It was a super good week!!!
I am so excited to hear my new niece is here and to boot looks like me?? In my honor? ;) No, but really, congrats Katie and Brad!!! - Jaime is reading in Alma...I think he is going to finish the Book of Mormon this cambio. He also didn't drink for one whole day!! Lots of progress. - I sang a duet with Elder Marsh in Spanish for zone conference. AH! It was nerve racking!! We sang I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go. I think it turned out pretty good. Unfortunately I deleted one of the practices we did that I thought of sending. But if you want Elder Marsh and I can sing it again. Elder Marsh has the best tenor voice I've ever heard. - We had two divisions this week. It was tiring, but oh so good. This cambio I have hermanas that come with a few more challenges and are going to need more attention. Before I chose who to have divisions with I prayed to know what hermana needed it most. Throughout the day the same hermana kept coming to my mind, so I chose her. After we chatted a bit and set goals she said to me "Hermana Brinkerhoff, how did you know I needed to talk to you? I really needed this, and whenever we have divisions I get chosen second with the other hermana leaders, but you chose me first...Thank you." It really was a powerful moment for me and made me feel like I really was making a difference in the mission. I testify that revelation is a real thing and that listening the spirit is SO IMPORTANT. - Gonsalo has a date for the 25th of Feb. We are so excited and he is doing so well. He was waiting for his ride to church yesterday a half an hour early and loves to come. - I think the best part of El Abrazo is my mamita. There is an hermana here that has literally taken a mother role to me. Her name is Isabal Palominos and last October her husband (who was the bishop) died of a sudden heart attack at 44. I love this family to pieces and I know that part of the reason I came here was to meet them. They have become my Chilean family. They have a son on a mission and 3 other kids all under 21. Every time we talk she always says "If I live up to my covenants I will be with him forever." The testimonies of these people help me so much and I just love this country. XOXO Hermana Brinkerhoff
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Alright. First things first. I'm pretty excited have TWO nieces. (Congrats Dave and Shayla!!)
My companion has a touch of Lauren Hopkin in her. It's almost like they are the same person sometimes (in the best possible way)! It's starting to freak me out a bit. Lu, did you grow up in Ecuador and just not tell us? No, but really I love my companion. She is a sweetheart who is very humble and kind to everyone. I found out I will be in charge of eight hermanas this cambio. That is a lot of divisions. They are all from different countries so this will be fun!! I will be in charge of my first "hija," la hermana Rodriguez!!! She is also in my zone. It's so refreshing to see her and I just feel so proud everytime I look at her. We go way back, that Argentinian and I. Jaime told us he wants to get baptized...I'll just leave it right there for now. Vamos batem. Gonsalo (a man we found our first day here) came to church yesterday. He can not walk or talk very well, but loves our visits and everyone at church yesterday ate him up! He is such a good man. His sister told us he has become more positive the more we visit. He understands perfectly. That's how the spirit works. It's been interesting to teach about Christ here in Chile. Many of the people we teach don't actually understand who Jesus Christ is. They don't actually know what the atonement is and the importance of a Savior, the resurrection, or the second coming. I testify He lives. He loves us. He is our older brother, savior, and redeemer of the world. Gracias a El podemos estar juntos para siempre en una familia eterna. I am so grateful we have a Savior. Let us live to be worthy of His love, sacrifice, and strive every day to be more like Him. XOXO Hermana Brinkerhoff foto: Lito before I told him that prophets are and always have been men. We'll see if he wants to meet with us again ;) -Jiame is reading the BOM like a madman. He's a guy we found who used to be a Jehovahs Witness. He's come to the church 3x and loves it. Says he feels the love of Jesus there. We set a date for 25 de Febrero!! He's just a miracle and has come a long way from when we first found him in a park drinking and invited him to church.
-We had divisions. I have loved this calling of being a sister leader. It's by far my favorite calling in the mission. -Ricardo came to church yesterday and loved it!! (Because it's the church of Jesus Christ, duh!) He's a guy who yelled "HELLO" at us and so we contacted him. He's a single dad with a cute little son and is a police officer here in Chile. He had a mormon friend when he was younger and the church has always called his attention. -Rodrigo and Victoria are doing super well!! They love us and we love them. Rodrigo bore his testimony yesterday. It was so special!! Interesting story: The elder that baptized him sent him a happy birthday wish about a month ago and ever since then they have been talking. That was one of the leading elements in why they came to church all by themselves. -lito isn't progressing but I love him to death. I love being a missionary!! fotos: my posterity and hermana amestica a guy who always gives us juice and wants to play tennis against me. We said goodbye to elder Anderson, :( and Elder Rios is staying in the El Abrazo family. I think he is staying because I have to learn to get along with him. As usual he sends his "saludos" to my family. 1/30/17
What a weeeeek. Okay. 1. Saw my old companion this week, Hermana Amestica. That was so awesome. She told me that I was a huge help to her in the mission. I had no idea I had any impact with her, but it was such a pick-me-up. She is a great girl. 2. Lito came to church again. He also gave me a copy of his old CD's. He's a "cantante" in case you didn't know. He's also been trying to guess our first names. He is the funniest person I know. Look him up in Google search if you get the chance: "Lito Saravia." His most famous song is "Padre nuestro" 3. The haitians die when I speak in my non-existent haitian. They think it's the best thing ever. I love it. 4. Victoria told us this week she wanted to get baptized like...now. We've been working a lot with her. Her boyfriend, Rodrigo, has been helping a ton. They still need to get married so we are working on that... ;) they remind me of Jakie and Kaleb from the district movies. 5. I really enjoyed the worldwide devo, and for the rest of my mission I am going to focus on preaching repentance!!! Also this morning we did a service activity and we organized food for the people in the south of Chile who lost their houses to the fires that are going on. It was really fun, but really sad to think that they have nothing. So keep my Chileans in your prayers please. XOXO Hermana Brinkerhoff P.S. I hit one year. Yikes. 1/23/17
Hola!! This week was rather...normal. BUT that's okay. First of all of we had zone conference with Presidente. We got an horario change...so now we can wake up at 7?? Like, what is this world coming to. I still wake up on the dot at 6:30. That's called TRAINED, people. Ah, the mission. Aaaaand there has been a scripture flying through my head all week. We have a new missionary couple in the mission. She is a doctor and he is a psychologist (however you spell that). They are such a blessing in our mission!!! I love them. Elder Atkins talked to us about stress and how to deal with it in the mission. He shared a scripture that I just loved: "Knowest thou the condescension of God? "I know that HE LOVETH HIS CHILDREN; nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things." 1Nefi 11:16-17 I testify of that. He loves us. That is why sometimes we go through things that are really hard. I know He loves me so He sent me to Chile. In Chile I have been able to learn things that only in Chile could I have learned. I think we go through certain things because we need to progress and become like Him. He loves me so much, and I love Him. We also had a super awesome noche de hogar!! We have a new investigator that needs to get married and then she can get baptized. She's seriously de ORO (golden). And a little misson drama right now...an elder in my zone got hit by a car yesterday. It was wild. He was just standing on the corner and two cars hit, and then hit him when the other car started to spin. It was super, super bad. Luckily he's totally okay. He has some broken ribs, needs stitches, but he'll be fine. Really we are protected here on the mission! love you all with all my...hearrrrt. XOXO Hermana Josie Brinkerhoff |
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