April 20 , 2015

Dear Mom,

It has been a good week on this side! I feel it has been productive, even if we haven't been teaching a lot of investigators. I feel like Elder Jackson and I are working hard, and using our time wisely.

I guess the big event was my birthday!! It was pretty good. I had a few members at church remember my birthday, and wish me a happy birthday at church!! I am grateful to be a great ward that has good members. We went to a black families for dinner last night, and they brought out a cake and sang happy birthday to me, and that was great! I took a video of it, and I will send that too you.  

I am grateful to have spent my birthday here. It is hard to know I am away from my family, but it is for a reason. I know that it is worth it to spend my birthday away from home to share the gospel! Birthday's on mission are weird because it is just like every other day.   We might go to the Apartheid museum today, so that will be something fun for my birthday. 

Hooray I got the birthday/ Easter package this week!! I was excited to receive your package right before my birthday! Thank you so much for all you sent me. It was all great. I am going to get fat quick though with all the candy. I guess I will have to just give it away. Elder Jackson and I have been eating candy constantly the last few days haha!! There were some really cool things in your package. Thanks for the book, it is really nice. I think it will be nice to show to people what home is like! Also thank you for the recordings! It is really good to hear you voices, and weird to think I will hear you again in a few weeks(mothers day)

I also got two more letters, so I think the mail is getting through just fine now! 

Well I guess with school I really don't know. I guess I will be fine to just jump into hard classes. i just feel stupid now after being away from school, and I hope I won't struggle getting back into things. I would like to try and work at the same time, but I am sure I could find a job somewhere that would be at night. Thank you so much for getting me all signed up. I know it is a lot of stress. Also tell Blake thanks! 

The week has been good. We are really only teaching Wilhemina, Esther and Jackie. Those are the only good investigators we have right now. Wilhemina and Esther will be getting baptized this upcoming Sunday on the 26th! They were interviewed this last Friday, and I think they are both ready for baptism. I am so happy for the two of them. I guess it really has been a journey for them. It is so uplifting to see someone change. I have seen them change from having no testimony, to now having a decent testimony, and wanting to follow the Savior. I guess my testimony has grown so much watching them grow. I have really just relearned simple truths a long side them. I hope that they will continue to grown and develop in the gospel. I will let you know next week how the baptism went and send pictures.

We had a miracle with Jackie this week. On Monday we fasted with her, and we challenged her to fast from smoking as well. She went the whole fast without smoking, but that wasn't the miracle. We met her on Tuesday night, and had a great lesson on Faith. We taught her that if she had enough faith she could overcome her smoking tonight! She was a bit nervous, but she believed. We gave her a Priesthood blessing, and then threw her cigarettes away! Since Tuesday she still has not smoked!!! It is amazing how the Lord works, and that he can just take this addiction of 34 years away from Jackie!! I am so grateful that I was able to be part of this. I wrote a letter, and talked a bit more about it. I guess the only disappointing thing is Jackie hasn't really been coming to church. It seems like something different happens every week. This week Nathan, her son, was gone, so she didn't dare come to church by herself. it is upsetting because she told us on Saturday night that she would be there. I guess we will keep working with here. 

The rest of the week we have been seeing members and less actives. We did see I guess a few other investigators, but no one note worthy. we have really been working with our members, and asking them for referrals, and even ways we can find people. WE are hoping in the next 2 weeks that this work with the members will start to pay off. It is so hard to find new people in this area, so we will just keep trying, and stay motivated. We have been doing service as well, and we are going to try and start some other service at schools and things. I will let you know if any of it works out. 

This week I have been missing home being my birthday. I guess it has really made me reflect though on this last year. I am so happy that I have been able to spend my last two birthday on a mission. There is nowhere else that I would rather be. I guess sometimes I wish I was home with friends and things, but I really would be nowhere else. I know this is the best place for me to be. I have learned so much. My testimony of the Savior and Atonement have grown so much!! I am so grateful that we have Christ as our Savior, and that we are able to repent. It is also amazing to share more with people about the Savior, and what is possible because of him. 

Elder Jackson is great. We are pretty much best pals!! We have a lot of fun together, and we are also able to motivate each other!I am so grateful to have a good companion!  I went to the Rugby game last Saturday with Elder Raymond! He got permission to go because it is his last transfer, and he invited us. If you remember I served around him when I was in Hospital View, and we became really good friends. It was a fun game, and we were pretty much the only ones there supporting the Reds! All the big Afrikaners were just staring at us and they looked upset that we were supporting the other team! haha

 I have president interviews tomorrow! We will be at the mission home from 11-1. It is nice to go and see the Dunn's. The weather has been cooling off a bit! Today and yesterday were a lot colder. I think that winter is coming. I guess we have been in fall the last few months, but they don't really have any leaves or anything that change. They go from green to brown!! We have gotten a bit of rain, and I guess if it rains this time of year it will be a cold winter. I will try to keep you updated on weather. 

I am grateful for this Easter time, and I am glad that I am your Easter baby. I hope that I wasn't too much trouble for you. I am nowhere near perfect, but I am glad that you still love me. I hope the week is a good one. I love and miss you. 

Love

Your son

Elder Brown