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
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