¡Ayacucho!

Alright guys week one in the field is done. There is a lot I want to say but not enough time to say it so I will try my best to just include the important stuff.

In our lessons we teach a lot of less active members (I think I might have said that last week) and they are kind of hard because they dont really see the importance of going to church or reading the scriptures so we kind of have to always be checking up on them. We do have some new investigators that we teach and one of them we contacted in the street on thursday, his name is Joel. Our first lesson with Joel went amazing. He is catholic and had questions for us like "arent God, the spirit, and Christ one person?" but when we answered and shared the churches view about his questions he was very receptive. When we asked him to read and pray about the book of mormon he wasnt just willing he was eager. The spirit was strong in that lesson and I cant wait to get back and teach him again. We have a lot of other people we are teaching and for the most part they are doing well too but our lesson with Joel was just that much better.

Ok now I want to share a little about what it is like to live here. The mornings are awesome, nothing gets you up and going like a shower at 40 degrees (seriously it is freezing). We eat a lot of bread here for breakfast and dinner and it is different because here dinner isnt the biggest meal of the day, it is lunch. We eat lunch with a lady in the ward because food preparation is a pretty sketchy thing here so it is fun to converse and talk with their family. The language is hard but it is coming pretty fast. The hard part is here in ayacucho not only do they speak spanish, they also speak quechua so I have to learn both. My companion is of course fluent in spanish and he is very good at english which is good. This week we were helping a older lady move some heavy grocery bags and she only spoke quechua. Elder Hurtado turned to me and said "I have no idea what she is saying" so I turned to him and said "You realize, this is my life". Also everyone wants me to teach them english and I say that I will if they help me to learn spanish.

I dont have any more time but I want you guys to know that I love it here. It is truly humbling and I cant wait to get to know the people better. Guys, we truly are blessed. I have taught lessons where the persons house included a small outdoor area and a small cement room with a dirt floor and a pile of stray for a bed. It is an amazing opportunity to serve here.

Until next week, Love Elder Brown

Hello From PERU!

Alright everyone today I get to email and after this my P days will always be on mondays. Monday was a long day of riding in bus´s and planes. We got to the Lima Peru airport at about midnight, drove an hour to a hotel, got three hours of sleep, then drove to the mission office at four am on tuesday. Once we arrived at the office at about 9 we had about 7 hours of prep classes and training. At about four in the afternoon we met our companions and were assigned our areas. My companion is Elder Hurtado. Elder Hurtado is this short little dude from bogata Columbia but he fits in perfectly here because I havent seen anyone over about five foot eight inches. Speaking of the people, I feel like a freaking giant here, which means my MTC companion Elder Evans will really feel like that because he is six inches taller than me.

Elder Hurtado and I are assigned to labor in the ayacucho area which is up in the mountains. For the rest of tuesday we went contacting and then we had our first lesson that night. We spent the night at the house of the missionaries working in the office and after sleeping for another four hours we had to wake up and get back on a taxi to get to the mission office again because all the American missionaries needed to go into interpol and take care of the visas and stuff. After spending all morning getting our teeth counted and fingerprinted we left interpol and went back to the mission office. At this point many of the missionaries headed out to their areas but me, Elder Hurtado, and four others stayed because we would take the night bus to ayucucho. So for that afternoon the six of us went to do an endowment session in the lima temple. The temple is awesome but it is super small. We did an endowment session, placed a bunch of pass along cards, ate dinner, and then went to the bus station. The bus left at 9 and it is a 11 hour drive through winding dirt roads to get clear into the mountains where our area is. Luckily it was kinda bigger like a tour bus so we were able to sleep on the drive. We got to ayacucho this morning and had a zone meeting and now we have P day.

 It is awesome and I am glad to be here. I knew we were blessed living in the states but you have no idea how blessed until you get to a place like this. The lima peru south mission is the poorest of the Lima missions and ayucucho is the poorest area in our mission. I would have never thought that I feel like I have too much stuff when my entire life is contained in just two suitcases. I will try to tell you a little bit about life here in peru from the last three days. Food is scary because a lot of it is contaminated but the safe stuff tastes really good. Everything is small and I have to duck at every doorway. The buses are ridiculous, they are barely bigger than a twelve passenger van in the states but there will be 30 people on the bus. My companion only weighs about 115 pounds and everyone else here is just as small. They can spot me as a gringo from a mile away and it exspecially shows when I try to speak because my spanish still isnt that good. However, I would not trade this for anything, I am so grateful I get to be in this humbling place. I am so grateful for my companion, the people, and for this gospel. I love you and will write next monday.

Until then, love Elder Brown

P.S.  Austin made it safely to Ayacucho Peru! A city in the Peruvian Central Highlands (9,000 feet elevation). Located in the Andes roughly 1/2 way between Lima and Cusco. Ayacucho has a very humble population....72% of the people in this region live below the poverty line. He will be amazing and we know the Peruvian people are so blessed to have him serving as a missionary in the region.

I AM OFF!

Alright guys just thought I would give a brief update. Today my plane leaves at 4:40 for Lima. Once I land after that six hour flight I have to take a bus for a couple hours to actually get to my mission home so it will be a long day. I love you all so much. This probably sounds crazy but saying goodbye to my friends here and saying goodbye to my teachers is harder than it was to get on that plane six weeks ago because I know I will most likely never see any of them again in this life. I couldn't sleep last night because everything started to feel real but I finally did fall asleep for a few hours and waking up this morning I felt overwhelming peace. I know I am doing what the lord wants of me. These next two years are not gonna be easy  but there is nothing else I would rather be doing right now​.
Elder Brown

Our district looking like a bunch of idiots (which is normal)

Me and our teacher Hermano Hernandez (he will be a prophet one day just wait)

In the middle is Hermano Andrade, he is our teacher in the morning.

The person in the middle is Hermano Hernandez again

Last pic is our night teacher Hermano Medina. He is just to my right in that picture. This is the teacher that at first I didnt really like but I just tried to see him through the Lords eyes. He is now one of my best friends here.

Last Week in the MTC!

Alright guys here is what´s new. I have started reading the bible a lot because I am just trying to learn more about this wonderful gospel. I feel the spirit when I read the bible but it is a different feeling than when I study the book of Mormon. I completely 100% agree with Joseph Smith when he said that the book of Mormon is the most true of any book in the world. The bible is for sure the word of God but unfortunately due to the wickedness of men some of the true was changed and corrupted. However, I know that in contrast, the book of Mormon has not been altered. Even if there are mistakes in the book of Mormon they are not due to God making a mistake. The prophet historians Mormon and Moroni realized this as they abridged the history of their people as we see in Mormon 8:17 which says-And if there be faults they be the faults of a man. But behold, we know no fault; nevertheless God knoweth all things; therefore, he that condemneth, let him be aware lest he shall be in danger of hell fire. . Joseph Smith also realized this which is why the cover page of the book of Mormon reads- And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

Saturday we hit our ten day mark. A funny thing that happened Saturday is elder Watts, who is probably the best elder at Spanish in our district, accidentally said excitado instead of emocionado in a lesson. Both mean excited but lets just say the word he used is not a type of excitement appropriate for missionaries. We found it hilarious and I was glad for once it was not me making the stupid mistakes.

Sunday in our devotional we talked about how everybody, members and investigators, have the light of Christ in them (aka the Holy Ghost) and how our job as missionaries is to uncover this light within them so they can feel Gods love and the truth of our words through our message. Sunday night we watched the John Tanner movie which is amazing. It is only about ten minutes or so and I want all of you to watch this, it is a truly beautiful story of a man who was converted to God in every aspect of the meaning. What hit me is when the missionaries worked a miracle by healing brother Tanners leg which he was told would kill him unless it was amputated. The missionaries asked brother tanner if he had the faith sufficient to be healed which I know is essential because the Lord doesn't work miracles unless we have the strength to believe it is possible, think of the story of the Leaper who was healed because he had the faith that Christ could do anything. I realized that not only does the recipient need to have the required faith, in this case brother Tanner, but the missionaries need to have the faith to know that the priesthood power which they hold is strong enough to work miracles.

That night and Monday morning the thoughts I had from watching the movie didnt allow me to sleep. I worried that I might not have strong enough faith to work miracles like those missionaries. I know that I have the same priesthood they did but I was anguished because I didnt know if I truly believed that I could work a miracle. I decided to fast to receive an answer and after praying and fasting all day and praying continually in my heart for an answer I had a feeling of overwhelming peace. I testify to you that I know I have the power to work miracles, I need to constantly continue growing in my faith but I know that I can trust in the Lord and he will work miracles through me according to the faith of those I will help in my mission.

Tuesday was pretty uneventful but I do have something cool to share. I was talking to another missionary in English and trying to explain something about the priesthood and I was honestly stumped because I could not recall the word priesthood. I could only think of the Spanish equivalent which is Sacerdocio. It was just a small but cool experience to know that the Lord is blessing me with the ability to learn the language.

Wednesday was weird. I packed up all my luggage to make sure I will make weight when we fly out Monday and it just became that much more real. It is hard to think that only a few days from now I will be in the middle of Peru where there is very few people that actually know English. I would be lying if I said I weren't scared but I am definitely excited. It will be hard leaving my district. Being around them all day everyday for six weeks really makes you grow close. I look forward to being in Peru though, I know that it is where the Lord needs me. I love the people of Peru so much and cant wait to serve them with all my might, mind, and strength for the next 22 months.

I love you all so much!!

Sincerely, Elder Brown

The kid sleeping is my companion. We all took a picture with him to remember the moment.

Selfie of Elder Radman, Elder Gilliland, and my companion Elder Evans.

This is Elder Radman on top of the cabinet. He climbed up there and started reading - saying that he feels closer to God like this.

2 more weeks!!!

Well guys as of today I only have 12 days left in the MTC before flying out to Peru. I cant wait, the MTC has its good points but it also really sucks at times so I am ready to be in the field. This week has been pretty good, it has also been hard at times but I have had a very uplifting week since last P day.

Thursday after emailing we went to the temple again. As usual the temple was amazing and the spirit was present.

Friday I started reading Doctoring and Covenants and I think it is so amazing if that the first 118 lost pages of the book of Mormon, the pages that made up the book of Lehi, were preserved through Nephis abridgment of his fathers story in his own record. If you read Words of Mormon it is also cool that the Lord preserved the back up set of the book of Lehi, contained in the first book of Nephi, because the prophet Mormon felt it was important to include Nephis record with his record of the people of the Americas. I know that the Lord knows everything including our mistakes but he always has a way to make things right.

Saturday we had TRC which is where we taught actual people that volunteered to come into the MTC and hear a lesson. Most of the people who do this are recent converts but there are also some less actives and totally new investigators that come in. We taught Vanessa, she has been a member for a while. The lesson was good and it made it feel more real because it wasn't just a pretend investigator.

Sunday for our lesson in priesthood we had an object lesson. At first we tried to throw a brand new sheet of paper with no folds across the room, it went like a foot. Then we folded up the paper into an airplane and through it and it went all the way across the room. The point was that we are like this paper and in our lives sometimes we have to make changes and go through things in our lives in order to be able to travel farther and closer to Christ. That night we listened to an amazing talk by Elder Bednar. He told us that when we have struggles, rather than turn to the natural man and turn inside we need to turn out and serve others. It was a really humbling and amazing talk

Monday I read about the armor of God in Doctoring and Covenants section 27. The though I had is that all the pieces of the armor of God are for defense except for the Sword which represents the Spirit of God. With the Sword or the Spirit we can do more than just protect ourselves because with a sword you can reach out and help others. I know that in missionary work where we are trying to help others and bring them unto Christ it is essential to have the spirit, without it our words and actions mean nothing.

Tuesday we watched a live devotional given by Neil L Anderson at the Provo MTC. During the songs the Camera swept across the crowd and I swear I saw my boy Nate, or Elder Christensen now, among the missionaries. It was probably just my imagination hoping to see him but I am gonna keep on believing I saw him. The talk was about how being a missionary is not complex, it just isnt easy. I know this is true. The doctrine we teach here is not very complex but being a missionary is very hard.

Wednesday we were talking with the Janitor in our building. His name is Gabriel and he is about 50 years old. He is also the most amazing person ever. We asked him how his day was and he said ´Today is amazing. I am so thankful that my God has given me such a beautiful day. I am glad to be alive and today is especially good because I can play basketball.´ I found it amazing that someone could be so grateful just to have an opportunity to play basketball. It was really humbling to listen to him because I know I have been blessed with so much and although he has been blessed I know from looking around at the houses here that I probably have a lot more to be grateful for. Despite this, Gabriel still is thankful, he is thankful just to be alive and play basketball. I want to be more humble like him. Gabriel shared a scripture with the missionaries in our district. The scripture is Alma 57:27 and it talks about the 2000 stripling warriors. It mentions that although they are young they are strong in faith. Gabriel asked us to read this because he told us that we as young missionaries are like these 2000 stripling warriors.

 I have been reading the book of Mormon again and am almost through first Nephi. I feel like I cant read as fast now because I am also trying to study Doctrine and Covenants as well as the Bible at the same time. However, I know that as you study the book of Mormon you will find stuff specifically for you. I will share an example in my life. In history class sophomore year we were learning about Columbus and the first Europeans to visit the Americas. According to the history books the american Indians were amazed with horses and it says that horses changed their lives because the Indians never had horses before the Europeans brought them over. I had a serious question at this time if the book of Mormon was true because I knew it mentioned horses all the time. Do you remember Ammon tending to king Lamonis horses after cutting off all the bad guys arms. Anyways I decided that if the book of Mormon was true not just made up by Joseph Smith then the answer to my problem would be in the book of Mormon. I prayed and opened my scriptures to 3 Nephi 21:14 and it talked about how if the Gentiles became wicked then the lord would take away their riches and their horses and their chariots and a couple other things. To a lot of people this verse would probably just mean the Gentiles would be cursed if they became wicked but what stood out to me was that it specifically mentioned the Lord would take their horses. I know that as the prophet Mormon abridged the book of 3 Nephi he specifically included the word horses because God knew that I would need to hear that 2000 years later. On top of that, it took Joseph Smith to translate the book of Mormon to get this answer for me. The Lord worked through 2 prophets to include a small, seemingly non important verse in the book of Mormon because he loves me specifically and knew that I needed to know that somehow horses would be taken from the Americas. I believe that because the Nephites and Lamanites became wicked  the Lord took their horses because of this scripture which is why hundreds of years later when Columbus came the Indians, or descendants of the nephites and Laminates, did not have horses. I know that the Lord provided this for me and for this I am grateful. This experience may seen non important to some but to me it was a huge testimony builder. I also know that when we have questions or when we need help if we turn to the scriptures we will find answers and comfort because the Lord has given the book of Mormon to help each of us personally.

Libro De Mormón

Well guys I finished the book of Mormon this week. I know without a doubt that every chapter, every verse, and every word in the book of Mormon is put there for a reason. I know that the book of Mormon is the word of God meant for all of us in these latter days. I also have a testimony through my experience these last couple weeks that the lord commanded prophets to include things that they didnt know why it was important to include because the Lord knows that someone needs to hear that. The sorrow I felt as I read of a entire rightous civilization falling into unbelief because of their pride was so strong I felt as if I were there. As I read towards the end of the prophet Mormons writings where we learn that over 230,000 of the Nephites were killed I cried and couldnt believe that just after a few hundred years of having Christ come and administer among them they could become so corrupt. Guys, be humble because I promise you that in the days we lift up our hearts in pride then we too will be cut of from the face of the Earth by the power of the Lord. That being said, as I read the end of the book of Mormon and read Moronis promise (Moroni 10: 4-5) I took the challenge upon myself and fell to my knees asking God if the book of Mormon was true. I knew before that it was true but even though I had a testimony that didn't mean I was done learning. I am unable to put into words the joy I felt as I felt the spirit testifying in every part of my body that the book of Mormon is the word of God. I know it is true and I can never deny the knowledge that I have. I fear if I do that I reap damnation upon my soul because although I have not seen an angel or seen God as many prophets have I have felt the spirit testifying so strongly that I know I can not deny my testimony.

After finishing the book of Mormon and feeling the spirit burn within me I had a moment where I kinda thought, o.k. what now... so I started over, this time in Spanish. I know that reading the book of Mormon is not something that we just need to do once. I know that in order to keep our testimony strong we need to constantly read and make it a part of our life for all our days.

This week has been a big blur and to be honest I cant really differentiate the days other than Sunday so I am just gonna share some experiences I had this week with you guys. The time here is starting to fly, the days still feel like eternity but as I sit here writing I feel as if it were just yesterday that I was emailing you about going to the temple. Also speaking of the temple we get to go again today so I am pumped for that.

On Sunday we watched The Restoration and it was a great testimony builder for me. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and I know that he was chosen by our Heavenly Father before coming down to earth in this life. I know it was Joseph Smith´s mission here on this earth to restore the gospel of Christ and restore church of Jesus Christ and I also know that Joseph Smith knew that this was his lifes purpose. Why would someone give their life defending a book if they didn't know it was true and that it was sent from God. Even though the book of Mormon was originally written on plates of gold before being translated by Joseph Smith and those plates of Gold would be worth a fortune I know that in respect to the treasure of the words within those golden plates they are worth next to nothing. Seek not after the riches of this life because the riches found within the book of Mormon will bless us in the life after this. I challenge you my friends and family to read the book of Mormon and to find the treasures that Joseph Smith saw were within it. And when you read I beg you to follow the challenge of Moroni and pray for a knowledge if it is true. I promise you that the Lord is bound to give you a knowledge of the truth of the book of Mormon if we pray with a contrite spirit, broken heart, and with faith in Jesus Christ. I also promise you that if the book of Mormon is true than Joseph Smith was a true prophet because they are connected, one can not be true without the other. I love Joseph Smith and cant wait to talk with him in the life after this. ´Praise to the Man who communed with Jehovah´

Like I said this week has been a real blur. We played a lot of volleyball as a district and I stuffed my companion who is about 8 inches taller than me at the net (granted this success only came after trying and failing on about thirty other occasions). We have also had a lot of opportunities to teach investigators and the spirit has been with us for which I thank my Lord. On Tuesday we helped move in the new missionaries and I love doing this because it is funny to think that I was in their situation only a couple weeks ago. Other than that, I read. I read for over an hour every night after my companion fell asleep because it gives me a little time to have some one on one time talking with my God through the spirit. I have loved doing this and probably am gonna continue reading a little every night after Elder Evans hits his pillow but I gotta say, only getting six or seven hours of sleep every night starts to add up.

I am going to the temple again in one hour but if you write me after that I might be able to talk this afternoon or I will reply next week. Love you all and stay strong

Love Elder Café (Brown)