Sunday, November 17, 2013

A Biker and My First Interview With a General Authority 9-16-13

Hello Family!

What a wonderful week it has been!  I feel like enough significant things happened that I could have sent home a lengthy and story-filled report each day! Also, I'm tired.  So, so tired.  And that's how it goes (:  Exciting week though.  not only did we have a bike rider crash into us, but we had a mission tour!

I'll start with the crash.  So we were on a tricycle going out to our area and I was on the motor bike part facing sideways, my comp was in the side car bit.  I was fading to sleep (unbelievably I'm tied!) when I was jolted by a combined scream then, "SMASH!"  Followed by screeching metal!  I looked in front of the trike - a bike was skidding under the trike with a guy sliding down the asphalt being torn on by the road as the driver desperately squeezed with all his might the horribly out-dated brakes.  "Angelo!", was my first thought. (a member who we were going to work with).  My comp jumped out, trike still moving, thinking we were going to roll or something.  Long story short, all the old ladies (me included) we completely speechless once we finally were able to come to a stop.  Luckily though, even though this guy's (not Angelo pala) bike was utterly ruined, he was able to get up and move over to the side of the street.  Then, after my comp hopped back in, the trike driver just kept on driving as if that was something completely normal.  I wasn't tired after that!  Apparently though,, the biker tried to pass us after drafting for a while then when he passed us, his foot slipped causing him to fall right in front us us then "BOOM", we came ramming into him.  ...next news is equally exciting, but for different reasons:

Once a year, a General Authority from the Philippines Area Presidency comes to each mission to hold a "Mission Tour".  They basically stay here for a few days and meet with the missionaries.  This year, Elder Nielson of the Seventy, the President of the Church in all the Philippines, came to visit.  On two of the three days he was here, he help two all day meetings with the missionaries.  One for half of the mission, the other for the other half.  We were told to read a certain talk in preparation and also that 4 missionaries would be randomly selected (regardless of gender, time in mission, etc.) to be interviewed by President Nielson after the conference.  Of course, along with every other missionary, I was sure I'd not be picked to be interviews.  Well as we ate a snack upon closing the conference, I found out that I was wrong!  I was one to be interviewed!  And so, I had my first, and maybe last interview with a General Authority of the Church.  I'd talk more about it, but... I couldn't even begin to put this wonderful experience into words.

Thus, after an amazing interview with the Philippines Area President along with hitting a biker on the street, my week was much more than the ordinary (extraordinary?).  To add to that, we had an investigator tell us all of these superstitious stories which I just find to be fascinating.  Also tons of people came to church and within the next four weeks we'll know if this group is going to become a branch!  Plus many more stories for another day.

What I feel here must be a bit like the Nephites of old did when Christ was praying for them, "And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard.... and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls... (3 Nephi 17:17).  That describes my week.  Hope it's fitting for yours as well!

Love, Elder Shane Scully Brown

Pictures - 

1.  A bridge over a river.

2.  Me with Max Moncur and another elder who looks just like Jordan Rex!  Way to go RSM! (:

3.  Me with President Nielson and his wife.

4.  Meeting

5.  Elder and Sister Wilcox are in charge of all of our supplies.






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