Assigned to Appomattox A Area First week in the field!

Last picture in the MTC with my district

The first week has been great so far, and I LOVE missionary work, I just get the biggest grin whenever I walk out of a good lesson feeling the spirit, I can just see so much potential in people!  It's gonna break my heart if they stop progressing.  I sent a picture of elder Larson my new companion and Trainer.  He's pretty cool, he grew up in Idaho and is a good trainer. He is really refining me to become the best missionary ever.  We are serving in Appomattox A, which is south of Richmond.  Our area is mostly more in the country, it's a pretty big area, we cover pretty much all of the Appomattox area except Petersburg, which is where the B elders serve.  

We arrived in Virginia last Monday and they fed us dinner, held a brief orientation, and then off to bed in the mission home. The mission president met individually with each of us. Wednesday morning, we were assigned our first area and missionary companion.

                     

Mail may be sent directly to us at the following address: 3803 Brevard Court Colonial Heights, VA 23834.

I got into my area Wednesday and then we moved into a new apartment Friday. Being a missionary has given me a totally different perspective on life. We love to get as many meal appointments as possible and have really been trying to work with the members more.  We have a thing going on called hastening the work, where we don't just go out and teach or ask for referrals, but rather we just try to work very closely with the members and have them introduce us to their friends, it works way better to have that initial relationship than to just knock on their door. I hope our ward is fired up about member missionary work, cuz it's awesome!  

We have a sick new 2017 Toyota Corolla, and the ward is great, super friendly, so many black people.  Black people are super great, I'm just not used to them.  The humidity is different, but I don't really notice it much any more, it just makes it hotter.  So I have been getting plenty of water.  Also, I can not understand some people out here at all, the accent is just too thick.  Some of them have a weird way of trailing off and then going again too, so it's kind of hard to tell when they are done talking.  We have been teaching a few people, Gloria Mountford wants to be baptized and likely will this transfer, we met a couple new investigators that have some potential, like Devonte, he realized that weed doesn't fix stuff and wants to turn to God instead.  We also met with some recent converts, the Hawkins, and they are great.

At the airport ready to go!

In Virginia!

At the Mission home with My Mission President Smith and Wife.

Taken by Virginia State University

Mouse traps!

My New Companion Elder Larsen

Last week at MTC and Traveling to Virgina!

This last week at the MTC was great, lots of fun!  I had  lots of spiritual experiences too.  It's hard to focus and remember what happened this week now that I am out in the field.  We did do the cookie challenge, we got 51 Costco size cookies between 9 of us. I had 8, Elder Rustand had 12!  They are way too chocolaty and sweet. 

Brother Bennett is an amazing teacher, he started off all goofy, and ended super spiritually. What a stud.  Also, I got a picture with sister Darlington. Donny Osmond spoke at or last devotional, super cool! Here are some updated district and zone pictures.

I made it here to Richmond safely. My preparation days are Mondays now.   I got to call home from the airport to let my family know I was safe but there were no pay phones, so I was using a phone that belonged to a really sweet lady and she got a call right in the middle of the conversation and we got cut off. But yeah, I'm here, I'm safe, I'm loving it so far, I'm excited, and humidity is really weird.

I love you all, 

Elder Brown

Sister Darlington (From Kalispell, MT Stake) & Me 

My District

My Zone

My Zone Elders in front of the Provo Temple

Donny Osmond Spoke to us at our last devotional

Donny Osmond

Visit From President Uchtdorf!

Life at the Mission Training Center has been great and I have continued to grow, I have been having so much fun! I have been singing in the choir which is super great. My new favorite Hymn is definitely "Be Still My Soul". It is so powerful.  Also "If You Could Hie to Kolob".  That is definitely one of the greatest Hymns of all time.  There is an acoustic guitar version of it that plays in the Ponder rooms that is awesome,  I will try to get that music. 

The post rooms are awesome! They are basically rooms with a nature scene mural on the wall, lots of natural light, and soft music playing.  There are all sorts of different landscapes to go to, so you can feel more at home, it's super nice. 

Unfortunately One of the Elders was sent home due to medical anxiety problems, so Elder Rustand has joined us. We are now the power trio, with the 2 Zone Leaders and the District Leader! 

Jenny sent me a  care package which was so sweet! She has the most loving heart I have ever seen!  Bless her heart.

My Teaching Resource Center training's have been going well still and the most recent devotional was amazing! It's so spiritual here, I feel like I am crying all the time! And the films are great! I watched "Joseph Smith Prophet of the Restoration" and it was so good. Also, on the fun side, I have gotten pretty fat here. I now have flabs instead of abs.  I have began a regimen, but I think I need to increase it, or just eat less food.  I have been pounding the chocolate milk, I can't stay away. We will do the cookie challenge before we leave, we are aiming for 65 cookies as a district, to beat the previous district's record. We'll be pounding them with gusto and lots of milk. 

I will be leaving the Mission Training Center on Monday the 19th early in the morning to fly out to Virginia. 

Attached are a few pictures from the week. Elder Barlow can be very funny at times, and we thought his "missionary attire" was quite comical. Also, we saw President Uchtdorf this week. I think he was touring the new buildings. Pretty sweet right? He's super cool. Also included are pictures of the zone.  Also, if you are curious what my schedule is like here at the MTC, I have a picture of my daily planner and the schedule they gave us. 

My Zone in front of the Provo Temple

 President Uchtdorf came to see the new buildings.

It was so cool seeing  President Uchtdorf !

My Zone ready for bed

Elder Barlow being funny!

First week at the MTC and Zone Leader!

I have met Sister Laird and Sister Darlington both.  It was nice to see a familiar face.  My days are mostly busy.  Lots of class time, lots of study time, some teaching appointments, and of course meals.  The food here is usually awesome, and though I didn't sleep well or eat well the first few days, my appetite and sleep schedule are back to normal.  Surprisingly enough, I haven't had that much cereal yet, but I have had some. I try to balance my diet, but I still get probably more sugar and fats and whatnot than I should. I usually grab a salad with most meals, and I only allow myself soda at lunch or dinner. I am sort of getting enough water, trying anyway. 

The Elders were right, Gym time is awesome, everyone in our zone is becoming fast friends and we are becoming a killer volleyball team haha.  It's fun.

Sundays in the MTC are amazing! The sacrament has never meant so much to me.  We are able to watch devotional talks/church films on Sunday nights.  I'm not sure if you heard about "The Character of Christ", given by Elder Bednar, but it is soooooo good!  As far as feeling the spirit goes, I initially struggled with feeling the spirit as I studied and thought, but that has been fixed.  

I have already participated in multiple priesthood blessings, there have been a couple Missionaries in the zone who have really struggled. One of them might even get sent home on honorable medical release because of major anxiety.  I am doing well though, and loving serving others through teaching and my calling as Zone Leader.   That's right, Elder Hernandez and I are the zone leaders for our Mission Training Center group, and we love it. We have become fast friends over even just the first few days.  He is going to be an oil tycoon later in life (studying petroleum engineering)  We got new Elders last night, after losing the district who trained us, now we are training the new ones. 

The spirit is so strong here and I have truly come to rely on it. The spirit guided 100% and we managed to commit both of our investigators to baptism in their second lesson through the spirit guiding.  It is amazing what the spirit can do, so that has been great. Sometimes when the time is right it just comes busting through the wall like the Kool aid man. Anyway, life is good and I am enjoying the Mission Training Center.

Love, Elder Brown

Standing on the Mission field across from the
Mission Training CenterE

Saying good bye to my Parents
on the Provo Temple grounds.

Elder Brown with parents being dropped off at the Mission Training Center

Elder Hernandez (first companion) and Elder Jaren Brown

Mission Training Center

View from one of the New Buildings Windows in the Mission Training Center

The new buildings of the Mission Training Center

My first Zone

My District

Just the Elders in my district

There are some awesome murals in the new buildings, and ponder rooms that play soft piano music with inspirational messages and murals on the walls, they are super awesome!  Here is a picture of one of the murals, Moses I "The Red Sea", (the sisters aren't with us, we just got caught in the picture and they were kind enough to send the picture to us)