Hello, mom and dad :) . Thanks for the pictures and package; it actually arrived this morning while we were still home, so we were around to answer the door and I didn't have to go pick it up from anywhere. Thank you for sending it :) . But most of all, thanks for bringing me into the world, and doing it at the right time with covenants to make it last. You are the best!
Well, this week has been good. There was a zone conference that E. Williams was at, so we got some pictures together. Here in Sheffield we've managed to get things pretty much resolved with all the problems that popped up last week, and things seem to be in decent order. We actually saw a lot of success near the end of this week in finding some new people and scheduling them for baptism. Our mission's been working on using the resource of a baptismal calender properly, and we've been applying those principles the last coupe weeks. We saw it have a really fantastic effect this week, and we're excited for the people who've accepted the goal to be baptized. The thing is, none of them made it to church, so some prayers to help encourage some effort in that direction would be very valuable. Just to make the point that people are blessed by your prayers and appreciate them, I wanted to share something that M said this week. We've gotten her a coffee glass marked with levels of how much she can drink as she works her way off of it, and she made a comment in the lesson that really impressed me. She said she's determined to stop, both for God, but also in part for Tamsyn, who's been praying for her in specific for a long time now. I've told M this in the past and mention it every once in a while, and that knowledge is a strength for M who has never once met my sister. Prayer builds bonds, and it's a great progressor of love and well-doing.
I love what our stake president recently said in regards to our branch here. He said he doesn't compare it to the English wards and branches, because it's quite simply in a different set of circumstances. He likes to rather look at it it's growth in relation to where the early restored church was in the same time frame of it's establishment, because that's essentially what's going on here. Building this branch with these people is bringing the Restoration of the gospel finally to them after all this time. When he looks at things in those regards, he's very pleased with the progress and state of the branch. He said he knows things won't be perfect and there will be some challenges, but the overall trend is positive and good. I agree wholeheartedly. What's going on here is a miracle, and it's one that's only just beginning if we look at the bigger picture. That thought really makes me smile.
I love you very much, and I feel your love for me often. I am frequently struck with gratitude for things you've provided me with and and taught me, and I'd just like to give a blanket thank-you for those. If I tried to list them, I wouldn't have time and I'd miss some anyway. So thanks :) .
Love,
Elder Brown
Me and the rest of the Slovak-American crew (Elders Bowen, Frahm, and Williams)
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