25 Jul 2016

Malo e lelei!

Good week this week!! I emailed last week about Viliami, my favorite investigator of my life so far. We were able to baptize him on saturday!!! Everything about this situation has been a miracle and a blessing.

This experience is a testament to how awesome the members are here; his fellowshipper family helped him establish the baptismal date, helped us get the approval of his parents, answered his questions, helped us with the lessons, set up teaching appointments, gave us daily updates about him, etc. We will begin to reteach the lessons tomorrow. He's the man and really wanted to be baptized. We probably never would have found him, let alone baptized him, if it wasn't for that family. We have the best members on earth here!

Another thing that's happened, we've started teaching another man named Viliami (another referral!). He's in his early 20's and has decided he wants to serve a mission. He says he was baptized a long time ago, but his records may have gone missing. If that's the case, we will reteach him and rebaptize him, according to the guidelines set by the mission president. He is very inactive; he hasn't gone to church in years, and he's sick of not being happy. We really hope and pray it works out for him.

The lesson of the week is that the missionaries are going to have a much easier job and a much more fruitful harvest if the members get involved!! Remember that Alma didn't accomplish anything in the city of Ammonihah until Amulek joined him. The invitation and the challenge for this week is to be an Amulek! Read the scriptures, pray and fast, and you will know who you can invite. Be brave, join the missionaries as they teach, pray for them, and you'll see miracles. I have!!!

In my personal studies, I've started to study more and more about the Savior Himself, in addition to the studies of His doctrine, His atonement, etc. It has brought the atonement to life and given it new meaning. I understand it now in greater depth. I love the book 'Jesus the Christ' by James E. Talmage; it has helped me to understand and to know who the Lord is and what he's done.

Great week this week!!!!

'Ofa lahi atu kiate kimoutolu! Alu 'o fakaafe'i ha ni'ihi kehe ke nau ha'u kia Kalaisi!

Elder Brown

Baptism!!!!

Sometimes the children run out of things to do, which forces them to be creative. It's amazing how much fun you can have with apple slices and a syringe.

'Eua high school

A big ol boat, here to refill the gas station tanks

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

10 July 16 'Ohonua ki ai! New Mission President- President Tuione, New Companion Elder Ofa

             Malo e lelei!

This has been a good week. We didn't get any new investigators and nobody wants to be baptized (yet), but it was productive and fun anyway.

Our goal and vision is to split the ward.  We've nearly met the membership requirement Hence, after meeting with the bishop, we've decided that we'd help the ward out with reactivation and retention in a big way. We are working with the bishop and home teachers to help people be strong in the church and (in many cases) to return to activity. Wish us luck!

Missionary leadership conference was great. The new mission president in the man! His name is president Tui'one. He and his wife were born and raised in Tonga and have been living in New Zealand. They are both young; i think he is in his early 40's and his wife is in her 30's. They are amazing! After we landed, we headed to the office to interview with the new president. Our ride was hours late, so we got to hang out with him for like an hour and a half, ask him questions, joke around, get to know him, etc. it was one of my funnest memories of the mission so far; he's just the man. He will be coming out to 'Eua next week to get to know us and (hopefully) go out and teach with us. 

He teaches us to be a mission that follows preach my gospel and the white handbook, no more and no less (beyond the necessary modifications, i.e. skirts instead of pants, slippers instead of shoes). This means rugby and basketball and volleyball is now allowed!! we're stoked. 

Transfers were yesterday. We're getting a new set of sisters in Tongamama'o, a city further to the south. Much needed support. Me and my companion are the only elders out here; there are going to be 6 sisters. I'm already starting to see this is a bit of a different ball game.

My companion is elder Ofa (the one who was in my class in the MTC) He's the man!

I've been going through the topical guide under the entries for 'obedience'. It's remarkable how straightforward a subject it is. A new favorite verse of mine is D&C 130:20-21.

"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

I've also been reading chapter 3 in Preach My Gospel. I've always read from it pretty consistently, but I've found some pretty cool nuggets of wisdom as I've read the lessons over and over again.

'Ofa lahi atu kiate kimoutolu! 'Oku ou 'ilo 'oku mo'oni 'a e ongoongolelei, 'a ia ne fakafoki mai 'e Siosefa Sāmita. Ko e siasi mo'oni eni, pea ko u 'ilo'i fakapapau 'a e me'a ko ia 'i he mālohi 'o e laumālie ma'oni'oní.

I know it's true!

Elder Brown

26 June 2016

I'm low on time; I'm off into the jungle for the rest of the day (i'll take and send pictures). I'll try to email later.

I relistened at the talk "a reservoir of living water" and am patterning my scripture study after it. 

I'm reading the book of mormon all the way through at good speed; i'll do the new testament in a couple weeks and the same with the d&c.

This area is the best area in the world. the work's really fast, we get referrals out the wazoo, and the members are the best. 

Incidentally, i and my comp are the only elders on the island. There are two other pairs of sisters here. 

I love you so much!

'Ofa atu,

Elder Brown

 

This is what I did today!

I love you all so much!

20 June 2016- Transferred to 'Eua!

Guess who finally got off the main island!!!! (not that I really cared anyway) Your kid elder Brown did!!!

I'm on 'Eua; don't let its proximity to the main island get you fooled, it's nothing like it at all. This place is the coolest. I am here with the previous district leader, who is leaving next week. I'll be replacing him after that.

This is a fairly big island, but there are only 6 missionaries on it. Since we're not part of any zone, I'll get to fly back to Tongatapu once a month and go to missionary leadership conference. I'll get to go to the temple every month as a part of that. My area is the northern half of the island, and we stay in the main town. The people here are a blast. I haven't talked to many of them; it's p-day so we only got around to visiting like 3, whom we happened to see walking down the road.

Although my proselyting area is the northern half of the island, i can go 'pretty much anywhere I want'. this is one cool place. There are caves, cliffs, jungles, and all kine good bah. The members are already having me excited. They seem to be very involved in the work.

I gotta run!

'Ofa atu!

Elder Brown

6 Jun 2016

Malo e lelei!

I'm low on time (once again) but I thought I'll give a little play by play with what time I have left.

The elders from Niuatoputapu (the island from 'the other side of heaven') got transferred and waited a few days in our area for their plane to come. They were very cool and the members loved them. We've had a ball the last few days.

For some reason (which we've been unable to identify) nobody seemed to be home until like thursday afternoon. We made good progress and our area is better off because of this week, despite the lack of stuff to do early on.

We established another baptismal date and got a number of new investigators.

Tongan culture lesson of the week: Tongans aren't embarrassed to give us referrals when the refer-ee is present. This happened twice last week as we walked around and once during sacrament meeting. During priesthood, bishop asked if anyone had a person for the missionaries to teach, so like five people pointed at a nonmember boy in the audience. We went in and taught him, expected it to be really awkward, but it wasn't. It was a good lesson and we're going back tomorrow.

I had a really fun week and we got lots of work done.

'Ofa atu!

Elder Brown

23 May 2016

         Malo e lelei!

Time has been very limited the last couple of weeks for one reason or another. I don't have too much time this week either, but I'll try to get back to the mass email thing.

Things have been picking up a bit here. We got 5 new investigators and are teaching a lot more. The members are continuing to open up to us and they're really cool now that we're through their shell. We got 4 referrals this week, which is a world record. They're a lot of fun and they are getting more and more excited about the work. Visiting them is a lot of fun and makes the work a million times smoother.

My companion is doing very well. He is obedient, he is very good at studying and is able to take the embarrassment and criticism inherent in language learning without letting it affect him. Next week will be the end of his sixth week, so we'll stop speaking English then. We had planned to do it starting on day one, but it just wasn't working. We've been planning this for a number of weeks now. I'm just praying for the energy and motivation to follow through on it.

My watch got stolen a couple months ago so I'd been watch-less until yesterday. My zone leader had one of the g-shock ones and I got it off of him, which was a cherry on top of the crazy week we had. I'm torn between showing it off and hiding it for fear of it getting taken.

That's all for this week.

I love you all!

'Ofa atu,

Elder Brown