Don't be afraid to ask God

Sestra Crosby and I have had the craziest week, yet I can't even remember what happened! 

We had a neat experience with someone who we had met a few weeks ago on the streets. We had discussed about how we can come to know truth directly from God.  The other night, we randomly received a couple phone calls from the same person who actually would like to get together and chat! So we met in the church last week. They loved how everything was focused around Jesus Christ and the fact that He lives. and walked away with two copies of The Book of Mormon -for another family member! AND it wasn't until halfway through our conversation they got a funny look on their face and asked, "Are you Slovene?" To which we responded that we weren't, and we were still learning Slovene. So maybe we didn't make any horrendous mistakes until halfway through the conversation! That's improvement for us :) 

 

I'm so grateful for a Father in Heaven who wants to communicate with us directly. I know that when we pray, God hears us. I also know that He is ready and willing to answer our prayers and help us to find truth if we will do what he has asked of us. In a world where "truth" seems to be constantly changing, we can have faith and trust in a Heavenly Father whose truth doesn't change. When you are seeking to know what is true and what is not, turn to God and ask him. Better than anyone mortal being on earth who can write information on a website, God knows the eternal truth. And he will help you to know through prayer and study. One of the greatest truths I have come to know is that we are children of God and that Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to return to God. How amazing is that? God is our father. He loves us and listens to us when we pray. I know that is true. Don't be afraid to ask of God to know what is right and true. He wants you to know. 

Love, Sestra Brown

God's Peace

That's crazy about Janson! Sounds like he has a really great attitude though! I'm so proud of him.

Sometimes I sit down in front of the computer and my mind just feels blank. Like, "Excuse me, did somebody turn the lights off in here?" That's how I feel right now. I can't remember what happened this week! Čakaj, just give me a moment. I'm sure my memory will come back soon.

Okay, we're back in business! This week was crazy. Sestra Crosby and I feel like we were hardly even in Celje. We spent a day in Zagreb with some other missionaries from Sestra Crosby's MTC group. And we spent part of a day in Maribor putting on a musical fireside for the members there. I've got to say, they were not benefited musically by inviting me to join! But it was nice of them to invite us anyway :) 

Miracle of the week, hands down, goes to a beautiful French woman we met in Center. On Tuesday evening, we were walking around and talking with people, inviting them to learn more about Jesus Christ. At least, that's what we were trying to do. Even more than normal, it felt as if people didn't want to talk to us. Before we could even introduce ourselves as missionaries, we'd get the hand waving us away or the "Ne hvala" warding us off. 

We approached a woman who was rummaging through a large purse and really looked busy and distracted, only come to find out that she doesn't even speak Slovene because she's from Paris. We mentioned what we were doing (in English) and her eyes lit up and she said, "Really? I was just thinking about Jesus Christ and how I want him more in my life." She proceeded to walk straight over to the church with us, where we sat together and she had a chance to learn all about God's plan for us and for our families. It was incredible for me to see her light up each time she learned something new. 

She told us about how both of her parents had recently passed away and she wanted to know what happens after we die. We testified to her that her parents still live and that whe will be with them again. She looked up at us with wide open eyes and said, "Really? Will I really be with them again? That's so great!" It was so neat to see how Heavenly Father's plan for us brings lasting peace into our lives. It's the kind of peace that can't be replicated by anything on Earth, because it is peace that is not of this world. It's God's peace. It comes from him when we understand that we are his children and that he loves us. It was so neat to see this woman come to that knowledge and how it immediately changed her life. 

I know that God lives and that he loves us. I know that it is his goal for us that we return to his presence and live with him and with our families after life on Earth. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who wants us to know him and feel his love and who answers our prayers. And I'm so grateful for his son Jesus Christ who makes possible our return to our Father in Heaven.

Love, Sestra Brown

Spin Moves

Sometimes the weeks fly and at other times they drag. This one flew!

This was a hard week, but even when things are tough, we can always see God's hand in our lives when we choose to look for it. We just have to choose to open our eyes and let the light come in! But not the bugs.  See the photo below of me cleaning the bugs off the ceiling because we let the bugs come in.

We had a neat experience while tracting this week. Well, before we actually began to knock doors. We were headed out to some blocks on the north end of our area and we walked past a house where I had contacted a woman some two or three months ago. I had actually contacted her there twice and both times she told me that she doesn't really know what she believes or even if she believes. As we walked past we thought, "Well...why not knock?" So we did! A man answered the door and proceeded to tell us that he doesn't believe in God. If God really existed, why do so many people suffer so so much? We hear this question so often and I think it's a universal question in people's minds. Oftentimes when people tell us that they don't believe in God, they don't let us stay and talk to them for very long. But we ended up talking with this man on his doorstep for fifteen minutes. We briefly explained about our purpose on life and why we're here on earth. We explained that it's Heavenly Father's goal for us all that we return to his presence after life on earth. And that because of Jesus Christ, we CAN return to him. How cool is that? I'm so grateful for Jesus Christ. By the end of the conversation, the man agreed to have us come back and share with him a little more about our Father in Heaven's great plan for our successful return to him. So that was a neat little miracle that we almost walked past, but then decided to knock! 

 

Sestra Crosby and I are becoming expert basketball players! Not that either of us have set foot on a basketball court a single time in the last few months, but we are perfecting our spin moves. And every good basketball player knows that you need a solid spin. Here's how it goes. We're walking down the street and someone is coming towards us. We give them a solid "Dober dan!" from about ten feet away. They look at us with a question in their eyes and mumble, "dan." We then go for the "Oprostite" ali "Kako ste danes?" move. By this time we're about even with them and we start to turn towards them as they come even with us. They spot our nametags and give a solid "Nasvidenje" and keep walking. So by this time we have turned a complete 180 from where we bega. So we just keep spinning until we're facing forward again and can carry on our merry way. Spin move!

Sometimes life is hard. Everyone has their own struggles and trials which they experience. And oftimes, we really don't understand why things are so hard. For ourselves and for others. Sometimes the most difficult trial of all is watching someone you love suffer and wishing you could help. I was reading in John 15 this week and I loved what our Savior taught. He taught that through our struggles, we are being "purged" that we might bring forth more good fruit. I think that hard things are a part of the fallen world that we live in. But the way we react to our hard things is the test of life.

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

 And Jesus teaches us that the best way to react is to "abide in (him)." I don't know what hard things each person faces each day, but I do know taht each person faces hard things each day. I don't know what fears and struggles lay behind each person's eyes, but I have no doubt that they're there. What I do know is that I've found in my life that the best way to keep moving forward is by turning to Jesus Christ and abiding in his love. Truly, he has the power to strengthen us, to lift us, to help us, and to comfort us, and I know that he will. 

Love you all!