Sister Brown in Brazil

Week 2 (2/2/15)

By Kristin 10:41 AM

Ola familia!!

I never believed anyone that said time flew by in the MTC during my first week, but as of today nothing could be further from the truth!! Today is my last day in America for 18 months - kinda weird. I'm super excited for Sao Paulo and the hot weather :)

Tuesday's devotional was Brother Ketcher of the 70, he gave an amazing talk about how to become a consecrated missionary, took some good notes but don't have them with me. But afterwards we had a district meeting review, and everyone was crying as we bore testimony of our experiences here in the MTC and how they applied to the devotional. The spirit is so strong here.

Sunday's devotional was.......THE RICHARDSONS!! Woohoo! I was so happily surprised to see them! I ran up to Sister Richardson and gave her a hug, and then she took a picture of me to send to you guys (ps so many people have done that, and I saw the Broughs, the Browns, the McGees, and the Dowlings again yesterday haha) and I got to say hi to Brother Richardson too. They team taught/spoke about the importance of companionships. Relationship goals right there... I came out of that meeting with a greater love for my sweet companion Sister Arbuckle. I love her and she makes me a better person. I am so grateful for her. I also came out of that meeting with a deeper understanding of the importance of eternal companionship in marriage. (Don't worry dad I'm not getting any ideas yet lol) But it was a really perspective changing talk.

This week consisted of more learning, studying, and teaching. I taught 2 more lessons with Larissa, there was a better spirit there, and this time we only used an English outline and translated as we went! Amazing how far I've come in the past two weeks. She didn't commit to baptism.. again... but finally accepted the need to be baptized by proper authority after a long and unsuccessful lesson on wednesday about the Apostasy and priesthood authority being restored.. she still felt like her baptism from her pastor was valid. Regardless, I'm grateful for the opportunity to fail. Not that her declining an invitation to be baptized is a failure, but I'm learning to understand that it doesn't matter what my goals are, if they aren't in line with what Heavenly Father would have me say, then I can't accomplish hardly anything. Larissa DID however commit to thinking and praying about baptism seriously, so that was muito bom.

We got another teacher on friday, and it ended up being... LARISSA! Our investigator! Or, rather, Irma Wells. We were all SO happy. We knew that she was an MTC teacher just acting but we didn't know if she would be our teacher or not. I love her so much more because of the opportunities i've had this week to pray and study in her behalf. Her portuguese is harder to understand, she speaks faster but it's just prepping me for the Brazil MTC TOMORROW haha.

ps, HUGE shoutout to MTC teachers, wow. I LOVE THEM. Huge respect for the influence they have on us missionaries. They are absolutely amazing people, and honestly you can't really appreciate it until you're a missionary yourself. So shout out to Jackson Birrell, Derick Simmons, Brennan Mills, Zach Adams, and anyone else I forgot that teaches there. You guys are life changing.

I absolutely love being a missionary. Every morning and night when I get on my knees the first thing I do is thank my Heavenly Father for this opportunity. Friday I realized how applicable these lessons I'm planning and teaching are to my own life. That's how you know what you're teaching is absolutely true. A few things I've learned: NEVER underestimate the power of testifying truth with the power of the Holy Ghost. It absolutely doesn't matter what you say, the Holy Ghost does the talking and the converting and the teaching, not Sister Brown.

I've learned the importance of being exactly obedient and the blessings that come from it. Unfortunately our zone has not been a very good example to the new districts. Our zone leaders and sister training leaders spend hours over their allocated email time on P day, don't follow the schedule, and are extremely disruptive during our study blocks. As a result, we've distanced ourselves from them, but have been able to maintain our focus, discipline, and we are progressing much better than any other district. The Portuguese teachers had a conference the other day where they discussed the progress of each district and zone, and they unanimously agreed that our district was the best. We were the most obedient, and we had been progressing the most. Because of this, we have gained the respect of others and are learning from the mistakes of others. I don't say this to put down any other missionary, especially in our zone, we love them. After being in the MTC for 6 weeks it's hard to stay focused. But we can all tell the difference between those who obey and those who don't. It's good motivation to continue in obedience not because I am asked to, but because I want to, and I want to receive the blessing of deeper faith and protection.

I want to share a thought with you from my personal study this morning. Alma 29:9-10 is why I am a missionary. "yea, and THIS is my glory,that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and THIS is my joy...when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, THEN is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me."

This is so applicable to my life. I have always wanted to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord, that has been my heartfelt prayer for many years. It's the driving force behind my desire to become a doctor, to serve people with my music, and to be a missionary. Never have I wanted to serve people more in my life than I do now. Who am I to fear about saying the right things to the right people? All I need to do is open my mouth, having faith that this is the work of God,and not mine, and the Holy Ghost will testify of the truth as I share the messages that the Lord would have me speak. "Faith is not about everything being okay, but faith is a matter of being okay despite everything." No matter the outcome of my work, as long as I am perfect in trying, I know that I can work many mighty miracles through the power of God. I know this is true.

I have so many other thoughts, as always, but that will have to do. We leave for the airport at 6 am tomorrow, and then it's off to Sao Paulo! I think we get to email you again when we arrive to let you know we got there safely, but don't count on it just in case. I'll most likely call you in the morning from Salt Lake because we have a short layover in NY, sometime between 8 and 11 in the morning. If not then, I'll call around 4 pm during my layover.

I love you, I love this work, and I thank the Lord every day that I am here on my mission and that I worked to be here.

I'll talk to you soon!

Com muito amor,

Sister Brown

Mom sent Swig sugar and chocolate chip cookies

Sister Brown with friend Sister Ellen Frederickson

Elder Markham and Elder Reynolds

Chips and salsa party courtesy of the fabulous Dawn Meeves!!

Sister Brown with President Jackson, her branch president

All the sisters in the zone

Advantages of the Provo MTC

By Kristin 12:37 PM

Week 1 Provo MTC

By Kristin 12:50 PM

First letter from the MTC

By Kristin 6:25 PM

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Ola Familia!

Wow have I really only been gone two days? I can't believe it, so much has happened, so many emotions felt, I feel so blessed to be here! I guess I'll give you a rundown: after I got dropped off, I spent the next 2 hours shaking with nerves as I got my name tag, my books, and ran around with my host bring to figure out why my housing/meal card wasn't working--of course it would happen to me! Turns out I wasn't in the system because I was transferred to Provo MTC so last minute. It was a stressful beginning, but I finally got to meet my companion and district that afternoon! My companion is AWESOME! Like, Allison status. (mom note: Allison was Emily's freshman roommate who she absolutely adored) Her is Sister Amy Arbuckle, and she's going to the Manaus mission! She's from Denver, Co, LOVES to run (thank heavens), and is so cute and we love each other! I feel so blessed. There are 6 sisters and 8 elders in our district, and two of the elders are going to Natal as well! The sisters re all great. We come from different backgrounds, but are so far working well together. Oh and you're never going to believe 2 things:
One--Richard Jackson is my branch president!! I have yet to meet him here, he's on a cruise. But he's the one that was our bishop or something in Provo, right? (mom note: he was called as our Stake President shortly before we moved out of the stake, but is a long-time friend of the family) I can't remember if it was him or his brother, but they're both at the MTC. Amazing, right? But I won't get to see him very often, because of my next surprise…
I'M GOING TO THE BRAZIL MTC!!!!!! Okay, it's not official yet, so stop freaking out mom. :) But Sister Arbuckle (my comp) said she checked her visa status the morning she left and it had been processed all the way through!! So, if that really is true, church travel should be contacting her soon and we will ship out to the CTM in a week or two!!! As companions again! Amazing. The Lord moves in mysterious ways.
The first day here was really overwhelming--lots of new information, rules, etc. We jumped right into class, only em Portugues, and now I am really grateful that I took 101 at BYU! (mom note: Emily too six weeks of Portuguese last term in order to prep for the mission…I basically had to force her to take it! Moms know best…) Then, that evening, we had this thing called People & Purpose--our first exposure to teaching an investigator. All the new missionaries sat in large groups and collectively taught an investigator. It was so overwhelming--I immediately felt unqualified and stressed and had no idea what to do or say, or even feel. But we all learned to adapt, and all day today we spent learning how to teach and how to teach with the spirit. AND, we learned how to do all of that em Portugues, Nao Ingles. The gift of tongues is real. I have so many feeling I wish I could express but I don't have the words to explain, even in English.
Tonight we had a meeting with our Branch Presidency (although only the 2nd counselor was there) to introduce ourselves and share our testimonies. After that, I was called to be the District Sister Trainer Coordinator. (mom note: I don't really know what this is…maybe like the equivalent of a Sister Trainer Leader in the field?) I, again, feel very overwhelmed and unqualified for the responsibility, but I know the Lord qualifies whom he calls.
Time goes by both fast and slow here, it's weird. Every second of your day is planned, yet you still have so much time to think and learn. I'm out of time, 10:30 comes fast, but I love you and know this is where I'm supposed to be!
Ate Segunda, Sister Brown
PS--I'm not homesick at all. Sorry I don't miss you guys yet!

Emily's departure photos

By Kristin 10:43 PM

Surprise!

By Emily Brown 10:54 PM

Farewell Talk

By Emily Brown 4:26 PM

Yesterday I gave my farewell talk--thank you to everyone who came and supported me! I was shocked by how many people showed up and I feel very blessed to know so many wonderful people that love me just the same! Muito obrigada :)

For those who missed it, here's my written talk. It's not exactly the same as the one I gave when I was speaking, but it's close enough.

* * * * * * * *

Boa tarde, brothers and sisters! I’m thankful for the words that we have heard today, and the music that has brought the spirit here. I’m very thankful for the opportunity and the circumstances which have led me to speak to you today.

When I was a little girl I had a fascination with meteorology, or the study of the atmosphere. I learned all about the different types of cloud formations, barometric properties, temperature variations, and other atmospheric phenomena. My favorite singularity to both learn about and observe frequently in nature was called a sun dog. One afternoon I even called in to the weatherman to inform him that I had seen a sun dog. To my delight, he mentioned my sighting on the news that evening! But rather than explain a sun dog to you in my own words, I concluded that Wikipedia does a much better job.

“Sun dogs are a member of a large family of halos, created by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere. Sun dogs typically appear as two subtly colored patches of light to the left and right of the Sun, approximately 22° distant and at the same elevation above the horizon as the Sun. They can be seen anywhere in the world during any season, but they are not always obvious or bright. Sun dogs are best seen and are most conspicuous when the Sun is low.

Sun dogs are commonly made by the refraction of light from plate-shaped hexagonal ice crystals either in high and cold cirrus clouds or, during very cold weather. The crystals act as prisms, bending the light rays passing through them with a minimum deflection of 22°. If the crystals are randomly oriented, a complete ring around the Sun is seen — a halo. But often, as the crystals sink through the air, they become vertically aligned, so sunlight is refracted horizontally — in this case, sun dogs are seen.”

Sun dogs are the product of these ice crystals reflecting the light of the sun. While a singular, prismatic ice crystal can reflect sunlight no matter the orientation in the sky and at any time of the day, it takes a perfect arrangement and collection of these ice crystals to produce a magnificent, illuminating, and brilliant show along the evening horizon.

We are these ice crystals. Every person living on this earth has the ability to reflect light. And not just any light, but the Light of Christ that is an innate part of our existence. And how amazing it is, that when we come together we can magnify our light and illuminate the world around us, stand as a beacon in the world of darkness, and most importantly draw others to Christ with this light.

I’ll never forget the moments that I’ve observed these sun dogs in my life. On winter evening drives with my dad calling in the news station, cold mornings on the ski lift, a summer in Sweden with the midnight sun on the horizon, and just this week after a long day of not knowing if serving a mission, and giving this talk, was really worth it. However in all of these cases, sun dogs have offered me a brighter hope at the end of a day, that the future is bright, and that no matter how cold, hazy, or long the day might seem there are always shining moments on the horizon.

Moroni observed this same principle in his great sermon on faith in Ether 12. We learn that “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen” (v. 6), and that “whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (v. 4). As we anchor ourselves in faith and hope, constantly reflecting and collecting the Light of Christ, we must always abound in these good works, for Moroni warns us that “except men have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father” (v. 34).

How do we have this charity? I have another personal story to explore this question.

Over the past year I have developed a very special relationship and friendship with Max Robison. I’m grateful that he can be here today. Although he has lived on earth 70 years longer than I have, both of us know that we were kindred spirits in heaven and it just took us a few decades to meet.

During a dark time of my life I visited Max every day. As I talked with him, he helped me understand my situation and how it fit into the big picture of life; he imparted wisdom of the gospel, of faith, of life, of love, and of eternal friendship. As I have reflected on our relationship, I can now see that Max’s light rekindled my own light, uncovered from the darkness of a thick cloud of despair. This loving act is something that I will never be able to repay Max, among many others, for saving my hope and faith. But what I can do, is share my light with others and spread the knowledge and happiness of the Gospel.

This is the charity that Moroni speaks of in the book of Ether. The pure love of Christ, and the simple act of sharing His light with others. The most beautiful truth is that everyone on this earth has this light within them, the Light of Christ. We learn in John 1 that Jesus Christ is the “light of men” (v. 4), and that disciples of Christ, which includes John in this reference, and you and me, hold a sacred responsibility to “bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe” (v. 7). Verses 8 and 9 clarify that these disciples of Christ are not the light themselves, but are to only “bear witness of that Light”, or of Christ himself, and that He is the “true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (v. 8-9). We must bring this knowledge to our brothers and sisters on earth and rekindle their innate Light of Christ as we bear witness of Him.

The great philosopher Plato presented an allegory of prisoners in a cave in his work The Republic. The prisoners had spent their entire life chained in darkness fixated to stare at a wall, which portrayed the images of shadows cast from a fire situated behind them. The prisoners could not see anything other than the shadow images before them. This was their only distorted reality of the world around them. Eventually, the prisoners were taken out of the cave and dragged up a steep and rugged ascent into the direct light of the sun. As the prisoners experienced the real world in the broad daylight, they now believed this world to be superior to the world of shadows in the cave, and desired to free their fellow cave dwellers to bring them into the sunlight and experience the truth.

This allegory illustrates our responsibility to share our light and knowledge with others, but how do we do this?

Like our scripture in Ether 12 outlines: as we discover truth, have faith in Jesus Christ, become sure and steadfast in our faith, abound in good works, and glorify God in all things, we can testify of these principles through the power of the Holy Ghost. Searching for truth is an inherent characteristic of mankind, and as we interact with others, who may or may not be of our faith, the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we share by word and by example will touch their souls and testify of the truth they have long searched for.

Let us be as the ice crystals that form a sun dog, rekindle the flame of faith and hope for strangers, friends, and family alike, and lend a hand to anyone who might be in a cave of darkness. An engaged conversation, a listening ear, a song shared, an excruciating trial endured, or on the Lord’s errand, do not even begin to dictate the countless ways we can build our faith, collect the Light of Christ, and share it with others. But in the end, as the Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson so eloquently stated, “[life] is like a voyage to some known point-- I stand at the rudder, I have chosen my path, --but God rules the storm and the sea. He may direct it otherwise; and then, happen what may, it will be the best for me… My life will be the best illustration of all my work.”

-grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission and spread the light of Christ

-as grandma has said to me, “a mission is worth fighting for.”

-already know that this is the best decision that I have made in my life so far

-testimony

-book of mormon, word of God

-gospel of jesus christ- the source of all happiness and light in my life

-atonement of jesus christ, that because of Him we can repent of our sins and become sanctified

-holy ghost- that he is our constant companion and guides and directs us according to the will of God

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Week 2 (2/2/15)

Advantages of the Provo MTC

Week 1 Provo MTC

First letter from the MTC

Emily's departure photos

Surprise!

Farewell Talk

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Letters & Email

Questions? Contact Emily's mom

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