Sister Jenny Brown's Mission Blog: Moving to Cortez, Colorado!

Ya' ta' hey!

My week was incredible!!!!! We had such a strong spirit in every lesson we taught this week (which I attribute to both the branch's 40 day fast and our own individual ones). I am sooo sad to leave the Young Single Adult branch, but Heavenly Father needs me in Cortez, Colorado right now. I have grown to love these people sooo much that I truly feel as if I'm leaving a part of me here! I pray each and every day that Heavenly Father will watch over them and help them to continue to grow as I leave. I just hope that the sisters who are joining Sister Thompson grow to love these people as much as I have.

Monday, we had a really good lesson with Cassie and a great lesson with Maria (a less-active). The spirit was very strong in both lessons! We also did some Frisbee golf with Kammie and a new investigator named Rose who decided that she wants to come to Young Single Adults now. She was working with the sisters in Kirtland.

Tuesday, we had a great lesson with Mike! He's been doing a lot better with his smoking addiction and I will continue to pray for him to be able to overcome it as I leave to Cortez.

Wednesday we saw Jeff and Thomeson for lessons. Jeff is slowly making his way back up again. His heart still needs some softening, but he came to church for 2 hours yesterday! Thomeson's lesson wasn't planned, but it was pretty cool because we were just about to leave as he pulled up so we got out of the car and got to have a lesson with him. He's 21 and we asked him if he's thought about serving a mission and he said that he thinks he could do it. We told him to pray and think about it. I'm hoping that he goes, but if not I still love him anyway, and hope that he continues to grow in the gospel.

Thursday we finally saw Joe! We haven't been able to see him for a month. He is so prepared though! We had the privileged of teaching him about the Plan of Salvation and the spirit prompted me to invite him to be baptized and he said yes! We don't have a set date on it, because he's leaving for the marines at the beginning of May and we don't want him to get baptized and then fall away or not be able to be strengthened because he's leaving. We do feel that we should keep teaching him, to give him at least a little bit of a foundation. I have confidence that he'll get baptized someday! We have another lesson with him today actually after I'm done emailing with y'all!

We also had an incredible lesson with Craig (a less-active). He'd been struggling throughout the week and hadn't read his scriptures at all. We decided that before we jumped into the lesson we would read with him. He didn't know where he was at so I picked a random chapter for us to read. I had literally no idea what chapter to read with him, but I remembered that I had really liked Alma 38. I couldn't remember what it was about though, or why I liked it. We decided on that chapter and after we were done reading he was in tears. He said that the entire chapter is exactly what he needed to hear. We continued to talk about the Atonement and how it can bless his life as he turns to Christ for help. The spirit was sooo strong and I felt so blessed to be able to take part in the Lords work in Craig's life.

Friday we had another lesson with Cassie, which went pretty well. We got to do some service with a less active and have a lesson with him after.

Saturday we did some service out in Shiprock and also later on with the stake Relief Society. The Women's broadcast was sooo good later that night. One thing that stood out to me, was that every single talk given by the sisters mentioned that our lives need to be centered on Christ. We got the news that night as well that I would be heading off to Cortez with my new companion, Sister Garner on Tuesday evening.

Sunday, was a very emotional day as I bore my testimony and said good-byes to those that I've grown to love sooo much! We had a very, very spirit filled lesson with Mike that night and we (sister Thompson and I) were both in tears! Sister Thompson isn't a crier, even when she's feeling the spirit so if that doesn't tell you about the magnitude of the spirit within that lesson than I don't know what would!

I have never felt such a strong love for people who aren't my immediate family, but I feel it for these people. I truly feel as if I am leaving my home!

I love you all soooooo much and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Sister Brown