Yes, we still have our issues!!!!

What up everyone! This week was very hard because of my companion. It really has been the longest 3 months I've ever had but I hope these next 2 1/2 weeks fly by because I cannot take it anymore, hahha but for real though, it's killing me! 

    Last Monday, we went to Idaho Falls because i had to get  a new suit. We went to JC Penny and I finally found one. We shopped at Winco and for those who know what Winco is.. its like the size of Costco but they really don't sell bulk stuff. They have a candy section, so I loaded up on some gummy sharks and some sour patch watermelon. People who go there all the time say that the candy section is "missionary heaven". For dinner, we went to one of our WML house because after dinner, we had a FHE lesson with all the "empty nesters" in his neighborhood. We talked about how they can share the gospel with their friends who are not members. We also showed them a video on hastening the work.

     On Tuesday, we really didn't do anything because it was really rainy and cold, so we kinda just stayed inside. My companion had to go to the post office because he wanted to ship all of his book that he has home he literally took FOREVER. He is so slow, but I have learned to have patience with him! The zone leader stopped by to drop off a package for one of the sisters in my district. We went to Bro Blacker's house again for dinner and we had porcupine meatballs! They were really good and he found it on the side of the road when he was going home when he dropped us off the nigh before. We went on visits with the Shelton WML, Bro Pond and we saw some less actives and they seemed to enjoy our visit. Hopefully they will come back to church!

    Wednesday we finally had our lesson with Sy. We taught him the commandments and he told us that he would follow them because he said, " I have too if I want to get baptized!" He is so golden! We went to Palisades to have our district meeting and it was a long one. My companion being the district leader talked about how we can be fishermen? It was so confusing. After district meeting we drove around and nobody was home. For dinner we had moose stew and was good. They family we had dinner with were so fun.

     Thursday was a rough one because my companion started to fight with me because he didn't get what he wanted. He said that he wanted to go home but the zone leaders called him to calm him down. After that happened, we went to help pick some more apples at Vanessa's house. I had to cut the tree branches while my companion picked the apples for her. We got some big apples that she let us take home with us. Later that night, we exchanged with the Thane elder and Elder Shaerr came her to Ririe.

      Friday, Elder Shaerr and I tore it up in Ririe. we received a new referral they said that he would like it if us missionaries would come back by and come visit with them! We read the Book of Mormon with Sy and we read in 1 Nephi 13. It tells how the Bible and Book of Mormon go along with each other. We watched a video on tithing at the end and he seemed  to enjoy it! We ate at Los Albertos for lunch! We went to the library to work on Sy's baptismal program. For dinner, We had pizza and the mom made a form of deep dish and it was the closest thing to Chicago's pizza.

    Saturday! Service day. We spent most of the day helping Sis Cole and her husband lay sod along the ditch bank they have by their house. We went to lunch with the zone leader at Los Albertos. The place is so good! We went back to the Coles to help finish laying the sod. For dinner, the family made us some really good Japanese chicken and rice because their son just got back from serving a mission in Japan. After dinner we talked with the AP's at the stake center and after that we went to the Perry ward for their chili cook off. 

     Yesterday we had to to to Swan Valley and speak at the Palisades ward. Everyone was so happy that we spoke because its so far for us to go there every Sunday they were happy that we were there. We then drove back to go see 2 primary programs. they were both good and super cute. They're were also tons of kids in the program, haha. We have a new investigator named Dally McKinney and she is super excited to start talking the discussions. 

 

   Well everyone, I think that it for this week! I hope you enjoy my weekly email and hope that they make sense! Haha. Im thankful for all of you and for the prayers you send to me and my brother Logan! I have truly seen the blessing in my life! 

                                                                                Elder Browning

Annie the Goat, NOT Annie Giles

Big ole' apples from Vanessa's tree

Scooter thing.  It was really hard to ride but I got the hang of it

My buddy, Sammy (From Josh, Megan, Micah and Jacklyn!)

Typical Sleepwear

I run into the most random people!!!!

Helloooo again from Idahoooooo!

Hello everybody! I hope that you all had a good week! This week was filled with a lot of finding and trying to get new investigators so that we can start teaching them the lessons!

    

So last monday we went to rexburg and my companion had to get 3 new pairs of pants because he says he eats too much and hes says that he is too fat. So we spent about an hour there just so he can get new pants. While I was waiting for him, I found a new sweater and a new coat that was from old navy for a total of 11$. What a bargain and i'm super excited to wear it this winter. When we went to walmart a lady that has a son serving a mission right now paid for our groceries and then took a photo us us to send to our mothers!. Later that night, my companion was trying to clean our regular vacuum and then our carpet cleaning vacuum and he ended up breaking both of them because he didn't know how to take one of the pieces off, haha. But we got a new one from the housing coordinators.

Tuesday was boring. We had to help sis coles cut her weeds in front of her house and then for dinner one our ward mission leaders took us out to rigby to get some Chinese food.

Wednesday we had our usual district meeting and it went alright. We talked about how we as a district can set those 89 baptismal dates with the investigators we are teaching. the lesson we had with the cripes canceled on us because she got called into work. We went to go visit a less active tasha holland and she gave us a blender for us to use so that we can make smoothies in the morning! she also gave us some plant food to put in the smoothies and gave us some chia and flax seeds. It was kinda weird but hey, you don't turn down a blender! Later that night, our ward mission leader for palisades owns a taxidermy and so we just chilled there the whole night while he was skinning a bear. It was so cool, haha.

On thursday we did weekly planning and then we went to the library to make lynzees baptismal programs! I downloaded all of the general conference talks and I encourage all of you to listen to them again! they are so good. We had a church tour/baptismal interview with lynzee and then we exchanged with the zone leaders. I stayed her in Ririe with elder welling.

On friday, our exchanges went alright. Elder welling was sick and didn't feel like doing much but we pressed on!We just tried to get a whole bunch of refs but everyone was not home. We saw St because he got surgery earlier that morning and so we gave him a blessing and we are set his baptismal date for November 14th @ 10am! We are so excited and cant wait! We went to teach lynzee the  last lesson and she was crazier than ever! but she was happy that we are done with the lessons.

Saturday was lynzzes baptism! it was my first so it was the best one ive had yet! it was so spiritual and loved everything about it! After the baptism we went to her house to hang out and eat snacks! We had dinner at our wml house again and for our message we taught and practiced the message of the restoration.

Sunday was pretty relaxing. we went to the perry ward so that we could confirm lynzee and then we went to 2nd ward to watch the primary kids practice their program. It was fun hearing them sing! For dinner, we went to this awesome family that took photos of us so that we could send back home! it was way fun! 

Well thats it for this week and I hope that all is well. I thankful for the blessings and prayers you send my way! God is Good! 

                                          Elder Browning

Gigantic Spuds!

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had a good week and hope all is doing well! My week here in Ririe was so busy and consisted 2 times to Wyoming and another baptismal date! Let me give you a run down on whats been happening in good ole Ririe, ID!

   So you all know that we had to go to Afton, WY this past Monday and its a small little town so we just drove around looking for things to do so we spent about 3 hours in Shopko and Broliums to kill time! We had another lesson with Lynzee and the Martins fed us dinner before we taught her. She made us homemade Chinese and was so good. We taught Lynzee about the 10 commandments. Again she paid no attention to them and so her mom yelled at her because she always does this and if she wont pay attention, she cant get baptized. Her baptism is this Saturday at 9 am! We are so excited for her and her family! 

  Tuesday was a hard day for us. We didn't do much finding so we asked the seminary teacher if he had any non members in his class and he had none. We went to Los Alberto's for dinner and then went to the Stake Center and listen to a guy give a talk about addictions and how the brain responds to different addictions. He did an awesome job and I learned a lot! We went to the Cole's to visit with them and on the way out of their driveway, my companion ran over and killed one of their dogs. 

  Wednesday we had district meeting in Palisades and as a district, we came up with setting 27 baptismal dates by the next transfers which are November 11th! It may seem like a lot, but we already have 2, Afton and Thane has 3, so the lord is helping us along the way! We had lunch at the gas station and then a couple started talking with us (they were members) and we talked for a while about conference and about all that stuff. He said hes been to Naperville, IL before and ate at the big steak house there? I didn't know what he was talking about but, oh well. They paid for our ice cream and was super nice of them to do that! We went to visit the Cripes (LA) and she wanted us to start reading the Book of Mormon and Bible with her so that she can understand them more better. Her and her husband are also feeding us this Wednesday and i hope that it will all go smoothly and she will be more edified by us helping her. She also said that we influenced her to start doing this with her so idk! haha. 

   On Thursday was weekly planning. We had interview with the mission president and his wife. It went very well and I know that thy are both there to help us! Sister Hancock is just like a mother would be, she loves all the missionaries and wants to know them personally so she can help us in any way! After we got home, we helped an non member pick apples from her tree. she gave whole bag full and my companion and I have been eating them all and are almost gone! We went to visit Sy and he can get baptized! The Lord answered our prayers and he actually set a date for himself on Saturday October 24th at 5 pm! I know that the Lord found a way for him to do this, and we are super excited for him. We have 2 more  lessons to teach him that are on the next two Wednesdays.  Later that night, we gave Sister Cole's a blessing so that her hand would be able to heal fully. We went to Lynzee's house and taught her about fasting and tithing. She didn't listen again but hope that she will remember everything when she has her baptismal interview. 

     On Friday, we contacted 3 referrals and we possible have 3 new investigators! Nobody fed us that night so we went to Los Alberto's again. that place is so good! Saturday morning we went to go pick spuds by the Ririe dam and it was so cool how the potatoes came out from the ground and pit them out from a conveyor belt. We got 2 whole boxes! We are giving them away to Sy! We had to go to Afton again to do another baptismal interview. Someone from the Clark ward drove us up there with his wife. The day was beautiful and it made the drive there 10 times better. We stopped to get some more square ice cream and then headed home. We went to the Lords house for dinner and then tried teach Lynzee another lesson but they were too busy riding their horses. Then on Sunday we had to give talks in the 1st ward and I didn't do that well but everyone said they liked it. We had a meeting with all the WML at the stake center to talk about our goals as a stake.

Well, that is all for this week! I hope everyone is doing well and cant wait until next time! God is Good and thankful for all you do! 

                                                                     Much love, Elder Browning

My companion and I are in Afton WY.

Hello everyone! This week seemed to drag and I'm glad that today is Monday! My companion and I are all the way in Afton WY. They are building the new temple here and its actually super small. They just got the interior walls put up and they are working away. They are working as fast as they can because they want President Monson to dedicate it before he passes. It looks good though! 

Star Valley, Wyoming LDS Temple

      Afton is a beautiful place and for the people that know what Afton is like, can agree with me! Its surrounded by mountains and is very cold. It reminds me of the little town by Wisconsin Dells. it has a Shopko and a couple of local restaurants. 

      This past week was very busy so let me give you the run down. So on Monday we went to dinner with Ron Fisher again and he took us out to a Mongolian BBQ. It was super good and also I saw Conner Smith ( if anyone remembers him from the Joliet stake. He just got married is living with Ron Fisher. His wife is going to BYU-I and he is doing some online courses.) We taught lynzee lords later that night and she was not at all tuned into the lesson, but she is excited to get baptized! ON Tuesday we had to go to the quick care for my companion and looks like he has the shingles! They are not that bad but he says it went away, and I don't know if I should be worried or not! My mission president and his wife came to the Ririe stake center and met with our investigator, Sy. We still don't know if he can be baptized yet but if you all can keep in in your prayers that everything will work out for him that would be appreciated! We are waiting on the legal department for further instructions. But we will keep working with him and he says he will keep coming to church! 

      Later that night we helped out at the Family History Fair at the stake center. We set up a booth and were in charge of the religious aspect of family history. we did not get any non members but we did get 2 new referrals from a lady who just moved from Boise! She loves missionaries and throws parties for them and all that good stuff! Wednesday came around and we had zone training in Rigby! We set a goal to have 89 baptismal dates by the end of this year and 472 baptisms as the whole mission by the end of the year! We've already have 517 or so this far and I think this goal is achievable! We have to put our trust in the Lord and he will make this happen! Again, I would ask you all to pray for the area that we may find those people who are ready to learn about the gospel! 

      We went to Subway for lunch and a lady paid for all of our sandwiches! People are so good here! We head to Palisades and of course stopped for some square ice cream. While we were standing in line, another lady paid for my ice cream! This mission is seriously the best! 

      We went to dinner at the Nelson's and they just got back from serving a mission in Russia and they made us try on their Russian hat and that's where the pics (see previous post) are from! They are a great crazy couple and it was nice being myself there, haha! 

      We did our weekly planning on Thursday and it was very boring but it had to get done. We drove to rigby again because we had to pick up our suits from the cleaners. We tried to visit people in the Rudy and Clark area (where the referrals are from) but they were not home. 

      For dinner we went to Brother Rose's house and he cooked us antelope meatloaf! I tasted really good and was the best meatloaf I've had in a  long time! Later that night we went to Lynzee's house and helped them make salsa. We taught Lynzee about the word of wisdom and the reminding her the our body is a temple and that we nee to keep it holy. 

      On Friday we had our monthly house and car inspection and we deep cleaned our house and was spotless. They were surprised that it was that cleaned and haven't see it that cleaned before. They gave me a space heater since I'm so cold all the time. It works like a charm! Sy called us over to help him move some hay and than we talked with him for a long time wile we set up some if his Halloween decorations! He says he is growing fond of us and is very thankful that we are in his lives! We have a dinner appt. this Friday with him and is making us homemade pizza! 

      Saturday was one of the best days I've had here because we got to watch conference! It was literally history in the making and glad that we are back to a full quorum of the 12! As everyone has said, those men were truly called of God and by revelation from the prophet! Also priesthood session was also very good! I loved President Eyring's talk. After the session, my companion and I went to Los Albertos to keep the tradition going by always getting a snack after the priesthood sessions. We went to visit penny for a short time and her cancer is back again and has spread to her liver, lungs and her kidneys. We will pray and fast for her that she may be healed quickly so that she can get baptized! Sunday was very spiritual and we watched the morning session at rigby and then went back to the ririe stake center to watch the afternoon session. My favorite talk was by Elder Bednar at the end and loved how he shared the testimonies of the brethren that have past and have served with him. It was different not to have a big breakfast but I did have biscuits and gravy for dinner last night so I guess that make up for it, haha. 

          I love this gospel and loves the blessings it brings to me, my family, and everyone who is willing to listen! I love you all and am thankful for everything you do you me! Until next week!

Elder Browning

The Russian Fox Shapka

A note from Elder and Sister Nelson: 
 "We came home from serving our mission in Russia 6 months ago. We’ve had the privilege of having your son and his companion over for dinner a couple of times now. They’re delightful young elders. They had a great time trying on the Russian shapkas. Elder Browning especially liked this Siberian fox"

 "Dear Elder Browning,  Thanks for coming out to our place and sharing a story of miracles. You're adorable in the Russian fox shapka."