Pictures Week #53

Eating (creative caption huh?)

Restaurant (even better caption)

Elder Brown and Elder Mariquele

President Q's house

Fireside

Tough Week

Oi Family and Friends!

I hope everyone is doing well back at home. I won't lie, this week has been tough, like super tough. Not a lot worked out, not a lot of finding cool people happened, this weekend was the back breaker. Because we got these cool people to teach, but they said only the weekends they can sit. So during the week it was dragging a bit, just doing the best we could passing by people who could sit down, and trying to talk to people in the road or knocking on doors, but it was just slow. 

Finally get to the weekend and I'm super excited. And then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday go by and we can't sit with one family, not one. We did sit with this one guy, who was kind of cool, but really nothing worked out. And I'm not going to lie, it depressed me, alot. This week, took something out of me. And right now it's super hard to get back up. But I'm going too, I could never give up. I know for some reason that this happening to me. Some trial of faith that God is putting me through to strengthen me and shape me for something, I don't know. 

I'm glad I have the Savior. So glad, without him, we would all be here without hope. Consigned to an endless state of misery and woe. But because of him, and the good news of the gospel, everything of Satan that is trying to drag us down, especially me right now, can be overcom, only if we truly desire to overcome it. I remember a scripture that was on a article about Ziggy, and how he had a scripture going into the draft. D&C 6:36. And that will be my scripture going into this week. Just please pray for me, I really need your guys prayers. 

Bright side this week on Saturday is Amareldo´s baptism as well as Arnaldo's. So thats going to be so awesome. It's so weird that Ridgely is graduating this week!  

I worry about the youth in general today. The gospel is the only way. THE Only Way. And we are fortunate to be born into the true church with the priesthood in our homes. We worked so hard and were tested before this life, and we earned where we are right now, of where we were born. I hope kids realize that. And as long as they have open hearts to their parents and to leaders they will change, because Christ and God loves them. 

I love you guys, and I miss you all a ton. But its alright, we will be together sooner than we know it. Sorry this is a short letter but thats just how some weeks are. I love you guys. Have a great week!

Tchau,

Pictures Week #52

Beachfront Properties

Awesome Sunset

Crabs

Cleve being a stinker

Elder Brown and Elder Richter

Elder Brown and Elder Wilson

Elder Brown and Elder Chandler

Cahilo and Elder Brown

Luisa's Baptism

Cute Kids

LED Balloons from his "hump" day package

Elder Brown celebrating his one year mark with a bottle of sparkling apple cider

Picking Up, a Little Bit

***So like 10 minutes into emails yesterday the whole network here in Angola crashed, so thats why I'm doing them today! So no worries, I'm fine!

Oi Family and Friends!

How is everyone? We had a pretty good week, some cool stories that hopefully I can remember this time! So this one guy, while walking around, we ran into a dead end. Elder Tingey kind of walks into someones quintal but it's not super obvious that it's a portao. This guy inside got super mad and Elder Tingey said "Tudo Bem" to him and he got even madder. Just yelling that we had no respect just walking into peoples homes and that you can't use tudo bem, that the phrase is only for children, when in reality, everyone uses it, all while he is doing this girl´s hair. He was just on something. Got us mad but luckily we didn't do or say anything stupid, just walked away. 

Another thing that happened is we were walking past this Banco BIC and this lady pulls us over and wants cards or stuff. She then drags us into the bank, when the bank is already closed, and gives us a couple of minutes to preach our message to her employees inside. It was kind of cool, felt like a little bit how the early missionaries would do it, go in public places and just preach. So that was a pretty cool experience. 

For my Hump Day we blew up those LED balloons which were super cool, and had some bouncy balls that I got in a package from Uncle Scott and Aunt Valrie (thanks so much!) and just messed around. Weird that I'm on the downhill slide of my mission, but whatever just keep on working. I also bought a bottle of Martinelli's sparkling apple juice for myself to celebrate as well haha. 

Friday we had a zone conference that lasted all day with President Kretly, which was good. A little on the long side but it was good, learned some good stuff. Kretly leaves tomorrow so I will probably never see him again. Now we just wait until President Merrill gets here at the end of this month. 

Saturday we had baptisms, and Luisa and her Mom got baptized! I was so happy, finally after 8 months since I met Luisa, she got baptized! And Cahilo got to baptize his mom which was pretty cool as well. Just really cool baptisms. 

After we went to this Muslim place and got lunch which was really good. Then unfortunately, all of our lessons we had set up for the day fell through. So we just went contacting the rest of the day. When we left I had this feeling we needed to pass by Adi´s house, even though it really wasn't necessary but we went anyways. We get to his house and he isn't even there. So we were waiting around his house for a bit, and I don't know know why we were there, but I knew we were supposed to be there. Well we decided to say a prayer. Three words into the prayer we here this man yell "Che, como entao" Haha so we finished the prayer and then went over and talked to him. Got his contact and hopefully we will be able to teach him and his family this week. 

Then like just down the street we knock on this door, and it's a legit golden family. Married, check, kids, check, and they want to go back to church, double check. Hoepfully we will sit with them this weekend because I'm so excited for them. Made some more contacts and it was a faith building night for us. 

Sunday was good. Got in this member's car with fleas everywhere, got some flea bites, awesome. Pres. Kretly had this fireside for all the members of Luanda so we attended that and I got to see a lot of the Viana members which was so cool. Especially Amandio and Dionese, love them so much. Yesterday we went to the Reedy's for the last time ever since they're moving which was super cool. And then the Rede crashed, Tingey almost got run over, and we had a fun family night at a members house. 

Looks like everyone had a good fun week. The package was super great Mom! Thanks! Overall life just keeps on going. Were finding some cool people but they usually can only sit on the weekends, so during the week its a little rough, but were doing our best. Love you all! And I hope you have a great week! Read the Scriptures, Pray, Go to Church, Keep the Commandments!

Tchau,

Happy Hump Day! Elder Brown's One Year Mark! Yay!

Elder Brown's "Hump" package

Words of encouragement from family and friends

Pictures (& Video) Week #51

 

Elder Kearney and Elder Brown

The bunk bed broke....

Elder Arrington and Elder Brown

And We Walked, and Walked, and Walked.....

AND WALKED.

Oi Family and Friends!

This week we walked bwe. Che(???-not sure if that was a typo or a language thing), it was tiring, just trying to find people to teach, whether it be just talking to people on the street or knocking doors. We had some success, not like mind blowing or anything. But I've realized, not in like a couple of days or a week we will get an amazing area, but only after little bit after little bit, until at the end of this transfer we will have a solid area. So patience and work, all that's going to get this area going. But yeah. 

Not that many pics from this week just because we have been finding. And no really crazy stories happened this week. We got this new guy Mendes, who could be pretty solid, we will see, as well as this other guy named Alvaro, who we met and taught Saturday and he came the next day to church so we shall see. We really don't have any super solid investigators unfortunately, but hopefully we will. We met and sat with this millionaire here, who is just rolling in it. Has a huge house, trampoline and pool, drives a Ford Raptor, he is just rolling in it, so maybe we can get his family. 

But really, I guess here a couple of things that happened to us walking around. Saw a monkey chained to a tree, didn't have my camera though. Saw the fattest pig I will ever see in my life. A crazy guy kind of followed us for a little bit and he really didn't speak any language. Ummmm, yeahhhh. On Friday I went on a division with Elder Mariquele, he is a funny guy. Natives man, they are something else, but he is super cool. I was on a division with him because I had to give a baptismal interview since I'm the District Leader, interesting experience. 

Anyways our house rocks. Love our house, super fun and chill guys. Oh yeah saying goodbye to the Thompson's, yeah that was really hard, it was super sad to see them go, I love them so much. But the mission just keeps evolving. Before you know it the Merrill's will be here, and we can really get this show on the road. 

Weird, everyone has been talking about this last month or two, your halfway done, but now it really is true. Whatever, just keep on going. Sad that Granddaddy Charlie died. Even though I really didn't know him, he is in a better place. I hope the Arrested Development are good, I'm dying for those. The summer is here, just got to get through the summer, and boom I'm back next summer, what up! Well that's about it for this week. I've really grown a lot closer to my Savior this week, this has been a life changing experience for me. Love you all!

Tchau,