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

February 29th - The "strange" woman

Man hearing all this talk about nana almost done with her associates and alton going to oklahoma and work and real estate and school just makes me wanna stay on the mission forever. This really is just the best time of my life. As time winds down it makes me wish that missions were a little longer. Even though its hard its the best! That's sad to hear that rachel is on medical release but I know that she knows that God has a plan for her.

Last week one of our most progressing investigators felt the spirit so strongly in one of our lessons and while at church. Last monday we watched the short restoration movie and he said that when it showed the first vision he felt something moving through his body and he shivered a little bit. It made him feel good inside he said. We asked him if he believes that the BOM is true and if Joseph Smith was a true prophet and he said he does. He's really been searching for the truth and really wants to find it. On sunday he prayed while the sacrament was being passed around asking for a sign. He said when he got the water he felt a strong feeling inside his chest. As if his prayer was answered! He was so happy while telling this experience. In his prayers he still asks for guidance to know where the truth is.

We should be having a baptism this week but we moved it to the first saturday of next transfer which is next saturday. We moved it cause the branch president and some leaders are concerned about her mentally. Some of her neighbors apparently asked one of the members why we go and teach "that crazy woman". So we've been told to observe her to see if she's okay. So hopefully she's fine. We kind of feel strange about her too.

That's about it from me this week. Know that I love you all and that I love being a missionary!!!!

Love,

Elder Brown

February 15th - Savior's first message - Baptism

Hello!

I hope you all had a good valentines day out in utah and yeah they do celebrate it out here. It's cool to here that there's a member in Sister Alapa's area coming to the best mission in all the land! haha. Also shout out to Alton for doing business with the money and the women hahaha!

Anyways this week was awesome. Not only did we have great success in helping our investigators come unto Christ we also had a marvelous and unforgettable experience and shaking the president of the quorum of the 12 apostles hand, President Russell M. Nelson, his wife, and the Philippines area president and his wife President and Sister Ardern. It was a sight to see a man that's aging away but he is still able to travel around the world. I get carsick just going from my area to Legazpi which is about an hour and half away.

President Nelson had a great message for us and involved a few of the missionaries. I love how he immediately shared 3 Nephi 11 and emphasized to us the Savior's first message to the Nephites was about baptism, His doctrine, and having no disputations. He invited 2 elders to go up and one would read verses 10-41 and the other would tally the amount of times the word or reference was made to 3 words: baptism, doctrine, disputations. The left benches would stand up for baptism, the middle (my group) for doctrine, and the right benches for no disputations or contentions. Lets just say there was a lot of standing done. It really put it in perspective and it reminded me of something I discovered in my personal study last December.

Sometimes or a lot times missionaries are afraid to invite to baptism in the first lesson. We are to always invite in the first lesson to baptism. I find it interesting that that was the Savior's first message to the Nephites. Peter invites thousands to baptism on the day of Pentecost. Baptism was practiced among Moses and the children of Israel. Adam was baptized by the spirit. Baptism was practiced from the days of Adam all the way up to the Savior in America and all the way down to us in these latter-days. This is the most important path that an investigator will ever take and they need to know why we are there as missionaries. Baptism! This was done by the Savior himself and taught by Him in His first lesson. So of course that must mean that it is our missionary responsibility to do the same.

There are so many other great things that President Nelson shared with us but time does not permit me to share all of what I had learned from him and all the other leaders that spoke to us. He shared a lot of inspiring personal experiences from his life and applied it to us. I love how he shared scriptures from D&C that we were hid from the world for this time, that among the noble and great ones were the rulers of the church of God. Now of course we might be thinking about the general authority but President Nelson shared that the mothers and the fathers are the rulers of the church of God because they are the ones who put the plans of the leaders into action. They are raising those who are great in the sight of God. We all knew and we all felt that he truly is a prophet, seer, revelator, and president of the quorum of the 12 in these latter-days. I learned that he is a man that loves to teach from the scriptures, experience, and testifying by the spirit.

I know that the spirit bore witness to me and everyone present that God does communicate to man in these latter-days.

Love,

Elder Brown

February 7th - I'm on the best team!

Hello!

Man thats awesome that Peyton finally got his second super bowl! Thats great news..and Wow grandma is gonna be off on her mission that's awesome. How long is her mission?? And I hope nana gets into SOAR cause that program was one of the best week's of my life. I am grateful that dad made me fill out that application when I had zero interest in it. If it wasn't for the apollo burger I don't think it would have been done. On a sad note I can't believe what happened to Vake that's so sad! But Vake is the man so I know he handle whatever comes at him. Hearing about all the polys going to BYU is good stuff but it definitely makes my chances a lot smaller. Despite that it's still worth a shot.

But I know that I'm on the best team of them all. The Lord's team. Our work has been awesome this past week. Everyday has been exhausting and requires a lot of effort to keep pushing forward to the end. We have two investigators that have a great chance of being baptized this transfer and we found out what their concern is. One is earnestly seeking for the truth and he wants a sign. We shared about the fruits of the spirit and the power of asking our Heavenly Father. He finally came to church yesterday so that was great. The other one on the other hand, the one I told you about that left her family, has a small word of wisdom problem with alcohol and maybe tea and coffee. The potential we have as a companionship and in this area is very great, we know that our exact obedience will bring miracles here. One of the biggest obstacles here to baptism is the terrible sin of fornication with a live-in partner. We have 3 investigators who could be baptized this transfer but the wedding plans are not till spring time. It's sad to see how common it is here. Nevertheless we must keep moving forward.

This work is a lot of fun that is filled with a lot of blessings. I love being on the Lord's team and invite everyone to join. It's a lot better here.

Love,

Elder Brown

PS: Do I really have 7 months left mom?? Lets just put a 1 in front of that. :)

 Love my new area

February 1st - A golden investigator

Man I am enjoying my new area very much. We have had a lot of success this week despite the lack of work that used to exist in this area. People that were not open and receptive to them last transfer have done the exact opposite. My companion was pretty surprised. The branch here too is solid. They have a strong desire to help out in the work of salvation. We had a baptism on saturday. One of a 9 year old boy convert, and 2 eight year old girls.

Last night we found a super golden investigator. She will 99.9% be baptized on the 27th of the this month. She's 38 years old and left her family and everything to be taught and accept the true gospel of Jesus Christ. There are also things that caused her to move but was not ready to share with us. She was taught before and wanted to accept it but couldn't. She is ready and is giving everything she has to God. She told us last night that she finished The Book of Mormon in less than a year and prayed yesterday morning to know which church to go to. She went into one church and felt that it was not the one. She came to our church and my companion and I were the first ones to meet her there. She then felt that that was one because she has had encountered missionaries before and felt that they are God's sign to her.

I don't want to get too excited because of let downs before but I am happy that we have found her, or actually that she found us! As a side note I found out that Elder Ivins and his family knows Uncle Paul haha. Small world.

Love,

Elder Brown