Family!
Ahoy! Welp you guessed it, Im tracktin in a winter wonderland! It snowed big time here so it's offically winter! We have a car so it's not so bad and we're still teaching a lot so it's double not so bad :) So Mal and Mac went to a jazz game!!! So fun, and Joeys an adult....muahahahah! That's what happens when you're an adult kids...you get tickets for a jazz game that you can't go to because you gotta pay the bills. Ya Mum, my homecoming (yuck) with Malory will be the bomb diggity! There is no one else I'd rather talk with than that beautiful red head! It will give me a few weeks to drop some poundage too. I didn't think I'd gain anymore weight cause I've leveled off for a while but I'm in a car...again, in Slovakia....all they eat is grease...no joke. And they love feeding us. We have our English tea appointments and then being fed Slovakian style throughout the day...translation...I'm always eating and there is nothing I can do but sit in the car and get fat. haha! All is well though, it'll come off :)
Well this week was another amazing week in Don Valley. I absolutely love it here! We're teaching some really amazing and prepared people. We found a family who had been taught by the Starsi (Elders) before and so they have pass-a-long cards hung up everywhere in their home. (Because they can't afford pictures, they love the pass-a-long cards and use them to decorate) So we walk in and see the picture of Jesus in the red robe everywhere. It was just so good to see him there haha it was like, "Hello Jesus, thanks for sitting in on our lesson ;)" So they're doing really well, they're scheduled for the 16th of February and theres like 5 of um! So pray for Daniel's family. Sister MacKay and Melander are my best friends...ok I have a lot of mission best friends (Sister Stout, Hall, Sorensen) but these two have definitely made the list. They are so wonderful! We have so much fun together, we just laugh all the time it's so nice. Speaking of mission friends Sister Chelsea Sorensen and Desiree Freeman are home and Sister Ali Stout will be home in 3 weeks (she gets home valentines day) so if you wanna stalk them on facebook go for it!
Well let me try to describe to you how things work here in Don Valley. The offical name is the Don Valley Until. So what they are is a unit that is part of the Sheffield 1 ward. So technically i'm surving under the Sheffield 1 ward. They made the unit last year because they were having so many Slovakians coming to church and being baptized that they made a Slovakian Unit. There is a team of Sisters and Elders that serve in DV and 1 set of Elders that serve in Sheffield 1 working with English peeps. I see missionaries all the time. It's so great! There are 7 of us serving in one ward. So how it works at DVS is that it's all in Slovakian, all of it. Slovakian RS and Preisthood, Sunday School, Primary, and Sacrament Meeting. We are in charge of RS so we prepare the lessons in Slovakian and teach the best we can. What we're aiming for is to make DVS a branch. We're just trying to make the recent converts as solid as possible and to help them in their leadership skills so that eventually they can run the show. Rumour has it that they're making it a branch in February...another rumour...is this...but I have to give some background...
So....the Book of Mormon has not been translated into Slovakian...yup so you're probably wondering...how in the world do we do missionary work then...well we do the best we can ha. Even though its not translated into Slavakian, it is translated into Czechy. Slovakian and Czechy are pretty similar....it would be like reading spanish in south american, but then going to spain and trying to read the things they read...it's a littlle different but dooable. It is hard for them though, but their faith is so unreal. They are so reseptive to the spirit and the spirit makes all the difference when they read. They might not know all that is going on in the Book of Mormon, but they know it's true because the spirit testifies to their hearts that it's true.
So the rumour is....is that they are printing Slovakian BOMs in February! So HOPEFULLY I'll be here for the release! It's like a Harry Potter release...but a bazillion times BETTER! Once these people get a hold of the BOM in their own language...things are just going to EXPLODE! It's all very exciting!
So that's what I'm doing here. I'm being a pioneer :) I'm starting the church in this area..with these wonderful people! It is the first that most have ever heard of Joseph Smith and the Restoration. It's the first time they've ever heard of the Book of Mormon. The first time for everything here. I really do feel like Parly P. Pratt sometimes or like Dan Jones...the pioneers of missionary work in England. But I'm in England opening the church in Slovakia. It's the best I love it so much!
Well I thought I'd fill you in on what goes on here cause I haven't really had the time! :) So there it is ;)
I hope you all are doing amazing! Keep up the fun and great work! I love you all to the moon and back!! Cheers til next week!
Love, Sister Brown