life is peachy

HELLO!

How are you all??? Summer is going well? You're all having a good time? Good. Glad to hear it. 

Its been a good week! This week has FLOWN by, once again. I don't even know what happened. How does time go by so fast??? Its crazyyyyyyyyyyyy. 

We had interviews with President Dixon this week which was great! I got to talk with Sister Dixon one-on-one while Sister Vest was in her interview and that was just wonderful. I feel like I talk about Sister Dixon in every email. I'm not even sorry though. #smileywardperks. Oh also we had dinner with the Dixons this week! Good stuff. 

So peaches are BLOSSOMING all over Redlands and there happens to be a few members with peach trees in their yards. And they are so nice and so willing to give us tons of peaches! So we have a lot right now which is such a blessing. Let me tell you they are just the best peaches you will ever taste ever. Deeeeelicious. Plus some members even gave us peach jam. So nice! Love it. We are going to the mission home later to make peach cobbler. 

Ohhhhh also we asked the Dixons if they had over-the-head headphones to play the headphone game and they did! So we tested it out and the game works. We are going to play that today with some other sisters, I'm excited. so funny. 

Sad news: Sister Jamsa went home last week. :( She's only been out about ten months, but she was pretty sick and thought it would be better to handle it at home. She was at peace with her decision though, we got to see her right before she left because she came to the mission home and we took her companion with us for the day. But yes, just keep her in your prayers! 

Ohhhh also we started a Book of Mormon class last week and it went SO well!!! We did that in Fontana too and it was successful, so I was excited to start it here. We taught the class this week and it was really great, we are excited to invite our investigators and recent converts and everyone to it. 

Oh also we did a Family History thing at market night on Thursday! SO FUN! I love being at Market Night and being able to talk to everyone that passes. Plus Family History is so great. If you haven't yet, check out rootsmapper.com and relativefinder.org. Also I have some pictures of what we did so I will send them. Also more memes haha. We discovered that some of the BOM children's stories pictures are pretty funny, so we went to town with them. You'll see. 

Lately in our mission we have been focusing on the importance of the Book of Mormon. It is SO important to be consistent with reading the BOM, even if its just a few verses. Sister Vest always says, "six verses a day keeps Satan away." Now we tell that to people all the time, because it is so true! Here is a quote from a talk we have been studying:

"It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance."

(thats a really long quote I know but if you skimmed it and got to this point then repent and go back and read the whole thing, its GOOD)

Its so true though, there is SO much power in the Book of Mormon! Its the keystone of our religion, and it needs to be the keystone of our testimony as well, otherwise everything else will crumble. I invite you each to at least read six verses a day this week, as well as to pray about it to get that confirming witness that the Book of Mormon is true. I KNOW that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and that you will come closer to God by reading it than by any other book! Ahhh I love it! 

Okay I hope you all have an amaaaazing week. Stay cool. Go swimming. Have a good time. 

LOVE YOU ALLLL byeeeeeeeeee

Love, 

Sister Carina Brown

"perfection achieved"

HI

Subject line explanation: Sister Vest and I think we are funny and we do this "robot missionary" voice where we just pretend we are robots saying missionary things (yes its pretty weird) (we laugh at weird things as missionaries) and one time this past week we were standing on someones doorstep waiting for them to answer the door, quietly talking about something we did well, and then we both say in a robot missionary voice at the SAME TIME "perfection achieved." And it was SOOOO funny oh my goodness. Not planned. So no, I am definitely not perfect, but its great for a subject line yes??

What a great week its been! What a HOT week its been! Wow. Seriously it is going to over 100 degrees every day this week so that's really fun. I wish I was one of those girls who looks all glisteny (thats probably not a word) when she sweats, but let me tell you that is not the case. Its baaaaad. So we went out and bought some cooool clothing today so that we don't die. Sister Vest calls sweat marks in the armpits "arm tacos". Hahaha probably didn't need to include that here but it was funny, so. 

ANYWAYS

We found FIVE new investigators this week! Which is pretty good for us, especially in this area. It was very exciting. We had a lesson with a couple named Neil and Kim who live up in the hills (boujie). We found them through a street contact. They are actually planning on moving to Utah in a couple years because they love the Mormon values. Can you say PREPARED? Amazing. And guess who came to the lesson with us: THATS RIGHT, SISTER DIXON. And of course the lesson was just amazing. Sister Dixon is my role model for all things in life. You all know that, I rave about her enough haha. 

Also we went to market night this week and brought Sister Kuaea with us! It was fun and we talked to a lot of people, plus Sister Kuaea (pronounced Kuh-why-uh) is an awesome member missionary. We also talked to this person in this cool chocolate shop where they have chocolate from Guatemala!!! So cool. Downtown Redlands is so cute. I just want you all to go there okay. 

What else happened this week? Sister Vest and I have been laughing a lot so thats been great. 

Oh yeah I forgot to mention last week that Laura was confirmed! So that is great. We are hoping to get her to the temple in a couple weeks! So excited! 

Also we might be doing a family history booth thing at Market Night this thursday which would be SO FUN I love doing stuff like that. So stay tuned. Also yesterday we had dinner with a member who was on The Price is Right a few years ago. So cool! I am saying a lot of random things lately. 

I really love this area. There are just so many great things about it! Like Market Night, the Dixons, amazing members, prepared people, its not the desert so its only 100 degrees as opposed to 115. Perks. I'm hoping I stay here for one more transfer to finish training Sister Vest! She is so great by the way, she knows the gospel so well. 

Something that I have been focusing on a lot lately is having charity and turning outwards. And sometimes I get frustrated with myself because from my point of view it feels like I'm not changing or becoming more Christlike, and I really want to come home from my mission different than when I came out. But I know that change happens little by little. Line upon line, precept upon precept. So each day I have just been focusing on turning outwards more than I did the day before. I know its going to be hard for me to notice changes in myself because I'm with myself all the time (haha). I read a quote this week that said: "we need not worry if we can't simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things. In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life. We can learn, grow, and become like Him one CONSISTENT step at a time." All we need to do is be willing, and take consistent steps towards Heavenly Father! And over time, we will become who HE wants us to become. I know that as long as we stay worthy and remember Christ always, God will mold us into something we never thought was possible. How amazing is that?! We have so much potential as children of God! 

Okay well I hope you all have a great week. Also I'm going to send some missionary memes that Sister Vest and I have made this week haha. Idk why but thats been a thing in our companionship. Mostly I make memes of her face hahaha. Its great. Anyways, stay on the path and remember Christ ALWAYS!

Love you all!!!

Love, 

Sister Carina Brown

Me by my dream car: a white jeep

CRM health challenge meme 

A member gave us popsicles!

Guy who was in our peace video!

Only people who have seen the district will get this one haha

My shoe tan line is getting baaaaad

Humans of Redlands

HELLOOOOOOOOOOO idk why i put that subject line haha. 

Update: I LOVE being a missionary. I was thinking this week that the elders are SO LUCKY to be able to serve for two full years! What a blessing and a joy! So great. 

It has been an AMAZING week!!! We had Zone Conference on Tuesday with Elder Wilson of the seventy and WOW was it amazing. We talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and I am just so pumped about it. Also Elder Wilson told us that "sitting is the new smoking" so if you are sitting while reading this, stand up!

In order to get us to stand up during the Zone Conference, he had us making Book of Mormon "trailers" in our districts, to practice making the BOM exciting for our investigators. So we all basically made up skits about 1 Nephi chapters 2-4 and wow it was SO FUNNY. Hermana Figeuroa and I (she is in my district) both have a thing for beat boxing, so she beat boxed and I rapped while the other members of our district acted out the BOM stuff and it was AWESOME. We got the crowd (other missionaries) GOING and we had microphones and wow it was just so much fun. The other districts did some pretty fun skits too. It was seriously hilarious, and a general authority told us to do it so we didn't even feel bad. I wish I had videos or pictures, but Sister Dixon has them all and says she will show them at future mission reunions hahaha. 

Yesterday was an awesome day, just seriously the best Sunday! I spoke in sacrament meeting! And it went REALLY well! I have this weird thing where I get really nervous all leading up to speaking, but then i get to the pulpit and Im like WOO YEAH LETS DO THIS LOVE THIS. It was just really fun! I spoke on repentance and got a lot of compliments afterwards. I was nervous because President Dixon would be there of course, as well as Brother Biberston who used to teach communications at BYU and he always analyzes the speakers haha, but afterwards he came up to me and gave me a note with some nice comments and an "A+", and i was just BEAMING, it meant so much to me coming from him! Haha. 

Also yesterday we put a woman named Angelica on date for BAPTISM! She is SO prepared, it was so great to teach her. She is so receptive and open and wants to be baptized and know what the right path is for her. What a dream. 

Something I learned this week from studying repentance is just how important it is to repent DAILY. I cant remember if i talked about this last week, but repentance is a principle of progress. So when we are repenting daily, we can know that we are progressing daily, even if it is in small amounts! Just know that I know that repentance is REAL and it WORKS! And its all because of Jesus Christ! 

Well I hope you all have an amazing and wonderful week! Will be sending pictures pretty soon here! Oh also, training is going well, Sister Vest is loosening up and getting more comfortable so that is great. She is a very powerful teacher and so smart! Plus she loves shopping! Yay!

OK bye LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLL 

love, 

Sista Brown

Baptisms are cool

HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Wow what a great week! So much going on! Where to begin??

First of all, shoutout to my brother Cee Ryle for graduating high school (he is 12 years old??? Why is he graduating???) and happy bday to him TOMORROW! I think he is turning 13 but I will double check. They grow up so fast. Haha.

Okay really where to begin?

I am TRAINING!!! It is a very humbling experience. My new companion is Sister Vest! She is so sweet. She reminds me of a delicate flower haha. She's really smart and is already a great teacher so that is wonderful! We actually found a lot of prepared people last week so that was good. We are very similar in some ways which is nice. When I first met her on Wednesday, President Dixon told me that she told him that all she wanted was to work hard and be obedient and I was like omg me too amazing. Everything is going well.

Okay so LAURA GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

AND HER HUSBAND TONGA BAPTIZED HER WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What a dream of a day. It really was great. At first it was kind of crazy because we didn't have keys to the font and we went through like three sets of elders to find the keys, plus some of the speakers were a little late to the baptism so that was stressful, but overall everything worked out and was amazing. Plus we all had STREET TACOS afterwards so it couldn't have ended any better. AND Sister Marstella came back for the baptism!!!!!!!! It was so good to see her!!!!!! She's an RM whaaaaaat! Love her. Youda best Sista M, take care of Kaysville for me.

One downside, Laura apparently got really sick after the baptism so her husband had to take her to the HOSPITAL, which means yesterday she wasn't able to be confirmed. I know, really awkward thing being baptized but not confirmed. We are still not sure how to go about that??? But everything will be fine. Just keep Laura in your prayers please! She should be okay, I don't think it's anything too serious.

So sorry but my motivation for writing a mass email today as at an all time low. Idk why that happens sometimes, because emailing you all is so great.

Tomorrow we have zone conference with Elder Wilson of the seventy, so of course that is going to be AMAZING, and oh yeah I'm singing in a trio at zone conference for a musical number!!! With Hermana Bowers and Sister Jamsa!!!! So I got to see sister Jamsa when we practiced and it was amazing. Love her so much. But yeah we are singing a rendition of Come Thou Fount and If You Could Hie to Kolob by a group called Elenyi (LOOK UP THE SONG RIGHT.NOW. IT IS BEAUTIFUL). I am soooo excited to sing, I've been hoping I would have an opportunity to share my talent in that way here! Hopefully it all goes well!

I am speaking in sacrament meeting next week on the topic of repentance, so that's been on my mind a lot lately. Repentance is something that should be a part of our EVERY DAY lives, not just on Sundays. We access the atonement of Jesus Christ through repentance, so if we are repenting every day, then we get to access the atonement every day! If we are only repenting once a week, then we are only accessing the atonement once a week. And that's not the way it was intended! I invite you each to access the atonement every day this week by implementing repentance into your every day lives. I can promise you that you will become more Christlike and feel great joy! I know that God wants us to feel joy in repenting.

Okay you're all amazing and I hope you have a week full of joy and ice cream. I have ice cream on my mind because we are going to get some salted caramel ice cream right after this, so. Anyways, LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Sister Carina Brown
California Redlands Mission
Discover.mormon.org