Pictures November 25 - Streets Hospital View Area in South Africa

November 25, 2013 Week 10

The weather seems to be really hot here. I don’t know if it is just that my body is getting ready for winter or what. It is nice because we have the car everyday, but when we are teaching lessons in tin shacks they just heat up like an oven. There are just a few members we are meeting with that have started coming back to church more which has been great. The reactivations have been going well, it just makes the other work go slow because all our time is focused on them.

Transfers are on the 12th. I think I will get a new companion and stay in this area. But I have no idea. A lot of different things could happen. Funny story we thought thanksgiving was this last week, so we went out and ate, and I missed the family a lot. But now we found out it isn’t until this week, so I hope I am not to homesick again on this Thursday. I know if I truly give thanks for all I have been given it will go much better.

The teaching is going well. It is a bit frustrating sometimes because we have a lot of jokesters that just cancel on us. But we are working a lot with the ward right now, so we don’t have a lot of baptisms scheduled. 

Just know all is well, and the work continues. Tell everyone I love them.

Love 

Elder Mitchell Brown

Week 9 - 11/18/13

The week has gone well. It has been kind of a long week though. I am very glad that it is over and a new week has begun. We had some tough lessons, and just some really long days. I have been pretty tired this whole week, and I'm sure this is why I am catching a cold.It has deffinetly been getting much hotter here. The heat is getting pretty bad, and it is pretty hot with a collar on. There have been no mesquitos in my area, so no worries about Malaria.  I miss the snow, and it would be nice to have right now because it is so hot. You asked about some of the people we are teaching. In my area it is all black. I have only seen one other white person there.  All the people we teach are black. We have a lot of investigators, plus we are busy visiting less active members in our ward.  The people are humble. In the area we serve we drive about 18Kilometers to get there.  Most of the homes are one room , but I wouldn't exactly call them shacks.  Most have one big bed,  a little makeshift kitchen with a cooktop and little oven, some chairs, and believe it or not a TV.  I feel very humble and grateful because these nice members these small homes still feed us a big meal, even if they don't have much.  All of these little room homes have electricity.  Water and toilets are outside the home and shared between homes.  I see a change in peoples eyes as I teach them.  I know I am doing the Lord's work.  I miss home but know I am doing the right thing.LoveElder Mitchell Brown

Pictures November 11,13

Missing the cold weather in the States.  The elders cleaned out their freezer and had a bucket of ice that they made into a SNOWMAN 

Week 8 - November 10,13

Dear Family and Friends                                                        November 11, 2013

               All is well here. My week has been great. We actually got a lot of work done because we didn’t have a lot of meetings. We had six investigators come to sacrament yesterday, which was great. Our ward is still kind of struggling with activity. 

               Our weather is fairly nice. This past week it has started to get pretty hot. I don’t know if it is just cause my blood is getting thick because I’m used to cold at this time or what. But our apartment does not have an AC. It is a lot like Hawaii nowhere has ac. But it has a lot of windows, so it hasn’t got to hot there, and luckily we are never there in the middle of the day.

        Well I am not eating anything weird. The only different thing i am eating is pop. The only way I can describe it is like a little bit harder type of cream of rice. I actually like it, and it is pretty good.

        I am actually using my ancestor book every few days. In my personal study I read a story almost every few days. It is really cool to learn more about my ancestors, and I am really grateful for them. Thank you so much for making that book for me.

      The discussions are going well. With Partson we have ran into a problem because he is not legally married here in South Africa, he was tribally married in Zimbabwe. So until he has a marriage certificate he cannot get baptized. This is kind of sad because he was progressing so fast. We have a few other investigators, but non-that are really progressing fast.

       We have been working with less actives to try to boost our ward. In lessons I am doing much better. I am actually leading lessons like doing most the talking instead of just sitting there. Before I would just bear testimony on things. I have learned to open my mouth and the Holy Ghost has just filled my mouth with what I need to say. This is really cool because I am learning to trust the lord. This also referees back to my patriarchal blessing when it tells me in the second or third paragraph to trust in the Lord. I am learning this principal.                   All is going well here. Tell everyone Hello for me, and that I love them.

Love 

Elder Brown

November 4 - Week 7

MITCHELL SOUNDS VERY GOOD AND UPBEAT- EXCERPTS FROM HIS FAMILY EMAIL AND A FEW PICTURES OF HIS FLAT (APARTMENT) 
Had a Halloween  meeting with Elder Bednar  and it was very cool. So he pretty much stood at the pulpit and taught a class. We could stand and ask questions the whole time. My district sat on the front 2 rows, so i was right in front of him. This was very cool to be so close to him, and I could deffinetly feel of his presence. Most of the missionaries met in one chapel, but the missionaries that are way up south were in another chapel, and they recieved it by broadcast. This was such a cool experience. After our distract went to a resturant called Spur, and ate unlimited ribs and wings for our Halloween party, this was very fun.
I have been blessed a lot because I have not been to homesick. I do think of home a lot, but not in a bad way. 
The weather here is very nice. It gets pretty hot some days, but if it is really hot in the morning then we know it is going to rain latter on. The rain is very nice because it keeps it cool. It isnt too much of a burden when it rains because of our car full time. It doesn't get too cold either.  So i do drive every other day. We trade off every other day. Our car is a piece. It is a Chevy Aveo. The cars here are so week, and the engines are so small. I miss my fast car. But i have gotten used to the left hand side of the road. Even in my dreams i dream i am driving on the left side. But driving isnt to crazy. Just like home. This week has gone well. Kind of a slow week because we went to the missinon office twice this week. Once for new missionary orientation, and the other for Bednar. So this made our number of lessons this week pretty low. But we have one very great investigator named Partson. He was supposed to be babtised the end of this month, but we ran into one problem. He was tribally married in Zimbobwe, so it is not legal in South Africa. So we are trying to get him to pay Lebola which is like giving cows, and then get a marriage certificate so he can be babtised. We have a few other investigators, but not any that are as good as him. I am deffinetly being blessed, and the spirit is guiding me. I am being comforted, and not missing home to much. I am getting into the work well. 
Love Elder Mitchell Brown