Week 16

Nothing but good times and rain clouds this week!

On Monday I finally gotta go see Gadfield Elm! It is the oldest Chapel owned by the church. In 2004 President Gordon B Hinckley came to dedicate it after it had been renovated. Back in the hay day Wilford Woodruff and John Benbow were missionary's here in Gloucestershire, they met a group of people who went to a Gadfield Elm for church at that time owned by the united Brethren. They of course converted the congregation to the LDS church and then the members donated the building to the church as a place to worship together. So it is actually the oldest and the first chapel owned by the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Fun fact My Bishop in this ward is apparently the only bishop in the world to be in charge of two chapels. I love this story of the church here in a Gloucester because it's so amazing to hear of there success and the fact that these men once walked where I'm now walking. Yes call me cheesy but I think it's so stinking cool.

Life here is pretty dang good I love Sister Swasey, we've been having fun navigating Gloucester. Also I have not gotten us lost yet so that alone is worth celebrating! Sister Swasey just celebrated being out 9 months! The big half way mark! So crazy! So we went out to Nando's and ate chocolate as you do in this country. 

This week we were able to have our first lesson with our new investigator! We went tracting last week as perusal and after like a solid hour and a half we came to literally the last door ( that's usually a sign that something good is about to happen) we knocked once nothing, twice nothing, then in a funny helpless attempt we knocked a third time like the pathetic psycho  I am. And a woman came to the door. She was very kind and listened to us, we asked her if she would like to learn more and she said she did! So we came by the next week on Thursday and taught her the restoration this was also sister Swasey and my first legit lesson being taught together. The spirit was so strong as we went through the lesson she told us that she had been praying that God would send her in the right direction of a church because she had been feeling out of place at hers. Isn't it funny how Heavenly Father answers prayers by sending two missionaries! At one point she asked us if she could come to church with us on Sunday! Asked us! Holy smokes sisters Swasey and I were both a bit shocked and then recovered and told her of course she could come to church with us! As the lesson progressed we felt the need to invite her to be baptised on March 26 and she said YES! I never really understood how there can be people who are prepared to learn the gospel and that missionaries are just kinda there along for the ride to the baptismal font but this girl is completely that case. She came to church on Sunday and it was like she'd been coming her whole life, and the members came up to her and loved on her which was so wonderful. I am so excited to work with her over the coming weeks she is completely amazing. And I am so grateful for the opportunity that God has given me to see that there are actually people out there who are completely ready for the Gospel they just need a knock on there door to set them in the right direction.

We went on exchanges with our sister training leaders this week which is always a party I love it because I feel like I learn so much when I getta serve with other sisters and get to see how they put there own unique spin on missionary work. I took sister Christie tracting in Gloucester haha people in Gloucester are not very nice and it's a bit of a rude awakening for people the first few doors. One door we knocked on this 17 year old punk answered we started talking to him and explaining what we are and mid sentence without warning he slammed the door and locked it and walked off and I literally burst out laughing so hard because it was seriously the most hilarious thing ever. I was laughing so hard that tears started to come haha Sister Christie was in shock she said she had never had that happen before haha I'd had that happen twice earlier that week.

On Sunday the Girls were confirmed and received the Holy Ghost it was so good! There dad and uncle did the confirmations. A sister in the ward had the idea to sing I feel my saviours love but we did it in English/ Tongan. It was so fun as we started singing it in Tongan the family all looked up at us and the girls started waving and getting excited! Now who knows how well we did but the family said we got the Tongan right! And we made the Auntie cry so in my books we nailed it!

Sunday night was a bit of a gong show haha sister Swasey and I were planning on stopping by less active members, in a more run down area of Gloucester and not one person let us in or was home so we walked for a few hours in the rain and got completely soaked but we found a super nice car so that was fun. Also I have died another pair of garments blue from the rain.

I love Gloucester and I love serving here I'm gonna be sad the day I have to leave.

Love,
Sister Talia Brown 🇬🇧

15, The Courtyard
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 3PS

England

week 15

This week has been a blur of adventures, transfers, doors, sheep, baptisms and men yelling at us! So I'd say it's been a pretty successful week!

On P day we went to the Forest of Dean and gotta see some beautiful scenery and explore puzzle wood where a lot of movies and TV shows have been filmed, so that was really cool unfortunately the Elders lost the phone in the woods so that thing is lost but on the up side maybe someone famous will find it!

On Tuesday I said goodbye to Sister Vousden and hello to Sister Swasey she's awesome, she's from the land of Ogden Utah and has been out for 9 months so needless to say she is a boss missionary. We have been working so hard and meeting a lot of cool people so we are so excited to see things get moving in Gloucester. Our second door we tracted together we got screamed at by this sad old man, doesn't he know we are trying to help the brother out?! Any way we got over that real quick cause we just were able to meet so many solid people, it has been so cool.

Sister Swasey and I were stopping by people's homes and while we were walking a big heard of sheep were just walking around and people were acting like it was no big deal so we got very touristy as we took a a few photos and videos with them, Typical white girls in a foreign land. But still I was pretty excited about finding those sheep even though they weren't necessarily the Lords sheep.

I was kinda freaking out for the baptism on Sunday but it honestly went beautifully nothing went wrong and the girls looked so beautiful I was so grateful to be able to be apart of this moment with them I remember small bits from my own baptism but I don't think I ever really understood what a big deal it is and was until yesterday. Needless to say the spirit was so strong and the chapel was packed with people which I am so grateful for to our ward here in Gloucester just reaching out and showing there support. I know it left an impact on the family the dad was so happy all day yesterday. The girls sang I know when I am baptised and I balled my eyes out, then latter in the program when they bore there testimonys I totally lost it again poor Sister Swasey I've been using up her tissues. The girls said that they were thankful for missionary work and it just made me so happy because me and every missionary who has worked with this beautiful family has been able to help and I am so excited for the day when this family gets sealed and the girls go on missions and get married and have children gah it's just so amazing to see how the gospel changes and blesses lives.

After the Baptism we went and ate so much Fijian and Tongan food oh my gosh it's the best! She made my favourite I think it's call Otta holy cow so good it's fish chunks in coconut milk with chillies and a bunch of other goodness anyway it's like the spiciest thing I've had while I've been in England! You put it on rice and it's served cold it's like heaven!

I have absolutely loved my time here in Gloucester I have loved meeting people and growing and just learning so many new things it's so cool to see all the changes that take place in your own heart when you are in the service of others. God is Good.

Love,
Sister Talia Brown 🇬🇧

15, The Courtyard
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 3PS

England

week14

Well another week in Gloucester this week we did quite a bit of traveling so that was fun! I gotta live the tourist dream on Pday a member who recently returned from her own mission took us out for the day. It was so fun she took us to see the areas outside of Gloucester in Gloucestershire so we gotta see some of the Cotswolds which are so beautiful and we gotta see a tiny village I guess they are a big English thing where a town will have a tiny replica of itself. We gotta go for a walk through some fields and saw lots of sheep, I love seeing sheep in the fields it's so fun! It's nice to know when you walk through the more wild parts of England nothing is gonna try and eat you either! We got to see a really beautiful tower that was built high up on a hill over looking everything. we were told it was for looking out for enemies but I'm convinced Rapunzel lived there at one point. We also gotta see where they plant lavender fields nothing was growing yet but I can imagine how beautiful it must be in the summer. Then we went to another town in the Cotswolds called Borton on the water it was so beautiful there were tons of ducks and just so many cute English buildings it's so cool seeing all these different buildings they are so beautiful. Oh and I found another Telephone booth! And a hedge that has been shaped to look like a Mini Cooper now I'm convinced that English people really do worship the Mini I'm proud to say I have also now ridden in one three times! Also moss grows on literally everything here and vines! It's crazy while riding the bus I saw a house that literally looked like it was being eaten by vines and moss and a tree haha.

We had Interviews with our Mission President and his Wife this week I loved being able to get to know them they are so cool and I can honestly say I felt so much love from Sister Leppard even though it was like the third time I ever really got to meet her I really appreciated her just saying how much she loves me and that I'm doing a good job it was so nice to feel that motherly love from someone.

This week we had such an awesome lesson with our investigator! She read a chapter from the Book of Mormon Hallelujah! And we showed her the Restoration video and she felt the spirit so strongly! It was amazing especially cause that video is a bit cheesy but it's so cool that the spirit will be there when someone or something is testifying of Christ the whole time during the video I just prayed and prayed and prayed that she would feel the spirit! And she did so Hallelujah! 

My favourite Tongan/Fijian family ever had a great week also! They all came to church! Hallelujah! The Auntie had a beautiful baby boy! Hallelujah! And her husband flew in safely! Hallelujah! And now next Sunday there two daughters are being baptised! HALLELUJAH! And the girls Dad is going to be even baptising them so it will be so good! I'm so excited for this Baptism it is gonna be so amazing and so great for this family I honestly love them so much and I know one day they are all going to be sealed together! Gah so great!

This week we only had one drunk white guy encounter haha, we were waiting at the bus stop and these men were walking over one of them stoped and pulled his trousers down to his ankles haha he still had his underwear on though so we good! No emotional scaring! 

It snowed! Well when I say snowed nothing actually stuck to the ground but snow was falling from the sky! Which is more then most places get. Mostly it's just been freezing here but I'd rather that then walking through waist high snow! Gross! 

On Tuesday I am no longer a Greenie Praise! I'm finally moving up in the missionary world! I'm a bit nervous cause before I was just a stupid greenie if I didn't know something, but now I'm just a stupid missionary so pray for me please! the next 15 months could get interesting! On  I celebrated being out three months Woot woot! It feels like it's been only a month but it also can feel like months at times as well haha.

 We found out last night what's happening this transfer! Sister Vousden is leaving me and going to Derby where she will die, (mission death not physical) my District leader/ mission father is becoming a Zone leader! And I am.... Staying in Gloucester Whoohooo! I am so happy I getta stay and get things going still with our Investigator and even better I getta see my girls get Baptised! And now My follow up trainer is..... Sister Swasey! Woohooo! I don't know loads about her but I will meet her Tuesday! So I'm super pumped! I'm so excited for change! this next transfer is going to be sooo good!

Love,
Sister Talia Brown 🇬🇧

15, The Courtyard
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 3PS

England

week 13

Wow this week was number 13... all the crazy stuff that happened this week makes a lot more sense now...

Starting of with a drunk white guy story! So my companion and I got on the bus and it was probably around 7:30 pm on a Tuesday night when we got up to the top of the bus and took our seats we started noticing a very unpleasant smell, soon after a very disgruntled voice started talking on his phone saying quote "mate I'm on the bus right now and I've literally thrown up all over the place " unquote, sister Vousden and I cringed when he said that, we looked only a few seats back and saw this poor smashed white guy with puke all over him and now even more on the floor making it's way down towards us.... blah it was awful and it smelt so bad, funny enough the guy called three more people on his phone to notify them that he had thrown up on the bus I think we might even be on his snap chat story haha.

It got super warm here in Gloucester so we came back in the afternoon to change as we walked in sister Vousden said oh my gosh sister brown you have poop in your hair! Whaaat?! Apparently while tracting that morning a bird decided to take a dump on my head haha

We decided to go to Burger King with the Elders and After eating I was waiting in line for the bathroom minding my own business, there was a blind man making his way out of the restaurant so I helped him get out by opening the door for him, as I waited by the washroom door I didn't notice that the blind man came back and he got really close to me, I said hi and before I had a chance to ask if he needed help he full on grabbed my chest I jumped a bit cause well ya know... and he asked me oh is this the bathroom? Yup this is the line for the bathroom I said trying not to laugh, cry and pee my pants at the same time. one of the Elders we were with saw it all happen and he nearly fell out of his seat all the missionary's were asking what just happened and I just waved them off until the blind man was gone. Needless to say I let the blind man go ahead of me..

So on a really crummy rainy night we decided to go to Kaspas for diner and I was wearing my rubber boots because you know rain. I was walking behind everyone took two steps hit the floor pretty dramatically haha I just kinda laid there for a second because one it really hurt and two because I kinda wanted to die in that moment hahaha. Now I have bruises all over the left side of my body.

Despite all the ridiculous embarrassing moments of unluckyness this week it was actually a super good week. We found another family that said we could come back. Our Investigator who we thought was trying to drop us is actually still interested and is wanting to keep learning and working towards baptism, and our wonderful Fijian family whom I love have booked the baptismal font for the 19th for there daughters To get baptised next week. The Dad of there family got up and bore his testimony and it was the most beautiful thing I ever heard I pretty much balled all of sacrament meeting the spirit was so strong.

On Sunday we were doing some tracting and I found the coolest/ weirdest tree of my life! It's called a monkey tree because the branches look like monkey tails, it was so cool i loved it! it reminded me of Hawaii.

Sister Vousden and I talked a lot about tender mercies and I definitely feel like while being on the mission you notice them happening all the time and I'm just so grateful to Heavenly Father for sending us these moments of joy and reminders that everything is going to be ok. I love that I get to study the scriptures everyday and even if I don't get the chance to share the gospel with someone that day it still helps me to learn and to grow and to just become better.

Week 12

Well this week was not super eventful but we had a mission broadcast on Wednesday and I really enjoyed hearing from Quinton L. Cook he said "Quit worrying about whether you are enough follow the rules keep your covenants and the commandments, God will send you those who are ready, it may take time it may not be often but you need to hold out in your faith until those moments come so you can survive the droughts."

And now pictures 

Also I found good hot sauce! And Joined a gang... just kidding we are so white... also I love nature!