I wasn't trunky until our goodbye lunch with President. We sang "Abide with Me Tis Eventide."
Tears were shed. That song will never be the same for me. The members treated me soooo good this week. I had two goodbye parties!!! I'm a bit of an emotional mess, but mostly I just can't believe I did it. I served a full 18 month mission. I promise you I'm leaving a chunk of my heart here in Santiago. It's been a ride. I know that I couldn't have done it without Jesus Christ, without Him I am nothing. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support. My time is short, but that's okay because we'll be together soon. xoxo Hermana Brinkerhoff
1 Comment
All week I've been freaking out. I go from being totally fine, to really sad, to really happy, and then I'm crying. Today we had a goals class which was fantastic and then reading the emails everyone sent me has made me feel a lot better. (I almost spent all morning chatting with Hermana Grover about MTC memories, holy cow I love her so much. you raised a good daughter Miley!)
I have reached my last week as a full time representive of Jesus Christ. I really never thought this day would come. I think I've gotten to this point where I'm content being a missionary forever...leaving my missionary comfort zone is going to be hard for me, but blessings are coming. I just love this mission so much. This week we got a new ward mission leader. He just got home from his mission in concepcion (he sort of knows Colin). The work is going to explode here in El Manzano. Also it snowed here for the first time in 40 years!!! It was so fun to play in the snow!!! I love you all. Thank you for your prayers, support, EVERYTHING. I couldn't have done it without you. I'm so excited to give you the biggest hugs ever. Off to work. xoxo Hermana Brinkerhoff It's my last p-day ever. (next week I have an after mission goals class all pday). Wish I could say I'm doing something exciting, but we're going to take a nap first.
We did "servicio" this week and cleaned a little old lady's house. one word: SPIDERS. I feel itchy just thinking about it, but the smile on her face when we left made it all worth it. ;) I also ate goldfish this week. why hasn't anyone sent me goldfish in a care package? increíble. Our haitian investigators freaked out because I didn't come to the lesson this week. (I was in divisions). Hermana Nacho told them I went home already (mala nacho mas mala) They started yelling "23!!!!! menti menti (liar in haitian creol/spanish)" they know my release date. hahaha This week in our zone meeting we talked about putting our hand to the plow and then never looking back. I've realized that I've done that...and now I can't ever look back. love you see you in 2 woo-hoo!!!! call me trunky I'm not afraid to admit it. xoxo Hermana Brinkerhoff HELLO.
This week went by crazy fast. One thing I've been noticing is I can feel the spirit so strong in our lessons. It makes me happy. Also Angelina and Sabina came to church yesterday after not assisting for a while. That makes me really happy. In divisions this week Hermana Chimbo saw someone jumping roofs and said "that's thief hermana!!!" I was like "Hermana por favor..." but then a whole bunch of police showed up and hermana Chimbo started yelling "right there!!! he's right there!!!" In the end she helped them catch him. A member told us we were on the news. We are just making Padre Hurtado a better place everyday. We seem to have issues retaining people, but Papito is the besttttt. Sorry I'm running out of things to talk about. It is week 75 after all. We found a Bolivan lady who is awesome this week, but she was ready anti-mormon stuff online. For the love. I'm sick people reading anti stuff on the internet. Can we all just read the Book of Mormon instead? Read this article...this was my favorite part: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2017/07/on-the-lords-side-lessons-from-zions-camp?lang=eng “Every generation has its tests and its chance to stand and prove itself. Would you like to know of one of our toughest tests? Hear the warning words of Brigham Young, ‘The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear is that they cannot stand wealth.’” President Benson continues: “Ours then seems to be the toughest test of all, for the evils are more subtle, more clever. It all seems less menacing and it is harder to detect. While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle and so could be the most deceiving of all tests. “Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people—It can put them to sleep. The Book of Mormon warned us of how Satan, in the last days, would lead us away carefully down to hell. The Lord has on the earth some potential spiritual giants whom He saved for some six thousand years to help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly, and the devil is trying to put them to sleep. The adversary knows that he probably won’t be too successful in getting them to commit many great and malignant sins of commission. So he puts them into a deep sleep, like Gulliver, while he strands them with little sins of omission. And what good is a sleepy, neutralized, lukewarm giant as a leader? “We have too many potential spiritual giants who should be more vigorously lifting their homes, the kingdom, and the country. We have many who feel they are good men and women, but they need to be good for something—strong patriarchs, courageous missionaries, valiant family history and temple workers, dedicated patriots, devoted quorum members. In short, we must be shaken and awakened from a spiritual snooze.” Wake up already. I'm full of "palos" today. Have a great 4th of July....be safe. love you all!!! xoxo hermana brinkerhoff It's been a day. 1. I'm an aunt again. I love that I'm getting NIECES. Finally. Baby Vivian is perfect! 2. I got my flight info. BOO. It looks like I get into Cody July 25th at 12ish. Time flies. This week was good!!! I destroyed the elders in a scripture race and they are still bitter about it. We had a ward family home evening and we talked about the word of wisdom. It was wild. Our new friend Charles came to church this week..along with Papito. He tells us he needs to read the entire Book of Mormon to get baptized. Yikes. I did the math and in my time as sister training leader I will do a months worth of divisions. This week I did two, one with hermana Gubernick from California and another with hermana Miller from Utah (well she was born in Chile). I love hermana Gubernick. We talked about her potential and how she can reach it during her mission. She is a great hermana. Then I was with hermana Miller. She has two weeks in the mission but knows spanish because her mom is chilean. It was so fun to be with someone who is soooo fresh in the mission. She made me feel so good and by the end of the day we were joking around like old friends. She told me not to go home because she will be sad. Also a fun fact about my girl hermana Miller is that she is youtube famous. You know those three sisters that sing in spanish and english? yeah she's the alto of the group. she told me I can be sister number 4 when she gets back. Look up thier music on Youtube i love the song mix they did of "come thou fount and if you could hie to kolob"...they are called Eleyni Music :) I love you all soo very much and I love this work :) xoxo hermana brinkerhoff |
Hermana
|