WOW.... JUST WOW

Elder Brown's update is linked below!

"and I would walk 500 miles"

This has been a very good but also very difficult week for Elder Paravicini and I. Despite having our agendas full with plans we had very few lessons this week because everybody cancelled on us. We ended up walking a ton this last week. Between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday we walked 15 miles at least but it was fun. 

Another difficulty was we decided to stop visiting one of our investigators, Sharol, that was going to be baptized this month. She hasn't been progressing this last week or in the last month for that matter and although it is hard to stop visiting someone we know it just isn't her time right now. 

However, the good thing is that we did see an amazing miracle this week that makes up for any trials or hard times. This last week we contacted two young men and their mother in the Street. We talked with them and as we started to describe that we are missionaries they said they know who we are and what we do. A bit surprised we kept talking and learned that these two boys were recieving lessons from the missionaries years ago when they lived in a different Ward and were just about to be baptized. However, after they moved they lost contact with the missionaries until we contacted them. These two Young men, Renzo and Sebastian, are amazing. They already have a testimony of the restored góspel and are eager to be baptized in these upcoming weeks. They have even told us that they would like to serve their own missions. They came to church yesterday and the Young Mens leaders helped us out a lot by making them feel welcome. This last week we have had the chance to teach them twice and they have also gone to a few of the Ward activities that our Ward had this last week. I love these two kids like family despite having just met them and I am so happy for this time I have to be working with them.

Also I would like to thank you guys so much for the support you give me, there are hard weeks in the mission but you help me in ways you don't even realize. Love you all, hope to hear from you next week!

With Love, Elder Brown

Full Chamba

Guys this week was awesome! We have found a lot of new investigators and another family. We have also been working a ton with less actives and we have a ton of members who are almost back to fully active again. The zone is doing great. My companion enjoys pulling pranks on my while I sleep because apparantly I sleep like a rock. Last night somehow he stacked a chair, suitcase, and some pillows on top of me and I still didnt wake up....

One trial this last week is that our investigator, Sharol, who will be baptized didnt come to church again for the third time. She has made a lot of progress to be baptized which included leaving her boyfriend, who is the father of her kid. She misses her boyfriend and we are pretty worried that she might fall back to her old life.

Love Elder Brown

6 months!

Well, 6 months has come and gone, I really feel like it hasnt already been a quarter of my mission, I still have so much to do. This last week flew by because tuesday we had lider council all day, wednesday we had district and zone meetings, thurday we had interviews with president McGinn, friday was weekly planning, and on top of that we had interchanges with Elder weeks and Elder Hidalgo. 

Sunday though was by far the craziest. Because so much happened this last week we lost a lot of proselyting time in our area and all our appointments got rescheduled for sunday. Saturday night as we were planning we realized we needed a miracle if we were to visit everyone, luckily God provided. The next day two amazing members gave us their entire afternoon to allow us to have divisions and visit all our appointments. In that one afternoon we had more lessons than we had the whole week. We had a total of 5 lessons with less actives and 3 lessons with investigators in that afternoon. We also recieved a ton of references and found new people to teach. This confirmed and further strengthened my testimony of the need for the members and missionaries to work together.

Also something interesting, we had a small earthquake here last week, that was cool. Lima is really close to being hit by a major earthquake (7-8 on the richtor scale) and the sad thing is the second that happens almost everyone will be homeless because they just dont have enough money to build secure houses. It still surprises me just how different Lima is depending in what part you are at. In the center where the mission office is there are skyscrapers and Ferarris in the streets. Where Im at the nicer houses are just one small layer of brick without any insulation (I wont even describe what the poor houses look like). The people here live in poverty, but they are humble. They dont complain much and it makes me remember just how blessed we are.

Until next week, Elder Brown

Happy New Years

Alright guys.

This was an amazing week. My new companion, Elder Paravicini, and I work together amazing. I love him he is the coolest guy ever. We work and we are obedient and are personalities are the same so we also get along and joke along with each other a lot. He is a very good missionary, also very weird (kinda like all missionaries). He used to fight MMA before coming to the mission which is awesome. He also speaks fluent english which although is nice at times it makes it easier to not practice my spanish. Our system is outside the house we only speak spanish and in the house in he morning and at night we talk english, I like it.

This week we found a lot of new people because we are opening up another area. They closed Jardines 2 so we now have the whole ward. It is awesome to work with these people and to help them in their progress to come unto Christ.

Also, our area is huge now. Because of bad planning we ended up walking from one corner of our area to the other end for our next lesson and it took about 50 minutes, but it was a good day.

New years was fun, lots of fireworks again. We ordered pizzas and bought inca cola and it was an awesome night.

One of the investigators we found this week is so ready to recieve the gospel. We contacted Jose in the street and when we visited him he asked us why there are so many churches. As we explained the message of the restoration I could see the spirit working through him and his understanding growing. It was an amazing lesson and he really wants us to return and teach him more.

Experiences like this remind me as a missionary just why this work is so crucial. There are people in the whole world who, like Jose, have this hunger and desire for the gospel but dont know where to look. I am so grateful for this chance that I have to serve as a missionary and help them to find the truth they are searching for.

Guys, we all have the opportunity or more accurately the responsibility to share the gospel, full time missionary or not. It is our duty to help our fellow brothers and sisters as children of God to have the opportunity to recieve the gospel of Christ. We share the gospel not because its fun or easy or definitely not because it pays well but we share the gospel because of LOVE. It is the LOVE that our father in heaven and brother Jesus Christ have for us. It is the LOVE we try to emulate in our relations with our friends and family. And it is with this LOVE in mind that I callenge you all to make this new years goals, to share the gospel with at least one person you know who needs to hear the joyful message you lhave.

With LOVE, Elder Brown