Pancakes and Pernikahan Kekal

Hello my dear family and friends!!

First off, I hope you all had a love-filled Valentine's Day (what a wonderful opportunity for us all to ponder and recognize those we love!) and also a fortune-filled Chinese New Year! Both of these were pretty hype over here in Jakarta, Indonesia!!

Also shout to the amazing one-and-only Stephanie Brown, as she has this week completed one year as a missionary in Slovenia. Also 20+ years as an amazing older sister :)

So yeah this week was great - many wonderful things to remember and ponder :)

One great thing that happened is our friend M was baptized - wahoo!! It was great. He is definitely a special son of Father in Heaven. In fact church was just all around great today, even though a couple of our investigators slept in a little too late, so they didn't make it.

Funny story: someone told one of the members that I was good at making pancakes. So last week, I told them that I would make pancakes and they said they would bring ingredients. Little did I know that they actually meant business and they brought all the ingredients. Turns out what I actually signed up for was a pancake making competition between myself and Sister Kentjana (a long-term member of the ward). She and her husband are so funny! As I was making my batter, there were like 6 or 7 sisters in the ward surrounding me and calling out directions and crying out in distress when they thought I made a fatal error. And man, Sister Kentjana's were pretty delicious but I think mine might take the (pan)cake ;) Not to be prideful haha.

Haha lots of fun! We also got to video call two investigators in Bali today. We even invited one to be baptized and he accepted :)

Honestly this week has been pretty rough in some ways, with things just not working out and not being able to meet our investigators. But it's all a lesson in humility - to remember that this is the Lord's work and not our own. He certainly did it when we weren't able. It's good to remember that as we try our best, the Lord will do the rest. He will mencukupi which is a great Indonesian work meaning "to make enough". But we do have to be really truly trying :)

Let's see - what else happened this week...?

Oh yeah - I got a smartphone ;) That's pretty cool - Elder Johnson and I are testing them (though he's already had his for a month) and let me tell you WhatsApp is like the best thing ever for contacting investigators! :)

I taught Asas-Asas Injil (Gospel Principles) at church today and I taught about Pernikahan Kekal (Eternal Marriage). And I was thinking a lot about that (not that I'm getting trunky!) and how just absolutely amazing it is that we can be with our families for FOREVER. Thats is one of the most amazing gifts that we receive from the Restoration of the Gospel. Think about it. I know how much it has  effected my life! How different would we look at our father, mother, brothers, sisters, spouses, children when we realize that we are family forever :) How much kinder could we be? How much more considerate as we see our family's eternal value and importance? I was just thinking about that and how much I love my family and how grateful I am that I CAN be with them forever because of the Savior Jesus Christ and His restored Gospel. I do testify that He loves us and desires all of us to come unto Him and return to the Father.

I love you all!! Have an amazing week and take a little more time and a little more thought to show our family how much you love them.

Love Elder Brown

Good Morning Jakarta!

Good morning Jakarta!

That's what I sing every morning when we go out. Well actually I don't haha, but now that I thought of it, I'll probably start singing it everyday :)

Well things in Jakarta are just dandy! I hope everything is super-duper swell in America with all the wonderful people I love there! I hope everyone is happy! And if you're not - I know just thing that can help you be happier. Everyday I go around Jakarta doing my best to share the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ with people because I know it is truth and joy, at its fullest.

I was thinking a lot about the joy of the Gospel this week and how I personally can take greater joy in the Gospel and better bring that joy to others. I love Christ's words "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world"(John 16:33). When we know that because of Him, everything can be okay. Our weaknesses, pains, sins and imperfections can be swallowed up in Him. Through Him, we too can overcome the world, so why not "be of good cheer"? :) I'd like to start seeing myself more of a "penyebar sukacita" than a "penginjil" which is to say more of a "spreader of joy" than a "person who gospel-izes other people" (haha sometimes it's hard to translate the meaning of these Indonesian words).

Anyway, its been a great week of spreading joy with Elder Johnson and I in the beautiful city of Jakarta. We have had some wonderful experiences sharing our testimonies of Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

We had a great lesson with S as she expressed her desire to be a missionary and share the Gospel. Some of the Sisters in Relief Society told us that she bore her testimony that she knew this Church was true. That was cool. She is still planning on being baptized on the 4th of March. She rocks - she is so great.

We have tons of awesome investigators - we are just trying to help them see the joy of the Gospel. Jesus taught "the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) and it is so true. I wish people would see how much understanding the truth about the Savior and His doctrine is so freeing and bringing such blessings of happiness in our lives, no matter who we are or where we are.

Cool experiences at church - we were watching a video in class entitled "Families Can Be Together Forever" and it shows a bunch of video clips of families doing cute things, and right there precisely at 2:27, there is my Uncle Eric, just nonchalantly picking up his bike. Haha I got so excited and it made me so happy! So shoutout to Eric Jensen and the Jensens for being a wonderful example of a happy family :) Speaking of can you send me Alice and Sam's mailing addresses, so that I can mail them letters? :)

One other cool thing at church - our simpatisan John (who was baptized about a month and a half ago - so not a simpatisan anymore) blessed the Sacrament. It was wonderful, he is such a good man! What a sweet experience to see him exercise his priesthood :)

Anyway its been a great week! Lots of fun experiences!! One of which : Elder Johnson and I often (VERY often) eat at the same place right in front of our house called Ayam Gepuk which is this delicious Fried Chicken, with super-spicy sambal (Indonesian sauce made from smashed chilis, salt, garlic and oil - amazing :) and it is so good and we are such good friends with the workers. and they gave us SHIRTS and they are literally the coolest things - we will send pictures :)

I love you all so much!!

Go find the happiness this week!!!

Love

Elder Brown

BerBahagia

Good Morning Indonesia! and also to my wonderful family and friends all around the world!!

I hope you are happy healthy and terrific (as my Mission President, President Rowley often says). Hopefully everyone's lives are just swell this week. I hope you had the chance to share a smile and a lot of love this week :)

The Instagram Account is
MormonIndonesia. 
Not Quite as exciting as
"TrevorBrownDoingThings" yet,
but give it time I guess.

Elder Johnson and I had a great week, though really busy! We were given another task to oversee some of the immigration processes for the missionaries. President almost called a set of Office Elders to oversee it, but we decided that for now, we would handle that. So that definitely put some greater demands on our time. But it's great, because it allows us opportunity to see the Lord's hand doing the work for us!

Church was great! We were bummed because at the start of the meeting, only two of the investigators we wanted to come had showed up. But as the meeting began, five more of them came in - that was a tender mercy for sure. And then two people we had contacted wanted to meet, along with all of our other appointments that Sunday - we had the opportunity to go give a blessing to one of our investigators Mom in the hospital. It is amazing to be able to use our Priesthood to help others. He was very touched by the blessing and right after it, his Mom opened her eyes more fully than he said she had in a while. So Sunday turned into a really busy, but very rewarding day! That was awesome!

Besides Sunday, everything was great! Elder Johnson and are just pressing forward (maju terus!). Two friends are doing well and still progressing! One other, we gave to the Tangerang Elders and it sounds like he is doing well! One is preparing to be baptized for this coming week. Please pray that he will feel truly prepared and understand the sanctity of the covenants he will make.

I think I forgot to tell you, but Elder Johnson got a smartphone last week. The first one in our mission! His other phone broke and President said "Okay, lets try a smartphone", so that's been pretty crazy! But really helpful. We even have an Instagram account :)

Speaking of technology, we've started teaching some people through Skype. There's one guy in Makassar that is really prepared to receive the restored gospel, so that's pretty cool! It's amazing to see how the Lord is preparing people everywhere to receive our message.

Next week will be MLC, so that will be a lot of fun! We're excited! It was supposed to be this week, but thank goodness it was pushed back, because I don't know where we would have found the time to prepare for it haha!

Anyways, it's been a great week. Elder Johnson and I have tons of fun - I feel bad because I never seem to tell you about funny things that happen, but it is a lot of FUN. Who knew that 11 hour "work" days would be super totally awesome? :)

I love you all!! Have a fantastic week. And just remember the things that truly matter. In bahasa indonesia there are two words "senang" and "bahagia". they both mean happy. But "senang" is like pleased, a more temporary fleeting happiness, whereas "bahagia" is like true deeper happiness. There's a lot of things in life that make us "senang" (like for me - eating delicious food - or any food really!:) but what really is important are the things that make us "bahagia". Like serving the Lord, like serving and lifting others - making them smile and making them "bahagia" - those are the things that bring true "kebahagiaan" (happiness). Go search out those things that truly "berarti" (have meaning) and the things that really matter and will make you "berbahagia" (be happy).

I know that is what our loving father in heaven wants for us all!!

Love you all!!

Elder Brown