Another week has come and gone. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I turned my calender over to October to see a bunch of pics from the day I left home almost a year ago and I couldn't believe it. I began to think back on all the experiences I have had and the things I have learned and it feels like it's a dream. I got a few emails from returned buddies such as Elder Nelson,who said that he looks back on his mission and wonders if all that really happened or if it was just a dream bacause it went by so fast. That' how I feel and I haven't even got to a year yet. As I looked back though, I was very happy to feel as if I had given my all in the last year, so I felt very happy but as well a little shaken that it's almost a year.
Well, it was good to hear from the padres and Brittany, as well as to receive a birthday package from my grandparents in Kanab, a letter from Sister Norris and one from Madeline Ashcraft. Grandma and Grandpa, thanks so much for the package you all sent me. It was awesome. I am enjoying the pen and ties as well as everything else. I sure do love you two. Some of the greatest examples that I have had in my life are those two amazing people. I felt super bad to hear that Caiden will not be playing any more football. I am going to get home and whip him back into shape so that doesn't happen again. I am serious, I already have some plans of how I am going to do it. Of course, after a year more full of hard work and baptizing ha. I am glad to hear that everything is going well at home and it is so wierd to hear that Trent will be getting home, and that soon enough many of my friends will be heading home!! WHat???
Ok, Mother's questions time. The missionary that left was from Argentina. He is still here in Chile, but they took the calling of missionary away, so now he is just here because he doesn't want President to send him home. I think he wants to go home on his own work. So he is working here in Chile when he could just get sent home for free. I am not sure, although that's what I think from what I have heard from Elder Contreras and the APs. Mom, I don't need new shoes, just the thing that goes inside the shoe to make it more comfortable. My shoes are great, it's just the inside thing that you can take out. I forgot what its called in English, plantillas, ha. I cut my own hair mother, with a machine I inherited ha. My shaver is working great. Oh, and no I don't usually play goaly/ I am better at getting them in the goal than stopping them haha. That's what I am going to do to you Caiden when I get there to beat you ha.
Ok, now a little bit for the week. We made the cookies and everyone loved them. We made the banana oatmeal ones and wow, they were good. I for sure still got the touch Dad. Thanks for teaching me. They tasted pretty much exactly the same. It was great. The family night went super awesome and the spirit was for sure felt, followed by a lot of cookies and pie de limon. I went on an intercambio this week out to Futrono to see how their sector was out there. It was a 2 hour bus ride out and it's just a small little place. The church is a house and I got some good pics. I was with E. Jolley and we had a good intercambio talking about how we can help sectors really grow by doing the little things. We are starting a new cambio, our second one together.E. Jensen and I, and we are super ready to get some work done here in Calle Calle. We have some high goals for these upcoming weeks and we are really excited. I learned something pretty awesome this week that I would like to share to end. I have found that there is three ways of teaching: comforting, strengthening, and chastising. All these are methods that the Lord uses to build us up and help us develop. The one that I have really learned a lot about is the chastising. It's a powerful word and a very powerful way of teaching. The Lord loves us so he chastiseth us. Hebrews 13:6. It is by correction that we can become what the Lords wants us to become. I studied a lot from a talk given by Elder Todd Christofferson in the May 2011 Ensign of general conference, called "To those I love I rebuke and chastise. It is awesome, you will have to read it. I learned that not only must we learn to be humble and meek and accept correction, willing to mold and be coachable to the will of the Lord. I also learned that those who are in a place to correct others and does not do so, is only thinking of himself. That hit me pretty hard. I am in a place to help people repent and change and many times that means I must call people to repentance through chastisment. Sometimes I must ask people to do things that they don't want to do. I have always struggled in being bold in this sense. But if we do it because we love them and they understand that love, boldness will not come accross as overbearence but these people will realize why they must change, because of what they can receive. I really loved this talk. I was humbled with a few chastisements from the Lord through his chosen prophets and now I am ready to take it, apply it and change for the better. I love you all. Thanks for everything you do.
Love,
Elder Brown
1. High School buds Elder Rytting and I
2. The baptismal font in futrono
3. The church in Futrono
4. The cookie dough mmmmmm
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