Hello wonderful friends and family. This week was probably the busiest week of my entire mission. It was amazing and wonderful, hard and exhausting. But I learned so much and I am so grateful for another week of what will probably be the same :) 

First of all, I FINALLY went to Pikes Place!! haha I have always been on the other side of the mission, so I could never go, but now it is super close to where we live. We got to see the renewed gum wall, the fish market, and eat some DELICIOUS local yogurt. It was amazing :) 

And the remainder of our week was filled with 4 different exchanges, planning emergency transfers, and talking to EVERYONE we see. There are so many people in our area, because there are so many tourist attractions and sights. Pretty much our area is BEAUTIFUL and also super super wealthy. So we get an interesting mix of college students, band members from Macklemore (but really, we knocked on their house... or gate surrounding their house... no answer though...), and then old timers who have been here for centuries and now their homes are worth millions of dollars. Its pretty crazy.So every day is a new adventure because we never know what is coming! 

One of the best experiences for me this week was having the opportunity of going on a day exchange with one of sister missionaries, Sister Kyaw. Sister Kyaw is from Myanmar, Burma and she has been on her mission for almost a year. She still has broken English, but she is really just incredible. Her family is in complete poverty over in her country, but people from around the world are supporting her to be able to come on a mission. She is one of the humblest, most powerful missionaries I have ever met. And it is not because she is eloquent, or knows all of the best techniques in missionary work. Rather, she just loves God so much. You can just see it in her eyes the amazing testimony she has that God loves her and is right there with her every step of the way. She was baptized four years ago by senior missionaries in Burma, and we were able to celebrate by being missionaries together for her anniversary day. It was a sweet experience, and one that filled my heart with so much love. As we talked with people on the street and had fun climbing these crazy Seattle streets, I knew that God was with us and that His plan is for us to have joy, no matter how the odds are stacked against us. It was the funnest day ever :) 

Well, I don't have tons of time, but I just wanted to leave you all with my testimony of prayer. I know that prayer is real and that it has the power to change our lives. There have been so many times on my mission where a trial is placed before me and I really don't know how to keep going. But as I have asked God for help and answers, they always come. Not always when I want them to come, but they do come. Prayer is more than just for getting what we want though. It is a way for us to receive direction and help from our Loving Heavenly Father and to align our will with His. When things dont go our way, and we feel like we have been abandoned, forgotten or let down by God, we have to remember that He loves us and He knows a little bit more than we do. Trust in Him and I know that greater understanding and peace will come into your life, no matter what you are facing. 

I love you all so much and hope that you have a great week. Dont forget to pray!!

-Hermana Brooks