We now have 5 progressing investigators!

Hello There!

So we will both be staying in Greenwood for another 6 weeks! So that is good news :) We can still baptize someone together haha. We have a lot of people to get prepared! 

This week has been pretty great! Chloe, Logan and Tyler all came to church! We went to the 12 year old class with them haha. So that was a little different than our normal Sunday schedule.

We took a lot of pictures with people this week in case one of us got transferred so I'm sure you will be happy with that :)

So I think our zone got quite a few changes last night! We will have to see today. We really thought one of us was leaving because for some reason the 'your both staying' text didn't get to us. So it was like almost 10 and we still didn't know our zone leaders told one of the assistants and they called to tell us we would both be staying. Sister Warner was crying because she thought she was going to leave.

We now have 5 progressing investigators! That is a lot better than the 0 we started with at the beginning of the transfer. I really think the summer time is flying by the cold winter made transfers go by so slow haha. I can't believe it has been 6 weeks already! I still feel like I just got here sometimes. 

That is really cool about the mission calls :) It's crazy they are already old enough.

Oh I found the Hyundai key!!!! It was in my jacket pocket for some reason. I'll have to send it to you sometime. 

We had a 4 hour lesson with Austin. It was pretty wild! He is a bible major so he kind of knows a lot more than I do haha. I'm just like hey I know that the church is true! 

I'm like all of the sudden really bad at emailing I don't know what to say to you guys haha.  I'm really not sure why I'm like out of things to say haha. But I love you guys! :) 

Love, 

Sister Brooks

This week went by like really quick!

Yeah I have like extremely bad allergies haha. Every morning when I wake up my voice isn't even audible. But I did buy Allegra today, I bought the Wal-Mart brand. I really hope it cures me. So people don't think I'm a smoking missionary.  

Well not sure about transfers but Sister Warner told President last night when we were at Why I Believe that she thinks I should train haha. He was like oh she will get to train. So whatever that means. I don't think it will be this transfer but maybe the next. I feel pretty ready to do it though. It's so crazy transfers are this next week! I think our zone might be getting pretty mixed up because everyone has been here forever. But no one really ever knows with President Cleveland haha. 

So yesterday was Why I Believe...which basically is a testimony meeting where recent converts share their stories. It is super awesome! They have it every month I just didn't get to go in Lafayette because we never had anyone to bring. We brought two people yesterday. It was a great experience and I got to see some of my best friends! :) 

I don't think I told you about Dola she is a less active member because her husband was a member of a baptist church so she never really came to our church. She is the sweetest old lady ever! And super hilarious! Her husband passed away in February and it has been really hard on her. Her daughter who takes care of here isn't a member and we are working with her too. They are the cutest people though! Dola hadn't been to church in years and she came yesterday with her daughter and it was the greatest! Dola has the best stories too she told us about how when she was younger and they couldn't afford rubber so their underwear had buttons instead of elastic. I just love her!

We invited Lone Eagle to be baptized and he said not yet but that is progress to I've already been baptized. We will have to see! I just picture Lone Eagle bearing his testimony and it taking up the entire hour haha. He is quite the story teller. It's so great to picture him being a member :) Someday!

I went to steak and shake for the first time! It was super delicious! I really dig it!

We had a combined District meeting this week... It was a little Jack haha. It was birthday party themed and Elder Sorenson passed out a Dora the Explorer coloring page and told us to draw the first vision. Our District is pretty fun though! 

This week went by like really quick! I can't remember what happened already haha. I just really love being out here though! I could do without the allergies but it's cool. 

I really miss dad. Everyone I talk to about him really wants to meet him haha. I tell people he is a 47 year old man with the personality of a 16 year old. I love that weirdo!  I miss you too mom! I sometimes just really need a diet coke run haha.

I love you guys so much! 

Love ya! 

Sister Brooks

We have been so blessed with people to teach!

 Doctor Ditty :( I love that guy! He seriously is the best. He is in my prayers for sure! Tell him Sister Brooks loves him! He helped me get back out here. That makes me all teary. I just want to hug all of the Ditty's and bring them casseroles. Give them my love! 

I wish we could have gone camping when I was still home. We played sports like literally all day yesterday and I'm very sore haha. We played some basketball, ultimate, some Indiana bag tossing  (obviously I don't know what it's called), some football and soccer. We were so exhausted when we got home last night we both crashed haha. So we had prep day until 6 and went to a ward party until 8. Then still got a lesson in there :) We have been so blessed with people to teach! We taught 24 lessons this week... So that was sweet. We have 6 new investigators! 

We have been working super hard and it has been great! I'm so glad I can physically do the work now! haha. Back in the day I couldn't have worked this hard. I'm so happy though mom! I love love the people and everything. It really is so much easier being diligent and obedient because that is when all the blessings come. 

We just taught Lone Eagle before coming to the Library.... Dude he met Ringo Starr!!! And has a picture with him. He actually met all of The Beatles. Also he has a signed poster from Elvis Presley's last concert... I'm like mind blown haha. I really hope we can get him progressing because I will be extremely sad if we have to stop teaching him haha. He is such a bro! His friends took him out for his 76th birthday to one of the Pacer Miami Heat games last week. He has like a fan club I'm pretty sure because he is the sweetest old man with the best stories. I don't remember if I told you he told us about Vietnam and he cried... Aww Lone Eagle! haha. Elder Twitchell said they never got him to cry before so I think we are on another level here. He calls us the Mormon Girls. When he prays he calls Heavenly Father Grandfather and Jesus grandson. We were so confused at first but then he explained it too us haha. 

There is this 12 year old boy Tyler who is neighbor of one of the families we are teaching and he is so adorable! He has been coming to the lessons. The first lesson he asked how we can know if god is really there. We told him he could pray and ask if he was really there. The next time we taught the first thing he said was I did what you said!!! I asked and he told me he was there. And that he felt it in his heart as soon as he asked. GAHH he is the cutest thing! The other day we went to the families house to invite them to the Memorial Day party as soon as he saw us pull up he ran in his house grabbed his book of Mormon and booked it over to us. He was like I'm here, I'm here!!!! He was holding the book of Mormon so close. As soon as we got in our car to leave we both started crying haha. That little boy has our hearts. It really makes you think of how amazing what we have really is. This little boy is so excited to learn about god. He has never had the chance to learn. I've known my Heavenly Father, I've known the book of Mormon and all that. But I have always taken it for granted. This is all this kid wants and I've had it all this time. We really need to realize how great the gifts we have been given are. We need to share it with everyone. Read our scriptures, go to church, and pray. Heavenly Father loves us so much and he has given us these gifts freely so use them!!! 

So on Sunday we decided we were going to get one of our investigators to church by meeting at his house so he could follow us there. He decided to get out of it and tell us he was in the hospital haha. We were seriously so mad... but I guess that is a good thing to be disappointed he isn't progressing haha. I hate agency sometimes. But we did have one investigator at church :) She is a 12 year old girl who is the cutest! We are best friends by the way haha. Sister Warner said me talking to her is like me talking to myself. The elders in the ward had been teaching her but then she told me they freaked her out and she wants us to teach her! So maybe we are poaching on the elder’s investigators a bit haha. She reminds me of Veronica I think that is why we are homies. She always talks about her cousin and it reminds me of when me and Roni were little.

Oh we taught a drunk couple haha. We were just walking down the street and this lady was like hey what are you doing come teach me! haha. So we walked over and they told us they had been at the race all day.... Soooo drunk. Then they asked how many wives we were allowed haha. Then a pizza man came and they offered us pizza. She kept talking about her "hot tub pool" She was like I just swam in my hot tub pool.... She said it like fifty times. Then she hugged us...So I can know say I hugged a wet sun burned drunk lady that I just met. haha. Missionary work gets wild sometimes. We also prayed and held hands. She invited us back so I hope they are sober occasionally so they can feel the spirit... Or possibly remember us. 

Well I love you people! Sorry It's soooo long I guess a lot happened this week!

Love you!!!

Sister Brooks

Crazy Weather...

We went to the Louisville, Kentucky Temple!

Hey There my people! :)

Thanks so much for sending my temple clothes! It felt so nice to have my own temple clothes. It was really awesome! We went to the Louisville, Kentucky Temple! It is pretty much the same size as a regular church building it is pretty adorable! Then we went to Chickfila! haha. And talked about how crazy missionary mom's are for about an hour haha. It was really awesome to go the temple! 

I've been thinking so much about Dion. I really think he wants his work done. I have really been missing that guy lately. We went on exchanges after the temple so I was with Sister Mumford and dude I love her she is hilarious! We stayed up pretty late talking about crazy mission stories. But anyways we were just driving and I saw a group of motorcycles drive by and they had a police escort for a funeral. I seriously just started crying when I saw them haha it was kind of funny. I was like why the heck am I crying. I was just thinking about Uncle Dion and all his friends at his funeral. I just felt really sad for those guys on the motorcycles. It's crazy like this month it has been two years since Dion passed away. I know that he is here with me along with grandma. It's funny to think that crazy guy is out here with me helping me teach. I really love Uncle Dion and just his giant heart. He always tried to hide it but everyone knew he would do anything for anyone. I really hope you guys can get his work done. I know that’s what he wants he is definitely waiting! 

I've wanted a blessing for awhile so I finally decided to get one so I asked Elder Twitchell after I had a breakdown about Uncle Dion. It was a really awesome blessing and really comforting. 

We had Zone Conference and that was real wild! It was super good! We learned a lot about Joseph Smith like that he ran for president... I had no idea! And President of course had some real bomb talks! We got trainings on how to be powerful missionaries and it's all about planning and diligence. I saw Elder Anderson and we both reminisced about West Lafayette and how the ward is now split which is like the saddest thing ever!

We almost met the standards of excellence this week! Which is 20 lessons we got 19. But also 2 days this week were completely filled with meetings and the temple. So we are going to kill it this week for sure! :) We have a lot of work to do! It is super awesome! I love Greenwood so far! All the people are so kind and pretty open to talking except the Nazerns that hate us haha. 

So Sunday I sort of was asked to give a talk it was more just sharing my testimony and I taught Sunday school. First time teaching alone man... That was pretty wild! haha. 

Tell Grandpa he isn't allowed over if he waste stuffed crust that just isn't right! I miss you guys too! I'm actually a little homesick this time around. But I pretty much just miss being able to call you when I'm sad about Uncle Dion and things like that haha. I miss Dad too! On exchanges we taught this guy named Gene who pretty much looks like a 90 year old version of dad and he spaces out a lot. haha. The whole time he was spacing out just like dad it made me laugh. 

Oh so we had a miracle well actually a lot! But this one is pretty cool. So we called a number that this guy Alex gave the elders. We left a voice mail for Alex and got a call back wondering who we were. He said his name was Derek and we were like oh sorry wrong number but are you interested in hearing a message? Then we taught him over the phone!! haha. Then we were like where do you live and he said Greenwood! Crazy already! So he gave us his address and we went over last night and he said that his grandma who passed away kept telling him that he needed to listen to us!!! So Crazy! haha. So now we are teaching this guy! Pretty wild stuff!

DUDE we have an investigator named Lone Eagle! haha. He is Native American! He loves the book of Mormon for obvious reasons! haha. But then decided to get baptized in a Native American church on the Sunday he went to our church. haha!  So the Elders stopped teaching him but we went over and he told us that he has been reading the book of Mormon everyday! :) We have a lesson with him tomorrow. Sister Petty is going to go with us. But seriously I'm a little too excited to teach this guy! He is such a baller haha. He has eagles all over his house! I'm pretty sure I'll have to wear my eagle shirt over there someday. He talked to us about communists for quite some time. I think he has a lot of cool stories to tell haha. 

Well I love you all so much! It's so great to be back! :)

Stay classy keep praying!

Love, 

Sister Brooks

I'm just so excited to be back! I'm like the happiest person ever!

Well I have one email.... Literally one.

haha. Thanks mom! My friends are lame!

So yeah it is so awesome to be back in Indiana! :) I'm so happy that I'm here in Greenwood, Indiana! It seems like a really great place!

We are the first Sisters in the ward within like 20 years or the first sisters in the 1st ward ever I think. It's pretty wild! So everyone is really excited to have us in the ward! They were telling us that it is like Christmas again! The elders in the ward told everyone they are worried they will never be fed again haha. 

So when I got off the plane in Indiana I pretty much was losing my mind that I was about to see everyone again. As soon as I saw President and Sister Cleveland I just started crying. It was just such a relief to finally see them again! I'm pretty sure the assistants filmed me haha. Then we drove to the mission office and Sister Howard and Barrett were waiting for me!!! Sister Howard did the creepy one eye around the corner thing. She just started crying when we saw each other and we hugged like 50 times like is this real life!?!?!?! They are seriously the funniest sisters! I love them to death! I stayed the night with them and we stayed up all night pretty much haha. I was pretty tired the next day at transfers but it was worth it! We were talking about all the weird amazing times we had in West Lafayette. I sure do wish I could visit there. Someday! 

Transfers were real wild! It was so crazy seeing all my homies! The first person I saw was Elder Johnson and he seriously almost hugged me because he forgot we were missionaries’ haha. I was so excited to see him! Then I saw Elder Romcy who finally left Lafayette and he is a DL now! I got to talk to a lot of people that I missed :) it was awesome!

Then two people from the MTC are in my zone now! So that is pretty wild! We have the Canadian and Elder Twitchell haha. It's exciting!  Also P. Sorenson who I served with in West Lafayette. We had combined District Meeting this week and we pretty much spent the whole time talking. It's just so great to be back! Apparently I'm like a mission legend haha. That is what I have been told. The elders have been talking about me coming back for a while now so some of the members knew about me. Kind of weird but cool.

I'm realizing I hardly know any of the Sisters because we never really serve around each other so you get to know like one person at a time.

I'm working on my slang again because I realize it came back in the three months I was home and it's hard not to say words like shut up sometimes haha. Then I think of Libby and Kigh saying we don't say that word.  

Sister Warner is super nice and the whole mission loves her so I love her too. She is from Texas and we are both pretty laid. So we work pretty well together. She also loves to work hard so that is something else we have in common. 

I keep having a dream that I'm going to give a talk to missionaries and tell them not to take this time for granted. So I have a feeling I'm going to give an actual talk about that one of these days. 

We have spent a lot of our time this week planning since we are both brand new to the area. I think President really trusts me with double transfers because this is my second one and only my second area haha. So that it pretty much my life. I had a feeling I would be opening an area as soon as he said some sisters would be opening an area. I thought it might be Crossroads but I'm pretty sure you would be glad it wasn't because it is pretty ghetto there and they have never had sisters there until now. Sister Howard really thinks that I will serve in the ghetto because apparently I'm meant for it haha!

I'm just so excited to be back! I'm like the happiest person ever! I can't wait to actually get to work because this past week has been a little slow. But we really have so much work to do! It will be awesome for all the single sisters who can't have elders over. 

We met one of our families who is investigating and they are adorable! They are all rednecks like authentic rednecks! Finally! haha. I love them already! They have a neighbor friend who comes over and he has and accent and a speech impediment he is like 11. So adorable! He asked us how you can know if god is really there for sure and he was so nervous to ask. We just want to adopt him haha. So this area is going to be fantastic! Oh also I totally saw Sister Haight! Cray Cray!

I love all of you! Pray always!

Sister Brooks

Tomorrow is the DAY! :D

Thought I would write one more post before I leave.
Let me just say that I'M SOOO EXCITED!!!!! I can't even explain how excited I am right now! I finally get to go back to Indiana and serve my Heavenly Father :) I also just found out I get to stay the night with Sister Howard when I get there!!!!!!!! :D I'm losing my mind!!! I'm so excited to see my best friend and missionary mother! haha. Tomorrow is going to be the best day ever!

I'm so grateful that I get to go back on my mission! It will be amazing! I've been waiting for this day since the day I came home. I talked about the guy I taught on the plane in my blog post about coming home. But I've been thinking about him again today. I just know that Heavenly Father put him in my path for a reason. I remember our conversation and just talking to him about the gospel. I remember him saying he thought it was cool that I had a lot of my life figured out already being only 19. I have been thinking about that. I really don't have a lot of things figured out but I do know that I have Heavenly Father always looking out for me. Talking with James was when I realized I would return to my mission. I knew I didn't want to leave my mission but I didn't know what Heavenly Father wanted me to do next. Being able to teach one last person before I wasn't a missionary reminded me of the love that I had for sharing the message of the restored gospel with others. I'm just so excited to go back and teach. :) I know that missionary work is very difficult but it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

I'm so grateful for the friends I have made and I can't wait to see them tomorrow! I'm pretty sure I will be freaking out the entire time! haha. I'll let you all know how it goes! :)

 Love,
Sister Brooks

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I've been thinking a lot about change that has occurred in my life. During my senior year of high school I was scared to death what I was going to do next. I knew I would go to some sort of school but that was only because that was what everyone else was doing. So I applied for scholarships like crazy because I didn't have any money saved. I ended up with two scholarships to UVU. So I moved out and all that jazz. I really didn't know who I was or what my purpose was on this planet. I had a really hard time breaking out of my shell and making new friends. I didn't really like Orem mainly because everyone was super Mormon and always told me to go to church activities. I was really annoyed because at this time I didn't think I needed religion. I ended up hanging out with my old friends in Tooele almost every weekend because I didn't know what else to do with Jake as my only friend in Orem when we constantly worked different schedules. I felt alone all the time and couldn't wait for the weekends to come. I ended up not liking myself and just felt stuck in this place of unhappiness. 

My roommate Cassidy was really awesome and I just saw something really cool in her that I didn't have. She was always happy! I swear that girl was always smiling. She started preparing for a mission and I just knew that was what was so different between her and I. I knew I didn't have the testimony that she had. I wasn't living the way that I needed to live to be happy. I was ready to change I wanted to be happy. I just decided I would quit with all the nonsense. I started to talk to my bishop about serving a mission because I was prompted to serve. It was so strange because I wasn't really in tune with the spirit. But Heavenly Father reached out to me anyways for me to change and become a missionary. Thinking about this now just makes me so grateful for the love that Heavenly Father has for me. I wasn't doing what I was supposed to but he still reached out to me. I know he loves each of us and sometimes we don't recognize it. I didn't recognize myself as a daughter of god and I was miserable with myself. I just constantly was worried about my inadequacies and not the person that I could become.

Today I was looking back at old pictures and when I saw pictures of the old me I just knew that I had changed. All I cared about was what the world thought of me, not what heavenly father thought of me. I wanted everyone to think I was this really cool, laid back, and funny girl. But inside I never felt those things. I was scared of everything and what everyone thought. Now today I can say that I know I am his, a daughter of a king. I know that I can work hard everyday to become more like my savior and that my work is never through. I know that I'm here on this earth to learn, grow and love. My mission gave me this knowledge and my testimony is growing everyday. I'm so much more confident in myself and who I can become. I know I say this a lot lately but I seriously can't wait to get back out there and kill it! You are all children of god and I love you!!! :)

The church is true lil homies! 

Sister Sierra Brooks