Elder Caiden Brown New York New York North Mission: Eternal spiritual highs and awesome people!!

Mi querida familia!

This week was awesome and full of a bunch of spiritual experiences and hard moments and everything in between! First off, happy anniversary to the best mom and dad who ever were! Thanks for getting married and letting me be born! 😊😊😂 You truly are the best parents a missionary could ask for.

I got a little bit of Christmas this weekend. After our Sunday meetings were over we were able to head over to New Rochelle to see Rosi get baptized! I call it Christmas because it was so exciting being able to see all the awesome families I was able to teach there. It was a tender mercy when we arrived a little bit early and as we sat in the foyer waiting for their fast and testimony meeting to end I got to hear Luz bear her testimony for the first time. But it was a great service! They asked me to stand up and tell about how we found Rosi and bear a testimony and obviously the tears came! Like I always say the work is sooo rewarding!

The week kind of went rough for us this week! I felt like we were trying super hard but people just kept on bailing and not keeping commitments, and so we were kind of frustrated. Especially on Sunday, where we had planned for a lot of people to come and like every single person messaged us and said they slept in too long. So we were bummed out, but then Antonio walks in! Antonio moved here like a couple years ago and had to leave his family behind in Mexico. He met with missionaries back in Mexico and his family is currently attending the church over there. So Antonio decided that with the Sunday he had off of work he wanted to come to church. He looked up the address online and came to church all by himself. He stayed for all three hours and loved it. We were able to talk with him and we had an appointment for Friday and so we are pretty stoked about him! Isn't it just the best when people kind of just walk into the church?? 😂😂 He works every Sunday and so it might be hard for him, but please keep him in your prayers. He is a super legit guy!

It has been a struggle because we have been finding so many sweet people that seem like they have sooo much potential and then they kind of just fall off the face of the earth and we can't get a hold of them. And I have seen this throughout the whole time I have been serving. Everyone goes on these spiritual highs where all they want to think about it the gospel and they are just loving it and doing everything, but then all of a sudden things might get hard and they stop. They forget the reason why they do all of it. This has really been bothering me lately and I have been thinking about what we can do to make it so that doesn't happen - where the spiritual high lasts into eternity. And whenever we have a question or something of the sorts we go to Waldir! Waldir is the legit smartest, most spiritual man I have ever met. And what he told us was something so simple but crucial - where is their testimony of the Book of Mormon?? Amen Waldir! The people I have seen really make it to baptism or make it to the temple or keep commitments have a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon or they want to get that testimony. It motivates us to do things that we wouldn't have the strength to do otherwise. And I love it! The Book is true!

We found some sweet people this last week though! We have been working with this less active lady named Gabriella, and her husband isn't a member and he is super legit! He was taught by past missionaries, but then... like I was saying just fell off the face of the earth. We were able to meet with them as a family and he is super excited to get back into going to church to hopefully some day make covenants. We also are teaching a man named Junior! He is a little old, but really just has the desire to come closer to God. He has been through a lot of things and just wants to find rest in Jesus Christ. I truly do love the Bronx! It has literally become my home! I love this ward! Our Obispo (Bishop) is a beast and a half and loves to just go to work! I'm so blessed to be able to labor in this area! Transfer calls will be this Saturday, and so we will see if I will get to end here in Olmstead! Cross your fingers that I do!!! 🙏🙏

I pray we can all have a conviction of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Con amor,

Elder Brown