Group Portraits and First AreaPresidente e Hermana Rodriguez

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Good Afternoon,

Attached you will find a picture of Sister Brown with President Rodríguez as well as a group photo with her and her trainer. She will be serving in Las Misiones in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 

Presidente e Hermana Rodriguez and me 

Llegada en Bolivia!

Good Morning,

It’s a pleasure to inform you that Sister Brown has arrived safely to the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. Attached is a photo of the arrival of their group in the airport.

We’re happy to receive her and serve together with her in the Work of the Lord.

We are going to do everything possible to help her have not just a positive experience as a missionary, but an experience that will serve them for the rest of their lives. We will take care of everything we can for your faithful daughter of God.

Mondays are our preparation days and you will receive notices from your daughter weekly. We encourage you to write and encourage your daughter each week to faithfully serve a full-time mission.

We know that this is the Work of God and that Sister Brown will share this truth with many people here in Bolivia.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Rodríguez

MERRY Christmas and Felix Navidad!

Lunes de LEntes!

what is it? Only the BEST holiday! All the Hermanas wear our glasses on Monday and this last week we got our teachers into it and all of our elders wore their llama ties too! and Hermana Heartline doesn't wear glasses so she borrowed some from Hermana Berg and they give her headaches. But its all worth it for LUNES DE LENNTES! We also took an illegal PICTURE OF IT. WILL GET IT TO Y'ALL NEXT TIME! BUENOS DIAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm excited to spend Christmas here in the CCM although I know I'll be crying a lot too! But I just want everyone to know that I'm wishing them a very merry Christmas and to remember that revue spirit of this holiday so this is my last few day here in the CCM! and I fly to Bolivia on Monday! I'm so excited! 

Here's what happened this week

Month!

Last week was my 1 month mark and that's crazy! The first few weeks felt so long but it sped up real quick! 17 more to go! My paper says I return April 24, though so a bit less than that.

Soccer

...or rather football as I've gotten in  the habit of calling it. I started playing it during physical activity and its pretty fun! I wish I was better though.

District shenanigans

We had a hear drawing competition where we had to try and draw hearts with only our elbows... that WAS INTERESTING.

Efy medley

we sang the efy medley to the princioantes and at least one cried. It was amazing! I love that song!

Mysterio

Elder Nase forgot his name tag in the bathroom and that caused a wild goose chase of him blaming everyone before realizing he'd been responsible for its disappearance. Then Schiendler questioned why it would have been in the bathroom and he replied "I don't want God to see that" and our teacher Hermana Ferro couldn't stop laughing for like 5 min straight it was great.

Holland

We listened to an AMAZING Holland devotional this week and I cant even describe how awesome it was. He is so awesome. I've earned so much here its fantastic.

One thing I hope everyone can take from my email this week is that I've really learned is how important the BOM is. Please read it, study it and cherish it. There is nothing in this world so inspired. I promise anything you struggle with or have questions about in your life you can find answers comfort and guidance in the Book of Mormon. 

...sorry not much time today! see ya next week IN BOLIVIA!!

Hermana Brown! 

Hola! Victory!!

HOLA 

VICTORY

OK.  we had a roll-eating contest last week with our district and we were the ONLY ones in the cafeteria because it was a day after all the old people left and so the elders sat on one side of one table and we sat on one side of the other so we could face off and THE HERMANAS WON! I'M SO PROUD. I ATE 12 ROLLS AT LUNCH and as a whole we beat the elders by 2 rolls!!!! with 4 Hermanas we ate 62 ROLLS. I know its insane but we had to beat Elder Ashman who ate 32 plus his whole regular meal all on his own... and he eats like that almost every meal too. So that was great.

 

NEWBIES

We got to stay up to welcome the newbies at 3 am, but our teacher Hermano Palasios yelled at me and my roommates (not like real trouble though--we're good) but that was funny. There are 4 new girls in the 6 week program and they seem awesome.  It's weird being the oldest ones here... and our district leader elder Nase is now the Zone leader so that's cool. Our new DL is Elder Ashman and he's doing a great job. 

Butter Birthday

speaking of Hermano PALASIOS--it was his birthday this week! So what our district did was smuggle about 39 little packets of butter out of the cafeteria and we wrote messages on them like "comocomocomocomo??" cuz he says that a lot and "happy birthday" and other funny inside jokes and we hid them ALL OVER the classroom I'm talking in the ceiling tiles, behind the TV, under the table, there was like 12 behind one sign so when he moved it there was like a cascade of butter. We keep having to tell him "mas!mas!" and he was like "mas!?" It was really funny and I think he loved it a lot. My companion says she thought she saw him tearing up. MY HEART! It was fun

he took home a big bag of butter as our birthday gift.

MUJER

So the other Hermanas in our district they were teaching and weren't prepared, so Hemrnana Heartline tried to tell him "well prepare a better lesson for you next week" but ended up saying "well prepare a woman for you" and he was like "a woman?" That cracked us up for a while.

Proselyting

WE ESCAPED THE COMPOUND. We got to leave the walls and go proselyting this last Saturday and it was so amazing!! We waited in the chapel for our leaders to show up for like two hours and we just sung a bunch of hymns with the elders it was actually pretty cool . And then me and my companion got to go out with Hermana Ballard! Who was an avacado who just left last week but this is her mission so we got to teach with her and lewanr about the field life!! It was so cool and her trainer is on FIRE--she walks super fast and is so good with the people. She is so cool. There's one Hermana leader in the whole mission and it's her. I learned a lot from her like the best ways to walk fast. And we taught two lessons! To REAL PEOPLE! The first we helped a man write his first talk for church the next day! That was so cool! And then we taught his recently baptized sister a lesson!! They were very nice people! their house was very very small though so at first I wasn't sure how I could relate to them because we come from such different lives, but then I saw the proclamation to the world on their wall and I remembered that they are my brother s and sisters. I understood most of what they said and I bore my testimony a couple times--it was great!

Secret saints

I've got really creative ideas to make awesome presents for our roommate and district secret Santa's I'm really excited. I'm proud of my cleverness of using our limited resources. Will have pictures later.

Family

Our district had such a wonderful district meeting last night. There were a lot of tears lets just say. We all feel like a family now. I feel like I was raised my whole life with these people and couldn't imagine a different combination of souls in our classroom I love them so much. I know that each one of them are someone who was meant to be in my life. We will miss each other a lot, but were already planning our reunion in 2 years. We made a rapping video that I might have to send next week.

This week I've realized that the lord is always helping me, because every time I've starting to feel at the lower point of life he sends exactly what I need to lift me right back up, even higher than before. I know that all your prayers are reaching me, and I am so grateful. I could not do it without the strength of the lord or your prayers. I love my district--they rock and I am so excited to get to my mission. I

love you all! 

Hermana Brown <3

Avocados'

Christmas Decorations at the CCM

3 weeks already! I can't believe it! Time is starting to fly by, but that doesn't mean this week was any less difficult, and wonderful.

Hermana Messenger and Moi

Happy Elders eating food happily

MUERTE

Alright so, I got this virus that's been going around and it was AWFUL. I felt like there was a knife in my stomach and every once in a while someone would twist it. Not fun. I felt like death for half the week. 

HUMILITY

I had a pretty hard lesson in humility this week. I realized sometimes pride comes in forms you don't expect. so I honestly thought I was pretty humble until he Lord knocked me down. And with all honestly I am so glad that He did. because I have learned so much its incredible. I have learned what it really means to trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and what t means to be humble.

I can see the blessings he gives me everyday now, and I thank him for truly every good thing that comes to me. I have been able to recognize answers to my prayers and blessing from the lord as they come and that it truly amazing. I am so grateful for that. I'm grateful to the Lord for everything! I don't know how else to explain it clearer but remember everyone, to always put the Lord first. in absolutely everything. It will bring you happiness I promise.

AVOCADOS

That's a nickname or the "avencados" here. which are the missionaries who are three weeks ahead. because newbies come and oldies leave every three weeks.) So yesterday, we had to say good by to all of our avocados. It was rather sad. I made some really good friends in that group and it sucks to see them go, but I am also so excited for them all because I know hey will be fantastic missionaries. One among them was mi Prima, Hermana Elaison! It was so wonderful and comforting to have her here with me for the past three weeks, ad the people of her mission are so lucky to have her! But their leaving means that WE are now the Avocados!!!! ALPHAS. We own this place! Just kidding we still have no idea what were doing most of the time. But I'm excited to meet the new missionaries coming in! We're supposed to have 4 new English speaking hermanas! Can't wait to tell them about our butter tradition and the inevitable diarrhea.

SUNDAY

Sundays are probably my favorite days. this Sunday was so amazing with the fast and testimony meeting! All the avocados stared it by singing the EFY medley (which is my favorite) and they changed the words to "we are now the lords missionaries" and the whole thing was so powerful. It was like a piercing feeling in my heart. and the testimonies people shared were so incredible. We also had great talks from our president and his wife and other senior leaders and we got to watch that one really good Joseph Smith movie.  It's my favorite! I absolutely LOVE the Joseph Smith story every time I hear it. We also got to watch video clips of Christ's miracles  in one lesson and that was amazing to. 

TESTIMONY

Everyone, I have realized how lucky I truly am to be called to serve here. I realized that I get to walk upon the lands that the people of the Book of Mormon walked on. I get to teach these people of the true history of their ancestors. I get to march in the place that those stripling warriors marched. I am in that army of Helaman. And most amazingly of all, I am so blessed to have the opportunity to testify of Christ, who walked on these lands, among these people. 

I have learned many things this week, including the truth of the Book of Mormon, and the importance of exact obedience, And what lesson I cherish most this week is this, That Jesus is our savior. He lives and loves us. He is the son of God. and if we put our faith in him, then we can witness miracles.

I hope all of you will read the Book of Mormon because I want everyone to have this knowledge and happiness that it has brought me. I know these things are true. and I know that Ihave a special purpose here.

Itestify these things in the name of Christ, amen.

I love and miss all of you!

Love

Hermana Brown