Brinne's Letter 2.2.15

Hello Everyone,

Such a great week. I sent Garcia home... kinda… she got on a bus and left me in Abaline with Sisters Mauina and Bresnahan! We had a lot of fun! They work in a YSA area as well. Sad thing is.. they don't get to proselyte on campus. That stinks! Sister Heaton came down on Wednesday around 4 in the afternoon and we just set goal and made plans! We have such great hopes for the area. We have been working hard.

On Thursday we biked around the 1st South area and just talked to people. We were able to give them 4 new potentials. Funny story of that day: So we are biking around and we see some poor people with toilet paper in their tree. So I say, "Sister, wanna do some service? Let’s clean that up!" So we do! We are laughing! She climbs a tree in her skirt and all of the sudden we hear..."Glad to see y’all are wearing clothes this time!” .......................................................................................................................

..............................................WHAT?!?!?! We look all confused. We go talk to him and say we are missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We were just biking around and saw that your neighbors got toilet papered, so we thought we would help them out…... He said, "Oh! Well, last night girls were running all around naked, so I thought that was you...... We made it clear that that was NOT us :) So that was fun!

Friday night we were talking to our District Leader and his parting words were, “Spread the Spirit flu#.” So that was our theme! We have talked to so many people. We were on campus all day Saturday! It was awesome. We talked to many people and set up 3 return appointments. Sadly, they used their agency poorly and punched on us. But, I know Heavenly Father will bless us for our efforts and we will see amazing things happen.

We keep fasting and praying, just like the Book of Mormon says, and great things will come!

CTR Always

ette

Sister Dawes

Final Chapter! 1.26.15

Transfer calls came Saturday. I AM STAYING HERE! Ending my mission here in San Angelo YSA. Sister Heaton is coming here and we are going to have the greatest 6 weeks of my mission.

This week we actually got to teach! That was A VERY NICE CHANGE! VERY, VERY, NICE! We are teaching a lady named Kim. She is in the military and will be leaving in 2 weeks. Her sister is a member, and Kim has been going though some huge trials. So her sister requested a priesthood blessing for Kim. The military missionaries gave her one and passed her to us. She is such a special woman. She is so, so, so, so, so, angry. I have never taught an angry person before. And she isn't angry at us, but she is angry that she doesn't have answers… and doesn't know if there is a God. There is just so much with her. I want to help her so badly. A lot of our lesson focused around the fact that God won't take the agency of others away. So sometimes life sucks... moral of it all...:) She needs lots of prayers that her heart will soften and she will be able to see more truth.

Family Home evening is going to be great tonight. I am so exited for it! I love being here. I love being a missionary.

Pray we can find lots of people to teach. I am going to contact all day—everyday-- so we can teach people!! Life is going to be so good. The truth of God will go forth boldy, nobly, and independent until it has penetrated every continent, visited every climb, and swept every country until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

Love ya,

 Sister Dawes

Brinne Sits at the Feet of Elder Bednar 1.20.15

Hello Everyone, 

I am so happy I get to email this week. I don't have a lot to say, but I just want to express the love I have from the Spirit and how it teaches us. 

This week I had the wonderful privilege of sitting in front of 3 of the Lord's servants. While they instructed us how to teach. It was amazing. THEY DIDN'T LECTURE. THEY DISCUSSED. One of the things I learned was how to take notes in church settings. Elder Bednar told us NOT TO TAKE NOTES ABOUT SPECIFIC WORDS SAID, but to take notes of things the Spirit taught us. So that is what I did. And let me tell you... I STILL REMEMBER WHAT THE SIPIRIT TAUGHT ME WITHOUT MY NOTES IN FRONT OF ME! So I will share a few thoughts with you. 

Elder Bednar when on a rampage (kind of) about how we, as members of the church, get into a tradition of how we pray. One of the traditional phrases said in prayers is, "Please help those who are not here with us this week that they might come next week." He told us how faithless and ridiculous that phrase is. So he showed us what a better way to pray is. The amazing thing about this topic was that I went to the meeting with the question, "How can we better help our branch because there are so many people not there that should be there?" Our branch consists of 12 people. 20 on a great Sunday (that is with all leadership positions present.) Sister Garcia thought, last Sunday, that we would put all the names of everyone that could come to our branch on a note card, and on Sunday tape them to the seats in the chapel and show the members how much we have to work with. 

Elder Bednar invited us to prepare for his arrival by reading 3 talks. So I prepared, and the flashing lights message was ACT! DO NOT BE ACTED UPON! As I sat in the meeting I thought all of these less actives are choosing to be acted upon. Every time they don't come to church they are losing their armor to fight against Satan. They can't do it themselves. They need us. They need our testimonies. They need our invitation. 

This may not make sense, but in my head it does. The Holy Ghost answered my prayers. It was reaffirmed to me that that is what we need to do in this branch. We were then told that we as members of the church are good about talking about rescuing, but actually doing is really bad. We were promised that if we followed through with the rescuing by visiting the people, that there would be a 25% increase in our sacrament meetings. When I heard that I was stoked!!! I am so ready to put that to the test!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I love being a missionary. The church is so true!  I am happy to be a member of it!! 

Have a great week! 

Sister Dawes

One HUGE Project to the Next 1.5.15

Hello Everyone,

        I really don't have much to report on actually. It's really slow around here due to school not being in session. However, we have been coming up with ways to think outside of the box and use time most effectively.

       Sister Garcia and I go from one enormous project to the next! We are done with the hot cocoa/#heisthegift initiative. So our new huge project is.......... STALK DOWN THE LESS ACTIVES THAT SHOULD BE IN YSA AND AREN'T! ............And let me tell you, that is a tad hard. We talked to the institute director and he worked magic and got us a list of everyone in all the wards here that are supposed to be going to institute and YSA! So we have met with 3 EQ and RS presidents and all missionaries in San Angelo to see if they know a lot of them. That was awesome working with them because we were able to exchange notes so they knew information other missionaries knew. That was way awesome. We were able to find one girl who is 19. I think she is rebelling right now, but we are going to see if we can help her.

Miracle: Our less active that came to church last week also came to church this week and WE DIDN'T EVEN TELL/ INVITE HIM TO COME--- HE JUST DID IT!!! IT WAS SUCH A SHOCK to walk in and there he was.! Loved it so much!

This week we had a terrible ice freeze! The whole town shut down… except missionaries! We were slipping and sliding everywhere. Neither of us fell though, so that is real good.

We were kept safe!

Anyway, life is great here in the TLM. Love being a missionary. The church is so true!!!!!

Have a great week!

Sister Dawes

Sharing #HeIsTheGift on the Street 12.22.14

New Address:

3018 Knickerbocker Rd. #2104

San Angelo, TX 76904

Well, it's been a great week. Transfers were rough, due to the fact that I really didn't want to leave. But I do what the lord wants. Lol. It was way cool! I got to see Elder Higbee AND Nathan. We got a few pics. Lol!!!!

I am happy to be in San Angelo YSA. However, I am entering a 5 week break where NOBODY is at school, so we have had to figure out what to do with our time. On Thursday we were at a member’s house and I felt prompted to ask her if she knew where we could go to contact and be effective. She thought about it for a moment and said, “Well, I wonder if you could go to the mall and sit and help people make New Year’s resolutions. We thought about that, then an impression came that we should try that, but set up a projector and screen and show #He is the gift!!!! So, we go to the mall to ask permission. They say no … That doesn't stop us. So, we go to Wal-Mart. They say no too. That doesn't stop us... so we call an "emergency" meeting with all the missionaries in San Angelo. We all meet at the institute and this is what we come up with:

FRIDAY, SAT, SUN AND LATER THIS WEEK WE WILL GO TO "THE RIVER WALK. IT'S A HUGE COMMUNITY EVENT! HUGE! SET UP A PROJECTOR AND SCREEN AND GIVE AWAY FREE HOT CHOCOLATE!!! WE GOT A HEALTH PERMIT AND IN THE PAST 3 DAYS WE HAVE TALKED TO JUST ABOUT 700 PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!! It has been amazing. People pull up in their cars. We give them free hot cocoa and a card and they go on their way!! We pulled all of this together in 12 hours!!!!! It was amazing and totally by the Spirit! We have had hot coco donated from the members of the San Angelo ward. We have had cups donated… not enough… so I invested in it as well. We have given away about 50 gallons of hot chocolate, so we have had hot water boiling and sitting in 5 gal thermoses for a while!!! It's been an amazing miracle!!! I am so happy with it!!!! Pray people check out the website and want us to come over!!!!!!!

Anyway, I have been loving the 12 days of Christmas! My tree is looking good. However, yesterday I think mine and Derrick’s stories got messed up because my ornament was of feet and the story was of the $10 and today was $10 and the coat story again… So I'll send Derrick the repeat story :) It's been a cute story... Let's be honest… I hope the 11th gift is T’was The Night Before Christmas... I think I might be a day ahead.. I don't know :) But I love it!! I read the stories during studies and most of the time a little tear comes in my eye because all the stories are tender :)

Tomorrow is the Christmas party in Midland. I am so sad I am not in the north part of the mission because all of my friends are in the north and I am in the south... booo...

Um anything else... the church is true! it's amazing! Merry Christmas! And I hope y’all be happy and safe.

Oh! About my companion… MUCH BETTER THAN LAST TRANSFER! Me and Sister G laugh all the time. Like, all the time… there is very little silence. She came out with me, but has to go home a transfer early because of some law crap that happened before she came out. So, she has to see a lawyer before her release date… so I am killing her too :) She is super great!!! Love her a lot!!! Laughing is so good. And the branch sees that we get along super well and have been commenting on it! Oh! Also, my branch is a full 12 people... so the sacrament song takes longer to sing than the actual passing of it. Lol!!!!!!!!!!  So that is that!

Love ya!

Be safe and be smart!!   

Elder Higbee with Sister Dawes

Elder Thompson with Sister Dawes

Projecting #He Is The Gift

Sister Garcia by the projector

 Almost all of the San Angelo Missionaries

Setting Up:

Giving out Hot Cocoa and a Card to visit the website:

Branch President and His wife filling up hot cocoa

The BEST Senior Couple supporting the missionaries efforts.

Sister Garcia and Sister Dawes sitting by the cocoa table.

This kid handed out a lot of card to the passer-bys

Photogenic Elder advertising Hot Cocoa

Moving to San Angelo 12.15.14

12 Days of Christmas on a Clothesline

Me and Maegan

I don't know what/who this is...

Well, the unexpected.. lol!!!! I thought for sure I was going to be staying here to "die." However, the Lord does not seem to think so... There are 10 sisters going home and only one coming out... so that means a lot of sister areas are closing and will be elder areas. That is the case for me.

Elder Checkettes called at 10:37 and told me I would be moving down to San Angelo YSA ward, and I would be companions with Sister Garcia!! Few things about this: SISTER GARCIA IS AMAZING!!! I AM SOOOOO HAPPY TO BE HER COMP!! WE WILL LAUGH ALL OF THE TIME!! IT WILL BE GREAT. She came out with me, however, she has to go home a transfer early because of legal stuff and a lawyer or something has to talk with her before her release date. So I will be "killing" her this transfer.

I cried when I got the call on the phone and after. I'd never cried with a transfer call, but there is a first time for everything, right? So, I don't know when I will be calling for Christmas. I don' know. Lol. The reason I cried was because we have some great people we are teaching. They are so amazing, and I just don' want to leave them.... (That… and I won't get to see Sister Christofferson before I go home-- actually I didn't realize that till later that night). Elder Carlson is coming to take over the area. He will be great, and he is training, so luckily he is in our ward. So tomorrow we are going to sit down and let him know what is going on.

Oh! Also, mom and dad, the Weaver’s, in the ward, are bringing home a box and a suitcase. They are going to take it to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s on the 22^nd, I believe. In the box is my crap. In the suitecase, in the top part, is y’alls Christmas presents :) and "Homecoming Presents." 

This week Charlotte got an answer from God. We got a text that said, "I think God answered my prayers this morning." We asked what He said. She said she was praying to her Goddess and God answered and said everything good I have learned from my Goddess I need to keep, but that He is God and He loves me, and He wants me to follow Him now.

AWESOME!!!!! Now we get to tell the Elders about that !!!!! She is amazing! I love her so much!!!

We had a church tour with Marcus as well… he is a jokester!!! So much that when we walked into the chapel we asked him what he felt.. and he said he didn't want to talk about it. Later in the lesson he said, “You want to know what I felt???” Ummmm YES!!! He said it was the first time in 2 years he didn't feel alone. ............ Wow! That was powerful. So that is that :) The church is true.

I hate moving, however, Elder Checkettes did pretty much promise me that I would not be moving again. I can't believe how much time I have left!!! Better go tear it up down there....

Oh! And I am terrified to serve in YSA ward because it is easier not to look at attractive men when they are married... but when they are single..... lots of prayers will be needed!!!!

Love y’all! Have a Merry Christmas!  Well, not quite!