Elders, P Days and Breaking the Shell

pictures! at last! the first one is one of the companionships we visited to study with this week. my companion is the one on the far right. next one is from our zone pday today.. we went to the beach and played touch rugby with a cheap basketball, i bbq'd teriyaki chicken. way fun, a little rain cooled us down. that's not the whole zone.. the complete zone pics turned out too dark.. but yeah. love!

It's been quite the week, the work has been challenging and from it we have grown. One of my best friends in the mission, Elder Shepherdson called me yesterday and said, "Brown, it's done." For Sheps, service as a full time missionary is. That's pretty nutty. We served together 6 months in Santa Cruz zone, and for 6 months we were zone leaders to neighboring zones. Love sheps; paalam, my friend. Back to the work! We have seen roses this week. The 1st counselor in the district presidency bore an awesome testimony yesterday. He is the father of a model family, has worked hard his whole life, and the blessings are apparent. He spoke of trials, and how these are often exactly what we need to grow. A chick, before it escapes is egg-prison, has to exert all its strength in cracking the shell. This is absolutely vital to its survival. If it can escape on its own power, it will have gained the strength it will need to survive the next few days. If it is helped in breaking the shell, it will die. That is how important that trial is to the chick. If it succeeds, it lives. If it is helped, it is crutched, and dies. I see now that the rain last week was much like the shell. Those that make it to church, even in the rain, will develop great spiritual strength. Those who can't quite make it yet need to first gain the power to come, and that is where we come in, to teach them, to encourage them, and to let the act for themselves. Thanks for the rain!

My companion and I are doing well. He laughs more than I think healthy for a sane person, but that is good. We teach each other so much. Example: I am now a professional chef with a few dishes up my sleeve! One of my favorites is pork chops with curry powder. That, and of course adobo. I taught him how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as well as how to add apples to that for a tasty crunch.

My dear family, I love my Savior. I know He lives. I know the only way to return to His kingdom is through obedience. That is it. All our Father wants is to bless us, which He can only do on conditions of obedience. One of my favorite passages on the subject is Hebrews 12.

Love,

Elder Trevor Brown