and its around 40° and we haven't had any snowstorms lately. 

Harley came to church on Sunday and is still so excited to learn about the gospel. She's getting baptized on the 29th and we are trying to see if we can teach her mom now! Shes still my best friend.

Marsha is new. She used to be Apostolic, but then there was an incident with the pastor that she loved at that church and then we found her. She's pretty set in her ways, has her own ideas about God and has been smoking for about 40 years, but was really excited to come to our church and said she really feels the spirit with us! She showed up to church on Sunday wearing a t-shirt that said WWJD and wearing every piece of jewelry with a cross on it that she owns hahaha.

The Perez family is awesome. They were taught by missionaries in Utah a long time ago and actually almost got baptized, but then they moved to a different part of Utah and they told us the new Elders teaching them were really arrogant and the members in that town were awful towards them so they stopped taking lessons and were pretty much turned off to the church completely. They said they were open to having us come back though so now we are teaching them and they are progressing really well. They have a baptism date for January 5th.

Jesse is going to Peru college, which is like the community college around here, he's disabled and has had a rough couple of years. He has a baptism date also for January 5th but he just left town all of a sudden and won't answer our calls or texts so we are hoping he just doesn't have his phone or something. We've been teaching him for a while, and sometimes he progresses and sometimes he just ignores us for a couple weeks at a time.

Joei...still has a baptism date, but everything in her life is against her at the moment. Her husband is basically telling everyone he is divorcing her and leaving her with nothing (no money, no place for her and her kids to live) and shes got a lot of health problems on top of that. She says she feels better when we come to see her and read the Book of Mormon with her, so we just keep doing that and praying for her all the time. She can use all the prayers she can get. 

Right now me and Sister Tuala are making a million cookies and goodies to give to people this week for Christmas! 

I love you all! Email me your address and I'll send you a Christmas card! ♥️ 

--Sister Brown

Shoveling Brother Jenkins whole walkway!

Relief Society Christmas Party

Us with Sister Baier 

Me and Guinea Pig

With Lily & Max

Us with Marsha at Church!

Christmas Party!

Harley came to church! She's our best friend.

Where I study 

Weeks 6 & 7 - Nebraska City

(Madi didn't get a chance to send an official update the last two weeks but asked me to summarize it for you all here.)

They are teaching the same people as before right now, Harley who is 9, but she hasn't seen in a while because she's been sick and Joei is going through a really rough time with lots of crazy things happening in her life so it has been hard and they are not sure what to do except be there for her and pray for her.

On December 1st, the Light the World day of service Madi and her companion were able to serve a a woman in their area by cleaning her whole house for her.

One day, a member was driving them home from an appointment 30 minutes away and the car started smoking really bad. They stopped and checked under the hood and the oil cap had popped off and oil had spilled everywhere. She said, "we almost died." :)

They also spent some time in Lincoln, Nebraska doing exchanges with the other Sister Missionaries. She said, "Lincoln!!! I love Lincoln so so much. It's the cutest little town ever, especially in the snow at Christmas time. Like a little Salt Lake City or Portland." They also went caroling as a district in Lincoln and that was a lot of fun.

She is doing well, but of course very homesick too and loves all the emails and pictures she receives and says to keep them coming!

There are murals all over Nebraska City

Michael & his Daughter. We put up a Christmas tree and decorated it with them. It is his daughters first Christmas Tree!

Cute family we had dinner with in Lincoln

Exchanges in Lincoln with Sister Olson

What I look like every day

Favorite artwork right now...

The district

Capitol building

The district

These tree statues are all over Nebraska City

Lincoln!!!

Caroling with the district

Another mural...Nebraska City is where Morton Salt Co was started

Oil spilled everywhere!!!

After cleaning Sister Lawton's house

Week 5 - Nebraska City

Hi everyone! It's pretty nice here, the high is usually about 20° and the low is only about 1° so...I'm living the life. On Sunday there was a blizzard all morning and afternoon with 50 mph winds and we got snowed in with about 11in of snow. It's great. We love it. 

Saturday we got to go to the temple in Omaha with one of our recent converts, Michael, and got to do baptisms with him which was really cool. We are also teaching a little 9 year old named Harley, shes the cutest thing and basically my best friend. I wish I had pictures with her to send, but she just has the best spirit and knows and understands so much already. We talked to her about trials and how it makes us stronger and in her prayer at the end she thanked Heavenly Father for her trials so that she can be strong. Shes a good example, especially this Thanksgiving season. We have her set to get baptized within the next couple weeks and she is so excited. 

The life of a missionary on Thanksgiving is wild. I had 3 huge Thanksgiving dinners, and felt bad not eating at them, by the end of the night I was so sick, but so thankful for the food of course. 

I love you all! Email me and tell me about all your lives, send me pictures! Send me a list of things you're thankful for.  I miss ya.

Love always, Sister Brown

At the Temple with recent convert, Michael 

Trying to smile in 9 degree weather

Doing crafts and stuff while we were snowed in on Sunday

Me and Sister Tuala after putting up the tree

P-Day shopping...Had to get a better winter coat to survive Nebraska snowstorms!

New Coat!

Nebraska City Sunsets

Week 4 - Nebraska City

Hello everybody! I am alive. I didn't feel like emailing during my stay at the MTC because my schedule was exactly the same every day, so not much happened.

My first area is Nebraska City which is about an hour away from Lincoln. Nebraska city is a tiny, tiny town with lots of corn fields hahaha. It's great though, everyone is really kind and friendly. The members I am living with are like my parents. They're so generous and just willing to help with anything. On Saturday, I experienced my first Nebraska snowstorm. It was crazy and very very cold, but all the locals were wearing shorts acting like it was a normal day so it looks like I'm in for a good winter! (send prayers)

My trainers name is Sister Tualatamalelagi, I call her sister Tuala, for obvious reasons. She's very cool and patient with me and loves to do missionary work which is awesome. We get along super well. 

On Saturday I had my first baptism! Obviously I didn't teach him, but it was really amazing to see him want to take that step, and the light in his eyes, and joy he had when he did! His name is Ken Jenkins and hes a sweet 80 yr old man, who makes jokes about everything that nobody understands. 

I also was able to see one of our other recent converts, Michael, receive a temple recommend, which was really cool. We will be going to the temple with him on Saturday and we are so, so excited. Michael has worked so hard to get to this point and its awesome to see him reaping the rewards. 

The last person we have been teaching and getting to be good friends with is Joei. Joei is a wonderful, hard working mother and has such a great spirit and love for the gospel. We have been teaching her for a long time and she really, really wants to join the church, she just has some issues with her husband. He is gone all the time, is really hard on her, and wont let her be baptized. So we are working with both of them to help them to see the amazing things that come from the gospel and living the word of God. 

I know the church is true and that there is a living prophet here on the earth, and I am SO excited to be sharing that with all the people here, even when the temperature is in the negatives and there is snow blowing downwards, upwards and sideways, the gospel of Jesus Christ is worth it.

 Email me! I can read emails anytime throughout the week, I just cant reply until Mondays.  I LOVE YOU ALL!

Winter Quarters

Sister Coleman!!

New Companion, Sister Tuala

Sister Tuala in a Cornfield by the Church

Winter Quarters Temple

Snowstorm!

It's Cold!

Kittens 

Lots of Kittens!

How we have to drive all the time... Sister T. doesn't know how to drive in the snow and ice. I do, but I'm not allowed to drive so it's kinda scary!

Snow Angel

Week 3 - Off to Nebraska

Last week at the MTC and off to Omaha! 

It snowed!

Another MTC Friend, Sister Allen

Travel Day!

Made it to Omaha

President and Sister Ence

Week 2 - MTC

My week has been good, today we have pretty much just done laundry and go to the temple so not too eventful, and my week was mostly the same as last week. I found out a childhood friend from Kaysville is in my Zone here! I'm doing good. My pictures say it all! I really appreciate all the emails! I love & miss you guys!

Beautiful Fall Weather

P-Day at the Temple

Ice Drop on a Leaf This Morning

Sister Twitchell!