So this week was really kinda boring. It went by super fast I dont like it. I cant believe that so much time has past by. So last night we went by this members house and just a little background on this lady she is super EVANGELICO!!!!! But, she got baptized in our church and loves it so much. Just has a little trouble leaving her old ways. So we went over to visit her and her whole family was there so we thought that we would take advantage of the situation and get a lesson in with all of them. So we started talking and this whole family turned hostile haha They started questioning us like well who do you believe in?! Jose smith?! And just a bunch of stuff like that haha we stayed calm and answered there questions. We boldly stated that to live with god we have to do some things or it is impossible to return to him. The only hard thing was, was that they would not listen to my comp. He would try to talk and get his testimony in and tell them how it was but they would turn to me or interrupt him or something like that. I would even stop them in their words and say excuse me but my comp has been trying to say something and I think you should listen to him. He would start talking and a few seconds later they would go again. So what I had to do was stop all of them and say look. We are here to do one thing, to call people to repentance and to help them recieve a baptism that is valid to god. Because there is no other baptism on this earth or that has been done on this earth unless in our church that god will except. I bore my testimony and said now, my comp wants to say something. Elder demann invited this whole room of 8 or more people to baptism right there. PURE POWER!!!!! It was so cool. The spirit flooded the room and that is when they stopped trying to interupt my comp. He is a stud! So yeah that was an interesting thing that happened last night haha.
So as to your question... I can say no there is not any false doctrine but there is at times apostasy. Which is the changing of the doctrines of christ and a distancing from him. At times the people here dont really know everything and how things work. So they at times dont do everything right. For instance 2 weeks ago when we did a confermation of our new converts the bishop didnt let us do it till after sacrament because he didnt write it on the list of things to do even though we reminded him before sacrament started. Also some of the things they teach they teach using their old beliefs because there are alot of converts here. So there are some people who teach about gifts of god and the holy ghost and things that dont really happend and we have to correct them. And sometimes we have to help them know how the priesthood works haha and how to do ordinances and blessings and stuff like that. Or we help teach the jobs of each level of priesthood. They do have a really good grip on things here! But every now and then you hear or see something that is a little questionable. Like they talk about the temple here alot and at times we feel like we might need to step in and stop them but they understand most of the stuff for the most part. haha Just is different. It is a good place though. Some of the members are a lot stronger because of the things that they have had to do to gain a testimony. I actually think that some of the members here are stonger than the members in utah and the states. Some! But it is different to hear the testimony of a convert and the testimony of a born member. They are at times just alot stonger. I think they are more thankful for what they have because they faught through hell to get it. I dont know. It is just completely different. Especially seeing the changes that they do. I dont know. haha but yeah there is a little bit of that false stuff here. But I hear that is was worse along time ago like 15-25 years ago. Like to bless a house they would get on the roof and annoint the house. Stuff crazy like that. No but they are really good here. They do almost everything the exact same. Just a few different things to match the culture here.
Week of June 6th (Late Post):
So I hate how these past few weeks have been going by so freaking fast. It is ridiculous. I do not like P-day! haha I just get trunky. But this week was really tough. But I feel really effective because we got two more baptism´s and we are hopefully going to have 1-3 more this month. :) It will be really tough, but I think that we can do it. Yesterday this lady named Gina and her little daughter Skarli got baptized. This is a cool story because we didn't even expect to find or baptize this lady. She is the sister of a missionary who is in Santiago right now. Her sister. So one day we went over to visit the dad because he wanted us to pass by to talk and teach him something new, because he is not a member. When we went over there this guy wasn't there though. We knock the door and she answers and tells us that he is not there.... shoot. So right before we are about to leave I get this HUGE eager to get in. I didn't know what to say though so I was like ¨hey.... could I use your bathroom real quick.¨ So I go in and I hear my good smart comp start talking to her. I get out of the bathroom and instantly sit down. I to start talking to her and ask if we could talk to her and she was like yeah why not. So we started talking about baptism. We talked for a little trying to ask questions and she is just not answering anything. So we keep teaching a little bit longer, but we just cant really get anywhere with our normal teaching so I start to say hey do you think this is important? yes. Do you see something different in your sister that is on her mission? Yes. Do you want that same thing? Yes. Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized by someone who has the autoridad to do it? Yes. 3 weeks later she got baptized. She quit smoking in a week. She accepted everything humbly and willing. She is awesome! :) Going to be great for the ward. haha really shy though. haha So yeah that was really cool.
We are now working with a few other people who want to get baptized it is just a matter of when now haha. One of these people is called, Betsabé. She is really cool. She is about 24 ish and really nice. She loves the gospel and feels just fantastic about it. She is working for the 18 of this month. She just has a fear of water that she is trying to work through too. haha she feels all of this is happening really fast. The thing is though, is that she has had more success and more peace and help in the past months that we have been sharing with her than she has had in her whole life. haha She loves it. She always tells us about it when we come over haha. I got a great grade this week. I thought I was going to fail because I know that I didn't do good but it left really well. haha :) Just tons of stories like that. She loves church too! So she WILL GET BAPTIZED! Just is a matter of time and our diligence with her.
But that is how the works going out here. It is going so good and I can definitely see the lords hand working in the lives of all of my investigators. I love this gospel and it is helping everyone out here. I cant even explain the joy I get out of it. It over weighs the sorrow from the apostasy that I see and hear everyday! I know that this gospel will one day affect the lives of everyone here! This is such a good city with such good people. So yeah haha that is how elder brown is doing right about now. Oh and what the heck is going on with everyone getting married now!? Shoot... That is really flippin weird. haha I dont know if I like it so much. So yeah but oh well.