June 24, 2013

contacts.....433! It was a really good week!

Well first of all I loved going on divisions with Hermana Espinoza. As you can imagine we talked a little about Hermana Neighbor haha since she was her trainer and all.. It was really nice to be with her, I felt the same energy and happiness that I felt when I was with Hermana Neighbor. She is really great and she helped me out a lot and taught me a lot while I was there with her. I was grateful for the experience I had to be with her in Sonora even if it was just for a day. She told me about the mini conference they had with their zone and their stake president and that he showed them the scripture about the things that they should be doing like praying, reading the scriptures, being obedient and fasting...and then she told me that because of that they have been fasting for like every week and so we fasted when we finished the divisions and we found some really great investigators and we also called the lawyer about the divorce so that A and JL can get married and he said....IT'S ALL FINISHED!! They will be getting married very very soon :) I'm really excited for them. A  wants to get baptized SOOOOO bad! So it's exciting.

The only bad thing is that we were hoping for like....5 miracle baptisms but none of our investigators that we were preparing didn't go to church yesterday. One said that he would get baptized the 7th of July though...the rest we haven't been able to talk to yet. 

we have started praying everyday to be able to find families and in our prayers we promise that we will challenge them all to be baptized and now we have 3 really cool families that are really interested in our message so that is exciting.

We also found a really positive man named O. He is really great and said that he believes it's all true. so hopefully he will be progressing quickly with his family too! 

Well President Herrador talked to President Brough Saturday night and it looks like I will be having changes. I did spend a little time crying...we won't know the final verdict until tonight but I’m like 98% positive that I will be leaving the Gomera. I DON'T WANT TO! The only thing I keep thinking is "Heavenly Father why don't you need me here anymore? Why can't I just stay in this area? Why does someone else need to come here?!" but if it's what He wants then I will do it..He knows my purpose and where I need to be...but I really don't want to leave the Gomera

Well as you know you are the best family in the whole world! Thanks for everything you have done for me and for your wonderful examples! LOVE YOU Have a great week! 

From Tuesday, June 18^th  (Sorry, it’s been a busy week!)

We had a really hard week finding new investigators also...we taught new people but they didn't want to receive a second visit. So that kind of stunk. I think I need to focus more on the people and not just the lesson. I just want to teach and I want them to understand but I just need to focus on the spirit and the investigators. I'm trying really hard to challenge more and bare my testimony more too. We just need to find new positive people..it's time to refresh the area.

Other than that we are just praying lots for the 5 other people we want to baptize.  A is ready..just waiting, for her divorce to come through.

We need permission from S's mom and she needs to attend, J just needs to attend 2 more times, same with Jo (the girlfriend of a member), D

Zone P Day at the Beach
(Notice Carolyn is holding a REAL football!)

also just need 2 attendances...it looks like everyone will be for the last weekend in June but we just really know that Heavenly Father will help us if we put in our part..things will work out well I'm sure of it...we're just going to work hard...

I don't know if I have changes or not but if I do or if I don't.  But if I do, I just hope he send somebody really really strong to this area because La Gomera deserves the best there is!

President Brough told me to be like Amber Neighbor...he said you don't have much time left and I want you to work as hard as her. You have to walk into the change meeting dead like you can't take another step..." so...that is my goal...to be Amber Neighbor :) 

He told me that I shouldn't feel bad about any of my work here and that I have been are really good missionary. It's because after a meeting we had with him on Friday I talked to him about a bunch of stuff and just said I just am scared that I will get to the end of my mission and never be the missionary I want to be and he just told me that I shouldn't feel that way and that I was a good missionary. It was really nice to hear. He also gave me a blessing which was really nice. He is the best mission president in the world

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

S didn't go to church and then hid from us so she can't be baptized this weekend but we are going to see what happened and then see if we can put a date for the 23 if she is ready.

A didn't go either and with her work schedule it means that she won't be able to get baptized this month. It stinks because ever since the first lesson we had with her I have felt that she needs to get baptized! We are just going to trust in the Lord and in his timing and keep working with her.

We have an investigator named D who is really great. He has attended one and a half times haha..The half is from when he only got there in time for priesthood. He's a break-dancer and he is super positive. We actually had a family home evening with our cook her family and D and his nephew that he takes care of. 

On an even bigger note..EVERYTHING IS READY FOR A'S BAPTISM!!! We are just waiting on the final process of the divorce and then they can get married and she can be baptized. The only thing is that supposedly it takes 2 months so we need LOTS of prayers because the goal is that they get married the 28th and she gets baptized the 29 and confirmed the 30! 

Her "placa" (name badge) in the toilet.
But check out how clean & shiny the toilet is!!

Oh and my placa fell in the toilet but I cleaned it with disinfectant.

THE WEEKS ARE FLYING BY SOOOOOOOO FAST! I can't believe it. There is a new sister here named Hermana Kilifi. Didn't I tell you about her? She is from California.  She is new and doesn't speak hardly any Spanish but she is AWESOME.   She is going to be such a great missionary.  

Well...just to let you all know...YOU ARE THE BEST FAMILY EVER and I love you more than anything in the whole world. Thank you all for your wonderful examples :) the time is flying and I can't wait to see you but at the same time I don't want to leave. The mission is wonderful and perfect and really hard but so worth it.

Love you all and have a great week :) 

xoxoXXXXOOOOO Carolyn a.k.a Hermana Brown

Tuesday, June 4^th, 2013

contacts: 349

M & JL's baptism

Well this week was good. M & JL got baptized so that went really well. It was actually kind of funny because M said that she didn't want to get baptized anymore and we were just like WHAT?! We had no idea what had happened but then at the end of the lesson she just said. I want to get baptized but I still like listening to music. hahaha We told her that she can listen to music (just not bad music). She was like oh then I want to get baptized. 

Then on Sunday we went and visited a convert that hadn't gone to church in like 2 months and her friend S was there (she's an old investigator) and she said that she had received her answer already because she had prayed but the other sisters never went back so we challenged her for the 16th and she said yes! She was super excited to hear that we were going to have a baptismal service! 

Her cook's daughter's baptism

A is up in the air. We are still planning on having her for the 23rd but she doesn’t want to get baptized because her daughter won't follow her but President Telon is helping us out a lot.

President Herrador is AMAZING. He works so hard in the church. He is the best branch president EVER!

Other than that we are just working hard trying to get our converts to get to church and also the investigators. Maybe I'm not being direct enough but they just aren't going...

CHUCHITOS!!! We made a food that are like small tamales that are called chuchitos yesterday for PDAY so that was fun :) I will make them for you in ...2 months.   The best part about the chuchitos is that the salsa is basically the same as the Jordans red chili... we'll see how it turns out :) LOVE YOU!! 

Chuchitos

Have a wonderful week! See you in 2 months...did you know that on Friday I will have 15 months?

Wow que rapido LOVE YOU!