She got off easy!!!

Well...I think that this girl got off easy on the eggs for her birthday. I know she dishes out much worse...like whole eggs with the shells and flour. They were kind enough to Crack the eggs and beat them in a cup and then pour them on her.....most ran off her head...haha! I am so glad that this custom does not happen in the USA!! I bet she is super grateful that it is not birthday week over in Peru!

She had a great birthday and the members showed her a lot of love with meals and cakes. We had a little birthday celebration here for her to. We really need to work on the Happy Birthday song for family home evening or something because...well...we just are not very good at singing it together...but the cake was delicious!

 

Here is her letter for the week....

 

Hello Family,

 

Hey you guys! Wow this week went by super fast and I feel like a lot of things happened. Well first off I had my birthday and I am no longer in the teenager category. To be quite honest it doesn’t really feel any different. I had a good egg washing from my zone and from a couple members... it was awful. I also got my face smashed in 3 cakes! I am so glad the US doesn’t do that. There was so much egg in my hair and I had to shower like 4 times!! I feel bad for my laundry lady. I had a really nice day besides that! I got 3 birthday cakes and 3 dinners! It was a lot but somehow we managed to get through it. It was a birthday I’ll never forget that is for sure ha ha.

 

Also.. yes Presidente came with his wife and did room inspections and interviews. It’s also so nice to see them! Yes our room passed and Hermana Rasmussen even used our bathroom... we are the winners. I had a good talk with Presidente and his wife! I’m pretty sure that I will be leaving this next week! I have no idea where I will end up but I’ll go where ever the lord needs me. It will sure be an emotional goodbye because there is something so special in this branch and I love all these people so much!

 

We had intercambios(splits) with our Hermana leaders as well. It was a good day and almost every door we knocked they let us in and share a message. This was my tender mercy of the week. I usually get so stressed when we have intercambios because I don’t want us to just be knocking doors all day so it was a really good day! Today for pday we watched another movie and ate together for lunch. I seriously love everyone in this zone! I'm gonna miss Paita so much! 

 

This week was also general womens conference! A member in our ward lent us their laptop and we watched it in english. It was really good and really inspiring. They talked a lot about faith. Faith is such a huge part of our church. I loved the talk by Dieter Uchtdorf! He talked about how we need to have faith and endure to the end. That god knows each of us individually and that he knows all the desires of our hearts. Everything will all work out in the end no matter what the situation. It will all make sense to us in the end! It was really inspiring! 

 

Well that is pretty much all from me today! I love you all!

 

Hermana Brown

Omelet Brown....all those Elders there and not a one stepped up to rescue her.....haha!!!

One of the families that she celebrated her birthday with!

I am not sure what is on her face.....

Another family that she had a birthday celebration with!

I really feel sorry for the Elder who got egg on his hand......

It's all good....thanks for the love!

They are trying to use all the different face masks in Peru.

Watching Women's Conference in English.....Blessings!!!

Look mom...I'm a grown up!!

Well....it happened.....this girl turned the big 2...0.....it is kind of a relief to only have one teenager left. I can't wait to hear her fate on the egg front....she deserved anything that she was given...she is part Peterson after all. We bought a Schmidt's cake.. Aushlynn's favorite....and sang Happy Birthday to her and then had some cake...no reason we should suffer without birthday cake just because she is in Peru...Right???!!

Anyway here is her letter for the week!

Hey Family! 

Well this week not too much happened here in Paita! Still pushing through these grueling summer days here in Paita! It’s starting to get really windy here and that means Hermana Thomas and I are pretty much blind now from how much sand we have got in our eyes. I just have to say that this transfer has been the fastest transfer in my whole mission and well I’m starting to feel like my days in Paita are winding down and I will be leaving shortly! We will see what the lord has in store for me!

This week we had the opportunity to do invasions! This is where all the missionaries in Paita go to one part and go out and find all the less active members! We did this in the zone leaders areas and the part by the beach! Well I felt like half the time I was just totally lost trying to find these people but we always somehow magically ended up at the right doorstep lol. That was a pretty long day but Hermana Thomas and I always have a good time and make the work fun! One of our investigators Angie is progressing really well and she has a baptism date set for the 30th. So we are really excited for her. Our other investigators need to really start progressing. We are hoping to do so much this week with them.

Well so you all know.... it’s my birthday week! Thanks to all who sent me birthday cards, emails, and videos! I seriously love you all. Thanks for all your support! Well... I’m sure you have all heard but in Peru it’s a tradition to break eggs all over your head and throw flour all over you... lets just say I have never not wanted my birthday to come until this year ha ha... if you guys can remember for Hermana Thomas birthday we cracked 40 eggs on her head.. now she is my comp... over my birthday... why president why... she has a lot of things planned with the members in our ward... yay... ha ha ill make sure to send picture! 

This next week is also interviews with the Presidente and they are doing apartment inspections. We are going to have the cleanest apartment in the mission. For P-day we went to the market where a traveling group of merchants came into town. They sell Peruvian alpaca goods. I bought some beanies, a poncho, and a backpack. Everything is amazingly soft!

Well, I can’t believe my years of being a teenage punk are over! Here is to my 20s! 

Love

Hermana Brown

The streets of Piata.

Translation......Live Happy

A view of the ocean

Aush and her companion

This looks like a pretty yummy meal....

I think that her brown hair looks awesome. In fact there is a story......they tried to dye the top brown hair blonde....And it didn't work so well...they then decided to go with a overall brighter blonde which turned her hair grey!!! Haha...they then went with a nice brown...oh my goodness...what a hairy adventure...reminds me of when Pam turned my hair maroon...ahh...memories!

Happy Birthday Aush.....a member sent me the pictures!

On her 20th birthday!

What cute kids...thanks for making her birthday awesome!

My hair now matches my name!!!

I know....I am terrible at this posting the letter lately. I don't know what is up with me. So sorry! Anyway.....this girls teenage years are rapidly coming to a close.  The last few minutes of being a teenager are like sands through the hour glass. 4 days until her 20th birthday! I can't believe I am celebrating one of my kids 20th birthday again without them. I am 3 for 3!  I am gonna bake a cake....ok....lets get real.....I will probably buy one from Schmidt's.....and blow out the candles for her an eat it! Just because she is gone is no reason we should go with out cake!

 

Here is her letter for the week:

 

Hey family! 

So like I blinked and this week was over like I don’t even know where the week went to be honest. Everything was good with Hermana Thomas and I this week! We had water all 7 days and it actually wasn’t to hot this week! It was like a nice fall weather week! We were able to visit our investigators this week but the work right now is not going so hot. We are kinda in a little rut. Our investigators are just not progressing like we want them too. It frustrating but we have high hopes for this week. 

So a major change took place in my life and well….. I have mixed feelings about it. I dyed all my hair brown and yes I regret it... its fine I’ll just dye it back blonde when I get home. 

Also… today for p-day we just played soccer on the beach like usual. Don’t even worry I’ll be starting up my own soccer training camp when I get home! I think I’m actually good enough to make a Marv Jensen team now!! 

We had an activity with the tree of life with our branch. So pretty much like 15 people showed up and I got really mad because we had been planning this for weeks and half of the leaders didn’t even show up... the branch prez didn’t even show. Ugh. 

So this month we were assigned by president to fast once a week for a month! Now I don’t know why but on the mission it is so much harder to fast haha... anyways we had a really spiritual fast as a companionship. We really were able to see blessings from this fast and receive revelation for our area and our district.

Well not much else took place this week. Still here livin the life in pita! Still partying with Hermana Thomas every day and having the time of my life! I love you guys and pray for you guys!! 

Hermana Brown



Hello....

P-day soccer

Hair dying regrets! Her hair now matches her last name!

Just a little Titanic for your enjoyment!

How's the water??? Where's the water????



Hey Peeps....I am so sorry to have not posted this letter until now.  I have been feeling a little lazy this week and did just not get around to it until now.  I am sorry.....I know how much some of you look forward to reading this update. Anyway...guess who only has 234 more days in her mission??? Can you believe that...her time is just flying by.  Aushlynn also confessed to me that she opened her birthday dress.....the little stinker!  She said that she was tired of wearing the same thing day in and day out.  Oh my goodness she took like 42 different skirts.....what she has "had" to wear each one like 8 times...haha! Well, I guess somebody is not going to have anything to open on her birthday!  Augh...maybe I will have to send something!  You know me! Well, here is her letter for the week...

 



Hey Fam bam!

Welp… another week has past and gone! First off I just want to go off on a little rant about my companion Hermana Thomas! Honestly I am sooooo grateful for her! I know we were put together at this time in our lives for a reason! She is honestly one of my bestest friends. We just get each other! She is always helping me to be a better person and also a better missionary. I’ve learned so much from her for it just being 2 weeks! 

Anyways, this week we found a boy named Percy. He is 21 and is from Lima. He left his home when he was 14 years old. Percy and his family are atheists but he doesn’t have contact with his family. He is only renting a room here in Paita so we had a lesson with him in the church. It’s so sad because he doesn’t know who god is... but he wants to know him. He listened to our message with his full attention and at the end we asked him to pray if these things were true and that if he would be baptized on the 30th. He told us he had never prayed before but accepted. His prayer was the most sincere prayer I have ever been a part of. He asked to know if he was really there and that he wanted to feel loved and feel like a son to god. Of course my mom gave the water works gene and so I was bawling. I had never felt the spirit so strongly with an investigator. He accepted a date to be baptized and will continue to teach him! Also Walter is continuing to read the Book of Mormon but is still praying to know if he should be baptized. We have a girl named Katy we are teaching but she needs to be married before she can be baptized we are working with her to get married!! :) I’ve sure seen a lot of miracles and ways that this gospel blesses the lives of people here in Paita! 

So this past week we have had water for like 2 days in our apartment. Okay.... this is not okay Hermana Brown ca not live like that. Apparently I’m high maintenance because water is optional.. Oh wait.. no it’s not. YOU NEED WATER TO LIVE!!! Haha we had a zone service project painting a house and afterwards we got to our apartment to find we had no water... what. We were covered in paint.. we went out that day covered in paint... the next day was zone meeting and still no water... we were so nasty... so we took one of our drinking waters and made our own shower and were able to at least wash our hair... after that day we had water for a couple hours and then it got cut off again... I know you all are thinking… how is she even living???... well today... MONDAY! THE WATER WAS TURNED BACK ON AND I WAS ABLE TO HAVE A NICE ICEY SHOWER :D…. you would think that after all that time they would have made a hot water option but no... I know I’m just as disappointed as you guys are!

Today we had a bbq with our zone at the beach! Yanno the whole stuff 16 people in a minivan and drive an hour to the beach :) I’m pretty much use to the smell of B.O now... lol. We just took pictures... played soccer and Elder Abbott brought his guitar and we played songs and sung. I got thinking that I am really gonna miss Peru when I have to leave. The beach is so quiet and calm and I love it. There is no place I would rather be then here. Despite all the things I’ve gone through I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. I love this gospel. I love the Peruvian people and I love my Heavenly Father!

Con mucho amor

 Hermana Brown



Aushlynn and Mr. Crabs....he is taking the discussions in this photo and thinking about baptism in the ocean.

Hermana Brown and Hermana Thomas

Ummm....I think somebody needs to scrub her name badge......

P-day at the beach. They had a BBQ of hot dogs and hamburgers.

Aushlynn and her "shower" to wash her hair...the poor girl.

Hey.....Peace out....until next week!