Chicken Bowels, Blisters and Spanish Profanities!

La verdad, casi siempre parece tan facil escribir en espanol como escribir en ingles ahora. Solo cuando hablo de cosas extranas es mas dificil. pero, voy a escribir eningles para que sea mas claro y mas como quiero que lean.

Elder Brown Enjoys Flowers

 Hola!! It's Monday already. Can you believe it? :) It seems like just las week it was Monday! I was thinking last week at how short it all really seems. I remember sitting down at a computer just like this reflecting on the previous week and really, trying to stitch together the previous week in a manner that fit its caliber. It's really not possible. It's great, it's long, it's short, its sweet, it's spicy, its disappointing, and it's the best choices (intentionally pluralized) you'll ever make.

First off, I want to brag that my first meal with a member was the bowels of a chicken. It tasted good, but it had the texture of a paste. From one to 10, it was a 4. I finally learned the meaning of mollijas.

(Mom insert here - Did you really eat chicken poop or am I confused as to what bowels are? This has me quite intrigued...maybe I don't want to know, but you know me...gotta have the details!) haha :)

Yes, I ate that crap. :P The bowels are where the poop sits. I don't try to think about what all may have been there. But I know where it all is now, and that is good enough for me. :) I don't generally see a food cycle repeat with such rapidity though. It's kind of entertaining. :)

Next, up until this week, my Spanish tongue has been void of what we call groserias, the Spanish word for profanities. However, due to a slip of the tongue on a common word, the mimicking of an 8-year-old member (he called me by the name, ouch), and the reading of someone's apron today, I officially need some soap. ;) Just some of the more major accomplishments of the week...
Next... Well... This week has been somewhat scarce in the pickings, to be honest. It's been great, but it's one of those weeks where the roots grow and the fruits ripen. We did exchanges on Friday last week and I taught with Elder Bernal, the Trainer of Elder Scoubes. Elder Scoubes is doing great, according to Elder Ruiz, and our area is fifty-fifty.

Elder Ruiz and Elder Brown at the Tijuana Temple at Night

We have some promising investigators, but they're running into external roadblocks. One family was planning on attending the temple with us, but had a family emergency. Another girl is 17, and I think she's flirting with me, but my companion isn't entirely certain. However, She's much like my "Devil's advocate" when I pick apart everything. She's not taking us seriously. She's the sister of Karla. There's another family that worships work. We've kind of given up on them... again... There's a lady of 55 and her daughter of mid-to-late thirties that are interested, but not committed. The mom, when she exited the temple, asked us, "Why do you spend so much money on a temple when there are so many poor people?" Everybody, EVERYBODY, treats us like a buffet. It's kind of frustrating. They don't understand the concept of someone who legitimately speaks the words of God. The words of God are not a buffet. They are truth. The laws of man aren't a buffet. The laws of physics aren't a buffet. Why on earthest would the laws of God be a buffet?

My feet aren't sitting terribly pretty right now. I manage to run an eight-day cycle or so, where they hurt, then they really hurt, then they heal, but then they hurt again. The frustrating thing is when I walk my entire area twice to bring anyone to the temple and come up empty-handed but my feet are full of blisters. It's frustrating when I invest so much and see so little. But It's not discouraging. It's mostly a let-down. But I'm not discouraged. Honestly, I know every day is challenging, but we decide if it's a challenge.

My companion, Elder Ruiz, thinks I will train after my three-month training is over. That would be really fun.

If Brina or the others want, they can write me too. Also, They can send me the lesson summaries and I can weigh them against the principles I learned here and reply with suggestions. If they want to practice, I suggest they practice with someone under the age of seven. Even Mormons at this age know more about God than the scholars at forty. It's rather sad, but it's an evidence of a prophet today that teaches us about Christ in order that we may understand.

Elder Brown enjoying a little DQ!

Tijuana Temple Open House, Baptisms and Spanish Calculus

Nov 16, 2015

Elder Brown and Elder Ruiz at Temple Open House

It seems like it's been a day or two, not a week since I last wrote you all!! However, a lot has happened. For example, I got over a 4-day stomach cramp, my feet developed a lot of blisters and then healed, we ran out of water to drink and water to shower in. It rained, and in Imperial, that's never good. I have taught a few horrible lessons, and met more than a few people in contrary to us. However, those are minor prices to pay for the blessings I've received. We have many progressing investigators. We have more investigators than there are people in the branch. However, there aren't many people in the branch, and the investigators never progress as quickly as us missionaries would like. :) We baptized two investigators last week. We have another sure baptismal date. We visited the Tijuana Temple Open House three times since the open house commenced on Friday, November 13th. I've had a lot of spiritual experiences, and I've learned a lot that can't be written.

Elder Brown, Carlos, Elder Ruiz

I have been serving a mission for 2 months, to the day. I am 1/12 of the way done. It's crazy how quickly the time goes. We baptized two people Saturday and Sunday. The first is named Carlos. He was my first lesson. I committed him to baptism when I taught my first lesson in the field. He then decided not to be baptized but has since changed his mind again. I was able to baptize and confirmed him also. That was a cool experience.

Diego was a cool experience also. He wasn't very sure that he wanted to be baptized, all of the way to Friday the 13th, when he decided to be baptized Sunday the 15th. That was a really cool lesson.

Elder Brown at Temple Open House

I remember thinking, "we need to get the investigators and members to conduct a Noche de Hogar, or Family home evening," and then dismissing the thought due to the logistics of balancing our lessons with our investigators, recent converts, and members. Later that day, during the mission correlation meeting, a brother from the stake told us that the members need to conduct Noche de Hogar's in the homes of the investigators. I learned that sometimes the Spirit may give us enough of an idea to develop it and then act on it. If the prompting doesn't seem feasible, find ways to creatively achieve it.

Mrs. Gourley, you’re going to LOVE this next story!!! We were trying to teach a sister of Karla, named Clara (dangerous naming scheme, I know) but she was doing homework. Turns out, she needed help with math. I ended up teaching her and her friend calculus in Spanish. That was a fun experience! :) We are now teaching her and she is planning on being baptized in December. The family of Karla is opening to the Gospel. She's really a blessing to them and to the branch. She has done soo much for them. Her aunt and cousin might be taking the lessons after most of Karla's family and her aunt and cousin attended the temple open house today.

The Tijuana Temple may well be my favorite one. It's beautiful. It's not large, but it's fantastic.

Elder Brown Enjoying Little Cesear's Pizza

The Gift of Tongues

Nov 9, 2015

Hola! There have been many great things happening here. First off, I thank you for the prayers that have been sent my way. :) Thank you for all you've done to help me be a good missionary. However, in the missionary handbook, I am told not to ask that my family or friends hold a fast for me and my area. I was thinking about it, and I think I might have an idea why. Yes, I am your friend, son, brother, or possibly annoying sidekick. However,

Photo from Mexico CCM

I am not your missionary. I am a missionary of the Lord. Your missionaries are serving in your wards and stakes. Those missionaries should have just as many, if not more, prayers, and I believe actions to go along with them.

I learned from Mosiah 18 that members are the ones that build the wards, not missionaries. I see that evident in Tijuana. The past two weeks about 20 members came from the stake to attend our branch and then came with us, the missionaries, to serve and invite others to attend the following week, and more importantly, to attend the Tijuana Temple Open House.

Yesterday, 10 young men, in their white shirts and ties, deconstructed the home of an investigator at the request of the missionaries. There wasn't enough work for the other ten that came, so instead they decided to stand on the corners and pass out invitations. They were better full-time missionaries than we are!

Friday we had our zone meeting and the mission president told us all that we were doing wrong. As I was listening, I thought, wow, he's talking to us like you're two-year-olds. Then I realized that I really am. Sure I'm all grown up and smart, but I have so much that I need to learn. Kids in kindergarten are permitted to do fewer things than I, but the restriction allows them to learn the basics. It's the same as in the mission. I can do fewer things here than before, but here I get to refine the basics. It's brilliant!

I was thinking yesterday as I was walking down the path to church about how I might respond if I received visible success, a.k.a., baptisms. Then the Spirit told me, “The moment you stop thinking about the progress and focus on the success is the moment I leave.” Perspire, don't aspire. I can't really explain it, but It was a really neat experience.

I had another cool experience. I believe it was Thursday. Anyway, we taught the plan of salvation to a family who had lost a ten yr old daughter, presumably to cancer. I taught them a few of the principles and my companero did the same. It was really cool because normally I make a couple of mistakes and speak a bit choppily, but when we taught that lesson, I spoke perfectly. There were no mistakes and there were no pauses to collect my Spanish thoughts. I have noticed that most of the time, when I choose to speak to someone in Spanish about the gospel, the Spanish comes well. However, when someone else chooses for me, or when I don't speak but merely listen, The Spanish is difficult. I really believe it is the gift of tongues. Alma 7:32 says open your mouth and it will be filled. I believe that it is true not only with a new language, but with our first language as well. Open your mouth and God will help you to teach what needs to be taught. He will also teach you at the same time.

Kind Members

Dinner at the Camacho's Home

This post written by Elder Brown's Mom--

Our family has been blessed by the kindness of the members in the Imperial Branch. Elder Brown was not able to send pictures home this week. However, he has had the pleasure of eating dinner in a member's home and they took a picture of him and his companion and emailed the photo to me.


Later, a recently baptized member in his area emailed another couple pictures. This time, it was raining and the missionaries didn't have their umbrellas. This wonderful sister, not only lent the missionaries umbrellas but took a couple photos and emailed them to us!

Rainy-day Rescue

It truly makes us happy to see his smiling face! The unexpected pictures have been a nice surprise this week.

The Family is Central to Heavenly Father's Plan

Hola All!

What is there to write about? Well night one, I was teaching with Elder Ruiz and we invited Carlos, who had 16 years, to be baptized. He accepted, and then the next lesson he decided not to. However, he doesn't talk much so we couldn't figure out why...

Next we taught Lucero, someone who had committed to a baptismal date, and she decided she didn't want to be baptized either...

Every day we have enough appointments to fill the day, but when we follow up and knock on their doors, they're not there. We spend about half of the day contacting. The worst is when a night appointment falls through, because it's too late to knock doors, but its too early to be done...

The computer I'm using right now functions much better than the last one. We're at a nicer internet cafe, but I'm not sure if I can upload pictures from this computer unfortunately. I will see about a different computer next week.

We attended the branch in Tijuana yesterday. It was a testimony meeting, like in every other ward in the world, and I bore my testimony. There were about 20 people from the stake that attended sacrament meeting and then came with us to visit less-actives in our branch. It was really fun. Of four lessons, four lessons worked out. That doesn't generally happen for us. I think it was in large part due to the member involvement. I love it when the members do fulfill their part of the work of salvation, because it enables me to fulfill my part in it as well.

Tijuana LDS Temple

For a long time, I have known the importance of the atonement in my personal life, but not until the past week have I really begun to understand the centrality of the family to it all. Without the family, the church can't grow. Without the family, we can't grow. Without the family, the beautiful children of Heavenly Father can't receive bodies and learn to use them. The power of an entirely active family is something special in the church. Carla, a recent convert to the church, has taught a few lessons with us, but her family is not yet a member. Her baptism may be a powerful influence for their welfare, but her entire family needs to have the blessings of the gospel in their lives. I CAN'T WAIT for the dedication of the Tijuana Temple. Think about it. Most of the members of the church here haven't received their endowments. More, Most of them can't say that if their son were to die, they know they will see them again. When a temple is constructed in Utah, sure it's exciting, but imagine how many more of God's children in Tijuana will have all of the blessings of the Gospel in their home. Its a powerful thought. No wonder every time a temple is built the power of the adversary is lessened in the earth.

Funny story of the week: I cut jalapenós yesterday helping the branch president prepare dinner and I wiped my eye with my jalapenó juice-covered finger. Boy did it sting!! I washed my hands and then my eye. Eventually it stopped hurting. :)

Q and A from the Family: 

 Q: Have you taught any investigators? Tell us about them. 

A: Yes, I taught investigators. Most of the investigators are not progressing very well. It's rather unfortunate that they attend church every week, but they won't get baptized. There's been one baptism in the past 6 weeks, her name is Carla, and she's doing really well. We have taught lessons with her. 

Q: How many Book of Mormons have you given out this past week? 

A: We hand out temple invitations, not Book of Mormons, right now. However, with the new investigators, we have given about 4-5 Book of Mormons out. 

 Q: What does the interior of your apartment/house look like? 

A: The interior of my house is nice. I wish I could upload pictures, but unfortunately I can’t. 

 Q: How many bedrooms are in your home/apartment? 

A: There’s a bedroom, a study room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms in our casa.