Last Temple Trip as a Missionary

Good week this week! tell yall bout it when I get back!

nah, just kidding. well, we were kinda MIA all week this week.

Monday, we were out of the area, with other elders helpin' em out w/ companionship things.

Tuesday, we worked from 5-8 for the heat.

Wednesday, i got lost because Elder Z*, who knew the area, was out on divisions w/ another area.

Thursday, I went to Tijuana to be able to go to the temple early on Friday.

Friday, I went to the temple for the last time as a missionary. It was super special (alliteration). The temple truly is the house of the Lord. The peace there is undescribable. :) Just its presence testifies of the veracity of this Work.

Saturday, We found a family of 5 who's had some strong trials in their life. their name is the M* family. The two daughters r autistic. the older daughter's got heart problems that shouldve killed her in the first 24 hrs; now she's 27. The other daughter's got a pregnancy that is either gonna take her n leave the baby, or take the baby n leave her. Their neice of 4 years is undergoing cancer treatment n the doctors say she's only got months left to live. We taught em the plan of Salvation n they really got excited. Theyre all really interested. An eternal perspective is EXACTLY what they need to be able to get through these trials. Heavenly Father is ALWAYS preparing His beloved children to hear the restored gospel. It's up to us to not let him down!

Love you all.

See you in 8!!!!

Schools of Fish

I saw this cool thing about sardines. They all swim in this huge ball to confuse their predators. When their predators go for 'em, the water around the predators actually push the sardines out of their path, and the fish are all safer in the group. I realized this was very similar to the church. Sometimes we may feel attacked from all sides by drugs, violence, or economic problems, but if we stick with the church, we'll be safe. it's only when we cease to follow the prophet that we are left alone and vulnerable.

good week this week. :) every week just keeps gettin better! :) Love yall! bye!

Celestial Moments and Times of Trial

Good week this week! Unfortunately, I forgot my journal again. I dont really remember much, but what I do remember, I'll write:

M* was baptized in January, n I was with Elder W* when I saw er get baptized in another ward. Her whole family got baptized that day, and she said it was the happiest day of her life, because she thought her family would be together forever. She thought it was the beginning of a better life. Little did she know the ugly turns her life would take in the coming months: her husband fell into drugs again, he left her, and then hooked up with another woman. he is currently living with the other one. he doesn't send ém money anymore. She's currently broke;, in heart, home, and in budget, but still attends church.

As fate would have it, I came back to see her and the changes she'd gone through. It's soo hard to see how once excited and motivated members and converts can just seem to break and fall apart during hard trials. It's bound to happen to all of us. All of us will look back to the happiest days in our lives and think, "what did I do? What did I do to deserve this?" or "what did I do wrong for all this to fall apart?" from there we may think that things just don't work out by nature. We may think that All is destined to end. We may begin to blame God or others for what happened. We may just grow apathetic.

How can we see this then? I think Jeffrey R Holland answers these questions very well in "Tomorrow the lord will do wonders among you". On top of his comments, I believe that these "celestial moments" that our Father in Heaven gives us are to be treasured and remembered as a promise, an eternal promise, of an eternal joy ahead. then He sends us the trials, the pushups, and lets us struggle to the last possible extremity of our capacity. Right when we can't do it anymore, He sends us another taste, a teaser, of the eternal film we'll be living with Him.

I know Heavenly Father loves us. I know He wants us to be happy. He does give us trials, but they're for our eternal welfare. Only through the Atonement of Christ can we be made perfect, and can we be grateful and JOYFUL in our darkest moments, when the sun rises on everyone else, but leaves us in the dark.

A Giant of a Heart

1. I wrote in my journal kneeling down on monday. Mostly because I didn't feel like getting out of my kneeling position. :) Then my knees started hurting and I got tired of the novelty. theres a reason man invented a chair and desk. :)

2. taught A* and L* last week. they came to J*'s baptism all by themselves, n seemed to enjoy it. :) after that, they accepted the invitation to hear the discussions again. turns out, they've been havin quite a few problems n it's gonna take a while fer em to get baptized, but they seem to be progressing.

3. The cutest little 11 year old girl is named A*. yes, it's a US name. we've been teaching 'er n she's been studyin' n progressin pretty well. :) turns out, my comp's bike got robbed yesterday, n she n 'er mom found out. the sister that was gonna eat with us canceled out too. in the end, A* n her mom, a*, invited us to eat w/ em. we ate w/em n the most adorable 11 yr old girl ever (A*) gave us ALL of her candy. ALL OF IT! then she promised us she was going to sell her toys to buy a bike for Elder Z*!!! Heart-breaker. :,) Anyway, she's gonna get baptized the 26th of august. :)

Last Transfer: Back to Mexicali

Transfers were today. After arriving in my new area, we were seated in a car, and we see a woman open up the driver's door to her truck and look like she's going to get in. We're in the car and the sister taking us to our house is very kind, and VERY chatty. :) I realize the woman doesn't get in, but seems to be hitting something in the drivers' seat. I see an ambulance come by and the woman try to flag it down. I excuse myself and go over to see if I can help. Turns out 'er husband 'ad passed out from the heat and was not responding well. As the ambulance was just arriving, we cleared the scene. #MEXICALI!!!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!! SOOO EXCITED!!

I'm with Elder Z*, from Guatemala. NO, I don't have a picture yet; we just barely got here. Anyway, Super excited to be in Mexicali again. :)

Elder Brown and his companion after cleaning their apartment

Friday was quite the day. I was still in Tijuana Insurgentes area. After doing something of relatively forgettable importance in the morning, in other words, I don't remember, we were called and asked to give a blessing to someone in the hospital. He had been found with a wrecked motorbike helmet talking incoherently. He'd been interned two days when We got there and things were looking pretty bad; he was in a coma and things seemed to be getting worse as time went on. It was so sad seeing the pain of his aunt, who had come to take care of him. We gave him a blessing and our hearts ached for their anguish.

After leaving that scene, we went to a sealing!!!!! The S* family from Ensenada, whose baptismal fotos were never sent, got sealed on Firday. THAT was a special experience. On top of that, A*, the 20-yr-old son, is leaving on a mission the 23rd of july!!! I taught a misisonary!! It was super special seeing them promise each other their eternities. :) Their pain in an event as heartwrenching as the above will forever be lessened, with the promise of being together forever.

Seeing Beyond the Mortal Limits of Time and Space

Meeting the mission president: honestly, I don't have any profound words on the subject, but I do have a personal confirmation that he has been called of God to direct His work in this area. He has His inspiration and His power.

I was reading in Mosiah 24, 15-16 the other day, and I realized that the people of Mosiah submitted cheerfully and patiently to all their afflictions. How crazy is that?! they submitted CHEERFULLY to SLAVERY! how did they manage that? I'm not completely sure, but they must have understood and truly believed that their trials would be a blessing for them. They had to have had their eye set on a grander picture. Even though they miraculously had the strength to support their labors, they were still slaves, and for more than just a couple of weeks. probably about a year. What becomes even more surprising is that in Mosiah 25 10, the scriptures say that Mosiahs kindgom was surprised at the IMMEDIATE goodness of God in delivering them. a year in slavery doesn't seem that immediate to me, but in the eternal perspective, its very quick. On top of that, God immediately answered their prayers with extra strength. That's a very special type of gratitude. :)

The Last Five Pushups

Guess what?! I know it probably doesn't look like it, or maybe I just don't send pictures, but I'm doing exercise, and serious exercise! I've learned something really special from the exercise: the last five pushups are the ones that count. If I do ten pushups, the last five ones are those that build strength, endurance, and bur calories. If I do 50, then pushup 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50 are the ones that made the difference. All the others were simply preparatory pushups. They prepared me for the growth I'd receive in the last five, the hardest five.

What does that mean? that gives whole new meaning to my pushups; before, I did pushups until I was tired. Now I understand that the only real pushups I do are when I'm tired, when everything burns. We may be able to go days, or weeks, without certain errors, and that is wonderful, but the only time we truly perform is when things start to burn. The harder the decision, the greater the growth that comes from it; the greater the blessing it truly is. That is the very moment that the Christ works His miracles through the atonement.

Being on the mission, it's the same. The last few months are where the character is developed. In the beginning, many skills are developed, many things change, but the character is changed in the last five pushups, the last months, weeks, and days. Seeing investigators, it's the same; K* and J* have seen changes, but in the very moment where it burns, they back down, they wait.

I'm gonna meet the mission president on Wednesday. :) I'll probably have a picture too. :)

Changing of the Guards

How are things going with the new mission president coming in at the end of the week? Do you notice much changing of the guards, if you will?

Changing of the guards: Pres Garcia read kings 2, where Elijah goes up to heaven and passes the mantel on to Elias. He said that that is what will happen this 29th of june.

We had a zone conference with president garcia last week and he put on the movie UP, showing us the missionary implications in it. At the end, he passed us all a card that said, "thanks for the adventure, now go and have a new one!"

After the zone conference, he and his wife came to each one of us and gave us each a hug. :,) #SoSpecial

All Kinds of People

I think I´m in denial; every time I write in my journal I want to write 2016. Uh oh. =)

Being on the mission I see sooo many people. Some are walking to work; some are running. Some are so zoned out of the world they almost forget to eat. Some are so consumed by the ¨daily´s¨ that all else fades out. But through the fog comes the Savior´s question: ¨Is not the life more than meat?¨ I know, it´s kinda a weird sounding question, but think about it. ¨Isn´t your life more than the newest phone?¨ Isn´t your life more than the nicest clothes, or than just being comfortable? Is that really the most important thing here?

I get to walk up and down this little hill every day

On Friday, we were walking to an appointment, when a member invited us to a glass of water. His wife had been in the ICU the Sunday before, and was now on her way to full health, but that´s not the important part. She was admitted to the hospital Saturday night, 3 or June because her vitals were all shutting down. By Sunday morning, she´d completely fergotten who she was. She couldn´t even recognize her own children. Because of a priesthood blessing from her husband, a faithful member of the church and a temple worker, in a matter of hours she was up and well. She´d regained her memory, her personality, her family.

On Thursday I met a 94 year old woman named P*. She´d lived her whole live a catholic, and when her children converted to the church, she maintained her faith and legacy, to the best of her ability, even after her husband passed away. Lately, over the past months, she said that her husband has been visiting her in her sleep. ¨Get baptized,¨ he says, ¨If you don´t get baptized now, you´ll have to wait for a looong time with me before you get another opportunity.¨

She told that to her now LDS children, and they happily helped her prepare for the opportunity. She got baptised Wednesday June 7th, by her grandson. The church is true. The work for the dead really does exist. There are billions of our ancestors waiting.

K* and J* are a young married couple who’ve had their fair share of difficulties. J* left them for a weekend to go drinking with his friends. Unfortunately, he forgot to send his young family enough money to get by while he was gone. After that rock-bottom event, he´s been coming round. He came to church, he´s been praying, and he´s been reading with his family. Their family isn´t perfect; no family is. But they´ve made some long strides. You can feel a difference in their home.

You´ve heard a few tings about S*, but this week her older sister bailed out too. W*, her older sister, left home in search of ¨greener pastures¨, whether they be real or not. S* stays in her house all day, every day, hoping her sister comes back. Imagine that! middle child of four, three of them under the age of 18, but left all alone, abandoned. Nothing but the ticking of the clock for company. And how is she able to progress, not just hang in there, but progress? by the gospel of Jesus Christ? And how would she and her mom have learned about it if it wasn´t for A*, a friend who invited them to church one day?

Yes, life IS more than meat.It´s not all about getting by. It´s not all about our dreams of tomorrow. It is greater than us. Elder L tom perry once said, ¨If we live live all wrapped up in ourselves, we will make a very small package,¨ but if we allow our hearts and lives to open in the service of God, we will begin to truly blossom. He will open our eyes to hope and happiness never before considered. We will begin to cherish the true meaning of Christ´s words:

¨He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.¨

Matthew 10:39

Who knew a Banana Was Really a Hazard?

Teaching about the godhead last tuesday, and this investigator thought we called Heavenly Father our "Celestial Godfather". When she heard that, she was like, "Wait! Where'd he come from!"

Sister Gu* went home today; that was super sad. She was such a good missionary. She was just finishing her first transfer and she taught like she'd been in the mission for months. She had to go though: her back and just about everything else were hurting her. Oh well.

Saw this kid on crutches on Wednesday. he slipped on a BANANA!!!! I did NOT know that was a legit hazard! I thought it was just cartoon drama!! Don't worry though, he's ok.

I wrote in black pen again on saturday. it was life changing. :)

Sister A* is a Saint!!! She saw this guy named J* out in the street n invited him to eat. CRAZY!! in all ways, her n her husband are really just a model marriage. All in all, I've been super blessed:

1. I know how to JUGGLE! I can juggle inside out, outside in, and in a circle. (E Brown terminology) 2. four people came to church on sunday, and they want to get baptized!!!
3. My comp and I went to the temple Friday. Man, is that place special. :)
4. Heavenly Father loves me.
5. Transfers!!!! stickin with Elder H* I'm excited for the next transfer, and the best part is that I know it's Heavenly Father's will. :)
6. That means I'm probably staying here til the end of the mish.

In White Twice!!!

Good week this week. :)

S* and S* Got baptized. W* came to the service, and might be on her way to baptism. S* & S* are super excited about their personal progress.

What else? Sorry, I totally forgot my journal. It's got all my stories. That's the prob with purging it all into a journal: it kinda stays there. anyway, the work keeps working.

Love you! bye!!

Trials Bring Us Closer to the Savior

HHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Baptism!! This lady named Yulisa (you-LEE-suh) got married and then got baptized right afterward. Super fun! I was blessed to talk to a couple of people the week before their baptism. You can see the difference in their lives. It's soo special seeing the light and desire in their eyes. The good part of the week started Friday. :)

Mother's Ashes:
Elder C* and Elder P* (missionaries in an area next to ours) were teaching M*. M* used to worship this thing called the "Holy Death". After a lesson with her children, preparing them for their baptism, Elder C* says, "Can we take her, or what?" Turns out, the mother has a holy death statue that she used to worship right next to her mother's ashes. In order for the mom to get baptized, she needs to get rid of her old 'god'. Elder C* totally goes overboard telling her how its a sin to have things like that, and she says, "I'm not ready to just throw her away yet." Turns out, the mom thought the missionaries wanted her mothers ASHES!!!!! Man is it a miracle she still listens to 'em. Just goes to show. Be clear and Specific. It can avoid a lot of funny misunderstandings.

D*:
This 12 yr old girl named D* is mentally handicapped. I didn't think she was gonna get baptized, but the Mission President told us to baptize her. Anyway, she was gonna get baptized last Saturday in the area next to us. Turns out, even though she'd only seen me twice, she asked me to baptize her. Nobody else in the family even remembered my name! but she said "Eder Baun. Eder Baun." Anyway, I showed up to baptize her on saturday and in the end, she didnt want to get baptized. Oh well.

Getting to Know my Savior Better:
I've been able to grow quite a bit this past week. It's been a bit hard, but in the end, I've been able to keep on improving. I'm almost excited for the next difficulty! because I know it's the next time I'll come to know the Savior more personally. It's the next time I'll strengthen my relationship with and love for Heavenly Father and His beloved Son.

Love you all! BYE!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hey! Super fun seein my family yesterday! Happy Mother's Day!!!

We did a stand in the "Sobreruedas", or street market last Saturday. We had the youth from the Ward help us out. They contacted over three-hundred people and found more than 25 people who wanted to hear us. That was pretty fun!

The Sisters in Tecate were in their Ward yesterday when the Bishop came up to em and asked em if they were ready for the baptism next saturday. They thought that was kinda odd, but then they heard that one of the investigators that had been attending for years felt the need to get baptized. The Spirit works in mysterious ways.

Heavenly Father truly loves us. He wants us to be happy. He's given us prophets and other priesthood leaders. He's also given us the Holy Ghost. A lot of the time, He will give us something to change. very seldom do we like the changes He proposes, but it is ALWAYS worth it. Please, kneel down and ask your Father in Heaven, "What lack I yet?" and then do it. You will be given the answer, whether you receive it as revelation or not is up to you. Whether you do it or not, is up to you. I promise its one of the quickest connections to the Atonement that I know of.

Love, Elder Brown.

Super Short Email

'nother good week this week. :) this week was quite eventful:
1) I started writing in pink this week. :) ALLL of my journal entries except one have been in black. I wrote in pink on Monday. It changed my outlook on life.
 2) not really much to comment on. Honestly, don't really have much to write about. Maybe you can watch something.
Anyway, love you, BYE!!!

Pizza Isn't the Most Important Thing

Hey, um, I've got a confession:
Elder H* and I get along too well. We hardly sleep at night. I'm laughing my way to a six pack. Unfortunately, the best days are the ones that NEVER make it into the journal, because we're too busy laughing.

Elder H* is from V*, V*, M*. He's got 21 months in the Mission; he's one of the 6 oldest missionaries in the entire mission. He goes home a transfer before me. I sent a video blog home this week. Elder H* knows English!

On Matters of Pizza:
I was with Elder G* again (he's my zone leader now) and he wanted to buy pizza. We called like HALF THE WARD and nobody answered. Finally we got the pizza ordered, and after that, Sister L* returned our call,  "Hola!" she said, "how are you?"

"Doing well, and you?" we replied. Then she said something I really couldn't hear, but I figured it was something along the lines of "bien". "Ok. Well we really called you to ask you for the phone number of M* M* Pizza. We're all good. We have our pizza now."

"Oh! I thought you were calling to ask how we were since our apartment building burned down!!!" she said.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! Here we were looking for a good pizza and one of our favorite members was watching their apartment complex burn down!!

In the end, her apartment didn't burn. Just the meth lab above it and a couple others. :) All is well in Zion. ;)

Surprise Baptism

Good week this week.

I forgot my camera, so I can't send you anything. sorry.  anyway SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!! BAPTISM! Aa member came up to us last Sunday and told us "My 11 yr old son would like to know for himself that the Church is true, can ya help me out here?"

Kinda fun. The teaching roles changed, as he used us to testify and he directed the discussion. Anyway, kinda different. In the end, we realized that the boy had only come for a week and would return to the city of Mexico by the next Sunday. The parents were divorced and this was one of very few times the two saw each other.

Seeing the way the father treated his son was inspiring. Every second was Gold. How would our lives be if we treated our family in the same way? He worked and lived and dreamed for these few weeks of the year with his son. In the end, the son developed a testimony and got baptized in the week he was here. The father-son relationship developed a whole new dimension, and the family was fortified.

A very special experience for me.  Love, Elder Brown

17 April 2017--My Testimony of the Atonement

Interesting Conversation

"How many wives you got?" some whacko asks me as I walk along the street."

I reply, "I'm not married." "No, you've got what, 8, 7 wives, right?" was his response.

"Nope. I'm not married, and we only have one wife."

"No, but poligamy isn't bad. It was practiced before!" he retorts.

"Yes, Abraham, jacob, and other prophets of God practiced it, but we don't practice it anymore," I reply.

"But I really feel like Poligamy should be put in practice again!" He states, "Just look at this. with all these men runnin around cheatin on their wives anyway, they might as well all just get married!"

**Side Commentary (and totally sarcastic): THERE WE GO!! We can't keep anyone commited to any one person anymore. Might as well just commit them to EVERYONE!!! BRILLIANT! ;)

"I met Samuel the Lamanite too," he says, proudly, "He's legit man! runnin around preaching the word of God and shootin people with his magic bow. You know, Elder Brown, you actually look quite like moroni. You could be siblings." He went on to tell us that we needed to remember to keep the Spirit of Joseph Smith close by to expel demons. By far, the strangest conversation I've had with someone.

We'll Bring the World His Truth

On A More Spiritual Note...

We were on our way to the ward mutual activity on tuesday, when we learned that N*, a 12-yr-old girl had passed away of cancer and the mutual became her funeral. I looked in the casket.

This was part of my journal entry:
I'll never forget that: a hole. A shell. It's like watching a movie without the sound. Just completely empty. It's like going up stairs in the night n going for what you think is the last step, but it just doesn't exist. Thin air. Life is that fragile. That close to just not being.

Poor parents. All their hopes, dreams, and plans, gone. Vanished, dissolved. No first date. No Prom. No high school graduation. No wedding. No grandkids. The dad. What did he say? What do you say? when she took his hand and asked, "Dad, what's going on?" "Am I gonna be ok?" "What's gonna happen?" What did he say? He'll remember those words for the rest of his life. They may haunt him.

This is why we prepare for and keep temple covenants. This is why we treasure the temple.

He may have said, "Sweety, you'll be mine forever," but only if he believed it, if he truly believes it.

So much pain, suffering. 20 pounds of cancer removed from an innocent, 12-yr-old girl in two weeks. And for what? the parents, watching the flame of life falter, revive, and vanish from the eyes of their daughter, their own life for the past 13 years. Witnessing the deep agony of a cancer-stricken child while writhing in their own agony of helplessness. Entrusted with the care and comfort of this heaven-sent gift, and completely incapable, utterly helpless.

This is the Atonement. Everything Christ has done for us. Everything he would give us, if we would jsut accept him and his Father. He can move the Universe, but is equally helpless in aliviating OUR pain, OUR suffering, without our consent. watching BILLIONS of children already redeemed writhe in self-induced agony, unwilling to accept it. and him, in the same defeating agony of utter helplessness. This is the Atonement. a complete, intimate, personal, perfect understanding. Sometimes an aliviation, sometimes an extra load or two. Always there, just a prayer away.  This is the Atonement. A promise, an eternal spring, an eternal blooming, Resurrection. I know that the Atonement is real. Heavenly Father loves us infinitely. Christ understands us perfectly, and is waiting ever so anxiously to help us. watching our every move to assist us in every effort to come closer to him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

April 10, 2017--Funny Telephone Conversation

reading Alma 32 the other day. same ol' same ol'. one difference though: I realized that later on in the chapter, it talks about nurturing the plant until it "takes root". I realized that many times, I dedicate myself to a goal and once I gain the testimony, I move onto another topic, but I haven't taken the time to let the plant "take root". Sometimes, in our excitement to progress, we end up running in circles if we don't practice a bit of patience, letting the testimonies and habits "take root", or become a natural part of our personality.

I learned the secret to a satisfactory missionary day: Knocking doors and street contacting. You can work your tail off all day and come back exhausted, but if you don't knock a couple of doors, you'll always feel unsatisfied... :)

ASK THE MISSIONARIES; THEY CAN HELP YOU

"Ring!! Ring!!" goes our brick of a cell phone.

"Hi! good afternoon, we're the missionaries." I answer the phone.

"Hi! I'm Brother ______." the caller says, "I'm trying to go to the temple with the ward, and I'm not sure who could give me a ride to the temple."

I then ask if he had talked to his neighbors, two of the most active families in the ward, to see if they could give him a ride.

"No," he said, "I'll go talk to 'em." 

He hangs up the phone.

A few minutes later...

"Ring, Ring" goes the unconventionally story starting cell phone.

"Hi! good afternoon, we're the missionaries." I answer the phone.

"Hi Elders! This is Brother ________ (same as last time). Just wondering if you could tell me your phone number," comes the reply.

I give him our number, enjoying the singularity of said experience. :D

BINOMIAL COUNTING

Developed a way of counting from 0 to 511 on two hands. Isn't that pretty fun?! :) give ya a hint: you do it binomially.

C* was confirmed. She bore her testimony. There's nothing more satisfactory as a missionary than hearing someone you've taught or influenced teach and bear testimony to others. it's something special. :)

Got my temple recommend renewed. It really is a special experience being able to have that inverview and tell a representative ot the Lord that yes, we're worthy of the blessings of His house. it's like a mini judgement day, where we can measure our commitment and dignity.

Love yall!!! It's been a great week!

—Elder Brown

April 3, 2017--Churros, Conference, and a Baptism

"You guys know Christ?" a rather authoritative voice interrupts my meal of churros as we walk down the sidewalk. Before I know it, there's a 40 yr old man standing toe-to-toe with my companion, arms folded, looking more than just sellf-assured, but willing to attack.

"Yes," is my companion's reply.

"You know Christ, or you just heard of him?" he challenges.

"Look," I say, perturbed at the disruption of my churro consumption, "you're lookin' to pick a fight. We're not down. Have a good day!"

"No, I'm not contending," he says, trying to get closer than he already is.

"Yes, you are," I say, "Have a great day." I walk away, eating my churros peacefully once again. :)

Conference!!!!! :D Super fun!! and President G*'s been called as an area 70!! That was exciting!

SURPRISE!!!! BAPTISM!!!! M* got baptized on Sunday! Gotcha!! :P Nobody saw that one coming!! She had a super special experience as she got baptized. She actually shared her testimony afterward: "I don't know how to explain how it is, how it feels, getting baptized. It's, being born again, it's resplendance. All of you have felt it in a different way. I'm very grateful that Sister N* (the sister she lives with) has received me in her house. When I came to her house, I came to the feet of my Heavenly Father. I'm very grateful for the missionaries; they didn't leave me. They visited me at work and in my house. They called me and helped me. They were always there. They're true angels." It was super neat being part of her conversion.

Knock...Knock...

Great week this last week!

Monday:
I was sick. they gave me an injection. THEY INJECTED MY BUTT FOR A COMMON COLD!!!! What has this world come to? Oh the Humanity!!!

Tuesday:
Turns out the medicine they gave me (amplicin) is closely related enough to peniciline and augmentin that I was allergic to it. THAT was comforting. I even told them I was allergic to anything close to peniciline. Fortunately I came out fine; I just got another three days of butt pricks. It sure was a pain in the butt though!!!

Wednesday:
You know, there are probably only a few quintessencial words or phrases in a missionary's story, But I know that "knock" and "knock" are two of em. Thus, as "once upon a time" iniciates a fairy tale, knock knock brings the missionary tale into full development.!

"Knock knock." goes my 50 peso coin on the metal door jam. Nobody answers. Instead, a middle-aged man comes down the stairs, hangs up the phone, and says,

"Good morning Elders. Come in."

He directs us into the house we knocked like it's his. We go inside and its a doctor's office... Turns out he's the owner of some magnetic medicine shop that apparently works wonders on the spine and cures cancer. Apparently magnets are the cure to all llness nowadays. Who knows, could be true. The next thing ya know, I'm makin' up medical 'n physical terms 'n tryin to figure out where all this is coming from. Then a question I never thought I'd hear fell from my lips,

"Do ya think the magnets could make a difference on blistered feet?"

Turns out, he thought they could. He did his little magnetic maneuvers, took a magnetic glance at my positively repulsive ;) feet and left for a few minutes. He came back from another room with two magnets.

On the bright side, almost a week later, I'm positively blister-free!

Thursday:
"Knock, knock" there are the two quintessencial words again.!

"Who's there?" a middle aged woman calls.

"Missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We'd like to give you a card." 

"We're not home." She calls back.

Those are my favorites. :)!

We ate a BROWNIE PIZZA TODAY!!!!!!!

Friday:
I went and served with Elder W* for the day. He's really a really good guy. We ate some fantastic doughnuts, contacted a lady in front of a white wall with the sun on it. Now, I'm gonna have to start learning brail...!

Saturday:
Elder W*: He's really just a great guy. I really look up to him (on top of the fact that he's tall). He's honest, understanding, patient, and a bunch of other really awesome words I don't feel like putting down. I wanna be like him.  Going with him was an answer to my prayers.

Sunday:
Fantastic day. I was able to partake of the sacrament, like normal, but after a couple of weeks of practice, I've been able to have more and more meaningful experiences. This week, I was able to review many ways in which my prayers had been answered, many ways that the Atonement had helped me. I reflected upon character changes I had seen over the last weeks and over the entire mission. Then, as I partook of the sacraments, my mind was taken to a couple of "pendientes" pending problems or plans that I was not satisfied with. I knew I was in the wrong, but I didn't really see much hope to change. Right then and there, I could feel my heart let go of the old ideas and accept the gospel truth. I didn't learn anything new intellectually, but I experienced what I consider to be revelation to the heart. It wasn't any real instruction, but a change in me, and I felt it happen. That was cool.

Funny awkward moment of the week: 
We were just leaving church and a family stops by us and asks us where we're going. I tell 'em were going to our house. They ask us where we live, and I say, "We live by the Cortez family" super proud of the fact that I knew where we live.!

"Oh! Were the cortez family," was their response. :) OOPS!! That's embarrassing!!

18 Months Into the Mission:
It's kinda funny what that 1.5 year mark does to ya. Something fundamental about the mission changes. Ya start to look backward. Looking back, I've truly been blessed:
1. I'm in one of few biking missions. If I hadn't been on bike, I wouldn't have been able to stay here in the mission while my feet healed.
2. So many things have changed. Many of the biggest personality problems I had before have seen much improvement. Unfortunately enough, I still make bad puns.
3. I've identified many weaknesses before unseen, and learned to improve.
4. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has become a tactile idea to me. It's more than a puffy cloud in the sky.
I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know that God has restored His Gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that President Thomas S. Monson is the prophet called of God today. following their counsel is ALWAYS the best idea. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

--Elder Brown

Q&A with Mom

How would you describe your companionship with Elder W*?

Sign in Tijuana reminding Elder Brown of Bugambilias

Elder W* is AWESOME. Once we learned the tricks of making things work great, it was a wonderful comanionship. I wouldn't change it for the world. He's a great man.

How are your feet holding up now that you are back in a walking area?
My feet are fine.

What is the weather like? 
You can look up the weather in the broadcast. I don't really pay attention.

I know I can look up the weather...just like getting your take on it! Haha
It sure seems like weather!! :)

What have I learned this past week?
The bishop did something really cool on Monday. His 8 yr old son started singing this raunchy song like it was the new Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When the bishop heard the song, he said, I'm not so sure why you keep singin that song. It's not very cool. He then asked his wife and everyone else in the room if it was cool. We all replied "No, it's not a very cool song, son. Why don't you find a song that's truly cool." The son then went off singin' "I believe I can fly", super content that he had finally found the next peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Be creative when you scold your kids! Scold 'em with #Class.

A Bear of a Dog

Went and taught O* on the temple grounds, the Spirit is SOOO strong! If we make the temple the center of our lives, everything else in life will align itself. Put the truly important stuff first.

We went with someone named A* last week. She has parkinsons and never remembers anyones name, but remembers numbers really well. She named me 7.5! Seven and a half! She calls whenever she wants to talk with me. It's super endearing. :)

Who are you teaching?
M* lost all his family and his wife walked out on him. Within a 10 year time period, he went from having everything; being filthy rich, to having nothing. Kinda puts the important things in perspective, doesnt it?

Another person we are teaching, M* wants to get baptized, but doesn't have support from his mom. He's gotta have a really acute conscience to discern the different pulls.

Elder Brown and Elder R*

We are also teaching a man name O*, he's 75. He came with us to the temple. We showed him the grounds and he told us "The flowers r pretty n all, but I'd really like to learn a bit of the Word of God." That man's got his priorities straight. :)

What can you tell us about your new companion?
Elder R* is my companion now. He's been great. I'm still gettin' to know him. Keep ya updated on that part.

Transfers: Tijuana Temple District

Well, the area of the temple's the last place I ever thought I'd be. It's gonna be FANTASTIC!! I'm here with Elder R*. Almost thought they messed up his first and last names. Don't know anything about him, don't really know anything about the place. I just barely got here. One change this means for me is that I will be in a walking area again. Let's pray my feet hold up without too many blisters. :)

V* GOT BAPTIZED!!! She's super awesome and keeps on goin'! She received the Holy Ghost and since then has noticed a difference.

C*'s still goin'! Her son, A*, who'd gone off the deep end just before his baptism and started sellin'

Baptism of V*

drugs, got caught last week. Not sure what they're gonna do with him. The cops let 'im see his parents fer about 30 minutes before they took him to wherever he was going (doesn't look like a pretty situation). C* called us and begged us to come over so we could see 'im. He asked us for a blessing. When we gave him the blessing, we could feel the Spirit super strong. Heavenly Father doesn't stop loving us, even when we may be suffering the consequences of poor choices. Even in our worst moments, we will always be loved and assisted as much as we allow ourselves to be.

The work is still wonderful. Grattitude is still great. Alliteration is still amazing. you get the gist. :)

we can see 1.19663138889 miles out on a perfectly flat prarie. that's how far the horizon should be (according to my calculations)

based upon that number, we can see 4.49839766797 square miles of the earth at a time. Isn't that crazy?!

Love,
Elder Brown

On the way to meet our new companions

Zone in Mexicali

Working by the Spirit

I'm really falling in love with Mormon.org. The people we talk to can look at whatever they want, whenever they want. they have access to simple answers to WHATEVER question they might have. the best part is that I don't even have to teach em anything! :) They just do it themselves.

We ate with a part-member family. The son is totally destroyed by drugs. Don't use 'em. They'll wreck you. His mom's a sweet lady (she's the member). Anyway, it was quite the nice lunch conversation. The mom started talking, then the son started talking when she took a breath, and thus it continued the entire time!! :)

I didn't even have to ask a question. :) I could listen to 'em 'n' nod my head to show em I was listening and keep eating. :) most of the conversation didn't hold much pattern anyway. My companion totally fell asleep after that. He almost fell off the bike!

C* (Hna M*) keeps fasting! Still reading and she even called to ask the relief society president for a calling!! You go girl!!

V* is already reading into ALMA!!!! She's barely got a month with The Book of Mormon and she's on FIRE!!! She obviously understands the role of The Book of Mormon in our lives as a compass.

Met this lady named T* last week. we had set the appointment for 10:30, but for seemingly frustrating reasons, we didn't make it til 11:00. When we got there, she was just getting back from the store. If we hadn't been delayed, we would have made it, decided she lied about a time of availability, and moved on. Because we got there late, we learned she had been waiting for us to get there. We had small talk, and after we had started the standard lesson for about 10 sec, I remembered the advice of our Mission President, who said, "you will find and meet the needs of almost EVERY investigator by asking about their family." In that moment, I realized we didn't know anything about her parents. "Do your parents live close to here?" I asked, a slightly awkward question. She broke down into tears and told us her dad had died last march 23rd. The Spirit led us to that lesson at that time.

--Elder Brown

Making the Sacrament More Personal

Fun week last week:

We weren't even here all thursday or friday.

We needed to renew my companion's visa. Didn't really do much this week.

D* and V* keep coming along. They're reading and seeing a lot of progress.

Still working on grattitude. It's a lot harder than we like to think. Always keeping a spirit of grattitude in our perspective. Realizing that sometimes what we thought was best really wasn't. Learning that those happy times we might have had in days before was truly a gift, not a right.

Still working on making the sacrament a more personal experience. I realized that Christ already gave us His offering, it's waiting for us every week on the altar. The question to be resolved is "what is my offering?" What offering do we have to give week after week? What sacraments are we going to offer this next Sunday?

Last thing I learned this week is that the world is rooting for you. The world wants you to be the best you can. we've all got the support of many more people than we like to think sometimes, even though it might not seem like it.

Love you all! good week this past week, even though not much happened. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Valentine's Day Special

"Ting! Ting! Ting!" I knock on the black metal gate of a whitish, well-kepts house. I take two at what I first think to be quite the ugly woman specimen. The face and figure just don't go with the femininely fitted, curvy-cut clothing. All makes sense as I learn the name: J*. He's a cross-dresser, and obviously on a date. My companion hasn't picked up on the "timely interruption" and thus asks, "are you enjoying your Valentines day?" After we all recovered from the awkward moment, we left him with a copy of "The Family, a proclamation to the world".

Had an interview with the Mission President. It was really special. I set a new goal to learn about and apply the principle of the sacrament more in my life. Honestly, it's kinda hard here. Every week we have to count attendance, we have to make sure our investigators come to church, etc. It's so stressful that many times that I totally forget about the sacrament. they do their routes and everything, I grab the bread, the water, eat it, drink it, and that's kinda it. I was invited to partake of it more seriously.

If we compare baptism to a contract between us and God, then we could compare the sacrament to the monthly payments. We review our status in the contract and offwer what we've prepared/saved up over the month to continue in the contract and toward our end having a home. It's the same thing with baptism. We can give ourselves the baptismal or temple reccommend interview every week to review our commitment and performance over the week. We can also review the blessings of said covenants in our lives, review its worth to us. In this way, I realized that in this way, the sabbath day becomes a PERPETUAL COVENANT (Russel M Nelson, may 2015), and we can thus participate in a PERPETUAL JUDGEMENT DAY.

Also, in D&C 59, found 10 commandments of this dispensation. :) that was pretty fun. Really enjoyed commandment number 7: Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things. Pretty great, isn't it? Enjoyed that one. been practicing gratitude. it's actually pretty hard. In my study, I feel like I've found a good definition of gratitude, being more than just a list of things we're grateful for. gratitude: a heartfelt respect for what we have and are, recognizing its place as a representation of love and mercy from an all-powerful being, realizing how little we truly deserve it. I also feel like in order to truly enjoy what we have, we have to realize how little we deserve it.

fun little thoughts to chew on over the week.

Love you all! the work keeps progressing. I'm truly grateful for the mission, for my family, for what I've learned, for what I've been given and what's been witheld from me for a time. I know this work is the work of the Lord. I know God loves us. I know we can do this, notwithstanding its apparent difficulty.

Weekly Happenings

Of Relationships and Rights
In General Conference last year, someone said that in terms of welfare, the closer one is to its source, the less entitled he feels. for example, if I ask my brother or my parents for money, I'm not gonna feel to great. I'll feel like it's a really special gift and trust. if I ask some stranger on the street, It's whatever. If I ask some rich organization from another country to give me a leg-up, i begin to deserve the help I get. There are a lot of people here that are mad at the bishop because he doesn't pay their light bill. Many times it's the same way with God. The further we are from Him, the more entitled we feel to His blessings. When we truly develop a close relationship, we realize just how little we deserve, and how much we have.

Monday with M*
We had a frustrating lesson with a lady and at the end, her 10 yr old daughter, M*, raised her hand. "I have a question, not about the Bible or anything," she said, "but I was wondering if I could teach you how to draw." It was the sweetest thing ever. Definitely eased the tension. We then played our family drawing game. :)

M* the Muslim
We met a MUSLIM!!! I almost told him, "you're not from round these parts, are you?" He came from Morocco, spoke french, spanish, english, arabic, and another african dialect. He was super cool! Maybe we'll go visit him. He's a doctor here.

Pecking at the Piano
I started piano classes again! Super fun! LOOVE teaching piano.

A Flower for F*
We met this cute little old lady named F*. She's got a couple of knee problems, but she's fine with that part. Today is the 1st anniversary of her husband's death. We taught her about the temple and she broke into tears. She asked if it was really possible. We testified that it was. We're gonna bring her a flower today. :)

Valiant V*
V* is an investigator we met last sunday. She's been reading and doing EVERYTHING we ask her to AND MORE. Her husband was less active. They've been working really hard. They've already found and watch the work and the glory. Not sure how, but they did. :) She's awesome.

Not-so-decisive D*l
D* is her husband. He's GREAT!. But at the beginning it seemed like he was kinda riding on his wife's coattails. We can all benefit a little by someone else's diecision, but if we decide, and do what we decide heartily (colossians 3:23) we truly benefit.

Matamoscas Mexicanas (not to be confused with matamocas)
Mexicans don't have fly swatters. They just don't. They use a wash rag. CRAZY!

Scripture
John 15-1-8 (2) - He will clean it reading the parable of the vine, Christ says that if we produce fruit, He will clean it. maybe sometimes when we feel like we're working our hardest, we feel like were also being damaged the most, but it's so we can be ore fruitful. :)

Love you all.
BYE!!

Looking in the Mirror

James 1:23-24
I liked this scripture because it compares us reading the scriptures and then leaving them behind to looking at ourselves in the mirror and then forgetting about who we are. The scriptures were written to help us remember and recognise our divine potential. We essentially look our spiritual selves in the mirror when we read the scriptures. So often we leave it behind and forget who we are and what we are really made of.

We were contacting last week and came across this guy named A*. He said he knew that we taught that Christ had reestablished his Church. He said that he wasn't gonna come to church because he would feel hypocritical going to church like a saint and living his lifestyle that he wasn't planning on changing. I testified that repentance is real, and worth it. after that, he told us that he'd like us to come over to his house. He's a good guy.

Fast and testimony meeting is always quite the adventure as a misisonary.

That's about it! it was a pretty good week and I super enjoyed the opportunity of another transfer with Elder W*! love yall. thanks for your prayers! bye!

Transfers: I Stayed Right Where I Was

Elder Brown sent an email that told me his letter was being mailed home and I would get it in a couple weeks. He was however, kind enough to tell me he and his companion are staying right where they are and he did send a few pictures. He looks happy and healthy and loves his mission!

With my Zone

Helping Others Come Unto Christ is Worth the Effort

Lunes:
Rather uneventful today. Got everything ready for the week. A* and his mom are fasting today so he can stop smoking and be prepared for baptism this Friday. We gave him a priesthood blessing to strengthen him.

Martes:.
Fantastic day today!! We went contacting in the sketch part of the area (C*) and found someone named R*. She said that she listened to missionaries like us about a year ago. Then she said she had been praying and asking God for help lately. She said that she was looking for a way to start over in life. We taught her about getting baptized; she accepted baptism the 25th of February. Then we went on divisions. A* is going to get baptized this Friday. SOO excited! He’s SSUPER excited to be able to start over. After teaching him about tithing, we asked him “You now know EVERYTHING you need to enter heaven, to get baptized. How do you feel?”He said, Ëxcited, and amazed. It’s something I can’t even imagine. Newness, a new start. Wow.”He saw our bikes the other day and said that when he got baptized he’d go on visits with us.

Something to think on: people jump around when there’s something they’re trying to avoid. Ask ém what it is.

Jueves:.
Crazy day today. Yesterday too. Actually yesterday was quite the show. Rather frustrating (That’s why I didn’t write.) Anyway. A* changed his baptismal date to the 28th. He’s not planning on getting baptized the 20th. The problem is that Since the beginning I had felt his need was to get baptized this Friday. I had felt like my little line of revelation was a bit broke. That was a bit disheartening. Then I remembered my OWN voice that had so often said the words,”Don’t confuse the mid-point, or the means to an end with the end itself.”

Viernes:.
Today was a pretty good day. We went with the lady named R*. Turns out she’s an ex-druggie. She dropped that stuff about 3 months ago. After that, we went with two sisters (M* L* and M* J*) who were both married to druggies. They were pretty interested. Decided they’d come to church.

After seeing them we went to eat lunch (the main meal of the day) with Hno Garza, who was sick. We gave him a priesthood blessing.

Then we went with a youth named A*. He helped us do a couple visits, and rather enjoyed it. When we dropped him off at his house, his older brother, C*, decided to come with us. After his first visit, he said, “This is the bad thing about doing visits with you guys: after the first visit, I don’t want to stop.”Visiting people and helping them to come unto Christ is really something special. Make an effort to do it. Visit your home teaching families. Make a real connection. Find a way to really help them. It’s worth the time and effort. A* keeps progressing. Wants to get baptized the 27th of January. He’s really excited for that blessing.

Domingo:.
Yesterday was another meeting with the MP. Pretty good. We were invited to kneel down with the mission plaque between our hands and give a daily report to the Lord. I did it. It was a cool experience.

Creepy Crawlies in the Baptismal Font

Jueves:

Having a little fun on the Mish!

Today we had interviews with the mission president. I felt rather nervous. The mission president is a really great guy though. I really admire how he truly manages to care for and love more than 150 of us at a time for three years.

My companion, Elder W*, is great too. He always tells me when he feels like things aren’t quite what he thinks they should be.

After the interviews, we went with the L* family. They got baptized about 7 months ago. Not sure why they stopped going to church. Everyone in the family’s got a different reason. One person said it was a calling. Another said it was an offense. Another said they just got plain busy. Another said it was the dad. Nothing really productive came of that meeting.

Then we went with someone named M*. We’ve been teaching her for about 2 months now. She’s wanted to get baptized since December, but hasn’t really had the gumption to do it alone. Her husband is against it in attitude, but decides not to take an official stance. One son (M* is the same way, and the other son (A*) is now wanting to get baptized.

M* had always found it hard making such a monumental change without seemingly any family support (seeing as her 2 kids were in Sinaloa, 12 hours away). She decided that she would show God her faith anyway by getting baptized this Saturday. She felt super nervous, but now that the time is coming closer, she is SSOOOOO excited! Like Ether 12 6 says, the witness comes AFTER the trial of faith. She taught her son how to pray. She explained a lot of doubts her son had, and she bore a super strong testimony of prayer and scripture study.

Viernes, 13 de Enero, 2017
Wow. It’s 2017. That still amazes me. Contrary to superstition, today was quite the enjoyable day. M* decided to get baptized today. We had to go through the normal preparative process: empty the font (because the pump’s broken and no one cares enough to fix it, me included), wash it out (because no one cleans it out until it’s got it’s own little ecosystem, me included) and then get all the last minute details wrapped up (because nobody does anything until the HAVE to, me included). We had to bail out the font with buckets. The place we had to go to effectively empty the font had a black widow web all over it; we saw the spider. It looks crazy cool! It was the first time I ever saw one, and MAN is it crazy. We went to get our cameras to get a picture but when we got back, the black widow was gone! After freaking out a little (maybe a lot), we threw water on the web and got to bailing.

In cleaning out the font, it was rather uneventful. It smelled like a pond because it was one; it had green algea growing on the corners and had spiders, mosquitos, and a bunch of other little nasties running around all over it.

Baptism Day

Then came the baptism. That was something special; it always is. You can really see the difference in M*. The first day you could tell just by looking at her that she got angry really easily, and when she got angry, she took the anger seriously. She is now super happy and her faith is really growing. It’s amazing to see.

What is Baptism?
It’s immersion, immersion in a foreign world that first, seeming hostile and unformidable, comes to be the very essence of existence.
It’s death, death to our past, death to our true enemy, ourselves, and life which breaks forth in everlasting joy.
It’s pain, pain of repentance, the process of extracting every impurity and every sin which doth so easily beset us.”(Alma 7:15)
It’s birth, birth into the marvelous mercy and grace of our Savior.
It’s hope, hope that comes only on a blank page.
It’s a gift,a gift you keep unwrapping the rest of your life.

Sabado:
I bought a bike today! It’s a sweet bike! Actually, I bought it on Thursday and it finished getting fixed up today. I got to ride it for the first time today and it was SSUUPER fun! I almost beat the cars. ;)

My Speedy New Bike

After that, we went with A*. He’s M*’s son, and he wants to get ready for baptism. About 3 months ago, he was a drug addict. He left it because he lost his marriage and was gonna lose his daughter due to it. When we contacted him, he told us that he was planning on attending another church the following Sunday. He changed his mind and asked us to come and teach him. Since then he’s been asking us when he can get baptized. Our friends NEED the gospel. They want it DESPERATELY, but most of the time don’t even know WHAT it is they’re looking for, much less HOW to find it. Be a friend and reach out to them with simple invitations.

Maybe they (or you) think it’s a bit uncomfortable, but it’s like a drowning swimmer. There’s nothing uncomfortable in throwing out a lifeline. The most uncomfortable is knowing you COULD have saved a friend, but didn’t.

Domingo, 25 de Enero, 2017:
Wow. Today was something special. M* got confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She’s a powerful follower of Christ. She heard a couple of sisters were going to visit the families that didn’t come to church today, and she decided to join them. She wants to go the temple with the ward the next excursion (the 28th, I’ll get pics) and she’s helping her son get prepared for baptism.

A* wants to go on visits with us already. He keeps progressing. He’s actually fasting today for help with the Word of Wisdom. We are also fasting for him.

Speaking of help with visits, My companion and I bought a couple of new bikes. They’re SUPER fast! We’re gonna beat the cars on the highway now! No, but we ARE gonna be able to work better with the members, because now we’ll have bikes for ém to use.

Testimony:
Lastly, I know that this Church is true. Joseph Smith DID see God the Father and Christ His only begotten son. They DID restore their gospel, their continuing revelation, and their access to it all, through their servant, Joseph Smith. They DO love us. The power of Christ’s atonement DOES overcome ANYTHING, when we put ourselves to the task. God wants us to love Him, why? So we can learn to truly live. Only in loving Him can we find true happiness, true comfort, and true progress. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Homework:
Read Alma 12:28-29. Think of ways it has applied in your life. I love those two verses. If you want, post ém on the comments bar.

Thank You!

first off, THANKS EVERYONE for your birthday wishes and I LOOOOVVVED the Flat Elder Brown. You all made my birthday memorable!! My birthday was super fun. but now to the week.

Tuesday we had our district meeting. Nothing abnormal about that. Then, at the end of the meeting, Eder G* (our district leader) promised us that if each area achieved its goal of 140 contacts in a week then the district would be collectively blessed with more than 30 new investigators, and they would be legitimate investigators. When I heard it, I knew it was a promise from God. You can tell if you pay attencion and ask Him. We did 159 contacts and had 13 new investigators when the previous weeks we had barely gotten 6 at best. almost all of the 13 new investigators seem rather interested in progressing and in listening. If we hear blessings promised by God's servants, we can ALWAYS trust them.

SAN FELIPE came to town!!! Elder E* and Elder R* came to sae the day here in bugambilias because my comp was sick. i got to work with elder evans again. unfortunately i dont have a pic because my companion has the pic and he cant upload his photos. oh well. :/

LOVED the birthday! LOVED your support! LOVE your prayers and your own efforts in the work of the Lord. LOVE you. Bye!

Getting back into the Swing of Things

2 Jan 2017

Monday:
Just getting’back in the swing of things here. Christmas Eve (Saturday) at 5:00 we went to a less-active member’s home (R* Family) to read the Christmas story and then eat dinner. It was rather enjoyable. From then ‘til today at 6 has been pure fiesta. Needless to say, It’s been quite the different week. So, whaddya do to  get back in the swing of it all? Not quite sure what you do. I generally try to do everything, EVERYTHING on my to-do list. I get so worried focusing on things that I don’t even have time to be lazy or even to think twice.

Martes:
Went to the district meeting today. I taught about humility. We played the Stats Die Game. Ezra Taft Benson said that Pride is centered on Enmity, and is Competetive, or Comparative, in nature. All those that played the game were all competing and comparing between points instead of focusing on the points THEY had. The winners were prideful, yes, but the very element of competition is pride. That caught everyone off guard.

Then we came back and visited a few people. We visited a less-active member and his non-member girlfriend. They listened to us and when we helped K* (the girlfriend) understand the principle of a prophet and its application today, she took more interest in our message. The most important part, however, was when she prayed. The Spirit she felt as she ended her first prayer was something special. Remember that. And make every prayer worth it.

Miercoles:
Today we painted. And painted. And painted. It was rather dull. Then we went with C*.

Christmas Week

26 Dec 2016

Feliz Navidad!!!!

This is the second (and last) Christmas I’ve got out here on the mish. Shoot, the time’s gone by fast. It only goes faster and faster. I talked to my family today and I promise, it always seems a little awkward talking to them after so long. I think I almost have to connect with ém all over again.

It’s a super neat experience being on the mish during Christmas. First off, everyone here wants you to come and celebrate with them. Maybe it’s the message we represent. Maybe it’s just that they don’t want us feeling homesick, but the members really work hard to keep us busy these days. Even if we’re not that busy, like last year, it’s a really special thing. We spend the time and season sharing the message of the true Christmas. We enjoy time together as a companionship, we may enjoy time with another companionship of missionaries, and we are given the opportunity twice each year to enjoy face-to-face time with our family. That’s something special.

This last week was pretty interesting:

Monday we had a family home evening with A* and his non-member family. They rather enjoyed the message. I enjoyed their sense of humor and their sense of a good cake. ;) Tuesday we had our district meeting and at night we had a family home evening with M* and her husband. They quite enjoyed the time, and her husband finally started to show some interest in the church. YYYAAAYYY. :D

Wednesday we visited M* and shared a message with her and her husband about the temple and the potential we all have to be an eternal family. We visited J* and he’s progressing well too. He just got here from Acapulco (the southern part of Mexico) and he’s super grateful for what we’ve shared.

Thursday we had a super stressful morning; everything, EVERYTHING went wrong. A member, J*, C*’s husband, had come to do visits with us and ALL the visits fell through. I gave him a contacting card and told him I would give him an example. I contacted a neighbor who was sitting outside in his car. We invited him to listen; he told us a bunch of crazy stories from his life (he’s lived quite the dangerous life) and then told us to come see something in his house. He pulled us into his back room and showed us a wire hanging from the roof. He said that he was planning on hanging himself the next day. Everything fell through and it was super stressful, but maybe I should have eliminated the stressful part and just trusted that things would work out anyway, because the most important was accomplished, and we were able to touch and help heal a heart.

Friday we met M*s (a recent convert) daughter and her boyfriend. We decided to teach them and they accepted, politely. They were rather uninterested and it was pretty easy to tell. We taught them about the restoration. When we shared our testimony, the boyfriend showed surprising interest. He accepted The Book of Mormon and told us he’d read it.

Christmas Pj's from my Companion's Mom

Saturday was Christmas Eve; we still accomplished a surprising amount. At the end of the day, we went with A* (the ward mission leader) to celebrate Christmas Eve. We sang a couple of Catholic Christmas Carols (look up “burrito sabanero”). It was SUPER fun.

Sunday was Christmas Day. THANK YOU everyone for the presents! They were AWESOME!

I decided one day to set some personal goals. I thought about the goals I was setting and realized that I’d set them before, but I had always kinda given up halfway. Then I had an idea. I read chapter 11 of Preach my Gospel and decided to reflect the four suggested steps on leaving commitments on myself.

I asked myself if I was really going to do it. I was able to resolve a couple of doubts I had forgotten in the enthusiasm of setting goals.

I started listing ALL the blessings, or positive consequences, of achieving my goal. Then came to verifying. I decided I could write in my journal what I did to achieve my goal and what blessings, or positive consequences, I received each day. Then I would prescribe blessings, or positive consequences, that would come the next day.

The next day, I will write how I saw these blessings fulfilled and prescribe, or promise, other blessings for the next day. Remember, RECEIVING blessings is an action. We can be given many blessings, but we have to ACCEPT them as such, and thus RECEIVE them as evidence of God’s love.

I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. We truly have the potential to change. We can develop the faith and confidence to do it. This is one way that has helped me.

LOVE YOU ALL!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY NEW YEAR!