A Great Week

Wow. Another week is already gone. I went my first week with Elder D***, and It was a really good week. :) He is ridiculously obedient. He teaches really well and he's almost a head shorter than me, but he walks faster than any of the other missionaries. It's pretty funny actually. :) He knows a TON about the gospel and he teaches it really well.

I have been taking a greater and greater role in the lessons here and because I stayed and Elder R*** left, I was in charge of basically everything for the first couple of days. It was a little bit stressful, but it helped me put myself to work. Elder D*** wants and helps me to take charge of the lessons and just about everything.

At a Stree Vendor

As well, Elder D*** keeps and sticks to a budget. He does it really well. With him as my companion, I've been able to do it as well. I get the feeling you commented something about the money. ;) I took a picture of the street vendors and I as well.

C****: We haven't gone and visited him, hardly at all. However, he and his family attended church.

D***: She is progressing. The hardest thing was that her husband wasn't really in on the whole che-bang. We talked to him about its importance in families and they now attend church.

The Branch: There was a Branch activity this last week. We held it's first family home evening.

that's about it. :) Adios.

Pressing Forward

Jan 18, 2016

This computer hardly works. Elder Ruiz left and I'm still in Imperial. if theres somethig that looks fuy, add an N or two or possibly a R. Elder Ruiz Is a really good missioary. He taught me well and I have learned a lot. Right now he's a zone leader.

I'm still in Imperial, ad I'm a little overwhelmed. There's a lot to do here ad now I do't have his help. I've got another elder, Elder D*** What else? Well I cried when I said bye to Elder Ruiz. It was rather sad. Yes, there were difficulties, but through him, God worked miracles here. The area of Imperial is progressig very quickly thanks to him

Happy 19th Birthday Elder Brown

What else? I loved the cards! I'm gona use them I LOOOOVVVVED the birthday card. It was really fuy. :) It's really short today and I actually have to ru unfortunately. Sorry about that. :/ I didn't even give you anything good to share.

Mom's Crazy Birthday Package to Elder Brown

From Brock's Mom: The card you see in the bottom picture to the right is the one he writes about in his letter home. The birthday card is of a little boy bending over with his rear end up to a microphone. When you open the card, it reads, "My rendition of Happy Birthday!"

The Week of the Harvest

Jan 11, 2016

This is the last week of my training. There's been a lot that has happened. I received pictures of me my family and me from before the mission. I realized that I've changed a lot since then. I've grown a lot (at least in belt size). I have begun to see the differences between business and progress that comes with total focus on a single objective. This week has also shown me much of God's dealings with us. for example:

We went to a chinese buffet for my birthday. I ate jellow without utensils.

1. It rained three days straight. We have no pavement, only dirt, Day one was bad, Day two was dangerous, and day three was flat-out hopeless in our area. We were confined to walking to two different houses each day. We were a bit discouraged for this, but it actually turned out to be a blessing. Because of the weather, we ended up spending the majority of each day in the house of K****, the family of whom we had been teaching very frequently for the past three months. We were pretty much stuck in their house, so we focused more than ever on them. C****, 18, (Baptism 1, I performed it), R******, 15, (Baptism 2, Elder Ruiz performed), and C******, 18, (Baptism 3 Elder R*** performed) received more lessons more quickly in the last week than anyone else here. We also got to teach K****, a recent convert, and L***, their mom (she'll get baptized within the next two months). The rain turned out to be a blessing, as it forced us to stay and teach them.

2. We met another family about a month or two ago. actually we just met the dad. He's about 70 years old, his wife's about 50 or 55, and they have a daughter, age 18. We taught him the first lesson but couldn't find him after that first discussion. Their son got baptized the 26 of December (in another area), and the interest of the whole family surged. Now, they’re planning to get baptized the 6th of February, and are progressing really, really rapidly.

Here's what the roads look like after it rains

3. We were out tracting one day and we met the most born-again, evangelical christian I think may exist, and he starting talking our ears off. He told us it was good were were doing something good and then said, "To my shame, i used to like rock, but I'm over it now, and I think God placed my neighbors here to hear my message of my salvation from Rock." After the contact, Elder Ruiz and I looked at each other and said, "Vamos a salvar los pecadores de Rock.", or "let's go save those sinners from rock." We went, and we met a golden investigator. We taught him of baptism, and he wanted to do it. When we set the baptismal date, he told us that he wanted to be, better, more like Christ when he got baptized, but when I told him that baptism is the first step, not the last, his doubts were resolved. It was fantastic!!! His answers were very thoughtful and accurate. His resolve was very evident. To me, it was a miracle.

4. We had a lesson this past week with A*******. We wanted to bring a member to the lesson so A******* could get to know more people in the church. After thinking really hard about the three members we had as possibilities, we concluded that we couldn't bring one. We went to his house and knocked his door. Lo and behold, the son who had just gotten baptized was there and was able to help us teach and provide a third witness to that which we taught. They all want to get baptized. It's a goal that's very present in their minds.

5. We weren't quite able to go shopping last week, and so we were on the tail end of our food almost all week. One day I made oatmeal, only to find that we had nothing to give it flavor. I went on eating the really, really stale oatmeal in a relatively optimistic manner when i remembered that K***’s father had given us pan (that sweet bread stuff, kind of like a dry doughnut) the day before. I ate my really stale oatmeal with really good pan. I thought of the biblical miracles of bread and food. You may not count it as a miracle, but it was certainly a blessing i could not achieve alone.

6. We returned to teach Hna. H*******(60) and her daughter C*****(35). They are interested, but a little doubtful, and the mom is mad at God. She's the one who got mad about the expenses of the temple. However, they are improving and progressing now. This week has been full of miracles. This week has been the week of the harvest.

7. We received a phone call from another Hna. H****** (40) that she had changed her work schedule and was available to go to church again. She's going to get baptized this month or next. I can't believe that so much is happening!!!

8. Hna. D**** is about 30 years old. She really wants to get baptized, but the only problem is that her husband's not in on the whole church thing. He's not against it, but neither is he for it. He's a good investigator. He's intelligent, and he understands what we're explaining, but he still isn't exactly rooting for the church. However, the wife bought a skirt for church and is reading the Book of Mormon. She's progressing. She just needs the courage to act now. :)

Baptisms January, 9, 2016

9. Now for the baptisms, C**** was pretty much sure, but R***** and C****** were almost against baptism last Tuesday. They started reading the Book of Mormon every day since Monday and progressed rapidly (that's what happens when we read the Book of Mormon). Friday they had set their baptismal date more or less securely for Saturday the 16th of January. However, after the baptismal interview with C****, both R****** and C****** decided to get baptized with her. :) Our one baptism Saturday turned into three. It was really cool to see. Without the Book of Mormon, without Prayer, no baptism would happen, but most assuredly these last two. If you read the Book of Mormon and pray, your whole world will change.

10. We are bringing more and more of the people here to the fold of God. Through the work of my companion and I, and the many miracles that have occurred, the Branch is opening and beginning to develop.

These and many more miracles happened over the past weeks, not all of them can be told, and none of the experiences can be sufficiently shared. On looking back, I realize that every one of these experiences were miracles. The rain was, and the sunshine too. Ether 12:6 says that the miracles don't come until after the trial of our faith, but maybe the trial of our faith isn't necessarily a hard day or a tragedy. Maybe the trial of our faith is FINDING the miracle. There are miracles in everything, and as I search, two things happen: One, the small miracles continue, and two, I have sufficient faith to plead for larger ones.

God is opening the hearts of people in my area. He is opening my heart. The miracles are everywhere, I just can't wait to find them. :)

Love,
Elder Brown

Time Really Flies!

Jan 4, 2016

 Hello Everyone!

New Year's Eve 2015

 It’s already the second-to last-week of my training! I know I should stop commenting on how quickly the time goes, but seriously, it seems like only just last week I was seated at the computer behind me typing all y'all. It seems like just last week I was reflecting on my progress and contemplating the benefits of my sacrifice to serve a mission for two years without the normal comforts of daily life. Oh, that's right, because it was. And just six days ago I talked with a missionary that decided he was done. He told me he hadn't progressed nor had seen any hope for progression. I thought about how much it resembled my doubts. I asked him if he believed that God lives, and loves us. Then I asked him if he believed that God calls prophets to communicate His will with us. The answers to both questions were, of course, yes. The prophet's words are scripture to us today as they were anciently. God doesn't change. The prophets command the young men to serve a mission, if they are worthy and able. To me, believing that I am exempt from serving a mission would be denying my testimony, and ultimately, denying Christ. I don't want to do that. That would take some serious paradigm reconstruction, and along with it, a serious loss of the hope to which I cling every. single. day.

Now. For the changes that happened this week. I first set myself to studying forgiveness. Before, my companion had gotten angry at times that didn't make sense to me, and this made me scared to do other things that I thought might frustrate him. I didn't have any real negative feelings for him, I was just very hesitant with everything I did. I realized that repentance isn't truly accomplished when we only stop doing something wrong, but rather when we start doing something right, when we become something right. Forgiveness isn't accomplished when we only stop, or avoid, having hard feelings, but rather when we start doing something right, or when we begin again to open ourselves again. Alma and Amulek healed Zeezrom, the very man who had tried to humiliate them and corrupt their teachings (Alma 11, I believe). Nefi frankly forgave his brothers after they had tried to kill him, and trusted himself in their presence. Before, I said many times that the more vulnerable we made ourselves in the cause of Christ, the more invulnerable we truly become, and that cannot be more true. However, I had not realized how large a realm of experience this statement spans. Nefi, in I believe Third Nefi, leaves a mob that had tried to kill him to preach to another mob that tried to kill him, knowing it would be so. It's easy to avoid holding a grudge, but it's much more difficult to let it go and give again, but this is what Christ asks. How many times have we been forgiven, and then blessed after repenting of the exact same sins?

Friends, Elders Scoubes and Brown

This week has gone better and better as I have worked more and more consciously to do what I think is right. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the lord, and not unto men." (its a lot cooler in spanish...) when we really do this, we will be blessed.

Now for my worries about my lack of progress. We were with a member, K****, actually, who had recently gotten baptized and was working RREEAALLYY hard in the Church. She taught with us almost every day. She wants to help in everything. She is the YW president here and is now making visits by herself and inviting the inactive YW to church. We were helping her prepare a lesson for Sunday when she broke down in tears. She told us that she had been trying soooo hard to do everything she was supposed to do and she hadn't received a witness of the church. She felt cheated because there are those that don't go to church but have received an answer. Others just pray and receive something awesome. After six months of church attendance and two months of membership, she still hasn't received any kind of witness upon which she can put her finger. (my english comes out funny now. :)) I was thinking about how much it resembles my experience as a missionary. I then thought about how much it resembles my experience in the church. I have received many witnesses of the veracity of this church, yes, but they strengthen my testimony, they don't make it. Ether 12 says that the witness comes after our faith. Moroni 7 I believe, says that miracles follow the believers. There's a song that says, "How can we think to see His face (that of God) when we couldn't see his hand?" One person uses the earth as a proof of athiesm, and another uses the same as proof of diety. The answers we receive to our prayers can be recognized, or can be discarded. It takes muscle to gain muscle. It takes faith to build faith. It takes a seed from a tree to grow another one. To believe is a choice. To exercise faith is a choice. To know, ultimately, is a choice. A testimony is a choice. We choose to recognize or discard the witnesses that God WILL send. A testimony cannot be measured. Conversion cannot be measured. It is a choice to grow or to stagnate. As such, it is a choice to believe that I have grown, and that I will. It is not measurable by human eyes, because as logic suggests, we can't measure air pressure with a voltage meter. It is simply the wrong tool. We can't measure our testimony nor our conversion with our human experience nor the measurable actions for which we set goals. It is measured with faith. With faith, I can see that many weaknesses that before were hidden have now been revealed and I can work on strengthening them. With faith, I can see that through forgiveness I can work towards strengthening friendships, not simply refreshing them. With faith, I can see many now hopes and opportunities. With a ruler, I only see twelve inches.

Elder Brown