Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Happy Mother's Day! Waukesha 5/15/17

Hello all!

Oh, it was so lovely to see all you wonderful faces yesterday!! Best part of the week. :) It was way to short, but I must be obedient, right? So, I'm nearly half way into my second transfer! That's exciting! This week we did more finding than normal, which is so good. We didn't necessarily get a sheave full by the end of the week...but we did find a few souls who might actually listen to us. Highlights:

-We made contact with a former investigator and her brother (who was taught by missionaries in Utah, but not Wisconsin YET). She is a nice old lady who loves her dog. She did warn us that he has bit someone in the rear before...so he stayed locked up in the back room haha. We also heard a story about her husband who passed away. Long story short...he was buried in the Philippines. Because he was so tall and ground was short he had to get folded in half...she was laughing hysterically about the whole story. We weren't sure what to say after that!

-We tracted into an Indian man! His house smelled like Indian food and I just wanted to keep talking to him. He was super nice and agreed to taking a Book of Mormon and possibly coming to church next week. He was raised Hindu, but doesn't really practice it. Ah, it made me so happy. :)

-We talked to a less active member about the temple this week. It was so wonderful to see how interested he got in our lesson. He had so many questions (he usually does) and we could see how much he wanted to go with his wife (who isn't a member yet).

-We had exchanges this week! I stayed in Waukesha with sister Smith while sister Kowallis went to Brookfield with sister Giles. Sister Smith is awesome.

So yeah! The work continues. We are trying to find the people in our area that are being prepared by the Lord. This, I am learning, requires a lot of work, patience, and obedience. But we are enjoying it! Happy late Mothers Day, mom!

Love you all!!
Sister Johns








See this video of Brianna and Sister Kowallis making slush


Mother's Day 2017

Friday, May 12, 2017

Slowly but surely. Waukesha, May 8, 2017

Hey all!
So this week went decidedly better than last week. Wisconsin this week has been more cheery. I have realized that the sunshine has a pretty big effect on my mood...so the sunshine this week was much needed. :) Highlights from the week!
-We had interviews with President Williams on Wednesday. I love President! He is so kind and encouraging. I got to ask about some of my concerns which was nice. In the closing prayer, President prayed that I would know that my sacrifice was acceptable before the Lord. This was interesting because I had been pondering on that and had read some talks which asked the same question. Immediately I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and love.
-We met a schizophrenic Thursday! We were volunteering at the Hope Center and this older gentleman comes up with his clothes. So we are checking his items out and folding them up for him. Sister Kowallis cheerily addressed him with some saying and he angrily said don't talk to me! You don't make any sense. He then continued to mutter to himself. When we folded up his clothes he took them and waded them up. As we tried to help him he just got more angry and said that he would do it himself. Right before he left he got right up into my face and told me he didn't need any help thank you very much (without the thank you however). It was startling to me and I felt like I could smell beer and smoke for a long time after he left. The lady working there came up after and explained that we had just met her neighborhood schizophrenic...lovely haha.
-So I finally met someone who is just as much (if not more) obsessed with organization as I am! Sister Kowallis enjoys (I think) going through all our closets and cupboards getting rid of old things and organizing them. You wouldn't believe some of the things we've found here...it used to be an elders apartment so....yeah. Weird random things--like reeeealy old canned food and a ginormous bright blue coat. So that was exciting.
-I got a hug from a Great Dane puppy! Needless to say it was taller than me when standing up on it's hind legs. It was so weird to get a hug--literally it wrapped it's paws around me--from a dog!
-We got to usher at the Living Legends performance (BYU dancers). It was fun to talk to people there--almost everyone there was a member of course haha. And we didn't get to stay for the performance..but it was cool. I was thinking how the number of people would double if it was in Twin Falls haha.
-So we as missionaries get tailed a lot for going the speed limit. We have a box (Teewee) that yells at us if we don't log in or if we go over the speed limit (okay, it doesn't really yell). Yesterday we were trying to drive to visit some people and Teewee was freaking out--it wouldn't let us log in. So finally we just pulled over to the side of the road and decided all we could do was knock some doors. So we we did. Interestingly enough the people we met had already had some contact with the church and one already had a Book of Mormon. He said that he knew it was true, so we asked him to be baptized...he declined though. I don't know if anything will come of it, but it was neat. After a while we went back to see if Teewee would behave, and lo and behold! He did. The Lord will put us where He wants us.
-This week an elder in our mission passed away. It was shocking and very sad. Our Zone Leaders called us to give us the news on Saturday. Sister Kowallis knew the elder, he was in her district in the MTC. We don't know any specifics. President asked us to fast for his family Sunday however. So everyone in the mission fasted for their family. It was neat to be a part of that.
This week was busy, but somehow we didn't get a lot of finding time in. So hopefully this week sister Kowallis and I will be able to talk to more people. I am really hoping that the work here will start progressing this transfer. I am seeing progression in myself, but very slowly. Yesterday I was thinking a lot about the Character of Christ (a talk by Elder Bednar we watched in the MTC). He talks about how we need to turn outwards, especially during our missions, if we want to become converted to the Lord. Mark 8:34-35 talks about the same thing. We are blessed as we truly turn outward in service and love.
I hope that your week is wonderful and full of adventures!
Love you all!!
Bre

Transfer numero dos! Waukesha, May 1, 2017




Hello dear people,
Wisconsin has been pretty dreary this week...just a lot of rain and black clouds. We did have a thunder storm last night! I slept through most of it though haha. This week has been CRAZY. Or at least it feels like it because of transfers. Tuesday was spent packing and saying good bye to members (sister Wright wanted to see people before she left). Wednesday I met sister Kowallis! Funny coincidence though...she's also from Pocatello. Weird that both my comps so far have been from the SAME town! Sooo highlights!

Car selfie! Everyone has to, right?


Sister Kowallis and I

-Wednesday we had dinner with the cutest family! She is part Japanese, so their kids are all dark and soo cute. One girl and then twins (a boy and a girl).
-Driving home Wednesday it was darker than normal...or later, something like that. And we are coming around this corner...when suddenly...(drum roll...) a possum pops out of NOWHERE! I screamed but we couldn't slow down because there was a car tailing us. Soo...we hit it. It was rather nasty sounding...but no harm to the car. Possums really do look like ROUSs...just saying. It was pretty funny.
-Friday I had 3-6 week training in Oshkosh. So we drove down and had a reunion with all the elders and sisters I came out with. It was so fun! When we were walking up to the church I saw sister KoFord my mtc comp. She came running up to me, we were so excited! She even picked me up haha, because she's so tall. It was sooo good to see her again! It was a really good training too, just what I needed.


Spring and her girls! "The rick-rawling house of sass"

MTC district reunion!

-Friday night (Lydia, you'll like this story) we were driving home trying to get to a dinner appointment. Well, long story short we were an hour and a half late for the appointment. On the free way they took the three lanes down to one. There were a bunch of police directing us off the free way. We had to take a very long detour to get home. The worst part it though, we don't know what happened! The couple that we had dinner with were so nice and still let us come over and take some food. Bless them!
-Blonde moment of the week: we were filling up the car with gas. We pulled up and realized that we pulled in on the wrong side, so sister Kowallis pulls around to the other side. when she got to the other side we just paused...realizing that we were on  the same side. DUH! haha, we figured it out eventually. I love backing haha.
So yeah, it was an eventful week! Sister Kowallis is a lot more outgoing and bold than I am, so I think that we will balance each other out. She does things a lot differently from sister Wright, which isn't bad thing...but I just have to get used to a lot of changes. Hopefully we will get the work rolling while we are companions here in Waukesha. The scripture of the week is 1 Nephi 3:7, "I will go and do the things which the Lord God hath commanded. For I know the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save He shall prepare a way for them to accomplish the thing which the Lord commandeth them." I love this scripture. The Lord has provided a way for me and sister Kowallis to accomplish His work. We just need to be diligent and obedient. Hopefully we can have fun while doing it. :)
I love you all!! Don't forget to laugh at yourself this week. :)
Bre


The trees here are so beautiful!

We found peter rabbit and his brothers and sisters!


Former District