Last week in the 'Bang???‏

My BFF's

Kamusta po kayo?! Pasko na!  Of course, it has been for 4 months now dito sa Pilipanas. Christmas in the Philippines means nangangaroling. It's basically like trick-or-treating only you have to sing a Christmas song to get something. There are so many adorable little kids that come to our house and serenade us! I can't even handle their cuteness. Speaking of cute, there have been way too many times this week when I speak in Tagalog and someone looks at me like I'm a puppy and tells me how cute my Tagalog is. What does that mean...? 

First things first, last week I complained about the ward. Don't worry, I've been humbled. This week one of our investigators, a referral from our new super members, Joel and Ariane, got really sick. Ariane automatically called us and asked us to call the Priesthood to give her a blessing. (Aren't they awesome?) It was after curfew so we couldn't leave but within minutes we had multiple members there. She didn't get a blessing because they had to take her to the hospital, which meant bills. And this family has no work and no money. So Nanay Pataueg went around and collected almost 3,000 pesos from members and friends and gave it to them. So yeah, despite the struggles, the members of Canlubang are actually pretty awesome :) 

So this week may have been my last in the 'Bang. Transfers are on Thursday and it makes sense for me to leave. And I kinda hope I do, because we've been telling everyone I'm leaving and I spoke in sacrament yesterday so it's gonna be really awkward to walk into sacrament meeting next week haha :) About that talk, it wasn't planned. It was 15 minutes. And it was in Tagalog (okay, Taglish).  If that isn't evidence that the church is true, I don't know what is. As frustrating as the 'Bang has been, I can't leave it. I love it. I love the people here. I love the smelly palengke and the random people that somehow know my name. I love the 20 little kids on our street that call my name and want to shake my hand or give me a hug. I love Canlubang. But I'm also ready to go. I've been here for 4 1/2 months and I could use some change. The hardest part is that it isn't like it was when I left Utah. I know I'll see all of you again in 18 months. I may never see these people that I've come to love ever again. And I'm not sure how I feel about that. 

Leaving Canlubang also means leaving the Quadrahan. Sister Smart came up with that term in a prayer once. I couldn't have been more blessed with the 3 sisters I share an apartment with. Sister Burt is all knowledgable about everything so we always have a scripture to share and know how to answer the hard questions. Sister Meti is there to make sure we are happy (and not hungry). She is just a little ball of sunshine! And then there's Sister Smart. She's been there my entire mission. She helped me through some really tough times and I feel like we've been friends much longer than 4 1\2 months. I can't imagine being in a new place without them. Especially 5 days before Christmas. But I can do it. And they can do it. I'm thankful for all I've learned from them and for the time I got to spend with them. And who knows, maybe I'll get some more! Transfer calls aren't until tomorrow. 

How's the snow? I can't even imagine snow it's so hot here. Someone send me some pictures! Mahal kita!

XOXO, Sister Brown

Twinners

Departing Missionary :)

The YSA

Sad to leave

Quadrahan - last Sunday in the Canlubang?

This is the Perfect example of Filipino humor...

Worlds most adorable bananas!!

My Mission is Now Complete‏

5 months! :)

Mabuhay pamilya at mga kaibigan! Kamusta po kayo? Bakit walang sulat mula sa inyo? Google translate it. So this week started out with us finding out the tree down the street is full of demons. For real though. And we ended it listening to an all night party of drunk karaoke-ing in front of our house to celebrate the christening of an infant. And in the middle of all that, we had 3 baptisms!

Joel and Ariane and Noli finally got baptized! They are seriously so amazing! Noli works night shift so he came to the baptism with 2 hours of sleep and then went back to work and came straight to church the next morning.And he acted like it was no big deal that he hadn't slept in 3 days! He is seriously a trooper. And such an example to his mom who is a returning member. She is so excited to have someone with the priesthood in her home! Joel and Ariane of course overcame a lot of obstacles and are my favorite people in Canlubang. These 3 people deserved the very best! And I wish I could say that is what they got. But instead I am afraid to leave them with this ward. There was a RS activity that started 2 hours after the baptism and we had offered to change the baptism if it was going to be a problem and we were told to leave it. Well, these wonderful brothers and sisters whom I really do truly love and can't show up on time to church decided to go to the activity 3 hours early and skip the baptism. There were literally like 5 people there. And the 2nd counselor who was conducting chastised us for planning it on the same day as the activity and then asked if Noli's mom, who has been reactived for the last 2 months, if she was an investigator. And as much as I wanted to be okay with it, I am human and I wasn't. I had to walk out of the room I was so mad. Nanay Pataueg, the best member missionary I have ever met, came with her family and told us she had plenty of time to get to the activity but this was important. I literally almost started crying and just gave her a hug because at least these new members will have her. She deserves all the blessings of heaven, that woman is so darn amazing! 

So I prayed and prayed that they would have such a great experience that they wouldn't care that no one was there or that our Canlubang Sisters' musical number wasn't the best. And ya know what, Heavenly Father is there. Both Joel and Ariane told us that when they were being baptized it wasn't Brother Billy's voice they heard, it was something more powerful. Ariane thought maybe it was the voice of Christ and Joel recognized it as the power of God, the power of the Priesthood. And Ariane told us that when she was confirmed, she felt a tingling start in her feet and go up through her feet! All 3 of them got up and shared their testimonies, which was awesome as the missionary who taught them, to hear how far they'd come and just how strong they are now. I literally felt so happy I could burst listening to them. I hope that it's enough, that they'll continue in their strong testimonies even though the ward is a struggle. I was reminded this morning though that I am not leaving them in the hands of the ward. I am leaving them in the hands of the Lord. And He doesn't lose people. He will make sure they have what they need. I just love them so much and I want them all to make it to the temple! I am so thankful for their faith and pray that they will never lose it. 

Also, I survived another transfer without becoming a trainer. I will probably be trained the rest of my mission. That is completely fine. 

Have a great week and be a friend to the new members in your ward! The missionaries love these people so much and they need you to help them out. Mahal kita!

XOXO, Sister Brown

I hope they call me on a mission

Love them!

Happy missionary :)

Noli, Joel and Ariane

Most uncomfortable bus ride ever...

This is coming to you with all my love inside! <3

This week was just kakaiba‏

Sana mabuhay pa kayo after eating your weight in turkey and shopping til ya dropped. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I was reading in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13, and it's totally about the pilgrims coming to America! The church is true! 

It's only been 5 days since my last email, but it's been the strangest 5 days of my mission. Starting with Thanksgiving. Our exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders got cancelled unexpectedly so we decided to have Thanksgiving dinner in the 'Bang! The problem was it was after curfew. And we needed a rotiserie chicken. So what did we do? We hired our neighbors to go buy one for us and we proceeded to have a Thanksgiving dinner of chicken, pineapple, mac n' cheese, cheesy potatoes, corn, and chocolate chip cookies at 10pm. Yep it was all the same color. And it was delicious. The next day we had a lesson with Noli. When we got there, his dad and his friends were drinking. That's pretty normal. But after passing out on the couch/floor, halfway through the lesson Brother Aparri comes into the room in nothing but his tighty whiteys! Sister Meti just about died! Haha Then as the week went on, we did a lot of tracting. And I met a man named Pepsi. And a woman named Cookie. And we met Lena. She came up to us that as she was napping with her Bible, God told her to take something to a friend and to go down a certain street because he had a surprise for her. And it was us! And she continued to tell us all about how religion doesn't matter and she was so happy to meet us and how she'd seen Satan and a whole lot of other things that I just can't properly convey through email. And then as she left, she leaned for a hug and she rubbed her nose all over my chest and took a great big whiff of Sister Brown (who probably smelled absolutely wonderful at this point in the day). I think it's safe to say I felt completely violated. But to add to it, an 85 year old woman yelled out "Sexy ka!" as I walked past. Then on Sunday who showed up at church? None other than Lena. Who didn't hesitate to stand in Relief Society and very loudly share her knowledge with the ward. And to top it all off, on the way home last night I saw a lone pig riding in a tricycle. Welcome to the Philippines everyone. 

On a more spiritual note, Joel, Ariane, and Noli are getting baptized this week!!! I am so, so excited for them! I can't believe the difference I can see in them. They really are noticeably happier and their faith has really grown. My favorite part though is their prayers. That's my favorite part of teaching anyone really. To watch them awkwardly stumble through their first prayer and then watch as each prayer gets better and better, to see how they come to know that they really are talking to someone and that someone really cares about them. I love it. I love being a missionary!

Well have a fabulous week and invite some missionaries to your house for dinner! Mahal kita!

XOXO, Sister Brown

Ceris 3

Thanksgiving dinner

Sis Metis turns 25

Sister Meti's surprise party decorations

Birthday girl

Matching dresses

Sister Smart is a master pizza maker!

Thanksgiving in the 'Bang‏

You all are probably currently preparing yourself to stuff your faces full of food to celebrate the Pilgrims coming to America. That's America for ya ;) Grandpa, eat an extra pumpkin pie for me! A whole one. So to start off, I want to say what I'm thankful for. Flushing toilets, cereal, and small spiders. But on a more serious note, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission and to see how the gospel changes people, especially how it's changed me. And I am extremely grateful for each and every one of you. For all of your emails and letters (thanks Grandpa Brown and the wonderful Brown family for the letters!), your encouraging words, your prayers, your support, and your love. Leaving everything behind for a whole new world makes you realize just how blessed you are and I am very, very blessed. And to show my gratitude, here is a very Filipino recipe called Oreo Balls that we make almost every single day.

Oreo Balls

2 sleeves of Oreos

1 regular sized can of sweetened condensed milk

Crushed Graham Crackers

Mix them all together, put it in the fridge until it sets up, make into little balls and roll in crushed grahams, nuts, sprinkles or dip 'em in chocolate, whatever you want!

You are welcome.

Updates for the week, I ate snails. Bet that makes ya really hungry for Thanksgiving! They actually weren't too bad, kinda like mushrooms. Also, one of our investigators told us he just wanted to go to the Terrestial Kingdom because it sounded kinda hard to get to the Celestial. I wasn't quite sure what to say to that... And I met another Sione. His name is Elder Vimihi and he's from Tonga and I swear him and Sione are the same person. Speaking of Sione, haven't heard from him for awhile... (It worked last time, thought I'd give it a try ;)) He is also from the Tacloban mission. We got 15 new missionaries and there are a few in my zone. They are all amazing and I love them for serving! And finally, Mission Tour was Monday. That's where the area 70 president and his wife, President Brent Nielson and Sister Marcia Nielson, come and speak and then he picks a few people to interview. I was the lucky one! And I'd woken up at 4am to get there so I was super coherent. But let me just say, the love of the General Authorities is just so evident in their eyes. They truly are disciples of Christ, you just know when you look at them. And I really hope that one day people will see that in me too.

As for investigators, last week I mentioned Joel and Arianne needing prayers. If you prayed, thank you! We went to them later that night and they just looked so burdened down. They told us that Arianne's mother, who is super Catholic and in whose house they live in, wouldn't allow Ari to get baptized. Of course, the choice was theirs but being baptized meant risking being kicked out of the house and having to uproot their little family and move to Cavite, another mission. All 4 of us, Sister Meti and I and Joel and Arianne, fasted and prayed that they would be able to get baptized. And although it was postponed for a week, they're getting baptized! They know that it's right and Joel just wants to have the Priesthood in his home and Arianne doesn't want to add any more time to the year they have to wait to be sealed in the temple. So they are getting baptized. The thing is, it's secret. And I'm a little worried about it. But we talked about the consequences and they have the faith that everything will be fine so I trust that it will. They are just the cutest little things ever! I love them!  Noli is also getting baptized a week late but he is so ready. He is just so much happier and has so much more direction in his life now. And he has the sweetest, most sincere testimony.

This is for all of you returned missionaries. I'm feeling a little stuck lately, like I have to teach Lesson 1 the same way every time because that's just how we do it. But I know that isn't how it should be. So how can we mix it up a little?

Thought of the week is from Mission Tour. There is holiness in everyday life. But sometimes it isn't apparent. We have to look for it. For example, walking into a messy room with toys and clothes all over could be a cause of stress, or it could be a scene of holiness. The mess means Heavenly Father has trusted you with his precious children. The toys mean someone loves those kids enough to buy them toys. The clothes mean someone cares if those kids are warm. It really is holy. So my goal this week is to find holiness in the Philippines because sometimes, it seems to be a very unholy place. Challenge to you, find holiness in your life. 

Have a great week, eat some turkey for me, and shop til ya drop!

XOXO, Sister Brown

Cabuyao zone on the way to mission tour

Mission Tour..not sure who was manning the camera but no one is ready..guess you need candid shots too?

Sister Brown and President Brent H. Nielsen

Yeah...those snails are the ones you find in your garden!

Tastes like chicken! ;)

Pigeon Infestation‏

Shalee's fans...she says they chant Sister Brown, Sister Brown as they follow her around! So cute!

Well we have a pigeon infestation. There are 5 pigeons who have made our little back porch their home. And one of them may have exploded. Right over where we hang our clothes to dry. We love pigeons. And can I just say, Halloween candy tastes 1 million times better than regular candy! I got to open my 2nd giant package this week and it was full of Halloween candy which has now been consumed by the 4 Canlubang sisters. Thanks mom! And the Christmas tree is seriously the most adorable thing I have ever seen! Maraming salamat po para sa lahat ng pagkain! We love it. With all of  our chubby little hearts ;) 

Tender mercies and little miracles. That is what this week was. Just little things, but I just know Heavenly Father watches out for his missionaries, and all of His children really. One of them included another little boy walking up and giving me a flower and all of the little kids on the street following me out of the neighborhood every day. I just love them! And second of all, somehow we got 17 new investigators this week! The average is 7 and that's usually a struggle. One day we went tracting in Ceris 3 expecting no one to let us in because it's a really hard area, but somehow we found all the people that had been taught before by the Elders. We even found a man who had a Book of Mormon and said he used it as a reference when he attended his Catholic church! Plus we just taught a lot of really hard lessons this week. We had to drop one of our investigators that I've been teaching since the very beginning because she just wasn't progressing, we had to teach the Law of Chastity to an investigator who lives with her boyfriend but isn't married, and we had to teach about the Sabbath Day and ask one of our investigators to talk to his boss about working on Sundays. I was super nervous but one by one they accepted the lessons and no one threw anything at us so it's all good! 

And you may already know, but the Tacloban missionaries are all safe and accounted for and the mission has been closed. So we now have 15 new missionaries from Tacloban! Thank you for your continued prayers for the people and the missionaries in the areas that were affected by the typhoon. They really need them.

On another note, Joel and Arianne were MIA this week. We are really worried about them because they are of course having obstacles placed in their way left and right. Their baptism is supposed to be in 2 weeks but Arianne's mom all of a sudden doesn't want them to be baptized and they live with her so they can't really go against her will unless they are willing to move. So prayers for them this week would be greatly appreciated!

And here is the optimism quote I talked about last week:

"There is so much to be happy about in this world. And  when we fail to see the world around us for the wonder and joy that it has to offer and when we refuse to see the hope and the light everywhere around us, we are not seeing the world as it truly is. We are not seeing the world as Heavenly Father sees it."

How true is that? The world is a good place and if we look, there is ALWAYS something to be happy about! But we also have agency, and we can choose not to see it or not to focus on it. And I'll be honest, sometimes I do that. I have little pity parties for myself and I refuse to see the good in the world. Yes, there are trials. We all have them. And some days it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But there is a light. We just have to look for it. That's what I did this week and there's so much sunshine I need a bigger sunshine notebook! So that's my challenge to you this week. Look for your own Sunshine Moments. Look for the good in the world. And I promise you'll see God's hand in your life and the life of those around you. 

Love you all and thanks for your love and support! Have a fabulous week!

XOXO, Sister Brown

Christmas in November

Salamat Po Grandma!

Cutest idea ever!

I might have cried opening this...

Biggest box ever!

Full cupboards!

Arianne's b-day

Fav little fam!

As good as the sunset gets in the 'Bang

Kumakain mga Langgam‏

Riding in the Tricycle

Kumain ako mga langgam para almusal, masarap sila! Meaning I ate ants for breakfast. You might think I'm joking. But I'm dead serious.  I poured a bowl of cereal this morning and a bunch of tiny little ants started running around my bowl. So what did I do? I poured some milk and dug in! Extra protein, di ba? Cereal is a precious resource here and I wasn't about to let the ants win! Haha it's more fun in the Philippines. Which reminds me, I experienced the Filipino bluntness yesterday when one of the members told me "You used to be skinny when you got here, but now you're mahaba." Uh... thanks? And as for bagyo Yolanda, we survived. The whole mission had to stay in Friday because of it, but here's the thing. In the 'Bang, we live in a bubble. While the rest of the Philippines was getting ripped apart, Canlubang was experiencing some light rain and a nice breeze. So no worries. We're fine. The missions in the Visayas are pretty torn up though so keep them in your prayers please.

Speaking of work, it was a slow week. Everyone was busy so we mostly taught members and OYM'd so we've got some promising prospects for this week! Joel and Arianne even gave us a referral! They are seriously the greatest and I'll be honest, sometimes I'm afraid they're too good to be true and this will be the lesson they tell us not to come back. But Heavenly Father really does prepare people and I've gotta leave it in His hands. 

Since I had some extra time Friday, I had time to read a talk. It was by Jeffrey R. Wilkes and it was about how we can be optimistic in a pessimistic world. I loved it! There was a great quote but unfortunately I left it at the apartment so next week. 

Instead, I'm gonna give you all some tips. As a missionary, nothing really makes you happier than letters or emails from home on a bad day. But I know that a lot of people think "I don't know what to say. I'm not inspirational. They don't want to know about my life." But I think I speak for all missionaries when I say that we do! We don't care what you write about, tell us what you had for breakfast! A letter is a letter and it's just nice to be reminded you aren't forgotten when you're so far from home. But if the breakfast idea doesn't cut it, here are some other ideas. Share a missionary moment you had, no matter how simple it may have been, you're favorite scripture, quote, or story, tell a funny story or a joke (we need some laughs too), share what's happening on the home front, especially if the missionary is in another country, or just write about your life. Seriously, just write a missionary. You don't even have to know them. And I'm not begging for letters. You do pretty well (but I could always use more... :D) But maybe write my companion. Her email is madhura.meti@myldsmail.net. And her address is the same as mine. 

Have a great week mga kaibigan ko! Mahal kita palagi!

XOXO, Sister Brown

Hope this wasn't the day they were supposed to stay in? :/ 

American dinner...fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn

Sister Smart and Sister Meti enjoying their meal

We LOVE lemon soda!