MITCHELL HOMECOMING - SUNDAY AUGUST 9

Jackie Baptism and reuniting with old friends

July 27, 15

Dear Mom,

It has been a good week, and I am so excited to be coming home in 9 days!! It is so weird, and it really doesn't seem real to me. I guess it will start to feel more real as this week goes on. 

Jackie's baptism was wonderful, and it was an amazing experience. It was just great to see her finally make it to baptism. She has wanted it for so long, and it is great she has finally made it! The ward was great to be there to support, and it was really fun to see a lot of the ward members again! Jackie asked me to give a talk on baptism, and it was good. The program went well. The spirit was so strong at the baptism, and I am just happy. Jackie and Nathan were very excited to see me. 

Elder Bua was supportive, but it seems like he didn't really want to be there, grateful he was willing to come with me to the baptism.

 The week went well. Our best investigator still is Paballo, and he is a sweet young man. He will probably be baptized the week after I leave, but it is ok. Probably one of the coolest experiences was returning to Secunda this past Thursday. It was just sweet to be back out there, and to visit people. The coolest people to see were Fortune Mnisi, and Steve and Leoba. I baptized Leoba, and I was teaching Steve and he was baptized right after I left. They now have a pretty big group in Emba. Remember when I was trying to start that. Steve is also the group leader!! It was just so great to see how strong Steve and Leoba are now in the gospel!!

We have few other ladies that we are teaching that are coming to church. They might also be baptized next month. Most of the investigators we have are part member families. This one lady named Joyce is a mother to a member, and she loves the gospel. It is just annoying that people are so slow to understand! I get frustrated sometimes, but I am trying to be patient. It is so great to teach and I still love sharing the gospel. I don't think I will ever get tired of sharing the gospel. I would love to go out with the missionaries when I get back to just have those teaching experiences. 

I have not started to pack andI have not given away too much yet.  I will be more focused on packing this week and giving things away! I think I will give away a lot of my dress clothes. 

I am thinking about buying another suit??  I looked at my suit and it is made out of cotton, and it is starting to fade, and the suits here are really cheap. I can get a nice polyester suit for about 1750 Rand, which is $145. I know I will get another suit soon after I get home anyways, so it would be cheaper to get a new one here.

 Next Tuesday there are 22 of us leaving at the same time. There are a lot from my MTC group that will be going with me. Loveless will be on the plane with me, and Pederson. I know sister Dunn will post all our pictures on her blog that last Monday, so you will see everyone. I am not sure how many will be coming to Salt Lake, but I think a lot. 

I don't think there is anything I need. You can make a dental appointment with dad for me to get a check up, and to get my teeth cleaned sometime soon after returning! Thank you for asking about Elder Bau.  We are pretty much the same I would say! Like I have tried to talk to him, but he just ignores me. I will not give up and try to get him to open up this week.   I wish I knew what is wrong. I just have to endure the last week though, and it really isn't too bad! I have a lot of other people to talk to. Thankful for the other missionaries in the building. 

Excited to have Randall and Ashley come to the Salt Lake Airport.  Tell them thank you and send me their phone numbers so I can contact them if I need to.  I am super excited to be returning home soon. I am just trying to work hard, and prepare to return home. I am sad to think this time of service will be ending, but I know it is time to move on. I have learned so much, and my testimony has grown so much. I wouldn't have been able to learn what I have learned anywhere else! I am excited to share all my different experiences with you and the family upon my return. I hope you have a good week, and don't stress to much about preparing for me to get home. I will be happy to just be home with you. 

Love

Your Son

Elder Mitchell Brown

Email from Bishops wife in Mitchell Ward - July 26, 15

Sister Brown
It was wonderful to have Elder Brown attend Jackie's baptism today. She has a great love for the missionaries and for Elder Brown in particular. He played a big part in preparing her for baptism. We wish him well for his last week on mission. I'm sure you are excited to have him come home. 
Love 
The Pienaar Family

Last Trip to Johannesburg Temple - Selcourt District at Temple

July 20, 15

Dear Mom,

Thank You for all the updates, and telling me about your week. It is always fun to read, and don't worry about it being too long. I will try to answer all you questions, but I might not comment on other stuff because of time. 

First off Elder Bua and I are about the same. I guess I now have a better understanding for him. I have heard from a lot of his past companions he is just quiet and he doesn't ever talk to his companions. In the area we are doing better, like we kind of laugh at the things each other say. I guess there is a bit of tension in our teaching, and I have felt the spirit hindered a few times. I think for the most part though our teaching goes well. Just the hardest part is we don't plan at all. I try almost every night to ask him what we are teaching people, and it is so hard for him to respond.  We are doing better though, and Elder Loveless and Segil that live next door are good to help me survive. 

My district leader responsibilities are going well. I enjoy teaching district meetings. I taught a good lesson on attitude this week, and it was great. I am just trying to teach by example. I went on an exchange with elder Loveless this week to his area of Selcourt. It was a good exchange, and it was a good break from Elder Bua. I am planned to go on an exchange to Secunda this week, so that will be fun to see a few people that I knew. 

I’m in a pretty nice apartment. The first week we had a problem with our water heater, so there was no hot water, so I would go next door to shower. I keep forgetting to take a picture of my rigged up shower curtain. I have been carrying my bedding around with me my whole mission.  We are supposed to find someone that would benefit from our bedding in the area, and give it to them. Just like all the other flats I have stayed in there is a washer, but no dryer. I look forward to having a dryer again! 

 The week went well. We are teaching a lot of investigators, and mostly members and recent converts. Paballo is doing great, and he is scheduled to be baptized the 2nd of August. So everyday I normally make chicken and sweet potato’s before we go to the area. I then just bring snacks to eat in the area like oranges, bananas, and nuts. We get fed every night in this area as well, but the food isn't as nice as Randburg. It is township food, so pap and chicken pretty much every night. We are sharing a car with the Selcourt Elders(Segil and Loveless). We walk on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. On those days we get dropped off in the area, and we walk all day back and forth to our appointments. We then wait for a ride at our last appointment. Everyday was exactly the same. We walked around and taught lessons to the same people. Like I said most of the lessons we teach are to members and Recent converts. Anyone that has been baptized in the last year is considered a recent convert.

The best part of the week was my final temple trip. I sent a few pictures of that. It was super nice, but a bit sad to think that was my last time at the Johannesburg Temple. They do show the same new videos here, but the endowment rooms are tiny. You start in the endowment room, and then go through the veil into the celestial room, so you only go through two rooms during the session. It will be fun to come back to this temple with you someday.

Jackie is getting baptized next week, and I am excited to go back. I will have to get some pictures with her, and it will be fun to go around and visit some members while I am there.

I had interviews a few weeks ago with President Dunn.  I did share my concerns, and he told me that I was doing a great job with Elder Bua, and I just needed to hang in there and make it through. We basically just talked about home haha!! My final interview is on the 31st of this month. 

The only African dish I can think of is pap. I don't know if you can buy maize meal to make it with?? Everything else I eat here is just normal, except nasty stuff that I will never eat again like chicken intestines, livers, feet, and that stuff. 

It sounds like you have some fun things planned for when I get home. I look forward to having fun with the family and just resting. It will be nice to just have that second week to do some stuff on my own. Well I hope you have a great week, and I hope all is going well. Know I love you and I am praying for you. I look forward to seeing you in two weeks.

Love

Your Son

Elder Brown