Re: Hello From Shelley

Sept 20, 2010

Hey Family

So i received your letter mom, and I'm very concerned about your health. That's the last thing i need on my mind! I'll fast and pray for you! I love you mom!

This week we received a bunch of potentials. Weekends are definitely for proselyting,there was actually a strip of houses we got return appointments with, cool! We'll see how this week goes as far as adding to our investigate pool. We're really trying hard to follow up with everyone we come in contact with that seems to have an interest in the gospel. Our goal this week was to receive 3 new investigators, we fell short but got a solid 1. Art is his name, really cool down to earth middle aged man that has struggled with drugs and worldly things. He's striving to change each day, and basically is willing to listen to anything we have to say. We'll be teaching him the restoration this week. As far as Stephanie, we haven't been able to make contact, so I'm afraid Satan has attacked her heart, I'll keep you updated.

Our ward activity was on the 18th. We had 9 non members attend the social out of 80 people. We were expecting double the numbers, but hey if one investigator had a good experience, we feel it was a success.Our investigator Kristina came with her friend and daughter! We had a delicious BBQ dinner with a church tour. Kristina was impressed with the church structure and I'm hoping she'll come to church next week. Kristina actually first just wanted us to come and teach her daughter about God, but we've been able to teach her as well. We'll teach her the restoration this week.

A miracle happened on the 16th. We found Quentella, a former investigator who dropped us a month ago. We've been working on the area book the last week and tracked into her new apartment. We tried her old home last sunday and nobody answered. We found out the real story why we lost contact with them. She wants the missionaries to return and visit with her. This was my first ground zero investigator, so it was a tender mercy to find them again. She actually pulled up into the driveway when we were walking back to our bikes. The Lord works in miracles.

Well family i love you all. I miss you. Let me know how the cougars are doing, I heard they lost to AF =(.

Mom i'll continue to pray for you. and i wish you the best. =)

Elder Browning

Second Week in the Transfer

Sep 13, 2010

Hey Family!

 

   So it's my second week in the transfer. Our district has changed, but we're still kicking.

 

Our new district leader is Elder Sechser, he's from grace Idaho! He's totally different from Elder Payne, but none the less a wonderful elder. He's been out 9 months and a strong cow boy attitude character. There is a new elder in the district- so I'm not the youngest anymore. It's hard being a greeny, missionaries don't give respect to the new kids on the block. Pride is the number one issue in missionary work i think. I want to make myself a promise never to be puffed up with pride when i get older and more wise.

 

We Picked up two new Investigators- Viccent is his name, way cool guy, i can totally see him as a bishop one day! We can thank the sister missionaries for the referral. It really is a team effort. Without referrals, nothing would progress. We jump on referrals like tigers on deer. President Howell  told us to treat referrals with care and be prompt to contact.  Tomorrow we're visiting a referral from temple square! 

 

Investigators are hard to retain. Stephanie hasn't answered our calls for a week. Things are not looking good. There is nothing worse in the world when your investigator makes progress then drops off the face of the earth and ignores you. Satan is real, he attacks when our investigators are almost at their peak. Luckily, the Lord is over all things, so I'm staying positive.

 

Our big ward activity is coming up this Saturday. Rochester 1st ward has been planning this for 6 months now. The dinner will be pulled pork- Bro Dali is in charge, and I've had his meat before-i'm so excited! There will also be folk band playing live music in the background. After the dinner and entertainment, there will be a simple church tour concluding with root beer floats in the gym. It's a very chill environment and us missionaries will be social butterflies. Brother Levitt is the ward misson leader, I have so much respect for this man,it will be a success.

 

I bought a jacket at JC penny, It's been getting cold. It's a 100 dollar jacket that i got for 60bucks. It was a must, i went without a jacket a couple of times in the rain/windy Minnesota climate.

 

I love you all and hope you guys have a great day/week!

 

Love, Elder Browning

Second Transfer

Sep 6, 2010

Dear Family,

 

Hey! So my second transfer is on  its way! What a crazy week its been!

 

So Sep 1 was a transfer day, we had 2 Elders leave our district. I'm grateful for my trainer -Elder Payne, he taught me so much and i do appreciate his patience with me. I met my new companion- Elder Barker. He's a way cool Elder and so far we've been getting along. It's my first experience with a new "style". I need to open my bubble for missionary work and look into different methods. Your second companion is your greeny breaker. Elder Payne warned me about the difficult stage this is for a missionary. I'm still taking pointers and ideas, but i don't want to be babied or bossed around. Elder Barker and I had a good conversation about this because i could sense a little bit of that ugly stage. I want our companionship to be awesome and i'll do everything in my power to make that happen.

 

Sep 2 was surgery day at the Mayo Clinic! Elder Payne was excited to get rid of his hernia at the world known Mayo Clinic Hospital. It really is a nice facility, and i'm a kid at a candy store walking through the spacious hallways and over looking the city on the 19th floor. Brother and Sister Moulenouxe-members of our ward- played the Dad and Mom role. I'm so happy they were able to make our day easy. They gave us rides to the hospital, bought us lunch and took care of paper work etc. I love members. They have a son who's serving a mission and well they hope someone would do the same for their son if anything happened. I hope you all do the same for missionaries in your area. It takes off the stress and makes us more efficient as missionaries. We were at the hospital from 6:30 am-3:00pm, and enjoyed our stay, relaxing in the family waiting room.

 

I'm definitely growing in the area. We met with Brother Levitt and talked mission strategy! We've been waiting to get this ward mission plan going, but we've been busy with the ward activity that's on the 18th. The ward has been putting a lot of effort into the activity and i hope its a good turn out. We'll have a really really good dinner -smoked pulled pork- with a live band playing, following a church tour for the non members. It's a non threatening activity that will help non members see our church.

 

Everyday i find myself stretching myself. It's easy to talk to everyone on the street, where as before it was a little frightening. I'll be sending some pictures that i took awhile back. We're at the church emailing today because of the holiday. I'm glad the Washington DC trip was sweet. Right now i don't have the best feelings for other religions, but i know we all worship God and need to keep him in everything we do. I started laughing when i heard about the throw up trip. I can totally see it! Just like a domino effect, once one child throws up, the next one has only a matter of time before he or she does!

 

Love,

Elder Browning

Zone P-day

Aug 30, 2010

Dear Traveling Family,

 

    Hey so last Monday was zone p-day. We had a great time throwing a football around and enjoying burgers and soda around the grill at a beautiful Minnesota park. It was nice to have  reflections from  past memories with family and friends. It made me a little homesick however, but nonetheless it was fun and relaxing.

 

We helped a couple more desperate people move today. I was glad to help, but we didn't get any proselyting time that day. Tina was the woman we helped from 3-8pm, she was in a emotional down slide with her circumstance. She had to be out of her house my 8pm, and with no friends or the proper vehicle, we were glad to help.

 

Wednesday was cool. We went to the 12th floor in the Mayo building to have Elder Payne's Hernia checked out. His appointment is scheduled for this Thursday Sept 2. I took plenty of pictures from the Mayo building, i'll try and develop them soon.

 

We found a new investigator! Her name is Stephanie. She came to church last week! She's a young single mother with a 5 year old son. She's seeking for a spiritual family, and a church where she can feel the spirit. 

It was a little awkward at church, but the relief society president fellowshiped  her. After sacrament, she went to primary with her son. I called her after church and it seemed like she had a good time. I hope we haven't pushed her to hard! Our next appointment will be next saturday. We're going to challenge her to baptism next saturday!

 

So today was transfer day! I awaited for the call from President Howell to find out the real gossip. Missionary gossip is fun like that, it reminds me of sport speculation, with trade rumors and such! Elder Payne's circumstance made it difficult for me to decide if i would stay or leave Rochester. However, Elder Payne leaked out that he was staying in Rochester,  so i had a 50/50 chance. i answered the cellphone this morning and it was one of the AP's. He put me on hold for President Howell. I talked to President Howell, and he told me I'm staying in Rochester 1st ward! My companion will be Elder Barker. (he's been out 8 months.) So another 6 weeks i'll be in Rochester 1st ward! I'm ready for the challenge to take over the area. Elder Payne is moving up to be a Zoneleader for the Rochester zone. They will be in a 3-some- until Elder Payne can recover from his surgery. The three some will contain 2 zoneleaders and a district leader! (that team is stacked)

 

I'm excited to strengthen my relationships with the ward members, I think i have a pretty good relationship with them so far. I 'm now use to the area, so i'm glad i don't have to start over again. Taking over an area though will be tough, I won't have my trainer to help guide me. I guess President Howell knows i'm ready to grow and develope into a powerful missionary. I do feel like i'm ready though for the challenge, i'll probably be crying next week in my email, and i'll let you know how it's going.

 

Well Family let me know how your Washington D.C. trip went. Send me some pictures, and a care package would be nice "hint hint"

 

Love, Elder Browning

Weird Week

Aug 23, 2010

Hey Family,

 

So its been a weird week. Elder Payne caught the flu last Tuesday and recovered mid Wednesday. I had lots of study/down time- but made the most out of it. I was lucky and i didn't catch the flu, I've been trying to eat lots of fruit and drink lots of water. I also take a couple vitamins a day.We are behind on missionary work, it was our worst week as far as numbers - we taught 5 lessons =(.

 

We were able to attend a baptism however, John Doolittle is his name. He's a 30 year old man and the sister missionaries found him. It was my first expierence attending a missionary efforts baptism and the spirit was strong at the service. That really pumped me and Elder Payne to continue to work in Rochester SE with faith.

 

Members of the Rochester 1st ward have given us so much love this past week. They have dropped off food and supplies for us when Elder Payne was sick. Soup and Gatorade was the  perfect source of nourishment we were in need of! The Member really do so much for us. The meals have been wonderful. Some of the best food I've had in my entire life has come from members. We stopped by the Cally's for a dinner appointment. They fed us gourmet steaks with homemade rolls and watermelon with peach pie to top things off. YUM. That's what keeps us alive and well off at the end of a hard working day. I usually get homesick though when i visit with a member in their home. It reminds me of my family and the memories of meals we would have on Sundays! So Dad and Mom, make sure you invite the missionaries over for dinner. And  treat them with a really good meal- it goes a long way.

 

So today I've been doing some deep cleaning around our apartment. For years missionaries slack off on cleaning and i need a somewhat of a clean area to live in. The tub is sick, the toilet was sick and the floors. I finally stepped in and cleaned the bathroom and kitchen. I feel much better now! Mom, i credit everything to you! I love how you made us clean bathrooms and certain parts of the house. So many people in this world live sick nasty lives. I will forever be a clean freak after the mission!

 

I'm finally finding a good personality for the mission. I don't want to be the crazy Shelley, ID Brooks Browning. I'm trying to be more professional in my conversations with people- so i can be the best representative of Christ i can be. It's hard to to bash with dumb dumbs who know nothing, but think they do. I just have to keep reminding myself  LOVE. Missonary work only happens if you have real love for one of God's kids. If I find myself not really caring about the person, i usually say something stupid or ignore their needs.

 

I'm trying not to get "trunky" -a missionary term for going home. There are always spurts of the day when i get trunky. I'm doing my best not to get homesick, but it will come hard at me at some point. I look at the family picture everyday!- Trunky.

 

Well family, i hope i have better things to email next week. This week was our worst week yet but we've received a couple of referrals from the Lord. I hope you guys have a great time in Washington D.C. Send me a email while you're over their!

 

Love,

 

Elder Browning

Hello From Minnesota!

Aug 16, 2010

Hey Family,

 

So week 4 has rolled around,and I'm a little tired to say the least. The week has been another hard working week, but the work continues.

 

So my exchange took place last Wednesday-Friday - with Elder Steel and Vance. Elder Steel is a Zoneleader and is an amazing missionary! This was my second exchange and i learned so much! Just the different styles of missionaries was nice to see. I learned a couple different approaches. A Book of Mormon approach, and an authority approach. I can't wait until i have these imprinted in my brain, so i can discern what people need to hear.

 

I was in charge of my area while Elder Payne was gone. I'll admit i was a little nervous, but the Lord was definitely with me. I was in charge of all the little things, how to get there, what to teach,and how to conduct the lessons. I was also able to drive my first mission car! A Toyota Corrolla 2008 .

We've been the missionary movers! Last Thursday we helped 3 people alone move! I coughed up a few hairballs that day! (infested with cat hair.) I swear, everyone has a cat that moves! We always go at it in our dress slacks and white shirts! Serving is wonderful, and everytime someone has us help them move they need it. One person we helped will be living in her cargo trailer for a month =(  I've been given so much in my life, and it's hard to see others suffer. That's what keeps me serving with all my heart might mind strength. The Lord really does bless his people with temporal things when we follow his path.

 

Everyday i get an extra hour to study. I'm trying to make the most of it. People on the street throw a lot of curve balls at you, and a lot of it makes me think about my views. For the first 2 weeks i was thrown back on how people can come up with crazy viewpoints on religion! Elder Payne is awesome with dealing with weirdos that try to throw different stabs at us. The one thing i've learned is that the gospel can handle anything! It's so perfect, even the most brilliant men can't disown it!

 

 Well i must head out! I'll try and send some pictures!

I Have Tons to Tell You!

Aug 2, 2010

Hey Family,

 

So two weeks have flown by here in Rochester! I have tons to tell you!

 

So let me get to the good stuff. Me and Elder Payne have had tremendous success, as  far as finding goes. Everyday day we rack up a average of 8 potential investigators. This last week, we were able to get 4 new investigators! Elder Payne has never had 4 new investigators in 1 week before. (he's been here for 14 months-3 in Rochester)

We have both been working really hard, to the point where we skip meals to make our appointments. Yesterday was fast-Sunday, so i thought biking in the hot sun would be an issue for my health. But the lord provides a way some how! For example, we skipped dinner last Saturday,  (before fast Sunday) The Lord blessed us for our efforts. Our land lord invited us for dinner at 9:30. He just so happened to make to much food, and precisely at the perfect time. The Lord takes care of his servants!

 

Rochester is a pretty diverse place. Tons of Muslims,Hispanics,Blacks,Asians, anything in the world really- the Mayo clinic is a big reason for that i think. FYI the Mayo clinic is the 3rd best Hospital in the world, something of that nature. I'm in the south east part of town, and me and Elder Payne cover most of Down Town Rochester.

 

Minnesota has big things coming! The church is launching a advertising campaign here! Everything from TV ads, billboards, radio. You name it. The Church has big things coming!

And it's a  been privilege to be here right when the blast is happening, perfect timing by the Lord. The new training are showing results as well. Entern-igators  Aka investigators who are slow to be baptize, are showing progression for the first time. As long as we do our best, the Lord does the rest.

 

Our district is an awesome district. There is 9 of us. 5 sisters, and 4 elders. According to Elder Payne, Rochester has been at ground zero as far as missionary work. President Howell has stacked Rochester with really good missionaries to work up the investigator pool. The stage right now is primarily finding.

 

So i've met  tons of crazy people, and it really is sad how many people are lost. Be grateful for what you have! Shelley is a huge bubble!  We get a lot of honks and waves on the streets. The majority of the people here have respect for the LDS missionaries.

 

Well Family, i continue to mature in the gospel. I'm glade you all had a great time at the reunion. Please send pictures. and mom if you ever have the time, i could use a homemade cook book. I'm sending some mail today for you guys. Well take care until next week! Keep the letters coming, tell Emma and Preston thanks for the drawings.

 

Love,

 

Elder Browning