Elder Conner Brown

State College, PA - Week 30

Hello there!

 

Last full week on the Mission has been a blast! Trying to meet with as many people as we can before the end. 

 

I was so excited to finally meet with A, who I haven't seen in almost 3 months. He's doing great and still remembers the experiences he was having meeting with us and reading the Book of Mormon. We brought up baptism and he actually asked some questions about it. Invited him to pray about if it's the path God wants him to take, and we have another meeting before I leave to follow up. 

 

We also met again with K, who still has lots of questions, but committed to read the Book of Mormon straight from the beginning and wants to meet once more before I head out.

 

For our meeting with E, we talked about baptism and had an awesome recent convert there to share his experience with it. He still remembered his experience from attending a Baptism a little while back and committed for a date to be baptized himself! It'll be way later next transfer, but I'll hopefully be able to attend digitally. 

 

We had three friends at church this Sunday, and the Sisters had three friends of their own. That combined with the 80ish branch members made a pretty packed Chapel, which is awesome to see. Even more awesome, was looking out over the crowd after sacrament and seeing every friend talking with a member. Man, it makes missionaries so happy when their friends are enveloped by the ward. 

 

Something that's really struck me this past week is the power of motive in everything we do. As I was streeting this past week, I wasn't really feeling it a couple times until I focused on 1. How the Savior feels about me talking to this person, and 2. The love I want to show toward this person with the message I share. 

 

I've always tried to remember the mission motto for when I served in Japan Sapporo, where an important line is "Love is the Motive". It really should be our motive for everything we do, because then are we really able to serve as Christ would serve.

 

Moroni 7:47-18

   47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

   48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

 

Hope you all have a fantastic week, and may the Spirit be with you!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

Japan Sapporo Mission Motto:

 

Obedience is the Price

Faith is the Power

Love is the Motive

Spirit is the Key

Christ is the Reason

Joy is the Reward

State College, PA - Week 29

Hello there, everyone!

 

We had some very special experiences this past week, the first of which was a chance to do missionary work with the APs on campus. They are really great at talking with everyone they can and using tools we have like the lesson pamphlets, and Elder Graff and I got 7 forms of contact while streeting that day, so it was a very energizing experience.

 

Another huge miracle was we got in contact with someone I taught before the summer named N. He's got real cool faith in Jesus Christ and really good questions about his gospel that I've been so anxious to share with him, so the fact that we're finally meeting up before I return is such a huge blessing.

 

This past Saturday, we had a baptism for someone the Sister missionaries have been teaching from China, so we invited a bunch of people, and E was able to come as well as two recent converts. It was a really cool experience cause we had a musical number where Sister Snow, who's assigned Mandarin speaking, sang "I know that my Redeemer Lives" in Chinese, and you could really feel the spirit enter the room. E especially felt it and wants to work towards baptism himself.

 

That's been one of the coolest experiences of this last transfer has been seeing the growth of missionary efforts in the Chinese people here. A little while ago, our branch/area was challenged to create a Chinese branch, which made me raise a couple eyebrows, honestly, since we only had one active Chinese member, but recently things have been moving into place one by one for that to happen. First, the Sisters found the Chinese friend who was baptized this past week. Then, Sister Snow came right after and was able to use her talents to connect with more of the Chinese students. Then, E was referred to us by the State College Elders. Then, a member moved into the area who served Mandarin speaking. 

 

It reminds me of Alma 26, where Ammon reminds his brethren how the Nephites reacted when they heard who they were going to go teach, how they "laughed [them] to scorn". The Lord really gives revelation to his leaders and means to accomplish his works. I'm sad I won't be here to see all these things come to fulfillment, but I'm so happy I get to be here to see it all start. I testify the Lord puts us where we need to be exactly when we need to be there, as long as we hearken to his council.

 

May you feel his influence working in your lives these coming weeks!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

State College, PA - Week 28

Zone conference week! We got to go to all three of them since we had a Social Media training to give at each. The zone conferences were set up so that in total we gave our training 9 times to smaller portions of the mission. 

 

The training was about building our faith and confidence to do missionary work online and was overall well received. I had the chance to bear testimony about just how much more effective missionary work has become with these added tools and techniques. We've already gotten reports from a few missionaries who really took the training to heart and found people because of it.

 

It was also definitely fun seeing all the missionaries still here that I've known for at least one more time.

 

Traveling to zone conferences took a big chunk of our time, but we were still able to see some good successes this past week. E came to FHE and church, and had a great time at each. 

 

With the new Semester starting today, the students are back! That and also we've gotten some referrals from missionaries teaching people who are just returning to school. One person was just baptized this past week in his hometown, then was confirmed here in the Penn State branch. Lots of activity and new people to get to know.

 

 

Reading along in Psalms, it's super fun seeing connections and references to things in the New Testament, like "There's the one prophecy about none of Christ's bones being broken!" Or "Wow, there's the scripture Satan uses to tempt Jesus!"

 

Most recently I found a cool connection in Psalms 102, the first part describing a man's very lonesome, dejected, and afflicted state of mind.

Psalms 102:7 - "I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top."

 

To be compared to a tiny single sparrow on a house top seems pretty lonely and insignificant, which is why I was reminded of one of Christ's teachings, which may have been formulated with this scripture in mind:

Luke 12:6-7

6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" 

7 "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows."

 

First of all, each and every child of God is of such great worth to Him that we can't imagine. Second of all, even if we are as insignificant as we think we are sometimes, we are still remembered and known by our Father in heaven, who sees and knows and cares about all things of His creation.

 

Keep in mind the Lord always will take notice of you!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

 

 

State College, PA - Week 27

We had some really epic lessons, experiences, and people to meet with this past week, a real nice change of pace from the slow summer.

The State College Elders (missionaries assigned to the same area but the family ward) knocked into a young college student super interested in the message of Jesus Christ. We had a nice pass off lesson and it's been great so far. He loves the Book of Mormon and we had a great team up for his most recent lesson and he's coming to FHE and he's excited to come to church this next week. Lol, sorry that was long winded, but we're super excited for him. His name's E and more to come for him later.

 

Finally had a first meeting with our friend K who we met on the street a couple weeks back. He's been reading from the Book of Mormon and admitted he's wary and has had tons of outside sources giving him anti-church stuff, but he's approached his questions faithfully so far, mentioning as well that the arguments people use are the same one's Pharisees and such would use against Christ and the prophets. The big thing is he believes God isn't silent today as many churches say he is, so we're helping him learn if the Book of Mormon is God speaking to us.

 

Had a fantastic opportunity to watch the DC Temple Rededication on Sunday. President Nelson spoke and I'll share some thoughts from his words in a bit. We gave the Hosanna shout and everything from the Whitehall Chapel and the spirit was definitely present. 

 

Those closest to me know that my memory is atrocious, so forgive me if I butcher anything he said. That being said, spoiler alert, at the temple rededication, President Nelson promised to announce more temples soon.

 

Something that struck me during his message was along the lines of Christ's church needing continuous revelation for the perfection of the church. He related it to our daily individual progression being essential for our lives. What struck me in my thoughts is there will be no "we made it" moment in our life here on earth when it comes to our progression, our knowledge, our calling, or really anything. We may have a chance to take a breather every once in a while, but that's just to catch out breath for the next climb. If we don't prepare ourselves for that next step, we will lose the ground and momentum that we have (2 Nephi 28:3). If Christ's restored church on the earth has need to receive revelation to adapt and be perfected, how much more need have we, it's members to receive such guidance and to progress until the end of our lives? 

 

May we always press forward with that steadfastness in Christ, perfect brightness of hope, and love of God and all men. (2 Nephi 31:20)

 

Hope you have a great week!

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

When you need white handkerchiefs for a Temple dedication the night before -- cutting up one of Elder Lee's old white shirts

 

State College, PA - Week 26

Hello there!

 

Things have been real hot and humid over here lately, but other than that pretty good! 

 

We had a meeting recently with a friend of ours, C who's really into mushrooms and working with trees, and totally down to talk about the message we share. We have our new friend K we're excited to meet this coming week as well. A couple students are trickling in, but it's still pretty barren, and the few students who were in town for summer semester are filing out, but they're leaving lots of nice stuff behind. We picked up a fan-tastic fan for the summer, as well as an insta-pot, both just left behind for the taking. (rubs hands together greedily)

 

We also met with our friend R, who had a real cool experience with praying to God for help and receiving just that, which is fantastic because she hasn't had much experience with praying and has been pretty uncomfortable about that.

 

Also went to MLC and gave another presentation about Social Media we get to bring to zone conference. It's so nice that our mission president is super supportive of making sure it's used even during the summer, so we don't lay it aside after covid. This zone conference, we're going to focus on building faith and confidence to find people online, because it can be pretty boring and a slower role sometimes, but it really works.

Last MLC!

 

 

A cool miracle/message about fasting today. A friend of ours fell on some bad luck and was looking for a new job, so we fasted for him to get the help he needed. That night, we ran into C again and he mentioned he needed somebody with the exact set of skills our friend has, so we were able to get them hooked up! Fasting brings cool miracles, a way to show our faith even more and supercharge our prayers.

 

Hope you all have a cool, fantastic week!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

State College, PA - Week 25

Hello there!

 

First week of the last transfer is off to a great start! We had some great experiences this past week.

 

We met a cool guy on the street named K, who's religious and admitted he'd heard some things about the church, but was open to reading and praying about the Book of Mormon and meeting with us, especially after our conversation on the street.

 

Our friend J surprised us by finishing 1st Nephi in just a few days! When he said he read 1 Nephi I had to clarify, "Wait, first Nephi, or first Nephi chapter 1?" He still has a couple concerns, but he feels good about the Book of Mormon so far.

 

Our friend R finally came to church for the first time, and the timing couldn't have been any more perfect! The Sister missionaries here had a friend there of her same nationality and the new missionary who came in speaks their native language, so they were able to bond real easily and have a great time together.

 

We've also been super busy getting things ready for social media for the new transfer. We have a bunch of brand new Social Media Leaders so we've been making sure they're all up to speed and comfortable in their new assignments. 

 

Just a quick verse this week from my Old Testament reading in Psalms, 27:14 - "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

 

May the Lord strengthen your heart as you ask him for patience in whatever it is you're waiting for. I am eyewitness to the Lord's divine timing so I testify that patience will be worth it.

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

Hiking mole hill

 

 

State College, PA - Week 24

Transfer news!

 

I found out where I'll be the last 6 weeks of my mission, right here on Penn State! Pretty crazy since they usually file missionaries out of here pretty quickly and I'll have been here for 7 and a half months when I leave. Excited to be here for the great migration of students for the fall semester, though. Hopefully we can start meeting again with N, M, and A when they come back.

 

This week was pretty good and saw some real cool miracles. For a little diversity in finding methods, we tried tabling a lot this past week with some good results. We aren't able to talk to as many people as streeting, but the people we do talk to have more interest. One time while tabling, we saw a guy we'd met on the street a couple times before and had another conversation with him. He mentioned he was looking for a Bible, so we were able to give him one right there. He seemed really grateful and asked where church was and what time and everything, and guess what...he came!

(Tabling with the sisters also assigned to Penn State)

 

Another cool experience this past week, we were talking to a guy on the street in front of a restaurant. While we were talking, Elder Lee recognized one of his facebook friends who he hasn't interacted with before inside the window. The person actually took a quick video of us, so later Elder Lee messaged him on facebook asking for a copy of it, lol. It actually led to a cool conversation about who we are and what we're doing. Hoping to meet and teach him in the future.

 

In Old Testament reading, I just finished the book of Job which had some pretty school scriptures, arguments, and philosophy, but I liked one scripture in particular:

 

Job 23:8-10

8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
9 On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
10 But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

 

Sometimes we can't see the Lord's hand in our lives from where we are in our trials, and when that happens, those are the times when our testimonies have potential to break or become stronger than before. If we trust the Lord to see us through our struggles, we are providing the opportunity for him to show us how great a planner and support he really is. 

 

Have a great rest of your week!

Love you all!

Elder Brown the elder

 

Getting caught in the rain

 

P-Day activity at The Arboretum at Penn State - Pollinator's Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State College, PA - Week 23

Hello there!

 

We've had some fun blessings/opportunities this past week with the Arts Festival going on. It's an event run on Penn State and nearby downtown State College where there's tons of food, music, and stands with people selling art. We were able to do some streeting around there and set up a table ourselves to talk with people. One night while tabling, a guy named E came up who met with Sisters two years ago before COVID! He got lost in the cracks or something, but he wants to make a place for God in his life, so we get to meet him soon!

 

We also had a cool lesson with our friend J about faith and the Book of Mormon. The spirit was present, which is the ultimate key, and he seems to be getting more open to Book. 

 

One sad part was we had to say goodbye to Elder Thompson, who just finished up his service mission in the Penn State YSA branch. He has done so much good here, for the branch, for the many organizations he does service for, and supporting missionary work in the area. 

 

 

 

It was cool reading in the Old Testament about rebuilding the city and the temple, how they worked in constant danger with their swords always on them. Cool because we just recently on the zone conference trips listened to part of the story of building the Kirtland Temple, how it was also in constant danger and enemies all around to prevent its building. In both cases, the Lord provided a way to keep his commandments and protected his people. 

 

It's comforting to know that nothing has changed between then and now. The Lord supports those who put their trust in him and his spirit.

 

Stay cool and have a great week!

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

 

 

State College, PA - Week 22

Hello there!

 

We had a busy week of travels, attending all three zone conferences scattered throughout the mission, but it was really cool to see everyone and give our training throughout the mission. We mainly talked about ways we can use Facebook more effectively and use our devices with more focus throughout the day. Even though we listened to pretty much the same other trainings each zone conference, it was cool to see the slight differences between the meetings and the different insights the spirit can give you.

 

As far as the work goes, we had a good first lesson with D, a guy we met on the street a couple weeks ago. He believes in God and wants to keep Him a part of his life, so hopefully he keeps meeting to learn how he can do so. 

 

On the way back home, we had a nice service opportunity when we saw some neighbors of ours trying to cram a big couch out the front door. Many hands and knowledge about how to move furniture made for light work.

 

The topic of focus for this zone conference was repentance, how important it is for us and in God's plan. I love a scripture that was shared and the thought President Wright attached to it.

Alma 34:15 - "And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance."

 

When we repent, we make meaning of the Savior's Atonement in our lives, or make use of it to purify our lives. The whole reason the Savior suffered so much is to grant us this "means", his grace or enabling power. When we put it to good use and turn to Him, it brings him such great joy (D&C 18:13), so let us truly repent all we can!

 

Stay cool and have a good week!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the elder

 

Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Temple under construction

 

State College, PA - Week 21

Hello there!

We had a nice week despite having to drop a couple people. T sadly was more interested in arguing than learning, so we'll have to leave him where he is.

 

One cool miracle, though, a friend we invited to FHE last Monday was able to come, and even cooler than that, a member in the branch brought a friend as well and the two friends knew each other! Had a super fun evening helping them to know and be comfortable in the branch.

 

Another fun experience, while we were walking next to the campus to do some contacting, we met the Nielson triplets from my last area, Hershey! It was so much fun catching up with them real quick and the perfect chance to get on their email lists, since they're all headed out on missions soon. 

 

Getting ready for this next week, we're giving a Social Media Presentation for each of the zone conferences, so there'll be a lot of driving and speaking, but should be a cool experience coming up.

 

There's a cool quote I read recently from Lawrence E. Corbridge:

 

I heard someone say recently, “It is okay to have doubts.”
I wonder about that. The Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” I have a lot of questions; I don’t have any doubts.

 

If I could rephrase what "someone said recently" I'd say "It is okay to have questions" because there's a big difference between doubts and questions. Questions when approached with faith build testimonies, but when approached only with skepticism and doubt destroy testimonies. I encourage anyone with a difficult question to remember how Nephi approached a hard question.

 

1 Nephi 11:17 - And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

 

I testify that God lives, he loves his children, he fulfills his promises, Jesus Christ is our Savior, and Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration.

 

Hope you all have a happy 4th of July!

 

Sincerely,

Elder Brown the Elder

 

 

Sewing repair job on the the sleeve lining of my suit coat

 

Facebook Post 7/2/2022

 

In the book of Omni, the prophet Amaleki is very limited in the words he is able to share with us, so I find it cool to note what he deems most important to share:

 

Omni 1:26 - "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

 

In the end, the most important thing we can do in this life is follow Christ and make sure our lives are in line with his teachings. For those who lose or dedicate their lives for Christ, they are promised that they shall in fact receive eternal life. So, I invite you all to ponder how you can offer more of your soul to Him, then act on it.