Johannesburg Temple - Picnic with Members on p-day

Sandton South Africa - Mandela Square (downtown Johannesburg)

Week 70 - January 26, 15

Dear Mom,

It has been a pretty good week. I have done some pretty fun stuff this week . It sounds like the week went pretty well that side. I can't believe I am now starting my fourth week here in Randburg. It still seems like I just arrived here. 

Last Monday for p-day, was really fun just touring around Sandton city. Elder Peterson and I just walked around and took pictures and it was cool. It is such a nice city, it felt like I was in Vegas or something like that. We saw Mandela square, and walked out on the street and saw all the cool buildings and nice hotels. It is weird to think that is my area. 

Tuesday was a pretty normal day of teaching. We taught a few recent converts, and a less active. We have found this new lady named Willamina, and her daughter Ester. They are great investigators. They are black. Willamina has been really confused by her past church, and she just wants to not be confused. It is great that we can bring the truth and help her with the confusion. 

Wednesday was another normal day, except Elder Peterson and I went out to eat in Sandton that night for his birthday that was on Friday. We went to a really nice Indian place in the Sandton City mall. It was really fun! 

Thursday was just another normal day I guess of teaching. We taught Willamina again. She lives in a little room behind a huge house. She is the maid or help that works at this home for a white family. 

Friday was Elder Petersons birthday. We had zone meeting, then headed to our area. We first went to sister Masters and hung out, and she gave him a little gift. She is a sweet old lady. We then taught a few people. Then that night we went to Jackies, our investigator, and she had a little party. We ate chips and dip, played games, and she gave us a little meal. We had a good time there. It is fun to play with Nathan. He is 12, and he is like a little brother. He is a member, and has been for a while. He started to go to primary when he was very young. 

Saturday we had a temple trip! This was great. I got some good pictures at the temple. We then tried to teach some people around downtown Johannesburg, because that is our area as well. We didn't manage to see any of them. 

It's been a pretty eventful week I guess. 

Yeah it is nice that President Dunn is changing out the leadership. It gives other missionaries the opportunity. Also a lot of the old zone leaders had really aspired to those positions, so President Dunn is now putting in just normal average Joe missionaries. 

Elder Johnson, past companion actually goes home in just a few weeks. He is in Elder Stephens group that was the AP. 

 You asked about us traveling to some of the animal reserves.  We can't go to Kruger unless we are serving by it. It is like all the way up in Limpopo. That is something we would have to do if we came back here.  I just asked Elder Neilson if he knew Elder Haynes. He said he does. He is serving right by me, and being trained by Elder Barton that was with me in Secunda. 

It sounds like MLK day was pretty nice! That is cool you used a condo up at Brian Head. Was the snow any good??

That is cool that region is this next week. Where are they hosting it? I hope that Calvin will tapper a bit this week, and be able to drop some time at region. I am excited for the team.  Just tell him to put some Vaseline on his shoulders and chest haha!! I hope that your little motivational video goes well Thursday ;) I am sure that they will appreciate it. Just ask Calvin what music to put on it. 

You asked if I felt safe.  I actually feel very safe here. It is a very nice area. Like you said we don't talk to many people on the streets, the fences are too big at people’s houses. Most of the people we teach come through way of referral. So we really have to work with the members here, and it is going well.

Even though the area I am in is mostly white, that is really weird for me - There are still a lot of black's we are teaching. Actually most of the people we are teaching are black. I think our only white investigator right now is Jackie. I guess most of our ward is white though. So I am associating with whites a lot more than I have before. It is like I have had to relearn my table manors to eat at white members homes haha!! In township it is all eating with your hands basically! There is still a lot of racism here. but really it goes both ways. I don't think the whites hate the blacks, they just are scared of them because they are normally the cause of all the crime and bad things. 

The members are awesome. They really spoil us here. It is known in our mission to be the ward that feeds the missionaries the most and just spoils them. Like our feeding list this week is full for everyday!! It is so nice because I have never had this before!! I am normally only getting fed once a week before if I was lucky.  In the poor townships where I have been serving, the people do not have much.  Like I said I hope it doesn't make me fat!! haha.. I guess my favorite member is Sister Masters. She is the old English widow that we went to Lion and Rhino park with. She is such a funny sarcastic lady that we just laugh with. We visit her a couple times a week just to give here company. I think later this week we are going to a fountain that plays music to have a picnic with her. 

Our investigators are doing all right for now. The two that were progressing very well are doing alright. I guess our best right now is Jackie. She is great. I guess the problem is we don't see her too often. She has begun her battle with smoking. We made her a little chart that she has to follow to quite. She has to eliminate one cigarette every two days. She is at about 15 cigarettes a day right now. We will keep working with her until she has completely quite. She has been so involved with the church already she just knows how everything runs. We also met some cool new people this last week. I told you a bit about Willamina and Ester. They even came to church yesterday!! We also met with Willamina's friend named Fransine, and we answered every single question she had!! It was really cool. So it is exciting to keep getting new people to teach! 

Grandma sent me an email. She told me about her little adventure!! That sounds like it will be a really fun trip. I hope she enjoys herself and doesn't get hurt. Fun dad got a smoker, and I hope that meat was nice!! I also hope that Randall and Katrina are doing well. Excited to hear she has a new job. What is Katrina doing in school??

You'll have to let me know who asked Calvin to sweathearts. I am sure he is excited for his first dance!! He seems like he is growing up so much! It is weird to think that Calvin and Carson have grown up so much since I left. 

I also hope some of the swimmers shine! I looked at the Utah swim coach website at the rankings. I really hope that the team can do well also. I guess that is a bit sad that Park Cities relays are so much faster. Hopefully it will still be close!! You will have to let me know about region.

Well I am so glad that I am here. It is so great to continue to bring people to the truth. Just like Jackson said we do have the good news. It is so nice to see the truth of the gospel enter into someone’s heart and to see them feel the spirit. I have such a great testimony of the gospel, and I know without a doubt that this is the true church. I just pray that I can keep bringing this knowledge to the people here. I am also very grateful for the temple. I am so grateful that I could go there this last week! There is just such an amazing feeling of peace in the temple. I hope that you and dad are still getting the chance to regularly go to the temple. I have just learned how important it is to live the gospel in our lives! Well I love you and I hope you have a good week. 

Love

Your son

Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve, Krugersdorp, South Africa

With New Companion - Elder Peterson

Week 69 - January 17, 15

Dear Mom 

Well it has been a great week, it really has flown by for me. I think as I get more adjusted to a new area time just begins to fly by. I think every transfer just goes faster and faster as well. I am now on my 12th transfer, so I think it will go pretty fast. I have already been here in Randburg for 2 weeks.  The area is a town. That is the best way to describe it. The work here is pretty slow I guess. We don't see nearly as many people as I used to teach in my past area's that were township. It is a fairly wealthy area which is different than my other areas.  Especially Sandton city. They call Sandton the richest square mile in Africa. There are some really nice sky scrappers there, and cool places to go. There is like a Huge mall, and a Mandela Square. It is like a place commemorating Nelson Mandela. 

We have a really great ward. Most of the members here are white. We even have an American Family, and he is a consulate at the US embassy that is in Sandton. We get fed a ton, which I have never had. Like last week we got fed 8 times. I hope I don't get fat again haha!! The ward also really is great helping us with missionary work. We get a lot of referrals from the members. The work is still slower, so we don't have a ton of investigators right now. We  have two good investigators. We have one named jackie. She is the mother of a young boy Nathan who is twelve. He is a member. She already knows a ton about the church, and has been taught forever. the only problem she has is smoking. She just barely overcame drinking which she has been doing like her whole life. She is somewhere in here forties. She is also white. 

We also have Thoko. She lives with a member. She also really loves the gospel, and she is great to teach. She is black, and somewhere in her twenties. We are going to try and put both of them on date for next Month. 

Elder Peterson is awesome. I guess he is a quiet kid though like I said, but he loves talking to me, but to others he is quiet. He plays the piano, and he is pretty good at that. He is a really great kid, and I really don't have any problems or complains with him. I will get you a picture of us. 

It sounds like it has been a great week. I will look at the pictures you put on. I am sure it was fun to spend time together for the birthdays. I am sure Blake still appreciated what you did for his birthday. I do see the pictures you put on every week, so thank you. It is fun to see pictures of things you are doing. Again I need to take more pictures. 

That is exciting that Robert's family bought a lot. I am sure they are excited to break ground this next spring. Levi actually emailed me and told me about his threesome and his South African companion. That is cool that he speaks Afrikaans. 

Well it sounds like the swimming is going great. That is cool that Calvin is doing so well in Breaststroke as well. I guess he will have to decide which events he swims at State. that is coming up soon actually. That is too bad that dad had to spend all day at a funeral service, but I am sure the family really appreciated it. Dad is a great guy to give of his time. 

I am glad that dad made his flights safely. That seems a bit scary flying through the smog and clouds. I am sure you were really scared for him. 

I am sure Marshall appreciated your package. He seems to be doing really well. I hope that his family is still doing well. .

I guess some other cool things this week. We went and taught a bunch of little orphans this week at an orphanage. It was really fun. We were in downtown Jo-burg, which was a bit scary. Jo-burg is a really scary place. It is just overrun by the blacks. Especially after apartheid it was taken over, and it just hasn't been taken care of. It is a really dirty place. It was sad because it looks like it used to be a really nice city. We also had a sports night with our ward, so we just messed around with them and played sports with mostly the young men and there dads. 

Also do you know President Crankshaw that is in the university stake?? I guess his brother is in my ward. I have not met him yet, but a lot of members have told me that he lives there. I recognize his name. Not sure if I spelled the name right. 

Anne Nelson also is Elder Peterson's mom. She went to Cedar High school and she was born in 63, so probably in Dads class. Do you know her???

I am being watched over and protected. I am definitely feeling the peace of the gospel, and seeking out those that are looking for the gospel. I hope that all continues to go well back home, and that you also can feel comfort and peace, and know I am doing well. I love you and hope you have a great week.

Love,

Your Son

Elder Brown

Week 68 - January 12, 15

Dear Mom and Dad

Thank you for the prayers on Tuesday, I really felt comfort and peace as the transfer happened. Just so you know I am happy and doing well. I am now serving in Randburg. My area also covers Sandton City, and downtown Johannesburg. It is probably the wealthiest area in South Africa. This is the first town I have served in. I am excited though to serve here. It already seems like a super great area. We have a really big thriving ward. Most of the people in the ward are white, so that is weird for me haha. I have only served in townships with all blacks.  Being a town, and very wealthy tracting and contacting are not very effective because people are very prideful. We mostly work with our members and receive referrals. The members are awesome here. They feed us like everyday, and take care of us very well. This is the first area that I have been fed this much. So much for my diet haha!! We also are driving full time because our area is so big, so we have the car everyday. 

My new companion is Elder Peterson. He is from Vernal Utah. He has been out on mission just barely a year. He is 19, but turns 20 this month. He graduated in 2013, but went to a semester at Utah State. He is an awesome kid. He is quiet, but we get a long really well. It is just nice to be with an American companion again, because we can relate a lot. 

My move was alright. I filled a whole car with my stuff. Like the trunk and the back seat. I did bring all my weights and weight bench as well. it was a bit hectic moving everything, but I am all settled in now. My new flat is pretty nice. It is a lot more spacious than my last flat. We have 2 huge rooms, like living area's, then a bedroom, bathroom, and a big kitchen.  It is a great flat. It has a super nice shower with the shower jets on the wall as well!!! It is  very comfortable and a nice flat. It also has carpet in the rooms, which most the flats don't have. Most of them are all tile floors. 

I am getting a long with Elder Peterson very well. He likes me a lot more than his last companion, so he was happy to have an American and easy to get along with.   He is a fun kid, and a great missionary. He actually teaches a lot, unlike Elder Maraetefau. It is nice to have him teach a lot of the lessons. 

We have some great investigators here though. Most the people we are teaching are referrals, and I have found on my mission that referrals are more serious than people we find. Being a town though we don't have as many investigators as I had in township. 

I'm glad that Blake is back into school and doing ok.  You will have to do something fun with him for his Birthday and try to cheer him up. Tell him happy birthday for me. 

It sounds like you are very busy with Cello. It seems like every time you tell me you have more students. I hope you can handle that and not get too frustrated. That is good you are still trying to swim. I hope you are staying healthy and taking care of yourself. I hope you aren't stressing yourself too much.

The weather is still hot here.   We aren't getting much rain, at least not this last week. Yeah I am still dying of heat some days. I do have the car full time though so I'm not out walking in the sun too much. 

Exciting to hear about the High School swimming. That is great that they beat Wasatch!! I guess that does show they really might have a chance at winning state!! I guess they all just need to stay healthy and keep working hard in the pool this next month before state!! I am sure Calvin will start to drop time as he begins to taper for region and state. 

Thank you for the great thought about the parable of the Laborer and the vineyard.   This is something I have learned a lot on mission. It is important we set goals, but we need to think in terms of achieving our own personal best efforts, rather than in terms of doing better than somebody else.  If we fall into the trap of comparing our goals and accomplishments to those of everyone around us, we will likely think we’re falling short over and over.  I was actually reading about the 11th hour this morning, and it is a great principle. I have also learned that leadership as a missionary doesn't matter. I haven't really been upset about not receiving leadership.  I am happy to just be a normal missionary that gets to teach people. That is really what I came out to do, and not to be a leader. 

I guess I didn't tell you why I am emailing you today. Yesterday we went to the Lion and Rhino park with a member, so we didn't have time to email. We went with an old lady named Sister Masters. She is an old English lady, and she is awesome. We go visit her often because she is lonely because she lost her husband a few months back. She has a super funny sense of humor, so we just laugh with her a whole bunch!! I guess the funniest part of our trip was just having a nice braai. Sister masters packed us a really nice picnic. It reminded me of the nice food you would pack as we would go on trips and things. 

 I have not gotten any mail recently, but I think mail will still get through. If you would like you can start sending letters. I just think they will still take a long time so the news will be old as it arrives. I am still skeptical about packages though. I still wouldn't send any packages. I will still get mail the same way as always, through my Zone Leaders. I will still see them every Friday. They pick up supplies from the office every Thursday. I am only about 20-30 minutes from the mission office, but I don't go there to pick stuff up. 

Well I hope this email was informative and not too boring. Just know that I am happy with my changes, and i am already settled in. I love you and have a great week..

Love,

Elder Brown

Members in Vosloorus South Africa - New Years Eve

Members in Vosloorus 

New Years Fireworks

New Years at the Casino - Dinner with our Zone

Lighting off fireworks - New Years

Week 67 - January 5, 2015

Dear Mom,

I am pretty relieved to have the Christmas time over. It is nice to

have the work slow down a bit and just relax over the Holidays, but it

is much better to be working hard. I remember when I was home I hated having the Christmas holiday end. It meant going back to school for a really long time without any breaks. I am sure that is why Blake is dreading going back to school. Hopefully he can get back into it. I am glad I am not worrying about that right now! It has been a good week. The teaching was still slow, but we had fun on New Years!

The big news is I am getting transferred to a new area tomorrow. I

have been packing my things last night and this morning. I am excited

and sad to get transferred. I had to go around and say goodbye to

members, and it is always sad. This is the area were I think i have

become the closest with members. I don't know yet where I am going, or who my new companion will be. I will let you know all of that next

week.

Yeah the Christmas breakfast and activity was really fun, and they had

it very well planned!! They did so much fun stuff for us, I appreciate all that was done for us The chapel where we celebrated Christmas is right by the MTC. The MTC, Mission office,  and a CES building are all on the same lot of land. It is probably like 30 minutes from the temple though.

I will have to check out the pictures from her blog. Sister Dunn seems very good with her blog to get some good pictures and keep people updated. I am sure you appreciate that a lot. 

We went to a Casino on NewYears day, that is the picture by the statue David. Yeah having the new year start, I can now say I come home this year. It is super nice to think I come home in 7 months. It is still a

while, but it will go very fast. I am glad that it has given you

motivation for things. I hope that you can start completing your

goals. I also have a few goals that I am trying to complete. I also

want to read the Book of Mormon at least one more time, maybe 2. I want to just work hard the next 7 months and finish strong. 

 Our church time has not changed with the new year,  there is only one ward in the building. Most of the buildings only have one ward in the building.

That is cool that Mark Webster is in the Bishopric now. I really like Mark alot. He was an awesome Priest leader, and I had a lot of fun with him. I am sure he will do a great job. Brother Gudmunson is a great guy as well.

On New Years we were supposed to be in at

6 pm on New Years Eve, and we didn't go out on New Years Day. New

Years Eve we came back to our flat and had a braai with Elder Pius and

Harmons. We stayed up just chilling outside because it was really nice

summer night weather, and waited until midnight. We then set off

fireworks, and it was a lot of fun. I did find some good fireworks,

but they ripped me off this year. Last year they were a lot cheaper.

On New Years Day we just kind of slept in, and were a bit lazy. Around about 12 we went to the Bedfordview Chapel and played sports against another zone. There were about 30 of us there, and it was a

lot of fun. I got pretty sunburned!! Then we showered

and went to the casino to eat. That is were I took the pictures by

David.

Yeah I am sure the work will start picking up a lot soon. With the new

year people really have a desire to change and find some kind of

religion, so it makes our job easy. I hope that Vosloorus can pick

back up even though I am leaving. It is a great area, and it has a lot

of potential.

That is cool you got to help with the wedding so much. You are a great

Sister, and I am sure that Laurie really appreciated your help and

support. That is really cool that the twins are now home from there

missions. I am sure the family was really happy to have them home. I

hope it didn't make you sad that I am not home yet. It sounds like the

wedding was a great adventure that I missed out on. I am sure that it

was a lot of fun.

It sounds like dad had a lot of fun flying people around. I bet that

was really fun for Evan, and then the cousins. I hope that dad is

still enjoying this hobby of flying.

That is sweet that you and Carson went up skiing together. I hope that

you had fun. It sounds like it has been really cold lately. I think i

will die next winter. My body had adjusted to the warm climate. To bad

dad didn't go with you, but I am sure he enjoyed getting some things

done.

I am sorry that this week entitles a lot of cleaning up. I am sure you

are not happy to be teaching lessons again. I hope that you are not

too overwhelmed this next week, and you can get everything completed.

I will have to look for that song. It sounds like a great song. I

really love the Childrens Song Book. All the songs are so touching,

and they really remind me of you. I am grateful for your testimony

through music. I know how much you love music, and the effect it has

had on your testimony. I am glad you have also given me this love and

testimony of music.

That is cool that those missionaries responded to you. You will have

to tell them hello back from me. Especially Alex Jolley! What is his

email Address???

Well thank you for the encouragement. Working hard has really been one of my biggest goals this next year, especially as the new year has

started. It really makes the time go much quicker as well. Well I am

so grateful again for you support and love. I hope you continue to

stay happy and healthy. Have a good week.

Love

Elder Brown