September 21st - Teaching of Eld. Bednar

Ah man WX went down against them and BYU lost? What a terrible week. On the bright side I'm gonna be training full-time now! Definitely inadequate but I wouldn't want it any other way. That's cool that I Alton is staying busy. I can't wait to meet my future sister-in-law.

Today I'm not very sure that I have much to say. There are some funny experiences I wish to share but it is about the difficulty of teaching one of our investigators and this one lady that is not very happy when it comes to seeing missionaries. Kinda negative. On a positive side they add to my testimony that the church is true. We also had a lot of our less-actives attend church on sunday. Maybe when I get home I'll share with you all those crack up times.

On a spiritual note I would like to share something from our district meeting this past week. The topic was about teaching pure doctrine. I remember David A. Bednar gave a great talk a long time ago in the MTC about Doctrines, Principles, and Applications. 

He taught the following:

Doctrines: Always the answer, and answer the why questions. Simple and restored truths revealed to man for their salvation. Eternal and unchanging. 

Principles: Almost always answer the what questions. A guideline to doctrines. Like the articles of faith. Eternal and unchanging.

Applications: Answer the how questions. This is where we act.

 He quoted Elder Packer when he shared that "True doctrine, understood, will change attitude and behavior. A study a doctrine will improve behavior faster than a study of behavior will improve behavior." Now why is that? The doctrine behind that is of course the Atonement of Jesus Christ. What can the Atonement do for us? We know that men can be saved because of it (AOF #3). David A. Bednar also taught about the powers of the Atonement. The Atonement provides two classes of powers:

1) Redeeming and Cleansing

2) Strengthening and Enabling

Through the Savior's atonement and the power of the Holy Ghost men can be empowered to "do and be good and to serve beyond our individual desire and natural capacity. How can we apply this? It probably depends on you. Maybe we really need to repent. Maybe we need to study our scriptures more or pray more. The answers can be very simple.

All in all, we can receive the blessings in Mosiah 3:19. We can put off the natural man and we can become saints through his atonement. It is not just for sinners but for saints who are "good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully." 

This was not all shared at our meeting due to this new connection I have made and drawing upon my memory of other Bednar talks. The atonement is very real and it will strengthen us. It will cleanse us. But as always, our effort and our asking for them is required. 

I'm loving it here in the best mission and there's no place I'd rather be.

Love,

Elder Brown

District meeting

September 14th - My Sunday school teacher (Bro. Naeata) - real/fake world

Thank you for the birthday wishes! Still feel 18 hhaha. Yeah we got fed though so no worries mom. We had zone training on my birthday and there was a birthday surprise afterwards. I'll send you the pics. Here the culture is that the birthday person has to treat people not the other way around so I bought some snacks for two members that we're with us at a 7-11. I still have my same companion, Elder Tamayo. It's fun being a District Leader. Nothing too different from a regular missionary.

I really enjoyed reading Sister Alapa's letter. I remember those early training days. I miss those days but they were also some of the hardest weeks of my life. There's a lot more for her to discover about this great country and about missionary work in the Philippines. If he hasn't already, I hope Elder Haynie does a mission tour in her mission. He's an awesome guy.

At the zone training we reviewed what Elder Haynie taught us. We talked about Jesus when he called his apostles at the sea. The fishermen of course dropped their nets and did as the Savior invited: To follow him to be made fishers of men. We discussed about the dropping of their nets and likened it to ourselves. We all had nets before we served missions and had to drop them. John and James dropped their nets and left their father alone at the boat at the Savior's invitation. 

They asked all of us one by one the nets we dropped to come and serve the Lord and I remembered one thing that my sunday school teacher in our ward taught us. It's not perfect but I'll share what I remember. He said that in his last interview with his mission president his mission president told him something along the lines of "when you go home to the fake world, don't forget what you learned here in the real world." Before the zone training I shared this with Elder Merrick, my former companion, and he added out of epiphany that that is very true because it is the work of salvation that we will be doing in the spirit world. In the world after this. My sunday school teacher then explained how the real world is about love and caring a lot about others needs more than your own. I thought about a lot of the nets I had before my mission and wrote them down. I then made a list of what I have gained here on my mission and the results are astounding. 

Not a day goes by that I regret my decision to serve. I have also thought about what I have accomplished from my 18th birthday to last friday when I turned 19. All I can say is is that I'm so grateful that the Lord has called a prophet, Thomas S. Monson, to be the man to announce the age change to the world. I do not wish to imagine what I would be doing within that one year period. All in all, I am blessed to be a missionary. I have gained so much more than I have "dropped". President Guanzon was right when he said that sacrifice is more of an investment. I see a mission not much as a sacrifice but as an act of obedience. To obey is better than to sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)

I love you all and happy 21st birthday kuya (older brother). You're old man.

Love,

Elder Brown

September 7th - "Magpakabusog"

Hello Family!

Sorry for the late one again, "The South Pacific Men's Choir" (our acapella group name apparently) was busy with choir practice again. President Guanzon enjoyed our musical number at the mission tour so much he wanted us recorded so he can put us on cd haha. It's a lot of fun doing it. 

Man I don't know where to start! I guess to give you an idea I'll teach you a tagalog word that I like a lot. The word is "magpakabusog" meaning "feast". "Magpakabusog kayo sa mga salita ni Cristo" meaning "feast upon the words of Christ". So "magpaka-" means "to exert effort to become" and "busog" means "full". Directly translate it and it means "to exert effort to become full"! Cool huh? So why do I share that?

This weak was a spiritual feast for sure! The mission tour is the time given to us where the Second Counselor, Elder Allen D. Haynie, of the Philippines Area Presidency got to visit, teach, and inspire us. We received a lot of great counsel. Quick funny moment when we got to go up and shake hands and greet him and his wife. Here was our conversation:

EH: Elder Brown where are you from?

Me: Utah

EH: What part?

Me: Woods Cross

EH: Really? What high school did you go to?

Me: Woods Cross

EH: I'm sorry Elder. But we can't be friends. I went to Bountiful.

He then explained briefly to everyone that we went to rival high schools and told me to take a seat all the way in the back. Haha he was a really funny and cool guy. So there's that for ya.

I wish I could tell every single detail with you but it wouldn't be enough. You just had to be there. He counselled us on being "full-purpose missionaries", and to the stake he talked about the importance of the ward council, and keeping the sabbath day holy. I never thought that about the ward council could inspire one so much and have the spirit so strong. Everyone in the room was enlightened and had good laughs with Elder Haynie. He made the tour and the saturday session interesting by teaching us about D&C 43:8-10 and how we enlighten EACH OTHER. We all need to be involved. He turned it into a discussion and we all taught each other just as he did to us. Ward councils are great because it involves the women and isn't just a Priesthood Executive Meeting. Men are always half right and the women are so important in the council. He also stressed the importance of Family Home Evening and also having Family Council. FHE is for fun and games and of course a SHORT lesson that MUST be prepared by the FATHER and not the typical "mom can handle it" situation. Family Councils are for fixing and finding solutions to problems in families.

All the sunday session speakers spoke about the sabbath day and keeping it holy. Elder Haynie used Abraham 5:2-3 to explain that the sabbath was a day that was counseled among the Gods, to be a day that would be sanctified and a day to rest from all their labors. It was clearly planned and counseled among the Gods, not just a day because they said "hey we're tired lets rest. Sound good?" It's a day that took thought and counsel among the greatest of all.

In the words of 3 Nephi 26:6, there cannot be written in this [email] even a hundredth part of the things which [Elder Haynie] taught. It truly was an awesome week. I just want you to know that I'm happy, no other place I wanna be, and that I seek to apply all that I learned this past week.

I love you all and have a great week

Love,

Elder Brown

Tom's letter to Elder Brown and Elder Brown's reply:

Man I feel for Taysom. Even though it was hard it was a really fun 3 months for me. I was just thinking about it this past week--my injury, and I couldn't remember where I woke up. It finally came to me and I remembered that you were there when I woke up. And I just wanted to express my gratitude to you for always being there for me even when I'm in the deepest of sleeps or even thousands of miles away, an email always means a lot.

Thank you also for the BYU update!!! That was awesome watching that!!! That's super crazy I miss seeing those BYU miracles and that'll definitely be one for the books. If you ever see a "Lene Lesatele" play, he served in my mission and we were in the same zone. He's really cool. I sent some pics of him and me and Lee-Lo early in my training in Ligao zone. That's a cool tweet that Mangum put up. I remember hearing his name a looong time ago and now his name is big again. That's cool. Thank you very much again for the update. I don't know if writing books are my thing. I can read them but writing is a whole nother level haha. 

Love

Elder Brown

On Sun, Sep 6, 2015 at 5:24 PM, Tomasi Brown <tomasibrown@me.com> wrote:

Hi son,

Thought you might enjoy a little BYU football news.

They played Nebraska in Lincoln and what a game it was. The bad news first...Taysom Hill is out for the season-again.  Poor guy, he fractured his foot just like you did while running in for a touchdown. Yup, Lisfranc injury. Hopefully he'll get a medical waiver to play one more year since this is his Senior year.

So, the backup QB, Tanner Mangum comes in with about 10 minutes left in the game and does well.  Now down to 1 second left in the game and he throws a 42 yard Hail Mary and Mitch Mathews is there to catch it!  It was awesome!! Best ending where--similar to that U game with Beck to Harline.  I'm inserting the video so I hope you can watch it.




Here's another pic from Twitter of Tanner Mangum and what he tweeted before he left for his mission to Chile I believe...




Can you believe he's only been back 3 months?  He's a great example and role model.  Side note: He was the co-MVP of the "Elite 11", the national camp for the top high school QBs in the nation.  Who was the co-MVP?  The former Heisman winner from Florida State--Jameis Winston. Pretty cool right?

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy that. Proud of all the good you're doing out there son.  I'm sure you're learning so much about not only the gospel, the people and others, but yourself.  Keep those life lessons and inspirations in your journal so you can always draw upon them.  You'll probably end up writing a book like Kolipoki some day! Lol.

Hope all is well with you son.  We always pray for you and know you're loved and that there millions of members who are praying for you missionaries everyday so remember that.

Ok, I'll let you go. I always enjoy reading your weekly letters and hearing your love for the work and the people.  Keep it up the hard work, and giving it your all and the Lord will continue to bless you.

Love. Dad.

At the Railroad!

 Mission tour

 MTC companions:  Elder Nibarger & Elder Simmons

 Elder Ravens & Elder Temeras