Humidity. It Happens Here Too........ July 14, 2014

7-14-2014

So...

I remember stepping off the plane in Phoenix on July 22, 2013, and I felt the humidity and wondered if we had landed in Mexico instead. And now, I feel the humidity again. Only this time, it's here with a vengeance. Luckily, the worst of the humidity is INSIDE our apartment, not outside while we're walking or riding bikes. Not that those activities are super exciting right now either.

But we get by! Basically, it's only through the grace of God. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY I could or would do this if I didn't know at the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth and that people everywhere need to know! All we ask is for everyone to listen for 5 minutes, because they don't realize what they are saying no to! But we are just here to invite- it is the Holy Ghost that touches hearts and converts people to Christ and to the fullness of His Gospel on the earth today!

Whoo. Okay. So a pretty good week, saw some people, rode some bikes, didn't jump in the pool.

We met a new investigator this week! Her name is Nikki, and the Spanish Elders talked to her and told us to go see her. She knows a bit about our religion from a friend growing up. We taught her the Restoration last night, and she accepted the doctrine that we taught her. Because it all makes since!

We're going to go to the Visitor's Center at the Mesa Temple this week with Nikki to watch Jospeh Smith: Prophet of the Restoration. Yay! So excited!

Hmm. not much else to say.... Do you all have any questions? Basically we're trying to contact some people you have shown interest previously in learning about our religion. And we're working on helping the members do to their missionary work!

I love you all! If this email isn't long enough, go read "Our Search For Happiness" by M. Russell Ballard. It's so good!

Be happy!

Love, Sister Hailey Brown

pictures- 

Sister Tucker and I on my year mark, July 10th! 

And yes, I got a camelback . it is quite helpful!

A Week of Everything New- like my Bike. ...........July 7, 2014

7-7-2014

Well hello again! How's it going?

Some of the most exciting news is, it's almost my year mark! That should be good! Sometimes I can't believe I've made it this far, but on days like today, I think, Really? is that all?

It has been a long, rough week. On Wednesday I got Emergency Transferred ( or ETed) down to the Mesa 5th ward, because a Sister had to go home to get some medical things figured out. But she plans on coming back in six months! What's neat is now I am companions with Sister Tucker, who I lived with in Scottsdale for the six months I covered Chaparral Ward and she covered Palo Verde Ward. So the good news is, we know each other really well. The bad news is, she really misses her old companion. But I am really excited to be here in this ward! The people here are super nice and the ward seems like they want to learn how to be member missionaries, and we are all for that!! :)

The bike hasn't been as hard as thought it would be, because our area is so small. But truthfully, I haven't been out for a full day on bike yet. And yes, it is regularly 100 degrees outside. And yes, the humidity is beginning to pick up. I love sweat. And yes, I will try to get a picture of me on my bike!

We had something really cool happen! We were meeting with a 17-year-old investigator named Brandon, reading the Book of Mormon with him, and we got stuck at his apartment because a severe dust storm- it was awesome!! We couldn't ride our bikes home, and his mom made us stay there until it was safe it go out. Our Sister Training Leaders came and picked us up when it was clear enough to drive again. But we got to keep teaching Brandon! He is such a great kid who has had almost all of the lessons, and we got to teach him some more! We were so blessed not to be out riding when the storm hit! Of course, we did get the warning on our phone, so we would have been fine :)

We are meeting with- or trying to meet with- many less active individuals and families in our ward, and many of them have a desire to repent and become better. And the members here are working to be missionaries, and I am so excited to help them!

I feel like I don't have a lot of anything exciting the say, but I know how much I love being here on a mission. Looking back over the past here, I can see how much I have grown, in my testimony, my knowledge of the gospel, and my ability to handle difficult situations! Everything I do here on the mission will help me in my life afterwards. And the experiences I am having now are priceless, and couldn't come from any other way. I am so thankful for the knowledge we have been given of our Savior Jesus Christ, and His role in our Heavenly Father's plan for us. 

I love you all! thank you for your support and your love!

Love, Sister Hailey Brown

Here are my last pictures of Cave Creek:

The best animal crossing sign ever!

Us with Jan, who is preparing to go to the temple. Love her!!!

The Life of the Tripanions​hip.......​......June 30, 2014

6-30-2014

Hey Friends! Still holding up in the heat down here!

This week has been strange being with two companions, especially when one is training the other. It's basically been a week of being a huge third wheel. Only not.

Well, I got the news last night that I am now 100% going to be transferred on Wednesday. President says he has several options right now, so by this evening he will know where I am going. Too bad you all will have to wait until next Monday! sorry!

This week we went out to breakfast with a potential investigator, a woman named Kyle who is friends with some people in the ward. We went to this DELICIOUS place called The General Store on Pinnacle Peak Road, and basically shared the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. She agreed with the things we said, asked questions for clarification, and brand new Sister Knapp asked her to be baptized when she knew these things were true! And Kyle said yes! It all just makes so much sense to her ( and to all of us!) and she is so prepared! She is so great and we love her a ton!

Sad news, we finally got in touch in our investigator Tyler again, and he said he just didn't feel the need for church or religion in his life. But we know that we have taught him true principles that he can now look back on and remember at another time in his life, when he will be ready. It was really hard, because all the things he wants are found in The Church of Jesus Christ! But he is young, and is looking for them in other places. We all must make our own choices in life. We just want everyone to come unto Christ!

We had an exchange on Saturday, so I had two brand-new sisters, Sister Knapp and Sister Thomas, with me in Cave Creek. It was so great! We contacted a bunch of people, and were lead by the Spirit. I love the faith of these brand new missionaries! they really do work miracles.

One miracle was our meeting with Bob Bryan, the less active we've been meeting with regularly. We read and discussed 2 Nephi 31 with him, and he committed to come to church! (well, he said he won't commit, but that there is a more than 50% chance he would be there.) He knows he needs to come, but he just keeps putting it off for another time. But, lo and behold, HE CAME!!!!!! We were so happy to see him there! and the best part? he stayed all three hours!! and he said there is a 99.9% chance he will come next week! We know he will find so much happiness in the gospel, and all of those blessings can only come from church attendance and from feeling the Holy Ghost there, and from taking the sacrament! So important!

So yay!! Unfortunately, everyone else is out of town..... But I am so blessed to have to opportunity to have been here and meet these people and help them. I can't know if I have touched their hearts, but I know that they have touched mine. I have felt God's love for these people here, and His desire for them to come to Him and partake of His blessings. His love is overwhelming and all-encompassing and a little bit incomprehensible. But I know without a doubt that God is there, and that He loves and knows each and every one of us, because we are literally His children. Did you know you were born with a royal birthright? We are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly King.

Okay, "Martha Washington" just marched through the Cave Creek Library with a bunch of preschoolers on parade, waving little American flags and singing "Yankee Doodle Dandee" and "It's a Grand Old Flag." It was so cute! Gotta love the holidays!

I love being here on a mission! Thank you all for all of your love and support. It means the world to me!

I love you all! Be safe, and be happy! God loves you!!!

Love, Sister Hailey Brown

 

We had a super cloudy overcast day this week! Lots of wind, but no rain... yet!

 

MacDonalds' Ranch! With an Arizona painting horse. :)

 

And yes, here we share the road with horses, not bicycles. But usually it's a little of both :)

 

 



A Sore Throat- and Some Interesting Transfer News.................June 25, 2014

6-25-2014

So hi! I think I forgot to mention it was transfer week coming up. But I survived! And by survive I mean I'm still alive to write you an email, not that I didn't change. Although that too is debatable...

So President Sweeney called Saturday, transfer news day, and left a voicemail. It said Sister Cole would be training this transfer, getting a missionary from the MTC, and I would stay here and we would be in a trio... for now. But, he said there is a high chance I will be getting transferred sometime in these next six weeks due to a situation... but it's not 100%. So I spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday and Monday trying not to freak out or be upset that I might be leaving. Especially when I have no idea when are where! Luckily President sat down with me Tuesday before transfer meeting and explained a bit more.

So, there is a 99% chance I will be transferred middle of next week to a biking area in Mesa, because a sister is going home I believe. You may not know this, but... even though I bought a bike and everything on the mission, because of those biking experiences I prayed and hoped I would never be assigned to a biking area, and I really thought it might never happen. But now it has come. I'm quite surprised at how calmly I took the news. But sitting there with President, and having complete trust in him and in Heavenly Father, I knew it is what it is, and there must be a reason for it. Of course, I don't see the reason why it's even LEGAL for anyone to be on a bike in the middle of summer in the hottest part of the valley, but.... It sounds like it's going to happen.

So yep.

We picked up the greenie, sweet Sister Knapp from Kansas, and went straight to work! and here we are now. 

To back up a little, last week I was sick with a sore throat and sinus problems, but lucky for the world we have been blessed with the Priesthood power again and the earth and a blessing from the closest Elders Friday night kicked that to the curb pretty fast! And we were able to go do a full days work again.

So, all of our investigators are officially out of town. So we're working on finding new ones! And we are working a lot on less active members as well. On Monday we had an amazing day of appointments that was better than all of the last week combined! We had two members come out with us, and we contacted people and taught the Gospel! Janice, our less active whose daughter Jamie is investigating, committed to prepare herself to enter the temple!!! It was an amazing lesson, and the spirit was so strong. We continue to pray that her husband's heart will be softened so she and her daughter may continue to progress.

After that, we harvested and ate some cactus fruit from the Saguaros with a recent convert and her family. Very interesting... I probably wouldn't eat it again, but they love it! When it is ripe and dry is when it tastes the best. They took pictures of us, we'll have to get them and send them to you!

Also, on Sunday we had dinner with a family who has a pet monkey. So that's another animal I check off my list while in Arizona! He was a teeny marmoset, but he jumped around our laps at the dinner table and screeched at us because he didn't know us. It was awesome!!

Going on a mission is amazing, because of all the amazing and crazy things we do but also because of the super duper amazing experiences we have with the people here as we try to help strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ. I love it so much!

Thank you for all of your support and love!!!

Love, Sister Hailey Brown

Picture of us at the temple! this is the missionaries serving in the valley.

Following the Spirit!..........June 16, 2014

6-16-2014

So, Hi again! I'm still alive down here! Yeah!

We'll see how it goes when the humidity picks up in July...

But yeah! Good week! We're still struggling with getting people to stay in town long enough to meet with them. So we've devised this plan.... we're going to take all the bananas I let go bad on the counter this week, and make banana bread, and surprise drop it off to people before they leave! Yay! Plus then, we can get some banana bread too :)

We were able to meet with Jamie a few times this week. We taught her and her mother, a less active member, the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They both were very attentive and asked really good questions. We taught them for an hour, and the Spirit was so strong! We taught about the Priesthood, and my companion Sister Cole shared an experience I hadn't heard before, when a Priesthood blessing saved her life as a child. I never realized how important the Priesthood is until I came on a mission and really learned how special it is. We are so blessed to have this power on the earth today, and to have righteous and worthy men who have the authority to exercise God's power on the earth to help His children. Yay for God's love!

Anyways... I love when we can feel the Spirit so strong. It gives me such a feeling of comfort and happiness, but sometimes I realize that I'm being guided by the Holy Ghost too. One experience really stood out to me this week....

Just yesterday, on Sunday, Sister Cole felt we should go by this gated community we have been trying to get in- and we were able to get in! We were able to talk to the inactive member in the community (she wasn't even really rude! yay!) and as we turned to leave Sister Cole asked if we should try the house across the street. It had several cars in the driveway, so we knew it wasn't empty for the summer. But I hesitated. I really hate knocking on someone's door randomly and asking if they would be willing to learn more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hate doing it, but I feel bad if I don't. So Sister Cole made me decide what to do. I stood there by the car and just prayed in my head. I wanted to do what was right. As I prayed, my thoughts just keep turning towards going and trying someone else. It wasn't any feeling, just the thoughts in my head. I know that the Spirit can come to us in our thoughts, so, although I felt weird about it, we decided to not try that house and try someone else. As we were driving to their house, we passed by a potential investigator's house. The sisters before us just said she might be interested. We had tried her house before and it appeared empty for the summer, so we weren't really going to keep trying for now. But, I noticed a van in the driveway and pointed it out to Sister Cole, and we switched directions. She wasn't home, but we talked to her step-dad who told us she would be gone for the summer. So, now we know!

It isn't anything big, but to be it was just a little miracle. We weren't led to a new investigator or someone who would let us inside, but we were led to find the knowledge that would help us to organize ourselves better and use our time effectively. Now we don't have to keep worrying about the person who lives at this house- now we know we can try in August!

It is such a small thing, but it made me think about how the Spirit presents itself in different ways to different people. That is probably why it is so hard to describe! It can be difficult to know what is really the Holy Ghost and what is you. It take a lot of practice and prayer. But I know I am continuing to learn and discover each day how I can be a better follower of the Holy Ghost.

I am so thankful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost in my life each day, even though I'm sure I often don't recognize it. I am thankful for the people all around me who help me to develop my talents and learn new qualities to help me and help others.

I love being on mission! Thanks to everyone out there who is helping me and supporting me as I serve the Lord. I love you!

Love, Sister Hailey Brown

Sister Cole and I in front of the Mesa Arizona temple!

Sister Hubmann and I at the missionary lunch after the temple. 

She goes home in August! ah!!

Fire Danger EXTREME....................June 9, 2014

6-9-2014

Yes, that is what the signs say around here.

Fire Danger EXTREME.
I don't even know if they have an option that is lower than that!
It is hot and dry.

So, Hi again! And welcome to my soapbox!

The desert heat has finally, officially kicked in. What's great is that the heat doesn't feel so hot! Well, it feels extremely hot, but it's mostly bearable. The hardest part is the intensity of the sun on the skin. I'll say to myself in the morning, "Oh, we have a meeting today and appointments, I don't need sunscreen," but then just the short amount of time being outside feels like my skin is burning! So I'm going to start getting better at that! But no worries, I haven't gotten any sun burns yet :)

Working in this heat has been interesting... Luckily for missionaries all over Arizona, if we ask anyone for water, they have to give us some! We met a woman, the next door neighbor to a less active woman we've been trying to get ahold of, and she was super nice and offered us some water inside her house. She told us about her life, growing up in Lithuania and escaping to Germany and eventually the United States during World War II. She takes care of her mother, who is over 100 years old and fell and broke her shoulder a few weeks ago. I can't wait to go back and meet her! The woman, Jura (pronounced Yura), grew up Catholic, but knows a lot of great Mormons and said we can come back. We don't know if we'll get anywhere (but really, you never do know!!) but we left her with a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and our number if she ever needs help with anything! We already love her to pieces!

The craziest thing happened a few hours later, where we met a man who grew up in The Netherlands, and had to go into hiding at 17 because they wanted him to work in the camps. He hid until the war was over! He said he turns 90 in August and is all alone. So he said we can come back and visit him! Two great historical experiences in one day- whoo!! Only would I be this blessed while serving the Lord! Of course, I never would have met them without knocking on a few doors!

We had some great lessons with investigators this week, and met a few potential investigators, but perhaps the most exciting thing was our less active member who came to church! We met Janice probably our first week here, and she hasn't been active since she got married to a Catholic man. But with both of her parents dying last year, she has been thinking about coming back to church. Now we are teaching her, and her 15 year old daughter Jamie who is not a member. Unfortunately, Jamie's father wouldn't let her come to church. But we will keep fasting and praying that his heart will be softened! Miracles truly do happen every day.

I love the people here so much! I wish I had the time and energy to tell you about every single person here. I love how many people all over the world are so kind and loving! I know that the knowledge that our Heavenly Father loves us blesses us and helps us to be happy. By following His commandments we find happiness here on earth, and as we continue to follow the path laid for us by Jesus Christ we will find happiness forever! How can we be happy here, if we don't believe there is a place and a way to be happy after we die? I am so thankful for all those who have gone before me and given so much so that we all can be where we are now, so blessed. I can't wait until I get a chance to dive deeper into family history to see the people who built the world! And to my sisters: Google Prince Owain Glyndwr Gruffudd. Totally related to him. This is why familysearch.org rocks! love it.

anyways..... so that's a cool tidbit I found. Think of all the work we can all do, is this life and the next, and we all strive to invite others to come unto Christ and learn more! Because a loving God has given us so much knowledge!

Ahh, it's just so amazing how much we are blessed.

And yes, I am blessed so much by all of YOU!!! Thanks for all your love and support! Love you!!!!

Love, Sister Hailey Brown

 

 

 

 

life is great :)

 

 

Arizona Heat and Brithday Cake!..............June 2, 2014

6-2-2014

Hello Everyone! 

It was a birthday this week!  It was awesome :)

We had District Meeting, and one of the sisters let it slip that it was my birthday, so they all sang to me and we went out to lunch after to Macaroni Grill, where they brought me a little cake with candles and our waitress sang happy birthday in Italian. She was amazing! Turns out that is why she was hired :) 

​

Then someone told our dinner that night it was my birthday too! She bought a cake and a card and a balloon- and they don't even eat cake! And they sang again and I blew out all 22 candles she put on it. :)

The next day Sister Cole and I had another mini-party with all the accessories you sent me, mom! And we ate more cake. Since the members sent us home with the whole cake! Because they don't eat anything unhealthy, like cake. :) 

​

 Anyways! Great Birthday! I haven't celebrated that much since I was probably 10! Great times :)

This week I spent two days down in the Desert Ridge ward with Sister Baham, and we did a lot of knocking on doors in the heat. But we had fun :) But I did miss some exciting things in my ward! Sister Cole met with two new investigators this week! Hopefully I can meet them soon! And we were expecting about 5 nonmembers at church yesterday! But we ended up sitting alone. But it turns out Justin (investigator) and Tonya (returning less active) showed up in the middle of sunday school, so we had a lesson with them after church. So someone showed! yay!

We have a lot of good work going on here. Unfortunately it's being slowed by summer vacations. Too bad we don't get a summer vacation! But I am so thankful everyday that I live with members who keep the house at 70 degrees or cooler, and that the AC in our car works. Tender Mercies :)

I LOVE being on a mission and serving the Lord, because I know that I am doing the Lord's work and He is proud of me. I am learning to be more Christ-like everyday, and we are striving to help everyone we meet become closer to Christ! Even in the scorching heat, I love this work. :)

I love you all! Thank you for your support and your love! 

Love, Sister Hailey Brown