Margarita

Margarita is a girl of 18 years of age.
She stopped believing strongly in god a few years ago.
She, after seeing many corrupt and things that she didnt like, o sea, that she felt uncomfortable or not happy with, has stopped going to church for over 10 years.
She has a divided family who is SUPER catholic yet, they do not go to church or even actively live their beliefs.
She doesnt know who god is.
She has a best friend named Daniela.

Daniela is a girl of 18 years of age.
She was baptized into the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints around 10 years ago.
She has been active with her gospel united family ever since.
She loves the church and has a strong testimony of the book of mormon and the gospel.
She personally knows who god is.
She has a best friend named Margarita.

Once upon a time these two completely different young girls met and became really good friends. 2 years ago one of these great friends started talking to her best friend,
¨best friend I love my heavenly father so much. I know he exists, please believe with me.¨
¨best friend, I feel so good in my church, I love being there because there is where all those I love are, please come to church with me,¨
¨best friend, I have this book that has really helped me, please read this book with me.¨
¨best friend I know two people who I want you to talk with, please come with me.¨
¨best friend, I love you, please read this book with me.¨ 
¨best friend, I love you, please come to church with me.¨

For two long years this young friend daniela tried to give everything to her best friend. For two years Margarita shut her heart time after time. One night March 12th this true friend invited Margarita over to her house to eat dinner. The same night this young girl also invited two young men in white shirts to come over and share a message with her family. These young men brought a very special message. They invited this young girl to sit down and listen to this message. In this night of chance, nerves and excitement, this young girl heard the good news of the restoration. She heard the message of the restored gospel and as she sat there reminiscing on the things that were spoken the spirit of our father in heaven reached in and ever so softly touched this young girls heart and as he touched it, it began to melt a little, it began to soften and for the first time in 10 years, Margarita felt the love of god. She felt the spirit of the lord work in her life; and for the first time in 2 years this young daniela didnt have to say ¨best friend, come to church with me¨, ¨best friend read this book with me.¨
For the next 3-4 weeks margarita willingly learned of the truth and let it change her life. She started to look for god and who he was. She opened a new book of life. She let the splendor of the new crispy pages guide her life and her heart, the navy blue cover of a once foreign book became the refuge that she had everso desperately but secretly sought for, for years. She one day came across a part in this book where the saviour so lovingly calls unto us saying, ¨follow thou me¨. She, in that moment, understood the call Our Savior was extending, ¨Come with me to Gethsemane, Come with me to Calvary¨

One warm Autumn day this young friend finally said to daniela,

¨best friend, I know my heavenly father lives and he truly does love me.¨
¨best friend this book takes me to a place I have never been before, it answers all my questions, I love this book¨
¨best friend, I love this gospel, it fills my heart with joy¨
¨best friend, those two young men invited me to follow Christ... I want to...¨
¨best friend I want to get baptized this week... please... come with me.¨

This story brings a tear to my eye every time I think about it. This girl is a miracle sent from god. She has such a sweet and tender heart and is going to do so well in the gospel. She loves this gospel. She has already read the book of mormon. She has done countless prayers and has had countless hours of pondering to know what god wants her to do. This girl, this daughter of god has made a huge change in her life. She has let god take over. Despite the rejections and protests and threats of disownment from her family she was baptized and confirmed as a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints yesterday. She is a warrior and saint and daughter of Zion.
This is the story of Margarita.

So this week has been so good. I am glad that you have finally adapted to the mission. ;) Took ya 20 months haha I cant believe that I have been out so long. I will be honest I am a little trunky today because a missionary just went home and he was talking about it all freaking week haha It made me think alot about what is going to happen when I get home. I am excited but super nervous. 4 Weeks!? I cant believe it. It feels like last month I talked to you guys. haha It is amazing the mission. I am trying to be a good missionary. I honestly feel that I am in my prime right now!!! We just got some good baptisms yesterday and we are having more in a week or two. We are doing very well and just finding tons of people to teach. I am so happy. I think that I say that every time, but It is just so true, I am SO happy and I know why. I am going to be getting another comp her soon. His name is elder Teske! He is a freaking stud!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to be working with him, the only thing that is weird to me is that he ends at the same time that I do so I dont know how that is going to work. I hope that it does. I am sending you some pictures of what has been going on with me lately haha we went to that beach like I told you and then there are some baptism and that is margarita. The other one is the zone that I am in. They are such good missionaries, half of them leave tomorrow for transfers. I am not to happy, but I know that we will do well!!! :)
That is so good that mia is going to run for office. I remember doing all of that stuff I really liked it haha tell her to run for the ambassador scholarship! How cool would that be if we were in it together?!?!?! I am so glad that everything is going well for you! I am glad anthony is doing so well. I am really excited to talk to him in 4 weeks. I am excited to talk to you all! I miss ya´ll. So the work here is doing well. We have had 8 baptism completed in the last 2 weeks here in talca and we are waiting for the confirmation of 6 this coming week that means.... yup you did the math we will have 14 baptism here!!! WOOO 14 more souls saved or helped. :) I love the work! We are planning on baptizing a family this next coming week. not this week but the next one. I love them so much and they are doing all that they can to follow this gospel. It makes me so happy. So how is grandpa doing?! I miss the smell of his pipe!!! He has a record player right?! Think he would sell it to me!? I have come to find out that I am a fanatic of old things!!! I love them! Everything except old computers. I am not to big of a fan of those, ;) haha But none the less record players etc... Great things!!! :)

So I was thinking...... I know that this is SUPER trunky and not really good to talk about.... but.... What the crap am I gonna do about dating when I get back!? haha I dont know if I want to start dating right away. I dont know who I would date haha I dont know if I just want to focus on my studies or what haha I gots some decisions to be making in about 3 and a half months. booo.... I dont wanna think about that even when I get home. Life is just so much easier out here. I get assigned a comp. I dont have to go out and look for one. That just doesnt sound appealing to me haha. Oh well it is what it is.
How is brother Baily what happened to him?! I love that family so much I respect him and his wife so very much. I am going to be honest dad, we have the coolest ward in the world!!! They are all just spiritual giants. I know that they have the answer for all things. ;) haha I am serious evertime something doesnt seem clear I just have to go to you or them. haha instant answer. :)
The retention in chile sucks.... It really is so bad. They have so many members here but they are really lazy!!!! The majority are at least. Not all!!! There are some members who are just spectacular!!! I have seen the best members here and the worst. There is a big line between them. I havent seen any average members. They either are good or they just go to have a religion here in chile. It is really sad to see that. I know that we teach them well, but they just dont understand or at first they do and then the try to last forever on that temporary knowledge and not learn more. I know that if they would study that they would be SOOOO good here!!!! They are really just lazy.... I have comps from other places that say the same thing. Members from Colombia or Argentina or donde sea that are just like the life style here is to relaxed and lazy... boo.. I love them though.
well dad the work is going really well out here!! I am loving it and I am enduring strong till the end. I cant wait to see you again but we still have near 4 month

My week is the same great things, teaching about the gospel of Christ. And finding those golden nuggets to baptize. :) I love it!!! So that is all I have this week Gots to do numbers solo today because my other zl left me last night. haha LOVE YOU!!!

Hello!

Well this week was freaking cool!!!!!! I loved the talks that we got to hear in conference and all of the things that I got to see happen this end of the week. I cant really even start to begin to express my love for the prophets and the apostles of the lord. It is such a blessing to have them in our lives and be able to hear of their constant love for us and their deep desires for us to do good and continue in the path of righteousness. I am inspired to go out and preach the word even more diligently to all of the creatures of the earth!!!! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!! oh my goodness. I have learned so much from this life style. I am so grateful to be able to live like this for eternity! I hope that all of you guys got as much out of conference as I did. I dont think there is a person more grateful for the counsel of the prophets and the lord as I am. I know that is a bold statement, but I make it only to express my love for the lord and the acknowledgement of my own nothingness to god. I know that I am great to him but nothing in comparison. I strive everyday to become the man that he planned me to be in the beginning of time! I have learned so much about the atonement of christ and how to apply it in my life daily! I love the chance that the lord gives us to be able to apply this blessing. Really I cant begin to imagine the things that he felt, even though I have had hard times and everyone else in this whole world have had really hard times, like the apostle of the lord said in conference... ¨you cannot sink deeper into the darkness than the light of christs atonement can reach¨ I dont know if that is how he said it word for word, but that is how I interpreted it. haha and I LOVED IT! I may just be saying things in a very redundant form, but I just love this gospel; that is the main point of this letter and I invite all to come unto it because really it is how we can have a true and happy life. That was the best thing that happened to me this week and the fact that we had these investigators come to the conference. One is 16 and the other is 12 and they are freaking so cool!!! They were going to come with their dad but he had to work so they came alone. When I saw them I near jumped in the sacrament room. Good thing the conference hadnt yet begun. I ran to the back where they were and was like hey!!!!!! I greeted them and was so happy to see them and brought them up to sit with me and the hermanas of my zone and some other members! It was really cool to see how much they enjoyed conference and were left speechless after listening to the prophet. They loved it and something I will always remember is that when the prophet got up to speak maria fernanda(name of th 16 year old) said to her little sister who was talking... SHHHH thats the prophet! I want to listen. AHHHH!!! Can you believe it! :) I was so happy for her! My heart leaped for joy as I saw the faith in these young daughters of god who barely have been hearing the gospel of christ but yet are gaining and have a sincere reverence and respect for the things of god and his church.

So sounds like you are all missing me alot out there. Well you are going to have to keep missing me a little bit longer because I dont think I am going to be coming home on the 9th of july. haha I honestly dont know when I am going to be coming home and I honestly am not going to worry about it any more. haha I am just sick and tired of having to worry about that so if you want to talk to my president to ask him and what not, you are more than welcome to do it. haha I cant. I am losing my focus. I love this zone in talca! We are having so much success and we are having a blast doing it too! After conference yesterday we had 4 baptisms in the zone! It is really cool to be a zone leader because when others have baptisms, you feel a connection to them. It is  not your convert, but you have been with these people in spirit the whole time praying consistently for them every night for at least 3 weeks, interviews, stressing to see if they went to church, if the missionaries have taught everything, etc.... haha It is really the best journey that you can go on mom. I love it so much. I am just so happy mom. I say, life never has been so good. I have a great life. I love this gospel and I love my family, and I love you. :) just so you know.
So I hear that Elder Archeleta(or how ever you spell his name) is going to the Rancagua mission. That is the mission right above us. haha I think he is going to learn alot on his mission.He is going to have to humble himself alot because in the mission he loses all of his fame and status. He is a servant for two years and will have to be very humble so that he can do well on his mission. I dont know how he is but I hope he knows that. haha I am glad that he went though. He will be a good instrument in the lords hands. haha

General conference in the mission is like christmas. haha I think I look forward more to Conference than any other day. I am really sad that I just had my last conference here in chile. I got to see some of it in spanish too! That was a good experience that I will never forget. I usually watch it in english because of the extravagant language of the apostles haha it is really hard to follow them in english 100 % let alone spanish. haha I really did enjoy it though. I feel that the lord was talking directly to our mission. It was cool because we have been having some problems with unity between the companionship´s. I was really excited and relieved to hear the counsel of them, from the lord. haha I really am going to apply what they told me and become better in my personal life. I know that I am going to see so many dang changes when I get back!! I know that everything is going to be so dang different so when it gets closer to homecoming you gots to tell me some of the most dramatic things so I am not flabbergasted when I get home ok!? But not until then :) Thanks hahahaha I dont want to get shot with the holy crap gun just yet. Not saying you have already done it because you havent.

Love Elder Brown