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Sister Browning and Sister Craven finish Christ-focused outreach in 4 nations

While ministering in Cape Verde, Latvia, Lithuania and England, Sister Tracy Y. Browning and Sister Rebecca L. Craven invite all to come unto Christ

Sister Svetlana Samigullina, Latvian District Primary president, center, visits with Sister Tracy Y. Browning and Sister Rebecca L. Craven in Riga, Latvia, on March 7, 2023. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Sister Rebecca L. Craven and Sister Tracy Y. Browning speak with Cape Verde first lady Débora Katisa Carvalho at the Presidential Palace in Praia, Cape Verde, on March 2, 2023. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
A Primary children’s choir sings at Riga Chapel in Riga, Latvia, March 7, 2023. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Sister Rebecca L. Craven and Sister Tracy Y. Browning speak with youth at the Reading England Stake center The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

While traveling through four countries this month in the Church’s Europe North Area, Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, and Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, testified to children and youth that they are children of God who can seek Christ’s voice and live according to His gospel.

The women leaders began in Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa, traveled to the Baltic nations of Latvia and Lithuania, and finished in southern England. They were accompanied by their husbands, Brother Brady Browning and Brother Ronald L. Craven, and by members of the Europe North Area presidency. 

Meetings in Cape Verde

Sister Browning and Sister Craven held meetings in Praia, Cape Verde, for children, youth, their parents and leaders on Saturday, March 4, reported the Church’s U.K. Newsroom.

“You are not forgotten in these islands,” Sister Craven reassured more than 300 youth in one of the devotionals. “Heavenly Father loves and knows each one of you by name,” she said.  

Primary children sing in a devotional with Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, and Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, in Praia, Cape Verde, on March 4, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Sister Browning asked 500 younger children and adults in a Primary meeting to share what they learned from the song “The Holy Ghost” (Children’s Songbook, page 105). One 9-year-old girl responded that the song reminds her of the day when she was baptized, and she feels happy and grateful for that gift. 

“We pray for you every single day, and our hearts hope you can feel this in some way,” Sister Browning told the children.

Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, left, and Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, stand in the garden of the Presidential Palace in Praia, Cape Verde, on March 2, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

While in Praia, Sister Browning and Sister Craven met Cape Verde first lady Débora Katisa Carvalho on Thursday, March 2, to discuss humanitarian initiatives.

Carvalho highlighted projects she has developed in the areas of child sexual abuse, children with special needs, and teen pregnancy. Sister Browning and Sister Craven expressed their appreciation for the first lady’s work and outlined how the Church’s online educational resources, which include material on mental health and abuse, can assist with some of those concerns.

Sister Rebecca L. Craven and Sister Tracy Y. Browning speak with Cape Verde first lady Débora Katisa Carvalho at the Presidential Palace in Praia, Cape Verde, on March 2, 2023.
Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, left, and Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, speak with Cape Verde first lady Débora Katisa Carvalho, right, at the Presidential Palace in Praia, Cape Verde, on March 2, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Ministry in Latvia and Lithuania

A snowstorm in Riga, Latvia, did not hamper plans for a meeting with parents, children and youth from two branches on Tuesday, March 7. 

Children shared their testimonies of prayer, studying the gospel and their divine identity.

At the meeting, Sister Browning said: “We felt that the Baltic countries should be part of our journey. The many hours and many flights were worth it to hear the testimonies of your children.”

A Primary children’s choir sings at Riga Chapel in Riga, Latvia, March 7, 2023.
A Primary children’s choir sings at Riga Chapel in Riga, Latvia, March 7, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Then on Wednesday, March 8, Church members from all over Lithuania came to the chapel in Vilnius for a meeting. It was the first such event in Lithuania that most youth and parents in attendance had experienced, reported Newsroom.

An activity was based on the building of Nephi’s ship from the Book of Mormon, where youth learned to demonstrate active faith in Jesus Christ. Afterward, they ate Lithuanian national dishes together. 

Gatherings in England

Sister missionaries from the England London Mission sing in a meeting in the Crawley England Stake Center in Crawley, England, on March 11, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Meeting with missionaries in the England London Mission on Saturday, March 11, Sister Craven told a group of sister missionaries: “You are Christ’s ambassadors. Gather yourself and others in this great cause of truth. You have great impact, greater than you can imagine.”

Sister Browning described Primary children as “Christ’s youngest disciples” and emphasized their spiritual influence, during a leadership meeting in Crawley, England. 

“They may be small in stature but not small in testimony,” she said, and encouraged leaders to help children recognize the spiritual aspects of their lives. “Truth will be delicious to them; it will break down what is confusing.”

Sister Rebecca L. Craven and Sister Tracy Y. Browning speak with youth at the Reading England Stake center
Sister Rebecca L. Craven, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, front right, and Sister Tracy Y. Browning, second counselor in the Primary general presidency, front center, speak with youth at the Reading England Stake center in Reading, England, on March 12, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

On Sunday, March 12, a devotional for young women and women was broadcast from the Reading England Stake Center to the United Kingdom and Ireland and concluded the sisters’ four-nation tour. 

That day was like a homecoming for Sister Craven as she attended sacrament meeting in the Bracknell Ward. Her family lived in the Bracknell area during her last two years of high school. 

“This is a place where some of the most important principles of the gospel were taught to me. This is where I solidified my testimony. I am grateful for my friends who helped me stay on the covenant path,” she said.

Two women greet each other at a devotional broadcast from the Reading England Stake center in Reading, England, on March 12, 2023. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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