Surprising Elder Brown

Still stuck in San Fellyyyyy!!!!!! WWWWWWWWWWHHHHHOOOOOOOAAAAHHHH!!! Ok. Still with Elder Evans. Still in the best area in the world. :D 

Elder Brown tutoring Math

R*, knowing that we finished a year on the mission on September 16th, decided to throw us a surprise branch party. We accidently walked in on the setting up and helped them set up, but we had no clue as to what the party was for. We thought it was someone's birthday and were too embarrassed for not knowing who the party was for so we did't ask. After we finished setting it all up, R* took charge and said, "Well, actually, this party you helped set up was for you!" Then after the dinner they made a presentation. I got teary-eyed. R* and his sister, E* are seriously such amazing people!!! The funniest thing is that they think we are too. ;)

Anyway, R* and E* are now helping us with visits (remember that they are investigators and not yet members). They come and share how the Book of Mormon and living prophets have helped them to make changes in their life. It's really cool being able to see the changes they make in their life. :)

Celebrating 1 year in the Mission

Wonderful People

Actually, E* is a very powerful example to me: The day after she started listening to us she asked when she could get baptized. She had already read from the introduction to 1 nephi 6, and remembered it. She started teaching the pamphlets and everything to her kids. She is going through a trial and is VERY grateful that the gospel came into her life BEFORE this trial started and not AFTER.

E* was VERY VERY depressed yesterday and we decided that instead of listen and listen and try to teach and teach, we'd do what Christ did when he said, "Come and see." We had her come and visit less active members and other recent converts. We had her teach them, then we had them teach her. Se said that she felt a lot better being able to compare her problem with those of others and realize that she'd prefer her trial over others she had heard about. She learned that sometimes, actually much of the time, we need to recognize the problem, deal with it how we can, then MOVE ON and HELP SOMEONE ELSE if we want an adequate perspective.

I LLLOOOVVVEE San Felipe, but not just because it's a nice place or for the nice people. It's like Mosiah 18:30: "And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer..."

In my time here I have seen people truly come to love Christ. truly come to love his prophets. I have come to love my Savior more deeply. I love people more genuinely, and I love life more richly. San Felipe hasn't been the cause, exactly, but it's been the place. I know that we're children of God. He loves us. His son came to earth to save us. We are made of CELESTIAL material, and we realize just how celestial we are the more we stretch, the more our heartstrings are pulled, twisted, and outright torqued.

--Elder Brown