The Brooklyn Bridge

Sister Brewer, Sister Kartchner, Elder Watson, Elder Schmeil, Elder Suzuki, Elder Yamamoto, someone's legs and random small candid Japanese child! Once upon a time a companionship in the best little area in the Japan Nagoya Mission did Weekly Planning as usual but did it for week FIVE and realized this transfer is almost over and that Sister Kartchner has to go back to real life in two weeks like whaaaat? Where did that time go?! Being a missionary is in the holiday season is the bee's knees wearing the cat's pajamas but also totally crazy. There is literally so much wonderful to do every day you are shocked to crawl into the futon every night because it feels like you just got out! On Tuesday we had appointment with one of the cute Kodomo Eikaiwa moms where we talked about the Restoration. She had a lot of great questions about other religions and the divisions and why our church is a thing. She is a great and sincere investigator. And her two kids are so cute!! That night...

Guess what? It snowed so much this week. Merry Christmas! Our Savior lives!

What?! It's another P-day already? It was long week but it went really fast! This is a picture of us wait for the でんしゃ (train) at the えき　（station). This week we have been meeting with our 13-year-old investigator who is so ready to be baptized!! She has been taught everything and believes in God and Jesus Christ but she just doesn't think she is prepared to be baptized. We're like you are!! Hontoni!!! Also on Thursday Sugiyura Shimai came with us and gave a powerful testimony. The members are so important! We need their help to find, teach with, fellowship, support and befriend investigators and converts. They are doing a great job here in Okazaki!  Yamada Shimai actually referred us to one of her friends this week! She is also a cute young mom. She is 30/30 investigator which means we do half teaching english and half gospel. They are so so so cute learning English together. She also seemed intrigued by the Book of Mormon and really interested so we'll see how the appo...

 I'm a real-life missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Nagoya, Japan!! My first area is down south in  Okazaki! As soon as I was assigned here ALL the missionaries came up telling me what an incredible area it is. I am so blessed to be here! Monday we flew safely all the way to Nagoya, where the mission presidency met us and took us to the mission home! President and Sister Yamashita are so sweet and wonderful and determined to help us to do the work! Sister Yamashita had a traditional Japanese meal of Costco clam chowder and croissants ready for us. After that delicious meal we went to bed and in the morning had great orientation and then went to the church to meet our trainers! My lovely companion is Sister Kartchner ! Wow this keyboard is really different and weird.  So　instead of going to our area we actually took the train to yokkaichi where i spent my first missionary work day with Sister Humphreys because Sister Kartchner had ST...

Happy Thanksgiving lovely people! I hope you have a magical day and a lovely holiday season. I am certainly grateful for the MTC. Our teachers are experienced and loving and dedicated to our success. There are people here to feed us every single day with edible and satisfying food. The huge media team makes sure all the enlightening meetings run smoothly and with really awesome touches. Our Branch Presidencies and their wives make sure we are spiritually cared for and loved, our companions are patient and willing to grow with us. It has been an honor to learn here. I loved my nine weeks and yes... you make it out! Monday morning I board the airplane to Nagoya, Japan! Hooray! This morning Elder David A. Bednar came and gave us a exciting devotionals. At the beginning of his talk, he had all these people pass out a large quantity of cell phones. After we shook our heads a little and answered each other's "Wait, what's a cell phone?" inquiries, Elder Bednar asked us...

What! It's P-Day already? The last two weeks are flying by! We only have ten days to be para para AAAAAAAHHH. Ha ha It's okay. We have been receiving e-mails from our senpai who have been in Nihon for two weeks. It made us realize we actually get to go and it's going to be fantastic! Barbosa Shimai has alas departed from us. She is in fabulous and beautiful Japan being a very well-trained missionary. We took her to the travel office at 3:35 Tuesday morning and waved to her riding away on the bus after a tearful goodbye. I thought I wouldn't see the sky at 3:00 AM again until after my mission but PSA and reminder: IT IS SENSATIONAL. One of my favorite things. Wilkinson Shimai and I love each other sooo much. Demo....it has certainly been harder to get used to being only a companionship. There is too much room to breathe in our room and our drawers our much too organized with only our belongings in them. Not to mention our lessons and study sessions sans her testimony. So...

There's an attemptively artistic photo for you. This week new kohai came in! Our first group of sisters as STLs! Whoo. They seem pretty cool and hopefully they will adjust well and love it here. I hope we can be good STLs. We are stiiiillll waiting for Barabosa Shimai's visa. Oh man. She goes to the Travel Office every day to ask about it. They don't have any answers for us...seems odd. I am honestly going to be really sad when she leaves our companionship. She has brought so much light and learning to my life. But I know Japan needs her and she wants to be there so so much!  Our district iswonderful of course. I admire their courage and testimonies and I am blessed to have them shared with me. Missions are truly incredible! Also necessary, a blessing and a miracle. All the senior missionaries here are so sweet too.  This week we had more wonderful devotionals and a really uplifting district lesson. The Atonement is REAL and an expression of love from Jesus Christ to all Hi...

Greetings Readers! This week was extremely dramatic, so I'd sit down for this one. Extremely dramatic means something slightly out of the ordinary occurred.  Because MTC is Groundhog Day. Awesome day, but Groundhog Day. So Friday was Halloween! My favorite! We didn't do a ton, as missionary work requires all the focus, which is good! But Wilkinson Shimai and I dressed up as each other. So clever, right? The elders in the older district dressed up with decorated swim goggles as masks and came around "trick or treating," which was giving all of us a pack of cereal they had stockpiled from sack lunches.We ate way much candy from everyone's family all day. Fun times! Cavities for life! So that district left for Tokyo and Sendai on Monday, so sad but we are so excited for them to finally get to Japan! However, when they checked in at the travel office at 3:30 a.m.,They did not have Barbosa Shimai's visa yet, so she had to stay. It was so shocking and pretty sad. Sh...

So every Sunday night after devotional we get to watch a film! This week it was Pitch Perfect. I forgot how funny Rebel Wilson is. Good show! Ha ha, just kidding, obviously. It's either a previously recorded devotional or one of the movies from temple square. I haven't seen any of them before but last week we watched "Legacy" and this week we saw "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration." Wow! I can't believe how good they are! Maybe it's just because I'm here and on a church history high from Institute this summer, but I actually really enjoy learning about the fathers of our church. If you run out of F.H.E. activities one week I highly recommend scooting on down to Temple Square and enjoying one. Joseph Smith is incredible, He's really become and "real" person to me and I'm so grateful for his in-action faith.  Japanese is a little hard but by the grace of the Lord I am improving every day! Yesterday we taught two lessons, an...

I hosted new missionaries this week! That was so fun and I can't believe that was me three weeks ago. the MTC is a great place to be. The  employees have been putting up an immense amount of Christmas lights! They better turn on before I leave because these are a few of my favorite things: Christmas lights. MTC is fabulous! Sorry, I can't exactly figure out how to send pictures to the blog, hopefully some will show up someday. As missionaries, our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive His restored Gospel. I testify that the Gospel is true and it is the way to fulfillment, happiness and righteousness. But the best thing about it is the fact that we all have agency, or power to choose.  I invite YOU, reader, to get your hands on a copy of the Book of Mormon and read the introduction of it, please. Especially the last two paragraphs. Don't take anyone's word for the Gospel to be true, come see what you think! Then invite a friend to do the...

Hello Reader, Thanks for being one. So, "normal" Sundays in the MTC are awesome! RS if first, then stuff, then sacrament meeting is in the afternoon and there's a devotion in the evening. I feel like mom when she was a kid. They asked me to be the chorister in Sacrament meeting which is really cool but also harder than I thought because reading hiragana as swift as a coursing river can be a challenge. But I am so grateful for hymns because they really bring the spirit and it's great reading practice. Sacrament meeting is totally in Nihongo. All the missionaries prepare a talk on the same topic, then the Branch President chooses two people to speak at the pulpit. Relief Society was WONDERFUL. It was combined with all the sisters in the MTC, therefore in English. Our speaker was Sister Eubank, who taught me some things about my divine nature that really stuck. I am, I am a woman, I am a daughter, wife, and mother. I'm entitled to all those roles just because of my h...

Hello Adoring Fans, Family Members, Facebook Friends, Bored Folk, and Accidental Blog Stumblers, I am now a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I am in the Missionary Training Center preparing to go to the Japan Nagoya Mission. This report may be a bit unorganized, I apologize for the shortage of time but I've got gospel magic to do!  Learning Japanese is really fun! I said my first prayer last Friday and I get better every time! SYL (speak your language) is truly a rule and pretty intense but good! Our sempai (older elders and sisters, except not really older just more experienced) are so nice to show us the ropes and help us out. Japanese is going as well as it can, I think. It is so overwhelming to try to figure out what someone is saying just based on the vocabulary I know. Everyone else in my district except one elder has taken at least three years of Japanese, so I feel pretty behind but it is okay because I know I'm doing my best! We taught ou...

Intro Good morning Brothers and Sisters, I am so grateful to be able to call you that. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family. Brother Dallas Anderson and I get to speak today because we have been called to serve as missionaries for this, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. On Wednesday, October 1, we report to the Missionary Training Center at 12:30 to prepare to preach this gospel in our respective areas. I have been assigned to labor in the Japan Nagoya mission. How exciting! I think we can agree that we have received an outpouring of loving support from our families, our ward and friends visiting today. Thank you for being generous with your love, morale, and advice. I have wanted to serve a mission since I was pretty young and in Primary. Now that it is at last and yet all of the sudden here, I think I finally know why I want to go.  In 3 Nephi 27:21, Jesus is commands the people to be like Him: 21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospe...

Me, Teagan, Alyssa. Two of my best friends, the day Teag got her mission call. This weekend I was doing a show at a seven-year-old's birthday party, and as I was setting up, I noticed the middle of a scene. Two of the party guests seem to have a minor quarrel, which ended in "Fine!" from the first girl and "FINE!" from the one talking with her. I'm not sure what happened, but that second grade drama is serious stuff, as many of you know. As the show went on, they laughed and had a good time but did not sit by or talk to one another. At the end, all the kids sit in a circle to meet and pet the rabbit. Bitter Girl tried picking up the rabbit and stumbled with how to hold it. Ex-friend immediately (out of habit, I infer)  helped her and showed her how. They paused and (no longer) Bitter Girl said "Do you want to be friends again?" And Helper/Healer Girl said, "Yeah, let's do it." And bam. Besties again. How easy was it for these ...

This was a very, very fortunate random grab off the "Featured" shelf at my library. Sentence-Synopsis:  An explanation of common autistic behaviors through an extensive interview with a thirteen-year-old autistic boy. At only 193 pages, this was a two-hour read, which became two important hours of my life. Naoki answers the questions about autism honestly and fully, providing unexpected understanding for an outsider. The active effort to understand and love each other is essential, and this book provides another opportunity for that. It reminded me that as I go on my mission, it isn't "my" mission. My mission is for others, for the people in Japan. To love them, understand them, and render service to them the best I can.  The Reason I Jump  is a gentle, wonderful reminder to simply follow a commandment: Love One Another. Overall Grade:  A Disclaimers: No controversial or adult material.

(so far) 1. Tears 2. Hugs 3. Extreme Overeating 4. Loss of desire to go to work 5. Premature feelings of missing your job 6. Random hymn solos 7. Tears 8. Extreme Happiness 9. Scripture Hunger 10. Insomnia 11. Oversleeping 12. Tons of Exciting Mail 13. Desire to kiss and cuddle always 14. Desire to never look at a boy ever 15. More eating 16. Getting up early to exercise and eating Lucky Charms instead 17. Writing every missionary you know daily 18. Loss of proper grammar usage 19. Making lists 20. Losing keys 21. Sudden need to enroll in every Institute class 22. Happy tears 23.  Loss of motivation to do anything that requires opening of the eyes or moving of the limbs. 24. Surges of Satan eating your brain 25. Surges of the Spirit hugging your heart 26. Constant itch to move out 27. Extreme rage and hatred for anything that dares to stub your toe 28. Elongating of bucket list 29. Inability to let go of your mother whilst hugging 30. Crying over simpl...

This book was strongly recommended to me, and the title snatched me for sure. Unfortunately, I was overall disappointed. Sentence-Synopsis:   Fangirl is about a girl who is obsessed with Harry Potter and doesn't want to move on to college but she has to anyway and has personal growth. First of all, I really enjoyed Rowell's writing style. Her sentences were crisp and her vocabulary was good enough to keep me interested. She had excellent flow and easily painted a picture of each scene for her readers. She often includes details that may seem unnecessary, but really end up complementing the piece nicely. Having just finished my freshman year of college myself, the story was very relatable. Cather has all the same apprehensions we do, and same dry humor we love to use in ventilation on Twitter. I can see how readers easily connect with her story. We root for her as we would ourselves in her relationships and accomplishments. I was simply disappointed that the story didn't ...

Sometimes I go lovely places and marvel at a geographically different portion of the sky we live under. The trees are majestic and the mountains are big show offs and the air feels lighter. When the environment changes sometimes the thoughts get cleaner and deeper and extremely analytical. So I feel like I've learned another tiny piece about something  I want to be good at and am a long way from doing so. But I forgot my journal, so here's another 212 words into the sea of internet oblivion. It's not about loving each other despite our weaknesses, it's about loving each other because of them. When they have a weakness and they're willing to show it to you, that is a rather high level of trust. They don't want the weakness, maybe they haven't even recognized it yet. But there is a good chance they are trying their best. With the trust, you have the opportunity to help them improve their character and yours by demonstrating patience, understanding, suppor...

So there's that moment. When you have to use the bathroom at your guy friends' apartment, and you're like ew. Just ewwww.*Shiver* No Brooklyn, it's okay, they're boys. Boys just do, they don't analyze spaces. Boys are messy. No big deal. But then you realize, oh my goodness. I'm marrying one of these someday. And that means live in the same proximity thereof. So conclusion: Boys (or messy people): ask your mother if you're rather messy, and if so, enhance your bonus points enormously by working on it in the name of love. Girls (or fellow anxiously OCD people): take a deep breath and calculate priorities. Messy rooms are not rebellious backlashes of evil laughter. They are humane occurences. Wishing you peaceful, strong, responsible and passionate love, Brooklyn

A Reflection of my Religion 101 Class, with a rather pretentious but honest-as-possible ending. As soon as I started registration for college, I asked the counselor if there was a Religions of the World class. I was eager to take it because I plan on serving an LDS mission in the fall. I wanted to know as much as I possibly could about what other people were thinking before I went out and told them my way was better. The two most memorable phrases Dr. Anderson has ever said to me came on the first day of class. First, “What the hell is Religion?” I thought it was witty and ironic, and I liked to think I understood witty humor and was cool enough to nod in comprehensive laughter.  Religion is a system comprised of people with similar belief, with rituals to enact those beliefs. Religion is a community, a therapist, and an inspiration. Religion is controlling, violent, and destructive. These are all things Religion can be, and have been. Learning about all these denominati...

Introduction Hello! Today, I’m going to invite you to say the magic words! Now what are the magic words? Different magicians may disagree. I can tell you what they are not: “You’re ugly! You have too much acne, You’re not smart enough, you can’t do that, You eat too much, I don’t like you, and that means nobody likes you.” Now of course I didn’t mean any of those words, but they were hurtful ones weren’t they? And they would probably hurt just as much if you read them in a Facebook message.  Today I’m here to let you know that Cyber Bullying is a real issue, how we fix it, and the small and easy thing you can do to help just by staying right there in your seat. 1. Bullying has to do with opportunity. Where there is a means of communication there is possibility for attack. Multiple studies have been conducted recently to verify the reality of cyber bullying, and how its affecting people, especially between the ages of 13 and 17. This statement from a study done by Xiao and ...

Hello. My name is still Brooklyn. When the Stake Presidency asked me to share some of my thoughts and feelings for eight minutes, I was really excited. However, I believe it is very impossible for any 18-year-old girl to comprehensively explain her feelings in eight minutes. And besides, you wouldn’t understand. All drama aside, I chose just a few passionate feelings and I’m grateful to share them with you today. I will begin by introducing myself a little, just in case some of you don’t follow me on Twitter. I am Brooklyn Brewer from the Hillcrest Ward, my daddy Paul and I do magic shows, my beautiful, amazing mother Jodi teaches dance classes, and my baby sister Katelyn makes really delectable cupcakes. I go to school at Westminster College, where I major in being a Freshman, which means I have no idea what I want to do with my life yet.  However, I do know who I am. Which I think is a good first step.  I am a child of God. God is my Heavenly Father and He loves me...

That's about as new as twenty-fourteen me gets, and that's my satirical slam on society for the day. I don't do New Year's Resolutions. I don't make them either. Now before you write me off as a snob hipster, which you're free and probably entitled to do, read my rant since you're already here and internet-wasting time. First, Nearesos seem impulsive. There is ALL THE MUCH going on in November and December such as recovering from Halloween's awesomeness, deciding how you feel about Christmas music, eating too much, NaNoWriMo, pretending to study for finals, frantically "shopping" for gifts even though you're broke as a joke (thanks Kate) and have no idea what your family could possibly enjoy, working ridiculous hours, deciding how to make your one party dress look different at each party, contemplating on conforming to ugly sweater day, and then shifting into quality family time mode and magically getting along with everyone. So by the tim...