Winter Coats and Prayers

About church - we had more than 7 yesterday. We had eleven members for part of sacrament meeting. 

So I translate during sacrament and then I translate during relief society so church is kind of rough for me. Translating is so hard because you have to listen in Slovene, then speak in English while your trying to continue listening to something different in Slovene. And in Slovene you can get ideas across MUCH quicker that in Slovene. And believe me, they do. President Fidler speaks about a million miles an hour. He spoke yesterday.

Sister Jennings and I finally pulled out our puffy winter coats to put up a little more of a fight against the wind! I put mine on only to realize that it fits a little more snug than it did when I wore it last year :) Just adding a little extra to keep me warm during the winter, I guess.

We had lunch with our branch president's family yesterday and their sweet three-yr old son grabbed hold of my ankle and had me drag him around on the floor. I told his mom that we were just mopping up the leftovers from the meal. It caused me some serious deja vu because I remember doing that to the elders who served in my home ward years and years ago!

I've had more people try to pay me this week than ever before on the mission. Sister Jennings and I have been knocking on doors and asking if we can sing for people and if they say yes, without fail, they will try to pay us afterward. I know that I am not a good singer, so I attribute it to Sister Jenning's INCREDIBLE voice as well as the kindness of the Slovene people. Needless to say, we refuse their money and ask them if we can teach them about Jesus Christ instead. We've actually had a lot of success with what we call 'sing-tracting'!

We had a miracle last week. It has started to get full dark around 4 or 5 in the evening, which is not so great for two young girls who are walking around trying to talk to people. We were walking along a pathway at about 6 pm and there was no one around. As we kept walking we came in sight of a man coming towards us, so we stopped under a streetlight and began to talk with him. We learned that he had never prayed in his life with his own words, just from memorized prayers which he had been taught. We learned that he had never felt that he had received an answer to prayer. So we read with him in the Book of Mormon when Jesus Christ teaches us how to pray and WHY we pray. For him, it was kind of like a new world being opened up. 

We CAN pray with our own words and we CAN receive answers from heaven. 

He was so intrigued as Sister Jennings and I told him that we had both received answers to prayer in a very personal way from God, our loving Father in heaven. The Lord will work miracles before us even when it's completely dark outside, it seems like no one is around, and it maybe seems a little sketchy.. :) 

I just want to say that I know God answers prayers because He loves us. He loves his children and He wants us to find truth. There is so much power in our sincere prayers! I know that God lives and I know that He loves us. And I know that we can each know that for ourselves through sincere prayer. Don't be afraid to ask!

Love, Sestra Brown