March 21st - 2 minute drill

Magandang Hapon!

It's good to hear all the good stuff going on back in Utah! 

This past week we improved a lot. Finals and exams finished this past week so we'll really be able to put in work this work. There's only a one problem--Holy Week. We'll be having curfew at 6 PM Thursday-Saturday. Basically it's a week for catholics to remember palm sunday and the atonement of Jesus Christ. We had a great Sunday. All of our lessons we're spirit filled and you could see that the investigator increased in faith. I'm excited to see how they will be progressing in their commitments. 

My favorite time to work is when it's 8:45ish. That's when I feel the 2 minute drill fourth quarter thrill. As a member of the church and as a missionary you always hear these stories about a member who was found late at night. Just like my mission president who was found at 9 PM. I love finding around that time because those can be miraculous moments for both the missionary and the person(s) found. I have quite a few in my mission but it's always been someone who's true catholic. We found a man thursday night around 8:50 and we feel really good about this person. He just has drinking and smoking problems. He accepted a baptismal date and really liked our lesson. He doesn't understand why people would reject us at their door if we carry a message about Jesus Christ. He said our message has power to change people and they don't want it. We hope that his words apply to himself. He's separated from his girlfriend but has 2 young girls in his care. He's really busy with work everyday except Sunday. All the problems he shared with us we knew that the Gospel was the answer. I'm so grateful for it in my life.

Something funny that happened while tracting one night was when we came to this one house and this big filipino looking guy comes out. I began to say "hello po brother! Kamusta po kayo? Mga missionaries po kami sa Simbahan ni Jesucristo Ng Mga Banal Sa Mga Huling Araw at-" then he interrupted with his eyes open wide and said "bro I'm sorry man I don't speak tagalog" haha. He's an african-american from Mississippi. I realized that as he spoke to us. I am now understanding to those people who think I'm Filipino because I thought this man Kevin was one haha. And he wasn't interested at all in our message so that's a bummer.

Anyways that's it from me. I hope you all continue to stay strong in the gospel everyday.

Love,

Elder Brown

March 13th - False Pastor

Hello!

This has been a fun, tracting filled week. Opening an area isn't super hard but it's challenging because we don't know where people live. We were able to teach 5 new investigators after 20 hours of tracting since Thursday afternoon. We've put our faith in being exactly obedient to the rules and mission our source of help and strength. We know that God will not leave us helpless in His work.

The ward here has about 470 members but only about 70 are active. Yup. That's most of the church here in the Philippines. I love the members here, they're very warm and welcoming and have great meetings. We bore our testimonies and introduced ourselves yesterday and my companion sang "I know that my redeemer lives". Everyone loved it and he has a great voice!

We had a fun experience last night with a born again pastor who hates our guts and says that we aren't christians and Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon are not in the bible and it's worthless. He had nothing but garbage to say to us and didn't even look at us. It reminded me of this one time in Matnog that a born again pastor said that Joseph Smith is not in the bible so that makes him a false prophet. I then followed that up with what I hope was an inspired question. I asked him if he was in the bible and that he's not so he's a false pastor. Haha. It wasn't a debate at all but this guy was just raging like a dragon and we were chill and just listening to him and shared our testimonies and left. I love meeting those kind of people. On the bright side the other guy in the home is a retired pastor and now a teacher. He was very understanding and wanted clarification and answers instead of passing false judgments. It was a great question and answer session and he will study The Book of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that we need it for our salvation.

Well that's it for this good week. I hope yall are happy and still blessed!

Love,

Elder Brown

March 9th - Open area in Camalig, goodbye Donsol

I actually have 7 months left mom...I think. But anyways this past week was our last together because I am getting transferred after being just one transfer here in Donsol. I'm sad of course to be leaving my family and friends here but I've always learned that you always get transferred that you will love just as much or even more.

We will both be training. I get to open area in Camalig with my trainee because the 2 missionaries there got pulled out. That's 3 pull-outs in a row for Camalig. Camalig is very close to 3rd area. We'll be having district meetings in the chapel where I used to attend church so it's like I'm going home! I'm excited to be training again. This is my fourth son in the mission and I've heard that he's a filipino that sang at a five-star hotel in Manila. I don't know if that's true but if it is maybe I'll take some lessons from him so I can go on the tv show "I Love OPM" (old pilipino music). A lot of members have been telling us to go on it when we go home cause a lot of RMs have done awesome on there.

This past week was stake conference. There was a lot of great talks given about tithing and sustaining church leaders. The faith of the stake leaders here are steadfast and immovable. They have such strong testimonies of tithing. It's always a good time being in Legazpi because I'm actually not Elder Brown over there. I become "JORDAN CLARKSON"!!! wherever there are YM/YSA men that love basketball there. A fun experience for me happened after conference. I was looking for one family from my second area, Batan Island. I finally found them and they were surprised and so happy. Not because they saw me but because they saw me and we could actually have a conversation! My tagalog when I was assigned there made them giggle a lot. What a blessing it was for both of us haha. I also saw one of my recent converts from Guinobatan. She was so happy and I definitely noticed the difference that the gospel has made in her life. She's no longer that hurt, shy, and sad little girl that I once knew. She has tasted of God's love and felt of it through her listening to our discussions and applying them in her life. That is very vital for lasting conversion.

I will miss this area so much because the members are awesome here and the investigators we have. Last week we taught a 22 year old woman who was baptized as a convert with her family at age 8 but became Iglesia Ni Cristo at age 17. We quickly discovered why that happened and it just goes to show how true the Book of Mormon is. She fell away because she did not hold on to the iron rod continually. Actually she never did at all from what she said. She also never prayed often. She doesn't like to. She believes that there was a restoration but she doesn't believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. She never liked how members are allowed to talk at church. She says it's bad for visitors and that they won't want to be members because of them. And thus we see the importance of the primary basics: Search, ponder, and pray. Actively attending church while being active in the gospel. And thus we see the modern day apostate zoramite ways in action. We bore powerful witness of our own conversion to the gospel through The Book of Mormon and how she can experience the same thing. She said that if she ever has time she'll read because she's because with the church choir.

On the brighter side we have a super progressing investigator that has come to know that The Book of Mormon is true. He was reading and came across 1 Nephi 2:9. The verse where Lehi tells Laman to be like unto a certain river that continually runs into the fountain of all righteousness. He loved it so much and couldn't stop smiling as he read and explained it to us. He even posted it on facebook in hope that people will apply it. He also included it in the letter that he wrote me yesterday.

I have learned so much from just 6 weeks in Donsol and it's hard to say goodbye. Elder Ivins and his trainee should have be having a baptism this week. I hope to one day come back as an RM and visit all my family out here. Please donate to the Brother L. Brown Return Trip Fund. Thank you. Any amount is appreciated and will not be wasted.

I love you all and I'm excited to be a father again. May we all strive to be like the river continually running into the fountain of all righteousness.

Love,

Elder Brown