Group email 8/10/15

I AM HAPPY!! I AM BLESSED!!! LIFE IS WONDERFUL!!

WE HAVE CONTINUED TO BE SO BLESSED WITH PEOPLE TO TEACH!! WITH PREPARED SOULS!! CONSTANTLY, PEOPLE COME UP TO US ASKING TO BE TAUGHT!!! WE STOPPED CONTACTING PEOPLE BECAUSE OUR TEACHING POOL IS TO BIG AND WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR MORE PEOPLE! YET THEY STILL COME AND WE END UP ALWAYS HAVING ENOUGH TIME!!! LIFE IS WONDERFUL!!

I DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO SAY!! THIS WEEK HAS JUST BEEN FILLED WITH SO MANY BLESSINGS!! LIKE LITERALLY WE HAVE 3 INVESTIGATORS NAMED “BLESSINGS” (MADALITSO) NOW!! SO LIFE PRETTY MUCH ROCKS!!! I LOVE MY COMPANIONS SO MUCH!! THEY HELP ME WANT TO DO MY BEST!!! THEY ARE WONDERFUL EXAMPLES TO ME!!! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS MY WEEK!! I WILL SEND PICTURES AND YOU CAN ALL THANK SISTER ANDREA COLE FOR THEM! SHE MADE ME!!!

HERE IS A FUNNY STORY:

ABOUT AN HOUR AGO WE WERE TEACHING A LESSON AND AT THE END WE ASKED IF THE LITTLE BOY WOULD END IN A PRAYER FOR US! HE IS 5!! HIS NAME IS HOPESON AND HE SPEAKS NO ENGLISH! HE BOWED HIS HEAD AND CROSSED HIS FINGERS BY HIS FACE AND THEN BROKE OUT INTO SONG!!! ALL I HEARD WAS A LOT OF “ZIKOMO KWAMBILI MULUNGU NIDI YESU KHRISTU.” ( THANK YOU VERY MUCH GO AND JESUS CHRSIT!) THEN AT THE END OF HIS 45 SECOND SONG TO GOD HE YELLS “MULUNGU!!!” (GOD) AND THROWS HIS HANDS UP!!! THEN HE PROCEEDS TO CLAP FOR HIMSELF!!! HAHA! CHILDREN HERE ARE THE BEST!!! WE WERE ALL LAUGHING DURING HIS PRAYER!!! IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER!!!

DURING THE WHOLE LESSON HOPESON WOULD GRAB MY PAMPHLET OUT OF MY HANDS AND POINT TO THE PICTURE OF JESUS AND SAY “YESU KHRISTU!!!!!” HE IS SO FUNNY!!!

CONVERSATION WITH SISTER SOLOMONE:

ME: OH NO!!! THAT LITTLE GIRL CAN’T WALK!!!! SHE IS TRYING TO SEE THE CAMERA BUT IT IS OUT OF HER REACH!! ALL THE OTHER KIDS ARE LOOKING!!! SHE CANT SEE!!!! I WANT TO PICK HER UP BUT I CAN’T… MISSIONARY RULES…

SISTER SOLOMONE: WHAT WOULD JESUS DO!?

ME: PICK HER UP!!!!

THEN I DID!!! AND I AM GLAD!! I HELD THE LITTLE GIRL FOR 30 MINS BECAUSE I DIDNT WANT TO SEE HER CRAWLING AROUND IN THE DIRT!! IT MADE ME TOO SAD!!!

LOVE YOU ALL,

YOUR HAPPY AND BLESSED MISSIONARY

MULONGO NAMBEWE! (ALSO GOES BY SISTER BROWNING)

P.S. LIFE IS WONDERFUL!! WITH TRIALS AND BLESSINGS! DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS TRUE!

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Email 12/22/2014

This week was great!! I don’t really know why though because a ton of bad things happened but it was still like a really good week!!! So, I wont go into detail about the bad things because that would be negative!! Negative is bad ;).

I learned that the Lord really wants me to pray about EVERYTHING I am thankful for!! I forgot to thank him for running water so he turned it off!  It was off in our whole complex for a day, then just my apartment for the next! It came on when I went on exchanges and turned off again when I returned!! Finally, after four days God had pity and gave me cold water! But I was grateful, and SOOOOO  happy!!!  The day I had exchanges the water was running so I got to take a shower there but as I was shampooing my hair it turned off… leaving shampoo in my hair! Man I was mad!!! Let’s just say I had some greasy hair for a while! Just glad people here can’t really tell! My hair is so different they just think it’s supposed to be that way! 🙂 I did have a bucket to rinse my hair!! But still it was bad man!!! 😉 Oh well, fun story!

Let’s see what else, oh so exchanges were fun!! I was in a different area with an American sister so it was fun to have her to talk to! And It was fun to meet new people!! During exchanges in my area (Zingwangwa) drama broke out and some bad things happened! I am really glad It happened the day I was gone! Just something with our recent convert who is awesome! She just made some mistakes in life and we got caught up in it! But It is all good! Hopefully, all will be well! We got out of the drama because we didnt feel like it was our place to be!!

So this week I learned a new word!! I love it! its chikhuluiliro it means faith!! Don’t try to sound it out because you cant!! It is said like (chi-kulu-pi-lee-lilo) it is the chichewa word for faith!  Man it is fun to say! I have been making a break through in the language! I still can’t speak it but I can understand others a bit!! The ones I am around a lot I can understand a bit! Church is still interesting though! For some reason I dont have a translator anymore?! OH, church man! Ha! So talk about boring!! Like the people here speak REALLY soft and REALLY slow!! Like I am not kidding it’s crazy how slow and soft they speak! So I was trying not to fall alseep all Sunday! But the last sacrement meeting we had was fun! Evidently, no body showed up to give talks so it was all missionaries who had to speak! Thank goodness I didn’t! But it was fun to understand people! Then president Erickson came in (he lives in Zambia so it wasnt expected) and talked! So sacrament went for like 1 1/2 hours but it ended with a bang!! This man got up to say the prayer, right? Well, we all tuck our hair behind our ears and lean forward so we can hear him, but instead of a quiet voice the man just starts going off!!  He was saying the most funny things!! And man, he was loud! He prayed for at least 5 mins!! I was literally trying not to laugh!!  It was good!!! That guy was feeling it!!  Haha, holy ghost fire!! That’s also a big thing here!! People chant that! “Holy ghost fire!!” Man even when we teach kids we ask simple questions like “How does heavenly father anwser our prayers?” “Holy ghost fire!” I laugh every time!! 

Well, I can’t really think of anything else but it’s been real!! A good week!! Today it rained so hard people couldn’t drive and we all were stranded in a store!! It even was hailing! That hurt!  I was outside!! The wind was blowing so hard! It was fun! I wanted to leave the little shelter and go play in it but my comp said there was no way she would follow me!!

Anyways, I love you all! And just so you all know, packages are allowed! Ha, some people were under the impression that they aren’t but they are 🙂 Hint-hint! Don’t go broke over me though! 🙂

Love Sister Neicia Marie Browning!

P.S. Christmas party!!! Yay!!! 😉 T minus 45 mins! All the missionaries from Lilongwe (a city in malawi) are traveling over here!! We get to share our flat! That’ll be fun! Sorry, no pictures! No time! Next time!

Elder baugh you’re a punk for not emiling me! As are you Kalten! 🙂

Pictures, chat and testimony 12/14/2014

Sister Browning and Sister Hubert at the MTC.

First attempt at Nishima. The hard part for her was the capenta (little whole fish including eyes and bones) and mathumbo (sheep intestines).

Up close look at capenta and mathumbo.

This is what happens when you fall asleep on the couch and not under your mosquito net. She counted 72!

These 8 legged creatures can sure cause drama for a girl…or two.

Eeek!

I wonder if this is why they say don’t drink the water?

Laundry time!

We have a laundry room!!! It isn’t in our flat.  It is right next to it but in our gate!!! So it is just ours! It hurts to wash with hands!! My comp taught me! All the Americans have scraped up wrists!!! Haha!

I am pretty good at it though!!! I wash lots!!! We went and found a lady washing outside on Friday and started helping her and man like 20 people gathered around and laughed at the azungu washing!!! Ha, It’s good for them to see!!!  They think we are better than them!!!  Like they get on their knees to shake our hands because we are “better than them.”  Sometimes it’s a sign of respect but it makes me sad!

So I was riding the taxi home on Thursday and somebody was behind me and kept plucking my hairs!!! I seriously just laughed!!! It doesn’t bug me because I know they are just amazed at my hair, its color and softness!!! It gets touched a lot!! People pretend to do it on accident!!! It’s funny!!! But man the person plucking my hairs! Ha, probably wanted to prove to people they saw me!

Ha two packages!!! Wow!!! Yay!!! everybody has gotten theirs and then there was me but I didnt care until the zone leaders called and told me I had one too!!! I waited anxiously for days like half a week only to find out it was my other suit case!!! Ha, my comp has a package though so I guess I don’t really need to buy her things for Christmas!! She has way more then me! Ha!! It’s all good though!! I really don’t care too much!! I bought a Crunch bar and put it my stocking the Coles gave me at my homecoming!! I am excited!!! I really would love some American food in my next package! Actually, I made a list I’ll tell you later!!!

You asked about my schedule.  I

get up at 6:30

8-9 personal study

9-10 comp study

leave by 10

be home by 6, but leave area by 5!

6-10:30 dinner and planning! Then we have a lot of time that we just sit and talk or cook! stuff like that!!! It’s because it is so dangerous here at night so we just don’t get to do as much work!!! Normally, we go to bed early though because we have really long days still as it is super hot and humid so we are very tired!

Sister Dlamini and I, we have fun! It’s a loud apartment!!!  We laugh and blast Motab for all the world to hear!  She knows Nianja which is very similar to Chichewa!!! But she is learning still too!!! She is definitely not fluent she just picks it up faster!!! Plus she speaks 9 languages so she is used to learning new languages! Most of the Africans here know lots of languages! There are 11 official languages in South Africa and that’s where she is from.

*After I talked to Neicia for a while she wanted to talk to one of her sisters.  I took my computer in to Jessica at 5:40 just before she had to wake up anyway.  Neicia wanted her to take a picture of her new phone and send it to her, which she did.  Her last email message made us laugh so hard.  I’m glad she always has her sense of humor.  This is what Neicia said in return.

Ha!  Wow!  I like it!!! The screen is intact!! For now!! We will see next week!!! Haha!! Not even joking either! How did you get it? Did you have to pay or is it an early Christmas gift? Good I will get the letters in a couple of months! 🙂

I will send kalten some! I just had to wait until I get paid! I didnt get 20% of my money last week so I have been a bit poor!!! Plus I didnt get paid today yet! Hopefully, I will later on today! Otherwise I won’t have any food! 🙂 Literally! Ha, and no way to pay to get home! 🙂 It’s all good fun!! Our neighbors take care of us!! The Beals, they made me brownies last night! 😀

*Then Jessica let her know it was time for prayer and scriptures.

I’ll write you a spiritual thought!!!  2 Nephi 22:2  Jesus Christ is our salvation! Only through him and his atonement can we be saved and gain that salvation. I will trust and be not afraid!!! I love that part!! Jesus Christ went through every thing we did plus more. He knows EXACTLY what we go through and so we can trust in him and fall on him because he will lift us up. I love the CD by Kenneth Cope (I brought it from home) about Jesus!!  It’s helping to build my testimony a lot!! I love Jesus Christ and am eternally thankful for his sacrifice for us! Jesus is your strength and your song as well!!! Let it shine Jaide!  Let it shine!

Pray and study your scriptures!!! Not read but study!! I love you little sister. Have fun at school! Write me emails weekly on your new phone!! You’re the best!!!  And you should do your hair cause you look nasty right now!!! I showed the sisters in my zone! We all laughed!! You need a shower!!! and a shirt!  But you were sleeping so it is ok!!!

Well little one,  I think my companion is almost done now so that means I get to go eat some lunch!!!  I am starving.  It’s 3:30 and I ate last at 7:30ish!  Oatmeal!  Best thing in the world now!!!  I can’t eat cereal because the milk here is SO gross!!!