Week 56: January 30

Dear family,

This week was good, Monday we had pday and played some ball and went to a card game store and played some games there. That night we had FHE with the YSA and we went and saw a couple people that we weren't able to see before then that was really good to see a couple people with the bishop.

Tuesday was transfers we moved the other elders in our apartment and deep cleaned the apartments and got them moved in and moved a ton of stuff around so that took a long time. After that we went and went shopping for the week. We had a good lesson with a less active, really cool funny guy, after we went finding.

Wednesday was a big changed we had the missionary broadcast, and our mission schedule has been changed so it's super different and our key indicators I heard it was on kSL. So yeah our schedule is more flexible we can choose when we do what and we get an extra half an hour in the morning and we can go to bed an hour earlier which is awesome. Our key indicators have shrunk so much it went from 9 to 4 key indicators that's a huge change! And our pdays have been lengthened buy 2 hours so is awesome! Lunch got cut to 30 min instead of 1 hour so that's a bummer but oh well, said big changes haha. The broadcast was really good really was a boost for missionary work. After that we went to the O house and served there. After that we went and tried to see a referral that we got from salt lake, went well he was actually not that interested but it was worth the try, we went finding after that, we also have been trying to get all the info for the new ward that we are going into, so that has been a lot of crazy stuff. Long process but needs to be done.

Thursday we had a pass-off lesson with the elders with one of there investigators because we are taking part of that area over so yay! Someone to teach! But after that we went finding and yeah had institute after with president bell it was really good he is a very good teacher.

Friday was weekly planning and it was good normal.

Saturday was zone meeting and that went well, got to meet more of the new missionaries and talk with them, we went finding after and tried to knock a couple doors.

Sunday was good 6 hours of church was awesome! Got to meet the new ward and we had really good classes after sacrament and then we went to the YSA it was good, very very small still hopefully that will change soon. But that was my week pretty good.

I hope everything is well back home and going good !! Tell the kids I love them! And I say hi! Elder Davis is doing good! Oh yeah could you pray for an elder? His name is Elder Everett he is from south Jordan, but he broke his femur playing basketball and had a spinal break as well, he might have bone cancer because he was just running and it broke he is getting flown home today, so if you could pray for him! Thank you ! Love you and you should go over the restoration for family home evening! Cause we have been told a lot of kids don't really understand how important Joseph smith was or his story and how important it was for us. Just an idea from the brownie! 😀

Elder Devin Brown

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

100 Summerfield Drive #215

Vacaville, CA 95687

Week 55: January 23

Dear family, 

This week was pretty short, good week though had a good time. To start we had transfer docs sent to us Saturday night, I am staying with elder davis and we are staying full time YSA which is good I hoped I stayed with his YSA, we are changing from the browns valley ward to the summerfield ward, so yay whitewashing into another area ! And we are having a companionship move in with us, so that's lame I loved having a big apartment by ourself s haha. But yeah that what's changing with that.

Monday was good had pday didn't really do much other than play card games and put music on our iPads.

Tuesday was district meeting so that was good I taught and everyone taught, I talked about remembering who we are as missionaries, and also to remember who we are has members and who we can actually be. After that we went to correlation and that was good our ward missionary brought an less active so that was awesome. After that we went to a lesson with a less active member that was fun, was good to help him out. We went finding after that and had a good dinner, went finding again after that.

Wednesday we went to the opportunity house did some sweet service there. And then we went finding and it started to rain like crazy. That night we had ward splits with the browns valley Elders and that was fun, the storm was going crazy and it was raining so hard. Trees were blowing over and the roads were covered with rain water and when ever we stepped outside we got soaked. It was crazy and fun.

Thursday morning we got an emergency call for a member and her roof blew off and we ran over there and the trampoline blew over and flew and hit the powerline to the house and ripped it out, the play set flipped over and hot there fence along with here roof, so that was crazy we ran over and got the tramp down and picked up the play ground set and went inside after and started cleaning up all the rooms and sorting everything and yeah it was crazy haha. It was fun though, they fed us a ton of pizza which was glorious ! But after we went over to this less actives house which was not a good experience he was a really nice guy, but he left the church. He basically for a full hour told us every reason why the church was not fully true and everything the church as done that wasn't right, just everything, so that put a damper on everything. But yah

Friday was weekly planning day played some pingpong and planned for the rest of the week.

Saturday was good we had a lesson with our less active guy that lesson went crazy. His ideas were a little crazy about the plan of salvation but we tried helping him. We had a good dinner with a huge family.

Sunday was good we had church elder Davis gave a talk. We then taught gospel principles and yeah. We helped the other elders move some stuff cause they are moving in with us but yeah. That was my week I hope you guys are doing well. I am doing okay, love you guys. 

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

100 Summerfield Drive #215

Vacaville, CA 95687

Week 54: January 16

Hey family,

This week was good, went by super fast it's crazy, this next Saturday we find out transfers, it's gone by so fast it's crazy! It's already been a month.

Monday was pday my main goal on pdays is to get everyone involved, because no body likes doing stuff haha. So we played frisbee and in door soccer and messed around with swords haha, it was fun. We had dinner with a awesome couple they actually got married last night. But yeah we went to a Mongolian grill it was super good. Asian food is definitely the best. We went finding after that it was good

Tuesday we didn't have district meeting cause we have zone meeting that Thursday but we ended up going finding and more finding and finding, we want to start biking around cause we have a bike rack we can put on our car. So we fixed up elder Davis's bike and fixed the tires and handle bars, I took a bike that was broken and took the back brakes and put them on mine. So now I have back brakes so that is 👏. 👍

Wednesday we went to the opportunity house and did service there we picked up pingpong paddles cause the YSA has a pingpong table. But after that we went out to lunch to dickeys BBQ house it is so good! But after we went finding and more finding we had correlation that day and it was funny cause out ward mission leader called headquarters about our area Book cause it was having problems, so that was funny to see how that worked. I guess as missionaries we aren't allowed to talk to them at all so that's new to me. But yeah that night we went to a meeting with the YSA about planning FHE that was fun got pizza.

Thursday we had zone meeting all day, it was really good it was about being a consecrated missionary a giving up that one thing that's holding us back as being the best that we can. Also we talked about our teaching and how we can be better teachers we did a lot of practices which I don't like at all but it was good, it was good to see all the other missionaries, it was Fairfield and Vacaville combined. So after we went to dinner and then to institute which was a struggle because our brains were completely dead. But a lot of people came which was what we needed.

Friday was weekly planning we played pingpong as breaks haha. We went to Burger King. Not good need to lay off the fatty food 😬

Saturday was good we had a lesson with max. A guy that has a condition that we never gets full he is always hungry so basically he is on house arrest cause he got in trouble. So we visit with him every week he is a really awesome guy. But after that we went bike finding, made some contact with people so that's great. We had a awesome dinner with the Andrews turns out it was with his son and girl friend that turned out to be homeless for the past year and his parents took him back in, his girlfriend was raised catholic so we taught the restoration and had a really good meeting dinner with them. After we went to the wedding reception which was sweet!

Sunday was very long, we talked with our bishop about a lot of stuff people and members are expecting us to do and we have nothing about so we were just trying to clear it up, and also about the ward and how it's really struggling and needs a lot of help. So yeah that's crazy, haha but yeah I am doing okay, kinda in a rut. With my anxiety but it's all good haha. Anyways I hope you guys are doing good my body is fine. Headaches sometimes but I am doing okay. Love ya! 

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

100 Summerfield Drive #215

Vacaville, CA 95687

Week 53: January 9

This week was good, the time goes by so fast it's crazy, It's Monday and the next thing I know it's Sunday night and I am like where in the world did the week go. I don't even remember what I did yesterday haha. Glad I wrote it down. The curse of the mission you forget everything, but this week was good.

On pday we went to Fairfield cause the older couple the nordfelts, are going home from there mission so they made us a ton of lunch it was awsome to be able to see the other missionaries and see them, we played basketball after and guess what I did? I injured my knee, that sucked ! Limping brownie now, but I got a brace for it and I called sister Stewart about all the health problems I am having haha, I guess my body decided to break all at once. So yeah that's crazy haha. But after that we went and drove back to Vacaville and since we didn't have a dinner we went and had in and out which was super good!

Tuesday was good we had district meeting and that was good of course, after that we had ward correlation which was okay, our ward mission leader has a different view in missionary work then we do, he served in the Africa mission and had a ton of baptisms like Insane amount and.. we are in California and that is not the case. But it is okay 👌 but yeah we went finding after that it was good, nobody seriously isn't home. Anytime of the day it doesn't make sense.

Anyways Wednesday was good we did service at the opportunity house and that was crazy the owner was grumpy, and I got yelled at by customers and I was like I don't even work here! I am a volunteer be nice! But I don't think they believed me haha, after that we went finding which was good we contacted a couple people , that didn't really go anywhere but yeah. Faith in finding. Someday I will see the blessings of it.

But anyways Thursday was good we did service at the pony farm and was able to meet the owner and actually talk with her about the church and gave her a pamphlet which was awesome! The other elder came as well, they kinda made the ponies stampede which was funny to see. But yeah we then went finding and tried to do some phone contacting and we made contact with some people but not much.

Friday was good we weekly planned and after dinner we went finding didn't really find anybody but had a good time it was cool, Saturday was a crazy busy day we went over in the morning and helped a investigator from the other ward move and it turned into a all day thing until 4:30 moving this small Asian lady out haha, it was good though. That night we met with a less active and that was sweet, he is a really good guy but has some issues with some stuff so we tried to clear that up.

But yeah Sunday was crazy church all day until 3 and then we went to dinner with the monsons, not related to president monson haha, it was good we had a good time, and then we went to the church and finished up some weekly planning for this up coming week so that is important but yeah! That's was my week in a nutshell !! I hope everything is going well! Love ya!

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

100 Summerfield Drive #215

Vacaville, CA 95687

Week 52: January 2

Dear family!

What's up, how are you guys? Happy New Years!! 2017!!! Heck yeah! This week was good, on Monday we had pday and we went to the card shop and we played basketball and we played football that morning which was awesome. Football is awesome ! That night we had family home evening with the YSA that was fun we played card games and uno, and golf with the face cards at was really fun, especially to get to know the YSA. I love the ward here the YSA is pretty fun haha.

Tuesday we had district meeting and that was good, we went on exchanges after that I went with elder hardy that was fun we went and did some work, a member came and took us out to pieology which was super good then the member took us out to get icecream and he bought me a huge brownie Sunday it was massive I could not eat it all that was awesome, I was so full I could blow up, but after that we had some fun with the other elders cause it was a 4 man pad haha.

Wednesday we exchanged back and we went on exchanges with the other elders for a short time cause they were sick so we took one of them and went to a lesson and then I stayed with the sick elder. And after that we went finding lots of finding which is normal for us. But after that we met the other elders at the church and they APS came up and we went on exchanges with them that was pretty fun we got elder thom.

Thursday we spent the most of the day cleaning on the area book and having him help us with that cause we needed it much. After we went and did service and he opportunity house and we had lots of fun there I was helping with guy with the electronics which was pretty fun cause he was from Afghan, he is a funny guys, we might be teaching him sometime soon, that place is full of opportunities, And yeah after that we went to dinner with a less active member and he took us to Panda Express which was awesome. I love Panda Express!

Friday we had weekly planning I have been getting really bad headaches though out the week, so Friday I was kinda out for the day, I will probably call sister Stewart. My body is breaking haha. Lots of problems, I am going to get a blessing soon from the other elders. But yeah that night we didn't have a dinner so we went with the other elders and went to Olive Garden and ate a ton of good food, that was fun. We went finding after.

Saturday was awesome we went finding did some weekly planning and then that night New Year's Eve!!! We bought 4 bottles of apple cider stuff and we went to the other elders apartment, cause we had to be in by seven. And we had a good fun time haha.

Sunday was good we went to 5 the ward, at 9 am and then we left a little early and went to the YSA, 6 hours of church !! Yay! I told president that I was struggling with a good attitude about church and how I was struggling with it and this is how we fixes it haha, sending me to six hours of it. Oh yeah we also had interviews with week with him those went really well. It was awesome, but yeah after church we had a potluck with the YSA to break the fast and talked with them and had a good time. That was fun. After we finished up week planning !!! But yeah the week was super busy the days fly by. !! It's crazy!!!! I hope you had a good week and New Years I love you guys!!! 

That's super cool you visited elder julanders parents ! I met with once your twice on the mission. I totally forgot he was from cedar as well!! Elder Davis is doing good. All is well is the vacatrap 😜 tell the kids I say hello. 

Elder Devin Brown

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

100 Summerfield Drive #215

Vacaville, CA 95687

Week 51: December 26

Dear family,

What's up family! Merry Christmas! This week was good, full of finding and good stuff.

Monday we had pday we went the the church and played basketball and had a good time, a lot of elders were playing Pokémon and magic. And we hung out a lot which was awesome. We had dinner delivered to us we had KFC by this awesome family.

Tuesday was good we had district meeting and we had interviews with our district leader which was good, after that we went finding!! Life here is finding ! Which is food, it needed a new start cause nothing really has been going on here so it's going haha. But yeah we had a lesson with an awesome YSA member he gave us Christmas presents which was super awesome haha. He is a super cool guy.

Wednesday was awesome we went to the opportunity house and did service for them they gave me brand new shoes which was super awesome of them it's great to serve people there. Doing service there is a really good opportunity to meet new people, so that was awesome after that we went and did some finding around the church and after dinner we did more finding, most of the people we try to find are not home or they are out of town and or gone to go to school. But we meet the family and try to make a connection this them.

Thursday was the Christmas party it was awesome, president wright and sister wright came and we watched the movie the grinch stole Christmas that was a surprise and there was a lot of musical numbers, and we then had some testimonies which was awesome we talked a lot after with the other missionaries, and after we went finding contacting around the area, and we went and did service at a farm and cleaned up horse poop and cleaned out the stalls and played with the ponies, that was fun. Of course we went finding for some less actives.

Friday was weekly planning and we did some practice sword fighting cause elder Davis's parents gave him them, so we are learning to sword fight which was awesome. But after planning we went to dinner which was good, after we went and did a lot of finding lots and lots of finding which is pretty good.

Saturday was good Christmas Eve! We did some finding that night we went around and did some Christmas caroling which was super fun and funning to, some people would open the door and then close it right after and we would just sit there singing to the door which was really funny,  a lot of them liked it though and we had some people come up to us and listened to our beautiful missionary voices! 😜 but yeah that night we opened up a gift that elder Davis's family sent us we got beef jerky and some ties that was cool, I got my case by the way ! Thank you! It's awesome! Should last me a very long time! But yeah merry Christmas!!

Sunday was awesome we had church and our church was a hour and a half long and after I Skype you guys!!! That was awesome!! I love you guys and miss you it was so good to see your faces and see how big the kids got! This time around was better then last time haha. I didn't blow up after but I miss you guys. Thank you for all the gifts and letters!! After that we went to the other elders apartment and opened presents with them the other elders gave us some presents so that was awesome of them. After that we went to dinner and it was a full on Swedish dinner! It was amazing !! We had bread and cheeses and raw meets and Swedish meat balls and everything Swedish so that was so cool! We had Glögg it is a Swedish drink which was super good ! You should get some ! You can buy it IKEA. But that family was awesome! Super good Christmas dinner, I hope you guys had a good Christmas !! I love you so much! #bewhatyourheavenlyfatherwantsyoutobe. Remember to smile. 😊 

Elder Devin Brown 

brown.devin@myldsmail.net

100 Summerfield Drive #215

Vacaville, CA 95687