Family,

I loved seeing the pictures of the birthday party! As I was looking at them, I was reminded of just how good looking my family is! You all are just beautiful. I love to see the kids as well and how happy they look. 

Isn't that weird? I remember when the Aunts and Uncles used to call US "the kids". Now we ARE the Aunts and Uncles, calling all the other ones "the kids".

I love you all so much. I always have to stop myself from telling people too much about my family. It is an amazing thing that we get to all be connected for time and all eternity. What a marvelous blessing it is to be sealed! I cannot imagine how much joy must be possible in the hereafter. There is so much to look forward to in an eternal family in heaven. Like Dad taught at Stake Conference last year, it truly is the "treasure of heaven".

We've experienced some decent growth in our area. We found a few new investigators and were able to meet with one of them again. We have another appointment with one of them later on today. I realized this morning that I have been way too focused upon the lessons and not on the people. This whole transfer I've continually felt to study the fundamental principle of "Teach People, Not Lessons". I'm really trying to focus in more on that. I was studying in "Learning to Recognize the Spirit" in Preach My Gospel, and it talks about how if we are not careful, we can become "preoccupied" and miss the promptings of the Spirit.

I realized that some of my preoccupations involve the lesson itself. I get so caught up in the next principle, or how to tie it back into the lesson or how to get the person to commit that I forget to actually focus on the person! It was a good moment of spiritual tune up for me.

Scripture study is like that. It's like a spiritual "Jiffy Lube". 

I love you all! 

Elder Brown

Week of April 13th

I have to just start writing this week. I have no clue really what to say. We've had a busy week with transfers having happened on Thursday. We had a couple of District meetings and some really wonderful new missionaries came into our district. Our new district leader is Elder Todd! I was his zone leader in Davenport, then when I left he came over to Kirksville and was in the Quincy zone, and now he is in the Clinton Zone with me! I love him and he is really wonderful. I'm glad to have him back with me.

Bill had a really weird week this week. He smoked. On Thursday we began to teach him, and he started complaining of some pain, and then began to put on a show and told us to call 911. It was really hard, because we could tell that it wasn't 100% real, and we didn't know exactly why he was doing it. He has regressed a bit. 

But then, out of nowhere, he showed up to church. Maybe he could make his date of April 25th after all? We are doing our best to help him and not just hope he makes it.

There is also a part member family we've been working with. Both the Less Active wife and the Investigator husband came to church! It was a miracle. This area has taught me how much of the work really comes directly through the instrumentation of the Spirit. We did hardly anything to inspire these two men to do what they did. We simply invited them to come unto Christ, and then helped them in the feasible ways. Being a missionary, you want to force people to do things, but the most effective thing was inviting and helping. Agency was completely in their hands the entire time. 

I'm so grateful for the lessons of the Lord. 

We also found a few more investigators this week. We look forward to Mission Leadership Council tomorrow.

I know this is the work of the Lord! It moves forward and will not be frustrated. I know the Lord will come again to the earth "in power and great glory." I look forward to that day. I hope He will recognize me. I desperately hope I can show that I loved Him. I know that each of you will, and I expect we'll see Mom there too. 

I love you all!

Elder Brown

Pictures:

Elder Leavitt came back to visit! He was doing awesome:)