Work Hard No Matter What

work, work, work. :) it's funny. one day you're working and working and people tell you you're doing it wrong. You just can't be doing it right, because 1) you didn't give them what they wanted when they wanted and 2) you're doing it DIFFERENT. you keep working. You don't change anything. The next day you see a bit of success. What happens? the SAME PEOPLE use the SAME CIRCUMSTANCES to tell you that you're doing it really well and that you're great. :) the IRONY. (maybe that's not the most uplifting perspective. maybe it seems cynical. Oh well.)

People have expectations for you. You won't fulfill them. You might exceed them. You might not. If you're a follower, do something you can be confident in, and be confident in it. If you're a leader, understand that the plants that grow fastest are called weeds and quickly become a nuiscance... and neither of you get caught up in the details. good week.

We had a Ward activity last week that I helped organize. Here’s what we did.

Opening Exercises
5-min class on prophets

game 1: TELEPHONE
compare the game to the confusion that there would be if we only went by the words of a prophet thousands of years ago. No wonder there are so many churches.. .  .

game 2: BLIND-FOLDED COURSE
have person 1 guide person 2 (who is blindfolded) through an obstacle course or something of the sort. compare person 1 to the prophet, and person 2 to, well, us.

game 3: PUZZLE

Puzzle used at Ward Activity

explanation: when christ was here, he established his church (efesians 2 20). the world rejected him and his doctrine. It fell and lost its form. nobody could fit all the pieces together.

game: give each person a part of the puzzle that my mom made, enos, captain moroni, alma, or any other. tell them that the first one to finish their puzzle wins.

explanation: each person will become competitive, eliminating the idea of a whole. they might start taking pieces from other puzzles, but will never be able to finish the puzzle.

After the people realize they can’t finish their puzzle, pull out the Book of Mormon portion of the puzzle and allow them to finish the puzzle.

explanation: the Book of Mormon is the key that pulls all other topics or ideas into one whole. it gives pattern and sense to the rest of the picture.

Mexicali Week 3

umm.. . .
last week we contacted someone called a* j* in the street. he told us that he was looking for a church to join because he wanted to change his life. we visited him and he was pedal-to-the-metal. His mom, M*, told us that she was catholic but was going to listen for courtesy. his older brother, martin, has severe problems with his legs and has had them almost since he was born. he never went to school or did almost anything. he told us he didn't like the whole church thing. his mom made him take off his earbuds and listen anyway. we taught a little bit about the gospel of Jesus Christ, about how we can change and progress in life through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the holy ghost and enduring to the end (AKA repeat). each one of them ended fascinated with the message. you could almost see them drooling. ;) The Spirit really can touch and soften any heart if we let it.

next, i shared a little thought on the atonement the other day. someone asked me to write it down and give it to them, so i like to think it was something special:

We all remember being a kid, whether we like it or not. and when I mention it, we'll all remember this experience:

You were sitting down at the table after have bravely stomached you serving of green beans, peas, or whatever other nasty vegetable you had to eat. you see your mom go to the freezer and pull out a box of ice cream and realize that those green beans (or whatever vegetable it was) was worth it. your joy and victory is utterly crushed by the fact that your mom gave 1/12 a scoop of ice cream more to your sister.

"that's not fair" you whine to your mom, "Why does she get more than me?!"

I've done the same thing MANY times in MANY things. be it wages, tv time, recognition, or even vacations. One day I heard the thought, "No, it's NOT fair. But you don't want fair." I realized that I did nothing for my Mom to deserve the gift of the body given me through birth. What did I do to pay her back? begged for attention, food, water, sleep, and whatever I wanted at the time. I did nothing to deserve the education and love they offered me. Fair is that for every hamburger I ate I gave one back. Then I remembered a verse somewhere in the bible that says that the wage of sin is death. Thus, supposing that I miraculously survived until the age of eight, I was already toast the first time I told my brother he was stupid... Oops!! or even thought of insulting him.. . . No. I really dont want the fair thing, I promise. I don't want Justice.

The wonderful thing is that I dont have to have it! :) There's another law, the law of Mercy. In the Law of Justice, my weaknesses threaten the destruction of EVERYTHING I hold dear. in Mercy, my weakness is what MAKES them dear. Mercy is what gave my mom an INFINITE love for a baby that lived off her for nine months and then proved to be life-threatening coming out, instead of resentment.

Mercy provides a process of growth. justice requires instant satisfaction in all expectations. The beauty of mercy is that every law of justice has its reflection in mercy, allowing us to learn and experience in trial mode the ropes of an eternal life.

How is this possible? I think this is where the atonement fits in. I think of the Atonement like a pregnancy. Maybe you've already heard it, maybe not. Why? there are more parallels, but mostly:

Christ suffered intense pain to place us under his care and protection. The atonement was the BEGINNING of his care, not the end. read alma 7 11-13 carefully. to what end is all this succoring? it is that we come to be like Him.

The Red House

Elder Evans and Elder Brown just before Transfers

Its really weird here in bugambilias... in san felipe I basically ran the show. here, the show's suppossed to run me. don't quite know how to do that yet…

What do you mean the show is supposed to run you? Just that you are not in charge...?

Yeah. in San Felipe all the members trusted and followed me. here, I'm supposed to trust and follow them. Basically, I know how to be number one and I can do it well, but I don't know how to be number two or three, or six. It's just that the ward has its own pace that I'm not supposed to touch. :)

Elder Hilario and Elder Brown

Ahhh, makes sense. Just put forth your best effort and it will be okay.

It's mostly just that it's all different every time I transfer. :) Sometimes its just a bit harder to orient myself.

Yep. One thing about missions is you have to learn to adjust and get used to change.

uuummmmm....

Elder Hilario is AWESOME. He works super hard and he really wants to do the right thing. :) He played soccer as a goalie before the mish.

Fun story:

Elder Brown's New Bedroom

we prayed to find a man waiting outside a red house the other day. we left to work like a normal day. We contacted a couple of people and then, without even thinking about it, I talked to a man leaning on his car. I gave him a card and he asked us to enter. As we left, and upon writing his address and recognizeable features of his house, we realized it was rather red. :) The thing I learned is that many times God answers our prayers if we're willing to work and obey anyway. :) He'll pour down a miracle of tithing if we're already living it because we can. He might work miracles if we're obeying the commandment for the miracle, but He'll ALWAYS pour down miracles if we're willing to obey anyway.

Leaving San Felly

Every day, 6:30 am
Roll out of bed
Every day, 8:00 am
sit down and study, searching the treasure map for that treasure we call "God"
Every day, 9:00 am
talk together and ponder, researching the refining process for that treasure we call "people"
Every day, 10:00 am
kneel down, leave home and search, under rocks, over em, in the streets, alleys and everywhere else, for that treasure we call "investigators"
Every day, between 10 am and 9 pm

My District while serving in San Felipe

sit down and study, this time with our treasure, "investigators", to show them the real treasure "God", and his refining process for His Children.
Every day, 9:00 pm
Kneel down and treasure the gift we call "miracles"
Every so often, between 6 weeks and 6 months (transfers)
Look back kneel down and thank the true treasure, "God" for the treasure He's made out of you.

You may wonder where I am now...
I'm in Bugambilias, Mexicali
I got there on a bus
I get around on a bike
My companion is elder hilario
he's from michoacán
He's been out 8 months
I was super grateful for everything I'd been able to experience in San Felipe and I cried because I was super grateful.
It took me 2.5 hours from san felipe to mexicali and then 10 minutes from the bus station to my house.
Yep, that's about it honestly...

#Elderbrown I want my teacher back.

--Love, Elder Brown

A little note from Brock's Mom: The picture to the right was posted on social media by one of Elder Brown's investigators and newly baptized members of the San Felipe Branch. His post read, "Fue muy triste llegar y ver ese lugar vacio. #ElderBrown Quiero a mi maestro de regreso." In English that means, "It was very sad to arrive and see that empty place. #Elderbrown I want my teacher back."

It is very easy to understand why Elder Brown loved this area so deeply. He truly loved the people. He loved teaching them, loved serving them, loved being around them. He grew as a missionary and individual in many ways. He is growing into something far beyond what I, his mother, could ever teach him to be. He is being stretched in ways only the Lord, faith, humility, and love can help one grow. Thank you to all the members of San Felipe for your love, generosity, compassion, testimonies, strength, and perserverance through trials. Thank you for your examples. Elder Brown has learned so much from each of you.

One Purpose of Home & Visiting Teaching

WOW!!!! What a week!! we've still been visiting mostly less-active members.

Honestly, I don't really remember much of what we did.

What is the weather like? STILL HOT!!!

What suggestions would you have for someone to do before they go on their mission to help prepare them for it? Do your home teaching. Focus on helping the family PROGRESS. If you can help a family PROGRESS in their daily scripture study, in their family reading and prayers, and in their home, you will have practice for the mission. home teaching is supposed to make YOU accountable for the growth of SOMEONE ELSE.

What do you eat? I eat a lot of good stuff. Almost every single time there's meat, it's on a bone. More accurately, the bone is on the meat.

How have you strengthened your testimony this week? Well, it's not exactly one specific experience, or may not even be the strengthening of a testimony, but Every time I share a message that helps other people feel happier and helps others progress, I know that Heavenly Father loves us and knows exactly how we can be happy, that's why he gives us commandments through a LIVING PROPHET, even though they don't make sense to us. We may pretend that things won't go wrong if we disobey, and they might not, but WE will be sad in our hearts.

Who have you been inspired by this week? Every week, when I see R** go to church and try so hard to help others do it as well, I realize just how much I can do to grow. We're here on earth to PRACTICE the things we already learned in the spirit world. Ramon is practicing VERY WELL.

Well, that's the week. :)