The Book of Mormon

Man with all of the crazy hikes and walks you've all been doing it sounds like you've taken FFF (Forced family fun) to a whole different level! Now you're going to have to call it FFFF! (Forced fit family fun) Haha I can't believe they got you to hike to Ensign Peak! It's not very long but that's pretty steep! Did Bella make it up alright or did you have to carry that old grandma?  Ok! So you know those chocolate chip cookies you made for the Relief Society? In the next package that you send me you should send some in it! I know you sent me the recipe but lets just say... out of the 6 times i've tried they haven't exactly turned out the best... 

I love my new area! The Wasilla Valley is so pretty it's kind of crazy. It's just exactly picturesque Alaska with mountains, lakes, and glaciers all over! Our ward boundaries are really pretty small but all of the members in it are so great! I've realized that that's pretty much the same wherever you go but I love them. I'm just a few miles away from where Dad served and actually last night at dinner I met a couple that one of Dad's companions baptized right after he left his area. I guess that they worked with him while they were building the Willow chapel about 32 years ago so that was pretty cool! It's a pretty weird feeling to be back in a ward again and having more than 30-40 people to show up to church. I really missed it! 

Yesterday was amazing as it was Lynn Jones first time to church. I've been absolutely baffled at the complete transformation that's happened with him in just under two weeks... When we met him he was open to meet with us but he's a really smart guy and a deep thinker with a lot of theologies and philosophies. It has been crazy to see how as he's read the Book of Mormon and has felt the spirit all of those ideas have gone away. Yesterday at church he was crying and at the end said "I'm finally home" Every trial that you have to go through all of the sudden seems so insignificant when you're able to see someone truly come to know of the truth of the gospel! It reminded me of seeing the billboards kind of by grandma and grandpa's house that would say "DON'T READ THE BOOK OF MORMON! THAT'S HOW THEY GET YOU!" Haha now it just makes me laugh because that's exactly right and is so true! If someone will just sincerely read the Book of Mormon then they'll know it's true. It sounds so simple but you wouldn't believe how hard it is to get someone to just read the thing!! Just like with so many things in life, our Heavenly Father is just waiting there to help us! All we have to do it just "act on a particle of faith" and then He jumps in and does the rest!   

The Salmon runs are going to start in a couples of  months and I found a member that wants to take us out so that should be really fun! But other than that we don't really do a lot of fishing. In Bethel there really wasn't anything that you could do on P-Day since you're out by yourselves in the middle of no where surrounded by frozen tundra. But now there's so much you can do so that's so nice!

Well I hope everything's just fine and dandy!

Love you guys!

-Elder Brown