WEEK 3 - WE'RE GETTIN' DEEP!

Our zone at the temple!

Hola! This has been such an amazing week! Seriously on a spiritual high here, and I can't get enough of it!

So on Sunday, in sacrament meeting it was super scary, because they pick at random who's going to speak in spanish, and there's two other Hermana Browns in our zone, and so they called Hermana Brown, and I was like "AHHHHHH!!!!!"  But I got super lucky it was the other H. Brown that didn't speak last week. It'll probably be me next time but at least I'll know it's me! Those to H. Brown's left this week, however we got another Hermana Brown in our zone on Wednesday! I don't know why buy our zone love's Hermana Browns. Haha I just can't win, but it's kind of fun i guess!

So about that Christmas Banquet thing that I auditioned for, no one has heard back from anyone yet! I guess they held more auditions on Thursday again, is what they said at choir on Sunday. So I'm assuming that if i don't hear anything by this Sunday, I probably didn't make it, which i'm actually fine with because I love learning so much in class.

So at the devotional on Sunday we got to hear from Greg Droubay who works in the missionary media department! And it was super cool! We got to see the Christmas video that they are promoting this year. I think it's out now, and its called "A Savior is Born." He told us they're trying to get 50 million views on it this year, so share it if you get the chance! He also showed us the memes and gifs that they will have for social media for every day in december, It was just way cool. But the coolest thing they're doing is they're putting it on the jumbotron in NYC times square, and they planned it so it's going to be in the background of the new year's eve thing with Ryan Seacrest! So if you go to New York this year, keep a look out for it!

The film we saw on Sunday was The Testaments! It was really funny because well you're watching it with a whole bunch of other missionaries so it's probably only that funny in the MTC. But it reminded me of when we watch movies with all our cousins, because we have such a good time.

On Monday we got tot teach a new "investigator" Daniela (who is Hermana Thomas acting like an investigator from her mission). They're going a lot harder on us now, but that's good because it's more realistic. She was a little hard to teach, but we gave her our testimonies of the BofM on little notes because she wouldn't take the Bof M. But it went fine!

On Tuesday we got to teach Viridiana again! Our lesson's with her are going soooooo much better than they were before. We taught her about the resoration that day, and the spirit was SO STRONG. At the end of the lesson I bore my testimony of the Restoration and although it was really simple I could tell she was listening to me, and the spirit was so strong by the end of the lesson. We walked out of there feeling soooo good!

Also Tuesday we had a devotional from Elder Kim B. Clark from the Seventy. It was super amazing! He gave four points to having a good mission: 1) Obedience 2) Work Hard 3) The spirit of the Lord 4) Love the People. He also talked about making the mission more than just an episode in our life. After our mission, we still have sooo much work to do. After the devo, we had our district review that night. But we actually combined with all our zone because we had 4 districts leave this week! It's just amazing how everyone is so close to Christ, and everyone has amazing testimonies and is so willing to share their stories. My testimony has grown SO much since i've been here. The MTC is literally an extension of heaven.

On Wednesday we got to teach Benjamín (Hermano Clark acting as an investigator). It went fairly well. We taught about the Restoration and he took a Bof M so that's good! we were also the only companionship to invite him to read. But we found out he likes to play guitar, and I was like, "Yo Tambien!!!" because i've been waiting to have a connection with an investigator, and finally I did. Not sure if he actually plays the guitar, but the character does. Anyway, it made me happy :)

So after we taught Ben, he had class with Hermano Clark, and we talked a lot about prayer and how to make it more meaningful. Recently i've been opening up to D&C 42:14 a lot lately and it talks about a "prayer of faith." And so another teacher was telling us about his experience with learning how to pray. So then we all went into separate rooms and we got to pray for just like 15 minutes and it was such an amazing experience. I really learned that prayer isn't just a list of things we give to God. It's really a meditation with yourself and the Lord, and it's a way for us to really organize our thoughts and receive revelation from the Lord. So i've been trying to listen a lot more when I way my prayers and it makes a huge difference. And if you think about it, it's not really a conversation with the Lord if we're doing all the talking. Just something to think about.

So also Wednesday we got to be Host Missionaries for  all the new missionaries that came in that day, which was like 600! Sooooo many! It was lots of fun though, to greet and help all the newbies! It was super tiring because you have to haul everyone's luggage around while your hosting, but I'm glad we got to do it! My arms were sooo sore the next day though!

On Thursday we taught Viridiana again, and it was another great lesson! We taught a lot about faith, and the spirit was soooo strong again! Such an incredible experience! She's also really starting to open up to us a lot more and ask more questions, which definitely helps and lets us know that she's interested. We taught Daniela that day, and she said she read our notes and so she wanted to talk about the Book of Mormon! So that was super good. She had a lot of questions that sometimes we didn't really know how to answer in Spanish, but she took a BofM and said she would read on verse a day, which is all it takes. And not to brag, we were the only companionship to get her to take a BofM (HOLLAAAA!!!). We also got to teach members of the church on Thursday. They are just volunteers who speak spanish, and are there for us to practice how to teach in Spanish.

Friday was such an incredible day! Like spiritual revelation day. So that morning we had class with Hermano Savio because H. Thomas was sick. And so he taught us on "how to share scriptures like a boss" (his words, not mine. haha). But we had the most incredible experience. So he paired us with someone in our district who isn't our companion, mine was Hermana Mitchell. And we prayed to know what scripture we needed to share with them. And it was sooooo weird but cool, because we both shared scriptures that complimented each other and we both agreed that they were exactly what we needed to hear. It's just amazing how good can reveal things unto us personally, and it is exactly the right  thing. 

So for the best part of the day on Friday in class with Hermano Clark, we did another personal revelation exercise. If you want answers to your questions I know this is what you need to do. So he had us write a question on the board, that was for us an investigator or just whatever. So then we all we sitting in a close circle in our desks. And we prayed to be able to receive revelation and answers to our questions with great faith. After the prayer we decided to read in Mosiah 15 (it was one of the Hermana's favorite chapter), and we just went around each reading one verse at a time, and if someone was inclined to share something the rules were you had to share it. It was just an amazing experience. I don't need to go into detail about what was said, but everything was completely lead by the spirit. And everyone said they felt like they had an answer to they're questions. So that just proved two things to me. 1: Personal Revelation works. Before I came here, i didn't really think I was capable of receiving personal revelation, and I honestly didn't really believe in it. But after today and specifically that activity, I learned that I probably just didn't know how to receive it, or I wasn't prepared to receive any answers. 2: It proves that the Book of Mormon contains all the answers to any question. I did this in my personal study with some more questions that I had and they were answered completely and personally! Everything about this gospel is so amazing! no matter how complicated it can get. I honestly don't know how or why personal revelation works, but it does and for me that completely proves the truth.

I was honestly blessed with the most AMAZING teachers at the MTC. They are such good role models for us as missionaries and I learn sooooooo much from them every minute of the day. The MTC is great, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Before I left,Ii kept telling myself that I didn't want to change who I was, but now that I'm here I have changed and I couldn't be more glad.

Thanks so much for all of your dear elders and letters! They seriously make my day, and I love to hear from everyone.  And those pictures of Zuri were absolutely the cutest thing! please send more! Because I love them, and so do my roommates.

Thanksgiving is coming up and I can't wait! Still not exactly sure what it's going to be like, but i heard it's super fun! Love you all sooooooooooo much! Thanks!

-Hermana Brown

Our entire zone at the temple walk on Sunday. Well before the 4 districts left.

All the Hermana's in our district 

Tuesday devotional :)

This is what Elder Rudder drew of me and Elder Jensen (from Kaysville). But the one on the right is what Hermana Mickelson drew of us! Haha Elder rudder also drew a picture of me getting thrown off the roof of Davis, but I didn't get a picture of it sadly :( He has something against Utahns, but don't worry it's all good. 

 Me and my companion at the temple! Aren't we soooooo cute?!