Hey Mom! Happy Thanksgiving!

Boy what a week! 3 exchanges! Thanksgiving! Transfer calls! (We're staying by the way), Alex Boye! Craziness!

We spent Thanksgiving at the Akin's! It was fun! Loads of food and good company! They have 4-5 kids who all have some sort of disability. A couple with Aspergers, another with a medical condition etc. Very interesting family dynamics but they are awesome! Their youngest boy wanted us to play Twister of all games RIGHT after eating... Elder Peterson and I decided to give it a shot and had a good time even though we were so full! haha

 It's been snowing off and on this week. It's super cold! Went on Exchanges with Elder Burbank in his area and we biked for a good chunk of it. I can now officially say that I have biked on my mission!! In 21 degree winter cold to boot! Whoo!  It was great!

Elder Burbank and Elder Ranta are both getting transferred. I LOVE Elder Burbank to death so it's sad to see him go but he's only going to Selah so I will see him again. Also Elder Krogue (ZL) just got called to be AP because Elder Archibald is going home. We are receiving Elder Rosenkrantz to be our new ZL (YAY!) with Elder Wilkey. And Elder Holden (YAY!) will be replacing Elder Ranta in Zillah as DL in the other District. He was one of my roommates in Wenatchee so I am so excited! Lot's of interesting things happening! I was sad to hear that Sister Ring went home in the transfer call.

ANYWAYS! Alex Boye was interesting... He's a nut! Apparently he went to church in Yakima 2nd ward with President Smart and Brother Tree! Thought it was kinda cool that he was tight with them! President Smart is really rich and knows a lot of people. Alex had lots of funny life stories of converting to the church and working at McDonalds! Then he walked around the audience shaking people's hands and touching them lightly as he sang.. Super funny! He told us to troll people online by sharing the Book of Mormon and Missionaries phone numbers everywhere and also to read the Book of Mormon every day until we die. It was fun to see him. 

Haven't gotten the box yet because the mission office has been closed until today but I should get it today hopefully. Because our cars are new, they are finally installing tiwi's in them this morning right now. Our p-day is slightly on hold until that's all done...

Last requests.... um how about Alex Boye's "Let it go" if possible.. hahaha Elder Peterson is a Frozen Freak and he's never heard it before :)

Well, Hope you have a great week and that I get my package today! I love you! Take care!

-Elder Brinkerhoff

PS: This is me immediately after getting off the bike (haha):

My first Washington Honeycrisp! (SO GOOD):

My Life is so Crazy!!!

Hey Mom! 
This week I went on 3 exchanges and I'm looking at 3 more this week! My life is so crazy! I feel like my days are going so fast though! I definitely feel blessed through all I'm having to do! We found three new investigators after knocking on a door 5 minutes before dinner! We shared a 5 minute message with a sweet Hispanic family and they invited us back! We don't yet know how solid they will be but we are hoping they continue! We are also working with another little family. They are investigators we inherited when we got here. They are so golden but the thing holding them back is not being able to attend church. They also haven't felt a sure answer for themselves about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon but they are amazing and read it a lot! They are some of the most spiritually in tune people I've met in awhile!

Had interviews with President and Sister Lewis! Always fun!

We are having Thanksgiving with the Akin family and we are so excited! Can't wait for the Christmas boxes! 

We have had mostly rain lately and a little snow flurry today. It's not supposed to be too intense of a winter this year.

Hope you get feeling better! Yes I did feel better... after drinking a Monster Energy drink! (I never drink those by the way...) That's the only drink the Elders had other than water and it was actually extremely soothing to drink afterwards! 

Your letter should be here today or tomorrow!! 

I love you! Hope you feel better and that all continues to go well!!!

Love ELder B :)

11/16/2015

Hi Mom! It's been a good week! Everything is Ok!

I've been running around like mad because I have 8 Elders in my district and I have to exchange with each of them this transfer! I'm basically spending half my time out of the area, then in haha! It was so much easier with Sister missionaries because the Sister Training Leaders would do that for me and then report on how it went! Oh well, it's fun :)

We stopped in at the Mission office the day that you called and picked up something for E Peterson. They were telling me that they loved talking to you! haha I love the Calls and the Thompsons so much! 

For music can you send a copy of Kenny G Faith and perhaps see if there's any Disney Motab? haha! A tie would be cool if possible! I don't know... I seriously don't really want much. Just something easy :)

Yeah, I got an email from both grandma and Bishop Brown and they told me about the changes in the wards too! Sounds crazy! Hope things will make some sort of sense when I come home! haha Our wards are going through the same.

We spoke in the YSA sacrament mtg yesterday. It was different! I haven't spoken in church for awhile! I do things so different now! I used to write out my talks word for word. Now I just make bullet points and use my own words.

I interviewed 3 kids for baptism for the Summitview ward this week. A 17 and 10 year old girl and a 12 year old boy. All siblings. Great kids!! They were baptized yesterday. President Lewis and the Thompson's were there. 

We haven't gotten any snow but we've gotten a lot of rain. It's weird! Never seen this much on my mission!

Hope you get feeling well! I felt sick the week of my birthday but I'm over it now thank goodness! I ate a jalepeno pepper this morning! Elder Burbank had them and he gave one to his comp Elder Bird and to E Peterson as well. We were all dying afterwards haha

Well, Hope you have a great week! Rest! Sleep! Wish I could. haha Take care I love you! -Elder Brinkerhoff

PS> A letter is on its way! :)

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11/4/2015

Hey Mom! I have like no time but here's a few quick things:

1. Elder Thompson (mission office) called me this week letting me know that my state ID is now expired as of my birthday so.... I have no idea how I'm going to get home. Is there a way for you to renew my ID? I doubt it but you never know.

2. Halloween was boring but it's my last one!! :)

3. Went to the temple today! That was weird to leave the mission and go back to the tri-cities but it wa sgreat! Met Sister Hillebrant from Duportail in the celestial room after the session and she filled me in on everything. They all want me to come visit haha I definitely will try to visit Duportail one day!

4. I have no idea what else to say but THANK YOU for the letters and package! Please let Grandma know I am thankful for her letters and boxes too! It helps me a lot!! PS WHat is written on the back of dad's card envelope? It's like random letters "MR DUX.." etc

5. Stay safe!! Hope you all have a great week!

I love you! Will probably have better e-mails next week! haha

-Elder B

Picked a bunch of apples in the cottonwood canyon ward with the zone at Elder and Sister Smith's house! So fun!! Even got to take some home!

Our Beautiful Car:

At the Temple

Temple Trips!

Posted on November 4, 2015by annlaemmlenlewis

This week and next week each of our 9 zones will be taking a trip to the Columbia River Temple in Richland, about 1.5 hours from here.  Today was the first group to go.  There are 3 Temples districts the members in our area are assigned to–the Columbia River, Portland and Spokane.  Our Elders and Sisters will have an opportunity to attend the Columbia River Temple twice a year with their zones.  What a wonderful blessing this will be to our missionaries, as they are reminded of sacred covenants they have made!

The ride home:

(Elder B. is in the very back--the one with all the hair! ha ha)