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!

Week 11

Holy moly! Never have I ever walked so much in my life! Haha Sister Vousden and I made a game plan of stopping by every less active in our area so every day we planned a couple areas a day and would bus to them and then walk all over them, we tracted while stopping by all these people and sadly most people did not give a crap about the gospel but then we found 1 guy out of our week of endless finding so that was really cool! We knocked on his door and he said oh are you Mormon missionaries? Come in! After we picked our jaws up of the floor we asked if there was a woman home sadly there wasn't so we had a nice chat on his step (story of my mission life) and he said we could come back so praise!

Another tender mercy of my week! we were tracting on a very particularly cold as night! And a cute little old Irish women opened the door and after chatting and being scolded for being out so late as two young single girls she asked if we wanted to come in for some tea or coffee. When we went in Sister Vousden asked if she had any thing else to drink besides tea or coffee and the sassy lil Irish women looked up at her and said ohh there's always a picky one! Haha she was hilarious so after she got us sorted with some HERBAL tea she looked at us and said girls would you like some apple pie..... uhhh yes please... then after she busted out the pie she found ice cream! So that was honestly just so nice being invited in for tea, pie and cream and have a chat with this adorably sassy old women, she has grown up strong in the Catholic Church and had no desire to learn more about our beliefs but she was basically the story of the Good Samaritan where she was able to put aside her feelings and help a couple sisters out. So I am so grateful to that sassy little old women who helped make our night.

Ok my not proud moment of the week but also so hilarious that I have to share, Sister Vousden and I had just got done with diner and were walking home and right away I could tell something wasn't right I just felt like my stomach had lava in it, and as we walked I felt this horrible wave of nausea so I looked around found an alley way and tossed my cookies.... now as I was tossing ... the .. cookies... Sister Vousden was gracious enough to offer to hold my hair but I told her to go away cause... yeah... anyways I got up and continued on our walk home and I said to Sister Vousden wow I'm so lucky there was a alley right when I needed it... Sister Vousden laughed and said Sister Brown that was not an alley way that was a drive way! So apparently in my sate of mind I confused a drive way for an ally and now some poor people got a nasty surprise that morning.... yes I am terrible but to be fair a drive way is better then a bus... Also another tender mercy the Elders in my district found out that I was "Ill" and they brought me flowers and my favourite treats! So that was the best our Elders are so awesome!

So when you walk enough around England... you see some things haha this week Sister Vousden and I were walking through a really pretty wooded area and there was a really pretty church so like the typical white girls we are we decided to take some pictures and as we got closer to the chapel we started to hear some major beats coming from the church... confused we went to the front door where we found the sign saying Church of pain... even more confused we listened more and just heard a whole lot more rap music that we definitely don't listen to as missionaries haha and we saw a guy come out with his sports clothes on and his gym bag and we realised holy crap it's a gym! So ya latter talking to a member they said someone bought the church renovated it and turned it into a gym so ya house of God, house of worship, house of abs haha

Also while I've been here I've discovered Gloucester is big in the rugby scene and they have a HUGE rugby stadium home of the Cherries so it's been really cool seeing people get there colors on every Saturday and finally I got pictures with the stadium. So that was fun! Sadly they don't play on Mondays..... yes I checked....

So ya life has been really chill this week not a ton of success but I definitely felt a lot more confident in myself and in my words which was really cool to see I also had a really cool spiritual moment where I truly felt protected as a missionary. We were getting a lift home from a DA and as we got in I wasn't in a super hurry to get my seat belt on because I had a big bag full of stuff that I was arranging in the back where I was seated as we drove off I just heard a voice in my head saying do up your seat belt. I of course ignored it cause I was still busy with the bag then we got off the side street I heard it again but louder saying "do it up now" I quickly did my seat belt and as we came to the first intersection someone drove through the red light causing my driver to slam on the breaks, causing us to jerk pretty hard against the seat belt now I don't have whip lash or anything crazy but it was scary minute and I honestly just felt so loved that I was able to have the Holy Ghost there with me I'm not at all saying wow I could have died but I'm pretty dang great full it kept me from slamming against the seat in front of me. Even just the little gesture of hey stupid do up your seatbelt I just felt like wow it's like having a parent right along side me even when I'm being a bit dumb the Holy Ghost is right there looking out for me. 

I'm really grateful for the experience of being a Missionary and serving in Gloucester I'm loving this little city more and more and even though we have not had a ton of success I still feel like I'm succeeding cause every day I'm forced to try something new and to learn something new so even if I didn't help someone get baptised today I was still able to help someone or learn something.

Week 10

Holy snap! It's been 10 weeks!

Where the heck has the time been going? Out the window! This week was so crazy fast so I guess I can't complain because last week dragged for dayz! This week has definitely been another roller coaster of crazy town but what would mission life be without it? 

Monday we went to Cheltenham and saw how the other half lives (Which is pretty dang good) Cheltenham is a super nice city and it almost overlaps with Gloucester except it has the way nice stores to go shopping at but it's probably for the best that it's not here in Gloucester for that reason! England has some stores I never knew existed which has been a lot of fun to check out! Something funky about English culture is that in there stores they don't really just sell one thing unless it's an American store most shops, grocery stores will sell house stuff, food, clothing, movies, furniture altogether in one place which is kinda crazy haha. It's hard to not develop some ADHD tendencies  cause I'll be minding my own business getting groceries for the week and then woah that's cute! Oh look at those post it notes! Wow only £4.00 for that skirt! Whoa look at those tea cups? There's a Union Jack tea cup! Haha they have a lot of random things that England has taken and made them adorable so the struggle is real for missionary's who don't wanna spend all there msf on pointless adorable things. By the way my favourite shops are probably Superdry Japan, Cath Kidston, Sainsbury's and Tesco... they have some really cool stuff....

Are week took a hit when one of our investigators dropped us. I was really annoyed because why the heck couldn't this person see that the things that brought her joy right now in her life were really ruining her life and that me as a Mormon now could do all the things she talked about doing but remember it the next day! Trying to move on after that I couldn't shake my annoyed feeling of why she couldn't understand how much greater her joy could be. Shortly after my trainer said I am so excited for her to get baptised one day! she is going to be so happy! And I was a bit taken back.. for some reason I had it in my head that this was the first and only chance this girl was going to have to receive the Gospel... and that she had now missed it... and then I thought of my own life.. Heavenly Father hasn't only given me one opportunity to get things right. Through Jesus Christ and his atonement I'm able to try and try again every single day of my life and so can everyone because of our Heavenly Fathers love for us. A parent doesn't put there kid on a bike and expect them to nail it the first time they know it's gonna take time and that there may be times where maybe the kid needs a break from riding the bike cause they aren't ready for it yet. But the parent keeps putting the work in because they love the kid and want for the kid to ride that bike and succeed. The same can be said for the investigator who isn't quite ready yet, no she did not get baptised but one day she will.. if not in this life she will be given that opportunity again in the next.. and maybe the however brief encounter with the missionary's helped them through that period of time in there life's. I know Heavenly Father won't give up or leave behind any of us who have not been given the opportunity to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And even those of us who have already received a testimony of it. Heavenly Father knows we are gonna screw up again but that's why he gave us the atonement so we can get through this Enduring to the end phase of life. 

(This was my super spiritual enlightening moment of the week by the way)

Drunk white guy story! 

So sister Vousden and I were out talking to people in the High Streets, and we started talking to this white guy, we talked to him about the restoration and he kept saying ladies you are so beautiful how can you tell me you believe in God? You must be brainwashed you are to beautiful and smart to believe these things! We told him that we did believe and that we could share more with him, he said he would love to learn more so we took him to a bench in the square as we sat done he pulled out a huge bottle of wine he had just shoplifted from under his coat and proceeded to drink from it as we taught him more about the restoration haha! At the end we asked him if he was interested in learning more and he proceeded to tell us that although he wasn't interested in learning more about the gospel he would be interested in learning more about us because we "fascinated him" (BARF) so needless to say we gave him the Elders number haha. 

We planned to do a full day of tracting on Friday in an area we had never been to that had lots of former investigators and less active members. We started the day by reading the 4th floor last door talk recently given by President Uchtdorf to help us get psyched for our full day of unknown doors. After reading it and crying through it ( I am my mothers daughter) we finally looked out the window and realised it had SNOWED! Ya I felt lied to because all the English people reassured me in the past that Gloucester never gets snow. Guess what it snowed! So after a brief pause to reavaluate our clothing choices for the day we slipped on our leggings and went to work! And guess what? Not one door let us in, not one less active had time for us and not one former investigator lived on the premises anymore. And then guess what? it rained! Sooo hard! haha it was laughable how sad our super awesome day of tracting was turning out. We got to the point where we only had one house left to check that belonged to a former investigator. So we got there knocked on the door and waited and waited and no one was home.. so discouraged we turned around and started to leave when someone called out to us. It was a young mom walking her girls home from school her youngest daughter ran up to us and grabbed sister Vousden and I and gave us a big hug and began to talk away to us like we knew her. When her mom and sisters caught up they introduced themselves and said they were the new owners of the door we had just tracted. Absolutely gobsmacked we introduced ourselves and explained who we are and why we were knocking on there door. The mom proceeded to share with us about her religious beliefs and how she thought it was so wonderful what we were doing and invited us to come back and share more.... as we left that family sister Vousden and I both felt all the grossness and disappointment of the day melt away because in just those few minutes of talking to that wonderful family it all became worth it. 

I feel like missionary life is so hard to explain, it can be absolutely great then terrible then really good then something crazy happens! But honestly I think it is the best growing experience I have ever had things that mattered to me before I really don't care about now. Things I didn't think about before are all I think about now. It's been 10 weeks, somedays it feels like 10 years, others like 10 days since I left home. But I honestly love it even when I hate it I love it! I am so excited for the next 10 weeks to see where I'll be and what has happened because in 10 weeks of missionary life I already feel so much better and stronger then before and I'm excited for the next challenges and growing moments because I know that with Heavenly Fathers help we all got this!

Love you all! Have a great week!