A World of Change (October 4, 2013)

Hello Family and Friends,

This week has been a very interesting and crazy week. The weather has changed and we have been having rain, wind, and cold almost everyday. It truly does feel like Fall, and I can tell that Winter is not too far away. The leaves here in Ohio are amazing! There are so many wonderful Fall colors and I truly enjoy being able to look out my window everyday at the trees and to enjoy their colors. I have attached a picture of the trees outside my bedroom window, so that all of you too can enjoy how beautiful they are.

We had Zone Conference this week and I always enjoy learning from President and Sister Vellinga. They teach us so much and they both  help us to grow and to become better missionaries. During Zone Conference President Vellinga made a big announcement that got all of us excited! He announced that by 2014 we will all EACH have iPad mini's. These will replace our planners, area books, and using the library computers. At night when it is dark we will proselyte online and will be teaching people over Facetime. I am very excited and am looking forward to this very big and exciting change in my mission. The Lord truly is hastening his work and is helping us find the elect.

Our investigators, Jill, Linda, Cindy and Gabe are all doing amazing! Jill and Gabe both came to the Chili cook off and both really enjoyed it. We also saw them both a church. Gabe is ten years old and is great! His older sister is twelve and is named Julie Moreda. Dominic taught her and I am now very happy to be able to teach her little brother. Both are doing great and are truly loving the church. Jill is doing really well and is starting to really feel comfortable in church settings. She loves it there and says that she just wants to stay and learn more. The rest are doing good as well. They are loving the lessons, but are still new and aren't progressing too much yet. Hopefully they will be soon though.

Sadly, Belinda and Rodger have now both moved to Indiana. It was hard to see them go because I have been working with both of them for such a long time now. They have both been referred to the missionaries over there and we hope that they continue to progress. I have included a picture of me with them after our last lesson at church. They are great people and I know that they will continue to learn and to grow.

We have had lots of Halloween things going on this week. We went to the ward chili cook off and we really enjoyed that. It was such a great party and tons of non-members were there! I was so happy to be able to help them and to laugh with all of the members as well. On Halloween, Elder Montgomery and I ate dinner at Corey and Jill's.   They served us some chili!  We had a nice time there and shared a really good lesson. Sunday night we all had to stay inside because trick or treating was moved to then. It was a little frustrating to have to stay in, but we ended up getting some much needed rest and down time.

My missionary tip of the week is to learn to see others as God does, and not as the world does. Sometimes it is hard to see people for who they can become, or who they really are. I find that it helps to look at them as if in white. See their potential and treat them as Christ would. You will find that they are great, amazing and are loved. Never cut someone short. Be accepting. Be caring. Be a true brother, sister, and friend.

Love you all!

Elder Brown

 Elder Brown with Belinda and Roger 

The Fall leaves outside the window

The Power of a Child's Voice (October 28, 2013)

Dear family and friends,

This week has been one of great joy, but struggle as well. It seems that missionary work, or life for that matter, always has its ups and downs. But despite the ups and downs of life, I have always found that the positives far outweigh the negatives. There is so much more joy to be found in the world than there is sorrow. God has placed so many glorious things around us, we just need to learn to see them and be filled with gratitude for all that we have truly been given.

This week we ended up losing our investigator Ariel. Her mom told her that she is no longer allowed to meet with us, and that she doesn't want her to have any part in our church. It was really hard to have to see someone deprived from the gospel because of another's decision. I hope and pray that when she turns eighteen that she will find the church again and will then wish to again accept the teachings.

Belinda has been progressing really well and has a great desire to come unto the Lord. She loves our Father in Heaven and she has told us that she knows that the church is true.  She has asked us when she can become a member of the church. She also prayed with us this week. It was great to hear her pray and to ask the Lord for peace and guidance in her life. Sadly she is moving to Indiana and will be gone by the first of the month. Elder Montgomery and I were able to help her move.  It was hard to see someone you have come to care so much about leave. We have already referred her to her new missionaries and she has already met with them and she still plans of investigating the church. We hope and pray that all goes well for her as she is moves to a new state and starts a new chapter in her life.

Jill is doing great as well! She love the church and hasn't missed a Sunday in a long time. She has said that she loves the spirit that is felt and that she knows that the church is true. She is very excited for her baptism is April. Sadly, it will be hard to move her date up because she won't be married until then.  She and her fiancé are both living together right now. It seems that this happens a lot out here. She was also really touched by the spirit at church and started to cry, telling us that she knows that this is the truth that she has been looking for all of her life. Cindy hasn't progressed too much but she still shows interest so we will continue to teach her and help her with coming unto Christ.

This Sunday the ward put on their primary program. That was truly amazing and the children all bore such sweet and powerful testimonies of our Heavenly Father's love. I was very touched by the program and loved it so much. The sprit was very strong and up lifting. After the great program we had the opportunity to teach the primary how they can all be missionaries. I loved being able to be back with the kids and to teach them. Their kindness and innocence reminded me of why I have chosen to be a teacher. It truly is amazing the lessons that we can learn from children.

My missionary tip of the week is to remember that we are all children of God. We are very loved and are dear to Him. We all have such great potential to become like Him. Learn to love your brothers and sisters and remember how important they are to God. Learn to love yourself as well and to see yourself as God sees you. We are truly all children, and are never alone, for we are loved and watched over by our Heavenly Father.

Love,

Elder Brown

Service and Progression (October 21, 2013)

Dear family and friends,

This week again has been very good and enjoyable! I have truly loved being able to teach, find and serve! There are so many opportunities to reach out and to help others and I am always so grateful for every chance that I get to do so. It really is true that as we serve others we find greater peace and joy in our lives and are able to truly be happy.

This week has posed many opportunities for Elder Montgomery and me to serve those around us. Early in the week we helped some nonmembers move (the same ones I talked about last week). We helped them get everything done and I really enjoyed providing that help for them. We have been told by the zone leaders that they are now investigating the church, and that they are finding it very interesting and enjoyable. We were then helped Roger and Belinda (our investigator) paint their house. I loved being able to paint again and I enjoyed my time helping them. Their home is now looking really good and we hope that they will be able to sell it. We then went and helped them with their other house. We emptied it all out and got it ready to sell as well. That home was one of the nastiest homes I have ever been in! There was mold on everything. We all had to wear masks and ended up throwing everything away. We hope that that home will sell, but we have our doubts due to all of the problems it has. It truly is crazy all the weird things that we end up seeing on our missions. This week we also helped Liz at her farm again. We were able to harvest beets and squashes! That really ended up getting me into the fall mood! I loved helping out and seeing all of the great things there. At the end of the week we were asked to help clean the church, because there was so much to do since they just finished remodeling it. That too was very great! The church looks really good and we enjoyed getting everything ready for Sunday and church the next day.

Belinda is doing great. She has come to love the church so much and has said that she has never been happier in her entire life. She has really loved attending church and appreciates all of the great love and support that she is able to feel and to have while there. This week she said that she wants to be baptized and we are now preparing her for that. She and Rodger are currently not married so we have to resolve that issue, before we can move forward to her baptism. She said she is ready to be a member and will do all that she has to to become one.

Jill is doing great as well. Our lesson with her was amazing! She loved what we taught and the spirit was really strong and touched her heart. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted, but she and Corey have to be married first. It seems that we will be seeing a lot of weddings soon. She really loves the church and has said that she has never felt more accepted. I am so happy that she has recognizes the spirit in her life, and has been able to follow and abide by it.

Ariel and Cindy are both doing great as well. They aren't progressing too much, but they are still showing interest. Some people take a while and we just need to learn to be patient and allow them to recognize the spirit in their lives. Sadly we had to drop Mike due to a loss of interest. His wife was rather mean to us and told us to never come back again. Some people just aren't ready to hear the message of the restored gospel.

During Sunday School this week I ended up getting pulled out by one of the members in the ward. One of the recent converts, Judy Anderson, was feeling very scared and overwhelmed and wanted me to give her a blessing. It was really cool to be able to use the priesthood to bless and comfort her. I was also very honored that she requested me of all the people in the building. I have truly come to love this ward, and I have begun to feel right at home while here.

My missionary tip of the week is to never give up. Some days can and will feel long and difficult. You may be mistreated, disrespected and unwanted but you must never give up. Push forward, remain faithful and remember that the Lord is always by your side. He loves you and He is helping you along your way. Have the faith to find, and remember that someone is out there ready and willing to hear our message. Belinda, Jill, Ariel, and Cindy were ready and I know that there are many more people waiting for us all to share with them the message of the restored gospel.

I love you all so very much and I thank you each for your love and support!

Love,

Elder Brown

Fall is in the Air (October 14, 2013)

Dear family and friends,

This week has been really good, busy, and enjoyable. We have had a lot of cold weather and the leaves are already starting to drop and to change. Fall is upon us all and Ohio is quickly getting ready for winter as well. We are told that it is supposed to be a very snowy (good thing I'm from Utah)! I do, however, enjoy the colder weather. No more miserably hot humidity!

Elder Montgomery and I are getting along really well. We have lots of fun while valiantly serving the Lord. I am very happy that we are such good friends, and that we are both able to work together. It always takes awhile to adjust to living with new people, but I think we are all happily settled in and are comfortable with one another.

This week we have been very busy with service opportunities. At the beginning of the week we were able to go help a non-member move. We ended up packing up everything for them and loading all of the trucks up as well. It was a little bit of a joke that they weren't prepared at all, but we were still more than happy to help. Their interest in the church was perked while we were helping them, and they are now investigating (they did, however, move out of our area so the other elders will be teaching them). After helping them move we were able to go and help a less active lady named Sister O'Shaughnessy split and stack all of her fire wood. While doing that we saw a mushroom that was bigger than my head! We could hardly believe how big it was! Later in the week we were able to go and work with Liz at her farm again. I love that so much! We always enjoy harvesting the fruit and vegetables.  It's great to provide her with help and service. She has started to ask many questions and we look forward to teaching her as well. Before the week ended we did one more service project. We went Belinda's house (one of our investigators) and put up new siding. That was something that I had never done before, but I found it to be quite enjoyable!

This week we have seen the miracle of finding three new investigators! We met Mike who is about 60 years old, Ariel who is 15 years old, and Cindy who is 62 years old. They are all very amazing and I love being able to help them all. We also have our two other investigators named Belinda and Jill.

Mike was found while tracting. We were about to go home when we felt prompted to stop at his home. We caught him right when he got home, and he let us in. We ended up being able to teach him the restoration and we will be meeting with him again on Thursday. He is a great man, and truly has been prepared for the gospel. He loved what we had to say, but more importantly he felt the spirit and recognized how amazing and true our message is.

Ariel was also found while tracting. She was outside playing catch with her little brother when we walked by. We ended up talking to her for awhile and asked her if she had any interest in religion. She said she did, but didn't really know which church to join. We were then able to teach her the restoration and talk to her about Joseph Smith's experience and how he felt the same way. She really loved what was taught and was very excited, and asked us when we could come back. We both are looking forward to being able to help her on her journey to find Christ and His restored gospel.

Cindy was referred to us by our ward mission leader, Brother Kebker. I believe that I talked about her last week and how her priesthood blessing was able to heal her from cancer! That truly was a miracle. She then invited us back because she wanted to know how that power worked and where it came from. We went back and talked about the priesthood, faith, and the restoration of the gospel. She loved all that we had to say and teach. She accepted the invitation to come to church, but wont be able to come until next week due to complications.

Belinda is doing really well and is continuing to progress, slowly. She has a learning disorder so that makes it a little harder to teach her, but working with my elementary students has really taught me patience and I am applying the same principle to her. She has been having some major health problems lately so we gave her a blessing last week and are hoping that all gets better for her.

Jill is really progressing! Her fiancé is a less-active member who referred her to us. She has learned almost all of the lessons and she watched general conference last week! This week we were able to give her a church tour, which ended up going really well! She went to church with her fiancé Corey. They both loved it so much, and we were really happy to see both of them there. She really wants to be baptized and to become a member. She has said that this church just feels good and right, and that she wants to be able to live with her family forever. We are very excited for her!

We have a member in our ward that lives in a rest/recovery home and we go and visit him regularly. We enjoy going there and teaching him, pushing him around in his wheel chair, and reading the scriptures to him. The workers there were very impressed with what we were doing and started talking to us. We were able to volunteer to help there, and starting tomorrow we will be helping there every Tuesday and Thursday from ten to noon. We have already been able to find so many people from service, and we look forward to finding more while doing this service. I am also really excited that I can help the elderly, read the scriptures to them, and give them my help, love and support.

Church this week was great!  Fast and testimony meeting was fantastic! The Perrysburg Ward has a downs-syndrome boy who is one of the nicest kids you will ever meet. During our meeting he went up and bore his testimony, and it was one of the most powerful I have ever heard. I was very touched by his amazing testimony, despite all of his mental and physical challenges. I realized that despite our mental disabilities the spirit is able to teach and to testify to everyone. I loved hearing his testimony and it really touched and strengthened mine as well.

This weeks missionary tip is to remember that the Lord loves us all. Despite all of our differences, challenges and concerns we are all equally loved and cared for. Remember that with the Lord you are never alone. He is near, by your side, and is watching over you. Do not doubt, do not fear, for the Lord our God is always there. I know this to be true, and I have felt His loving influence in my life.

I love you all, and wish each of you a fantastic week!

Elder Brown

Conference and Changes (October 7, 2013)

Dear Family and Friends,

This week truly has been such a great and busy one! So much has been going on and we have all been running our heads off trying to accomplish everything in time. There is always lots to do around transfer time, and even more to do with general conference happening along with it!

On Tuesday I helped Elder Steele pack up all of his things and get ready to leave the apartment. It is always hard to have to say goodbye, but it is part of being a missionary, and a part of life. We were all able to go golfing together one last time, which was great. We had a great time out on the course, and I am actually starting to become a decent golfer. That night we had an appointment with Jill, our investigator. That was good and the spirit was again felt very strongly. We then all had a pie together before going to bed. We got the pie free from the local bakery (Sister Mudgett, a member, gives us a 200 dollar tab to it each month) and sadly it tasted awful. Elder Schmidt said that it was the worst pie that he has ever tasted! So we were able to have a good laugh about our horrible pie.

Wednesday was the big day of change. Elder Steele and Elder Peterson loaded up and left early in the morning to go to transfer meeting. Because they were gone Elder Schmidt and I were able to work together during the day, until our new companions arrived. We had a great time riding our bikes in the ghetto of Toledo and being able to work around there. It is always fun to be able to be in another elders area and to meet more people, and to see more of the surrounding city. That night our new companion finally arrived. My companions name in Elder Nathan Montgomery from West Jordan. He is a really cool guy, and we already get along really well. He is near the end of his mission, and this is his last area, so he is super motivated to work, which I love! I know that we are going to have a great transfer(s) together!

The next couple of days Elder Montgomery and I worked on finding more people, and then helping him to get to know the area. While tracting we ran into a really nice man, who was really interested in that fact that we leave our families for two years to serve. He had heard that we aren't allowed to call our families, and he was amazed by our diligence and our sacrifice (from the missionaries and their family). He was so impressed that he asked if he could call our families. We told him yes and gave him our parents numbers. What a great man!  Even though he wasn't interested, and even though he was just a stranger, he was still willing to help and show charity. It really does show that there are many good people around us, and they are all willing to help and to serve. So let them help and serve you! Side note from the Brown Family: Karen received a phone call from this nice man.  He said that Jory looks great and is doing a good job.  How cool!

Saturday was such a fantastic day! In the morning we were able to study before heading down to the church to watch general conference. All of the other elders in the ward (Elders Langlois, Mo'unga, Cross, and Boothe) were all there as well and we enjoyed watching it all together. After the first session we were able to all go out to eat together to an amazing burger shop called Perrysburger (Dad would love this place, and I plan on taking him to it when my parents get a tour of my mission). After such a great lunch, and laughter we headed back to the church to watch the second session. That session too was amazing! We were again treated with great food after that session. Brother Perry came over and fed all us ribs, rolls, corn, beans, and jello. That was a great meal and we really appreciated his time and his charity. After a great dinner we were able to watch the priesthood session, which is always really good as well.

On Sunday we were again able to watch conference. Elder Montgomery and I watched the first session at the Richmond's house. They fed us a great breakfast of casserole, muffins, and biscuits. We really enjoyed their hospitality and their willingness to feed us, and to watch conference in their home. We then watched the second session at the church. That too was enjoyable and great. My favorite talk was Elder Holland's. It truly uplifted and touched me. I was so thankful for his words, and the encouragement that he gave. I also love President Monson's testimony, and all of their testimonies for that matter. They were all so powerful and really testified to me that this church is true. The spirit was also very strong when they prayed for the missionaries. I felt of that power and was truly touched by the Lord's love for me, and for all of His children. I am so happy to be able to be a part of his 80,333 missionary force! We truly are bringing the gospel to all of the world!

My missionary tip of the week is allow yourself to be served, and be willing to serve others as well. As we strive to serve and help others our lives will truly be filled with joy, and we will be touched and uplifted with the spirit. While serving we are able to draw closer to Lord, and to those that we are helping around us. As we let others serve us, we allow them those same blessings and opportunities. We give them the chance to help the Lord and to come nearer to Him. So Serve, love, and be willing to help all of your brothers and sisters.

I love you all and hope that you all continue to press forward in faith! This gospel is true and I love it so very much.

Elder Brown

 Saying goodbye!

Elder Brown and his new companion, Elder Montgomery!

Moving Ahead (October 1, 2013)

Hello Everyone!

First off this week is transfer week, and things will be all changing up tomorrow so I thought I would let you know all that is going on. I have been told that I will not be leaving, but that I will receiving a new companion here in the Perrysburg ward. Elder Steele is being transferred, and I am really going to miss him. I can hardly believe that our time together is finally up. I have learned so much from him, and we have really enjoyed and have had a good time with one another. Just as the song, For Good, from Wicked says: "I've heard it said that people come into our lives, for a reason, bringing something we must learn and we are lead to those who help us most to grow if we let them and if we help them in return." I truly have learned so much from Elder Steele and everyone else that I have met here on my mission, and I look forward to be able to learn so much more from all of those that I continue to run into and meet.

Sadly this week all of our investigators cancelled on us, so we weren't able to see or to meet with any of them. That can always be disappointing, but we just have to continue to look up, remain diligent, and to work hard.  We were, however, able to have a dinner at a members house every night this week. We really enjoyed being able to be with the members and to be able to help and laugh with them. They are all truly amazing and I thank them all so much for what they do for each of us. The Arens family is one in particular that is rather enjoyable. Brother Arens always manages to get us to laugh and really lifts our spirits. He is a rather odd, but also great person! We also were able to spend time with the Kebker family. Brother Kebker is our ward mission leader and he is always out helping us, and stopping by making sure that we are okay. We always feel at home at their house, and they ask us to just come in whenever we need food or water. They truly are great and we truly do love all of them so much!

Because all of our appointments fell through Elder Steele and I ended up having to do lots of tracting! That is always interesting for us. We ended up running into tons of Catholics, some Jews, a Buddhist, and even a super anti-Mormon. Luckily we scared the anti so much that he just ran back into his house because he didn't want to be cursed. It is very interesting the things that people think of us... We were also tracting one road and ended up running into some Jehovah Witnesses who were tracting the other end of the same street. Needless to say that was a little awkward. Sadly we didn't find anyone during our efforts, but we know that they are out there somewhere, we just have to continue to have faith and to look for them.

We were able to have a really cool service opportunity this week. There is an old Catholic church in our area that needs lots of repairs and such. Brother Kebker is close friends with one of the members of the church and he was told that they were wanting and needing to fix it up, but they weren't able to really afford the labor for people to do it. So he called all of us missionaries and asked if we would be willing to help them out, and of course we said yes. So all of us missionaries went to the Catholic church and helped lay tile in their gym area. It was really cool to be able to be there and help them. They were really touched that we would be willing to help another church, and that we took our time to serve them. I loved being able to help and to also be able to lay the tile. We had a great time serving them and being able to help them with their needs, and in worshiping. Once we finished they offered all of us coffee as a thank you. We had to reject it, and we were able to explain some of those standards and beliefs to them as well. Overall it was a great experience and I loved every moment of it.

My missionary tip of the week is allow yourself to learn. We truly can and will learn so much from everyone we meet and come in contact with. We need to allow ourselves to be taught by all of them and to be able to open our hearts and our minds to all that they have to say and do for us. As we do we will come to learn so much more, come to love all we come in contact with, and will come to really enjoy getting to know people, and to meet many more along our journey in life.

I love you all, and I hope that all is going well. Prepare for general conference this weekend, and prepare yourself for the wonderful and amazing blessing of hearing from the Lord's Prophet. Open your minds and your hearts and go listening with faith and with a desire to learn and to grow.

 Elder Brown and Elder Steele

"People come into our lives for a reason"

Learn to Laugh (September 23, 2013)

Hello everyone!

First off, Happy birthday to my amazing and wonderful mother! I love you Mom and I hope that you are having a fantastic birthday!

This week has been a rather interesting one, and a lot is starting to change in Ohio. Fall is upon us here and the leaves are starting to change. We are getting many colors around us from dark reds to bright and brilliant yellows. I am loving it! The temperatures are also starting to drop, as well as the humidity! That is also making me a very happy camper. My favorite time of the year is finally here, and I am enjoying every minute of it that I possibly can.

Sadly, the weather has not been Elder Steele's best friend because he became very sick this week. We ended up having to stay inside for four days of the week so he could rest and start feeling better. It was not the best and most enjoyable thing, but we do what we have to do. After about his second day of being sick I managed to catch it as well so we spent the last two days sick together. That was not the best, but after much sleep and recovery we are all feeling much better, and are now doing very well. While we were sick I was able to listen to Christmas music, which always lifts my spirits. So that made things feel a little better.

Earlier this week I found a little friend in our cupboard under the sink. He is a little black mouse and Elder Steele has named him Montrose. Yes, we have mice! Lucky us. We went out and got traps to get rid of Montrose and we set them up all around the kitchen, but our little mouse friend will not be fooled. He managed to eat off of the traps many times without setting them off. He is one talented mouse, I will give him that. We spent a lot of time trying to catch Montrose. Finally one night we heard a slap sound and then the sound of a mouse squeaking. We all ran over to the kitchen and sure enough, our trap had gone off! Upon grabbing the trap we heard another one go off, and found a mouse on it as well. Turns out Montrose has friends, and we managed to kill them both.  However,  neither of these mice were him. We haven't caught Montrose yet, but we are determined to get that little black mouse!

This week we were able to have an amazing lesson with one of our investigators named Jill. We taught her the plan of salvation, and she loved it! She said, "This just makes sense, this is how God would have it". It was so cool to be able to see the spirit teach and confirm these things in her mind and to be able to tell her in her heart that our words are true! It is amazing how strong and powerful the spirit is and how it truly blesses all of our lives, and helps us come nearer to our Father in Heaven. Jill and her fiancé, Cory, also invited us over for dinner with them. We were able to have a great time eating with them, and to be able to get to know and to help them even more. Jill is really progressing and she is getting excited about reading the Book of Mormon and everything that we are teaching her.

This week we were all able to go to a famous diner called Tony Packo's. They have amazing chili and hotdogs, and some other really good stuff. They also have signed hotdog buns all over the walls by famous people that have been there. They even had Mitt Romney's signature up there! We had a good time there and enjoyed that little break and to be able to enjoy some of the cool and good things that come from the city of Toledo. I think Dad would love eating at that place. The whole time I just thought of him and how much he would love it there.

This week Elder Steele and I were also able to help our investigator, Belinda, with moving some boxes and selling her old house. She is doing well and is progressing as well. We had a great time providing service and being able to help all of those around us. I will continue to keep all of you posted on how our investigators are doing as more continues to happen.

My missionary tip of the week is to find ways to laugh. Many things happen to missionaries, and normal people as well, that can be frustrating, upsetting and just annoying. Instead of being annoyed and bothered by them, laugh at them instead. You will find joy in it and you will come to be much happier. We could have chosen to be mad about our mice problem, instead we laughed, named the mouse, and turned it into a game. So learn to laugh, to smile, and to enjoy every moment that comes your way. I encourage you all to watch the Mormon message called "Come what may, and love it." It is a great message and teaches of the same things that I am now, that we should love and enjoy every moment of our life, and learn to find happiness and laughter in it.

I love you all and wish you all the very best! Till next week,

Elder Brown

The Elders and their mouse friend.  (Still no sign of Monstrose).  

Future (September 16, 2013)

Hello everyone again,

This week has been a very busy and crazy one at the least. I have truly enjoyed being able to work so much and to be able to go to all of our meetings and to grow and learn from the spirit. We are always very busy and there never seems to be enough time to do it all. Who would have thought that two years wouldn't even be enough? It is all very crazy that is for sure!

The highlight of our week was mission conference and being able to hear from Elder Bowen of the Seventy. I loved being able to listen to him and I loved all of his words and encouragement. He told us to raise our standards and the bar, and to remember the Lord's promise to us all that Kirkland will be built up again! He then talked about who we are, children of God, and the importance of remembering our potential and how important we are to the Lord. We went on and learned about and reviewed our covenants and how they allow us to be able to attain salvation. He told us to always maintain faithful and to never become "normal" but to always stay focused on the Lord and his work. He then told us that when we go home that he wants us to get married as fast as possible.... I don't know how I feel about that one. He said that we can only receive true exaltation when we are married, so why wouldn't we want to get married soon? I guess he has a point (considering he is an apostle of the Lord). Good thing I don't have to worry about that for awhile!

This week Elder Steele and I were able to find another investigator. Her name is Jill and she is very amazing and super solid. She is the girlfriend to a less active member, and has been looking for a church to join for quite some time. We ended up going and meeting with her and she has already read ten chapters out of the Book of Mormon and is loving it so much! We were able to have a very amazing and spiritual lesson with her and bear testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. She ended up crying and saying that this is what she has been looking for in her life, and what she truly feels that she needs. We have another appointment with her tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that and being able to help her draw nearer to our Lord and Savior.

This week we were able to provide lots of service as well. We were able to go and work on the farm again, which I always love, as well as go and paint a less active members house. That was also great! You know me and loving to paint things! The best service project though was this weekend. We were able to go and chop down some members trees. That was so much fun and we all had a great time. I was able to climb up and trim braches and also tie up ropes to make sure the trees fell the correct way. That was all great and very enjoyable. You truly are the happiest when you are serving and helping others!

I was able to go on exchanges this week as well with Elder Schmidt. He ended up coming to my area so I was put in charge of everything. At first I was a little worried, but I ended up doing really well and having a great time being able to work with him and lead my area. We ended up going and helping a less active who has some health problems. At the end of that she asked if we could walk her dog for her, since she isn't able to. So there Elder Schmidt and I were, walking a dog around the ghetto of Toledo. I'm very sure that that must have been a very interesting sight to see!

This week we also had some great success with our less active members! We have been working with a less active named Sister Mudgett. She hasn't been active for years, but loves the missionaries and has set up a tab for us at the local bakery (Dom will remember her I bet). Missionaries have been going by for years and no progress has been made, but this week something changed. We went in to teach our lesson and she stopped us right when we were about to start. She said that she decided to read the Book of Mormon and that she has some questions for us. We were able to answer those and then encourage her to continue to read. She is still reading and is loving it! I am so happy to be able to see her progress and to finally gain the desire to come nearer to God.

Elder Steele and I ended up having a rather awkward and interesting moment this past week as well that was at first scary, but ended up being okay. We got a call later in the night from a member in the Toledo first ward. She had told us that she had set up an appointment with a solid investigator and that she would love for us to be able to come with her and to teach the plan of salvation. Elder Steele and I quickly changed our plans and went out to meet her for this lesson. We met up and she told us a little bit about them and that they are her cousins. This got us very excited because it sounded like these people had great potential. Well upon getting to the house the husband freaks out! Apparently the member hadn't told them that she was going to bring missionaries and they were very mad about that. She also didn't tell us that these people were preachers for their church! So here we were getting yelled at by two mad preachers! Luckily we were led by the spirit and were able to calm the situation, and we ended up leaving with joy and laughter, but no potential. Just goes to show that when you invite missionaries, you should probably tell the people, and the missionaries, what truly is going on.

This week Elder Steele and I were also able to go to the baptism of Zack, Elders William and Langlois investigator. That was very cool and spiritual. It is always so great to be able to go to the baptisms and to be able to see of their joy as they enter into the Lord's true church. I was so happy for all of them, and Jill ended up coming and loved being able to be there as well. We had a great time and were all touched and guided by the spirit.

My missionary tip of the week is to remember who you are! You are God's child. He loves you and He know you. He wants you to be happy and to follow Him. Never forget your importance, never forget who you are, and never forget your amazing and glorious potential!

I love you all so very much and hope that all is going well!

Elder Brown

Have Hope and Look Up (September 9, 2013)

Hello again!

This week has again been very good, as most are out here. Serving a mission is the hardest thing that I have ever done in my life, and yet I am the happiest I have ever been. It is amazing how the Lord  helps us all and cares about all of us. He loves us all and cares for His missionaries. I enjoy every fleeting moment of my service and I love being able to put on my name tag each morning.  It shows that I truly am a representative of Christ.

I have pondered the significance of our names changing a lot lately. Why do I have to be called Elder Brown by everyone? Why not Jory? After all, that is the name that my parents gave me. To answer my question I turned to the scriptures. I decided to read out of the Bible about Jacob and his family. In the Bible we read about Jacob and how he was faithful and always strived to serve the Lord. Upon Jacob being called to a higher calling, the Lord changed his name to Israel, blessed him, and then expected a higher standard from him. As missionaries, we have been given new names because we too have been given a higher calling and the Lord expects more from us. That was a cool realization! I am so happy to be able to put on my new name and serve the Lord. As members of the church we all change our names. When we are baptized, we covenant to take upon ourselves the name of Christ. We stand as witnesses of Him at all times and in all places. May we remember the covenant that we have made, and strive every day to become more like our Savior and Redeemer.

This past week we were able to continue to work with Balinda. She is doing well and is really starting to progress. We had a little slow down for a while due to some little hiccups in her health, but she is much better now! She is reading the Book of Mormon and she loves it! I was so excited when I heard that she was reading! It is amazing to be able to watch people progress, change, and grow.  I am so happy for her, and I will be sure to keep you all posted on how she is doing. Sadly we were not able to see Dani this week because she is in Michigan right now. Hopefully we will be able to see her soon!

Elder Steele and I were able to provide tons of service this past week! We helped a potential investigator, Liz, with her farm. That was really fun and I had a great time!  It reminded me of all my little memories on the farms back home.  Grandma Cleo's, the Wollenzein's, Uncle Von's, and Grandpa Baadsgaard's farms are all great memories for me.  I loved every single minute over there! Liz also raises pigs, so fed and worked with them. Working with the pigs reminded me of when Dad wanted me to raise and show pigs, and it also reminded me of going to the county fair with him. Those were all great memories to revisit and I was happy to be able to enjoy doing that.

We were also able to go clean one of the member’s yards. It was really fun to do that as well. We got to mow the lawn, chop down trees and pull out bushes. Service is great and I love being able to help and reach out to those around me. We were also able to help another member in the ward move out and to their new home. With all eight of us missionaries working it ended up going by really quickly, and it was productive for us all. If we remember to serve others around us, and we will truly find joy and peace will enter our lives!

That is really all for this week. Not too much went on, but it was still very good. This upcoming week, however, should be very busy and fun to report on. We are having Elder Bowen, the apostle who has a Mormon Message called “Reclaimed,” come to our mission for a tour and to teach us all and to interview some of us. We are all very excited for that and to be able to learn from him. We will all be very busy driving to all of our meetings (two hour drives for each of them, yuck)!

My missionary tip of the week is to have hope! Strive every day to be hopeful and to look unto the Savior and His redeeming love. In the September Ensign there is a great article on page 63 that I think all of you should read. It truly is amazing and teaches all of us how to have hope and to apply it in our lives. We all need hope, and as we have it, life will become more enjoyable and easier to bare. If we apply what President Monson has taught and continue to look up and to have faith and everlasting hope in our Savior Jesus Christ, we will be happy.

I love you all so very much and thank you all for your support and care towards me!

Elder Brown

Laughter (September 3, 2013)

Hello everyone!

This week has been so much better than last week, and has truly been enjoyable! I have loved every moment and I am so happy to be able to be out here in Ohio serving the Lord. Ohio is now finally starting to cool down and the humidity isn't nearly as bad now. Fall is on its way! I can hardly believe how fast time is flying. I am almost done with training and in a short couple of weeks I will find out what happens to me next.

This past week Elder Steele and I had to go to a funeral of a less active member. The church is in charge of the funerals, and the missionaries often get called on to help with them due to our ability to teach and the fact that many non-members will be there. So Elder Steele and I went and were able to provide prayers and words of comfort for the family. That was rather interesting, though, because a preacher from another church was also asked to speak, so the family got hit up by lots of different religions. Elder Steele is also afraid of dead bodies, so we had to sit outside for as long as possible. I personally thought it was rather funny how afraid of them he is.

After the funeral, the rest of our week became a little more lively (pun may or may not be intended)! We were able to teach lots of lessons with less active members and to be able to help all of them. I love being able to reach out to people and to extend to them our help and our love. It is amazing to be able to see their faith grow and to be a support for them. There is one less active in particular that we have been trying to help. His name is Brother Schabel. He has been less active for over five years and has had many Word of Wisdom issues. We have been able to help him, and I was able to give him a blessing for comfort, support and strength. We then were able to follow up with him yesterday and he has quit all of his drugs, is reading the scriptures, and he got work off for church. It is so exciting to be able to see people's hearts change as they are touched and molded by the gospel.

Many members in the ward have been moving, so we have also been able to spend lots of time helping them move. We have grown so close to the members of this ward, so it is hard to see some of them go. This week we were able to have dinner with the Hayden family. They live off the shore of Lake Erie, so we were able to eat out by the lake and collect some seashells off the beach. The lake is so amazing and it is cool to know that we are at the border of the country!

My tip of the week is to learn to laugh and to smile. There are so many things to laugh at and to be able to enjoy. Look for them and you truly will be able to be happier. I have seen that in my life as I have just strived to smile and to count all the many blessings the Lord has given me. So smile and laugh and rejoice in the goodness of God.

Love,

Elder Brown

 Lake Erie

Remember the importance of laughter.  :)

Colds, Blessings, and Being Bold (August 26, 2013)

Hello everyone!

This week is what I like to call "The Roller-coaster of Ohio". My companion and I have been through many ups and downs this week, but we truly have grown and have enjoyed every second of being out here and being able to help and serve others.

The missionaries on our side of the mission, the very far west edge, have been struggling with very bad colds. The bug has been spreading around, and almost every missionary has had it. Elder Schmidt, an Elder in our apartment, caught it and we were all worried that we would get it as well. Sadly Elder Steele and I weren't too far behind him.  We caught it soon after.  We called Sister Vellinga and she told us to stay inside for three days! We couldn't believe it! Apparently it is really contagious and can spread easily, so she wanted us to stay inside until it was gone. Let me just tell you that being sick on a mission is the absolute worst thing that can ever happen to you! We had to cancel all of our appointments and just had to lie around and sleep. There is no TV to watch, no mother to spoil you, and no dogs to sleep on your lap. The members, however, were very concerned and stopped by every night to drop off dinner for us, so that was very nice and loving of them.

Once we were finally better, Elder Steele and I were able to go and have a lesson with one of our progressing investigators, Dani. Our lesson with her was amazing and the Spirit was very strong and touching. We were able to share a powerful testimony to her about the restoration of the gospel.  Tears filled the eyes of everyone in the room. Brother Scheibmeir, a member who came with us, also bore his amazing testimony and we were all very touched by it. At the end of the lesson we were able to invite her to be baptized! She accepted and we are now preparing her for her baptism on September 21, two days before my amazing mother’s birthday! We are both so excited for her. I love being able to teach her and I am so grateful to the Lord for allowing me to teach and to help one of his beloved daughters.

Sadly after our amazing day and lesson we returned to the Roller-coaster of Ohio. The next morning I was woken up early to the sound of our phone ringing. In worry and anxiousness, I dived out of my bunk bed and happened to hit the ground rather hard (no worries I am fine now). When I answered the phone it was Elder Cross (one of the other elders serving in the Perrysburg ward). He told me that Elder Williams, another one of the elders, had had a seizure and that the ambulance was coming to pick him up. This scared me so much. We all ended up spending the day worrying about him and trying to help take care of things at his apartment while he and his companion, Elder Langlois, were in the hospital. After they were in the hospital for a day and a night, Elder Williams was finally released and is now doing well. This was very scary and crazy, but the Lord was with us all and was truly watching over and protecting us through this difficult and scary challenge.

Once the end of the week came rolling by, we were able to return to the upward portion of the roller coaster again. We had an amazing stake conference and were truly edified by that. There are over fifty missionaries serving in the Toledo stake, so we were all able to see each other and to gather at conference. The messages were amazing and President Vellinga's talk was incredibly inspiring. He mentioned that there are now over 75,000 missionaries for the church and over 250 missionaries in our mission. We are so blessed to be able to serve during this amazing time and to be able to proclaim the gospel to all the world. To make our weekend even better, a member donated a washer a dryer to us, so we now have a set of them in our apartment!

My missionary tip of the week comes from a hymn. During this crazy week I started to feel overwhelmed and worried by everything that was going on, so I decided to read from the hymnbook for comfort. I ended up reading one of my favorite hymns: "Count Your Many Blessings." One line particularly hit me, and it reads: "Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done." The Lord truly has given us so much! He loves us all and He is always near us and by our side. In the August Ensign there is a message by Elder Bednar entitled "Give Thanks." I challenge all of you to read it, and to apply its teachings to your life. As you do this, I promise that you will be surprised by all that our loving Heavenly Father has done for you. I know He loves us all, and for this I am truly grateful.

I love you all so very much! Continue to be strong, to have faith, and to recognize the hand of the Lord in your life. Till next week,

Elder Brown

"...they were brought down, yea, even upon their sick-beds" (1 Nephi 18:17).

(It's an old family joke).




Examples (August 20, 2013)

Hello family and friends!

Sorry that you had to wait an extra day to hear from me. This week is transfers, and as such we all have P-day on Tuesday instead. I was not transferred, thank goodness! Next week all will be back to normal and you will again hear from me on Monday until the next transfers roll around, which is about every six weeks.

This week truly has been amazing and I have learned and grown so much. We have been teaching our investigator, Balinda, now for a while and all has been going really well. She is progressing and is really loving the gospel and all that we are teaching her. We challenged her to baptism and she accepted! We are planning on having that service on September 14. It is so great to be able to help her and to see the gospel bless someones life. I am so excited for her and I look forward to being able to help her come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.

Elders Peterson and Schmidt (the missionaries I room with) had a baptism this week for their investigator Ali. It was so cool to be able to go to her baptism and to see her enter into the Lord's church. Balinda ended up coming to the baptism and she loved it so much! It got her even more excited for when she can be baptized. I was asked to speak on enduring to the end at her baptism and that was a little scary at first, but all ended up going very well. I was so happy to be able to have that experience and to share my testimony with all the people that were there. This ward is amazing and they all were there to support and fellowship her. I love the Perrysburg ward and I admire their great love and willingness to serve those around them.

This week Elder Steele and I had exchanges with the zone leaders. I was able to go with Elder Berryessa to his area while Elder Huckstep stayed in our area with Elder Steele. I had a great time with Elder Berryessa and he truly taught me so much. He told me that he knows Dominic from when he served here, so that is cool! He wanted me to tell Dom hi for him. (So Jace please pass that on). While on exchanges I was able to truly be strengthened by the testimony of others. I loved being around different missionaries and to be able to learn from what they do. They truly are very amazing and such great and fantastic people. We were also able to give a church tour and that was very enjoyable and cool. The spirit was very strong and I became overwhelmed by it when I entered the chapel. We truly are blessed to be members of Christ's church.

This week we were able to provide tons of service at less active and investigators houses and I was so happy to be there for all of them. You truly are so much happier when you strive to serve and are helping and reaching out to others. I love serving and being able to meet and help so many amazing people.

I had a couple missionaries come up to me who have been having a hard time and have been seeking help. They were told to come to me and to get some support. I am so happy to be able to help them and offer them scriptures, words, and teachings of great comfort and strength. I never thought that I would be able to teach and help other missionaries! This week we also were able to get two new investigators: Roy and Dannielle. They are both amazing and I look forward to helping them as well.

Today's missionary thought is one of looking towards others. We are all surrounded by so many examples. Come to learn from others and to truly recognize that everyone you meet is there to leave a lesson to learn. Strive to learn that lesson and you truly will grow to be a better person. Stive to be the person that leaves a good lesson and leaves a great example. Always be loving, and strive to always be there for others.

I love you all!

Elder Brown

 Elders Brown, Steele, Peterson, and Schmidt.  

Transfers with Elder Berryessa

Sunsets (August 12, 2013)

Hello everyone!

This week has been a rather rough one, with many challenges and trials.  It has been hard to remain positive through all of our rejections and struggles, but I must maintain faith, and continue to walk in and follow the spirit and path of the Lord. We are not alone in this work. The Lord is always near and is always ready to reach out and to help all of us.  It is so amazing the amount of love He has for all of us.

Ohio has a big problem with bed bugs and everywhere you go you have to be careful where you sit. Sadly, Elder Steele just wasn't careful enough. We all woke up Wednesday morning to the sound of Elder Steele freaking out, running out of the bathroom, and tearing apart his bed. He had bed bug bites all down his side and in his bed. Lame! We had to call Sister Vellinga, who told us we had to stay inside all day so we could clean, so clean we did. We had to wash EVERYTHING in industrial washers and driers to kill the bugs. We also had to move all of the furniture, clean the walls, and spray exterminator stuff all over our apartment. Luckily, after all of our work the bugs are gone and fortunately the rest of us were never bitten. Thank goodness!

This week we had Zone Conference, which was very fun and uplifting. We were taught by President Vellinga all day and ate some really amazing that the Relief Society made. I love being taught and receiving encouragement to continue to press forward.   I learned that we need to walk in diligence, happiness, hope, and in faith.

Throughout the week Elder Steele and I have been teaching less active members about prayer, and about the love Heavenly Fathers has for them. I was also able to teach about prayer in our Gospel Principles class in church yesterday, which I really enjoyed.  I was wondering why we were teaching about prayer so much, and why we were prompted to always do that when it hit me:  My prayers need to be filled with gratitude.  Ever since that realization I have strived to do that because the blessings the Lord gives us are countless. I started to count my blessings and wrote them all down.  Before going to bed I managed to count 125 blessings!  Our Lord truly is amazing!

This week actually did have many great things about it as well that I want to share.  One of the members in our ward is the manager at a country club called Maumey Bay. Because he loves the missionaries, he has extended all club member privileges to us.  Last week we went golfing on their amazing golf course off of the bay of Lake Erie. That was so much fun, and I actually did rather well. I really enjoyed playing and had a fantastic time. We might go back again today, so who knows what we will do in that amazing resort!

Our ward had a ward party this week and we had so much fun at that. Our investigator, Balinda, came and she had a fantastic time. She is doing really well and is loving the gospel so much. The missionaries were then able to play a game of ultimate frisbee against the young men. We had a fantastic time and were really able to bond with the ward much more. We have such a great ward here, and I love all of them so much. I am really going to miss them all when we have to leave. We also got a new investigator this week named Joseph. He is an amazing guy, and was so excited when we told him about the Book of Mormon! We will see how our lessons with him go.

My missionary message this week is one of great significance to me. While driving home one night this week we saw a glorious sunset. It was shining brightly in the sky, creating many colors and streaks. While looking at this I began to cry and to be filled with peace. I remembered something that one of my seminary teachers said, "Sunsets are God's way of saying goodnight to His children".  When I saw that sunset I heard a voice come to mind saying, "My son, I love you, I am proud of you, I miss you, and I want you to be happy. Goodnight my son. Remember me, and remember my glorious Son".  Remember the Lord's love for you. He cares for us all and I know this is true!

I love you all so very much!

Elder Brown

P.S. Thank you all for the fun letters and postcards! I loved them all, and I look forward to being able to continue to hear from you all.

 Cleaning out the bugs!

God's way of saying goodnight.

Given Much (August 5, 2013)

Hello everyone!

This week has been very good and really rather amazing! I love being in Ohio and I have really grown to love all of its beauty, although nothing will ever be better than Utah. This week our toilet in our second bathroom flooded and got all over the place. We all had a little adventure cleaning that up! We had to stop the water so it wouldn't flood into our kitchen.  Good thing we have two bathrooms! Speaking of bathrooms, our shower drain was really horrible and wouldn't drain the water. So by the end of our showers we were taking baths. We didn't know what was wrong, so I decided to investigate. Inside the drain I found TONS of clogged hair and I was the only brave one to pull it out. Needless to say our drain now works perfectly fine and we now have a pet bunny made out of some random ladies hair.

This week has really been focussed on helping our ward and teaching the less active members by addressing their concerns. It was great to be able to go out and to support to their them! This week we ended up getting a call from the church headquarters referral office. We were told that a man had called the Illinois elders and had tried to get in touch with them, but was now living in Ohio. Those elders called headquarters who in turn called us. We were able visit a man named Rodger. He is a less active, and has had a great desire to be able to come back to church.We began teaching him this week and his significant other, Balinda. We invited them both to come to church and they both showed up yesterday! That was so cool to be able to see them there and to be able to help them in coming unto the Lord and following Him. I will keep you all updated on how they are doing.

There is an amazing family in the ward named the Kebkers! We are over there every day for either lunch or dinner and they spoil us like crazy. They have a daughter on a mission in Brazil, and then two teenage kids at home. They are so funny and they are like my family here. They gave us a great referral to their friend named Liz. Liz owns a big farm and grows tons of vegetables, but needs help harvesting them. So we went over there and worked on the farm for a couple of hours, and promised to go back every Friday until winter. It was such a good experience and I was so happy to serve and spend time out on a farm and to work around animals as well. She gave us tons of vegetables, so we have been having corn on the cob, zucchini, and other things everyday! We have also been having zucchini bread, thanks to Sister Kebker.

Last night I became overwhelmed with the spirit while tracting. Elder Steele and I were walking around and getting rejected over and over just as we always are. I then was reminded of a part of scripture that talks about our Savior being spat upon. I then thought "if people treated our Savior so horribly, then how can we, His servants, not expect to experience at least something similar?" I was so impressed by that and that we are able to experience just a sliver of what the Savior did.

Later in the night I was again taught by the Lord and was rebuked a little. I had been complaining in my mind about all of the things that we don't have, how it is stupid that we have to ride bikes, use library computers, and drive a car with limited miles when I have all of that at home, and much nicer ones at that. I was having these thoughts when we showed up at a less active members trailer home. She is a very humble and poor lady who works three jobs, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week just so she can pay for her food and get by. We talked to her and she said that she wants to come to church and prays everyday that she will be able to, but she can't because she has to work. She then said that she has been given so much, and even though it isn't a lot, it is enough. I burst into tears right then. I heard the Lord say; "My son, Jory, you have been given much and now too must give." How true that is! I am so happy that I am here in Ohio so that I can help and can give and provide all that I have been blessed with in my life. So that is my message this week. Be grateful for what you have been given, and rejoice in the mercies and blessings of God. Be willing to serve and recognize "Because I have been given much I too must give."

Love,

Elder Brown

Mission! (July 29th, 2013)

Hello everyone, and another big greeting from Ohio! I am actually really starting to love it out here and I really am enjoying all of the amazing rain and how green it is! I have never seen so many clouds, rainstorms, greenery, and corn crops in my entire life! I can hardly believe it! Ohio is amazing and the city of Oregon isn't too bad either.  Toledo is still very much sketchy and weird; fortunately I only have a tiny portion of it in my area. My area is mainly all farm and it is great. There is a city called Genoa and it reminds me Genola. I love all of the farms and I love being able to be out in them.

The members here are very amazing and provide meals almost every night!  The members also keep on stopping by our apartment to give us food, pies, donuts, etc. We really do love them all and their support. They are all so great to us and I am so happy to be able to serve in such an amazing ward! I really don't know what I would do without all of them here helping us. Be sure to do the same with the missionaries back home. They need your help. As missionaries we have left our families, and the ward members are the ones that help fill that gap in our lives (although it truly will never be the same). Please be sure to do the same for the local missionaries. They are my second family!

My companion is amazing! We both get along very well and love being with each other. We laugh, work hard, joke, and have a fantastic time being able to serve the Lord. He always tells me that I remind him of his 18 year old brother and that he feels like he is serving with him. Oddly enough Elder Steele reminds me of my brother Jace. He is just like him and acts like him in every way. I love it so much! I feel like I am serving and working with one of my best friends, my brother. He makes me laugh and always supports me. I am happy that the Lord has blessed both of us and has allowed us to serve together.

This week I have had some very interesting experiences. The first is my story of the crazy cat lady. Elder Steele and I went to go visit a less active member and to check up on her and to see why she hasn't been coming to church. She ended up being very nice, but her home was really rather interesting. We walked in and were immediately surrounded by cats. Yep.  Living, breathing cats! She said that she has over twelve of them and that she loves all of them so much. It was actually really gross and I had to go and shower after (for fear of getting bed bugs, a real problem in Ohio). Luckily we were just fine and she even went to church this week! So that was great and now I have a cool story to tell.

My second crazy story is of the crazy raccoon lady! Elder Steel and I ended up going and visiting another less active family that hadn't been to church or allowed anyone from the church into their home for over five years. When we went there the wife answered the door and we started talking. I found out that she loves animals and told her that I do as well!  That got her very excited and she let us in. She then went on talking about animals and how her favorite animal is the raccoon! She then asked if we wanted to see one. We said yes, but of course thinking it was either dead or in a trap. We were wrong. She took us into the backyard and showed us her PET raccoon. She had it up in a cage and took it out and started playing with it. She then let us pet it and hold it. That was scary at first, but I can now say that I have held a raccoon. Afterwords we were able to have a great lesson with her family, and we committed them to come back to church. The father even started crying and said that he truly has missed the church in his life and that he was going to make it a goal to come back.

My next story will prove that I have learned to overcome my picky-ness when it comes to food. As I mentioned earlier we have meals with members very often. Well, one of my meals this week was really rather interesting and something that I wasn't expecting to eat. We got to the member's home and visited with them before sitting down to eat. When the food was brought out there were big, weird looking slabs of meat on our plates.  My companion and I did not know what it was, so Elder Steele asked the members. We were told that it was cow tongue, and that it was supposedly really good and that all we had to do was peel of the taste buds. Needless to say it actually wasn't that good, but I did eat it all. Yes, the boy that hates red meat ate a whole cow tongue without throwing up! There truly are modern day miracles.

Well that has been my week and now here is my missionary tip: You will be surprised with what you can do! The Lord will help you through trials and with Him all things are truly made possible. Have faith, be strong, and continue to look unto and to trust in Him.

I love you all so very much!

Elder Brown

 Elder Brown and Elder Steele

 

Playing with their new friend! 

Superhero Elder (July 22, 2013)

Hello family and friends!

 

I am so happy that I have been able to hear from you all and that you are all doing well. I love being able to hear from each of you and to be able to enjoy all of your cool experiences. It is very amazing how fast time goes while on a mission, I am already approaching my month mark and it feels like I just went into the field yesterday.

 

This week has been full of many ups and downs. I was sick for three days and ended up having to stay in our apartment. There is a nasty case of the stomach flu going around, and of course I was one of the lucky ones to get it. Good thing I am used to throwing up. :/ Luckily I eventually got over that and was able to go back out to work.

 

This week we did tons of tracting and didn't really have any success. We did, however, run into a 92 year old Lutherin who let us into her house and talked to us for a really long time. That was interesting and we thought it was cool that she was so kind and polite to us. She also told us to tell our parents thank you for teaching us about Christ and allowing us to have religion in our lives. I only wish that she would accept The Lords restored gospel. Little does she know all that she is missing out on.

 

Ohio is very, very, very flat and equally humid! You go outside and can see for miles and get wet in an instant. It is very different from home, but I am starting to like it and to enjoy the beauty that it does have. Along with the humidity they have some very crazy storms over here. One night there was lighting and thunder that followed right after.  It was so close it shook our apartment building. We have also had tons of rain and some tornado warnings. Oh the joys of flat land! It is also raining today, and with all the clouds I pretended that mountains were hiding behind them, making it feel more like home.

 

On Sunday Elder Steele and I went out to go visit a less-active member. We ended up getting stopped by a train (there are millions of them over here) and had to wait fifteen minutes for it to go by. We finally got through and pulled up to the house that was more like a trailer. Sadly, no one was home so we ended up going tracting down this very ghetto, scary street. We were about to leave due to the lack of success and my fear of being shanked when we felt prompted to go and try two more houses. When we came upon our last house an old, rather gruff man answered the door. I was getting ready for our usual "no thank you", slam the door in our face routine when he said: "Oh I know who you are, come on in!" Elder Steele and I ended up being able to go inside and visited with him for over an hour and a half!  His name is Al, and that he is from Virginia and is 64 years old.  He talked about how he was a professor and now is here for some engineering work. He told us about how he highly respects what we are doing and then went on to talk about some of his concerns about a friend dying. We ended up talking about the plan of salvation, left a Book of Mormon, and set a return appointment. The Lord truly does prepare his children for the gospel. And to make things even more cool, he told us that he had just gotten home twenty minutes before we arrived. So if it weren't for the train holding us up we most likely wouldn't have ran into Al. This truly is the Lord's work and He will help us and He does prepare His children to receive the gospel.

 

This week I had another really cool experience and reminder. While at church yesterday all eight of us missionaries were walking around the building after church had ended. We were walking past the primary room when we heard some little voices talking behind us.  The primary kids were all saying things like, "Look! It's the missionaries!" or "Wow, the real missionaries."  My favorite was the child that said,  "Mommy, come quick! The missionaries are right here! Come see them, quick,come see them!" It hit me that we are examples to all of those around us, and that all of the youth and children of the church are looking up at us. I then realized that we are like superheroes to them, and that we truly are superheroes in our work of bringing people back to Christ. What an amazing and glorious calling we all have. I love being a missionary and a "superhero" and I am sad to think that I only get two years to be one.  This time is already starting to fly by. So that is my missionary tip of the week: remember that you are a superhero and that you truly are looked up to and are helping and saving your brothers and sisters and bringing all of them back to Christ.

 

I love you all and wish you the best wherever you may be. Thanks for all of your prayers and support, they truly are loved and felt!

 

Elder (Superhero) Brown

Ohio! (July 15, 2013)

Hello family and Friends and greetings from the great state of Ohio!

 

This week has been very crazy and one of the longest in my entire life! I can't believe all that has happened, and all that is going on in my life. On Tuesday I ended up getting really sick and I had to spend the day in my room. I was given a blessing and was feeling better before I even knew it. The power of the Priesthood is truly an amazing thing! On Wednesday night I had to say goodbye to Kolton, and all of my MTC friends. I truly grew to love it there, but I am so happy to be able to be out here on my mission and to be able to serve the people of Ohio. Thursday morning was the day that we all flew out to this great state. We were supposed to all be up by 1:30, but we slept in! So we had a Home Alone moment and had to run and pack really fast to be able to make the bus that would be taking all of us to the airport. I was so happy to be able to hear from you Mom and Dad and I love and miss your voices.

 

Our flights were crazy and felt rather long. We had two flights to get us here and over thirty missionaries flying over. So we filled a lot of seats in the planes and we were all stared at and watched by many people around us. We also had another Home Alone moment at our layover. Our first flight was late so we had to literally run down the airport to be able to catch our next flight, but we did catch it and all was well. Once we got of the plane our Mission President, President Vellinga, and his wife were there. They greeted us and were so loving and kind and excited to see us all. We then went and had dinner and had a welcome orientation. Our president then interviewed all of us before letting us go to bed early. The mission home is very nice and Ohio is beautiful! I have never seen so many trees and green in my life, but it is very, very, very flat.

 

The next day we were all woken up at five in the morning so we could all go over and see the Kirtland temple and all of the other church history sites. The drive there was long and I was able to take a very nice little nap on our way there. Once we got to Kirtland I immediately became overwhelmed with the spirit that I felt there! It was so cool to be able to be where all of the saints had lived and to be able to go into and see our church's first temple in these latter days. I was amazed that I was able to stand where my Savior and Father in Heaven had once stood and to be in the places and rooms where many of the revelations in D&C came from. There is a great power here in Ohio and I love it so very much.

 

After our fantastic tours we all were taken back to meet our companions and trainers. I was very nervous about meeting my companion and I was scared that I would get one that wasn't kind or motivated. When I met my companion I realized that I didn't need to worry and that President Vellinga's promise was true, that I really will love my companion and he will love me. His name is Elder Steele and we are almost exactly alike. He so amazing and he is just like a brother to me. He helps me so much and we have a fantastic time together.

 

I am serving in the Perysburg East area and am living in a town called Oregon (except here in Ohio  it is pronounced "Or I gone"). We have one the nicest apartments in the mission and I love it. I guess we are really spoiled here with our nice apartment, and our fancy car that we get to drive. We actually have one of the biggest areas and we cover tons of farm land out by lake Erie, so that is why we get the car. The ward that we serve in is the Perysburg ward and there are over eight missionaries in the ward. The ward members are amazing and I love all of them so much. They have already provided so many amazing meals and they just keep on dropping food off at our apartment. I haven't had to buy any food yet.

 

I have already done lots of service and tracting, but sadly we have no investigators. We got tons of doors slammed in our face, people being very mean, and a lady yelling at us as we walked down the road. It is hard because I know how much happier they would be if they would accept the gospel, but everyone does have their agency. When people don't answer we leave a pass along card just in case. One home didn't answer so we left one with a picture of Jesus on the front. We walked to the next house and I ended up turning around because I heard a door open. The lady at the previous house came out holding our pass along card and had the most annoyed look on her face. She stopped on her driveway and right in front of my face tore up the picture of our Savior and dropped it on the ground and stomped on it. My heart just dropped. I was so pained to see someone so willing to reject our Savior, Redeemer, Lord and King. This experience was very hard but taught me a very important lesson. I realized how loving our Father in Heaven truly is. He had to watch His Son die and be killed and could do nothing, just as I had to watch His picture be torn and could do nothing. I can only image the pain and sorrow God felt, compared to the pain that I felt. How great our Father in Heaven truly is!

 

Missionary work is harder than I could have ever imagined, but there is nowhere else I would rather be than here in Ohio. I love being able to represent the Lord and I am so happy every time that I get to put on my name tag. It is very difficult and great at the same time. I miss home, but I have found so many amazing people that support me. I love our ward, I love our bishop, I love my companion, I love our mission president, I love the people of Ohio (no matter how hard their hearts may be) and I love My Savior and King. They are all with me and helping me, along with all of my family and friends back home! And for that I am grateful.

 

I know this church is true and that our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Savior, lives. They love us all and we are all their children. I love them and I am so happy to be able to serve them for this short time in my life. Missionary work is fantastic and I love being able to grow so much from doing it. Here is my missionary tip of the week: Refrain from discouragement. Be strong, be happy, and learn to smile and press forward. The work may not be easy but the joy and blessings are great!

 

I love you all so very much!

 

Elder Brown

 Outside the Kirtland Temple

Elder Brown and Elder Steele