Week 17

Hey mom how are you?  I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! Mine did not feel the same but it was still a good day. We were fed two dinners that day so I ate more than enough!! We weren't aloud to play football because this mission believes that everything we do should have a missionary purpose behind it which I definitely agree with, it was just a hard pill to swallow. The ward just got split so there are about 60 members strong in our ward so nobody feeds us. We have been fed only three time in the last two weeks so I'm spending a lot of money on food. But it is not a super big deal I'm fine with it. I love this area.  There are a ton of Hispanics that only speak Spanish so we have to kinda just say have a good day and leave. I speak a little bit,  but Spanish 3 in high school does not serve me well when its time to have a full out conversation. Wish I spoke Burrito...haha inside joke. We do a lot of work here and I have had some instances where I feel I know I am supposed to be serving in Brighton. We have someone on Baptism date for the 21st and will put another investigator on date this Thursday. We have two others coming to church this Sunday so the work here is great really excited to be serving in Brighton. I'm starting to get to know a ton of the elders in this mission and becoming great friends with all of them! P-days are fun we play dodge ball and other fun games so I always look forward to P-days. There are 12 elders that hang out together on P-day so that's even better.

Wait!  You went on a cruise!!!!  I'm so mad I'm coming home from my mission.  JK   No its not that big of a deal.  Dont feel sorry! Working for the Lord is better than your selfish need.  hahahaha

Anyway, I do need a pair of boots and I don't need thinner gloves its fine. Can you also download "in the water" by David Archuleta and "treasure" by Kenneth Cope  and "let the music play" by Chris August. Send a beats pill with an aux cord along with it or just a little speaker that has an aux cord attachment. Make sure you send the charger with an outlet cord. Thanks mom,  I'm dying to listen to music haha! Hey can you send me  piano sheet music with lyrics "Treasure" by Kenneth Cope I want to sing and play that. Hey maybe you could send me a chess set for Christmas.  They are fun to play at the end of the night when we have nothing else to do before bed. Other than that I dont know what else I have room for in my suit case so I'm good.   How about fuzzy warm socks they'd be nice. I kinda want my basketball shoes too because I am ruining these sneakers they still work but I am wearing out the treads and my toe is starting to rip through. That's all that I need pretty much. Hey can you send a bunch of knorr tv dinners.   I dont have  any food and can't go grocery shopping because I ran out of money and I'm not dipping into my  personal funds. More subway gift cards actually and other gift cards too so when we go out to eat I don't have to spend my MSF and instead save money for food. 

 I miss a lot of people hahaha. Oh well. Hey sorry everything I talk about just jumps around.  I'm not good at organizing my thoughts but let me tell you how much the Lord has blessed me with the ability to teach. I have got a ton better at speaking to people on the streets or at there door. Remember how I couldn't put my thoughts into words. Well now I can and I know it is the Lord working through me. I couldn't teach without the spirit. But even my ADD has got a ton better.  I don't zone out hardly at all anymore. I think its because I'm more focused in something so my brain doesn't drift off to day dream. If I had that focus in school then maybe I would do a ton better. 

Anyway I think that's all I got this week.  I can't wait to talk to you soon!!! Christmas Day can't come soon enough. 
 Love ya and I miss you!       

Week 16

So this week has been crazy. To kick things off we were homeless with no where to live for two days. So we slept in the car the first two nights haha nah that's a joke. We slept on the floor at the zone leaders apartment (Elder Merkely and Elder Grey's.) Elder Grey reminds me of Christian Hassen which is really funny they have almost the same personalities. We finally got moved into our apartment Friday and the zone leaders helped get the furniture and beds out of the truck and walk them up three flights of stairs. We took about thirty trips. Anyway, we finally get moved in and realized that our toilet was not currently operating so for two days we went to the bathroom at the zone leaders house a couple of apartments down. That was fun! So we are good now housing wise.

We also didn't have book of Mormons so we took some from the zone leaders apartment and gave them all out so now we are in trouble. Hey do you know that this mission is the highest baptism mission in the North American central region! I hope you like the pics I sent and the song! you need to look up the lady and her husband Mike and Nancy Ellis. She is just like you and you two could be best friends. She is so awesome, she took care of us while we were in Arvada. She fed us whenever nobody else from the ward would. Other than that this week has been kinda mellow.

We went to a baptism in our ward the this Saturday. Elder Merkley and Grey and other priesthood holder got in the font, all five of them, so they could baptize this guy paralyzed from the  waist down It was a really spiritual baptism. I hope that I can take someone into the waters of baptism. Elder Sant is a great guy super strong and he looks mean but is the nicest guy ever. He is from Georgia. we played I declare war last night  1 hour at lunch and an hour at dinner because it went back and forth. he had me down to like 4 cards and I came back and won haha. Anyway mom hope you have a good week. I have really nothing else I need. Don't worry about the packages I think I'm doing just fine. We are playing dodge ball for p-day. Hey can you send me some TV dinners by KNOR in the mail. I need those. Love you mom!!

WEEK 15- I'm moving

Hey Mom how are you doing! okay this week was the craziest week on my mission so far so I am going to tell you everything. So it started Tuesday. After dinner Monday night I wasn't feeling well at all.  We got home at 8:30 and I just laid in my bed! I couldn't go to sleep because I was so sick.  I honestly believe I had an bowel/intestinal disease but I prayed and prayed and it finally went away. Thursday rolls around and the zone leaders show up to our door! They say pack your stuff you are moving into our apartment,  because Elder Wood got called to be an AP(assistant to the pres).  So since Elder Wood was leaving and going to be picked up by the AP's his companion has to join us in a trio until Wednesday when he leaves to go back home. His mom is picking him up.  She has special permission. It's crazy I just came out and he is going home ugh! He kinda gave up Thursday until now because he is so trunky but its expected! He is such a good elder. But anyway we have been living with him at his apartment for the last 4 days. Then Saturday rolls around and my neck stops turning. for the whole day I couldn't move my neck and I tried stretching and massaging it but nothing was working and it got to the point where I was going to call the medical lady at the mission office. I woke up Sunday and it was the same, but I didn't do anything and again did a lot of prayer and it went away thank goodness!

This Sunday  Elder Barker and I performed in church. Afterwards everybody started coming up to us and said that was the best musical number they have ever heard in the ward.  It brought people to tears. They said the never had someone sing at the piano with a mic. They had no stand so I had to rest it on the piano. We were complemented all day long. I love playing music so much! Every time I play I can feel the spirit so strong it really is my biggest testimony and I have been implementing my music more into my everyday missionary life. An 18 year old kid came up to us after and said he wants us to professionally record the song today because he has professional equipment and said it was so good that he really wanted to record us singing it. Since the song was a solo and we made it a duet he wants to publish it as a duet and will work on doing that after he records it. Lately I have been writing two songs for the piano that involve singing and have been working on the lyrics for that. I have been thinking about possibly writing songs for the church because it is something that not only I love but that the spirit can be with me and tell me the words and lyrics I need to write. I mean I'm not saying that that's what I am going to do but I am keeping it in mind for sure. Anyway that was went down this week. Its been pretty busy since we have been covering three wards for the last 4 days but fun.

Guess what, I'm going to Brighton!!! Fort Lupton Ward.  My new companion is Elder Sant! he is a really cool guy and really big haha! We have thrown football in the parking lot on transfer day last month. I heard there is a ton of work to do in Brighton so we will be busy that's for sure. My trainer Elder Merkley is serving in Brighton as a zone leader and we are in the same district so we will be able to see each other each week especially for P-day. I'm excited for that. I heard there is a member with like a full out weight room so I'm going to lift every morning!

We are  recording  the song today! Anyway Mom that's all that happened this week! 

Week 14 My Biggest Miricle Yet!

Hey Mom & Dad

 I emailed Jake. Tried to tell him about prayer and bore my testimony to him. We reminisced on all the fun memories we had. We are having a lesson with Lauren on this upcoming Friday! I'm so excited to teach him. This week I have been praying a ton about Lauren and I have received some very powerful revelation concerning how we are going to teach it and I know the Lord is going to help us. We have yet to meet with the punk rock dude he has been trying to spend time with his son because he has been going to court cases with his son and trying to fight over custody with his wife. We tell him to remain faithful and keep reading the scriptures. I know the Lord will make it all work out. We went to the temple this week and I got this awesome tie clip with the temple on it. I took an awesome pic of the temple. I saw my daddy down there( my first trainer) had a good chat and saw some elders that left last transfer. I found out an elder from my MTC group went home early because his parents divorced and he had to go to counseling because it was so hard for him. I feel so bad for him.  He was a good missionary. 

1.) Yes the coat is awesome and very warm I tried it on! thank you mom I know it costs a lot of money and I feel bad about that sometimes.

2.) I need a beanie if that's okay. One without writing on it. preferably navy blue.

3.) Halloween was fun we carved pumpkins and made toilet paper dresses for the zone leaders.      

4.) we are singing this week in sacrament meeting  for sure now! I'm excited!

5.) Transfers are next Wednesday and President told me in interviews that I'm leaving haha. I might train an elder next transfer too oh boy!! 

I got a cool story today. This week as a district we made it a goal to hand out 5 book of Mormons. The last two weeks have been so hard because we have done a ton of finding/knocking doors and we have had no success. In the last two weeks we have put together 40 hours of finding! I have been very frustrated and I know it has been a test for me. I started doubting the Lord which I don't know why because he has been doing so much in this area. Every night getting home we have been so worn out and frustrated from walking door to door all day and in the last week only handing out one book of Mormon all week. Yesterday was the last day to get 5 book of Mormons handed out and I said there is no way that's happening because we only have 1 hour of tracting/finding today and the rest of our day is planned for. But my companion said to me we will go out with 100% faith and we will talk to everyone we see. By the end of the night we handed out 4 Book of Mormons which was a record for me and had 5 lessons in that day.  It was honestly the biggest miracle I have had on my mission. I couldn't believe it especially since we handed out the last BOM in the last 30 minutes before we had to go back to our house. 

I love you so much Mom I miss you! Remember the story in the bible called David and Goliath. no body wanted to fight him because of how powerful he was as well as the rest of the army. But he decided to face him and with the Lords help he was able to defeat him. Mom the challenge  this week is to help someone facing a Goliath in their life and help them see the Lords hand in their life! I love you and dad so much!!    --
Connor Brown

3 Month Mark! Week 13

1.) Got a package and haven't opened it yet so I'm guessing it is the coat

2.) We have to be inside at 7:00 for p-day tonight,  so I might hand out some candy and attach some pass along cards with it. 

3.) today we are having a Halloween party.  The zone leaders and I are eating at fuzzy's tacos and doing the nacho challenge. The sisters are doing my makeup today and putting fake blood on my face. They are also dressing the zone leaders up to look like girls so I'm taking tons of pictures of that which I will send next week. We are then carving pumpkins and watching a church movie, probably like 17 miracles or something so today should be fun!

4.) I have eaten literally half the bag of candy.  I will be sharing the rest haha

5.) I sent my absentee ballot.  Yes I #votedforhillary and all the democrats......................jkjk #TheGreatTrumpShallSound 

D&C 102: And another trump shall sound.   ....Donald Trump?I don't know

6.) We have been practicing the song  and we might be able to do it the last Sunday of the tranfer in sacrament meeting. A sister from the ward printed me out Clair de lune to play on the piano so I'm learning that. 

7.) The man and his son who we ran into who was super interested in learning more about the church is doing awesome.  He and his son are reading the Book of Mormon. Though in the last week he Hasn't been able to come to church nor meet with us because of his taxi driving job and his orchestra band and his punk rock band that he is in. So that is frustrating but we are being patient with him. 

8.) The baptism is off and Dad will tell you about it because I told him the story in an email to him today

9.)  Anyway I'm not that homesick.  it may have sounded like that in my last letter but I'm doing fine. It's just sometimes I think about home and miss it a little but it doesn't make me sick. It's just feelings that every missionary gets. some more extreme then others.

I forgot we got to usher at the Fort Collins Temple Dedication.  President Uchtdorff was really funny.  We stayed for two sessions.  Some day's I have time to sit and think and most of the time I daydream about home and how much I miss it.  I love it here.  I think missionary work is so much fun.  Personally I love joking around with people.  We were tracting one day and I read a sign that said, "Reserved parking for the Worlds best Grandpa."  I knocked on the door and said, I'm very privileged to have finally met the world's best grandpa.  I was wondering where he lived.  He said through the screen door, "Go Away!I looked at Elder Barker and said, "Well, I don't think he is the worlds best grandpa anymore."I got a kick out of that.  "

A lady one time answered the door and looked at the ceiling and let out a big sigh, "UGHHHHH!"  I said in a very gay voice, "UGHHHH, it's the Mormons, they are going to try to hand me a free Mormon Bible."  She started bursting out laughing and we actually got to share a message with her.  The more you have fun with it the better attitude you have and the more successful you'll be!

Hey I'm glad you got my letter in the mail.  Maybe I will start doing more of those but I dont have paper to write you letters on other than the expensive stuff from Sister Shahan and my journal paper. It has broke records out here in Colorado for how warm it has been. They said it was the first time since 1960 that it has been 80 degrees on the 24th crazy!! Aaron Hubbard came home and I think Cody Hackman gets home soon too. Send me Nics email!! Izzy looks like a grown adult what is up with that! I didn't even recognize Avery in her costume what the heck is up with that hahahahaha! jk jk jk! Funny costumes for the girls. I love it wish I could be there but my Halloween costume is the best one yet. I get to dress up as a Mormon missionary haha! Hope grandpa's surgery goes well! tell him I miss him!! He needs to email me!!

Mom I love you so much I will tell you that every week! Don't miss me too much no crying! I'm doing great out here and it is an experience for both of us :) I will talk to you next week hold up I will send you pictures right now and some Halloween ones next week.

 Dad I'm so blessed to have you and mom as my parents.  I love you both so much. I want to grow up and be the man you are. You tried your best to be the best father you could ever be and you didn't even have a father to look up too. I look around at the fathers I have met whether it be my friends or family and I have never met a more patient humble priesthood leader.  I want to be just like you

Love ya

-con