Sad to Leave!

So I got the call I am leaving Florence surprise surprise. I have mixed emotions because I love this place and it has a special meaning to me it is where I first started my mission and now I have to leave it but then I am so happy because now I get to go and experience somewhere else new and meet all sorts of new people and have all sorts of experiences.  This past week has been awesome that it is not a coincidence I know it was Heavenly Father telling me my work was done and he shown me that.  On Tuesday we had an appointment with Emily who was having a rough time a couple weeks ago but we told her that if she read the book of Mormon that everything would be ok and after we left she read the Book of Mormon and she felt the spirit and everything that went wrong in her life went right and she knew it was because of the book of Mormon and the church and she wants to be baptized on Dec 15 I was very humbled.  We have been working with a part member family the McGee and we have been focusing more on the mom who is a member and we were talking about all the things she has been doing and I was amazed to hear the she wants her daughters to be baptized and she asked how to help them get there we told her that we would help her.  She has progressed so rapidly and I know great things are going to happen to her and her family by making the choices she has.  On Sunday to top it off we had two investigators come to church one I did not expect because he has health issues and I never thought he would come that day but he did his name is Calvin and he loved it and is now having us teach his nieces and nephew the gospel because he wants them to have it in their lives. I definitely learned and grown a lot especially the last six months I learned of how much this is Heavenly Fathers work and how little I do contribute as a missionary in peoples conversion the lord is preparing constantly people who are ready to know this gospel and we must continue to strive to recognize them and be prepared to give them something that will make them happier than anything else.  Sorry this is a little short but I am so humbled to have been in Florence and will miss it with all my heart but things go on and I know that Florence is in good hands and future missionaries will have lots of work to do because of how awesome and prepared Florence is.  Can't wait to tell y'all where I am till next time.

Love Sister Browning

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!!

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

Hey y'all!! I love being a missionary!!!! There is no greater call than to be here in South Carolina especially in Florence. The transfer is almost over and it is so crazy because it feels like I have only been in S.C for two months but I have been here for six months that is just bizarre and unbelievable because I do not feel as mature as I should be as a missionary but yet I feel like I have learned so much and I love it. I am amazed at how much Heavenly knows me and that he really does answer my prayers. I have a tendency to be a little stressed out especially when it comes to having investigators come to church. So this past week I have been praying so hard to have one investigator come and Heavenly Father answered my prayer, a former investigator came to church Joe Dunn and the funny thing is that we did not contact him at all that week to invite him he came by the spirit which is the lesson that I have learned over and over. Being stressed out is not of the Savior it is the quite opposite and I cannot force everyone to make the choice to join the church (even though I would like to) but that is not part of his plan. It is his work and everything we do is by him and the spirit and I just have the privilege to watch how the spirit works in people. I was very humbled seeing Joe at church and seeing how much Heavenly Father helps us and that he loves me and knows I am giving my best to help these people come closer to him I know that I am not perfect and nor can I ever be but that's ok because he does not expect us to be perfect. On Thursday we had an appointment with a lady named Emily Alfred and we have talked a few times before but on Thursday she was telling me that I knew her daughter and as it turns out her daughter was an investigator that I taught months ago and now we are teaching her mom and hopefully will be picking her back up but she is a very humbled lady who is struggling and is ready to accept this gospel. So Mitt Romney lost and this past week I will admit it was fun to use to our advantage because so many people had sympathy on us because he lost (no worries I never get political but I do use it to my advantage) A lot of people are mad and hurt but we go in there and miraculously change the subject to the gospel which is fun but we have had ear fills with the election go figure. Well I am great tried but great and am so happy and can’t wait to see what Heavenly father has for the next year. I hope all is well and y'all are getting ready for the holidays thanks for the prayers and I hope you have a great week. :) <3
Love Sister Browning

Happy Halloween!

Hey y'all I hope this email finds everyone well and happy things in Florence are great as always. Time is just flying quicker and quicker this transfer is half way over and it feels like it just started and I feel more and more overwhelmed because there is so much to do especially in Florence. But as I always say sharing is caring and I cannot do everything that needs to be done in Florence as much as I would love to I know that I can't. This past week has been so great besides all the wind and cold which I can live without. Anna we lost we do not know if she is out of town or avoiding us we do not know for sure but keep her in your prayers she is so sweet and deserves this gospel. Today we are going to start teaching Zoe Moore who is Jonathon and Kelley's daughter and who is not yet baptized because of family drama with Kelley's mom but today we have a sweet lesson planned about eternal families and I am so excited. We are struggling to get our investigators progress which is difficult because you know that this church will help them and they don't realize it and you want to somehow force them to read and come to church but it is frustrating that you can't. So we just continue on and move forward and keep finding and teaching. We had a special Sisters conference on Wed which was so awesome and powerful it was good to go and see that we are not the only ones with problems with our investigators and it was better to learn from one another and encourage one another. I love being a missionary it is tough and hard but at the conference a sister said that the happiest times do not come from doing the easiest things in life and I totally agree it is from accomplishing the hard things that gives you most satisfaction. I am not perfect nor will I ever be perfect and I have learned that as long as I am striving to work and find and teach that the lord will give me success. Sister Garlick is so awesome the way she teaches is purely by the spirit and she makes people want what she has (which is of course the Holy Ghost) and I am so lucky to have her as a companion. I wish y'all the best week and a safe one too. Thanks for all the prayer they are needed and felt so it means a lot I love all y'all. Till next week.
Love Sister Browning p.s. HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Fire Ants and Missionary Work!

HEY so my fire ant scars are healing slowly but surely people all the time notice them and just laugh because apparently you are not a South Carolinian unless you have been attacked by fire ants so I feel so honored and privileged. This week was great! I recognize how much I have grown on my mission but then I recognize how much I still need to improve on. We have doing a lot of Less active work which is going great they are all willing and wanting to come back to church and are starting to come back last Sunday we had three come which two of the three have not been in more than five years. One of them Tammy Mcgee was not going to come but I became annoyed and flat out told her to stop making excuses and just come. She did come and loved it she told us later about how no other missionaries were able to get her to go until we came and found her but little does she know that it was all her testimony is still so strong and all we did was remind her and the rest was all her and now she wants us to help her three daughters who are not baptized and she wants us to help her teach them which I am so excited for. Anna Sibley who is on date for Saturday is having some fears and does not want to be baptized on Saturday so but she came to church and is reading the Book of Mormon and so hopefully we can help overcome her fears and get her to be baptized on Saturday still we are praying hard that she will but of course we cannot force her and will leave it to the Lord to help her feel that she is ready but I know she is ready and will do everything in my power to help her see how ready she is. 
So sister Garlick is so awesome!!!!!! We were knocking and knocked on this door we heard someone yell from the garage to come through the garage we were walking through and she let us right in because of Sister Garlicks smiling she did not even say anything she just smiled. The Lady was Teresa Simon and she told us that she could not let us in with sister garlick smiling like that and you can bet sister garlick did the rest of the knocking. Never has anyone let me in because of my smile so Sister Garlick is very special and is a great hard working missionary she is being trained because she does not need it she is perfect on her own. Another cool experience we were walking on this road when a lady in a truck pulls up to us and asks if we are Mormons we say yes confused and then she asked for a book of Mormon I did not hesitate and gave her one and got her information. Her name is Yolanda and she is so elect but when we went to our appointment she explained some rules about her church that she did not know. The rules are that they are not allowed to talk about any religion outside the church even with other members. It is like this secret church that pretends like it does not exist. But the consequents are that you get kicked out. She wants to learn but she lives with her parents who are like the leaders and so she does not want to hurt their standing and position in the church by talking to us. I was so bummed and confused but one day she will be baptized I know it.

I love being a missionary thank you all for the letters and Cards they were awesome and mad my week I love you all and thank you for your prayers as well and know that y'all are in mine as well. Please pray for Anna.
Love Always
Sister Browning