Riley Science Project

 

Riley decided to do his Science Project on Duck Tape. Are we surprised?  No not really. He bought three different brands and tested them in the washer on his shorts, the dryer on his shorts and outside on his basketball stand.  I was so amazed, because he did this all by himself, except for purchasing the board and duck tape.  He loves science and everything about it.  Hopefully this is our last science project forever, but I don't think Riley will not do it in High School. We will see when that comes or not.

Elder Brown update

Hey from Elder Brown in Hillsboro. Wow, I can only imagine how much snow y'all got and all I can say is that it sounds cold. It actually got cold here pretty quick too. We had a storm come through on Thanksgiving Day which cooled it down from 80 to 50. It got cold really fast, but I liked it. I don't like the Hot and Humid Days. It sucks.
On Thanksgiving Day we ate with a PM/LA family named the Ables. They had a friend named Momma D, she is a black lady and she fed us some really good Thanksgiving dinner. It was so cool to eat with them and to have a good time with them.
Yes, Transfer day is on the 22 of December. Horrible day to have a transfer, but that is the day it will happen. I will let you know the Monday before if I am being transferred or not and what my new address is. It is already halfway through the transfer. I cannot believe it.
Well, that is all for me. I don't have much time left on the computer, so I will talk to you next week!. Have a good week!
-Elder Brown

Elder Brown update

Well, here I am another Monday. Wow, I think that time is starting to move faster, although it still doesn't seem like it some days. Some days it seems like the day will never end.

I cannot believe that it snowed! I want to see some snow so bad. It has been quite a while since I have seen some. Some people in the Branch has told us that it may get really cold by the end of this week. It might be cold enough to snow, but I doubt it. It is still to warm to snow. It is in the 70's today. I bet y'all would like to be down here right about now. Hehe...

No, I don't remember any of my Spanish from High School. I know Si, Hola, Taco Burrito Grande, Adios, and El Libro De Mormon. That's about it. Oh, you can't forget La Biblia. The most famous book in the south. Let me tell you there are so many churches. Holy crap!

We cover a bunch of little towns. Let me name all the towns I can remember, here I go: Hillsboro, Clifton, Meridian, Hubbard, Malone, Penelope, Covington, Laguna Park, Whitney, Itasca, and there are a couple more, I just can't remember them right now. Allot of towns huh? So we live in Hillsboro, and our Branch Mission Leader live in Clifton which is a 45 minute drive to his house. That's about 35-40 miles. We drive a ton out here. We drive everywhere. Also, since the transfer before me to now, we have tracted, meaning knocked every door in Hillsboro. Can you believe that? We have knocked all of Hillsboro. That's crazy!

Well, an Part Member/Less Active family has decided to feed us Thanksgiving dinner. They are a cool family. The father is not a member of the church. The main reason why he is not a member is because one of his great grandparents was in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He doesn't like the church very much, but supports what we are doing. Hopefully he will start liking us enough to want to join someday.

Yesterday I got to meet an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Elder Christofferson is amazing. I really like him. He instructed us and gave some great advice. I loved it. I got to shake his hand too. It was very cool. I will probably never get that experience again in my life. It was so cool. I also saw Elder Walgamott there and he told me that some people we were teaching together in Mansfield got baptized since I left. I was so happy. Also some people that I was teaching in Chapel Creek got baptized as well. I was happy that they got baptized, but sad that I wasn't there. Oh well, what can you do.

  

Well, I think that is all for this week! I hope that y'all have a good Thanksgiving and be safe in your travels!

-Elder Brown

Cool Sunsets

We have had some really cool and pretty sunsets lately down by Utah Lake.  We could not but take some pictures, so here they are.

Erika Sterling Scholar Alternate

Erika applied to be Sterline Scholar for Provo High in Family and Consumer Science.  She was told today that she was the alternate, so she gets all the glory but doesn't have to do any work.  She has worked so hard this year to get good grades so she can apply for BYU.  She has been interning at Westridge Elementary helping the 1st grade teacher and she helps with the Baby Bulldog preschool at PHS.  She loves kids and that is why she wants to be an Elementary Teacher.  She was so happy and we are so proud of her for all her accomplishments over the last 13 years of school. GOOD JOB ERIKA!!!

Elder Brown update

Hello from Hillsboro Texas. Well, all I can say is there is NOTHING OUT HERE! I am in a small town of about I think 5-10,000 people. It is so small. I am not used to it. I am definitely in the country let me tell you. We cover almost 8 small towns in Texas. It is really hard to do missionary work out here because there just aren't very many people to talk to. Elder Roberts and I are doing our best to do lots of member missionary work. It is the ONLY effective thing we can do out here in Hillsboro. Our District and Zone Leaders live in Waco. It is a 45-1 Hr drive to Waco from here. I am in the middle of nowhere. Our area is also the 5th largest area in the mission. It is HUGE!
Elder Roberts has only been out 6 months. He is a Spanish Missionary and I am definitely learning some Spanish. We teach a lot of Spanish investigators. We even have 1 baptismal date with 1 of them.
Well, a couple of things. We are in a Branch. There aren't very many active members. All of the members that are active are OLD. Old people branch. Oh well...what can I say.
Elder Roberts is from Idaho Falls Idaho. I already told you how long he has been out in the mission field. He does speak good English. Is is learning Spanish, as well am I apparently. Yes, we are in a apartment again. The mission president is making a BIG push to put as many missionaries as possible into members homes though. I don't know how well it is going. The weather is finally nice. It is in the low 60's. I love it! I hate it when it is hot! We finally had to turn the heater on yesterday. It is finally cold enough to do that. I bet y'all are like, please send some of that warmth this way. Well, come down here, ha ha.
Anyways, I that is all I have for this e-mail. I hope to get some letters coming in from all of you this week. Have a wonderful week!

-Elder Brown

P.S. We have some crazy members in our Branch.

Riley Honor Roll Term 1

Elder Brown transfer day to Hillsboro

 

Elder Brown update

Well, guess what, I am getting Transferred! I know, crazy huh? I thought the same thing when I found out that I was leaving. I am being moved to a small town called Hillsboro, TX. I currently do not have my address, but I will send you a letter with it as soon as possible so you can send me letters back. I also am going to be getting a package tomorrow from someone. I'm not sure who it is, but I will get it tomorrow. They couldn't deliver it because the address was wrong. It is a good thing that the USPS lady knows we live at the Feil's and gave me the card saying that they couldn't deliver it.

Oh, and here is what I've so far heard about Hillsboro. It is a town with about 10,000 people. They have a small branch there and they just got a new building. Also it is in the new Waco Stake which was just organized about 4 weeks ago. It is so exciting. So I will be in the southern part of the mission for the next little bit. My new companion is Elder Roberts and he is a Spanish Missionary. So that means that we are in what we call as missionaries, a Zebra. Meaning there is 1 English missionary and 1 Spanish. It is going to be very exciting to do some Spanish work as well. I might even pick up on some Spanish, you never know.

Well, other than that big news, we are also going to be able to start texting tomorrow. Yes Texting, there are lots of rules on it though. President Sagers says that he is going to monitor it heavily and if he sees anyone texting someone that they shouldn't he will get rid of it A.S.A.P. So, yeah, but we can now text people to set up appointments, arrange exchanges, and whatnot. It is so cool, I'm excited!
Well, I am glad that Dad had a good time in Germany and France. I hope he makes it home safely. I also hope that all goes well with Erika and her stuff to get into BYU. Hope all goes well.
I can honestly say that I left this area better than I found it. There are 3 baptisms coming up in November for this area, and I am so happy that I got to be part of it. Hope all goes well this week in Snowy Utah. It is in the low 70's here in Texas. I'm sure that sounds wonderful to y'all in Utah right now. Well, snow would be nice to me it is way too hot to be November. I cannot believe it is November and it is in the low 70's. This just isn't right.
I also have some pictures to send home as well as the Band of Brothers. I hope you like the pictures. They are of a family named the Allen's. Bro Allen is not a member and we were working with him for quite a while. He is a cool guy, just has a lot of problems with the church. Oh well, I'm sure one day he will get baptized..  Hope that y'all have a good week! Love ya!
-Elder Brown

P.S. I just hit my 13 month mark yesterday. WOW!

Sharri hiking with co-wrokers

Today, I went on a hike with my co-workers, Alice and Jane.  They invited me to go with them up to Dry Canyon Trail in Orem.  It was a beautiful day, not to cold and not to hot.  The leaves where changing colors and the view was amazing.  We hiked up the trail hills for about an hour until we saw the spring and then we headed back.  In total we were gone for two and half hours.  I am so glad that I have these great women to inspire me to get back into shape. Alice has lost over 50 lbs and Jane and I are at 25 lbs.  We go weekly to weight watchers and have a great time together.  We see each other at work and help each other out with what things we should eat or not.  This has been a great support system for me.  Thanks again for the great hike.

Brian's visit to St. Quentin

Brian was able to visit his mission area on his way back home from Germany.  He went bowling with Pascal and the Suebe family on Saturday and then went to church with them. He also was able to visit and stay with Pascal.

Brian with Germany co-workers

Elder Brown update

Well, here another Monday, and I am writing y'all again. This past week has been very interesting. We have a new investigator that Maddi Thorpe, one of the young women in the ward, brought to us. Her name is Paisley and she is very open to hearing the message, and eventually wants to get baptized. Also, one of the young men, Jordan, brought a non-member friend named Jaylen to church. We are also teaching him. The work with the youth is awesome! I think that the youth are a great place for referrals and they are very strong in what they believe.
Well, this past week it has been very interesting. We were invited up to President Sagers home on Monday and he and I were talking and then Elder Proctor called President Sagers and next thing I know President is handing me the phone and saying talk to him. I was able to talk to Elder Proctor for a couple of minutes. It was so cool to get to talk to him! He told me that it is very cold in Utah and that he wishes he were here where it is warm. Although it is cooling down. We might be getting a rainstorm in the next few days that will cool it down to the mid 60's. I love it! Cool it down!
This week is also board week and transfer calls are this upcoming Saturday the 6th of November and Transfer Day is on the 10th of November. Wow, another transfer has gone by. Next transfer will be my 10th transfer in the mission field. Also, I am coming up on 13 months this upcoming Sunday. WOW!
Well, I don't have too much else to say, other than things are going good and I am trying my best to survive being a missionary. Let me tell you that missionary work is VERY HARD! You might think, well you just need to go out and do the lords work, well it is not that easy. Every day you wonder whether you are going to get yelled at, a dog barks and attempts to run at you, but luckily the screen door is stopping him. It is very hard, and I was not ready at all to be a missionary when I left, but I am here, and I just got to stick it out, I hope I can. I need all the help I can get. It is not easy, and it is very stressful and depressing occasionally.
I hope everyone back home is alive and well and especially you mom, I hope you are okay without Dad around.  Anyways, that is all for this week!  Have a good week and be safe!
-Elder Brown