Faith in Every Footstep Miracle

Familia Brinkalink,

Yep, new name. A member called me Hermana Brinkalink a few weeks ago. Hermana Toro gets off easy with her name. It's short, Spanish, and means bull. Oh, I don't think I told you about this. When Sister Schow first met Sister Toro, she looked at her name tag and said, "Toro... Toro. Sounds like a bunch of bull to me!" hahah That's why Sister Schow and I get along so well. She's always making off-the-wall comments. When she's leaving she likes to say, "I'm off like a herd of turtles" or "I'm off like a dirty shirt."

This week I went on exchanges with the ASL sisters, which was so neat! Sadly the appointment they had set up cancelled--actually, they had called her on Tuesday night and everything was good to go and then Wednesday her son told them that she was in Mexico. Now I could see how that would be more plausible with one of MY investigators, but still it was a little random. Ah, such is missionary life. So we just visited potentials and referrals, and I learned how to sign, "I don't know sign language." Instead of texting their investigators to communicate, they have a video phone with camera and everything so they can see them on the TV--just a big version of Skype. I was blown away. And the sisters cover the Roseville Mission as well as a lot of Sacramento. They have a lot of work today and a lot of challenges! 

We had a ward activity on Friday night. We had dinner and there was a violinist and a pianist/harmonica-ist who played pioneer songs. There were a few members of the ward who spoke about how they're pioneers in their families. We have a lot of pioneers because the majority of them are converts/the first members in their families. That was neat being able to hear about how they themselves are the pioneers--and then when we went to the English ward last Sunday with Re we heard about English members' pioneer heritage. Two very different backgrounds with the gospel of Jesus Christ as the common link.

I went to Deseret Book last week and made a dent in my checking account. I got a few CDs, bought a General Conference on CDs in Spanish, bought scripture cases for my English and Spanish scriptures, got some magazines--maybe that's all I should admit. I was a happy camper last week! Deseret Book is dangerous for any member but especially for a missionary. Yiikes. I think I told you about how Re went to Deseret Book and bought a scripture case and a little hymn book and a bookmark for her scriptures she bought from DI. Another one of our investigators, whose daughter is a member in our ward, got a hymn book from Deseret Book. I guess people really do like it that we start out our lessons with a hymn! And the Ro family were talking about how they needed to get a hymn book--I think they'll be making their way over there pretty soon. :)

We had a new missionary meeting last Tuesday for trainers/new missionaries. I wasn't able to go to it when I trained Sister Beale because President Lewis was recovering from his surgery in Utah and I was emergency transferred out of the area when she went her second transfer. President taught about the doctrine of Christ and asked us why we think he always trains on that. He said that he can read 2 Nephi 31 and 3 Nephi 11 over and over again and still get a thrill of out it. We have a sisters' meeting/luncheon today at the mission office and after talking to President and Sister Lewis, Sister Schow is coming with us! After all, she is a missionary--she knows most of the sisters anyway.

Oh yeah, we had a lesson on Saturday with Re and asked Sister Druyon, the executive secretary of the mission, to come to the lesson with us. She served her mission in France and her first companion was Sister Brinkerhoff. She treated us to Cheesecake Factory afterwards. We were really spoiled on Saturday!

Love you all,

kates