Week 4- Arvada Colorado

I have so many favors to ask and so many stories to tell I only get an hour to email at the library. which stinks but oh well. This week has been so crazy. When I first got to the mission field we got to the airport met our mission president, and headed to the mission office. We were introduced to our new companions mine is Elder Merkley from Seattle Washington. He is a really chill elder and a good trainer. We are living in a members home The Barlows and they are so nice...we live in a basement. and when we left the mission office the zone leaders picked us up,  took me shopping but my trainer didnt tell me what I should get. He said you kinda have to figure out things for yourself in certain areas. So he is teaching me to be more independent. I didnt know what I was getting so I got a loaf of bread, sandwhich meat milk yogurt and blueberries. So I need to get more food. Please send me food packages maybe like a giant pack of granola bars or clif bars.

After shopping they took me and my companion to the members house where wegot settled in got unpacked and then planned for the next day. The next day we got down to business I slept through personal study because I was so tired I didn't get any sleep. This is a struggle. I am in a bike mission and we bike 14 miles everyday and probably more. But after 5 days my bike that somebody left for me got a flat tire. So I have to get a new one. Its a crappy bike. I can survive with out one we have been walking which has its benefits but I would like an operating bike.

This week has been awesome. My companion says he has been trying so hard and hasn't been doing well with potential investigators or investigators in general or less actives. But ever since I got here our stats have doubled and we got an atheist woman to come to church and she asked if she could come again. We committed her to baptism and she has chosen to live the word of wisdom but its going to be hard for her because she  is basically broke and taking care of her ex boyfriends mother only so she can have money from him and have a home to live in because again she is broke. But she wants her life to change and she said she didn't really pray but she had a feeling that somebody was going to knock at her door at this time to help her get on the path she needs to be on. She said she feels so peaceful when she talks to us. My love for this woman has increased so much I don't even know her or her background in her life but I can tell how much Christ loves this woman. she is so sweet and wants the best for her and her broken family and she got her kids taken away from her so her life isn't easy. But because of the atonement we are going to help this woman get through these difficult times. I'm excited because the bishop said they haven't had an investigator come to church in over 12 weeks and haven't had a baptism in a long long time. I know I'm supposed to be here at this time.  The gospel is true I haven't been the most exactly obedient but I know I can change that but I have noticed the blessing of having faith.

We have been poured on by rain three times while tracking and for an hour we walked in the rain knocking on door to door. I was sick of it and said I couldn't take it anymore. My companion was used to it but I decided so say a prayer that the rain will stop so we could keep tracking. I knew from previous experiences with prayer that there isn't any thing the lord can't do. I prayed for the rain to stop. So we kept going after the next house we knocked on,  a lady with tattoos and a bunch of kids in the car drove up to us and said Elders, you guys are wet here is an umbrella. Immediately I was overwhelmed by the spirit and at that moment I knew that the Lord answered my prayer and for choosing to stay and tract in the rain we were doing the right thing and he sent help. Because of that somebody invited us back at the next house and we had another potential investigator. There is no doubt in my mind that the lord is there. He is! He lives and because he lives we can be forgiven of our evil doings. Kelly did some pretty bad things in her life(our investigator not mom) but the lord looks past all of that. He looks past everyone's sins including mine. as long as we continue in faith with works we can be saved. But faith without works is dead. That is hard concept for investigators to understand because usually they are christian "by grace we are saved" believers but we need to show works on our part and the Lord will help us with the rest.  Love you!  I miss you!  At the MTC I got to play the opening hymn for a crowd of 900 leaving on Wednesday so that was cool. And I played for people in the piano rooms in 1M. The MTC hasn't changed since dad was there at all. but I'm glad I am in the field now. Almost at a month. which is crazy but this week was slow. but I am going to keep trucking along. love you so much!!! bye!!

--
Connor Brown

Week 3 MTC. Packed and Ready to fly to Denver

 Connor leaves the MTC tomorrow 8/24/2016 and is headed to Denver.  There he will meet his Mission President and wife.  He will also meet his new companion and be assigned to an area in the Mission. I pray his companion is organized and strong.  I also pray that he ends up being assigned to a members home for his first area. A mother could only hope!  Connor will call us from the airport in the morning so We get to hear his voice one more time  before Christmas. I cry a lot less now and love to hear from him on Tuesdays.  It hurts that he is gone but I know he is exactly where he should be doing the things that he is doing. My mothers heart is full!  His Personal day will now be on Mondays and I look forward to each and every Monday for the next 2 years. This is when the mission gets real.      

Hey Mom & Dad!  This week has flown by so fast and the MTC in general has just gone by to fast! You blink and then its three weeks already. let me start off by telling cool things that have happened while I was here,  then what happened this week. So my companion was sick for  three days! One of those days I had to stay with him in bed all day, then the next two days I did  companionship exchanges so I didn't have to be with him and so I could go to class haha. I got sick because of that but I went to class everyday with a sore throat and a super stuffy nose. This place is like a zoo everyone is sick and I feel like a caged animal. Only time we leave this "zoo" is when we see the Temple. I'm sick and tired of the cafeteria. I guess that means it's time to leave.   Anyway other than that things have been awesome. I play basketball everyday so I have been having a lot of fun during exercise time. I have met the craziest elders and funniest elders ever. Its literally like college here.

Sunday I got to sing with the Nashville Tribute band which was the coolest experience ever. Anyway he sang a song about him leaving for a mission and he wrote it on the plane on the way home after his mission. Its about him leaving and kissing his mom on the cheek and I cried my eyes out and then after it was over he made us all sing with him and then I cried even more. I decided to write a song and I will send it to you next week when its  done. 

I want to tell a story of what happened this week in my TRC's which are real investigators sent to the MTC because their friends insist they go. So there is this girl Janie that we taught. she is Catholic and had no belief in anything. We taught her 3 times.  The first lesson went nowhere. The second lesson we gave her a copy of the book of Mormon with our testimonies in it and explained the restoration talked about having faith. I shared her my conversion story and the spirit was so strong. she excepted an invitation to church and prayed to close the meeting. Then the next time we met with herr which was on Saturday she said she was going to church with our MTC instructor in our classroom. Turns out they are best friends. Our third lesson was the best lesson ever.  I said things and brought up things and made references and I know it wasn't me thinking of those things. The spirit guided me in everything I had to say and at the end of the lesson we committed her to baptism. We told her to go to the office and tell them you want to be baptized and the missionaries in the Provo mission will take care of the rest. I never would of thought I could do that. It was such an awesome feeling its hard to explain you just feel so excited and the Love I have for her is honestly so much. she is the greatest and I know she will be baptized.

 I'm so excited to leave and  nervous haha. My organization skills are still bad,  except I packed my suitcase perfectly and I used moms method. I guess she taught me something, love you mom. Anyway I miss home I miss hearing whats going on. Its crazy I leave and then home becomes more interesting.  haha I miss everyone I love you Mom and Dad like so much. My testimony of my purpose has increased so much and if I were to give any advice it would be this...Faith with out works is dead... serve the Lord with all your heart might mind and strength that you may stand blameless before God in the last days. Faith repentance and the atonement, that's it, it is so simple. Love you all best of wishes and I'll talk to you from the airport and Denver.

WEEK 2 at the MTC

Time is flying so fast in the MTC.  I am the new district leader of the district. Now I have to be more responsible then ever.  I know the lord made me the leader for a reason.  He knows that I care for other people and that I need to become more responsible in my life and doing this is helping become more organized.  Dad I love you so much I’m having the greatest time and so many miracles have happened. The spirit is so strong it makes me just about cry. So many more miracles I could go on and on. I don’t want to leave the MTC but I want to get out into the field at the same time.  I love you so much dad, you are my example and I miss you so much! 

 Mom let me share with you this blessing.  So, last night and all of yesterday I was really sick. my nose was so stuffy and I didn't feel good and I couldn't breathe at all.  I didn't know what to do and then I decided to get on my hands and knees. I prayed with all of my faith and I said father, please allow my nose to loosen up and my stuffiness go away so I can breathe and so that I can sleep.   I said that like 5 times over and over again in my prayers and as soon as I said my last words immediately, my nose was no longer stuffy.  I could breathe and it was so powerful.  I felt so warm and peaceful . I know that father in heaven is watching over me and I know that he lives.  My faith and testimony grows every day.  I probably have given 8 blessing to people while at the MTC.  I love exercising my priesthood.

I’m getting treats from friends.  Mom, I love you so much.  I don't have time.  I will write you more experiences I have through mail. I have to go my session is about to expire. I love you. I miss you!  Did you get my letters I sent in the mail?  Jefferey R. Holland is coming to talk and I’m in the choir so I get to be up in the front.   Love you gotta go. 

Week 1 MTC

Mom I wish you could see me at the MTC! I am enjoying life so much! I have never felt closer to the spirit in my life! I have learned that I have to put my trust in the Lord all the time and I will have the spirit to teach! My roommates and companion are like my best friends! I know I want to go to a church school! It's literally like spiritual college. My district is like my family.  I have had such spiritual experiences and I just work as hard as I can. I'm so organized and I have never been more focused. I write in my journal. I use my planner everyday so I know what I'm doing. I thought I lost my camera but grandma had it. We have so much food and candy in our dorm its crazy. Anyway mom I love you so much! I think about you every single day! I think about our family a lot. but I'm so caught up in the work I have been blessed that I haven't experienced home-sickness! All my roommates and other missionaries are having a tough time but I have been there to comfort them. my companion is hilarious and I just love him so much! He is not an athlete but he does drama and acting that's why he is so funny.  Elder lytle. The guy we saw on facebook!! hahaha! He is awesome! I miss you! I love you I wish you could be here with me! I'm glad Avery's surgery was okay and all that jazz. I saw Rio Brown and that was awesome and I forget who he is the son of tell me how we are related. I don't remember him! I gotta go mom I Love you so much! tell my sisters I Love them.

-Elder Brown

 

Dad, I'm having an awesome time at the MTC! On the fist day we got to sing Called to Serve and the spirit was so strong. We also sang We are as the Armies of Helaman and the spirit was so strong then! I have a really good district! we are like a family and my companion is hilarious he recites every single line from every movie ever written and he can do a Scottish upper class British man and indian and Australian accent and he always has me and the rest of my roommates laughing. My roommates are awesome.   I have really seen my testimony grow tremendously in my first TRC investigator which is an actual real church investigator me and my companion taught this guy and we just killed it and at the end I bore my testimony and I have never felt the spirit so strong while talking one on one with this investigator! I love this man so much and he really wants us to come back and be taught more. My other investigators have been really good building experiences but I know that I have a lot of growing to do! I'm so organized and my planning and I'm working everyday as hard as I can I have learned to rely on the Lord with everything. I know he is there. I found Rio Brown and i forget who he is the son of but we have each others emails. I look more native American than him hahaha. Dad I miss home so much but I'm so caught up in the work I don't have any home sickness. My companion and roommates all are having a hard time with it but I know the Lord has blessed me to focus. It is still hard and every day is a grind but I love the people and that's the best way to teach. I have learned to listen to the spirit it is awesome. Dad I love you so much and I wish you could see me here so you could be proud of all the things I'm doing but I know you are and I hope you and mom are doing okay! don't worry about me I am doing great.  I love it! Love you Dad!!

-Elder Brown
Ps I watched character of Christ by Elder Bednar and it made me feel selfish I learned to turn outward. All the devotionals are really good too. Elder Holland's son came!He is the president of Utah Valley! love you dad!