Week 3

Hello!

Guess what. I'm alive!

This week has simply been a week of miracles!

I had my surgery last Monday and everything went so well! I was a little bit nervous the Sunday before but I was able to get a beautiful blessing. I had made really good friends with this sweetest trio of Elders. One of their companions was having health problems and we kept having all of our appointments at the same time and at the same place. One of them is from the Phillipines, one is from Japan and the other is from Spain (serving in Salt Lake South wohoo!). They all speak very, very little English but are the happest people I know. I could go on forever about them. Anyway, I asked them to give me a blessing on Sunday night. The anointing was performed in Tagalog and the rest of the blessing was in Spanish. I understood WAY more than I should have been able to and I was filled with so so much peace. It was one of the most beautiful blessings I have ever received.

 

The surgery itself went really wel! My doctor is extremely possitive and helpful! I even survived the IV without any tears. I have the world's best companions and my dear Sister Walker took such good care of me! After the surgery, I was in a lot of pain! I had a small moment when it all just seemed like a little too much. I wised I was wih my family and I felt so alone. I closed my eyes and pleaded with the Lord for a few minutes to help me feel ok. About 30 seconds after I opened my eyes, I saw a small flash of a familiar face. I was on a heart monitor and my beeping of my heart rate jumped up really fast. My comapanion ased what was wrong and I told her that I thought I saw my aunt! I flagged down a nurse and she told the nurse in the bay next to me to stop by when she had a second. Sure enough, it was Aunt Maralee! She came over and checked on me and showed my pictures of her cute gradbaby and made me feel like a Brown:) It was such a small thing but the best kind of miracle. She was truly my angel. I know that God answers prayers.

 

Mirale number 571 is that  I was able to go back to the MTC that night. I had no nausea and my pain was under control. I taped pictures up right before I had left of all of my family and friends. I fell asleep on Monday night feeling so incredibly loved and watched over. I could literally and so powerfully feel every prayer.

 

My last knee miracle story happened yesterday. My knee as been recovering relatively well. I'd been sleeping most of the week and had gotten my bandages removed at my psot op apointment the day before. I woke up feeling fine but when I got out of bed and looked at my knee it was BRIGHT red. It was swollen and I swear almost as hot to the touch as my curling iron. It didn't hurt too bad so I went through my morning routinue like usual. At about 11, I went up to the clinic to rest. I mentioned my knee hotness to the nurses and they quickly called in the Doctor. He was very concerned , called my companions out from calss and got my surgeon on the phone. The doctor told me that he was almost certain that I had an infection. He told me that I needed to shuttle out, have my knee reopened and the fluid drained and tested so they would know how to treat it. Umm yuck.

I panicked for about a minute and then asked him if he could give me 2 hours just before we got needles involved. He reluctatly agreed, gave me until 2 and left me in my little sick bay.

 

I felt my entire leg burning when he walked away and I knew it was infected.

 I shed a few tears and begged HF to please just heal me. I told Him that all I want to do is serve Him and that I've kind of been having a hard time doing that lately. I told him that I knew this would set me back even more and that I just really didn't want to deal with an infection. I told Him that I had 100% faith that He could take away the infection.

Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

 

I woke up 2 hours later to the Doctor calling for me outside of the curtain. He came and checked my fluid level, compared sizes of my knees. He conferred with the surgeon on the phone and they agreed that I was FINE.

The surgeon reminded me to come in next week for my already scheduled follow up and to start physical therapy.

I started physical therapy last night and today I'm out of bed, I shed my wheelchair, can stand on my own, and am now only using crutches for support.

HOLY MIRACLE.

 

God is so, so good to me.

 

This next one is more of the biggest blessing/coolest opportunity ever. I GET TO SING FOR THE PROPHET ON SUNDAY!!! For some reason, I was selected out of hundred of applicants to sing in a choir of 31 for the prophet and first presidency, quorum of the 12 and all the mission presidents. I really don't know how or why I was chosen since like all of the other 30 people are like vocal performance majors at BYU. I feel so so so insanely blessed! We've been having insane rehearsals this week to learn and memorize 5 songs. It's nuts. We're singing on Sunday for a sacrament meeting for the mission presidents conducted by President Monson. Wow. I've never been so nervous or excted to perform! My entire schedule is up in the air next week because we'll be performing for all of the big, private meetings. They say that next week we'll have general authorities just waling through our rehearsals all the time. BAH!

 

Well, I think that's all he miracles I have time to tell you about. Just know that there have been about 100 more that I could have told you about.

I KNOW that God lives. I know that He loves us, His children more than we can even comprehend. I know that because He loves us He has given us opportunities and trials to learn and grow. I know that He as provided a way for us to return to Him. I know that He has blessed us with the restored Gospel because He loves us and wants our ultimate happiness. I know that by living the gospel, we open ourselves up to so many incredible blessings that HF has in store for us.

I know this is the gospel of Jesus Christ! I love being a missionary!

My challenge for each of you this week is to write down all the tender merces that you see througout the day before you go to bed! This has become one of my favorite things to do.

I love you all so much!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all for all of the love and support and prayers and packages and letters. It's the best thing to know you have a bunch of people you love praying for you!

 

God lives!

 

 

Sister Brown