Personal Story Catalog- Nathan Brown

1)      My First Social Spanish Blunder in an EFY [travel story, misperception story, humorous].  I tell this story to let others know in a comical way that we don’t usually know as much as we think do.

2)      Story of naming the first dog I ever had each family member choosing one single letter and putting them together [story of planned vs. spontaneous, animal story].  I like to tell this story to show how randomness in life usually leads to our benefit.

3)      The story of how the Rocha Family, an investigator family in Mexico, gained a spiritual witness at the same time in prayer [religious story about prayer, story about family unity, spiritual awakening story].  I love to retell this story to future missionaries to show them the spiritual experiences they have.  I also love to tell it so others can see that God exists and does answer our prayers.

4)      The story of when I gave my mom six “Adopt a child for free” coupons for Mother’s Day so we could have a full baseball team in our family (I have two brothers) [childhood innocence story, athletic story, personal motives story].  This reminds me and those who I tell it to that we should always consider other’s feelings and desires before our own (especially on Mother’s Day).  It also reminds us that baseball is the best sport EVER!

5)      Story of when I had to move in fifth grade after assuming that I would never move [story about embracing change, story about overcoming obstacles, choosing the positive].  From this story, we remember that even when unexpected changes come into our lives, they often introduce positive aspects that we should embrace.

6)      The story of when I won a Little League baseball tournament, but took a picture with my brother of me not smiling [brotherly relations story, story about holding onto regrets].  Using this story, I teach others that we should always have the best feelings between our siblings and show it or else we will have many regrets in the future.

7)      The story of going out of my comfort zone to speak and win my first Speech and Debate tournament [story of self-confidence, story of success].  This story encourages people to break out of their shells and realize that even people who are very experienced in one area started as beginners, too.

8)      The story of my dad and I playing light tag after a Seattle Mariners game [story about fathers, story about childhood, story about memories].  I like to tell people, especially parents, this story to illustrate that the short moments we set aside to do small things can turn into profound memories for our kids.

9)      The story about my BYU study abroad to Nauvoo and how we truly experienced the law of consecration together [story about group unity, religious story, story about history and sacrifice].  This story explains a change of heart I had of becoming a believer in the law of consecration and the extreme power of a united group of people.

10)   The story about having to sever ties with my friends my senior year of high school in order to keep my standards [sad story of personal confidence, story about the importance of morals, story about continuing strong friendships].  I like to relate this story to the younger generation to exemplify how we are morally strong enough to stand up for our beliefs.  It also shows that true friendship endures the ups and downs of life.