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
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