Week 47: November 28

Dear family,

This week was very uneventful haha, thanksgiving had a huge impact obviously. I hope you guys a had a good week.

Monday we played basketball and soccer that was fun, went finding after that it was sweet.

Tuesday we had district meeting it was all about the holidays coming up, a new video came up its really cool you guys should check it out it's pretty sweet. We also set up a Christmas tree in the church and put ornaments on it that was pretty sick, after that we went and went to service at brother boons and helped him out for a little bit, and then we went finding up in Arcata. We had dinner it was sweet.

Wednesday was good went to blue lakes and saw the same people there it was good. We found a bed for a member up there, which he has been needing for a long time. I got your huge package of food! Haha. Thank you!! It was very good haha. Gotta do extra abs workouts now!!

Thursday was thanksgiving it was very good haha, we had a huge turkey bowl and HSU got the whole field to ourselves it was so sweet !! I made 4 out of the seven touchdowns it was super sick!! After that we had thanksgiving with the Siedts family where a lot of there family was there and we were able to talk to a lot of non members and they asked a ton of questions about what we do haha. Most people don't even know what we do. So that was cool. The food was super super delicious of course, ate a ton of food. I hope thanksgiving was good for you guys!! 1 more thanksgiving to go! After thanksgiving we tried to see some people but it was kinda hopeless 😫 it's okay though it was thanksgiving.

Friday was good we weekly planned all day which was good I guess ate food all day. It was good.

Saturday we went up to hoopa but most of our investigators up there weren't there so we went finding the rain which sucked, and we saw a coupe people wasn't able to teach them though, we kinda just walked around in the rain for a long time. Kinda depressing haha,  it's normal though, I guess this week was one of those weeks where nothing happens and it seems depressing. To much turkey I guess haha.

Sunday was good except my comp got sick and we didn't go to church which was sad 😭 and he slept while I contemplated life haha. Studied all day, took a nap. Got the heater working !! So our apartment isn't freaking cold anymore, but yeah that was my week haha. I hope you guys had an amazing thanksgiving, I love you guys! Mom did you get my letter ?? Tell the kids to stay small. Especially Avery 😉 

I am sorry that everyone was sick that's not good!! I hope you are feeling better!! 

Elder Devin Brown

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

3503 LK Wood Blvd.
Apartment B
Arcata, CA 95521

Week 46: November 21

Dear family,

Hello peoples, how is everything going? I hope it's good. This week is thanksgiving !! Gonna get fat all week that's for sure. It's missionary fat season...well I guess that's 24/7 but this is extra fattening. Super excited 😊 this week was good but really slow, everyone decided to leave I guess.

Monday was pday of course we went bowling it was awesome, after that we went and played soccer and basketball and I went to the chiropractor as well.

Tuesday was district meeting it was good, learned about diligence and how to better our selves and what we need to work on, we did some practices it was good. After that we went on exchanges I went worth elder sombke and bring him up to my area and we went to blue lake and saw sister warvi and shared a message with her, she told me whenever I share something with her I always share something that stands out to her and directly helps her so that was cool, after that we went and saw brother freiday and read the Book of Mormon with him and then went and saw a less active and she talked for ever haha, but she said she will start coming to church, she said she felt like it was time to come back, it's cool to see that and to see people make that change cause when you stop coming to church over time it brings you down your soul is hungering for it, you feel guilt and you want to come to the light and feel it again. So that's cool, after that we went and met with with out ward mission leader and went and saw a less active he is a very interesting guy. It was good meeting with him.

Wednesday we exchanged back and had a good interview with the other elders, after that we went finding in fresh water which was good. A couple people weren't very nice haha.

Thursday was good we went up to hoopa and saw some less actives first in willow creek and stopped by the river and went up this crazy road which was freaky, your basically driving on a cliff which is insane haha. But yeah brother Kimble couldn't come up with us so that was sad, but after that we tried to go see the nelsons which they weren't home so we left them a note and we tried to go see the shipmens and they weren't home which was sad. After that we went and tried to go finding up in hoopa the traffic was so bad we couldn't even get in for a long time which was okay. But we went finding and didn't really find that many people most didn't live there anymore or weren't interested which was sad. But it whatever, after that we drove down to arcata and went and had dinner with the siedts and that was awesome. Finding after that of course.

Friday was planning but instead of planning we went and helped down in eureka with that huge project we picked up roots and dumped gravel in some holes in the ground it was good, we did some planning after dinner.

Saturday was all day planning some finding up by the church of course, and yeah.

Sunday was good went to church talked to a lot of people we got a new investigator which is awesome we will meet with her this week and see where she is at, there was a lot of people from Utah there Provo and Orem Utah. So that was cool. We went finding until dinner and ate with awesome people from Orem Utah so that's cool, there the lawrences awesome couple. But that was my week !! It was good. Elder Sears is doing well. 

Love you guys!! 

Elder Devin Brown

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

3503 LK Wood Blvd.
Apartment B
Arcata, CA 95521

Week 45: November 14

Dear family, 

Hi, this week was okay. So Monday we had pday and played soccer it was awesome. Wish I played it in highs school I regret a lot of things in high school. But after pday we had dinner with the Owens and had a lesson, they were very distracted cause there favorite football teem was playing so we just left pretty fast.

Tuesday was interviews with president it was good talked about a lot. he gave me homework to do so that's good. He gave me a talk to read, from 1993 October called ward families, it was really good about the blessing of coming to church not just for the sacrament but for what the ward can do for us as families and how it is a safe house from the outside world and how a ward is a big family it was cool. They are going to start having them every transfer and zone conferences every month so that's a big change! It was a good interview I told him what I am struggling with, and he gave me a lot of advice. Presidents the best! And sister wright fixed my pants she's the best to!! . and then we went finding for the afternoon ran into some funny people and some people that were short with us, pretty normal but that's cool haha. Then after that we went and met with a less active and helped her come closer to the Book of Mormon that was awesome, after that we had a lesson with another less active, and their going through and divorce right now which is sad but they are doing better than they were before. 

Wednesday was blue lake day it was we went up and visited a sister to see how she is doing, she can't really leave her house so we visit her every week, she loves it. After that we went finding and tried to see some potential investigators but no luck. We had a good lesson with brother freiday he is doing good. After that we went and had dinner with the siedts family and she expressed some testimony issues about deep doctrine super deep doctrine, really nobody can answer it but, i think people get caught up with trying to figure stuff out here on earth when it's impossible and that is what is holding them back which is sad they need to hold to what they know is true like the Book of Mormon and just know that all will be revealed to us, he has promised us that. It was a good dinner that is an awesome family, after that we went and visited a couple more people I called sister Stewart the ward mission nurse about my neck, and she said I can go to a chiropractor and the mission insurance will cover 5 visits. Just realizing I think it's from the wreck I had a couple months ago. ☹️️ oh well haha. 

Thursday we went up to hoopa and tried to see some less actives but a lot of them fell through 😫 but we met up with brother Kimble and did some service for a less active and we went finding with him it was fun, we had dinner with the Johnstons and then drove home! 

Friday was planning day it was of course super duper awesome 😉😉 we had a couple lessons that night it was good. 

Saturday we went finding all day and tracking which is always crazy. It's super tiring. We pretty much did that the whole day, we had a good lesson with a less active that night. 

Sunday was good we had church we taught the CTR class about the restoration of the church they are crazy kids ! And after that we went finding all day and then had dinner by our selfs. And then went less active finding it was okay. But that was my week. Thank you for the talk I will read it definitely (sent him a link from October conference to the talk by Elder W. Mark Bassett, called “For Our Spiritual Development and Learning”). 

Re activation is going good we have 2 less actives starting to come to church regularly now so that's some success. I am grateful for it. The Owens family is pretty close to committing to baptism but we will keep working with them of course. 😃 tell the kids I say hello ! And I love them.  My companion is doing good, he says hi. Love you guys!! 

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

3503 LK Wood Blvd.
Apartment B
Arcata, CA 95521

Week 44: November 7

Dear family! 

Hey everyone I hope all is well with all of you guys! This week was transfers, so that's always crazy. 

On pday we just hung out at the church and played basketball and that was cool, it was Halloween, so we weren't allowed out past 8 unless we had a lesson or we were at a members house so we had dinner at the Owens and then, went over to a members house and ate all there food and talked to people haha. It was fun. 

Tuesday was crazy we woke up at 4 am and drove to eureka and dropped my companion off and they drove down with all the missionaries to Santa Rosa while elders morales and Anderson and I stayed up in eureka for the day, we went over and helped brother Boone from there ward with that huge project that I was telling you about. But we waited for the others to get back up here. And we got our comps. And then we went shopping for the week and went back and had a lesson with a less active, and then we went and unpacked elder Sears so it was good haha. 

Wednesday was blue lake day we went and visited sister warvi, elder Sears fell asleep during the lesson haha. It was okay, this transfer is going to be interesting cause I am literally doing everything by myself, so that's a challenge. But we will see how it goes. Gotta have that faith, but we went finding all day knocked on some doors this one lady was very short with us, so that was fun haha, her dog wasn't very nice but! I didn't get bit in the face so that's good 😊 but yeah elder Sears hit his head on a door frame that was funny, I kinda feel bad for the guy haha. But we then went and picked up a table for a member from another member moving out, but we stayed for about an hour helping them cause there old and kinda falling apart haha. Elder Sears cut his wrists open on this metal thing so that wasn't good we had to bandage Him up haha. But after we went and dropped the table off and read the Book of Mormon with brother freiday, he was so grateful for the table, it was really good to help him. After we drove to mackinlyville and had dinner with the siedts, and there kids stole my iPad and started taking pics with it and videos it was pretty funny haha. 

Thursday was hoopa!! We drove up and we saw 3 less actives first. Just the regulars haha. But we drove up to hoopa and when we were waiting this guy was on something, but he was yelling and no one and he was picking up rocks and yelling and throwing them and he was right next to our car so that was freaky. Thought we were going to a stoned haha. But after that we met up with brother Kimble and we went and gave a baby a blessing, definitely didn't think I would do that on my mission haha. It was awesome. 3 possible potential investigators their. But elder Sears hit his head on there door frame which was sad but funny. But after we went and towed there truck full of crap out of there yard and drove it to the dump that was crazy haha. But after we went to the shipmens and I mowed there lawn and picked up all there leaves and we picked up chopped wood and took it too the there storage unit that was great, they fed us dinner, there super funny I love them both. We drove home after that.

Friday we had district meeting it was good elder Sears feel asleep 😂 but after we went to brother boons and helped him with his huge project and after we planned for a little it was good, we then went and had a lesson with the Stewart's. 

Saturday we finished weekly planning went finding, we didn't watch the conference thing, idk I guess it wasn't that important to us watching it, president said we couldn't, was it good ? We had a blitz after in the zone leaders so they gave us a bunch of names for us to go see for them, and we got some people and others were very short with us. But it was fun 😂 we had a lesson with brother Krachruk after he is a cool guy, talked to us about his patients cause he is a doctor. 

But  yeah Sunday was good super stressed cause I feel alone cause I do everything and I am the only one that talks in a lesson, but I know I am not alone haha. Never alone. But church was good everyone got to meet elder Sears. After we did some ward work on the computers. After we went finding for the rest of the afternoon, we had a lesson with an investigator after and we read the BOM with him. After we tried seeing some other people but no luck :( but that was my week pretty crazy personally. But it is going well. We have interviews with president tomorrow excited for that. I need some counseling 😉 but yeah this week I learned to trust in the lord no matter what has long as your doing your very best and trying your hardest in whatever your doing he will guide you he has promised it. You will be blessed and receive those blessings. The kids sound like they are super busy!! Did they get my letters? Tell them I love them and miss them to death !! 

You were released mom? Wow 4 years?! I didn't know it was that long haha. Well let me know how dads foot is haha. Love you guys. 

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

3503 LK Wood Blvd.
Apartment B
Arcata, CA 95521

Week 43: October 31

Dear family,

This week was good, the last week of the transfer it was pretty good finished strong. 

Monday we played basketball while it was raining super bad. I played a little to hard it took me 3 days to recover haha. But after pday we had finding and went to a sisters home and had a funny lesson with her. She loves her cats a talks to them like their human it's pretty funny. 

Tuesday was good we had district meeting after that we went to eureka and helped brother Boone with a huge backyard project he is building something super huge and we helped him a ton this week. But we helped drill in boards and some digging, he is redoing his whole backyard putting cement in and everything. We had dinner with the Owens after and had a pretty good lesson with them on the plan of salvation it was good they fed us ribs delicious, after we went finding.

Wednesday was blue lake day and we went up and helped a sister with picking apples that was fun. We had a good time, we then talked with her for a while and taught her a lesson. Then after we had a lesson with brother Friday and showed him a cool conference talk. Then after we had finding of course lots of finding ! Which was okay. But we had a good dinner with the hamblins after and we shared them a message and it was what they needed it was really cool how we bonded with them. 

Thursday was hoopa willowcreek day and we visited a couple sisters and one of them was a seventh day Adventist in heart, she is a member but she follows her church instead, she was really nice. It was cool to see what her beliefs were. But after that we went and visited the shipmens that family is super fun! But we went up to the crazy hoopa and brother Kimble took us everywhere we were supposed to have a couple lessons but they canceled on us which was sad 😭 but we were able to meet a lot of people and that was cool. And had some confrontations with some drunk natives that was fun. Gave them the good word haha. But after we had dinner wit the Johnstons the best family ! It was really good. We drove back and planned and went to bed haha. 

Friday was a crazy day we worked from 11:30 to 6 pm helping the eureka elders with his backyard we got the cement in and dug more holes it was awesome ! We worked super hard and fast got muddy and had fun. He fed us pizza after it was awesome. 

Saturday was a lot of finding and we had a couple good lessons, we had the Halloween party after that was awesome ! We were in charge of one of the games, a lot of people actually came it was sweet we had a chili cook off and we were the judges of course ! It was pretty sweet. But we helped with that the rest of the night until transfers docs came! 

I am getting a new companion ! His name is Elder Sears! Guess where he is from! Saratoga springs!!! I went to high school with him didn't really know him that much but I have met him a lot. So super weird ! Haha he has been out for 3 months and he is 6 feet 8 inches tall!! Crazy! 

Sunday was good went to breakfast with the Owens they fed us a huge meal awesome family haha. But after we had church and elder cullimore said bye to a lot of people I will miss him I learned a lot from him. But after we saw a couple people and went to fresh water and had dinner with the stake presidents family that was fun and we went and gave a blessing to a member that was really good. And then we drove home and elder cullimore started to pack. It was a good week, I feel pretty down right now (a friend of his passed away this week) but again these to scriptures come to mind:

D&C 121:7

7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

D&C 122:7 

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

Just knowing that Jesus Christ atoned for all of our sins he knows us he knows what he have been through and he will be there for us no matter what he will always be there we just have to look up to him and pray to him, everything we go though we don't have to go through it alone cause we are not alone, he is there to lift our burdens and carry our load with us cause he understands every pain sorrow and affliction that we had gone though, he allows us to climb on that mountain over come that obstacle break though that wall and make us free. As long as we look to him. 

I have been praying really hard for them (the family who lost a daughter/sister) and I emailed as well. It's a crazy thing when life is so fragile and we don't know it until something happens and shocks us. That definitely put a damper on my week, but I hope they are recovering okay. 😢

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

3503 LK Wood Blvd.
Apartment B
Arcata, CA 95521