Too Many Blessings!

I never thought I´d have so many things to complain about! I have too many references to reach, too many people to teach, to many miracles to remember, and FOUR things to complain about. ;) They say to be grateful for your problems, but I´m not sure it´s possible in this case... :-P

"I have an idea!"

Anyway, God does His own Work. We just reap the benefits. Paul, in Corinthians 3:6 says, ¨I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.¨ think about the miracles that surround us. We put a seed in the dirt. Then we put water on it. just a little, itty bitty action, and then a tree magically appears!!! if it´s the right seed, we get another one, or maybe another fifty! QUE MILAGRO! If we invite our friends, and answer questions they might have, a saint may very well break forth. We might say, ¨well, but we did this and this, and of course this happened.¨ but if you put a marble in the ground and put water on it, what comes of it? God really does do HIS OWN WORK. Down here in Ensenada, we´re just trying to keep up...

I feel good today!

We met the cutest litte old man named Roberto down here while
tracting. We taught him a mini-lesson of the restauration, and invited him to be baptized the 23rd. He said, ¨well, it´s a ways off, andI need to prepare, but lets put in the batteries and get to work!¨ He asked for a book of Mormon and our pamphletitos and he´s been reading them. :)

We received a ton of help from a few of the members and it was really effective. Brother Marmolejos referred us to a house and we contacted a 12-year-old youth that is realy intellegent. He asked all the right questions to lead into the next principle and had been reading the Book of Mormon. Man, was it cool. He´s named Adrian.

Renditions of My Missionary Attire

From another referral we met a family of five. The mom wants her kids to be ¨slightly¨ less rambunctious and believes that her kids need a religion in their lives. We talked to her and she told us that she was going to try to immerse herself and her kids in the book of mormon and in the church so they could have a God in their lives. The dad has really thoughtful questions and the kids are, well, rambunctious, but the youngest is really interested as well. They are the Family Gomez.

Monday, while cutting our hair in one of the only salons open, we got talking to hair stylist. She started talking about her life and WoW! She´s prepared. She was seeking the direction and the answers of God in her life and she had also lost four of her six daughters. You can imagine how important the idea of an eternal family may be for her...

There were too many blessings to count, too many miracles to remember, and God is too loving to not be tender. I really am in awe at everything that happens. We do our own little jig in our own litte way and God plays the music to fit our intents and desires. Then I realize he does it with every. one. of. us. wow. :)

--Elder Brock Brown

The Lord Answers Prayers

Elder Brown and Elder V at Baptism of Sister S

First off, I´m sitting here a little confused and more than a little surprised sending the picture of S***, our baptism this past week. She had been taking the lessons for more than four months. She is literally broke and her kids don´t send her anything. Fortunately she owns her home. She was one of the head honchos of an evangelical christian movement in her time. The man for whom she worked was famous for healing people and working miracles.

Anyway, she has received a lot of help from the ward and more help from the missionaries, from meals (she can´t afford them) to everyday tasks. We had thought previously that she was using us, and she may have been. We had been trying to leave her and stop visiting her, but she kept saying she wanted to get baptized and then changing her mind the last minute. She seemed to have three personalities, and I wasn´t sure if she was completely sane or not. She seemed to be really kind sometimes. Other times she was really confused and seemed to talk in circles. Yet other times, she was downright grumpy. I actually didn´t think it would be good to baptize her, as I wasn´t sure if she had heard or understood anything from the missionary lessons.

Despite my concerns, we went ahead with the ordinance, and first off, I was surprised that when the day came, she did too. She had left us hanging many times. Second, she came happily and excitedly. it was actually kind of cute. Anyway, when we effected the ordinance, the Spirit came and testified of the ordinance, and of its validity, just like it has with my other baptisms. I learned that we can never really see or know anyone´s real intent, only the Lord knows each person's heart. People can be genuinely good and we may not see it. We may be genuinely good and miss it in ourselves as well. Heavenly Father sees us, knows us, and loves us. He wants us to improve and wants us to be happy.

Prayer really i


s a powerful tool. This past week I was looking for my missionary tag and I couldn´t find it. I prayed for help, and as soon as the prayer ended, my foot started to itch, really, really badly. I sat down at my dexk to scratch it, and when I looked up, I found it, right in front of my nose. Then my foot didn´t itch. :) Today, I was looking for the money I would use to buy my food for the week, and it wasn´t where I thought it would be. I decided to pray, and when I looked up from my prayer, there it was. :)

Your prayers and your care for me have also been felt. I´ve been getting better and the work here is progressing.

--Elder Brown

P.S. We had pie for Pi day! It wasn't the same as pie back home, but it was still good.

Cheese Pie for Pi day!

Brother T* and his awesome oldies car.

Inviting Others to Come Unto Christ

Hola! Another week is already gone. at least this week it isn´t so cold. I really like it here. I´ve met really cool people here and keep learning and progressing. The majority of the members here were the first members in the entire city of Ensenada. Every other ward here comes from the ward Bahìa (means bay, as in coast-ish thing). They´re very developed in the gospel.

We started training the members in their duty so that they could feel confident in fulfilling it. In studying, I came across 1 Nephi1:5,12,13,14,18 that outlined it. They need to really pray, read the scriptures, and then participate in church callings and functions. When this happens, we then talk about the church and how it has helped us, as it says in Helaman 6:3-4. as we talk about the manner in which we were converted, we naturally invite our friends to hear how they can receive the same help from the missionaries or church attendance. Honestly, everything we do as missionaries and as members is INVITE. the missionary purpose is INVITE others to come unto christ... Nobody is expected to give a intelligent discourse on even faith or the purpose of temples. We invite them to enjoy it because we do. when we do that, everything else comes naturally

Anyway, in our zone conference we had a little presentation on the importance of prayer in conversion. I had this little mind blown moment and I realized that ideally, prayer isn´t just a petition. Prayer is the expression of ALL of our will to God and the revelation isn´t just mental or spiritual, but physical as well. Revelation is the expression of God´s will in all of our lives. our character, our faith, everything. Alma 33 and 34 really helped me with it.

Elder Brock Brown

The Priesthood Is Real

Well, here I am again! It's a Monday and it's raining. I would love it, if there was heating in the businesses. It's a bit chilly, but It's pretty awesome here. The members are fantastic, the food is superlatively tasty, and the members want to help us. Yesterday we received 6 referrals from the members and we met a part-member family. There are two RM's that returned in the last three weeks and they are really enthusiastic. Actually, one of them is already the elder's quorum president, just like in the movie "the RM". I hope he doesn't run into the problems like in the movie.

It's a thumbs up, happy tie, rainy day

The ward really supports us. It's crazy. They treat us like kings, like the navy seals of the Gospel. I almost have to try to keep up with them and their enthusiasm.

Yesterday we went with the Elder's quorum president and his dad and taught a part-member family . The wife is the only member, and the rest of the family have been rather uninterested. Missionaries had visited them before, but the missionaries hadn't been accepted by more than the wife, who was already a member. We taught them the first half of the Restoration, and the husband, their two sons, and the girlfriend of the oldest (they live in separate houses) accepted a baptismal date.

Other cool experiences: Elder V**** (my companion) felt a bit sick and took a pill to get better. However, he had an allergic reaction, and broke out in hives. He called a doctor and we sat in the house. He asked me to give him a priesthood blessing, and I blessed him that he'd be fine and he wouldn't have hives anymore. He kept itching during the rest of the blessing and then when I said, "En el nombre de jesus christ, amen." His itching subsided until it, and the hives, were gone, and we went out an taught. The priesthood is powerful. Not only does it heal people or give them comfort. Not only does it change our mortal world, but it also has the power to seal a baptism here on earth, and in the heavens. It seals families forever. It provides us access to the power of the Atonement in our lives. What we need to learn is that these blessings in our lives aren't our tools, rather, we are the instruments and the means of their power accomplishing the purposes of God in our lives and those around us.

Last Week In Imperial

Hola! Elder Brown here. :) Transfers were this past weekend and I am now in my second area of my mission. I´m down here in E*. It´s basically the easiest area on the body, and especially the feet, that there are. It´s right by the ocean. It´s green. I´m almost not sure if I´m on vacation. :) Man, it´s nice. :)

My companion is Elder V****. He´s pretty sweet. He was looking for one of his bags, and he told me that it said "Mine", instead of his name. It´s exactly what I do. :) That was a great start. He built houses before his mission. That was cool. He seems like he wants to do the right and his efforts are in the right direction. We`re opening the area. That´ll be an adventure.

Last week, like I said, we (Elder D*** and I) did almost nothing. We studied, then we read, then we listened to General Conference, then my companion idly talked to me and I tried to read. Then we did it again. and again. and again. As I read and searched the scriptures, I found my testimony strengthening and growing. My stress from not doing anything dissipated. I felt refreshed and ready to do it again. It wasn´t the ideal week, but it was a good one. The atonement even made it fruitful.

There was the husband of M**** who wanted to get baptized, but there was a problem with the fourth question, in which he needed permission from the prophet. Even though we didn´t do anything outside the house that week, A**** received word he could get baptized. God does his own work, and the difference between a missionary and a member is that I get a front row seat in it. :) A**** asked me to baptize him and that was a real privelege seeing him and his family experience the Atonement in their lives.

It was a bit sad leaving Imperial. I´ll miss the people there. M**** is amazing. A**** is awesome too! I admire their whole family. I´m really lucky to be able to see the changes that take place in their lives.