It's Hard, But it's Okay, But it's Still Hard. がんばります．

Hello and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Daddy! He is 55 today, but still has all the energy of the 19-year-old missionary magician inside him! Love him a lot! He taught me a lot of the things I am trying to be here on the mission. I hope to become as bright, joyful, and fun as him someday!

Speaking of learning things, I learned some things this week! That's a side effect of missionary work. Hooray!

This week Sister Takaku and I just went about our business trying to build the blessed Kingdom of God here in Okazaki. It was fun, exciting, disappointing, exhausting, challenging, and spirit-filled! You know, all those wonderfully normal things you will read in all the missionary e-mails you read today. I think you hear those things and sometimes admire missionaries for the things they do. They testify of how hard it is but then most of the time express joy and how it's totally worth it. Which it is! Being a missionary has by far been the most joyful experience of my life so far, and I am still just a little beanchan! Bust just like anything, you can hear about the hard times as much as you want, but you won't really know until you get there.

Missions are indeed hard. 

And I thank my Heavenly Father for that.

Missions are hard, and that's okay! That doesn't make it less hard that it's okay, but it does make it worth it.  Does that make sense? 

Heavenly Father has given us this enormous potential to grow and become magnificent. Truly magnificent. What a blessing hard work is, so we can get there. Growth. I stand all amazed. He cares for us that much that He would create for us an earth where we could do this growing.

Your spirit is a beautiful botanical creation on its way to majesty! I am learning how to grow here! I am so blessed! Thank you for each of your prayers, happy thoughts, pieces of support, kind words, and immense love. I can honestly feel them every day as I work here. I promise to work hard! Let's keep growing together, forever! :) We'll need a strong foundation in Christ (Helaman 5:12), and then nourish our faith (Alma 32:28) daily with desire (Alma 41:5), and action (Doctrine and Covenants 6:33). 

I love you folks!

Don't be afraid to say hey and tell me about you life. :) Thanks for all the magic you make happen.

Sincerely,

Sister Brewer

Tango for the week:

いきましょう！　（ｅｅ－ｋｅｅ－ｍａｈ－ｓｈｏｗ）

Ｍeaning: Let's go!

もいかい？ Sorry, Could You Say That Again?

Behold, Transfer Two has commenced! Whoo! My new companion is Sister Takaku from Ibaraki! Her Japanese is so crazy good! Probably because she is Japanese. That helps. I was so sad for Sister Kartchner to go but Sister Takaku is the most adorable lil sister you have ever seen! Way too much fun. Trying to plan lessons and plans and breakfast in 100% is definitely hard, but I am so blessed because I know my Japanese will improve a lot! Heavenly Father knows exactly how to help us become the missionaries He needs us to be! This week was a whirlwind of meeting people! Our investigators are doing well but need that extra push to commit to the glorious growth of baptism. :) Please pray for their faith! I love them so much and I know the integration of the gospel into their whole life and family will bless them now and eternally.

Keep smiling and keep being missionaries my friends! It is indeed His work and His glory, and it is a blessing to be a part of it.

I would love to hear from you via letter or e-mail. :) Pray always, love everyone. 

真ってね！

Sister Brooklyn

Japanese Vocabulary for the  Week:

はじめまして　（ha-ji-meh-ma-she-te)

Meaning: Nice to meet you! 

Transfer One: Check!

WAIT WHAT?! Today is the last day of my first transfer! I don't about you, but that went very fast from over here. I just packed Sister Kartchner away into a member's car and that was kind of sad! Oh my goodness! Elder Schmeil my awesome district leader is also being transferred. Missions are certainly full of goodbyes! That is okay though because I get to stay in OKAZAKI and tomorrow my new companion SISTER TAKAKU will come! Hooray! She has been in the mission for about 6 transfers I think. I better learn how to speak Japanese! Ha ha I mean...I am...always. ぺらぺら. I still feel like such a bean chan.

On Wednesday we had しまいたいかい！ Sisters Conference! It was really great! This member from Toyota came a spoke to us. She served her mission in Okinawa and baptized like 350 people literally. Cool huh? I ought to work harder! We also at delicious curry and had  lil talent show! two sisters did a beautiful song in Japanese sign language, two more did a violin/piano duet of Come Thou Fount, Sister Pasi hula danced and I got to do a magic show! So much fun! Sister Yamashita was so nice to let me perform. 

Hooray for last minute Relief-Society organized weddings! 

We had a couple great lessons this week and one investigator came to church! Yay! But we can do better than that next week. Hopefully everyone kind of gets over the holidays/being cold and gets excited about the gospel! Because the gospel is thee besst. 

So yeah! Tomorrow is transfers and I am area senpai! Kiiinnnnddd of scary. I have gotten to know the area and people the best I can! Hopefully we get GPS apps sooon....otherwise we might be doing a lot of circle biking. 

This week while reading in Matthew I have begun to know my Savior a little better. What an incredible journey it is. We can learn to love and know Him more our whole lives long, what a merciful blessing. He is truly our brother, exuding so much love consistently. Read the precious words we have testifying of Him. Pray always to Heavenly Father, you will feel much love!

Have a magical week people!

Much Love,

Sister Brooklyn Brewer

あいしています　（Ai-she-tay-ee-mas)

I love you!

Dozo...Have some more food with that food!

Happy New Year! This week it was pretty tough to get much dendo done  on account of everyone having two weeks off and therefore not being home slash hibernating if you are Brazilian because snow kind of scares them. It snowed on New Years Eve! Hooray! I am a little floored at how fast this year as gone. 2015 does not even sound like a real year ha ha! We did get to teach Lesson 1 to a member's college friend. 

The Lesson We Taught:

They are two super cute girls and its way fun since we're all around the same age. She was really interested in the message and seemed intrigued by the Book of Mormon! I love her and hope she accepts the full gospel! It is amazing how much Heavenly Father loves His children. Being a missionary is an immense blessing, being able to feel a bit of that love He constantly showers upon us. 

Food I Ate:

This week the Stake President invited us to his house in Gamagorri for a MOCHI lunch! I am so lucky I got to experience that! So the rice goes in this big wood barrels and over the fire and I think there is wheat or water or something in there too. Then it all goes in this giant stone bowl and the men whack it with what looks like a giantnormous mallot. and then it is really stick and think and the women take little pieces, roll anko into the middle and BAM you have a mochi ball of niceness. Culture is the coolest! We also got creative and started putting fruits in the middle with the anko. YUM! Very very very filling. And that night we went to Fujinaka Shimai's house for pizza. Which in Japan has scrambled eggs and squid and kelp on it. 

On New Years Day this really nice couple who we ran into while caroling on Christmas (who were very drunk at the time) had us over for lunch! It ended up being rather non-sketchy and we had oden and way too much build-it-yourself sushi! YUM. That woman never stopped putting food on the table. It was a very good time and I think they have sort of become the Japanese elder's investigators.

On Fridayish I think we wen to the Kakesomethings and they fed us okonomiaki! Which pretty much a very thick pancake with cabbage and other things you find as you take bites. Such as shrimp and squid OH MY FEROCIOUS HORNTAIL THAT WAS A TENTACLE I JUST PULLED OUT WITH MY TEETH. Okay. Yeah. That was an event. 

Saturday the Omine family had us over for dinner with the Yamadas! We had yummy taco rice! Which is everything you would use to make a taco...over rice. 

Little Bit of Akashi:

This week the members in the stake rented a bus to go the temple in Tokyo for New Years Eve. The blessings of the temple are immense. One member in particular touched my heart when she withdrew all the savings she had to be able to go. I know we hear stories about this a lot, but these are real people, with deep testimonies and immense desires to follow Jesus Christ. 

Go to the temple often. In Utah, we are overblessed to have temples everywhere. There has to be some purpose behind that. When Heavenly Father gives you opportunities to serve, take them and fulfill them with all you might and heart. THAT is where the real joy and wonderful blessings come.