March 30, 14 - Week 28

Dear Mom and Dad

This last week has been great, and I am really adjusting well to the new area. I hope that I can answer all of your questions. Just like you said Secunda is a smaller town.  The Sasol's Secunda complex that converts coal into oil is the main industry here. Not sure how to describe the size of the city. I am sure it is the size of Cedar. There is secunda, kinross, Embalenhle, and Evander. I work in Emba, and Evander. They have all the same stores here, so I am still able to shop and get all the same food. It is just like the same as my last area.

I feel pretty safe, but I feel safe in some pretty scary places. Emba is a township, and Evander is a town with mostly white people. I can definitely see the silos from the Sasols factory.  It is really cool to see them. There is like flames coming out of these pipes all day because the conversion of the coal and stuff. It is like the center of the area, and most the people here work for Sasol. The branch is very small. There are like 20 people that come to church every week. We have some good investigators and have been finding a lot of new people. 

 Elder Cazier my new companion is from the United States, but his dad is in the Air Force, so he lived in Germany for several years before he came here. He was in this area before. So normally someone stays in the area at transfers so they can show the new person around. He has been out 2 more transfers than me, so like 3 months more than me. I will be here at least 12 to 18 weeks. So after this transfer Elder Cazier will probably leave, or he could stay one more. But he will be first to leave, so I will at least stay for 2 transfers. I am doing really well with him now. We get a long well, and we joke around and have a lot of fun. He likes to work really hard, so we have been going non-stop since I got here. When I say straight he just likes to follow every rule with exactness.  But other than that we get a long really well. We teach great together. 

Like I said we have been working really hard, and teaching a lot of people. He has really motivated me to work hard, and it has been good. I have been really tired lately, but somehow I keep moving forward. We taught a lot of lessons this past week. We have also found some really great families to teach. It is still hard because I am trying to learn all the people here being new. It also makes it difficult because all of there African names!! I have really enjoyed it here in Secunda. 

On Friday we were on our way to zone conference, and our car overheated. We pulled over and had some water in the car, and some antifreeze dilute. It cooled it down a bit, but not enough. We were in the middle of nowhere on a highway. We made it to a toll booth station, and pulled over again. We put a bunch of water in our radiator, and got it cooled down. Then our car wouldn't start. So we sat there for 5 hours while we were waiting for a tow. So our car got towed and some other missionaries took the four of us from secunda back to our flats. On Saturday Morning  we got a brand new car that one of the senior couples brought out to us! It is a Nissan Almera and it is really nice! I don't know if we will get to keep it, but it is exciting for now. so that was something exciting that happened this week!

Well we do have a nice meetinghouse here in Secunda, but it does have a small chapel. We do email here, and I can send pictures, we just have limited Internet data, so uploading pictures uses a lot of data.  All my mail still goes through the same address. I just put mail I send out in a local post office drop thing. We don't see our zone leaders much, so I don't get mail too often. We saw them this last week, and I didn't get a letter from you

 We wont be watching conference this week. We will watch it in a couple weeks as a recording. So i was a bit sad I wouldn't be watching it live at the same time as you. 

I am adjusting to walking pretty well to not being in a car every day, and it is nice to be walking. My feet are doing well, and I don't think I need new shoes yet. We do go door to door, or gate to gate I could say. We knock on peoples gates and hope they hear. 

That is really cool to hear about all the mission calls that everyone is getting. It is especially good to hear about Levi. I didn't know that he had put his papers in. That is really cool to hear about Nathan and his cool baptism in the Ocean.

We should be going to the temple at the end of this transfer, and I am really excited because I have not been since the first of January. 

It is wonderful to hear from you each week. Thank you so much for you advice, and help. I hope you have an awesome week, and know I am always thinking about, and praying for you. 

Love Mitchell

Secunda - New Area

Secunda is southeast of Johannesburg. It is a town built amidst the coalfields of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It was named for being the second extraction refinery producing oil from coal, after Sasolburg,[2] some 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the west.

Sasol's Secunda, South Africa, complex converts tons of coal into 150,000 barrels of oil each day.

Today, Secunda is a buzzing industrial hub with 16,000 employees, miles of interlocking pipes and cables, and eight colossal silos. The silos, each big enough to contain a football field, cool steam involved in the conversion process. Fuel trucks wait along the edge of the facility to fill up with gasoline. Nearby mines produce more than 40 million metric tons of coal a year 

March 23, 2014

Dear Mom

It has been an interesting week for sure. I have been doing great though.

Transfers- How transfers work is we travel to the mission office on Tuesday, the day of transfers, and we find out where we are going and who our new companion will be. I lived about 45 min from mission office, so Elder Robins and I traveled there Tuesday Morning after getting all my thing packed in the car! So what happens is they put up a transfer news paper that says where you are going, and who you new companion will be. I read the transfer news, and at first couldn't find my new companion. I guess they had not been informed one of them was leaving, so they were still traveling to the mission office.

New Things- My new area is called Secunda. I am in Secunda 2. So we are basically in the middle of nowhere. There are two sets of missionaries here, and we see each other everyday, because we share a car. Other than that, the closest missionaries are about an hour away. My new companions name is Elder Cazier. He is a cool kid, but not the same as Elder Robins. He is a great missionary. So after they got to the mission office to pick me up I loaded all my stuff in the car, and we had a long drive to our area. I drove a lot of it because they had to drive to the mission office. It was about a 2 and a half hour drive to Secunda from Roodeport where the mission office is. Our flat is very nice. It is just as nice or nicer than my last flat. We have a car, but we share it with the other Secunda missionaries. We live in separate flats. I did well fitting everything in my suitcases, but I also took a few boxes with things I have acquired. I did take my weights. The flat I went to someone had a bench for like bench pressing which is really nice because I was trying to make a bench out of chairs in my last flat! Elder Robins stayed in Hospital View and got a new companion there. 

 Thank you for the good advice and I will try not to judge or get an opinion about your new assignment until you have given myself a chance to adjust.  I also pray that I will be blessed to get along with new  companion and adjust to new area.  I will try to be patient and I know with time everything will look better.  I was very comfortable before especially with Elder robins, and I have felt really uncomfortable this past week. 

I am exciting to hear that Mitchell Hansen is going on a mission. I didn't think that he was going to go. That sounds like it will be an interesting place for him to serve, Singapore.  I hope that his family is doing better. I didn't know that there daughter was diagnosed with cancer. Hope she is doing well. That is really cool that all those boys are receiving there mission calls!!! Keep me updated on people that keep receiving mission calls.

I don't have a physical address, but I will get one for you. The building we attend now is called the Secunda branch. It is a branch that I am serving in now, and it is pretty small. Thank you for sending a package, it means a lot. I hope it gets here soon. Being in this new area we don't see our zone leaders much, so I hope when it comes they can get it out here to me. With mail I am pretty sure there were a few weeks I didn't get anything. I feel like a few of your letters didn't make it because of the mail strike. I look forward to speaking with you on mothers day. That is about a month and a half away. I also look forward to conference because it is cool to watch the few live ones and know you are watching the same thing! 

In this new area we email at our chapel, and there isn't much Internet, so I can't really upload pictures to dropbox, or attach pictures.  I am sorry about that, but I will try to send them somehow. I am sure the longer days are making you much happier. I noticed on my calendar this week it was the first official day of spring, which is exciting. It is kind of starting to get colder here, but not much colder yet. 

I love you, and thank you for all the support. I hope the family is doing well. Tell everyone Hi for me, and I love all of them. 

Love Elder Mitchell Brown

March 17, 2014 - 6 MONTHS

Dear Mom,

Well this week has gone well. It has been weird preparing myself for transfers, and a new companion and area. Being the last week before transfers we did some fun things. Elder Robins, elder Raymond, elder Saunders, and I went to the driving range and hit some golf balls. That was pretty fun.  I have been in my area for 4 transfers, which is 6 months. I am leaving my area for sure, and right now I am not going to train another missionary.  It is definitely hard to leave this area. I have served here my whole mission, and have become attached to a few members. The last few days I have gone around and said good bye to some of the members and had them sign my journal. It just seems weird to move because I haven't changed area's before. I am a bit sad to leave some investigators, but a lot of our investigators have just been jokers, and we only have a few serious investigators. We did not end up having our baptism yesterday because our investigator wasn't quite ready. I am disappointed because I will not be here for his baptism.  Because of our Stake Conference next week, he will not be baptized until March 30.  He still needed to be taught a few more lessons. We weren't able to meet with him earlier in the week, so it messed up our schedule. With convert baptisms we do them on Sunday because it is easier to just do it after church and ask members to stay so more people are in attendance. 

 Well it sounds like you had a good time in Salt Lake at the Dental Meetings! I hope you didn't spent too much time and money in Ti-Pan!! haha. The weather has improved this week, and it hasn't been raining as much. There were still a few days that it rained on us. It has still got hot a few days, and I remembered I am still in Africa. But I think it will start to cool off soon. I am sorry to hear that you are receiving no moisture. I am sure it is not good for the summer, and it won't be good for water levels. 

 Thanks for thinking of my birthday.  I cannot think of anything I need. I like American candy because they do not have same candy here.  So for our birthdays we can get permission to do things fun. So we were able to leave our zone and go to Johannesburg to do something fun for Elder Raymond Birthday. That is when we went up in the high rise in downtown J0-Burg. You asked about money for my birthday and if I had been doing ok on money. I have been budgeting pretty well. I normally just use my card when we go do fun things that cost more.  I have been doing pretty well with food. I know I need to watch what I eat and try to eat healthy especially because I am not swimming so I can't eat whatever I want.

 I miss you a lot also. I know that I am doing the right thing. I have received many conformations that what I am doing is the right thing. It is not easy at all though. There are many days I think why am I here, It would have been much easier to just stay home. But I see how much I have grown already in six months, and I can't even imagine how much I will grow the next year and a half. I do enjoy teaching the gospel a lot. I love to see it change people. It has just been hard because we haven't been teaching many serious people, so I haven't been able to see the gospel changing people. I know as time goes on more success will come. Thank you for all of your encouragement. I can see how much we all need the gospel in our lives. I have realized that so much being out here. I really appreciate your support, and it really does help me. I hope that you have a good week. Tell everyone else I said Hi, and I love them. I will let you know who my new companion is, and my new area next week. 

 Love,

 Elder Mitchell Brown

March 9, 2014 - Week 25

Dear Mom,

 Well this week has gone well. We have a zone activity today, so I am not emailing for long, so sorry if my responses are short. This week has been good, but it has rained all week. This has slowed the work a lot. Most of our lessons have canceled, and so we didn't have many lessons. 

One of our best investigators names is Collin. We are trying to get him ready to be baptized this next Sunday. He has been progressing really fast. Every lesson we teach, it is him teaching us. He really understands, and he is ready to be baptized. He has some great friends in the church, so he will stay active I hope. It is really fun to teach him because he really understands what we are teaching. He really believes in the gospel and has a strong testimony.

 You asked about Kruger National Park. It is a big reserve with safari that you can go on. I really want to go to Kruger, so it will probably happen later in mission. It is pretty far north, so it won't happen tell later. I had not heard about all the flooding there. We have had a lot of rain this last week. It has been raining since last Saturday, so a little over a week. Like I said at first it has really slowed down the work. I think it might also be rainy this next week.

 Cannot believe I have been out 6 months.  Thanks for thinking of my birthday, in a month. Well you can just send some fun things, and then just money in my account because it is much easier to just buy myself things. I am a bit nervous about leaving my first area, but I am super excited in some ways to finally leave this area. I have spent a fourth of my mission here. I am a bit nervous to get a new companion because I have really loved being with Elder Robins. I think I will definitely be leaving Hospital View, but something could happen and I could stay. 

You asked about sister missionaries,  there are no sister missionaries here because it is dangerous, and I guess a while back some of them got kidnapped. There are a few couple missionaries that are here.You asked about our visit to down town J-burg.  We were in a high rise, I think it was Carlton Centre. WE went there for Elder Raymonds birthday. It was pretty fun. Well I have bought a few things. I got a hard drive to save things on, and then a wooden watch.  When I went to that hi rise building it was all black people and it was a scary part of town. I am glad you liked the pictures. 

 I love you, and am doing well. 

Transfers are on the 17^th of March.

 Well I love you and tell the family hello. I didn't have time to email anyone else back. I love you and have a great week. 

Love 

Your son

Johannesburg South Africa - Looking out skyscraper at the city

Down town Johannesburg 

Purchased new lazar to play with

Like my new $9 Watch - Is it big enough! 

March 3, 14 - Week 24

Dear Mom and Dad

I always look forward to Mondays because I get to email, and I get a day off.  I have been receiving your letters. I think the mail strike is over now. I might not have gotten a few of them, but I am not sure. I will continue to try and write letters to you.     Your package, it was an awesome surprise. Loved the dew and hi chews. Thank you so much!!!!!! The dew was just fine. I have been trying to save them. It is so good to have a real mountain dew after the ones they have here. I have been sharing the Hi chews, with Elder Robins but not the mountain dew!! haha

 That is kind of crazy about the new stake president in student married stake. That is really cool that dad was able to receive that inspiration about those who would be called.  I hope that Dad and stake presidency won't have too hard of a time finding new bishops, and they will be guided so it can happen quickly.Our new bishop has been doing great. He has been keeping the ward together great. We still don't have a ton of association with our ward. We have been trying to have more member lessons, and hopefully it will work out to get us closer to the ward. We do have a ward mission leader, and I think that he will be helping us a lot more now. We had a correlation meeting with him yesterday, and also the stake high councilor that is over missionary work was there too. We really need our ward to step up in helping with reactivations because it is much better when members visit them to reactivate them. Refilwe, who we baptized 2 months ago, is doing well, She didn't come to church for a few week because of something with family, but she came yesterday. We normally meet her twice a week, and she is continuing to learn.

Mom, I am sorry to hear about your cast. That really sucks that you have to have a cast on your feet. I hope that you can heal quickly.  I hope you can sleep well. I am glad you can still drive. You can probably floor it easier with a rubber shoe. I glad string festival is over.  I know what a huge stress that is on you.  It is scary to perform but those performances helped me to handle stress and be able to be in front of people.  I look back as that being a good learning experience.  

 Well I have been feeling much better.  No more upset stomach or cramps. I have tried changing up my diet, and I really think it has helped. I haven't eaten any more chicken feet, and I probably never will again.  You asked about insects and mosquitoes.  The only bugs that are a nuisance are mosquito’s. They are in our flat at night, but we have to have the windows open or it gets really hot.  No bugs expect mosquitoes. We never have them during the day, just at night. I might have to get a mosquito net to sleep under. Well the weather has been getting cooler. It has been rainy the last two days, and it has been really nice. At night it is getting a bit chilly, and it is really nice to open windows at night. That is really weird to have the weather like that in Cedar.  I am sorry you have no snow and that your seasons are mixed up.  I am still thinking you have a few feet of snow right now.  Hope you get moisture so you will not have to truck water to the sheep this summer.  Sorry I will not be there to drive the water truck up and down the mountain.

 It gets dark around like 7 or something like that here in Jo-burg.  We normally don't walk around at all when it is dark, unless we have to. We are normally pretty safe. It is weird to think it is already time for day lights saving again, It is hard for me to think that you are just opposite of us going into spring and summer and we are going to autumn. 

This week our teaching went about the same. We have been teaching Tony and Collin this week. Collin is really promising investigator, and I know he will be baptized on the 16th of March. Tony we are still working with. I have been teaching him since like November. His mom is a less active member, so get him coming to church we need to get her back. We traveled to Jo-burg for conference and went to lunch at a high rise.  I took some pictures from the high rise in Jo-burg.  I also took a picture of a laser I bought and a $9 watch. 

 That is cool that Jessica Nakken is going on a mission.  That would be difficult to think you left the middle of April and be asked to report this week over a month early.  I wonder how many girls in my grade will go on mission because the age change. Sorry to hear a bout Alainey Carter coming home from mission.  Alainey and Ryan Corry  were dating before she left. That isn't too much of a surprise they are together.

 It sounds like it was a really good week. That is really exciting about the Cedar basketball team. For years we have gotten really close to winning, but they haven't.  That is good that water polo is doing well. Exciting news about Dusty Hones winning the state champion in wrestling.  He is really good and deserves it, because he works hard.

 Well thanks for your support. I am doing well. Sorry for the short email. I’m doing well I still have others to email, so sorry to cut it short. I love you.

 Love  Elder Brown