Hello All! 

I have done a terrible job at updating all of you in group emails! Hope you are well!

Well, let's see... last Monday started off on the right foot! We got our laundry done in time to get our weekly car wash and then proceeded to email at the Moxee library. Right near the end of our emailing time however, we got a call from a local housing coordinator for missionaries in the Selah stake letting us know that we would be moving out of our host family's house and into a new one because they would be having family moving in the next day! He thought that someone had previously informed us of the move, but no one had! He said "I'll be over in about an hour to help pick up the furniture and beds, etc, make sure that you've gotten everything out and cleaned up by then" 

AHHHHHHHHH!! Let's just say that p-day was pretty much over at that point...

We proceeded to jump in the car and race home as fast as our lovely Tiwi box would allow so that we could begin packing and organizing and taking everything off our desks and beds and out of the fridge like madmen!!! Elder Powell and I kept our cool though as much as we could in the 100 degree weather. We got everything out by the end of the afternoon and in to our new place in only 2 loads. We enjoy our new place. It is way small and there is not a lot of places to put anything but we are settled in pretty well. The members we live with spoil us with lots of food and comforts of home. It's pretty great! It's only going to be a temporary place for a couple weeks we hear. The mission may be working on an apartment for us. It may be ready for us to move into by July 1st which would be just my luck because that weekend is gong to be crazy enough as it is! 

Our current investigators are doing well and we have been working hard and finding a lot of new people to teach. NOBODY came to church and it's so frustrating but that's not abnormal. Miracles are definitely real though. They might not always be big ones but we see them every day.

A scripture that I read this morning (Helaman 13:2-4) reads:

• 2 And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people,and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land. 3 But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart. 4 And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.

This struck and impressed me this morning just how strong Samuel was. He was pretty discouraged and was about to return home after the people rejected the gospel. He didn't give up however when the Lord called him to go back another day. Taught me an old lesson that missionaries hear a lot, but it stuck out to me. I never had thought of it in the context of Samuel the Lamanite before. The scriptures are amazing and this has motivated me to keep going another day! I only have 2 more weeks here in Washington before I return home. I can't believe how fast time has gone. I will keep running up onto that wall every day just like Samuel did when he went back to Zarahemla to help teach people about the gospel and to cry repentance (even if people try to shoot me with arrows! Hopefully not!) I am grateful for my mission and for every day that I have left. I pray that many hearts will be prepared to accept the message of the restored gospel around the world. Especially as my little sister Emily prepares to serve in Idaho by entering the MTC this week. I am so proud of her and excited for everything that is happening.

Hope you all have a great week!

Love, Elder Dean Brinkerhoff

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