7/15/09 Letter

"Hey so I might not have time for a letter, this one will have be a little short."

"Thursday we had an appointment with a family who has a nephew on a mission in Washington. So they told us they would feed us and we can talk. They made us Steak and Potatoes. It was SOO good. anyways we talked and they didn't know that we also use and read from the Bible, they thought the Book of Mormon was our version of the Bible. It was nice to answer all their concerns. They had a good time with us, we gave them a Book of Mormon and asked if they would read and pray about it. They were so nice to us and bought us ties. Angel, the mother got all teary eyed, it was awesome!!!"

"Friday we had Zone interviews and trained for a good 6 to 7 hours. Man that can totally drain you. We trained on focusing on the big picture of things instead of little things that get in our way. There is only one way back to God and its through this church, which will eventually lead to eternal life. A lot of people don't really know that. The scriptures tell us One Lord One Faith One Baptism. ONLY ONE WAY. So it would only make sense that we missionaries will get out there and tell everyone."

"We had a good Sunday, met a new less active who is starting to come back on his own. His name is Randy Smith. I have no more time left sorry, love you guys."

"Hope to hear from you next week."

-Elder Brox

7/8/09 Letter

"Hey Everyone, sorry this is soooo late in the day. We as a mission had to clean our apartments in every way possible, so even though it was a pain in the butt, I'm grateful we have a super clean apartment."

"MAN what a week!! So many things have happened, so I'll start off by talking about what happened on Thursday. We went tracting for 3 hours and knocked about 7 doors. We talked to people on their door steps for like 1 1/2 hours to 45 mins. It was awesome. We found a family who told us to come back on Monday, and we did. They are awesome. A family of 5 and they are from Peru. So anyways after we going tracting for 3 hours, later that night we had an appointment with Mare and Sam at the Cook's home. We taught them the 10 commandments and Sabbath Day. After we taught them we started talking about when they were going to be baptized because the original date conflicts with a lot of other plans previously thought out. So they decided to be baptized THAT WEEKEND!!! Crazy stuff huh? Well that threw us for a loop, so we had to plan quickly their baptism. Saturday, the 4th of July we went back down to visit with them for their baptism interview. They passed thank goodness and we watched 'On the Lords Errand'. The movie about President Monson. They were so excited to be baptized. After we visited with them we went over to the Villamore's for Izzy's B-day celebration. Their pastor was there and he was actually nice to us. Everyone started to get a little tipsy, so we decided to leave. Then we saw fireworks down in Chatum, in the Morristown Elder's area, and had ice cream afterwards. We got permission to stay out late that night, but to be back in asap. We got home at 11:45, it was a very far drive."

"Then the Big day SUNDAY rolls around. Mare and Sam came to church, after church we held the baptism and after that they were confirmed because they were going to be out of town the next few weeks to the Palmyra pageant. I was asked to confirm both of them. It was awesome. Sorry I don't have my link to my camera this week so no pictures and no letters either."

"Monday I had another eye doctor appointment. I got the infection again, this is the third time this year. My doctor said the best thing to do will be surgery, or else it will keep coming back. So I just might have surgery next week, I'm not sure, but don't worry, if it does happen then Sis. Bahr will call you Mom. So don't call the mission office, I'll be fine. I asked how one gets this infection, and he said they could be kidney stones, but in my eye? I was a little confused."

"Anyways this week was amazing. Thank you all for your prayers, and for helping me to see such great success done by the merciful hand of the Lord. I'm grateful for each and everyone of you for being a wonderful example. Love ya."

-Elder Brox

7/1/09 Letter

"Hey Everyone, this will be a short email, I should have been out by now. Anyways I'm glad to hear everyone is doing great. I hope It will continue to get better. This last week was really fun, I had a really good time. I'll just have to give the highlights."

"We knocked this road named Shades of Death. One of the prettiest roads I've every been on. It was like being in a forest. We knocked like 10 houses for 2 hours almost. anyways we found some bones on the side of the road as we were out walking down the street. We did a lot of finding, and I learned a lot of great lessons. We had an appointment with Sam and Mare on Sunday. They were unable to come to church this week, but promised next week. Anyways, we had a very good lesson on receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We told them we needed to move up their baptism date, so they can enjoy the blessing of having that gift. They were really touched. Sam wants to be baptized right away, Mare is the one who needs a little more time, but is for sure going to be baptized. They are going with the Cook's (the family that referred us to them) to the Hill Camora pagent within the next few weeks, they are way excited for that. It's awesome to see people change from where they once where. It's the best feeling in the world."

"Monday was my B-day, a lot of people actually remembered my B-day. I had a lot of people I worked with in past areas call me. Brandon Roberts called me (My comp) and we were able to go to the Villamore's (a family Elder Roberts and I first started teaching). I had such a wonderful time. We were also able to go to the Downey's and they threw a little B-day celebration for me as well."

"Sorry this is so short, but I am so grateful to have this opportunity to Serve the Lord at this time. I'm grateful that Kylan is also out there and working hard. This is the best family anyone can ask for. Thank you for all that you do I Love you Guys."

-Elder Brox

6/24/09 Letter

"Well before I forget, Happy Father's Day, and Happy B-Day to Jared Ward who has his B-Day on Sunday."

"This week was crazy! We had an amazing adventure. Thursday we went out tracting in the rain for 3 hours, and have a few really good potentials. We went up some crazy driveways, they were so long. The longest one we went on we got to talk with the guy there and teach him a little bit about the church. His name is Art, and he was super nice to us (thank goodness we didn't walk 15 mins up there for nothing). We talked a little bit about the Plan of Salvation, it was awesome. Later that night we had a meeting in Morristown. We have been driving a lot this transfer, it's insane! Turns out starting next transfer they will be moving P-Day to Monday, don't worry I'll let you know when that happens. A lot of changes are taking place."

"Friday the other Elders in our ward who cover the East side of Ledgewood had a baptism. It was awesome I just love baptisms and I regret not going to some of the ones Mom invited me to when I lived at home. We also found someone to teach, her name is Sharina. We originally went there to teach her mother but she wasn't there, so we taught her, and she loved it and was glad that we were able to clear up a lot of the crap that goes on about us. We finally were able to meet with Henry (the one who came up to us and wanted to be baptized) and we set him for baptism on July 18th. We are going to see a big change here this year in Ledgewood."

"Saturday was the best day all week. We got to go to the Temple. Ahh such a relief, I learned a lot this time. We did baptisms for the dead. It was awesome because Rob Cabotic got baptized after I left and then I got to go with him for the first time in the Temple. It has been a long time since I was was baptized for the dead. It was a wonderful feeling, I missed it a lot. Elder Clark came with me because Elder Dixon already went and can't go again. So we went on exchange and I had Elder Clark for a day again. It was awesome. I felt the Spirit very strong, even after we left, for a couple of days."

"Sunday is always a good day, get to talk with the members and feel their spirit. We went tracting again and found someone who was looking for a church. Before we started knocking I felt fear going to knock these big houses, but then I realized I was going to be knocking without faith, so I forgot that fear and replaced it with faith and the first door we knocked on she had been looking for a church. It was a miracle! Its amazing the difference between faith and fear. Remember that Kylan."

"Tuesday we had Zone Conference. It was once again an awesome feeling of the spirit. This whole week I felt I was just being taught by God himself what I need to do to see success in the mission. President Bahr set 2 new mission standards, 6 new investigators each week, and 1 baptism each transfer. This will push us to the very edge, and I like to be competitive. It's amazing how much you can feel the spirit when you really try to focus on it. Missionaries would get up and bear a very simple testimony, and I payed attention to the spirit, and each one brought tears to my eyes. People must have thought I was crazy, but I know that the things which they spoke are true. I know that this work is True and I LOVE it with all my heart. There isn't a better place I would want to be right now. And I know that Kylan will be the same way. Love you all and hope everyone is doing good."

-Elder Tyler Brox

6/17/09 Response

I was in the middle of moving and hadn't been able to write Tyler for a couple of weeks. Here is his his response to a letter that was sent last week but didn't get it until now.

"FINALLY! Man I was so upset last week because I got nothing. So thank you for emailing me and I'll be praying that your neighbor will move out soon or something. You should invite her to church, I think it sounds like she needs the gospel in her life." Crazy neighbor, lots of crazy stories!

"Love ya and hope your doing good. Sorry ran out of time but I will be writing you (mom and kierra and others) about my week. Love ya guys. By the way I still need pictures you promised me like a month ago."

-Elder Brox

6/10/09 Letter

"Hey everyone! Well today is transfers. I'm not leaving but my companion Elder Clark is. We get along really well so it's sad to see him go, but I am excited to find out who my new companion is. It can be one of two people. Elder Eddy, who is one of my best friends out here on the mission, or Elder Dixon, who is also from Las Vegas, his father was my mission prep. teacher, and he was in a band with Curtis. They are both good missionaries that I can see myself getting along with."

"As for this last week, it has been amazing! The Lord has blessed us with setting 4 baptismal dates this last week. There is this lady named Marcy, we've been on and off teaching her, actually it was only our 2nd time, but she knows the church is true, so we set her for August 29th. I'm not so sure how solid that is, because she has issues with God being a loving Heavenly Father. She's overcome cancer 3 times, and didn't really grow up having good parents. She's seen a lot of people and children die, so she has a hard time with that. Tom Wood (Christine's Husband) set himself with a date for Sept. 26th, we were very excited for that as well."

"Remember Sam and Mare from my last week's letter? Well they came to church on Sunday, they loved it and then we taught them later that night and had a very powerful discussion on the Plan of Salvation. They recognized the spirit and so we were able to set them for a date to be baptized, and they accepted. Sam wanted to be a Methodist priest, and after that lesson he told us he wanted to be a missionary. I Love doing the Lord's work!"

"I'll just give the highlights of this week. Even though there were many good experiences I'll just share a few. Saturday we had an appointment with Angela, the one who just got back from Afghanistan. We were able to teach about the Restoration and answer her questions. She's very humble and very kind to us. We invited her to come to church on Sunday and she gladly accepted. Sunday rolls around and we set up a ride for her because she doesn't have her license yet. Kelly Russell came and picked her up, and they are around the same age group so it worked out perfectly. They got along so well and she enjoyed church very much. She mentioned to Sis. Russell that she felt different when they left from when she came in. It's Sunday's like these that make my mission seem worth every minute of all the doors being slammed in my face. I am very thankful for the Lord and all His tender mercies and for the prayers of my family. I know they want me to be happy and I can promise you all that I am. I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here serving the Lord."

"I'm grateful for the Gospel that was once lost but now is found again. I LOVE being a missionary and I hope and pray that everyone will enjoy the same happiness that I have felt during their lives. I Love you all and am very grateful to be apart of God's wonderful plan, and to be in such a wonderful family who has taught me the correct teachings in my life. I love you all and hope all is well."

-Elder Tyler Brox

6/3/09 Letter

"Well we had a spectacular week. Last week was kinda depressing because of Rob (Rob Marino who he spoke of in last week's letter), and because our teaching pool dropped down to like 4 people. We had a very good Zone Conference. It was about doing the work Cheerfully with a good attitude. After ZC, we got the zone together and we came up with a few more goals to finish off the transfer."

"This is the last week of the transfer. Elder Clark and I have been together for 2 transfers already. Usually they would transfer someone after 2, but the Prophet has came out and said he wants to keep missionaries in areas for 8 months to a year. So it is very possible that we can be staying together for another transfer, which would be good, because we get along very well. He wants out because he's already been here for 6 months. If so then he'll be going AP baby!"

"Friday was a very good day for us. We had nobody to see, so we went knocking all day. We found 2 families to start teaching. One family of 6 and another of 5. We also knocked into some girl named Angela, who just got back from Afghanistan. She was very kind and respectful. She would reply back to our questions like "No Sir, Yes Sir" type stuff, it was so cool. She had the question in her mind why there are so many different churches, and which one was true. I mean come on, that's just like Joseph Smith. We left her with a Restoration pamphlet, and she commited to reading it that night. We haven't gotten a hold of her since, but we did meet her Step Dad who wants to learn more too. We will stop by sometime soon."

"Saturday was good. We did a lot of service, actually all day. We first helped out Monna and Micheal with their yard. We mowed the lawn and cleared off their drive way. It was the first time I have mowed a lawn since I have been out here. I was super excited to do it again. Then we went to go help out some member's neighbors, who hadn't mowed their lawn for a long time. The husband left the wife and her son, and was suppose to take care of the home but never did. Their grass was about 5 feet tall. Bro. Cook (the member) had one of those lawn mowers you drive around on. I had a hand mower and had to get all the hard places. Well It took us from 12 to about 6:30 in the afternoon. And we only got the front yard done. Man I'll tell ya, I think I can last till the end of my mission and not miss mowing the lawn. They have 3 acres, so we are going back this Saturday to do the back yard. My allergies were really bad after that, and now I'm still having problems with my eyes hurting (itching) really bad. The good thing about this though, is while we were raking up the grass, Elder Clark was talking to the mom. Her name is Mare. Her son's name is Sam and he is 14, and told us he wanted to be a Methodist priest. Elder Clark was talking to them about the church, and she was very interested and wanted to learn more. So we set up a time for Tuesday to have dinner and visit with them."

Before

After

"Sunday, was another amazing day! After church we went over to visit Christine and Tom. Christine was recently baptized and Tom is still looking for his answer. We watched Prophet of the Restoration with them. It is a very powerful movie and really touched them both. We were talking about how America was founded upon Freedom of Religion. Tom said that it wasn't really free for us, and then he said "but the truth always prevails" then he paused and said "I think I just got my answer." It was VERY POWERFUL. Then we started talking about something else, and you can just see that Tom wanted to say something, and finally he's like, "Elders, I know Joseph Smith is a Prophet." Man it was soo good. We are going to set him tonight for a baptism date. Then we went knocking and found another family of 4 to teach."

"Monday I went on exchange back on the East side of Ledgewood, my old area, and went tracting and found cool new people for them to teach. We went and saw the Swart family. They are awesome and they said they would come to church this week. They are a less active family that Elder Roberts and I worked with."

"Oh I forgot to mention, so last Wednesday we had dinner with Bro. Conner. We shared a message, the spirit was very strong, and we gave and helped give blessings. So we got out a little late, its about 9:30 and that's when we are suppose to be home. We were 15 mins away. So we were leaving walking down the stairs and there was a lady outside trying to open the door with her hands full (this is an apartment complex) so I open the door to help her out and then she said "I know you." My mouth almost dropped. It was Dorothy, another person who Elder Roberts and I found and taught. She actually had a baptism date and then just kinda disappeared. Turns out she moved from the east side to the west side and lives right above Bro. Conner! Well we sat and chatted for a while and she said she finally found a religion. Something weird I forgot but nonetheless it was a miracle."

"Tuesday the big day. At 6:00 we had our dinner and a lesson with Mare and Sam, at the Cook's house. It was one of the most powerful lessons I have ever taught. The Spirit was there and gave us the words we needed to say. It was explained so simply that we could not be proven wrong. We had Sam read us the First Vision. He looked up and told us that it was the most powerful thing he has ever read. Then we asked him why. He replied, "Because it's true." It was soooooooo good. We left feeling so happy. They said they would continue to read and pray to receive an answer. It was a very powerful week. Very spirit-filled. Well I love you all and am grateful to be a part of this Marvelous Work and a Wonder. Hope everyone is doing good. Love you all."

-Elder Tyler Brox