Week 12-Baptism

Hey Mom how are you doing!! I miss you!! I have big news!  I'm getting a baptism on November 5th!! Me or my companion or whoever else is baptizing him and he will let us know when the time comes! He is a 14 year old kid. His mom was baptized a couple of months ago but has been in jail for 3 months and now is out of jail! She got a DUI again for the 3rd time. Next one is life in prison ugh. So we are meeting with her and going to get on her a little bit but I think she will be okay.  We talked to her and she now has to send in her intake on all foods and drinks everyday so they will know if alcohol is put in her body. Anyway he is this African American kid and was raised in a pretty bad home life with his mom and her boyfriend. The boyfriend was abusive and he saw his mom beaten as a kid! He lives with the Bishop and his wife because they are foster parents( they have a little baby who honestly is the cutest kid I have ever seen- his name is Antwan) We met with him at church because bishop takes him and asked if we could stop by and basically teach him. He said he's been to church enough with bishop that he wants to take the discussions. We were trying to get him to read but he said he hates reading. This week he said he read the whole chapter and said he is starting to notice and feel things in his life and we asked him for a baptismal date for the 12th. He said no!! I want to be baptized as soon as possible! It was really exciting. He said he has felt the spirit in church and is ready to be baptized so we thought November 5th was the best date!  That's in 11 days!! I'm so pumped but even more excited that he has felt the spirit and a change in his life! The gospel of Jesus Christ truly is amazing!!

Anyway that's pretty good news. The story of the week I suppose! I sent the letter in the mail today so you should get it soon. I wrote whatever was on my mind I didn't know exactly what you wanted me to write but I tried! I sent you music I want in the letter so don't feel rushed to download it all. Take your time and maybe if you think of anything else you can put that on there. Like the primary songs in 2005 that have the beat boxer on there. That's an awesome cd! The vocal point album is called "Lead Thou Me On" 

Anyway I'm doing great. My comp is doing great. We are hastening the lords work. I have a funny story to share next week but don't have time to share it. We ran into the same druggy guy the other day and he said that someone stole his truck.  I don't think he owns one!  I said I will keep my eye out for it hahaha.  He is so funny.  All the missionaries in the area know about him. 

Love you Mom so much!!

Elder Brown

This is all I get!  Silly Selfie

Week 11- Blessings that make me want to work harder!

I'm being patient with my Companion. He has a strong opinion on people but really respects me and how patient I am with him on the bike! Oh and I don't need to go grocery shopping for the rest of the month.  I'm so stocked up on food that I am set!  I had to purchase bike crap and all this other stuff so that I can actually do work out here. I don't spend that much on food.  I'm buying bagels and milk this week because I'm set. I found these 25 cent dinners at Walmart so I'm going to stock up on those! (25cent dinners Oh my Gross)

                 

Oh I just thought of this.   I played a musical number for zone meeting! Elder Barker and I are going to do a piano solo and singing solo for church coming up but I need you to buy me a song.  Look for a song called "All I need to know 2014 efy" Can you buy it and print it off and send it to me. Elder barker and I are going to play and sing it for sacrament meeting. I heard that Nic is home and gave a talk! That's awesome, and Lauren came which is even better! 

Anyway I got a super cool story for you. And yes this is a blessing! We were on are way to a dinner appointment.  We planned to drop our bikes off and kinda tract the development before we ate. We were riding directly toward the house and a guy walk up to us and said,  "you boys on your missions?" and we said yeah and looked at each other like he was about to chew us out.  He starts talking how he had a bunch of Mormon friends and they all went on missions. He started talking to us asking about what we do kinda an overview of missionary work and he said he doesn't pass up opportunities with the Jehovah's Witness or in this case the first time he ran into Mormon missionaries. Anyway he didn't seem that interested because he already goes to church with the Jehovah's and he said well I'll let you guys get to it.  I know you're  busy.  My companion was about to leave and I jumped in and said well do you think we can come back.  We would love to talk to you more. He said yes that would be really nice. He then started asking us how we go about studying and I told him how much the BOM helped me in my life and on my mission.  He starts talking about his situation with his messed up life and how he is fighting over the custody of his son because it is the only thing that is giving him drive. He is a punk rocker and a really good one! He did some heavy things.  His wife didn't love him he realized and he filed for a  divorce. His son walks outside to shoot hoops with us while we were talking to him, the boy is 7, and this man is the best father to his son. It honestly made me so happy the relationship he has with his son and the man asked his son to "listen to the missionaries." He said he has been reading the Book of Mormon and bible to his son every night before they go to bed. He is writing a song about his son and it is the sweetest thing ever. Anyway, he told us we are exactly what he needs, he wants his son to be baptized and he and his son are reading the book of Mormon together.  He said he hasn't had a lot of hope lately with all the court cases with his son and a lot of depression but he said he totally feels the spirit and he has a new hope something to hold on too. We said a prayer for him and he was in tears and said this is what I want in my life. He even said he wants his son to serve a mission haha! I think we can baptize this man I really do! Its just touching how the Lord puts these people in your life because they are ready to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. When his boy told us I want to be baptized the spirit came over me so hard and I knew then that the Lord is going to help us bring this little broken family unto his gospel. It will change their lives completely and for the better. I love this work I do. Experiences like that just make me want to work even harder.

I cant believe they are doing Highschool musical that's awesome.....who would have guessed! 

And Mom I do need a winter coat eventually. I realized the coat that guy gave me isn't really a winter coat it is more of a rain/ thermal jacket which I already have! So maybe in like the end of the month send it because it got really cold the other day.  It was 34 degrees.  It started hailing on us which it hurt a lot because the hail here is a lot bigger then back east. They were like gobstopper size so we ran for cover. we saw glass windows cracking from them! It only hailed for like 30 seconds though. 

I'm going to send you a list of music I would like but this is all I have for this week. I will start writing you a letter about everything it may take me a while but I promise I will send one.

love you!

Elder Brown  

                     

Week 10- New Companion

First let me start out by saying Isabelle looks like a grown woman in those homecoming pictures and It was so weird hahaha.  She is beautiful!!!

1.) My companion is pretty cool he can sing really well and plays a tad bit of piano, but beat boxes super well. So he has a spot lined up for him for vocal point, BYU's Capella group! But we may or may not sing together because the only chance I have to do a musical number would be at zone conference next transfer which we probably wont be together.   

Elder Barker is from Orange County, CA and is not awkward he is super smart and a good missionary! He just doesn't talk a ton but when he does he is not awkward. He is  deathly afraid of bees. A wasp flew into our member home and he wouldn't leave the bedroom! he locked the door and put blankets in the cracks under the door so it wouldn't fly through. I finally told him if he comes out of the room and tilt the lamp down which was holding the yellow jacket wasp, then I will kill it. He kept saying I can't I can't oh my gosh oh my gosh elder no! I was trying not to laugh because he kinda has a high voice hahaha! We killed the bee and we were able to complete our studies. 

 

He also never learned how to ride a bike so he has been learning on his mission. He always slips or says freak a lot when riding the bike and has to get off and walk it up hills so I'm being very patient with him. I have realized that there is never a reason to get mad even when you can't stand that a 19 year old man can't ride a bike to save his freaking life haha!  It's not a big deal though, other than that we get along pretty well for the most part.  He has been out only 6 weeks a head of me so honestly I'm planning for our day.  I'm basically showing him things about being a district leader,  so I have had a lot of stress trying to balance a ton more than last transfer!  But it is a good stress because its teaching me how to multi task and to think a ton more! I'm growing more than I think! I have been getting way better at remembering things too!

 

2.) last transfer with Merkley was awesome just because we have bishops trust and we dug the area out of the grounds. but one thing I noticed was that  we didn't have a ton of progressing investigators. So now Elder Barker and I are not going to focus on the quantity of lessons but we are going to focus on helping our investigators progress so really praying about what we can teach these people and things to say that will help them progress.

 

3.) I fasted yesterday for an investigator and I think I have figured out what I want to say

 

4.) I heard Nic got home.  I miss him a ton!! Lauren told me you watched the video of Nic coming home for like 10 minutes! Dang you have a long time to wait to have our video. hahaha love you!!  If you see him at church please tell him I miss him a ton!!

 

5.) Kate Rohrer won homecoming queen. I did study groups with her and Josie Weaver in anat and phys

 

6.) Can you start working on music for me? vocal point album, penatonix christmas album, i will send you a list of music next week , I wrote down songs. You don't have to buy them you just copy and paste and download it mp3 style. That's what all missionaries brothers or mom's do. 

 

7.) I played the piano and I'm writing a ton of arrangements and my piano skills are still there.   I have been playing out of my books and by memory 

That's all I got this week 

I Love You!

Uh oh I forgot I moved houses!

 

 

PS:

You can send me  More gift cards? Chipotle, red robin

or just power bars so when I'm on the go I can snack on something. 

Oh yeah can you send me zone perfect bars strawberry  bars

 

 

 

Week 9 -Spiritually Edified

Hey Mom! Guess what?  I'm staying this transfer in Arvada 3rd! Elder Merkley has been so good he has been called as a zone leader. He is a good missionary and pushed me really hard. He would leave me out to dry when I stumbled but it was good it taught me to be a better missionary. I'm glad I'm staying and I hope I will continue to do good work.   I just need a tire tread for my bike because it has a giant hole through it. I may spend a lot this transfer because I need a gps, I need a tire tread and now we don't have a car hahaha! My new trainer is Elder Barker. He has only been out for two transfers and I heard he is really awkward  and can't fix anything! great! oh well I'm excited too see what new will come!

Conference was awesome. I was so excited for conference and I actually was able to focus and watch every single session. I feel super spiritually edified! I saw Chase Hendrickson and saw elders on screen in the choir that have been at the MTC for like 10 weeks. They are going to Thailand! Yeah seeing chase singing was so funny!  I'm getting a lot bigger in muscle mass. probably the biggest and ripped I have ever been. I have been lifting every morning for like 6 weeks! When I come back I'm going to be so big! I have grown another inch almost which is weird. I'm like 6' 2 and 1/4! hopefully I can fit in my suits haha! I got Aunt Karen's gift cards! 

oh I do have a funny little story. So there is this crazy guy we met on the street three weeks ago, he had 5 cigarettes between each of his fingers a bottle of booze and he was packing a lip all at the same time walking around talking to himself back and forth outside these apartments. I said to Elder Merkley should we go talk to him and he said yes heck yes! so we go over to him and he just starts going off about how hot it was outside and he said its hot about 50 times in our conversations he started talking at a mile a minute and how he was a "firm believer in Christ and don't forget Santa Clause because you better be on that nice list or you are going to hell." But he was talking about the most random things I was trying not laugh and when we left we started dying. We didn't know where he lived but this week I was on exchanges with Elder Tanner my zone leader and we knocked on this door and what do you know the crazy guy was there and the apartment smelled like leaking battery acid. It was crystal meth, cocaine,  cigs, weed everywhere on his table and everything and he started talking at a mile a minute again and I just busted out laughing and turned the other way so he couldn't see me laughing. After we left he came outside and asked if we wanted our bible back? We said nope keep it. oh my gosh it was the best thing ever hahaha! 

I got the package from the MTC! Wish they found my hat though! I haven't had very much opportunity to sing and play the piano but somebody told me that Elder Barker my new comp sings really well and plays the piano so that should be fun! 

We are going on a hike in the mountains today so I will take pictures there!

Okay I love you mom!! I gotta go talk to you next week❤❤❤❤❤💋

 I need a haircut!!!