Thanks Again!

December 26, 2011

Hey Family,

First of all it was amazing seeing you all on the computer. I have a strong testimony of the gospel and how it brings family happiness. I'm so grateful for all of you and your sweet spirits.

Christmas was a great day. I'm so grateful for the spirit of Christmas. Our saviors birth is a wonderful event to celebrate. My morning for Christmas day was a bit different from the rest of you. We woke up at our usual 6:30am time and Elder Messenger was gracious enough to make breakfast for Elder Watkins and Elder Lewis (zone leaders). It was good being with Elder Watkins again for Christmas, i was with him last year in Eden Prairie. We opened our presents together and enjoyed each others company. We tried keeping each other busy Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Later that day we had lunch with some members, and they did a good job of taking care of a few lonely people in Duluth including missionaries +). The spirit let me know of my blessings because the lunch conversation was directed to "favorite Christmas memories". A man who doesn't have much shared his favorite experience. He explained that growing up his mother couldn't provide gifts for the kids, but despite their low income, his favorite memory was singing Christmas hymns with his family. It brought me to tears how sincere he was. All of the other memories were no where near as sincere as his basic and simple memory. We then went to church where we sung Christmas hymns. We had 5 investigators to church! Good thing, because we only had around 50 members =(

Christmas Eve was a great day and we were able to stop by most of our investigators and wish them a merry Christmas. Later that evening we caroled with the zone leaders. It was a good experience and we sounded pretty good. =) It's amazing to think of all the great memories i've developed on Christmas Eve being away from home.

Jaunney will be baptized this Saturday! She'll be the cleanest person for the New Year-- a great way to start a New Years resolution. I'm really excited for the baptism. Jaunney has been through a lot and the ward really needs this to boost their morale.

We were able to eat at the restaurant called Grandma's. There's a really big marathon race called “Grandma” up here. The restaurant is right up against the lake-- it is beautiful. I'll send pictures soon. Duluth is a unique city.

Well I love you all! Hope you have fun this week. Thanks again for the gifts. I'm wearing the hat and using the duct tape wallet right now.

Elder Browning