AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

What is upppppppppppp!

yes i got the computer with the messed up "h".  bare with me.

soooo on wednesday we got pretty caught up, but ill see what i can get out here.

so on christmas night we had dinner with a family in the ward. me and my companion and the other trio in the ward. we played games before hand and i laughed harder than i have in a looooooooooong time. i was literally on the ground. they gave us turkey. REAL turkey. without bones. soooooooooo good.

thursday we had a meeting with president for the new missionaries that just got here. president got em nice and trained up. i got to see elder kitchens and elder llaguento, my old zone leaders. i also saw elder crouch, the brother of one of jessalyns friends. and sister skousen, whos from dads ward back home. 

later that night we had our final lesson with diana. interviewed her on friday, then had her baptism on saturday. it was awesome! her boyfriend pedro baptized her. that day he was struggling. he had been gone from the church for a while. he got interviewed by the bishop and got cleared to baptize her but he still didnt feel like he deserved it after being gone for so long. sounds like a certain elder i know... i talked to him about how the bishop represents jesus christ. if e says you´re worthy. you´re worthy. i told him to pray about it to see if god really wanted him to baptize diana. welp. he baptized her. before the service. e was changing and i went to the other side of the building to set up chairs. a member came and told me "pedro is calling for you. he doesnt know what to do and hes scared". i ran over there with my companion. we walked him through the prayer and what e had to do. after a few practices he asked if we could pray for him. i offered him a blessing instead. we went out into a classroom with the member from before and i gave im a blessing ten practiced a couple more times. he baptized her perfectly on the first try. before the baptism, pedro and diana were walking together, both dressed in white. i saw it and just started smiling. it was awesome.

te next day, i got to confirm her. it was soooooooooo coool. ive never actually done the blessing before. the spirit i felt after as i was walking to my seat was powerful. i knew god was happy with diana, approved the ordinance, and was pleased with me for performing it. good day.

a few days back, we got back at night. i was walking down the hall to go down stairs real quick. i looked back and saw a fat rat. it ran towards me and i jumped. it hit my shoe and backed into the corner. it ran past me again then jumped down and climbed into the kitchen. we called brother rojas´s son to help us. after searching the kitchen, we found out it was in the front room. i went to get a mop and dust pan to hunt it down haha. as i came back with the weapons, it ran out the front door and went to the house across the street... whoops!

oh, president said if you send packages, below my name put "pedro roldan". hes the guy from the mission that picks up packages, that way he can just show his id and get them so we dont have to go to the post office. dont worry, hes not some random guy. hes my stake president. 

well i love you all, have a happy new year. dont party too hard!

elder brown

9 Days till christmasssssssssssssss

wats upppppp

its been a week of hard work. we´ve been goin hard everyday trying to find new people to teach. finally at the end of the week we got two new investigators. their families werent in the lessons with us  but we´ll get em next time. its a little rough when the ward isnt doing much to help out but we got a few references this past week from outside of the area. and one member who works for the government and knows everyone showed us a few houses. nothin. its all good, president said december would be rough for us. we are mainly working with less active members and they are awesome. one of them ive mentioned before. his name is pedro and his girlfriend is going to be baptized this month. tey asrent living togeter which is a miracle down here. he is planning on getting the melkizedek priesthood and is doing all he can to get back into the church. solid.

this past week i had another "First"... i ate cow stomach. it was aweful. we went to give service at an investigators house and after they served us cau cau. look it up. its potatoes, peas, carrots, and cow stomach. it tasted kinda like clam chowder. but really old and gross.. the entire day my stomach was sore. elder kitcens told me that te first time he ate it he threw up. i almost got there. haha i left most of it on my plate and the peruvians were lauging at me and elder kitchens because we couldnt get it down.

in another service we did, we helped some guy move wooden panels to hiw house so eh coulñd build another room. we went to a house a few blocks away to get the panels. they were on the roof. me and another gringo elder garner (heather morris´s cousin) got up on the roof and lowered down the walls to our companions. once we got them out tot he street we had to carry them a few blocks back to the original house. i literally could barely use my arms after that. TORO TOUGH. sike, i died.

we had a movie night at the church building. we showed te Nativity, that movie that was in the theaters a few years back. it was sooo awesome. it helped remind me of what we celebrate christmas for. i hope we can all remember why we give gifts and remember to give the most important gift you can to God. yourself. he gave us his son. i encourage you to think of what you can give back to the one who has given you literally everything.

the mission is going good. time is flying by rediculously fast. it seems like last week we were just at transfers and they´re already here again. im learning soooooooo much and ive never been so tired for so long. ive been tired for eight months haha but its awesome. im learning ohw to study and im learning sooo many things that will help me all throughout my life.

yesterday we were walking and i asked elder ali why and how hes so optimistic all the time, especially considering all hes been through with his family. he said well just think of the worst thing you´ve ever suffered through and then compare it to right now. you´ll realize life right now isnt that bad. then just know that tomorrow is going to better.... i replied and said well the only problem with that is thanks to the atonement i cant really remember what those rough times are like. 

the atonement is real. it works. even with the roughest times in my mission, when i look back all i feel is peace. its awesome. life is dang hard but its good. 

love

elder brown

oh and p day is on tuesday next week because there´s a meeting on monday so dont freak out when my email doesnt come on monday

Wwhazaappp.

so this week has been... eh. haha ive had better, but it was stil really good.

on p day last week, after internet, we went to take ot our money, which ended up taking up our entire day. we got home just in time to be able to watch 17 miracles haha.

and, believe it or not, i got sick. again. haha my apparently my pensionista hasnt mastered the "hard boiled egg". i had a feeling i shouldnt have eaten them... i did it anyways. took me out real hard. haha no worries, im back on my feet, the bathroom is less occupied, and im feelin good. two days of sleeping, eating crackers, and drinking sporade, which is kinda like gatorade but we´re in peru so the gatorade flavors are weird.

so given the fact that i wasnt able to work for two days, we´re having a hard time finding new people to teach. ha everyones just kinda havin a rough time right now . marks splitting open his head, im having diahrrea, whats next haha. no worries, things will get better. christmas is comin up!! thats good!

so theres a kid from utah named jordan that came down here to peru. half of his family is peruvian and his aunt lives on the street behind us. he has a problem walking which has caused some other problems for him and so he wasnt able to finish his mission up in the states. he´s here to test things out and see if he can get a a special assignment here in this mission. he can barely speak a word of spanish but hes a solid kid. he came out with bus yesterday to a lesson. the people we were teaching got so excited when they heard us speaking english. 

after the lesson they made us burgers. i was trying to put some aji (hot sauce) on my burger and it got all over my hand.i wiped it off but a little later, without thinking, i wiped my eye. big mistake. haha i had to go outside to their sink to actually wash my hand and then scrub my face with cold water. it burned for a while after but the burger was really good.

the other day i had a really special experience. i was thinking about god´s love for us. in my mind, ive always known he loves me but i for some reason see him as someone sitting there just waiting for me to screw up and X me out with a big red pen. i was praying and offering up my feelings and just asking to understand better. a little while later i had the spirit come to me pretty strongly along with the repeated words "i love you" in my mind. ive always known god loves me, i guess sometimes im a little blind to the many blessings he is constantly giving me. im sooo grateful for his love and for his patience with me. 

i know god lives. i know he loves me. at this time of year we get to especially remember that he sent his son to the earth, the greatest gift of all.

thanks for the love, support, and prayers!

elder brown

                                      

DECEMBERRRRRRRRRRRRR

Ho ho ho ho. eh, still not feelin it.

what is upppppppppp errbody. welp. what a week. thanksgiving. that was good stuff!

on thursday we left in the morning to go meet up with a member to take us around a part of our area we arent familiar with. he wasnt there so we went back home. when we walked in the door, we found hermano rojas in the kitchen pulling tortillas and cheese out of a grocery bag. he looked at me and said its thanksgiving, no? then he just giggled and went on to make us quesadillas to help remind me a bit of home haha it was sooo awesome. then later in the day, elder kitchens came and worked in my areea with me. elder garner and his companion met up with us and we went to tottus and we bought as much american junk food as we could. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. my pensionista made pancakes (i bought syrup that day for it as well) for me and elder kitchens that night as well. it was a beautifullllllllll day. 

on saturday we ahd a serice project with the stake. we all went to the beach up by my old area to clean it.l there was soooooooo much garbage. there was another organization with hundreds of people. and some peruvian military.. haha we filled up sooo many garbage bags. it still looked like a dump when we were gone. nuts. it was cloudy all day but the sun still got me. my face and neck are a little red. lately its been warming up a little. for the most part its always overcast, but during the day the sun comes out. its like california, except it smells bad. i thought it would be way more humid down here but its not bad at all. we´ll see how it goes when january and february comes.

welp, luis saldaña i was telling you about, the investigator of absolute GOLD got a job back up north and bailed. sooo we wont be seeing his baptism next week like we thought... but we´re going to make sure the missionaries get to him up there.

we had a soliddddddddd lesson last night. this guy named pedro saavedra and his girlfriend diana. pedro is a member but has been away from the church for a long time. his girlfriend isnt a member. they both went to church yesterday. last night they both expressed how they want our help to learn more (for him to get back into the church and be a good example of what sets us apart as a religion). its awesome to see how the gospel is able to change people, and i can already see how it is going to change them in the future. their lives will be blessed for the eternities.

yes i got my package last week! the candy was gone in less thaan 24 hours i think... haha thanks!

i got my christmas stuff set up the other day and its lookin gooooood. i originally taped the garland and lights up above my closet but the tape kept falling off. i eventually just tore it all down and draped it over my bookshelf and desk. 

my nativity scene is awesome thank you soooooo much! best part of setting up christmas stuff back home. i wrote a sick poem about the nativity and it has to do with alot of that stuff you were saying about christmas time. unfortunately i left it at home because i wouldnt have time to type it up today because i had to make sure my skype was all good to go. 

yes we get to skype on christmas! BUT, president wont allow us to do a "pre call" to let you know when we are going to call. so i need you to send me the name of whatever account youre going to be on and what time you guys can talk. dont write back and say "whatever works for you" ha because whenever you can, i can get to an internet or a memebrs house. it all depends on you. mom, i need you to coordinate with dad as well. im not sure how the whole "time limit" will work out but just so youknow to have a general time gap. sorry i know you all have a bunch of stuff on christmas but if you could figure out a time thatd be great. thanks!

welp thats it for this week. glad everythings going well and that everyone could get together for thanksgiving! love you and thanks for the prayers and support!

Kendall's Desk with his Christmas Garland

Quesadillas- a little piece of home

HAPPY THANKS GIVING! ...and happy hanukkuh to my jewish homies..

Whats upppppppppppppp this week was sooooo much better!

sorry if this email is missing ´h´s. the h on this keyboard is messed up and i gotta press it really hard.

that family picture is awesome. our family is massive haha MORMONS. glad to see jeff is going for the paul bunion look. i guess he broke his shaving arm.. oh and save me some of those tacos. i  need em. real bad. this food just isnt working for me anymore...

last week on p day we went to the airport to eat. dumb idea aha we all left there missing home. BUT i did find dunkin donuts. i bought a half dozen.. that was my lunch.

so last week when we got home from our zone meeting, we had two different ladies come up to US and ask where and when we meet on sundays. it was literally unbelievable. we werent able to have appointments with them but hopefully this week. we had a nice week of appointments. finally.

one of our investigators is the best investigator ive ever had. he reads all the lesson pamphlets and studies the scripture references in the back. he´ll either be baptized this week or next. NICE. 

on saturday we had a ward baptism for a little girl named Madelein. we "rescued" (that sounds weird in english...) her mom and got her baptized. the water was freezing. i got in the water and she refused to follow me in. i told her to just do it quick, she was shaking the second her toe touched the water. i didnt have any problem with it 

because my legs were already numb aha. she left the water crying... but they got her warmed up quick. im just worried she´s mad at us now haha

the other day we had an awesome lesson with the 60 years old karate master. he looks like G Mo in thirty years. this guy´s yoked. after teaching him the restoration, he asked us how he could testify with the assurity that we have so that he could teach his family and testify that he KNOWS. i told im how for a longg time i didnt know. it took me coming out on the mission and humbling myself enough to receive the answer. and now i know. its not a belief or a thought. i know.. that morning the spirit inspired me to change course a bit in my studies and "go back to the basics". i went to the bible dictionary to study faith. it really helped with that lesson. we told him that a testimony of the gospel requires living its principles, and diligently seeking an answer through study and prayer. we left him alma 32 as homework.

welp. i hope you all have a solid thanksgiving! it sounds like a full house this week. have fun! they dont celebrate thanksgiving down here. dang pilgrims forgot to take a pit stop in peru before going to the states. oh well. me, elder kitchens and elder garner are gonna find as much american food as we can and have a feast on thursday. its gonna be sweet. and im going to buy some dradles and candles for the first day of hanukkuh on thursday as well.. nah. 

i love you all and i am sooo thankful for you. kinda a bumber to not be with the family on thanksgiving, but i´ll have plenty when i get back! have fun and eat a TON.

elder brown

Happy Burfdday to Jeffreyyy

Whuddupppppppp

Como están todos?? sounds like its been a solid week back home. sterlings back, mark and jeff are crippled, and the tree is up in the living room. oh man.

well its been another slow week. i mean slow. we had appointments almost all day everyday and we ended up with i think five or six in total. super rough. we gave about five blessings this week so that was cool. i always struggle with the names when i give them. they all have four names and they´re all crazy. good stuf! welp. i hope its better this week. i didnt think it could get worse from last week. it did haha.

one fun thing im learning to do here is running a ward council. haha the church is still in its first and second generations down here so things dont exactly work like they do up there. but hey, im learning how these things work to help me later in life. its funny to see 19 year old kids trying to  be the responsible ones in making the leaders of the church get the ball rollin. the church is true!

this week we said goodbye to elder Arnett. he got changed up to Huaraz. look it up online, its awesome! its green, theres lakes, and theres LLAMAS. lucky dog. it was funny though, right when i first got into the field, i was in his zone for about three weeks and they changed him over here. then i get here and hes like "watch im gonna get another emergency change because you´re here".. the next week.. EMERGENCY CHANGE. i dont think we´re supposed to serve in the same zone. i´ll get sent up to huaraz and i´ll miss him by one day.

so ive been practicing piano. the elder i replaced bought a mini electric keyboard so ive been using that and a piano book Hermano Rojas had in his book shelves. i should have never quit haha but hey its all good. im progressing pretty fast.

ah so you got the email from brother thomas eh? it was cool, we just left our room and were walking down the street and in spanish this guy says "hey im looking for the mormon church!" turns out he was a tall white guy from calfornia who served in arequipa and puno (where my companions from) 45 years ago. there were 7 members inpuno when he was there and now they have a stake. missionaries have been workin eh?

my companions awesome. e was telling me about things with his parents from before his mission. they arent members and his dad wasnt exactly rthrilled about leaving on a mission. he had just been offered a sick job and all sorts of stuff, but as a 25 year old decided to go out and serve. he´s a huge example to me. i never really think about how blessed i am to have a huge family behind me thats all solid in the church. thank you all.

oh and i met a guy last night who met david o mckay years ago when he came down to peru. hes not a member but hopefully we can change that soon.

welp, sorry for the boring week. ha its been rough but hopefully everything wont fall. again. pray for me eh?? welp, have a solid week and have fun putting up christmas.. without me.. ahhhhh ha nah no worries. me and elder ali are gonna make our room look real fly. word.

elder brown

Sent from a man traveling in Peru

I just received this picture and message from a man who is traveling and saw these handsome missionaries. Warms my heart to know that people are so kind to take time out f their life to brighten a Mother far far away from her son.

No me conocen.
You do not know me.
Vivo en Upland, California.
I  live in Upland, California.
Servi la mision mia aqui en el Peru hace 45 anos.
I served my mission here in Peru 45 years ago.
Ahora soy turista.
Now  I am a tourist.
!No puedo expresar el gozo que senti Al encontrar a sus hijos trabajando en la ciudad hoy!
I cannot tell you the joy that I felt when I found your  sons working in the
City  today!
Deben ser orguliousos de ellos!
You  should be very proud of them!
Gracias por hacer el sacrificio de mandarles tan lejos de su casa  en la
obra  del Senior.
Thank  you for making the sacrifice of sending them so far from home in the
 work of the Lord.
El trabajo que hacen es bueno!
They are doing a good work!
 Gracias!
Jim Thomas - El Viejito