I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me

Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me

I tremble to know that for me He was crucified
For me as a sinner He suffered He bled and died
Oh it is wonderful

that He should care for me

enough to die for me.
Oh it is wonderful
wonderful to me.

I like it even better in Spanish:

Asombro me da el amor que me da Jesus

Confuso estoy por Su gracia y por Su luz
Y tiemblo al ver que por mi El Su vida dio
por mi tan indigno Su sangre El derramo

Cuan asombroso es

que por amarme asi
muriera El por me.

Cuan asombroso es
lo que dio
por mi.

I am a representative of Jesus Christ. I testify that He lives. Our Heavenly Father loves you, and He wants you to fulfill with "the measure of your creation" and return to live with Him. Life is not a lucky fluke. It's divinely ordained and will help us to achieve an eternal potential. "Men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25 The Book of Mormon) I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and I know it through prayer and the Holy Ghost. I know that by and through him, the power of God and Christ's true Church were brought back to the earth.

I love you. And I love my Savior.
I want to know Him better, and I want you to know Him better, too.
Will you do it?

All my love and gratitude,

Hermana Brower

P.S. We may not wear the cross in Christ's Church, celebrating that He is a living God, but it does amaze me what He did for me. And for you.

 

And that smile is how I feel when I think of Him.

 

October 28th, 2014

 

I haven't written in approximately an eternity. 

Which might be a bit of an exaggeration.

I start my penultimate change tomorrow. Which is weird.

And last week, on a random Zone P-Day, I ran into 3 of my converts. Which was very weird but AMAZING. Tender mercies are a very real thing. It was pretty much the happiest day of my life. One is super active, and her convert boyfriend goes on his mission in a month and they are SO happy about it. One has filled his mission papers out and just has to send them, and wants to go on his mission in January, a year from when he got baptized. And the other is starting her papers. And my favorite family ever is working towards January 22 as their sealing date. THAT IS WHY WE'RE HERE, FOLKS. Eternal families, by the sealing power and authority of God, found in His true church. 

 

Pictures. Weird, right? 

 

This is safe right? (And so, so, so, so graceful)

 

 

 

 "And I will make ye fishers of men."

 

 

A fake pyramid is still a pyramid.

 

 Stalking my first area from above.

 

 THIS HAPPENED. Hermana Brower + Andrea = Hermanaz para siempre.

 

 

 

 Welcome to Santa Elena Barillas.

(Those five streets down there.)

 

 

 (We didn't think about it being "carrying a child". DO NOT FOLLOW MY EXAMPLE. Be obedient with exactness.)

 

 Elder Kendall's mom would be THRILLED to see this picture, I'm sure.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

November 14th, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

1 & 2 This is Karla and Enrique, the ones who are going on their missions. I kind of love them A LOT. 

3 Happy Halloween! We dressed up as the other. Suuuuper creative, right? (Photo would not up load.)

4 Thanks to my companion, there was some actual creativity in our Halloween. (Photo would not up load.)

Guess what? I love ya'll A LOT. Build the kingdom, WWJD, and all other cheesy but true Christian sayings you can think of.

Loooooove,

Alfalfa.

 

 

***

 

December 2nd, 2014

 

Has it really been a month?
Awkward.

Well, Happy Thanksgiving and Happy December!

I may or may not have had emergency changes because of some stuff happening in Santa Elena Barillas and may or may not be in La Gomera, in the zone I left just two months ago, in Santa Lucia, and I may or may not have a new companion, Hermana Godfrey.
BUT I LOVE IT HERE.  And I love Hermana Godfrey. We entered the mission together; we were the first two to get to the airport! (Can you believe I was actually on time to something? It's because of Grams and Gramps.) We've only been together exactly a day, but it's already been so fun! It is deeeeefinitely hot. But that's okay. 

We might have changes next week, or the Lord might just leave us to grow old and die together! Just as senior citizens go to the coast to retire, the Lord has possibly sent Hermana Godfrey and I to retire by the sunny Pacific shore. 

But we will be rocking Golden Girls.

Guess what? I LOVE YOU GUYS!

And I believe in miracles.

And I love you guys.
And I love He is the Gift. Look it up on Youtube, little buddies.

Love, 

Herma Brower

 

 

Hna. Garcia and I got to La Gomera just in time for the photo. (SERIOUSLY, they're retiring us!)

 

 

***

 

 

December 9th, 2014

 

Our relationship wasn't even long enough to publish it on Facebook, but Hermana Godfrey and I are already breaking up. We do NOT "like" that status. 

But we will go and do what the Lord has commanded - I'm going to retire in who knows where with who knows who, and she's going to stay in La Gomera. But we are happy to do as the Lord commands! And to give our ALL in the rest of this sacred time He has entrusted us. 

We say this in every contact, and I am so grateful to remember it:

My companion and I are representatives of Jesus Christ. We testify that He lives.

Live like you believe, my dears. I'm doing my best to do so down here, and I know it's possible. Hard, but we can do it. Make and keep sacred covenants with Him. You can make them in a baptismal font, in the temple, or on your knees - do it and you will have more light in your life.

I LOVE YOU!

Please eat lots of Christmas goodies for me and I will eat lots of tamales for you.

 

 

***

 

 

December 16th, 2014

 

ienveni2 a mi correo semanal!

Chimaltenango, San Andres Itzapa...an hour from Antigua and guess who's coming to visit me at church? My favorite almost eternal family of all time, Eva and Mauricio. (January, baby!)
My companion is Hermana Reategui, another Peruvian! She is ADORABLE. Fin.
Happy almost Christmas, Harry!
I love ya'll...about this much.
Love,
Hermana Brower

1. I am HAPPY here. And not sweating. That's always nice. (Not that I don't love the coast, but the sweat I can do without.)

 

2. We don't always shop in pacas (just kidding, we do), but when we do, we buy stuffed animals. (Ain't she precious?)

 

3. I'm REAL EXCITED about the eggnog, okay?

 

 

***

 

 

December 23rd, 2014

 

FELIZ NAVIDAD
Or in other, better words: Happy Christmas, Harry!
I love you all so much.
And He loves you more.
Be grateful for your Savior.
And watch HE IS THE GIFT lots for me, thanks.

Wherever you are, rain or shine, snow or just a lot of dead winter trees...it's a beautiful day! And I love you.
P.S. I LOVE YOU!

 

 

***

 

 

January 13th, 2015

 

Hey guys!

Trunky yet?

Miracles Happen. Fijense.

 

 

​Meet Niriam and Nefi. 

They've been boyfriend and girlfriend for five or six years.

Nefi is an RM.

Niriam's teaching record dates back from 2013 but has about eight lessons on it. 

She attends church EVERY SUNDAY but her schedule is crazy and we can never ever ever find her. 

We taught her my very first day here in Itzapa (about five weeks ago) and since then have knocked on her door almost every night and never found her. And we could never put appointments with her in church because she would leave immediately after the first hour, and the last time we could miraculously put an appointment with her, she wasn't there.

And THEN we saw her leaving a different church a couple of weeks ago. We were about 2 seconds away from dropping her, honestly. She just was not progressing.

Miracle 1: I was on divisions with my favorite Hermana Funk, and called Niriam, and she answered. (Girl NEVER answers her phone.)

Miracle 2: She let us put an appointment with her for the next day.

Miracle 3: She opened the door when we got there! (Girl NEVER opens the door.)

Miracle 4: She hasn't prayed to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet since the last time we came (five weeks ago), but says that she wants to know. So we asked, "Sister Niriam, if you want to know, why haven't you asked for more than a month?" and she just kind of sat there, thinking, and finally said, "I guess you just get used to things." She said a fantastic prayer and accepted the baptismal challenge for the 11th - on condition that she had her answer by the 11th.

Miracle 5: We came back on Friday (she was there! she opened the door!) and she said that she was starting to feel an answer - peace and desires to know even more. We told her about this handy little thing called a baptismal interview and explained that if she still wanted time after the interview, she didn't have to be baptized on the 11th, but if she wanted to, the interview would help her recognize her answer and she could get baptized on the 11th.

Miracle 6: She showed to her interview and loved it. Nefi rocks, because we hadn't been able to teach her about tithing, the Word of Wisdom, the Law of Chastity, or keeping the Sabbath Day holy. And she somehow knew it all and passed her interview (MEMBERS, YA'LL ARE KEY.)

Miracle 7: We somehow managed to teach The Plan of Salvation, almost all of the commandments, and all of the Laws and Ordinances (about 20 lessons) on Saturday night. And girl accepted EVERYTHING.

Miracle 8: As she was going to leave to come to her baptism at 8 am on Sunday, there was a LOT of opposition from her mom. But she came.

Miracle 9: She got baptized and confirmed! (And stayed all 3 hours!)

 

Do you believe in miracles?

I do.

I love you all!!! 

Help someone have a miracle in their life this week.

 

Con amor,

Hermana Brower

 

 

***

 

 

January 27th, 2015

 

I LOVE YOU.
THANK YOU.

JESUS.

These are the 6 most important words in the English language.

Now you know.

The temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty...between heaven and earth.

 

 

Thanks, Hermana Funk.

 



September 30^th

Greetings from Planet Changes,

After 6 months, Santa Lucia and I are breaking up. It was a good time, but even good things have to end sometimes. I looked like a farmer, trekking through the streets in my rainboots, and Santa didn’t like that, and the heat of Santa made me break out, which I didn’t like, so it’s really for the best that we’re breaking up.

BUT there’s lots of pictures AND I will miss Santa A LOT.

Because everywhere I go, I leave a bit of my heart there.

Ya’ll know that I don’t speak English anymore, so photos away.

Imma copy Kjerst and stick em in a document. INSPIRATION NATION(S).

LOVE YOU LONG TIME.

Hasta la proxima baby.

Hermana Broadway (y Hermana Celine Dion)

 

 

 We are real creeps when we get the raincoats on. 

 

Pretty sure this is how they took the picture of the monster in Loch Ness.

 

 

 

This is how we carry our lunch to the house: In Style.

 

 Thou shalt not judge: Popcorn Avocado Tacos (Desperate times call for desperate measures)

 

 

 

Sister Brower tries to wear all her thrift shop finds at once.

 

 

 

Fried platanos as life

 

 

This is love.

 

 

 

October 7th,

 

I am in this beautiful little village just outside of the Capital, called Santa Elena Barillas.

My companion is Hermana Garcia, she's from Zona 1 in the Capital, speaks English like a Gringa, is reeeeal sweet, a total machine, and loves Harry Potter.

I LOVE MY AREA. It makes me so happy, and it's NOT HOT. It's actually cold. So tender mercies exist.

LOVE YALLLLLLL.

Pictures...como siempre...weird, right?

 

 

 

Meet Oscar. He's a small business owner, has an Atheist Boxer named Roco, collects everything, HAS THE SAME INDIAN METAL FIGURE THAT WE HAVE AT HOME, and is a Mormon.

 

 

Meet Roco. He's an Atheist, but is starting to listen to the Mormon chicks.

 

 

 

CUBBLE PUBBLES WITH ANIMALS REMAINS THE BEST.

 

 

 

Meet Terry. He still hasn't come to church, but we're working on it.

I LOVE THEM.

 

 



 

Let the Harry Potter jokes began.

LOVE EWE.

My new companion, Hermana Zeledon, is from Costa Rica and has a pet pig named Ziggy, after Ziggy Stardust. Yeah, we're friends.

Working hard and loving life, my dears!

And 2 of my favoritest people are in my zone, now - It really is the best having friends in your zone. 

And today we teach our first English class...a ver como lo hacemos!!!

Our mission president sent us this quote today: "A mission is like a grindstone: Whether you are ground down or polished up depends on what you are made of."

Life is like that, too. Be strong, lovelies! 

I love you all a lot. 

Love, 

Hermana Brower

Photo 1: My new Tika!

 

Photo 2: My new Tika dresses like Kate Moss sometimes. So I get to steal her blazer. (Lies, I am NEVER wearing a blazer in Santa Lucia! Or it'll be the last thing I wear because I will die de puro calor.)

 

 

They say that breaking uuuup is

haaaard to dooo

Now I know, I know that it's truuuue

Doooon't saaaay that this is the end

Me voy

que lastima pero adios

Me despido de ti

Me voy

Show me the meaning of being lonely

Is this the feeling I need to walk in?

 

WE HAVE CHANGES.

After 3 changes together, the dream team is breaking up, ladies and gents. Hermana Martinez is heading off into the wild blue yonder, and I'm staying here in LA COSTA.

EVEN THE SKY WAS SAD. It rained PURO AGUACERO, with a ton of wind that was shaking the metal roofs so hard we were pretty sure they were going to fall off and come sailing towards us. We were going to take a magic carpet ride, Guate style. But por pura desgracia, no magic carpet ride for us. 

Oscar held his first Family Home Evening with his daughter, his son-in-law, and his grandkids last night! Which was a lot of fun. He's just so awesome, so converted - I feel really blessed to get to be part of that!

In District Meeting today, we were talking about gratitude.  We read Mosiah 2:19-22, which lead me to 2 Nephi 2:26 (Read it, learn it, love it.), which lead me to this train of thought: (Apologies beforehand if my train of thought takes the most twisty rail there is.)

Agency is power. When our Heavenly Father gave it to us, He knew it meant we were going to use it badly sometimes. He knew that by giving it to us, He would have to suffer, we would have to suffer, and His Beloved Son was going to have to suffer.

But He gave it to us.

I thought of Ruby Sparks, one of my favorite movies. In the movie, the main character is a writer. He writes his dream girl and, in one way or another, she comes to life. He literally creates her. But he's scared to give her agency. He's scared to let her make her own decisions - it's easier to write them into her story. If he wants her to not chew him out for something he's done, he just has to write that she loves him no matter what. If he wants to visit his parents and she doesn't want to, he just has to write into her story that she loves his parents and always wants to visit them. 

He's loves her, but he's scared that if he gives her freedom, she'll leave him and never come back. She's his dream girl!

It reaches kind of an extreme point, but in the end, he lets her go. He writes freedom into her story, he makes her forget, and she goes. 

And she comes back to him.

Of..her own free will.

Our Heavenly Father loves us. A LOT more than Calvin loves Ruby. And I bet He worries that we're not going to come back. He leaves EVERYTHING up to us. He lets us take ALL our own decisions, and we accept the consequences thereof. 

But He wants us to be more than just creations, who do everything we're told because we haven't agency. 

In this FREEDOM (and because we maintain that freedom as we follow His counsels), He lets us become our own person - not the natural man, the work of His hands - but like Him.

Without agency, we could never rise above being mere creations.

With agency, we can become gods. "Man is a god in embryo."

THAT is an incredible principle.

We are His Ruby Sparks. He created us from raw intelligence. HE LOVES US. He wants us to be free. And if we return to Him, as we hope - we have an incredible eternal reward. We exist to have joy (2 Nephi 2:25). And while we don't remember our time with Him before, He puts things into our lives so that we can, if we want, return to Him. And live happily ever after.

I don't know why, but that was such a powerful thing for me to learn today. We are here to ACT, not to be ACTED UPON. So "what'e'er you art, act well your part."

I love you cool cats. Watch some Ruby Sparks for me, read the scriptures, and figure out what you're going to do with all this agency that He gives us.

LOVE,

HERMANA BROWER

One year older and wiser, too
Happy Birthday to you!This time a year ago I was suuuuuuuper nervous and had suuuuuuuuper overpacked. The nervousness is gone, the overpackedness continues. The happiness is tenfold. The blessings are innumerable.OSCAR MADE A COVENANT WITH THE LORD ON SUNDAY!

It's kind of a big deal. We are SO happy, and so is he.
And we went to ANTIGUA. Which is also a big deal.My companion was so relieved because I haven't shut up about going since they told us...July 9th. We didn't go until August 4th. The poor dear. She's got a big old mansion in heaven for putting up with me.

 

One, two, three, I love Antigua, si!
 

 

Four, not to get all Instagram-y
but curry crepes are to die for.

 

 Five, Guatemala's a

paradise.

 

Six, It's got some cool

volcanes (Spanish accent, please).

 

Seven and eight, Oscar is great

(and you have to be so sneaky to get pictures of people smiling here.)

 

 

Nine, Luna de Miel makes me broke but on cloud nine
 

 

Ten, another volcano!

 

And my awful poem/song ends.

 

Welllllllllll. I love you. And you! And you! And you!

Build the kingdom and love one another!