Mid Transfer

Hey!

Things are still going great. Our teaching pool has grown a little. We got two new investigators last week. Peter and Andrew. Some of our other investigators are not progressing anymore and are becoming a little flaky. Elder Park is not too trunky. He hates it as all missionaries would, when members ask him how much longer he has left. They know that he goes home soon so he gets asked that question a lot.

A few extra things:

1.  Last week for dinner we went to a members home and we had Marco's Pizza for dinner. I didn't know that Marco's Pizza was a nation wide thing.
2. Sorry I haven't written to you guys lately so it sounds selfish of me asking this. But the next time you send a letter or a package can you please have the kids write a letter or at least a picture. I LOVE the pictures that they draw.  
3. I have started back up with writing in my journal. I started back up on June 4th and have not missed a day so far. It can be really hard some times.

Talk to you next week! 

Love,

Elder Brown

Mid June

How Dee!
Time does seen to go by really fast!  I'm not exercising in the mornings but we do walk a lot during the day. Last week we walked 25 miles give or take a couple. It's really good.

My week was good. Except for yesterday. Kristin (the first person that I taught on my mission) was supposed to get baptized. To make a long terrible story short the baptism is being postponed at least a month because of some complications with her parents. But besides that it was good. Elder Park and I are getting along great together. we had a dull week this week on stats but that always happens sometimes. We did have some one with a date for last Saturday but her mom won't sign the baptismal form. She was all cool and fine with her getting baptized but a couple days before her mom decided not to sign the form.

Things in my new ward are going pretty good. Last week we didn't teach much. We did a lot of contacting though. I would have to say that my favorite lesson to teach is the Plan of Salvation just because I enjoy talking about that stuff. During comp study we role play and we decide who will teach what during that time. The way missionaries are suppose to teach usually is one person teaches a point and then your companion teaches the next and so forth.

Love,

Elder Brown

Memorial Day

Hello,

The teaching is going good. I'm sad that we are just now starting to teach them because I might get transferred and I won't get to see how they progress. You are so right about the developing talents. I am much more open to talking to people now. It's really great. Yes I did give a talk on Sunday. It went well. I gave it on testimonies. We were back up speakers because the bishopric had no one to speak. We got a call during our specialized zone meeting on Friday by the 2nd councilor asking if we would talk in sacrament. It's my second time giving a talk on my mission.

We had exchanges with the traveling elders on Friday. That's was fun. We found about 3 potentials. Oh! something that I forgot to tell you on Mothers Day is that I bought a Rubix Cube and can now solve it. I also us it for some spiritual thoughts. So it wasn't a complete waste of money. hahaha Also today is my half birthday!! I am 19 1/2. Time flies so by fast. I have also been out 8 1/2 months. 3 1/2 more months and I will be half way done with my mission.  This is the last week of the transfer. I think that I will be transferring because I have been here for three transfers. Since the end of January. 

It was a good thing that I developed the skill of sleeping in my clothes because when I take my lunch nap I can sleep easily and not have to change. hahaha

We had Zone Conference on the 14th. Zone conference takes up pretty much the whole day. It is from 8:00 to 4:00. The last time that we went to the temple was on May 7th and we get to go once a quarter. So it will be a little while till we get to go again.

Love,

Elder Brown

Another week

Hey Mom!!

I am getting transferred today!! I will be going to Highland Hills in the Los Pados ward. I'll also be in a car. My companion will be Elder Park. This is his last transfer so I will be killing him. I've never killed some one before so we will see how it goes. hahaha My new area borders my current area. That's what happened last time when I came to my second area, all I did was hop the road and I was in my new area. I am excited to be in a new area though. I was in Tule Springs for 4 months three transfers.

So last week was one of the worst weeks stat wise that I have had on my mission. All doughnuts (all zeros). We had our lesson cancel on us which was very disappointing.  

My new area is great and I love my new companion. Elder Park is awesome.  I like being in a car. It's a hard transition because I'm used to bike and always moving to being in a car and sitting. I fall asleep sometimes when we're driving.

 

We have about 11 investigators that we are teaching. IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!! (Caps intentional). Two weeks ago which was my last week in Tule we had strait doughnuts. Last week ore stats were the best that I've had on my whole mission. They were: 0 0 1 2 2 5 1 1 2 4 3 I'm so happy!!

 

The highlight of last week was on Thursday the 8th when I got stuck on the bench press with 135lbs on my chest. I was stuck there for about 3-5 minutes calling for Elder Park to come help. He was in the shower so he couldn't hear me. It was funny afterwards though.

 

Love,
Elder Michael Brown

It's Monday!

Howdy!
I'm doing pretty good.  We don't get a lot of the same food each week.  The only thing that I have been served that I don't like is chicken.   If there is anything that I don't like, I eat it anyways.  We are having clam chowder tonight.  I'm so excited.  I'm still doing terrible on my journal writing but better on waking up.  M favorite person this week would have to be MaKayla.  MaKayla is a funny little girls in the ward.  On Sunday the Primary sang "I Am A Child of God" and she was smiling and waving pretty much the whole time.  It was really funny.

We got two new investigators last week.  Teresa and Gaby Lara.  Teresa is Gaby's mother.  The tough thing with them is that they both work on Sunday.  Be we will get over that.

I love and miss you all a lot.

Love,
Elder Brown

After Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day again.

It was so fun to see you and talk to you.
The work here is slow, like I told you.  But hopefully it will start to pick up.

I looked at the forecast for this week on my missionary portal.  Thursday will be a high of 92* and Friday will have a high of 97*.  It's definitely warming up.  I'm just really glad that I won't have the humidity.  I forgot about swim team.  One of my Zone Leaders swam 2 years on his HS swim team.  I did have some stuff that I forgot to tell you guys but I forgot them again.  If I remember I will write them down and tell you next week.

I love and miss you a lot.

Love,

Elder Brown

Happy Monday!

Hey there!
I forgot to tell you guys!  Brother Brad Wilcox came to our mission and spoke to us!!!! I got to shake his hand and have a picture with him. It was soooooo cool.

We are usually out of our apartment earlier to get to the computers by 8:00 so ccan be the first ones at the computers.  Then we go back and do our studies.  but today we decided to do our studies first.  The waking up is still a challenge but going to bed is pretty good.

Because my new comp, Elder T. speaks Tongan, I am learning a few Tongan words.  I've leaned hello, what's up/how's it going, and good..  It's pretty fun.

Making and talking phone calls are pretty mucha breeze now.  (*mom's note--using the phone before was nearly paralyzing for Elder Brown.  Missions are a wonderful thing!)


So, you ask how my mission has changed me...One thing that I have learned from my mission is that you HAVE to trust in the Lord.  You can't do things by yourself.  It is in a lot of missionaries.  At the beginning of their mission they think that they know everything and that they can do it on their own.  I have also learned about pride and how you have to give all your pride to God and submit to His will and not your own.  Everything that you do is because of who/  It's because of God.  your Father in Heaven.  The Supreme being of the universe.  You would be a fool not to give Him and the One who atoned for your sins all the credit and glory. My mission has changed me a lot and will continue to do so.  There is a talk by Tad R. Callister about being a consecrated missionary.  In the talk he tells a story of when he was a mission president.  The story goes something along the lines of this..Eler allister was talking to a missionary who was struggling with some obedience problems.  At the end of their talk the mikssionary says this.  "Yo are not asking me to change my behavior.  You are asking me to change my nature."  That is so true.  Behavior reflets your actions.  Nature reflects your attitide.

Love,

Elder Michael Brown