2012 End of the World?

Good thing I'll be sharing the gospel in 2012. I just realized the next time I talk to you will be next year.

Dear Family,

You'll have to forgive me because I don't know how much I'll be able to write. I'm at a member's house right now since the library is closed and am typing on an iPad. I don't know how you do it, Mom; I'm impressed. I just wrote my President's letter so I'm almost out of two-finger-typing steam.

Not much has happened since yesterday. Sister Fernandez is leaving to go on exchanges tonight so I have to find companions for tonight and tomorrow still. Yippee. I got a boatload of Christmas cards yesterday from my trainer Sister Carlos who went home at the beginning of December, my MTC companion Sister Worthen, Malinda, Jordan, Stacy, and Tracy! Everyone looks so great! I'd have to say my favorite Christmas card was from... No, I'm not going to tell you that. They're all beautiful and will soon be on my wall.

After I talked with you last night I put on my new pajama pants, my new mission t-shirt and my ladybug slippers from Lisa Van Gemert and put on some tunes Melissa sent and wrote some letters... While eating my Puerto Rican Taco Bell cinnamon tostadas. :) 

We've had 62 baptisms as a mission this month and have one week to reach our goal of 101! We have R lined up to be baptized on Friday if everything goes according to plan and hopefully the Ca family will be ready by Saturday. That would be a miracle!! A new year's eve miracle.

I love you all. My back is aching from using this iPad. I must be turning 25 soon or something. Next to go is the eyesight. :)

Love forever and for always,

Kates

Merry Christmas!

Mi hermosa familia,

We've been teaching an eternal investigator (his wife has been a member for 8 years) and I had the strong feeling last week that we were going to have 9 baptisms this month. We have one firm to be baptized this Thursday (S--he's 22 and is married to a member) and I talked to R (the eternal) after Sacrament and asked him when he was going to be baptized this week. He smiled and said he doesn't think it will be this week but next week, maybe. I saw it as a good sign with that smirk on his face. Sister Fernandez talked to him after church and he is firm for December 31! I'm really glad I talked to him right after sacrament meeting--the speakers from the stake were phenomenal; they talked about obedience and sharing the gospel and it was just perfect for so many of our investigators. I think we had only 10 investigators to church this week. Only 10. :)

We're still praying for the Ca family to be baptized this month!! They're going out of town on the 23rd and will be gone until Christmas. They're the family of 7 that we were hoping to baptize on Christmas Eve. The opposition is coming but we still have faith that they will be baptized. Sacrament, like I mentioned, was absolutely perfect, but gospel principles and Relief Society/Priesthood were very deep about the Millennium and exaltation. I kept thinking the whole time that Heavenly Father has a plan and that we can't lose faith--I love these topics; they're a little deep and confusing for investigators but I know everything will work out how it should.

We had our ward Christmas party on Friday and it was extremely fun. I played the piano for the program--different programs like the Young Women, Priesthood, a family kept giving me different songs to play at the last minute. I guess they think I'm one of "those" piano players. Well, it turned out fine and there was even a pinata at the end of the night filled with my favorite candy--Mexican candy with chile, of course! I crave that stuff like crazy nowadays. I even stole a little kid's mango gummy pop with chile. It made me smile because we've been having Christmas pinatas the past few years. :) Right? Yeah, I'm pretty sure. The party was very well attended and so beautiful. This ward is amazing. It's actually made up of two cities, Tracy and Manteca. The elders (1 companionship) cover Tracy and we cover Manteca. The leadership in this ward is crazy ridiculous. They support us so well and always have someone ready to go to lessons with us. Everyone loves the Ca family and all of our investigators. It really is just one big family. It's great. They expect and require a lot from us but Sister Fernandez is a champ and we get along and are making a lot of progress.

Stacy wants to know more intimate details about my life. Well, last week was REALLY hard. It was my hardest week on the mission. Sister Fernandez expects a lot and I'm getting frustrated about my Spanish because hers is so beautiful and she teaches and explains so well that all I could do was get frustrated because I didn't feel like I could contribute anything more. I've been able to open my mouth a lot more. Oh, part of her responsibility as coordinating sister is that she has to visit each of the Spanish companionships plus one English companionship in the mission during a transfer. So she leaves me at night and for a day and so I have to find 4 companions to go out with me while she's gone on exchanges with the other sisters. Last week she was gone twice (Monday day and Tuesday day and Thursday night and Friday day). I go out with English sisters and Spanish sisters so I have to rule the lesson and know what I'm saying and control the phone and our plans. It's stressful but I'm hanging in there.

I love you all! I have no time but I will talk to you next week. Drink hot cocoa and look at Christmas lights for me. 

Hermana Brinkerina

new nickname from the zone

Wonderful Happens

Querida familia,

I lived with the sign language sisters for a few months and picked up a few signs here and there. The sign for 'miracle' is 'wonderful happens.' We've been praying since October for wonderful to happen this month, and we have seen miracles.

The C family went to Stockton to see Elder Bednar speak at their stake conference. I missed Elder Bednar by just two weeks! They haven't accepted a baptismal date yet but I know they'll get there! It would be a beautiful blessing to have a family of 7 be baptized this Christmas.

We have one baptism set for December 22 for a boy (he's 22) whose name is Sa. His wife is a member and they're expecting a baby in February. I'm so happy that they'll have the priesthood in the home--they're such a humble family but his wife Su makes us the absolutely best warm apple cider (with all sorts of things in it) with little treats every time we come over. I love it.

We taught about 26 lessons this week, which is out of this world. My companion is the energizer bunny, and my rechargeable battery doesn't charge as fast as hers. I'm trying to keep up! We've been able to accomplish a lot of our goals, and I feel like this letter is just really empty--sorry about that.

We're waiting to hear from Ra whose wife is also a member if he wants to be baptized this month. He has two sons going on missions within the next few years and it would be wonderful for them to see their dad baptized before they leave.

The temple day we had last week was GREAT! We had a Christmas program before we went to the temple--complete with readers and hymns. I was the chorister so I got to lead all the Christmas songs--nothing better than that. The temple is beautiful and I felt a great spirit there. I'm grateful for the blessings of the temple and for missionary work so that other families can experience the joy within.

Sorry I didn't have loads of time to write--my president's letter was a novel but the good thing is that it actually sent this week. Love you all!! Merry Christmas. I'll talk to you on the phone in a few weeks. :) Come up with some good brain busters for me.


Love,

Hermana Brinkerhoff

Miracles

Familia,

Yes, I'm still playing the piano, so your dream has come true, Mom. The sister I replaced (who just finished her mission and returned home to Oak Cliff) played the piano. Wee.

This ward is AMAZING! It's the Monte Vista ward. Already we've gone out with several sisters to lessons. I think I met 5 sisters these past 5 days simply from teaching. Sister Fernandez is rockin' the member present lessons. We had 12 investigators to church yesterday, and sacrament meeting was wonderful. We ended a little late because so many people got up to bear their testimonies. A few families went to the temple to be sealed this past weekend, so it was beautiful hearing their testimonies.

We have a family of 7 who we're teaching--la familia C. They're beautiful! I can't believe how beautiful they all are. And they already look like members of the church. P (the mother) is set and ready to be baptized--we're just waiting for V to receive a confirmation. She feels the Spirit so strongly during our lessons and at church and when she reads and everything and he is waiting to have that same confirmation. We're hoping and praying that they are ready by December 24 to be baptized. We invited them to the Stake Conference in Stockton this weekend with Elder Bednar--Patricia told us that she'd like to have Elder Holland baptize her. :) She heard him in General Conference and was so moved by his power and spirit. Sadly I don't think Elder Holland will be here! ;) She's so great.

We're teaching R who is married to a member. He knows the Church is true and that the Book of Mormon is true. He drives his mother to mass during the second and third hours of church so he's not able to stay the whole time. He's very loyal to his mother and her (and his childhood) beliefs. He will be baptized--we just have to discern his needs and address them. He's also reading the Book of Mormon and is working on the Book of Mormon issue of the Ensign (Liahona). We'll get him baptized this month! We have a goal as a companionship to have 10 baptisms this month. Mom, we'll have to come up with something else other than scriptures if that's the case. And let's hope and pray that is the case!!!

Thank you for the package. Ahhh I love everything in it! I love the David Archuletta CD. I love the coat. The boots are so comfy and the headband and scarf are darling. With music, I have a lot of church music on my laptop--if someone could just make some burned CDs that'd be great. I didn't bring any CDs, just my iPod. I already have the music! The Christmas devotional was wonderful.

Ok I love you all. It's weird that this is my first Christmas without y'all. What's even weirder is thinking about how I'll be calling you on Christmas. I think of that once every week and still think it's strange. :) Hopefully I'll have something to talk about.