Week Twenty-Five

Dear people,

1 hour to email is not enough. Please pray and try to change God's mind about that policy for me.

I was riding in the back of a taxi earlier in the week and my attention was drawn to a loud clanging noise overpowering the other busy street noises. I watched a very old Korean woman repetitively slam a large brick on a bike lock (of what looked like a child's bike) until it broke, then walk away slowly with her new bike. Everyone around the scene just passed by as if this was a very common occurrence. I hope this is a common occurrence because It was legit. 

I wrote the second entry in my miracle journal yesterday. We've been trying to meet up with a previous investigator named Peter for the last week or so, but he travels the country a lot and rarely comes to Gunsan, so we kept having to cancel appointments and we almost gave up on him, but yesterday we finally met. In Korea it's rare to find anyone that is actually interested in religion rather than just wanting to learn English or have American friends, and it's miracle-rare to find people that have religious interest and are actually seeking the true church. Peter has met with missionaries for a really long time, he's been to lots of churches looking for the right one and has a rough life. He started by saying that he's just really confused about our church, it's too complicated. "I love Jesus, but I don't believe in Joseph Smith" We explained that we don't "believe" in Joseph Smith any more than be believe in the Apostle Peter. We believe in Christ. We talked about the Book of Mormon and Christ's ministry on the American Continent. We read almost all of 3 Nephi 11 with him and he was super excited and said that missionaries had never told him this before. "If this book has Jesus's teachings in it than it's just like the Bible! Why doesn't everyone go to your church?"

That question gets me every time. Everyone who hears the first lesson should recognize that if this is true, it is the most important thing to have happened since the Atonement. We're going to meet him every week and he's almost as excited as we are. We said a thank you prayer after he left. It was really spiritual. That was also a milestone lesson because I couldn't think back on the last sentence he said and determine if it was English or Korean, it all kind of merges..

I'd like to quote my best friend's testimony:

"God is real and loves you a ton. Satan is just as real and wants you to be miserable like him. Faith is nothing if you stop pushing forward. it only grows or shrinks. Obedience to God will give you the best life you could ask for and there just is not any way around that. Christ lives. It has taken me so long to feel like I can say that. Satan is the worst and tries to make me embarrassed for saying that and that is wrong. What Christ did for us is something I can't just ignore. . . I am late for a lesson so peace out friends. Don't give up on yourselves." 

- Elder Nick Denhalter

I love this gospel. It is true. Nothing compares to living it and repenting. There just is not any way around that.

"The world's alternative is so lame and boring" -Austin Fife

Nothing compares.

I want to write more, but that dang sentence at the beginning of this email is my frustration.

I love you all,

-Elder Brown