Week 30-Organ Playing and Ukulele buying

I have a lot to share with you this week! So Paige's baptism didn't happen,  bummer but she just got a little scared! Making a commitment for the rest of your life can be really big but I know that she will be ready sooner or later! Just keep praying for her! We ventured over to this apartment complex to visit a lady  and started knocking on doors. Long story short we didn't even get to the apartment this lady was living in because we found another super awesome lady who was ready to hear our message.  The moral of the story is Heavenly Father knows how Elder Reynolds and my mind's work and he led us to a soul ready to hear the message!

I got a hair cut today so that's exciting! It looks (well kept) so mom you can stop worrying now lol! Elder Reynold's grandpa passed away so pray for him! He is doing really well and not super worried about it but it is still a sad time for him so keep him in your prayers! 

Elder Reynolds has been my favorite companion thus far! He helps me so much and teaches me a lot,  so I learn and grow because of him! He has taught me a lot of teaching skills and I feel the spirit working through me even more!  He was a crazy kid growing up and has such fun stories which make me laugh! But him and I are really close!   Anyway We are teaching really well together and finding new people to teach everyday! I have been seeing the blessings of the Lord as I have been serving alongside him! 

Hey I played the organ this week in church.  There was no organist and she asked me to play! I received a lot of compliments on my playing and I'm doing a musical number in church in two weeks! I'm excited! I'll have somebody maybe record it for me and send a little bit to you! Me and Elder Reynolds have been writing a lot of music lately! and oh, I'm buying a ukulele today so I can record songs at this guys house! I'm naming my album "Native American Trunky" its all church music that I have been writing! Gotta use my gift for something! I'm excited!

Well that's all I have this week! Thanks for all the encouragement from you and dad! I love you both! Hopefully you have been seeing the blessings of me being out here! I don't mean that to be selfish I just hope the Lord's blessing you in the aspects of your life because you both are awesome and I love you more then you can comprehend!

-Love,

Elder Brown

Week 29- Lets Talk Music

 I'm  assuming this is Paige and Kallen

Hey its me again! 

Today I'm super sick but still emailing.  When I go home I probably am going to puke lol! I have been sick 8 times on my mission! Anyway, this week was awesome! Me and Elder Reynolds got to face time his family because his best friend just got baptized! It was pretty awesome to see that! His friend was actually from a  reformed lds group but he didn't like it and wanted to learn more about the church. He got interviewed by President Uchdorf which is pretty cool! 

We have been doing tons of service! We have done bingo at a retirement village and that has been fun! We have been working at a food bank! I have worked at food banks for my entire mission! In my last area we went into a retirement village and scooped ice cream for the old folks!   I also have used my piano skills to play for the elderly.  I have enjoyed this part of my mission so much.

 I don't know anything about Paige really but Elder Cluff emailed me and said that she felt like she isn't quite ready because she doesn't know enough about the church! They were going to Hopefully,  have a lesson tonight so we will see how it goes! ! But the good news is that Kellan will be baptized with her because he wants to be baptized now! Continue to pray for Paige she has been doing such a good job,  hopefully she can ignore Satan and enter the waters of baptism on the 25th!

This week has been a great week! People have been coming up to us and asking for guidance and help! So we have found 7 new investigators in the past week which has been unbelievable! That has been unheard of in the red leaf ward according to my companion who has been here a while! We have seen a lot of blessings from working hard and being exactly obedient! I haven't been using that term my whole mission because it didn't strike me till last transfer that I needed to change! My whole mission thus far,  I have been selectively obedient! Probably one of the biggest struggles for missionaries in the mission! But I really had a change of heart! I buckled down and wrote down everything that I was not doing previously and now have been doing it to the T! I have seen miracles and have felt better about my missionary work! I have been getting up on time, I have been wearing obedient socks, I have been doing everything in the white hand book! It has been so much better! That is a huge lesson I learned!!! I remember at home how I would be selectively obedient to you guys and often it ended up in fighting! We read about that constantly in the Book of Mormon! When they were obedient they prospered! When they weren't they no longer had the hand of the Lord in their life and they slowly fell away! I'm sorry I wasn't super obedient at home I know that was the cause for a lot of fighting! Sad though that I learned this lesson 6 months in but at least its better than 23 months in! Be EXACTLY OBEDIENT!:)

Anyway lets talk music! Last week was zone conference and I had the privilege of playing three musical numbers! Sister Mendenhall called me to ask me to come down to the first zone conference for the first half of the mission and play the piano for Elder Olsen! It was a 1 hour drive and we played the musical number then left. Then the next day we played the same musical number for our zone and it was awesome! Its a song that a lady sang at Pres Mendi' mom's funeral! It made him cry! Then that morning two sisters came up to me and asked me if I could play the piano for them.  Of course I said yes.   I practiced it twice before I had to perform which was scary! It was a hard piece to play but my chorus sight reading helped me learn it quick! I also played alongside a violin so that was a first! We accompanied a sister who sang beautifully! It was so good that I forget the hymn it was but it was a difficult arrangement!  I have played a musical number every zone conference! I'm sister Mendi's go to musician! I'm playing another one next zone conference though!  Next week for church I'm playing the organ because the lady is out of town and somehow they knew I played so now I am playing the organ for sac meeting! That should be fun! 

Me and Elder Reynolds are having a blast though! We are working hard but having a lot of fun! We really relate to each other a lot especially things we did before our missions! He is a super good guy and I haven't been closer to an elder! He has 5 months left! Hopefully I can kill him off and stay with him till he dies!( mission lingo, when he is done with his mission) He gives me such great advice and has made me a better missionary! We are going to try to meet up after the mission!

 Alright,  I love you!  I will talk to you next week bye!

Week 26-28 Leaving Again!

2/1/17

This transfer has taught us a lot of things. Patience, Long suffering, and humbling yourself before the Lord....you can't do it on your own...its impossible that way. It has made me get on my knees and pray more and harder than I ever have before. We have started our mornings praying and seeking for unplanned opportunities to find people.

Am I giving up hope...no, but is it hard to keep an upbeat attitude...yes. So this week I have been trying to be happier about teaching the gospel and having more love for the people of Parker even though everyone is mean hahaha! We had a gun threat right to our face last week that was fun! I have learned that the deeper your understanding is of the atonement the more you will appreciate going out and working and it is sooo true. If Jesus loves me so much that he was willing to take upon him MY sins, than how much more important and how much more does he love those you haven't heard the cry of repentance. So I am going to repent daily, and pray to love the people. Serve with Love, Christ did and I love Christ so I am going to serve with it. Hopefully the journey then will be more Joyful (in that aspect of it all)

 I love it! I love this gospel, I love how it has made my life better, I love you and Dad and Izzy and Avery so much and I miss you everyday. I keep you in my prayers and I pray that a missionary opportunity comes your way. Be a missionary, start today.

2/6/17

Hey I'm leaving and  being transferred again and going to another bike ward! Red Leaf area in Westminster, Co. 

Hey, guess what! I just heard news that the guy I started teaching back in Aravada, Laren Thompson, got baptized! Oh that is so exciting! It feels so good! whew!!

2/13/17
 This is going to be the best transfer ever! I love Elder Reynolds! Its only like day 5 and he is already my favorite companion ever!  He is from Spanish Fork Utah! He is such a good missionary and he is super funny! I have never laughed so hard in my life! The Westminster zone is such a good zone too! Everybody plays basketball so P-day today is going to be really fun! Weather has been super warm lately! Our area is struggling so hopefully we can get some work done! I keep forgetting my camera so I can't send pictures but I have a ton! But yeah it kinda stinks that I am leaving and on bike again but we go bunny hopping over prairie dog holes. Up until now I have never seen them in my life. I think they are so cool but Elder Reynolds throws rocks at them haha thats fun! We talk to a lot of people though in our area! Elder Reynolds is not afraid to talk to anyone its awesome!

Paige as far as I know is still on date for the 25th! Elder Reynold's friend at home is getting baptized this Saturday so that is a cool experience for him! Not a whole lot to talk about this week! Glad Mom had fun in Florida! Man I wish I was home with Alex right now!  I just wish I could be there for him and just help him.

I finished the book of Mormon like a week and a half ago.   I love it! I have read it three times on my mission so far! My testimony of it has grown a lot!  

I'm happy, excited and  loving the work and ready to go! So don't be worried about me. I'm getting invited back for the baptism so I am not worried! I love you mom and dad have a good week!  

 Mother's note:  We received this picture and text from a couple who fed Elder Brown this week.

"Our ward mission leader (who is also a senior missionary) said we have two of the best missionaries in the whole mission, and now is the time to invite our friends to meet with the missionaries.  Thanks for lending us your son.  We had a great time listening to his music tonight."  -The Reichmans

 Me and my companion took this squirrel we found in our apartment and at night we went by this church and put it on the sign! People went to the church this Sunday and they were looking at the squirrel and why it was there but nobody moved it so they must think it is supposed to be there!HAHA

 The new Squad!