Enduring to the End

Family and Friends,

   I can't believe the time has come!  Honestly, it hasn't hit me until I just read all the emails from my family that talked about coming home tomorrow.  I have so many emotions going on right now that I can't describe.  Excited, anxious, depressed, happy, are just to name a few.  I am sad that this amazing experience of a mission is ending.  Having said that I am excited to take on the world and do the things the Lord would have me do as a member missionary.  My mission experience has been very sacred to me.  I have been able to really understand what it means to have a relationship with my God.   There have been so many times on my mission that I have experienced denial, rejection, persecution, hatred, and many people mis-understanding of what our purpose is as missionaries.  At all these times of rejection,  I have had to find ways to help myself get motivated to continue forward and press on.  The only way that I could get through that was relying on my Heavenly Father to get through the tough times, to receive that extra boost of energy.  To have that extra ounce of charity towards that individual that just cussed me out.  To be able to have the ability to have the spiritual eyes that Christ has.  To act as a representative of him.  Prayer has been a huge and important factor of gaining that relationship and understanding of that.  Then, I realized that they are not persecuting for Elder Josh Brown's sake.  They are persecuting the majestic individual Jesus Christ who did the most important act in eternal history by fulfilling the Atonement so that we can  come back to live with our Father in Heaven.  He too was persecuted, judged and killed by the world.  He suffered it because  he loved us.  So I count it a honor and a blessing to have the experiences I have had on my mission, good and bad, in the name of my Savior Jesus Christ.

   I had an amazing experience of prayer and fasting.  I really desired going out with a bang.  I wanted to do the things that the Lord would have me do in the Irvine Westpark Ward.  I prayed to heavenly Father that we would find somebody to teach and bless their lives for the better.  Sunday night was my last chance, my last push to endure to the end.  I was running full force going door to door.   Knowing my time was limited.  After dinner we went to a apartment complex.  It was 7 a clock and for some reason a ton of apartments were dark and nobody was home.  We still exercised faith in finding that one person that last individual that Elder Wood and I could touch and bless.  Around 8 a clock we knock on this door.  A little child answered the door.  We asked him if his father was home.  He opened the door wider and looks back.  His father was laying on the bed yelling, "what do we want".  We told him that we are representatives of Jesus Christ and are sharing a message about him.  He kind of waved his hand at us and said He already knows about Jesus and doesn't need to learn more about him.  Elder Wood then said that more scripture has been revealed about the Savior and his dealings with the ancient American people.  It caught his attention.  He said "I am really sick but please come in and share".  We found out that he has been sick for the past two weeks. We go in and teach about how we got the Book of Mormon and shared the Restoration.  He believed every ounce of it.  He said that he has been looking for answers and he had almost given up hope.  He accepted to read the Book of Mormon, to come to church with his family, and also to be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God.  It was a miracle!  He was so prepared for this message.  The most prepared individual I have ever met on my mission.  He just thanked us so much.  As we closed with a prayer I received a prompting from the spirit.  Feeling bold I said , "Jeff, as representatives of Jesus Christ we hold the Priesthood authority of God.  As part of the restored church of Jesus Christ we hold the authority to heal the sick and afflicted.  Just like the apostles of old.  Do you have faith sufficient to be healed?  He said, " I do".  I said, "We would love to give you a priesthood blessing to heal you of your sickness". Elder Wood and I had the opportunity to give him a priesthood blessing.  God sent us to Jeff!  He knows all his children and answers their prayers.  He answered mine and Jeff's in one experience.  I was flying high as a kite with the spirit when I left his apartment.  Satisfied with my offering to the Lord in enduring to the end.  I thank my Heavenly Father for the blessing of ending my mission like that.  I will always remember that experience.  I am sad that this is ending, I love being a missionary.  I Love you all and appreciate all of you that enjoyed this journey with me by reading my blogs.  I am going to miss this but I am excited to see my family and enter into the next chapter of my life.

(3 John 1:13-14)

Elder Brown