Elder Brown's Missionary Site

BUCEO ============

Well its been going great. Another week just flew by which scares me a ton. It was another interesting week with alot of rejection but thats alright. Everything is teaching me a ton here with… patience haha. I love it though.

So I had to give a talk on Sunday in church which still makes me so nervous to do haha. It was a good experience though and was on Charity and how it helps in preaching the gospel. I learned a ton on the love of our savior for us and the Pure love of Christ. There is a scripture that really sums it all up in sharing with others the gospel with love. Its in 1 Corinthians 13:1-2. I loved it. It was so weird i was soooo nervous up there… even though we talk with people all day and in conferences and stuff it still scares me gettin up in front of people to talk… but as i was up there talking i could just feel the love for this ward and for the people ive met in the mission preaching the gospel. It was the best feeling ever and just swept over me.

So we had this Huge activity with a famous childs song writer here in Uruguay as a stake primary activity and we had to go because it was in our building. WAS AWESOME! the best part is all the wards came and Lomas de Solymar was there. I walked in and got this like HUGE hug from Rodrigo the grandkid of Lilian that we were teaching there and taking to english classes and all. It was good to see him and everyone from Lomas there after such a hard week. Then on Sunday there was a conference with Elder Arnold for the stake for all investigators and Recent converts and i got to see all the people from Lomas again and this time Lilian was there and she came up to me just cryin and we talked about baptism and she is gonna get baptized now haha. She is an amazing woman i hope she gets baptized while im here still in Uruguay. Then i saw Adolfo too who got baptized the week i left. He is doing awesome. Its soo good to see people that youve taught and baptized doing good and firm in the gospel.

I Love it here though and its hard to think that ill have to leave here soon… but i still got alot of time

Well its going good here. Was kinda a rough week with stuff goin on with some investigators but the work is always good. I am just learning a ton which is amazing about the gospel is that there is ALWAYS something more to learn. We got permission to read “The Infinite Attonement” and Elder Walbeck who lives with us is letting me borrow his. It is truely amazing the book. The attonement is just something so special for all of us and the reason for being here.

So the area is going alright. Gabriel is going to church and just changing and changing. Every time I´m more and more surprised in what hes doing. He just feels it and wants to have this change in him. He had an interview with the Bishop which helped a ton. He was doing alright but not progressing much but the Bishop really hit him hard. He told him something that i LOVE… “Time lost you cant recuperate.” Really makes you think in time that we waste. Made me think of stuff i was wasting time on and that time i dont get back….. I can only change now to make my time be of use. EVERY moment of our lives is valuable. Thanks to you guys for always being there for me even when i was a bugger and not doing the greatest stuff. Its the reason Im here and even though i wont get that time back Imma try to be better.

So interesting experience this morning that Elder Cuevas and I had….. We went out to do some contacts and talk with some people and a drunk man walked up to us with a split open head and started yelling at us in front of populated streets in our Area. I was not too happy but we just took it and i could just feel me getting angrier and then the guy took my comps plaque… this did not make me happier and i could just feel myself boiling as i talked to him and then he grabbed my plaque…. ewwww even worse…. All we said was Sir please give those back and just tried to be nice to him but he continued calling us bad things and yelling and then took our plaques to the middle of the street and with a lighter tried to burn them…. drunk people i dont think realize that plastic doesnt burn like that haha. He realized it wasnt working and started to walk off with our plaques so we started to follow him. We followed him for awhile and then i just got this feeling that we shouldnt go on and my comp i could see had the same thing hit him. We went a different way and the guy was booking it down the streets with our plaques but we just left him. Now I look back at it and am grateful for that feeling. I have no idea what would have happened if we hadnt followed the spirit and followed this guy. He went into a rough part of our area and very well coulda had friends waiting for us and i had my camera and had just taking all my money out of the atm for the month and coulda lost all that or even been hurt or maybe i woulda caught him and i dont know what i woulda done with him and might not be here now…. all for a plaque. I just wished i had not gotten angry at first and been able to listen to the spirit earlier instead of wasting time walking and following this drunk down the streets. Was interesting though haha. I learn something like that everyday here in the mission…. its incredible.

PS yah i dont know why I havent been ZL or in the offices or Asistant mom…. but really i dont care…. some people are meant to do that and im just happy doing the work. I like the comps Ive had and maybe thats why because i like having younger comps that dont know all that they doing and im happy with them and the ZLs are comps together so its all old people and people that already know what they doing. Dont think Id be happy like that but Ill do whatever Im told to.

Alfredo also got baptized last Saturday and I saw Elder Griffiths and his comp yesterday because his comp and my comp had to go sign some papers for their visas or something. It was so good to hear about the baptism and Alfredo I guess was the first person up on Sunday to give his testimony. Ines even gave him a suit so he looks good at church. I gave a whole bunch of ties out before i left Lomas and Elder Griffiths told me that 4 of my ties were worn at the baptism haha. made me laugh.Alfredo also got baptized last Saturday and I saw Elder Griffiths and his comp yesterday because his comp and my comp had to go sign some papers for their visas or something. It was so good to hear about the baptism and Alfredo I guess was the first person up on Sunday to give his testimony. Ines even gave him a suit so he looks good at church. I gave a whole bunch of ties out before i left Lomas and Elder Griffiths told me that 4 of my ties were worn at the baptism haha. made me laugh.

SOLYMAR ==========

Alfredo was of course at church walking again because the van didnt passby cuz it was raining so he walked all the way in the rain…. it was amazing because members that live across the street dont come to church if its raining in Uruguay. He is just flying and is so ready for his baptism this Saturday. It was a day talking of the missionary work on Sunday and he was saying how much the members needed to go out and share the gospel and get friends and less actives going to church…. hes an investigator and was dropping cane on the members.

Saturday we found this guy who a few weeks back yelled and yelled and yelled at us for coming to his poor house on a rainy day and he had no time to think of God when the rain in this moment was destroying his house and he had no job and this and that and so on…. well we offered to help him and suggested a few things to think about before himself and gave him a pamphlet of the Restauration. Well Saturday morning we were in his neighborhood and passed by his house to see how he was. My comp actually said it that we should go by and I took it seriously to go and hes like wait it was a joke but we were already there so we gave it a shot… Well he let us in… We had an amazing lesson and he had read the entire pamphlet and had questions and it was great. His house was the poorest ive ever seen in my life. The guy sleeps in a lawn chair and his house is just slabs of rotten wood with sheet metal on top. He used to work at night to stay alive but one day, in his ghetto neighborhood, Kids broke into his house and stole everything from him so he couldnt work at night anymore and is barely living with nothing. He has decided to put his trust in the Lord though and knows it will be ok. We left his house and went to lunch and then went back to his house with the Hermano who we had lunch with. He invited him to church and well yesterday he went and loved it! His names Alfredo… i just think of fettuccini alfredo with him…. but hes an awesome guy and to think it all just started with offering him a hand and being nice to him when he was not umm….. so nice. It was a big lesson for me.

So experience yesterday. First of all Camilla came to church and loved it. It was way good for her. But yah so after church was a slow day…contact after contact and rejection after rejection and we decide to go to this way far area on bikes and what you know… same thing…. except that my butt really hurt from the ride…. It was kinda depressing. We went to a few contacts we were gonna repass by and at one as we got rejected…. A bee stings me. So by this time i just kinda wanna go home and hurt but we decide of course to keep going and the next house after that dang bee we talk to a lady and my hand starts swelling up and so as we talk to her i just ask if i could get some ice cuz a bee just stung me so she ran in and gave me some ice and we asked if we could share the message we had and well…. she had us come on in. It was way cool and we ended up giving her a Book of Mormon right there. Shes a way cool lady this Irene.

Friday night with one of the people we cut the lawn for, we had a noche de hogar and really just played a little with her kids that are rascals but all like 8-13 yrs old and all have had a hard time with their dad leavin them and stuff. So we had a noche de hogar and it was just playin then we had a time to just say what we were thankful for. It was seriously so amazing that night… the kids were really just having a good time and well are very difficult well just say but had a good time. they all said what they were thankful for and then something really got to me. Andres, the oldest boy thats like 10 yrs old, got really quiet when it got to him and just said he was so thankful for the night we had… for being happy like a family once again. It really got to me and wow just hit me of how blessed i was to be in our family and just wanna say thanks mom and dad for giving us such a great family. i can now see how hard it is after bein with these kids and im sure i was probly 10x worse but thanks!

TREINTA Y TRES ==========

Just gotta trust in the Lord and do our part and he´ll do his and hopefully theyll do theirs… i think that makes sense

This week we also got robbed! wednesday morning we went out to work and when we got back the house was broken into and we were robbed. my dvd player, ipod, speakers, comps dvd player and my cologne and some of my pictures were taken…. another ipod haha and i dont know why they took my pictures but yah. the police came over but they do nothing so doubt ill get anything back. its a bummer because i used that dvd player a ton to teach and now its gone but hopefully something will turn up. its been interesting because its like people just want to talk to us because of it too! people just come up to us on the street to talk to us about it and everything. i think it may have been for a reason as much as i hate to say it haha.

the works going well and just so much stuff is passing that i cant explain it. maybe one day ill be able to explain it but its just been crazy. i cant believe how much the mission just has taught me and helped me.

So i had a talk too yesterday in church! it went well. i got really nervous right before and during the sacrament i said a prayer and it just completely calmed me. at the very beginning of the talk i completely lost my place and just started talking about whatever and it turned out alot better.

Its been good though the work here. Comp doesnt talk like Taupau or maybe i just talk too much but its been helpin me teach. Kinda rough doin mostly everything but a good experience. I got a call from Taupau actually today that just really raised my spirits cuz i was feeling lousy about coming to another area that was dead and just felt terrible. This morning he called and told me that the work is just blowin up there in Sauce and that like Washington and some other inv we had went to church on Sunday and as much as i loved hearin it i felt bad to not be there and then he told me something…. he just said thanks for all that i did there in the branch and to do the same here in 33 cuz its just blown up now there. It really helped me out and raised me up actually and i feel alot better now.

SAUCE =================

Well the baptism we had went awesome! everyone that had talks and prayers and everything didnt show up yet it ended up going awesome. We also had the musical number which we planned to practice before the baptism because we dont have a piano at the house but we ended up getting locked out which is a long long story and we ended up being locked out with Josefa all day from 10 in the morning till about 2 and the baptism started at 4. we just kinda walked around Las Piedras for a couple hours then had a picnic in front of the church. Was kinda weird being with her all day but she loved it and we had a blast. the baptism was just an amazing experience even though the water was freezing cold and i forgot to bring an extra shirt to change into after. Josefa is just an amazing women and is just undescribable her faith.

ALEXA LOVE YOU! (and you cant love me more than I do you) Its alright I threw fits too just get better, always is better to be ?. (Alexa is his 4 yr old niece.)

it hit me so hard and made me think of a quote from elder Holland that is something like ´´heaven wouldnt be heaven without my family.´´ i realized how blessed ive been to have such a great family even though i was a little bugger.

Lia is excited cuz she wants to get back into the church and have a calling but most of all she wants to go to the temple and even more go with Julio! that would be sweet.

it was full and like 10 of the normal members couldnt come and there was still like 20 people there. i think we will change to a branch soon which will be awesoime!

i started reading the book of mormon from the start in spanish. havent read it straight through yet in spanish but i was reading in 1 nephi 2:9-10 and it really made me think of alot. i wont ruin it for you but read it. love it. enjoy it. i did at least ?.

I noticed the same here as him that they are so poor but here they just sit back, relax, drink mate and they are just happy with that… its amazing.

You know ive almost been out here for 8 months…. Time goes by so fast and I cant believe it.

i got peed on by one of our investigators kids while I was holding him so that was pleasant haha.

went to the temple and it was amazing. still difficult in spanish but such an awesome opportunity.

We also had another lesson with this family yesterday in santa rosa, a little place thats a part of our area, that is awesome. The mom has cancer and its really bad and i think i told you guys bout them… im not sure. The dad takes care of her and the 4 sons and hes just a great husband and the whole family is so faithful. Its amazing what this family is pressing through. We started just teaching the husband but last week he introduced us to the wife and we sang her a song and prayed with them and it was amazing. This week she yelled for us to come in with her and we were kinda scared she was mad which she was but it was because of stuff going on like the oldest son was jumped by some kids and their water was shut off and they have no money and of course her sickness and she just kept saying dont leave us… the gospel really brings a confort to people and i really saw that with her. They have nothing else to rely on but the gospel and Christ and our loving Heavenly Father.

So church was interesting yesterday…. False doctrine, weird revelation stories and a huge argument all in the same testimony meeting.

Well yah dad the bikes marching along. I did wreck right in front of an investigators house which was quite embarrassing but all fun. So I was coming up to their house and just wasn’t thinking and slammed the brakes forgetting that you cant do that with only front brakes and yah I just went flying over…. My comp was at the door greeting the family and I come up flying over the bike. It was pretty interesting.

Well like I said its been long and tiring this week but greatful for every minute of it.

Also 1 inactive that’s never come before here in sauce that we found this week. She is so cool and has a daughter that’s like 23 or so that is way cool too. Last night they gave me pancake mix and syrup! It was so awesome. You cant find that here and I don’t know where they found it but the daughter was like hey marron I got something I bet youll like but I don’t get how to make because the instructions are in English. And she pulled out the pancake mix and syrup. I was so happy haha. The funny thing is the pancake mix is only add water and I told her that and shes like uhhhh ok well you can half then and it’s a hugeeee bag. Im stoked for pancakes and syrup.

We were knocking doors the other day and a guy had a gimp and I had to ask why and well he showed us. He like 2 days before had his big toe removed and it was disgusting but he was proud of it and we ended up having an awesome lesson with him and he called his neighbor over and taught him too. They are like awesome and just cool to talk to and teach cuz they really want to know. The gospel truly is a gift to have.

The 2 investigators we had in church yesterday we were teaching principles of the gospel and we were bad and didn’t prepare and it was just everywhere but yet the hermana, graciela, just started bawling as we were finishing up just cuz she felt the spirit in the church. Its amazing what the spirit can do and how it can touch people even through crazy lessons about adam and eve and broken Spanish.

im excited to learn to cook and wash clothes by hand here.

i had a great week before i left. leone and melo was like a second family and man i miss it already and its only been like 12 hours. kinda nervous to leave my oro area.

MELO =====================

we went to richard and monicas before i left and i stole her cigarettes and when she realized it she just went and bought more…. i told her that wasnt the purpose so she took the box and wrote she promises to quit and signed it and gave it to me. well see how that goes. but it was funny cuz when i met everyone at the bus station i opened my bag to get a letter out and everyone from the ccm with me were like brown… why do you have cigarettes…

conference was awesome and so was the baptism we had. it was right after conference on saturday so was a great day. i loved elder hollands talk.

it was hard though because we had to make the decision to stop visiting richard and monica so much now because they arent progressing but we still go to teach the daughters because they are recent converts. its hard to watch though because i just want them soooo bad to go to church and they want to but they just dont want to do any commitments. i know they will be an awesome family in the church but just more in the future.

another hard thing i found out this week was about a girl and her grandma we were teaching last change. we couldnt find them for weeks and this week when we went the grandma answered the door devastated. no tears but just worse she just looked devastated. turned out the girl, her grandaughter, was killed in an accident a week ago. that was hard to hear and we taught the grandma again but shes really old and doesnt really remember alot or understand much. i think she felt the comfort of the spirit though cuz she looked alot better after. i just hope she does well alone without her grandaughter.well we had good with the bad.

i just love it here in melo.

weve had a kinda tough week this week but thats alright. gotta have them sometimes i guess. but im still feeling great,

i had the priveledge to talk again in fraile muerto in sacrament because the talker didnt show up so i had to prepare something in like 10 mins but it was alright. besides there was only 3 people at church so i couldnt have messed up too many people with my knowledge. no but yah it wasnt too bad. kinda gotten used to just giving talks and classes with minutes notice.

its alot different now because elder paniagua is really serious and doesnt talk alot and always seems mad but thats alright. at least we are getting work done.

Uruguay is treatin me well and i think the spanish is coming along with good old Elder Paniagua and we are just enjoying it here. Its been an adventure trying to speak spanish all the time. He is way cool and we are just having a blast together.

Got some baptisms ready and im learning a ton with Elder Pan. He doesnt talk much so i have to teach like all the lessons to our old investigators but hes like a new person with people he finds. A way funny kid.

I was so lost all day at church just running around not knowing really what to do but it always seems to work out in the end. Thats something ive really learned here…. The lords work just always works out fine.

Yah im still in Melo which im excited and scared about because i love the area but its like my responsibility to get us around at least or the first few weeks. Its gonna be awesome though. We are both really new, hes only been out for 7 months and well i only got 5 so fairly news

oh yah i got your other christmas package… thing is it was full of mold haha but i enjoyed what i could of it.

Sounds like everyone had a good time and Alexa didnt miss me too much with all the other little kids haha. I miss just playing with her. I try to here but trying to play with kids who speak baby talk spanish is extremely hard and confusing. They end up just getting frustrated until you put out your hand for a high five and they get happy again. its funny cuz thats all you have to do to make them happy. So yah miss just playing games with alexa and all the fam. Also being able to understand jokes. Those are way confusing here but still fun.

Don´t need anything else mom and dad. THANKS YOU ARE THE BEST.

Also have this really sweet lady and her daughter that are excited for their baptism on the 21st. They live in a house about as big as my room at home and just love everything. Theyve come to all the activities the past week or so and this week they came to church and loved it. The daughter, Laticia, didnt want to go to primary so she came to class with her mom and answered all the questions that the adults couldnt answer. 11 years old and cant read yet remembered EVERYTHING we taught her. Just a really smart girl and just loves gospel stuff.