A Lesson on the Restoration

Hello mom and dad! I did get your Valentine's Day box, and it was great :) . I loved reading all the notes like normal and eating the candy (I'm still working on that) . The reason it wasn't in the email last week was because we went to the library and the whole server crashed, so we had to go to the Allen's house to do email, and I forgot to retype that part. Sorry about that. That was also why the email came later, but every email will be later from now on since we don't have the car anymore.

I just received your letters before I left the flat, so I didn't have time to read them yet. I'll wrok on getting you a picture of Elder Frahm and I. I just am never thinking about my camera, honestly.

This week has been really different than usual thanks to all the changes made, but we've still been getting a lot of good work done. Most of the work we've been doing has been with less actives and recent converts, and this week we'll be asking them for referrals, because they always seem to have friends who would be interested. We've found a lot of potential investigators this week that we'll be contacting this week, which I'm excited for.

One of our lessons this week was with Z and A's family (A and her son D were recently baptized). We have been teaching their daughter, D, who is hopefully going to be able to be baptized soon. She hasn't been yet because she didn't understand and remember some of the more important things that we'd taught the family previously, so Elder Frahm and I are going back over those lessons with them now. This particular lesson was the Restoration of the gospel, and it was easily the most spiritually powerful lesson I have ever been in, and we've had some great ones before. The turning point of it all was when I retold Joseph Smith's account of the 1st vison. Beforehand I told them that I wanted to share something with them that had very powerful words, and that they should listen closely. They all did, and by the time I finished, everything was still and silent, even the energetic 4-year-old daughter. Elder Frahm and I bore our testimonies about the truth of it, and explained why it was so important, and the room was just totally calm and peaceful. The warmth of the Holy Ghost that I felt, I could see radiating from each of these people. D even said the closing prayer (with help from her younger brother D, who's the greatest little 8 year old ever) . At the end as we were getting ready to go, D quietly whispered to herself something that I only caught part of because it was so soft, but what I heard was "true faith". I know that the Spirit testified to every person in that room just as much as it did to me that what we had shared was true. As we left, everyone was still speaking in quiet tones, nearly whispering, reverent of the bright light that had filled each of us.

I love it when I am able to be a part of God telling his children when they're doing something right. I love feeling his love for them and for me. It's the best part of being a missionary.

That's this week's highlight, and this week is sure to bring more miracles yet. Thank you for what you do for me :) . I love you all very much, and I know that there wouldn't be any way I'd have made it out here if you hadn't raised me right. You're the best parents I could've asked for, and I'm sure that I did before I came down here to the earth. Heavenly father was looking out for me then, and he still is now. He knows and cares for every one of his children, of that I'm sure.
Until next week! Love,
Elder Brown