Week of September 19, 2016

Hey everyone! I hope that you all had a great week! This week was awesome! We have transfer calls coming up this week I'm pretty excited to hear what is going ot happen I have been here in winner for almost 7 1/2 months! Its been a long time and I have loved every minute of it, I'm pretty sure that I will be getting a call usually were only in areas about 3 months I will be pretty sad to leave I have been able to meet so many awesome people in this area!

This week we had a mission goal to hand out as many copies of the Book of Mormon as possible. Elder Mangum and I made a goal to hand out 30 copies which was the highest goal in the Zone and probably the highest or close to the highest in the mission. We spent a lot of time tracting and handing out books. We received lots of rejection but I can also gladly say that we reached our goal of 30! Ha we actually ran out of books and had to go steal some from other missionaries. It was an awesome week! There's no better feeling than looking back on your week and looking at how hard you have worked to accomplish your goals!

I hope that you all have a great week love you all!!

Love, Elder Brinkerhoff

Week of September 5, 2016

Hey Y'all, I hope that everyone had a great week! This week was crazy busy here in Winner. We had a ZTM (zone training meeting) this week and it was awesome! The mission came up with this awesome idea to do this thing called OYM (open your mouth) its where everyone in the mission goes out for 1 hour between 4-9 and either go tracting or street contacting. We have been working a lot with members and haven't been doing much personal finding so this is going to help us start finding more people to teach. We also did some work with concrete this week man lemme tell ya that is a tough job, it was kinda fun tho. The best part though is not wearing dress clothes! After wearing a tie everyday all day its feel's so nice not having to wear one for a little bit! 

This week while we were doing OYM we were tracting and we were able to get a new investigator and we were able to have a few other good lessons! I really love when things workout. Tracting in this town has been hard and not all that successful. So when we heard that we were going to have to start doing OYM we were not all that excited but after doing it for a few day's I realized that it is awesome it was definitely inspired and is something we really need to do! I feel like it is going to help the work progress so much! 

I hope that yall have a great week! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Brinkerhoff

Week of August 29, 2016

Hey everyone I hope that ya'll had a great week! We had a good week out here in Winner. We had a pretty exciting week we have been working with a few people who are progressing pretty good.  We also did lots of service this week I love doing service and just helping people out.

The most exciting news this week is that I hit my 1 year mark! Its crazy that I have already been gone a year!  I don't feel like I have been gone that long. Time fly's when your on a mission. Over the last year there have been tons of changes. Lots of hardships but also lots of good times.  I have learned so much over the last year. One of the things I have leared about the most is that everything that we go through in life is there to help us and to make us stronger people. We would not be the people we are today if we didn't go through the hardships of life. I have also learned that we as turn our will over to the will of God miracles can happen. If you work hard anything can happen. There's only 24 hours in a day how successful we are is based upon how we use the 24, we only have so much time in what ever we do so its important to make the most out of everything we do and not waste any time.

I hope that everyone has a great week this week love all of you!

Love,

Elder Brinkerhoff

Week of August 15, 2016

Well I don't have too much to write about this week but we got transfer calls this week and I will be staying in winner for another 6 weeks with Elder Mangum. I was suprised we didnt get a call I have been in Winner for about 6 months, I am excited to have to opportunity to serve another transfer in this area! 

Some pictures are of my District and Zone pics! 

Hope you all have a great week love you all!

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Love,

Elder Brink

Week of August 8, 2016

Hey ya'll I hope that everyone had a great week! We had a really busy week out here in Winner. On a mission busy weeks are the best! Being too busy is way better than being slow. On Monday we had a sweet P-Day we went bowling, had a really good lesson, and got a new investigator, I knew it was going to be a good week after this. Tuesday we got to drive to Rapid City for zone conference which was awesome we were pumped to be able to eat out at Chilies, its funny the things that get you excited on a mission. Wednesday we had our zone conference and got to go up to Mount Rushmore, the best part was just being able to hang out with other missionaries. Were pretty far away from any anyone else so its always a good time to be able to see other missionaries. Friday to Saturday we had exchanges and were able to get a new investigator. Sunday we were able to get another new investigator. We have had a really hard time finding people to teach and haven't really been able to get a solid new investigator so it was awesome to finally find some new people. We have been trying so hard the last few weeks to find someone who will listen to us, it can be very discouraging trying all the time to find someone and just having no success, so this week was just amazing. 

As we have been struggling to find new people to teach, and why the people we do teach have such a hard time overcoming their trial's I have spent a lot of time thinking about why we have to go through trials or hard times. This week while I was studying I came across the scripture Ether 12:6 "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." It hit me so hard that we have to go through trials to increase our faith. Or really to increase in anything. We have to go through hard things so that we can learn to put our trust in the lord. In the book of Mormon in Helaman the people are very righteous and have complete peace in all of the land. Helman 6:12 "They did raise grain in abundance, both in the north and in the south; and they did flourish exceedingly, both in the north and in the south. And they did multiply and wax exceedingly strong in the land. And they did raise many flocks and herds, yeah, many fatlings. 13 Behold their women did toil and spin, and did make all manner of cloth, of fine twined linen and cloth of every kind, to clothe their nakedness. And thus the sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace." Everyone was happy and doing good. God gave the power to Nephi to be able to do anything. After just a few years of having peace in all the land they started to become greedy and prideful and started to become wicked again. Helman 6:16 And in the commencement of the sixty and seventh-year the people began to grow exceedingly wicked again." Nephi was given the power to do all things because the God knew that Nephi would do nothing to go against his will. Helman 10:5 "And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearying ness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will." All of the people were being so wicked and Nephi wanted them to turn again to the Lord he knew that they would have to go through a major trial before they would put there faith in God again. So he commanded a famine to be upon the land, so it happened. The people began to turn again the God and they returned to peace. Helman 11:7 "And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words or Nephi.  Moral of the story is that in order to grow and to progress we have to go through hard things, we have to put our faith in God and endure to the end. Going through trial's can be the biggest blessing in our live's if we go about them the right way.

I hope you all have a great week! Love you all!

Love,

Elder Brinkerhoff

Week of July 25, 2016

Hey Yall!! I hope that y'all have had a great week! The last couple of weeks out here have been going really good. Last week was pretty crazy week for us. Last Friday and Saturday we were able to do some volunteer work at the rodeo. We worked in the concession stand I think it was a pretty good thing to get our faces out there because as we were out knocking doors and stuff a few people recognized us and said that it was nice of us to help out. Its been really awesome being in this area for a long time. When I first got to Winner it was really rough everyone was very rejecting towards us. As I have had the opportunity to do service here and help people out people have changed, As I have had the opportunity to do service here and help people out people have changed. People are much more receptive to us although they may not care what we have to say they will listen to us which is great improvement from where it was when I first got here. I also donated blood this week for the fist time that was kinda weird but It hurt way less than I thought it would.

So last Sunday as we were driving to church we got a call from a number we didn't have saved to our phone we answered and the person told us they were not a member but asked if they could come to church of course we said yes. She came to church and after the meeting we were talking to her and she told us that she was being abused locked up by her husband on Sunday he left the keys at there house and she got in her car with her 9 month old baby and she left everything behind. She asked us if we could help get her some clothes and some things and a place to stay for the next few days till she could drive back to Utah. The branch president was more than willing to help her out so we went over to Shopko and got her and her baby some clothes and some of the necessity's. When we were walking out of the store the guy that she was running from was sitting out in the parking lot by her car. So she started freaking out but she got in her car and we had her follow us and we took some back roads to the hotel cause he was trying to follow us. Because of my expertise of driving we were able to lose him and we  were able to get her to her hotel. A few hours later we were driving by the hotel after we had got out of a lesson and they guy had found her car and was going through it. So we called the branch president and he called the cops and they guy had some warrants and was a meth addict so they locked him up for the rest of the week until she was out of town. Shes now back in Utah trying to find a job. It was a crazy Sunday for us. Recently we had a conference talk about rescuing the refugee's some people think that you need to go to third world country's to do this but there are people all over the world that need help. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/i-was-a-stranger?lang=eng I challenge you to go out and help someone in need this week! 

This week while my companion was getting his hair cut I was flipping through a Sports Illustrated and I saw a quote that I really liked and want to share it. "Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given that to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." 

-Muhammad Ali 

It's no secret that things in life are going to be hard. But we need to remember that nothing is impossible. Through Jesus Christ all thing's are possible. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Alma 26:12 "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." These are 2 of my favorite scriptures, I know that all things are possible. 

I hope y'all have a great week!!  Love you all!!

Love,

Elder Brinkerhoff

Week of July 11, 2016

Hey y'all sorry I haven't wrote a letter the last couple weeks. We have been super busy out here. Lots has happened over the last couple weeks. We had transfers last week! Luckily I will be staying here in Winner! Elder Musacchia was transferred to Mile City, Montana. Elder Mangum is my new companion we have had a good first few days together so I'm excited for the rest of this transfer!  

This week we were able to go to the wedding of Horatio and Jen. They are Jared's (the kid who just got baptized) parents. The wedding was at the church and it went really well.  They want to be able to go to the temple and be sealed within the next year we are excited to be able to help them get there. We are working with Horatio right now trying to help him get the priesthood. 

I am now the district leader of the Winner district. We had our first district meeting where I had to give the training. I wasn't really sure what to give the training on. So I was sitting at my desk flipping through my scriptures and through my Preach my Gospel. I couldn't really find anything so I was kinda stressin. I was looking around my desk and I saw an old ensign and started flipping through that to try and find something. I found something titled "Asking the Right Questions in the Right Way" The meeting went pretty good, but the best part is later that night I got a text from the Sister's in my district and they said what I had taught helped them a ton in a lesson that they had had that day. Receiving inspiration is amazing! And the best part is that is something we can all receive by following the commandments, prayer, and studying your scriptures. God wants to help us but to many people just ask and aren't willing to do there part. "2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a work man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." If we do our part and do all that we can God will help us. Often people say the God wont give us trials that we cant handle, I disagree with that. God often gives us trials we cant handle but as we turn to Jesus Christ he will help us but only after we do all we can.    

We also went to a couple of baseball games with Molly and watched her kids play. They lost in the championship game which is why they are not to happy in some of the pictures. We also were invited to a baseball bbq.​​

Hope you all have a great week love you all!!

Love,

Elder Brinkerhoff