18 Jul 2016

       Malo e lelei!

A fine week indeed this week!

We spent quite a bit of time on Tuesday and Wednesday at the LDS middle school in Pangai helping a dental service group from America. A dentist from Idaho, his wife and kids, and a missionary couple who work in Tonga full time (one an orthodontist and one a dental hygenist) have been going around to church-run middle schools and checking peoples' teeth. At the mission president's request, we (I, my companion and the four sisters) went to help translate for the dentists who were doing the examinations. Although we'd all rather be out baptizing people, it was a fun experience. I learned a lot about dentistry, saw a lot of very bombed-out mouths, and we got to meet a lot of people, to include a few nonmembers. The dentists did a great job and thanked us very much. It was worthwhile indeed.

Last Thursday we ended up spending almost all our time attending to transfers. A couple of the sisters had a baptism, so We went, and right after we dropped a couple sisters at the airport to go back to Tongatapu. We got a couple hours to go visit and teach, and then we went back to the airport. We were a little frustrated because of that. Afterwards, however, we met a boy named Viliami. He is about 15 and he is he man. He shared with us that he believes the Church is true, wants to serve a mission and would like to be baptized. He came to church yesterday and we will teach him again today. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and believes it is true. He has family that are members, and he spends quite a bit of time at their house, so we have been working very closely with them. They have been talking to his parents, who say they are okay with him being baptized. This is a real answer to prayer and a blessing!

A little bit of a slow week, but next week should be better. My companion and I had some good lessons this week and met some cool people, to include members, investigators, and less actives. I love them all to death and I want them to do well. Ever since the MTC, I have prayed for the gift of charity almost every day. Weekly, on Friday before weekly planning, I do the Preach My Gospel chapter 6 Christlike Attribute activity, review my answers, pray for guidance, and set goals for the following week to be more worthy of divine help and gifts such as charity, humility, faith, etc. and I review these with my companion during companionship inventory, this is a run on sentence. It's something I love to do and it has helped me a lot. I've seen real growth and it's really cool how much help I've felt as a result. I've listened to a few talks over the past weeks and months that have helped me understand how this works and how to go about it: Elder Bruce C. Hafen's "The Atonement: All for All;" Elder Richard G. Scott's "The Sustaining Power of Faith;" and Elder Larry E. Lawrence's "What Lack I Yet?". Ultimately, any scripture or talk dealing with the Savior and His Atonement wil help us understand how this works. It's part of the gospel plan and very central to it indeed. Ether 12:27!

I love yous all!!! Keep on praying and reading your scriptures!!

'Ofa atu!

Elder Brown