Picture taken during the Easter Pageant.  March 2013

Hello from your favorite Lady Missionary! (lots of old men call us 'lady missionaries'. It makes me giggle every time)

Transfer news- I am staying in this area finishing Sister Knights full field training! I am so excited to be able to work with her more. This means that I will have been in the "field" more than I have been at the "VC". I see many many blessings that will come from this! For example this means during the summer the chance of me being full field is way less which means half my days I will be in the VC with some AC ;) Blessing? I think so. We also have some new investigators that we have found the last few days who I am very excited to begin working with. I can see great potential from these few folks we have met. Being in this area will be fantastic because our hard work is starting to pay off. Sacrifice brings those blessings!

Soooo let me tell you a bit about my week of miracles! Where to begin is the question.

Earlier this week we had a lesson with this man in these apartments in our area. The lesson went well, we actually had 2 different members join us which was really good for the lesson! After our lesson this little boy in the ward came up and asked us to come over and have a lesson with him and his mom. This kid is returning to activity in hopes of being baptized soon so Bishop has asked us to teach him a little so we gladly went over to have a lesson with him. He opens his door and there was another man there, Chris. This man we have ran into a few times in the complex and told him about how this message can make him happy and such. He accepted a Book of Mormon about a week earlier, but we had not seen him. Well he was hanging out with the family we went to see so we were able to teach him as well about the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Something struck a chord with him and he opened up about how he feels negative about many things he has done. I know the power of the atonement can and will help this man! He just needs to turn to the Savior. We all need to turn to the savior! It is amazing what can happen when we let ourselves go and rely on him. I know as we work with this man he will start feeling the power and the love of Christ in his life. For many people in the world they have never felt pure love in their life. That saddens me. Love can and does come from our Savior IF and WHEN we allow him to take our hearts! It is a beautiful thing this gospel does!

We have this lady who lives next to some members in the ward. We have stopped to say hello a few times when she was out in the yard. Well this last time something was different. All she wanted to do was talk about her LDS neighbors and how amazing they are and how they are always happy and such examples to her. Well as we talked it opened up the floor for us to ask her some questions about her belief and get to know her more. It turns out that she read the Book of Mormon a long time ago and felt that it spoke of truth, but she was sad because she no longer had the book. I got this big silly grin on my face and said "well today you are in luck. I just happen to have this book right here and I would love it if you would take it, read it, pray about it, and let us help you understand the importance of the message it contains." Her response was so wonderful. She took the book and kind of hugged it! She looked so happy to have it with her again. This all was able to happen because of such an amazing example that ward members were to her! Miracles happen. It takes time for peoples hearts to be ready to receive the message, but it is the Lords time and that is what is right!

We will be having a baptism this upcoming Saturday. We are quite excited for this! It is going to be a big turn out. This man has been attending for about 3 or 4 years and finally has decided he needs to take that leap of faith and enter into the waters of baptism. I love what Mosiah 18:8-10 says about how once we have the desire to do these things we are able to be baptized and the spirit comes more fully upon us. It will be an amazing day!

Another miracle we had was just a tender mercy of the lord. Sister Knight and I were at these apartments and the gate will only open and close with a car going in it. We got in behind a car and didn't even think about how we would get out at that moment. After we finished seeing the people we needed to see we hopped back on our little bicycles and started for the gate..... we realized a few feet away that we couldn't open it. We totally forgot it doesn't read two skinny sister missionaries on purple and green bikes! Then all the sudden it opened!!!! Nobody was coming or going but us! The gate usually wouldn't open for bikes and we were not even close enough to the motion detector to catch it. Who knows what happened! All we know is that we were able to be free and continue our work! Miracle :) 

Here is the scripture of the week! From Doctrine and Covenants Section 75:3-5, 10-11. He is with us, even to the end! What a blessing that is in our lives.

3 Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be ^aidle but ^blabor with your might—    4 Lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump,^aproclaiming the ^btruth according to the revelations and commandments which I have given you.   

 10 Calling on the name of the Lord for the ^aComforter, which shall teach them all things that are expedient for them—   11 ^aPraying always that they ^bfaint not; and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end.

I love you all very much. Thank you for the wonderful love and support I always feel from you. I can not believe how quick time is flying by out here. Hope things are going well at home and with the family. Love you tons!!!!

-Sister Brownell

Bruce and I went to Mesa for our Spring Break.  Sister Brownell knew our schedule of when we would be going to the Easter Pageant, she assured us she wouldn't be there because her working schedule at the visitor center was during the day.  Well, her cousin spotted her on Friday night and of course my brother went over to say hello.  Danielle came to introduce us to her companion and said hello and returned to her investigator that they brought for the evening performance.

What a miracle it was to see her with only 10,000 people in the audience.  I believe it was fate that we see her there.  She is doing well, and sends her love to all her family and friends!

 The Sister's cleaning the visitor center before the Easter Pageant.

 This is the Visitor Center sister's  on the set of the Easter Pageant.

 This picture is located in the visitor center, it is an actual wooden sculpture made up of 23 different types of wood.  Their is no paint used, but a protective varnish.

 From the set of the Easter Pageant, where Christ teaches the Sermon on the Mount.

Mom and Dad,

Thank you for the letter and the picture! I am glad to see it. Even if my eyes are pretty much shut. Oh well. I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the Easter Pageant. I am a bit on the sad side that it is already over :( I want to share some experiences with you that I had the last night of the Pageant. 

Every night we have a  focus in the VC. The last night of the pageant it was Baptism. We were encouraged to bring it up in conversation or whenever we had the chance with those we talked to. It was probably one of the most spiritually uplifting nights I had at the Easter Pageant. In PMG there is a point that talks of how we begin our teaching as missionaries. This bullet says "•

 As you accept our message, you will learn how to make covenants, or promises, with God. You will learn how to make changes to bring your lives in closer harmony with His teachings. You will want to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and be baptized by proper authority (see John 3:5)." 

I thought a lot about this point as I talked to my brothers and sisters who entered the Visitors' Center that day. Nobody jumped up and down and begged to be baptized, but being able to testify that the message we have to share will ultimately lead one to have that desire to be baptized really strengthened my testimony of this work. The Savior has called all of us to be here on earth and invite people to learn of Christ. We do not need to be a full time missionary, but we do need to have a testimony of our own. I love the story in the Bible of how after Christ's death the apostles don't know what to do so they go back to fish. Finally when Christ comes to them again and tells them to "feed my sheep" they get it! We are all here to feed the people with the gospel. It can and does allow us to be full. [Maybe that is why I am staying so skinny ;) I am full all the time with the spirit that real food just does not seem to want to do anything..joke] 

Easter is about our Savior. I loved the chance to declare that to people. As a family growing up the whole bunny and candy thing was never that big of a deal for us, neither was the big Easter dinner. I thank you for that Mom and Dad. We were not focused on the silly things that people focus on, rather we were focused on our Savior and one another. You are such amazing examples to me. Thank you.

As for Jamesies letter thanks for sending it. Ill read it when I get home. I do have the chance to open pictures, so if you ever want to send them please do :) 

The investigator we came with on Friday to the Pageant has been coming to church for quite a while. He is waiting for that big answer to know if this is the correct church for him. He discussed how he may just end up taking the plunge and being baptized soon. He has wonderful support in the ward and amazing little grandkids who are the cutest things ever. I am pretty sure one of them has a pretty big crush on me. Its funny when we catch him watching me at church and following me around and such. Hopefully his answers to prayers will come, and he will be able to recognize them. That is one thing that is difficult for people to grasp is how these different answers come because they are so unique for each person. Personally I have felt the spirit answer my prayers in many different ways. When I prayed about the mission I never received a "do this or that" answer, rather I had to decide and then go in prayer and get that confirmation. I have also felt this tingling in my stomach regarding other answers to questions I have had while on the mission. Answers are different for each person, I just pray that he will be able to feel the answers as they come. 

I am so excited that this weekend coming up is conference weekend! I love conference!!! The spirit is always so strong when hearing the words of the prophets and apostles. I know that they are truly are men that receive revelation from God. You will have to watch and let me know what the favorite talks are and all the inspiration that was felt and such :) Yay for conference. 

Tell me about the work in the ward? Do you still have Elders? Sisters are going to be taking over the world soon if you haven't heard :) This next transfer (in 3 weeks) we are going to be getting 6VC sisters coming in!  That is going to be so amazing. I am not even sure how many other sisters we are will have but I am sure it will be a lot. This work is moving forward and it is so needed. 

Well family I love you all. I pray that you will have a fantastic week and ENJOY CONFERENCE! Try and invite somebody to come watch it with you :) Yay for member missionaries! Tell the extended family I love them as well. Update me with the new babies coming along soon when you get the chance. Hope all is well for Marissa and Tahnee.

Love you! and I am glad you enjoyed Bahama Bucks :)

Loves,

Sister Brownell