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
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