Fast Sunday!

Family!

"Hey, Elder Ontiveros."

"Yeah?"

"Why do they call it fast sunday if it always goes by so slow?"

"Funny." (Just a conversational gem between me and Elder O this week :) )

How are you family?!

I love you guys and I am so grateful for your emails and letters! It is such a joy for me to receive your communications and to feel of your love each week! Dad, I am especially grateful for the Memoirs of Mom that you have been sending recently. Each one highlights such a true characteristic of Mom. It's interesting to get inside of each person's head and hear of the things that stood out to them about Mom's personality and features! Some things that I never considered now are standing out to me and I admire them so much more.

As for the weather out here, we just received a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY for this week. It's supposed to snow a boatload and a half tomorrow, and we very well might be trapped again. We have been stuck inside probably 5 times this winter already, and everyone is saying this is one of the coldest winters we've seen in a long time! Last night on our way home, it dropped down to negative 4 outside.

That's disgustingly cold.

But though the days are cold, our hearts are warm with the light of the gospel! It's cheesy, but it's true! We had a fantastic sacrament meeting yesterday, and my fast was based around a desire for the spirit to be powerfully manifest at our church meeting. Heavenly Father sent in the big guns for this one.

1: On Tuesday, Elder O and I went to the temple with the other Elders, and we had a chance to stop by a little LDS bookstore. I found some SWEET missionary action figures ("with proselyting action!" Says Elder Ontiveros) that I bought on a whim and brought home.

2: President Jensen calls on Friday and tells us that he will be at church on Sunday along with Elder Reall, the presiding area authority seventy in the area. Elder Reall bore a POWERFUL testimony on the importance of family and the reality of the resurrection during testimony meeting.

3: We stopped by Ch**s's house to wake her up during the Sunday morning round up and, on an impression, I gave the missionary action figures to her two boys. It kept them entertained throughout sacrament so Ch**s could listen. After the meeting, she comes up to Elder O and I and says, "So, when am I getting baptized again?"

4: Our previously excommunicated investigator came to church! IT WAS AWESOME! That was a stinkin miracle.

I love this work!

Now another tidbit. After sacrament, I was able to snag Elder Reall for a minute or two to talk. I told him about Mom's passing. His wife passed in June, just like Mom, and I wanted to seek some much needed counsel from him. He told me something I want to share. He said to me, "Sustain your father in every action. Let him know how much you love him, and let him know you approve of his happiness. Tell him constantly that you love and appreciate him, and tell your sisters to do the same. They will have the hardest time accepting the loss."

I testify of that statement! I know all of you people are amazing, but tell Dad how much he means to you, and sustain his righteous actions!

I love you all, and you are constantly in my prayers.

Elder Brown