116 Degrees You Guys!

Dear Family,

I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day yesterday! Dad, it didn't take any time at all to come up with 10 reasons why you're the best. I could have made a much longer list. If I've learned anything on my mission it's how rare it is to have a family like ours. Satan tries to put a lot of bullet holes in families from every angle. I hope you all give each other lots of hugs cause we're very very blessed to have each other. I'm grateful to have the best dad in the world! 

Well this week was hotter than hades. Have you ever stood inside an oven and turned on a blow dryer? It kind of feels like that outside! I'm quickly discovering that last summer was child's play compared to this summer. On Saturday it reached 116 degrees. Someone also said 119, but I'm not sure if that ones true. It will definitely get into the 120's soon. Small price to pay! We won't stop working :) we are moving our studies to after lunch though and going out to proselyte at 8am. It'll just be more effective that way cause no one is outside at 2 in the afternoon.

We had a huge miracle happen on Friday. Our investigator Alli signed up to feed us so we went over and had a nice dinner with her and her husband. After dinner we talked about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and she said she's ready to be baptized!!! YES! She's been coming to church since October and she's finally taking that step. This is the first time she's ever accepted a baptism date. We are so excited for her and her two boys, Braydon and Brennan who have been wanting to be baptized forever. Alli has cervical cancer and is going through chemo so we are scheduling the baptism around that. Right now we are planning on July 12th for the baptism. She really wants it to be a big celebration so we get to help throw a party! :) I wish I could introduce you to this woman. She is one of the physically, emotionally, and spiritually strongest women I've ever met. Even going through chemo she is so strikingly beautiful and so loving and other-focused. Sister Mayfield and I cried thinking about how much we want her to be able to have her boys sealed to her and have that eternal family. We hope that one day her husband will recognize the difference that the gospel has made in his family's life and want to know more. 

This week I realized that I really want to increase my faith... So I studied it for 3 mornings in a row and learned a ton. Faith is really a principle of power, and it's very much like a muscle, where the more you use it the more you have! It is through faith that God works in our lives and brings about miracles. It's how the brother of Jared was able to see the Lord, how Enos was able to receive a remission of sins, and if I want to do the meaningful things God sent me here to do I need to develop faith! Here are the puzzle pieces to exerting great faith that I studied about: 

This one might take you a little longer. But enjoy :) 

I love you all more than homemade chocolate chip cookies, 

More than sister mayfield loves to sing Broadway, 

More than missionaries love to guzzle cases of water, and 

More than the number of degrees outside! ;) 

Love, Sister Browning

A few gems that have made me laugh recently: 

A flamboyant gentleman we met on exchanges with sister Kraus, after introducing myself:  "Sister Brownies?! You sound like a Girl Scout!"

Me driving our struggling little Corolla up a hill: "I can't get this car to go the standard of excellence...." Uh... Speed limit.

Sister Mayfield after everything: "shoot dang!" 

Me in return: "dang shoot!" 

A member giving a talk in sacrament meeting: "I'm about as enthusiastic about sports as an Amish in a BestBuy." 

 Standing at a door waiting for it to open: "I'm exerting so much faith it's giving me a headache." 

Alice, our helpful member: "That would be the dehydration."

Can't remember who said this one: "New zone vision: black mountain/green valley bops to the top 2015, #neverforget"