Pictures Week #57

America! Happy 4th of July!

Elder Tilly helping the guard take the pic

Lunch (his captions are always so creative-ha!)

Awesome Week

Oi Family and Friends!

This week was pretty sweet with everything going on. Well the beginning of the week we had some solid lessons. We have this one investigator named Armando. He recently was shot in the leg so he is stuck in his bed for the next couple of months. So we can go over and teach him whenever. We left a Book of Mormon and he is reading it like a beast (what else can he do), he is doing really well. Just have to heal so he can go to church and then we have to get over the next roadblock which is marriage, but I know one day this family will be baptized. Found another new guy named Danilson who hopefully will progress really good as well. 

Well, the highlights obviously were the Mission Conference. Thursday it was an all day affair and it was really good to finally get to know the Merrill's, it was super sweet to also learn from them. We had that all day on the 4th of July and after we went over to Cajuerio and played soccer, which was really fun and intense. Then that night we drank Coke and I broke out the American Flags, and America the Beautiful on my Ipod, and Elder Hobbs read the Declaration of Independence, good 4th. Next one back in the States, weird. 

Friday was a Testimony meeting, and that was also super good with the Merrill's and all the missionaries. Had lunch, super good and it was a good day. Elder Fontaine stayed at our house that night for divisions and he is so funny. We determined that the best state in America was....... California, What Up! That was fun. And we played the movie game and other things, he is super funny. Saturday we had our interviews, and mine was so good. Well, first Elder Tingey had his so I talked with Sister Merrill for awhile, I love her, she is so sweet. Then I had mine and it was so so so good. Really took some stress off me, and really helped me out with this lesson that I will talk about. But we also had lunch there and it was just so awesome and fun. 

Had some more lessons that day and then we had this one lesson that the spirit was so strong with this married family, this guy named Mario. It was so awesome, the best lesson me and Elder Tingey have given together about the Restoration. And he came to church yesterday and I thought it went really well. 

President Merrill is so awesome, took so much stress off us the missionaries to get contacts, find families, numbers numbers, numbers. Yes we still have to do that but what really is important day in and day out is listening and following the spirit each and every day, that's how were successful no matter what the numbers say. He is so awesome!

I didn't know you guys are going on a cruise to the Caribbean, especially without me, Che! You guys have just been to all the places that I've always wanted to go, but it's alright. Hope Kaden is good, and Keller, and Ridgely in Fiji. Say Hi to Laura for me while your in London this month. Speaking of Laura, its her birthday today, So HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA! Hope it's a good one in London:) 

This week should be really good for us, and hopefully we can just do the will of the Lord each and every day. We're getting American stuff at Nosso Super so I can't really think of anything I;m lacking except for Dr Pepper for packages, I've been so long away from America. Maybe Chex Mix, idk. Well I Love you all and hope the Summer just keeps going well, enjoy it while it lasts! Love you all!:)

Tchau,

Pictures Week #56

Elder Richter and Elder Brown

Twinners 

Baptisms

It's July Already!

Oi Family and Friends!


It's pretty awesome that it's July already. We had a pretty good week, just keep trying to find as many people as we can. We finally got to sit with some families and give them the start up lesson. Hopefully this week we can see them start progressing. We also have this list of people who have potential but for some reason we can just never sit with them, so hopefully we can sit with them soon. 

Ana Mira is still such a champ, she studies everything we give her, it's just she just can't get to church, which is pretty frustrating because that's all that is holding her back. We will keep trying with her. But me and Elder Tingey are doing pretty good. 

This past Wednesday we went to the airport to see the others off, it was weird, like super weird. And a little sad but it's got to happen sometime. It's just weird without Richter, Arrington and Harper around, especially Harper because I was living with him these past three transfers. 

On Saturday the Merrill's finally got here, although they lost their luggage, but it was so cool to meet with them. Kind of an embarassing moment though for me....I shook President Merrill´s hand for the first time and he goes "Hi Elder Brown, I'm that random guy." Apparently he read my blog and he saw that four months ago that when we found out that President Thompson wasn't going to be called but I said they just called this random guy. Well he remembered that for 4 months and introduced himself as that random guy. Upside, he knows who I am now, downside it was a little embarassing. But they are so awesome, just the little time I have been around them, it's going to be so awesome finally to be a mission. 

This week were having a mission conference on Thursday and Friday, and I will have a 20 minute interview with him on Saturday. So this week is going to be really awesome, just boost us up big time. It's weird that alreadly half the year is gone and that time just keeps going. 

Oh yeah and I baptized Scurina on Saturday which was pretty awesome as well, but now we don't have anyone with baptismal dates so we gotta step it up big time now. Oh yeah I forgot another story. On Friday, 5 of our 6 lessons fell through, pois. So we decided to do some exploring of our area, because Mundial is part of our area, and I've never been there and I wanted to see if it was walking distance from Nosso Super, well it's not. We walked way out to the middle of nowhere, wow it was an adventure. We eventually ended up at the Matadouro, which is the place where they slaughter cows. This taxi guy gave us a little tour of the place and they had these cool cows with these cool looking horns. It was cool to finally see cows here since we only see pigs and chickens. 

Packages are great, thanks Mom! I think the Dr. Pepper, since its so expensive can be a Christmas gift. Since I won't need a lot of things for Christmas. But that's still a good 6 months away. But overall I'm doing fine. Summer seems to be going swell, Sorry Kade that you jumped in the pool with your new iPhone. Hopefully it should be ok. 

Mission is hard but great. Weird still that I'm already done with a majority of it. But just gotta keep going and keep working, having faith, and doing everything I possibly can. Have a good week everyone and a good 4th!

Tchau,

Halfway Done

With Transfers.

Oi! Family and Friends!

Well I just finished up with my 8th transfer. And now I got 8 left to go, kind of weird, seems like a far ways away, but just got to keep going. Well this last week, not to be a debbie downer or anything, didn't go too hot. I was sick dying for like 3 days. Me, Elder Tingey and Elder Hobbs, stuck in the house Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Hated it, hate being sick. So that kind of sucked. 

Then on Friday, when I'm like ready to go out and baptize the world in my area, I have to do a division in Futungo because I had to give 5 baptisim interviews to this family. That was a marathon BTW. Then Saturday I had another division with Elder Harper because Elder Hobbs had to do an interview in our area for Scurina. Which she will get baptized this Saturday which is awesome and she picked me to baptize her. So I haven't worked in my area for awhile which is kind of frustrating but hopefully some things work out. 

Transfers, me and Elder Tingey stay together again for another transfer. The only change in our house that happened is that Elder Harper is going home and Elder Pimental is coming up to be Zone leader with him. So that will be a nice little change up. 

But overall, June kicked my butt. Hardest month of my life, but July should be a lot better. President Merrill gets here this Saturday so that should help out alot here, it will be way exciting to actually have him here and working with them. 

Its awesome that summer is going so well for everyone, croquet is a pro sport in the Brown home now, boys playing golf, etc. Everyone seems like there having a blast. And it really sucks that the Heat won, but oh well, hate Lebron. 

I really don't have much to write this week, I was mostly trying to overcome my sickness. I guess random experience on Sat. while we were studying in the morning, we get a knock at our door and it's Jehovah Witness Missionaries. Long story short we have a 20-30 min discussion about life after death, they believe there is nothing after death until the Ressurection, and about the Book of Mormon. They said they want to teach us so we shall see how that goes haha. 

But yeah, oh I got the package today as well as that 20 dollars that Grandma and Grandpa Brown sent me:) But yeah this transfer I hope it picks up in the area, we will work as hard as we can and hopefully the Lord will bless us here and find the person were supposed to find in this area. Sorry Mom, I know you hate short letters, but I Love You! I love all of you guys and thanks for all the support! Until next Monday!

Tchau,

Pictures Week #54

Cute Kid! 

Cassquel Font

Elder Brown and Arnaldo

Baptisms!

Elder Brown and Armareldo 

More Baptisms!

Better Days!

Oi Family and Friends!

This week was better than the last, thankfully. So beginning of the week we taught this new investigator named Ana Mira. She is a funny little old woman, haha I can't even describe her, I can only explain in person how she is like, but she is pretty funny. Sat with her twice this week. Gave her a Book of Mormon the first time and when we came back she had already read some, which here is a hard thing to do for investigators. That's one of the challenges here, getting people to read on their own and gain that testimony. But we shall what will happens with her. She is kind of crippled so I'm worried about her getting to church so we shall see. 

The next day I went on a division with Elder Hobbs, which was pretty fun. We did a lot of walking though, because in the middle of the day we helped out Amareldo paint his house, so that was good service. Friday was pretty good, we had a pretty spiritual lesson with Alvaro which I hope helps out his problems that he is having in his life. And then we were knocking doors earlier in the day, and we talked with this woman to come back at night and teach. So we go back, and it's like this perfect family. It would only be more perfect if they were actually married. But we had a good spiritual first kind of lesson. Hopefully we can stick with them and they will progress super well. 

Saturday was Amareldo and Arnaldo's baptisms. Super super cool, super super awesome. So happy for them and they were so excited too, it was so awesome. And then it was a pretty good Saturday, nothing too spectacular. Then yesterday Elder Hobbs and Elder Harper made a contact Saturday night, married man super cool, named Cadete. They invited him to church, and he came, only the last hour, but he came. And he lives in our area and we're sitting with him this Tuesday, so awesome. 

So that's a little run down of our week. That is so awsome that Ridgely graduated and now preparing for BYU, freaking crazy man. Everyone is just growing up. Thanks for the quotes mom, they really helped:) Summer is in full swing now and it's my last summer out here. Weird. Its going to go by fast, I know it. 

Also HAPPY FATHERS DAY Dad! I hope you had a good one, and Mom says you got the golf bug again, which is awesome. Can not wait to get back out there on the course with you. Also I spent some of my personal money on 2 CDs and some more things at the Praca, they are pretty cool. Well I'm trying to think what else I can say but there isn't anything coming to mind....Oh yeah next week is transfers so we will see what happens to me here in a week. Well I hope everyone has a good week and a great start to summer!

Tchau,