3 is a magic #

so we had transfer calls.  The good news is that I will be staying in Leipzig for these next three weeks.  The other news is that I will be in a drit... 3s are hard. 

We are moving into the other sister apartment so here is the new address in case any of you get a little crazy and want to send me mail...

Sister Brown

04105 Leipzig
Deutschland

Here is my uplifting pioneer thought for all of you:

I found a talk from President Faust called refined in our trials. In this talk he shares a story about a sunday school class that was critisizing church leaders for allowign the hand cart company to head out so late. Then a man stood up in the back of the room adn asked them to stop the discussion. He explains how hard it was, but then also how invaluable of an experience it was to him. 

"The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company."

What is the price we pay to become aquainted with God??

In the book of mormon there are examples of people who sacrifice to be a disciple. Amulek gives up his possesions and family and friend relationships. Lamoni´s father gave up his sins and was willing to give up all he had. In Alma 14 the believers give up their lives and are burned for their testimonies. Shiblon and Alma and Ammon and all of the many other missionaries were also persecuted as they served their missions among the lamanites.
It has just been interesting on my mission to take a look at what people are willing to give up in order to follow christ or do what is right and then to see all that they recieve back. I know that the Lord always blesses us and makes up for any "loss" when we are willing to sacrifice for Him.

We didnt really do much (anything) for pioneer day.  But we did make biscuits.  That is pioneery...

Have a good week!

Love
Sister Brown

Wunder

This week we saw so many miracles.  

*A man came up to us at a bus stop and asked if we could come over and teach his family.  We went over to set up a return appoitnment for this thursday.  He has three cute little kids!

* We went by a contact that we have been by a million times and this time she was home and let us in.  We talked about the Book of Mormon and made out another apporintment.

*We had a long bahn ride on a super hot day and we ended up in an air conditioned bahn.  (NEVER happens)

* We brought by a birthday card to a less active member and her nonmember husband let us in.  We were able to talk with both of them and had a nice visit.

*Yesterday was SO hot.  We were melting at church.  It was miserable, but then they canceled the rest of church after sacrament meeting!!

*We had to go to the bathroom really bad and were right by a member's house. We klingeled and they were home and let us use their bathroom.  It saved the day!

*We had to take a stress test this week and both of us ended up in the "green" zone :)

*Satruday night we went and bought döners from our favorite döner man and he gave us free drinks!

Have a good week!!  I love you all and hope you see miracles this week too!

Love,

Sister Brown

We are the Champions!!

Enough said.

Last night was CRAZY!  I can't even tell you. The game started after our curfew so we weren't able to watch it, but we got permission to watch it today!

We put on our jerseys and pajama pants and laid in our beds and "listened" to the game.  Between the neighbors yelling and the texts we were getting from  members we were able to follow the game pretty well.  We had pieced together  that it was going into over time and that no one had scored.  Then Germany scored. 

Sirens, yelling, music, fireworks, cheering, horns honking, bells, and all other manner of loud obnoxious noise making ensued for the next hours.  

It was crazier than New Years.  

Germany is a whole new place.  Everyone is SO happy.  We just need to hurry and bring them all the gospel before it goes away.  "Hey do you want to be this happy ALL the time?? Let us tell you about Jesus!"

What else happened this week??

um.....

We were supposed to have an appointment with a man at the church.  We waited and waited and then prayed that he would remember and come.  5 minutes later he came bouncing up the stairs.  

Prayer works!

A sister shared a story in sacrament meeting yesterday about the skaters in the east during DDR times and how people in the west would smuggle old boards in for them to use.  Who knew?

And then Germany won the world cup!

it was a good week
love you all
love,

Sister Brown

Pday at the Leipzig Zoo

 Hippos??

Rot Schwarz Gold

just kidding.  

this week it was red white and blue!

the problem was that germany played france on the 4th of july so that wasn't the most popular color combo around here... :)

here is a cool story from this week:

We had an experiance this week teaching our Indian family again.  This time we were teaching the grandma R.  We wanted to talk about God.  So we asked her some questions to find out what she believed.  Then we started to explain what God was and our relationship to Him.  She seemed to be understanding that He is our Heavenly Father.  Then we went on to explain that he loves and blesses us and that he is all powerful.  She had some  questions about the creation.  We explained that God and Christ created the people and the earth and the animals and the plants and the heavens.  She didnt understand the concept of heaven.  We tried our best to explain but she wasn't completely understanding.  

Then we had some inspiration!

The scripture story of Ammon teaching King Lamoni came to our minds becuase we had just studied it.   We turned to that chapter and were able to read together.  She understands better when we read straight from the book of mormon becuase it is in Hindi.  So she was able to understand it a lot better.  It was more clear and it bore testimony and backed up the converstaion we had just had. 

There is power in teaching with the scriptures!

24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?

 25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.

 26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?

 27 And he said, Yea.

 28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?

 29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.

 30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.

 31 And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth?

 32 And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.

 33 And king Lamoni said: I believe all these things which thou hast spoken. Art thou sent from God?

 34 Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;

 35 And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.

Sister Jensen wanted to go meet our neighbors.  So we made them cookies and took them around to the people in our house.  We must have picked a bad time becuase not many were home.  We just left the cookies on their doorstep becuase we had other things to do.  

the next morning we had a little sticky note on our mailbox thanking us for the "bagels".

We laughed so hard!

love you all!

have a good week and cheer for Germany!! 

Love,

Sister Brown

Fourth of July:

Singing patriotic songs

Playing chubby bunny. The germans had a hard time saying chubby bunny even before they had a mouthful of marshmallows. it was wonderful

 Smores