Feb 11 Update - Biking in Downtown Richmond!exchange pic with Elder Messerly

Hello everyone!

Sorry I didn't send an email last week, it's been crazy busy down here!  I have transferred from Fredericksburg to Richmond now!  I am here in the Richmond branch with my new companion  Elder McCallson, which is right downtown!  It has been a blast.  We have a car, but it is mostly for meetings, so we bike everywhere, and it's been sweet!  I used to be glad I didn't have a bike area my whole mission, but now that I'm here, I wish I had more!  It carries a certain pleasure and sense of fulfillment.  You really feel like a missionary when you are biking around. 

The branch here is great, and very unique and diverse!  I haven't had this much soul since Petersburg!  There are also 3 sets of elders here, plus a senior couple, and this is the last 4-elder apartment in the mission!  I'm living with Elder Weaver again! (We were companions in Stafford YSA, where we lived not only with 4 elders, but in a house!  We even got to mow the lawn)  Our days here are filled with biking around past loads of YSA (I miss YSA work) and talking to lots of people from very varied backgrounds, black and white, rich and poor, and we run into quite a few ministers.  There is quite literally a church on every street corner here, especially in Church Hill.  I have found that as long as they don't want to contend with us, I can jive pretty well with ministers, or anyone who loves the lord in such a soulful way for that matter.  I forgot how much I enjoy talking to African American southern baptists. 

Our teaching pool is relatively small here, and not a lot of people are willing to commit to things, but despite that, the branch is bringing in a bucket of Recent Converts.  We are working with a lot of them right now, and it seems that the members help out a good bit with referrals.  This is also one of the few areas I have seen where it is normal for people to just walk in off the street. 

The people we are teaching are pretty cool though.  We are teaching one guy named Reese who has faith, but refuses to admit it, and he has been fun to work with so far.  He has a good amount of potential.  I also had my 21st birthday this week, and was treated very well.

Have a good week y'all!

Elder Brown

Exchange picture with Elder Messerly

Baptism in C-Ville

21st birthday 

Tabling on exchanges in Downtown with Elder Newbold

Saying goodbye to the branch with watercolors!