May 27, 2013

Another week....... come and gone. Well, at this rate the time just keeps speeding up and never will slow down. I am very sad to say it though haha. I sure do love to hear from you all and I am so glad to hear that all the partying went well. The only thing that makes me sad is that my bro, the crystal glass, is giving up the best sport in the world!! But hey, if he doesn't want me to come pound him down on the football field when I get home I guess I can do it on the soccer and basketball fields and courts haha. I guess that's enough. Good luck Caiden with the tryouts and all the camps. What I really can't wait for bro, is when you finish those trainings and camps and can come out and get the ¨LIFE training¨ that one gets when you go on a mission. There could not be a better training for what is to come and it has changed my life forever. I love this work and I can't wait until you can be out here doing the same and feeling the same.

Well, for a little bit about this week. We had zone capacitation where Elder Stanley and I presented a few changes that they made in the way that we give and receive the key indicator numbers of the mission. We are changing and are going to begin doing all on the internet. We then had a council with the zone where we talked about how we want to do more councils, and not sermons, where everyone can participate and give their great ideas. It was a good meeting and I feel that we all left edified. We had intercambios (exchanges) with Elder Thomas and Elder Piñel. It was a little wierd for me because I went with Elder Thomas at the start of his mission and that was now over a year ago. I couldn't believe it. Elder Thomas is awesome though, and we had a great day. He is a hick from Arizona and we get along great. The best part about the week was Saturday. At about 5:20 we were walking towards one of the main streets to take a taxi so we could go interview a little girl for baptism, and as we were walking down a street we decided, almost unconciously, to knock the last door on the street. It was all rainy and cold outside and a guy of about 27 years came out and, without saying anything to him, he let us in and offered us something hot to drink. We said no nicely and began to talk with him. His name is Hans and he has never had a religion and has never been baptized and has really never been interested, but a few months earlier he bagan to study the bible to try to find the truth. We didn't have much time to teach him since we had to be at the interview at 6, so we explained the restoration a little and left him with a pamphlet and set to come back on Sunday. We did so and wow, has he been prepared or what! He had read all that we had given him and he wanted to know if it was true. We shared the Book of Mormon with him and testified that if he read and prayed he would come to know it was true. We invited him to follow that answer and to be baptized. He accepted. We testified with all our hearts to him that the Lord knew him and wanted to give him more information and more truth. He agreed that we had been sent there for a reason. It was amazing and I know with all my heart that the Lord prepares his children. He knows every single one of them and wants to bless those with an open heart with more truth. I am thanful to be just a small part of that huge purpose.

I love this work and I love all of you.

Love,
Elder Brown

1. A cool wrecked boat

May 20, 2013

Wow, once again the week passes by like a day. I can´t believe how fast the time continues to blow by. Here I am at the end of the world preaching the Gospel and the time just seems to pick me up and carry me. I try not to let opportunities of time pass me by as it runs past. I try very hard to run with it. It's good to hear about all the partying that you are all doing. I need to take some time right now to congratulate my wonderful sister and tell her happy birthday. I sure do love you sis. You are a great example to me of someone who always trys to live the Gospel to the fullest and I hope that in the future (far future) I find a wife that is like you. I love you sis, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! That is so cool about the upset that Caid had in the state tourney. That's way awesome, way to go bud. I will blow some crazy goals past you when I get home haha.

Well fam, it was another great week here at the end of the world. We had zone conference on Tuesday and yes, President brought me down my package. Elder Stanley and I actually have been enjoying them this morning as we write our fams. Thank you mother, you sure are wonderful. The zone conference was awesome. Elder Stanley and I did a 45 min presentation about planning and practicing to teach and, like always, I had to refer to sports to get my point across. I am starting to realize how much I do that haha. The conference was awesome and, like always, I learned a ton and I am trying my very hardest to apply it in the work. One of my favorite things that I learned from the conference is that what we search for in our life is what we will get. For example, in missionary work, if we just search to do contacts in the street that's what we will get, is some contacts that don´t lead us to anything. But, if we search to find people who will be baptized and receive us and we do it by using contacting, that is exactly what we will find. It is the same in our lives. What we search for in our lives is what we will find, for the Lord always grants us according to our desires, whether they be unto eternal life or eternal death. I really loved this and I hope my desires can always be the right ones. Then, later this week on Saturday we had the baptism of the two little Guerrero girls. This family was inactive for over 7 years and we were able to help them to get activated and the Dad was able to baptize his two daughters. They have big plans to be able to get to the Temple and we are so excited for them. I will put a pic on. Over all this week was a great one.

I sure do love the mission and I hope that all of you know that I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the work. I have no doubt that this is the work of the Lord because I have seen him and his hand do things that there is no way that I could do. I feel so grateful to be able to carry his name on my chest at all times and represent him to the far reaches of world ( Punta Arenas sector Patagonia haha) I love to be a missionary and it is a short amount of time that we have to have the authority to stop people in the street and share this message with everyone, let alone invite all to come unto Christ by being baptized. What a CALLING, it is the best.

Well fam, I love you all. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts.
Love,
Elder Brown

1. Baptism of Fernanda and Fransisca

May 13, 2013

It was so great to be able to see all of you and hear all your voices. I sure do love you all. I am so pumped now to just go get some work done, to work as hard as I possibly can with the time that I have left. The time is going by way too fast and so I am determined to go out everyday and do as much as I possibly can to do what the Lord wants. I sure do love this work and I know that the Lord's hand is in it. I sure love you fam, thanks for all your support and love. I can feel it even though we are so so so far away. I was looking at the globe the other day and I actually realized how far I am from home haha. It is so far ha. I sure do love it though.

Well, I am not sure what I should tell you because I pretty much told you all everything yesterday. Ha, I will take advantage to tell mother happy birthday on Thursday because next time I write obviously it will be past. I sure do love you MOM. You are one amazing lady. As well as my Dad who is one amazing man. Pretty much my hero since I have been little. I can't believe how big those boys are!!! They are so cute I love them so much. I just want to give them a big huge squeeze. Everyone looked great though some were sick. My mother and two sisters are so pretty. Dad looks healthy as a horse, haha, and Caiden looks skinny as ever, haha bro I love you.

Well, for a little bit about the week. I forgot to tell you that this Saturday we had a baptismal interview for our investigator named Fransisca. She is only 9 and will be baptized with her little sister who is 8. We have been helping their parents get activated and now their Dad is going to baptize them this week on Saturday, so we are pretty excited. Tomorrow we have Zone conference, so we are pretty excited about that as well. Pres.Rappleye is coming down to give it so it will be pretty awesome.

One really cool experience that we had this week: Last Sunday one of the members came up and told us about an experience that she had as she was walking to church. A man stopped her and asked her for help (he was a little drunk). She asked him what she could do and he told her he wanted to stop drinking. She told them that she had two gringo friends that could maybe help, so she got his info and gave it to us at church. Then, this week as we were walking down the street one day, we decided to contact this one guy. He stopped, and a little drunk, told us his name was Jose and we asked him if his last name was Riveras, because the hermana who gave us the reference told me that was his name, and sure enough, we contacted the same reference we had received a few days before. God really wanted to help this guy ha. So we set an appointment and went over and taught him how the Gospel can help him be clean of addictions and sins. He accepted to be baptized in June. That was a pretty cool experience that we had this week.

Well I am not sure what else to tell you so I guess I will just wait till next week to tell you more all about the wonderful life of the mission ha. I sure do love you all. Thanks for your prayers and thoughts. Oh, and thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa Brown, for all that you have done for me through out my life and as well as right now in the mission. I love you!!!!
Love,
Elder Brown

I feel so bad that everyone writes me emails and I can't write them back. You need to let them all know that I am thinking about them and that I would love to write them, but I can't.

1. An old dock there at the ocean
2. There is the back is the big casino that they have here in Punta Arenas

May 6, 2013

Hola familia y Amigos,

I am sorry to say that the rule that got changed in other missions about writing friends has not changed in our mission, so I am sorry to say that I cannot respond to my buds and tell them how much I love them. So just send this email to them so that they all know that I love them and I want to talk to them but that I cannot write them here in email but that I am thinking about them and am praying for them.

Wow fam, I was so happy to see all those pics of the fam just partying it up in my favorite place in the world, or in other words Grandpa's world haha. Everyone just looks so awesome. My fam is the best fam that there could ever be. I am so thankful for you guys. You are all amazing. Even though my little bro might be a fragile hipster, if you know what i mean, and maybe the fourth Jonas Brother, hahaha. I love you broski and I can't wait to beat you up again. I can't believe that my sis graduated from college! Everyone is so big. Everyone looks so much older and bigger. And I just continue to lose hair and get skinnier ha. No worries, I might be losing hair but the things I am gaining are so much better, plus the scriptures talk about how not a single one of my hairs will be lost in the resurrection, thank you Alma the younger. I just want everyone to know how much I love them and how thankful I am for you. Before I forget, I will be calling the 12th between the hours of 2 and 5 but I will verify with you before hand. It will be by skype, so I can tell my sweet mother how awesome she is and how much I love her. Even though sometimes in her emails she writes trunky things like the thought of being in my sealing in the Temple holding hands, haha, I love you Mama.

OK, so now to try to express the amazing feelings of love and gratitude that I have for the Lord and his great work. I will not be able to give it justice with my words, because we all know how bad Elder Brown is with speaking and expressing himself haha. I will try my best though. This was another one of the greatest weeks of my mission. THE FAMILY LIRA LOPEZ WAS BAPTIZED SATURDAY! It was one amazing experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life and truly changed me for good. The spirit that was felt in the service was so strong. I had the amazing opportunity to baptize Gustavo and Joaquin and Elder Stanley baptized Sofia while Hna Wendy, since a member, watched in the front row. One thing I will try to express to you is the feeling that I had after I pulled Gustavo out of the water and he gave me a big huge hug and I looked up while hugging him to see his sweet wife with tears in her eyes and her soaking wet daughter and son next to her. I could not hold it in. What an amazing experience, something that will be burned deep into my heart forever. I know that that family will make it to the temple. My patriarchal blessing promises me that I will find many eternal friends within my mission and I know for sure that they are 4 of them. I love them so much, and as much as the Gospel has changed them, they have changed me.

Wow, that was the best part of the week. I know that there was a lot of other great stuff, but because of that wonderful experience I can't recall anything else right now. The ward has done an amazing job with integrating the family and I am so thankful for their great help. One other great moment in this week was a lesson we had with Marisol and her boyfriend Mauricio. Marisol is pretty much a member, she just wants to be baptized so bad, but she lives with her boyfriend and she wanted him to accept the Gospel also, but in the beginning he told us that he would die catholic. Well, I am telling you now that last night the spirit entered into that mans heart and taught him all that we could not. He began to explain the need he had to be baptized and Marisol began to cry because she was so happy. They both accepted to be baptized on the 1 of June. The spirit touches yet again another family. I am so grateful to be able to see these miracles happen by the hand of the lord and the spirit. It is so amazing.

Well fam I sure do love you all. I can't really remember anything else that I need to tell you. I love you all. Keep moving forward.
Love
Elder Brown


Hermana Kenzie haha,
I am just so used to calling you Kenzie that I can't really stop and change it ha. That is so awesome that you get to be there in Guatemala. It is such a blessing to be able to go to another nation to learn the language. I know exactly how you feel to go to a place and not understand pretty much anything. In Peru all my teachers spoke nothing but spanish, same thing with my comp. Remember the promise that you were given when set apart. You have the gift of tongues, it is convenient for the Lord that you learn spanish, that's why he sent you there. You will learn it because that is what the Lord wants. Put all your effort in to listen, speak and read the language. I promise you with all my heart ( because I have lived it) that it will come with time. You will look back and ask yourself how could I not understand. The Lord helps those that help themselves, try your very hardest and he will bless you. With patience keep going you will not regret it. Don't ever give up, this experience will change your life. Yo se que el Señor te ayudará el esta conciente de ti. Te quiero mucho amiga.
Elder Brown


Elder Stewart,
I love you man so much. Keep working hard in till the end and then wait for me to get home before you boys start doing anything cool. Haha I don´t want to miss out on anything ha I love you man thanks for all you have taught me in my life.
Te quiero,
Elder Brown
Vamos hablar en puro español en la casa ¡¡ Que BAKAN!!

1. There is the fam I love so much.
2. Best baptism ever!!!

April 29, 2013

Hola Familia y Amigos,

Como esta mi familia maravillosa?!! Les quiero mucho y estoy contento al escuchar que todo esta bien y les va bien con todo.

I sure do love you guys and I love to hear from you and hear about all that is happening there in O town. I cannot believe that Caiden went on a date. That is so weird to me. He is still just a little guy to me. Who is the girl that he went with? What's her name? I love Caiden's tux, haha, very classy. That is so funny. I am glad to hear that Dad is feeling good enough to do all that work in the front yard. I am glad that Mom is doing good as well, that she is just working hard. I hope that you get some rest though my sweet mother ha. I didn't hear from Brit but I am sure that they are all right and I am sure the boys are just as cute as ever.

Well, another amazing week has come and gone. I cannot believe it. Now for a little info on my comp, Elder Stanley. He is from Phoenix, Arizona and a red head. He is super funny and he has one transfer more than me in the mission. This is his first time as zone leader, so together we are learning more and more. We get along great. He likes motocross and was way into riding dirt bikes before the mission. So that is a little bit about my comp. Everything is going great. I can't remember if there was any other questions, sorry haha.

Alright, here is a little bit about the week.... THE FAMILY OF GUSTAVO IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS NEXT WEEK!!!! They had their interviews this last Saturday and they all passed. So Gustavo, Joaquín, and Sofia will be baptized this next Saturday. I am so excited. Their Mom, Wendy, is a member and we found her registros in the north and they sent them to us this last week. I love them so much. I can't wait to see them all baptized. I know that they will all make it to the temple and I am so excited for them. This next month of May is going to be so awesome. I can just feel it. I am really excited to work with Elder Stanley. We are going to work our little bottoms off, haha, and we are going to seek for the Lord's help in all we do.

It was a pretty crazy week this last week with cambios and everything. We were sending elders off doing changes with the Elders so that they weren't alone, calling taxis and getting new missionaries. It's been crazy and mixed with other little problems like missionaries houses, suitcases and all kinds of stuff, but I am glad to say that we are doing great. I love this work with all my heart!! It is going so well here in Punta Arenas. The people are amazing and there are a lot of people that are progressing towards baptism. We are just loving it here. There are hard times in the mission, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It is the best thing in the whole wide world to be able to dedicate all your time and thoughts to the work of the Lord. It's been bothering me though a little bit, thinking about what I am going to do afterwards school wise. I am not sure if I will have to do some stuff for that while out here on the mission. ( Elder Neilson's talk about working on all that stuff before the mission got here a little late for me, haha). I don't really want to think about it, but I am not sure if I will need to do something for it while I'm out here.

Well fam, I sure love you all and I am so glad to hear from you. I love you all and I want you all to know that this is the work of the Lord. I have seen His hand in it. I continue to see it almost every day and I know that He is the head of this church, and that it will continue to go forth nobley and boldly, till in has sounded into every ear. He prepares His children to hear this wonderful truth, and if we will yield to the Spirit and let Him teach, He will bring the message unto their hearts, something that we can never do. He is the teacher. I love it so much.
Love,
Elder Brown


ps. I will be calling you all by skype on the 12th of May to celebrate the life of the most wonderful woman that walks the earth, my Mother!! I love you mom. Next week I will tell you at what hour I will call.


1. Gustavo and fam
2. Elder Walker and I
3. Oh Punta Arenas

April 22, 2013

Hola familia y amigos,

I am so happy to hear from all of you. I love you all and I am so thankful for every single one of you. I have a few comments for each of you. First, I love those pics of the little boys at the lego museum. Blake's face just cracked me up haha. He is just full of great expressions. My sisters are so darn pretty, WOW! That graduation announcment and the pics of Brit and the boys - you both look so pretty. What happened to me? I sure didn't come out good lookin' like them! Those pics of Crystal cup are so awesome! Way to go buddy. I can't believe you are going on a date this next week, that is so crazy. I hope you have the mission on the mind the whole time you are on your date, hahaha. I am such a missionary nerd now. I am glad that Dad could work out his medicine a little better so that you could have your weekends back.

Alrighty, to answer some questions first. I am so sorry I have no pics of penguins, they are actually really far away from us. I don't think I will actually be able to see them before I leave Punta Arenas because during the winter they get even further away. Sad to say Dad, we never go down to see the elders in Porvenir. The poor guys are just stuck out there all by themselves. I am sure that we will be seeing some snow coming here soon, haha it's going to be great!!!!, Yes we will be able to skype yo creo(I think).

Well, now for some news. I am sorry to say that the companionship of Elder Walker and Brown is coming to an end. The spirit has called him another way. This Wednesday he will be heading out to Puerto Varas. I will be staying here with Elder Stanley, a red head. I will tell you a little more about him when I get to know him. I am so sad to see Elder Walker go, but if we didn't have changes we wouldn't be stretched to grow, so we will do what the Lord wants us to do, for he know what's best for his children. Gustavo and family were very sad to hear that. Gustavo even began to cry. It was sad to see, but he will continue to progress and the friendship we have made with them I know will last forever, even after this life and I know that if we all live the gospel all the way to the end we will be together one day. They are amazing. I can't believe how fast this last cambio (transfer) has gone by. I learned so very much with Elder Walker this last cambio, things that will change my life forever. I will never forget this last cambio, it has been one of my very favorites. I look forward to continuing to learn and to see the amazing people here in Punta Arenas keep progressing.

This last week was crazy because on Monday the APs got here to Punta Arenas to stay with us a few days. Some how they talked pres. into letting them come down here because neither of them had been down here and they wanted to go on divisions with us and see how the zone was doing. So, they were here with us Monday until Thursday morning. We had a great time together. We had a zone training on Tuesday that Elder Walker and I did. It was a lot of fun and we got some great practicing in with all the Elders. We love to do practices of teaching with the zone. The best part of the week has to be Sunday though, because 9 investigators.... 9, were there in church this last week. It was so amazing, it was a blessing from the Lord. It had nothing to do with our skills. The Lord is doing his work and once again we sit and are amazed by his great power and mercy toward us weaklings. 9 investigators there in church - it was so awesome. The gospel principles class was totally full haha.The Lira Lopez family (Gustavo and Wendy and fam) are doing so awesome. This past Saturday we had a service project and Gustavo was there helping for about 5 hours. He is so amazing and is a great example to all of us and even more so for the members of the ward. He is one awesome guy. I sure do love him.

I will have to tell all my buds that wrote me hi from this email because we are still not allowed to write other people here in the email, only in this email. SO Jord, Richie and big man Turner, I love you all and I am so glad to hear from you all. I hope all is well. Nothing could be better here in the end of the earth declaring repentance.

Well, fam, I cannot explain the love I feel for all of you and for this work. Really, I know with all of my heart that this is the Lords work. For he is in it and he works his mighty miracles. I have seen them first hand here as I have seen a family of four who had no idea about the Gospel receive it with open arms and immediately begin to live it to the best they can. The Lord blesses us so much. I have learned so much from teaching Gustavo's family. The Lord prepares the hearts of his children to receive his Gospel. I know that if we live the Gospel to the fullest and really love it, it will change our lives forever. This is what I have seen in this family. I love this work and I love the Gospel, there is nothing better in this world. I love you family with all my heart and I hope that all is well.

Love,
Elder Brown

1. Service project - we built that little room in a few hours ha. Gustavo is the one on the far right and the rest are members.
2. The sun is so strong here that it burns your skin. This is us and the APs preparing ourselves with our battle paint (sun screen) and our weapons haha (Book of Mormon) I told you we were nerds.
3. Punta Arenas is the city of rainbows. If there is rain there is always a rainbow.

April 15, 2013

Hola Familia y Amigos,

Man I sure do love you all so much. I feel so full of every good feeling that one can possibly feel that in the end it's not worth trying to explain, I just can't do it. All I can really say is that I love my family and I love missionary work. That is the best I can do, anything else sounds cliche or kinda dumb because I am bad at explaining. I cannot show enough gratitude to the Lord for all that is happening here and for the great family that I have. The Lord has for sure blessed Elder Walker and I so very much. I know that this is his work because some how, with two knuckle heads from Utah, he does great things. Elder Walker and I were talking about this and we decided that we felt as if we were in a football game trying our best and not doing so much and then watching the Lord come in and do his work as we sat on the field and watched him work his mighty miracles. What a blessing to be able to be on the front lines to watch him work. We can for sure see his hand in all that is happening here. Well family, I am so glad to here that all is well. I can not believe that once again the crystal cup has broken. When I get home me and him are going to work together to get some meat on those bones. I am sad to hear that Dad is not feeling so great on the weekends. I hope you can work that out with the Doctor and start feeling better.

Well, I don't remember very many questions that you asked me. Mother, I am not sure if I really need anything. I would like more HLJ things to give to kids. They sure love that. In one of the pictures that I am going to attach you will see that I am using those great necklaces that you sent me. I am actually pretty much out of those. I would like some more of those rings to give out though, that would be cool. Dad, those are the apartments, the green ones with the yellow roofs. We live in the second one that is parallel with Manantailes. That's all the questions I can remember. Oh yeah, if you would like mother you can just send me my friends emails here on the email.

WOW, another amazing week come and gone. We are now starting our last week of this transfer. Can you believe that?! I sure hope that Elder Walker and I stay together one more cambio (transfer) because we have not even been able to reach a little bit of the potential that this place has. The family of Gustavo is doing so amazing. I cannot believe that I have the chance to teach that family. They are so awesome. It is a great blessing to be able to teach them. The whole family is progressing wonderfully, you will hear more about that in the recording that I attaching here. Wendy, the Mom, feels great about going to church now because this last week the members did a wonderful job of making her feel at home and welcoming her. Wow, am I grateful for the wonderful members here in Patagonia. The work is progressing greatly, we have found some great new people and we continue to invite everyone we possibly can to be baptized. Here is a cool story. We went to a lady that we had taught one other time, and as we got there she immediately invited us in. As we sat down she sat down amazed and said "I knew you guys were going to show up because I dreamed that you came to teach me". Wow, that was crazy. We invited her to be baptized in May and she accepted. The Lord works miracles, ha, and once again we sit and watch him do his work as we try to do as much as we can which for God is quite little.

This weekend I had a wonderful unexpected opportunity. There are two little 8 year olds that were baptized in our ward this past weekend that we have been teaching a little to help them be prepared. Well, when Saturday came around we found that the real Dad, who is a non member, didn't want the little girls step dad that is a member to baptize her, so, I was asked to baptize her. So I was able to baptize little Elena and then little Nara was baptized by her Dad. I was also privileged to confirm her and give her the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was a great little opportunity and both of them loved their little necklace with HLJ.

Well fam, I sure do love you all so much. Oh yeah mother, Elder Walker and I one day were talking a little bit about our mothers and some how we started to talk about our mothers help during school and we talked about how every morning you would prepare my breakfast no matter what it was and my lunch every single day since I started school. I have no idea how you learned to serve so much or how to love and have patience but you are the greatest example there is for me in this life of those three principles along with my dear father. I can not give you enough thanks mother for all that you have done for me in my life. When one looks back at all you have done it is ridiculous the amount of service that you have given me and the amazing part is you have done that for not only me, but 3 other kids and more so you have served a lot of my friends. I love you mother so so so much. I will never be able to pay you back and thanks to your selfless service you have created a bond in our family of love that will never be broken, not even death will break it. I know that thanks to the Temple we will be together forever. I am so glad to have that blessing in my life and be able to share it will others here in southern Chile ( Gustavo, Wendy, Jauquin and Sofia). I love you all so much.
Love,
Elder Brown

1. Elena in her baptism
2. There the two little girls are with there necklaces.