Going to work in Rochester

Hey Family,

This week was far better than last week! It definitely helped that we were in our area for 5 1/2 days! We're starting to see the work improve in Rochester. I'm feeling more comfortable with the direction of balancing two wards. I've had a cold/fever for past 5 days. My noise is so annoying right now! i've probably gone through 10 rolls of toilet paper because of my stinky noise. I always can't breath at this time of the year!

A big unfortunate event happened in Rochester. The Stevens family from the Rochester 3rd ward lost their 19 year old son a week ago. He was hit by a car trying to cross the highway in Minneapolis. We'll be attending the funeral today after emailing.

We started off the week in Preston, Minnesota, a place very close the Iowa border, so it was a bit of a drive for us. Elder Potter and I had a really good time traveling the road and working with the Preston Elders. We were very impressed with the success in their area. What impressed me the most is Preston is a beastly 1,500 people with a few other small surrounding towns. They have all the odds against them for not teaching a lot of lessons, but they actually teach the most out of the whole zone! The Preston branch consist of 25 active members, which shows that if you have quality over quantity you can achieve greater heights. If an area is dead, it's not because of the people, or the city circumstance, it's always the missionaries.

As far as the work in Rochester 2nd and 4th ward goes, we picked up 3 new investigators. We're pretty excited about that, because we've been struggling to teach. Becca is a young single adult and she's solid. There is a cool connection here as well. Her grandma is sister Schmitt, and sister Schmitt is a member of the Rochester 1st ward (my first area). I taught she and her husband. I was very close to the Schmitts. We tried to get them both totally active again. Sadly, Brother Schmitt passed away a couple months ago. Right before i left for Eden Prairie, Brother Schmitt was diagnosed with cancer and they asked for a final blessing from me. That experience has been one of the most powerful experiences i have had on the mission thus far. Just a couple of days ago, i called Sister Schmitt again to talk to her about her granddaughter Becca investigating the church. Sister Schmitt opened up to me and thanked me because of the blessing I gave Brother Schmitt. It gave him the strength to come to church. A week before he died, he bore his testimony for the first time at a fast and testimony meeting. I'm grateful i was able to be an instrument in the Lords hands to bring about his work.

Yesterday i gave a talk in the 2nd ward. It was a last second notice that came on Friday night. I was happy to do it! The main point of my message was becoming more spiritually self reliant through the 3 basic resources -spiritual CPR (Church, Prayer, and Scriptures). If you'd like, i could mail a copy of my talk.

Elder Potter and I were able to meet with the Stake President, President Foote. He’s really missionary minded and has a desire to help the missionaries out. I have so much respect for the leaders who are spiritually self reliant.

Nick came to church again which was really cool. He loves coming to scouts and learning about God. Not a lot of 13 year olds have the drive to find God! He's one of a kind. We taught Nick with his mother Amy as well and met their father for the first time. YES! I think we were able to break the ice with him. Amy is such a good woman that wants good values in her home.

Juhnie (one of our 4th ward investigators) also came to church. He's been blind for 5 years! He came for the primary program and loved it! The spirit was strong as the kids sang songs.

Hey family i'll be sending you some pictures ASAP. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Browning

Rochester Struggles

Sep 19, 2011

Hey Family,

It's been an interesting week. Coming into Rochester has been a challenge. As you know Elder Potter and I were white washed into 4th ward while still juggling 2nd ward. It has been difficult to manage both wards and really focus on the needs of the area. It's hard to remember names! One ward was hard enough let alone 2. We have a lot on our plate right now and it's a little scary! We had the worst week as far as numbers! Basically both 2nd and 4th had nothing on for some time.

We were able to visit some of our teams in the zone mon-wed. The Lacrosse Elders, and Sparta Elders. We have a phenomenal zone--strong missionaries and lots of faith --more than Oakdale. The Rochester Zone has always struggled so president is trying to stack it with good missionaries. I love working with other missionaries. It's the best way to show your love when you work side by side with them. Usually when we work we spend the night, and it's a great time to get to know them and also have fun! Clean fun of course! It's just like a sleep over with your buddies. You’re always at the mercy of their apartment though. Sleeping is always a challenge but my body has adapted well to a hard wood floor =).

The reason we went to Sparta was they needed a couple of baptismal interviews done. I had the opportunity to interview brother Tim. This man use to be anti-Mormon, but the spirit of the Lord overcame him and he read the Book of Mormon and he could not deny it. Conducting an interview is definitely a spiritual time. They always have a glow about them before their interview and you can almost see a physical change in their character. I love being a missionary.

Now as far as the work in Rochester 2nd and 4th ward, it has been interesting to say the least. We are eating a lot of food though! We have 2 big wards that have to fight over the dinner calendar. But we're not teaching a whole lot, and it doesn't help when we're only in our area for 4 days of the week. Our area is suffering big time! Elder Potter and I know we have to make some dramatic changes to try and get this north part of Rochester up and running again. We think we've established a reason why missionary work has always been difficult for 4th ward. It might be because there are so many young families and so many students going to school at Mayo. Their lives are just starting with their families and they have a lot to worry about. But Elder Potter and I are coming up with simple ways to help them share the gospel.

We have two investigators that are progressing. Amy and Nick. Nick was just made the scout troop leader! He loves coming to mutual and loves church. Elder Potter tracked into Amy and Nick 3 weeks before i came. Tracking still works!

Well family i love you all! I'm excited for this upcoming week! We have a lot of appointments coming up so it will be great!

I gave Tanner a # so follow up with him on that. Jon Shirley is a recent convert and is in Idaho for school--BYU I. Have him over for dinner!

Love,

Elder Browning

Rochester Life

Sep 12, 2011

Hey family,

It's good being back in Rochester! I have felt great so far being here. This last week has been crazy. Elder Potter and I have been white washed into 4th ward, which means two brand new missionaries start in a ward together. Plus we still have our old ward to watch over,Rochester 2nd ward. Now can you imagine trying to get to know two brand new wards! It's a challenge, but it keeps us busy.

Two investigators came to church, Amy and Nick. Both are amazing! Nick(12 years old) is Amy's son, he eats up the gospel and loves going to class! Missionaries tracked into them 3 weeks before i got here.They are social butterflies with the members and they go on their own to sunday school.

It really has been something else being in Rochester! I'm grateful for the chance to learn and grow. We're going to Sparta Wisconsin tonight. We'll be over in that area for about 2 days going on tour to see other missionaries.

Well i must go! I'll write a better bigger email next week.

Love,

Elder Browning

Crazy Life

Aug 31, 2011

Hey Family,

So the last week has been insane. We've had meetings, exchanges, activities, and best of all lots of appointments! Actually right now i'm in Cottage Grove, and we had a few spare moments to write this. We've just been all over the state! I'll try to give you a better email next week! Don't worry i'm still alive! We'll be having an exchange with the Cottage Grove elders and the Eagan elders will be tomorrow.

So the last two days we've had Zone Leader Council and Leadership training. President Clements has once again amazed me of his vision and intelligence. Elder Horgomo and I gave an hour long training at the leadership meeting. That was a growning experience! It was a little intimidating to train the best missionaries in the mission. It went well, and President was pleased with our training. I'll tell you more about that next week.

We also have been having appointments like no other! Jessica our newest investigator came to church this last sunday. She's 18 and we invited her to be baptized. She said yes! It was wonderful! We've exposed her to members and she loved church! Also we have a new investigator Angelia and she had dinner at the Schramms house. I love our members here.

Today we went down for another district meeting! Doesn't look like we'll have a p-day! Oh well.

I'm so happy we've been busy! It's a wonderful feeling as a missionary! Elder Horgmo is awesome, our zone is awesome and life is awesome!

Love,

Elder Browning

Where Did the Time Go?

Aug 22, 2012

Hey Family,

This letter will be short again! Basically, we've been busy! We've been able to build our teaching pool to a decent size to keep us busy and on our toes. I've really enjoyed working with Elder Horgmo, he's a little fire ball full of energy. He has one of the biggest testimonies though! He's been out for about 10 months, and i think our success has come from hard work and unity.

We've been struggling to get investigators to church. I'm not sure what we're doing wrong! We've involved more members that ever in all of our appointments, and so i'm not sure what the deal is. Right now we have two dates for baptism, Mike and Harvey. We had a super super spiritual lesson with Mike last Monday night. We brought our best joint teacher- Brother Dixen. It paid off! They were able to relate and open up with each other. Tanner are you reading this? Get ready to be a match maker! I'm serious, you're going to have to be able to put similar personalities together and introduce strangers. It's a lot of fun, and lately we've been praying on what joint teachers we should bring. The Lord always gives us an answer on who's the right fit. We committed Mike to be baptized on September 9th- it will be pushed back. He's been reading in the Book of Mormon and he's officially a book worm! We'll be teaching him again.

Harvey Is doing alright, but he didn't come to church which was a dagger to the heart (since he promised). However, last night we talked to him about commandments, mainly Church and baptism. He recognizes he's been blessed temporally from the Lord. Harvey made the comment that since he's been taking the missionary discussions the Lord has watched over him. We have one barrier with him though, his wife is a Jehovah Witness,yikes!

We had the opportunity to travel to Barron, Wisconsin last Thursday. Yep and it lived up to the name "barren". Dang i can't believe they have a ward up in the middle of no where! I thought St Anthony was a ghost town. The reason for the trip was Keyanne (Barron's elders investigator) had to have an interview by one of us. Baptismal interviews are always a spiritual experience. It's clearer than day- you can see the light of Christ that's in their eyes.The Barron Elders have been struggling as far as numbers. It was cool to help them and see a few miracles in the day. Exchanges always help missionaries refocus and boost their self confidence. Every area has potential. It just depends on the missionaries!

I hope Julia is doing ok! Also how was Carly's wedding? i bet it was marvelous.

As a Zone we're having a zone p-day next week, and so my email might be short again. We'll be housing 4 other missionaries next Monday night. The last couple of p-days we've just been playing the piano at the church and basketball. It's been really fun, and that's really all we can do as missionaries without breaking rules!

Stay safe and i love you all so much!

Love,

Elder Browning

Short and Sweet

Aug 15, 2011


Hey Family,

I just talked to you a couple of days ago! But a lot has gone on in the last couple of days. We had a successful week and a busy one as well. We're starting to teach more and fill our schedule which is fantastic news for the Hudson area. Also we set a baptismal date with our investigator Harvey! It happened last night and it was amazing.

Harvey is a African that speaks French. He's been looking for the truth for some time. The light of Christ speaks volumes with his character, and i have always been a fan of this guy. He hasn't been to church yet, but we had a really good Joint Teacher at the last appointment. So hopefully that will solve his fears for coming to church or at least be able to break the barrier. We also picked up 3 new investigators. Gene and Barb are an older couple, probably 50's, but they know God sent us to their door step. We found them through the area book. Missionaries in the past have taught them, but due to miscommunication, they were dropped for no good reason. They're going through a hard time right now and we testified boldly that this gospel was for them.

We've also been working with a part member family, the Albright family. It's hard to see broken families, for it truly takes a toll on the kids and their behaviors. The kids were pretty grumpy. Josh and Christian, two teenage boys 14 and 13 had really no interest talking about God. We spent some good time just relating with them. Josh really likes NBA basketball, so as you know i was all over that topic. And Christian really likes Halo, so i was over that discussion as well. It really helped them soften up and listen. I think they have our trust now.

Well Zone Conference is this week. We'll be training the missionaries in our zone. We also made a zone logo! I'll send it too you.

Well family sorry this is short. I keep praying for all of you. I wish Carly Boyce the best! I can't believe Jordan is engaged. I have the best cousins and it's sad to see them fly away with their soul mates. Sigh..it must come.

Scripture Matt 22:35-40

Love,

Elder Browning

Busy as a Bee

Aug 11, 2011


Hey Family

Sorry for the late email. Elder Horgmo and I have been running all over the place! It feels great to be as busy as we are, however every missionary needs a day to rest. We had ZLC this last monday which was amazing. Then on Tuesday we helped a companionship in Chippewa Falls. We've burned a lot of miles the last 3 days.

Zone Leader Conference was wonderful. It was all about the relationship of the district leaders and zone leaders. We've figured out a big hole in our mission--we haven't been using our district leaders to their fullest potential. It was very helpful and useful training meeting. President Clements is a very smart man and is definitely qualified for the position. He has a style that i love and gets straight to the point. I understand his style more than President Howell's. Zone leader conference is pretty intense. There are so many good missionaries and i look up to a lot of them.

We then went to Chippewa Falls and helped a struggling companionship. We saw so many miracles. It was just a hard knock door day but we saw progress in their area. The Chippewa Falls elders were grateful for the help and encouragement. It has been a special treat to be able to help missionaries. I have a strong testimony of exchanges and strengthening missionaries. The Chippewa Falls elders had hope after our exchange which was cool because they were really down in the tubes before.

Haha funny side note, when i was on the exchange we got in a huge Bible bash. Now i usually don't try to accelerate these conversations but after talking to people all day, and feeling very bold we told her how it is. I felt like the missionaries in the Book of Mormon battling with the unbelievers. I felt the power and authority and we had no fear. It was a stubborn lady that believes the Bible is all we need. We basically told her she's limiting God to the Bible. I'm so grateful for the restored gospel because these people have no idea what true doctrine really is. We have the truth! We spent a good hour in a heated dicussion. I'll try not to do it again, but sometimes you have to defend the faith. =)

We had a cool Zone activity. Right after our district meeting we had a conference call with the whole entire zone in prayer. After the prayer we went out has districts to work in one area - 3 districts 3 areas. It helped with the zone unity and it helped build faith. It has felt great not to work in our area. The Lord has still blessed us despite out efforts in our own area.

The work in Hudson is going great. We've seen a lot of small miracles which has given Elder Horgmo and I hope. About two weeks ago we really lost all of our investigators, but the past week we've picked up 4 new investigators! The Lord will bless his servants if they do the simple things, stay obedient and find. Why is that? Because those are things we can control. Things we can't control,for example, we can't control our investigators coming to church. They have their freedom to choose. The Lord will bless us and make a way though for it to happen.

Hey one cool side note about our latest investigator (Mike). We had a chapel tour with him Monday. Mike was a referral from Sister Crowski in the Virgina ward. The cool thing here is Elder Horgmo served in the Virgina ward for 7 1/2 months. Once sister Crowski knew elder Horgmo would be my companion she knew it was a sign from God and she had to introduce the missionaries to Mike. Cool details that the Lord is obviously over. The church tour went well. He's a super awesome guy that needs the gospel. Sis Crowski came all the way from Virgina (3hours away) to fellowship. Member referrals are always the most promising.

Another Investigator we picked up this last week her name is Amber. She has a two kids and had tons of questions about the after life. We taught her the plan of salvation and how families can be together forever. We tied in the Restoration and gave her a Book of Mormon. I love teaching people who have a real desire to learn truth.

Just last night we had a crazy experience with one of our investigators Roxane. She's been dealing with health challenges and actually she received 3rd degree burns on her legs from lawn chemicals. We talked to her a couple times throughout the day and as the day went on she got more and more sick over the phone. As we showed up, a man next door told us an ambulance came and picked her up 20 minutes before we arrived. Thinking we had come too late to help we thought to visit her in the hospital and give her a blessing. We did, and she was so grateful to see us. Her husband had no idea what was going on due to work, and she really had no support or help. I was able to give her a blessing and it was a powerful experience. President Squire (stake presidency) was with us also.

I love you family! Thanks for the pictures of Julia. I'm keeping her and the family in my prayers. I'll be writting you soon!

Scripture 1 nephi 6: 4-6

Love,

Elder Browning