A Thai Birthday/Christmas

    

     It's been a really fun past few days here in Thailand. I got to Skype my family, which was lots of fun, and what made it even better is that it was at my Grandparent's house, and I got to talk to my extended family as well.  One of the things I was missing most about Christmas is tasting my Grandma's peanut brittle. And guess what I got in the mail from my awesome Grandma and Grandpa Brinkerhoff? That's right, peanut brittle and a ton of other candy.

     I got to run for like 18 minutes last week, and it felt amazing to be running again, but the problem is that my endurance is pretty much gone, and I was wiped out at the end. 

     There's been a mice problem at our church, and some of the members put out sticky traps. We caught two mice, and let's just say they met a horrible fate.

     One of the church members offered me a snack and I ate it, thinking it was dried banana chips. It didn't taste that good, and later I found out it was dried chicken skin. Yum. 

A Birthday in Thailand

   

I turned 19 last Friday, and I had a fun birthday. Elder Cecil and I went to visit a church member who owned a street food restaurant, and Elder Cecil told her that it was my birthday. She smiled and made us Thai snow cones for free. Another woman there, who was also a member, gave me a santa ornament and gave us a ton of cookies.  Some of the members, also gave me some gifts, like birthday sunglasses. Another member gave me a hat that said "Classy Snob." She knew what classy meant, but not what snob meant. 

     The Larsons also took us to dinner at an American themed burger joint, and my mom sent me some sweet gifts. One of which was a little lego toy. I used to get legos all the time as a kid, and I happily built it that night, remembering the good times I had building legos as a kid. My mom knows how to give the best gifts.

     

That night, the mission president gave me a birthday call. At first I thought I was in huge trouble, usually missionaries don't get phone calls from the President himself. 

Christmas in Thailand

     Despite the fact that nobody really celebrates Christmas here, it was a memorable Christmas. Lots of church members, and us missionaries went Caroling to numerous homes, every night for the last few days. It was loads of fun.

     We had a Christmas party as a church as well. For a congregation of about 40-50, they threw a really fun party. We had an awesome Nativity scene, and the people who created the nativity set are amazing artists. Afterwards, we had dinner and a talent show. We performed a song, others sang, and others danced. But my all time favorite performance was Pawbresai:  picture a really old Thai man who is about five feet tall, and talks quietly. Well, he decided to dance and sing for us. He even had an outfit picked out too, and he had sunglasses and a really sweet fedora on. He danced for a few minutes, and then we decided to be his backup dancers. Then he sang for a solid six minutes, and we kind of had to pull him off the stage. 

     We had an hour of Church, and then we got to spend Christmas at the Larsons'. I am very glad I am able to serve with them, they spoil us. We had a really good Christmas snacks, and I opened the gifts that my family sent me. We then visited numerous Church members and wished them a Merry Christmas. Later we went to their apartment and played some fun games, ate American food that Sister Larson prepared for us, and had a great time. 

     I had an awesome Christmas. Despite not many people celebrating it, it was fun to see all the church members come together. I had so much fun with them. 

The End of Surin?

     Transfers are this week, and there's a good chance that I will get transferred out. I could be on the other side of Thailand or in Bangkok, or maybe I will stay in Surin. I guess I will see what happens. 

I Love you all,

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

-Elder Brinkerhoff ​

Surrounded by Elephants

     Sa wat dii,

     It's been an eventful week, there were two festivals that went on, and that was fun. 

     Roi ga tong is a Buddhist festival where people make little lantern boats out of plants, and put it in a pond to "float their sins away." Also they do floating lanterns in the sky like "Tangled," but in our town it's illegal due to too many fires it starts. I spent about an hour making my boat, and stick pamphlets of Jesus around it. We went to a large pond where hundreds showed up to float their sins away. The pond was disgusting and very dirty. I saw some children and other people swimming in it, which I thought was weird. Then I noticed that they grab the boats, basically rip them to shreds, looking for money. Some people stick money in their boats, which motivates others to get in the water. That was really annoying, but I still lit a candle in my little boat, and "floated my sins away." I hope my Jesus pamphlets will make them stay away from my boat.

     We had transfers this week.  Elder Cecil and I stayed together, but Elder Bjarnson got transferred. Going to miss the heck out of him. We got Elder Shipp in our house, he's a redhead from Lehi, Utah.

     

In Surin during our district meetings, the eight of us have an annual "district photo" where we stack chairs to indicate how many transfers we have left. I have 15 left, so I am near the ceiling and almost died to getting up there.

     Also, we have to replace our daily planners every transfer, and Elder Cecil showed me how to make a sweet planner cover. Indianapolis Temple all the way.

     Bad Timing: Last week Elder Cecil and I visited a family, and they recently purchased three massive pigs, probably weighing 300 or more pounds. Well, the other day we visited them again, and there was one pig left. When I looked over on the porch, the whole family was there working, and there were chunks of pork all over the porch, and the head and small bags of blood were in the corner. There was one last pig in the pig pen, and it knows it's fate.

The Elephant Parade

     They don't call Surin "The Elephant City" for nothing. Last weekend was their annual Elephant festival. We decided to invite people at that festival if they wanted to learn about Christ, while watching the festival. There were tables lined up the entire street, loaded with food for the elephants. Then about 80 or more elephants marched down the street and ate the food. Then after, people could ride the elephants. All of us missionaries got on the streets, and elephants were all around me. At one point I was completely surrounded by elephants. The next day was the elephant show, at a huge stadium, but we couldn't go to that. Bummer.

Set me free to find my calling

     I have had a few rough patches this week, mainly with the language. It was hard, but I knew that I would endure many trials on my mission.  I watched a BYU vocal point video called "Homeward Bound." Watch it, it's amazing.  Some of the lyrics say, "Set me free to find my calling."  Those lyrics really stuck with me. I have been "set free" from America, school, sports, etc. to serve the people of Thailand.  Matthew 10:39 says: He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life shall find it. 

Homeward Bound - Vocal Point

     Still serving, still working on my calling.

     Have a good week,

     Elder Brinkerhoff

The Weather Isn't Frightful, But Delightful!

     While many of you are in frightful weather, somehow the weather here in Thailand is very delightful. The last few weeks it's been like Florida/California weather! I'm dreading hot season in a few months though.

     We went to visit Brother Mnoon, the mortician, and while we were waiting outside of the front desk window, Elder Cecil noticed a small calendar with a racy photo of a woman on it. He pulled out one of his small Jesus pamphlets, and put a paper clip over the photo. Genius.

Shoutout to my awesome mom who sent me awesome bike lights.

     Elder Cecil and I got to do a switch-off with the Elders in Burriram for a day. It was really fun, and Burriram was a lot bigger than Surin. Elder O (he has a long last name) was my companion for the day, and we got to visit a few people. We visited one member, who lived in poor living conditions. But when I walked into her small house (it was more like a basement), I looked on the wall and it was covered in church photos: Biblical and Book of Mormon paintings, photos of temples, and other works of art. It was
amazing, and in the center of all that was a large
photo of Christ. Amazing. They also played basketball with Elder Cecil and me. We recruited some Thai teenagers to play with us. It was fun. 

     Last Sunday we woke up to having two sparrows in our house. That was an adventure.

     Last Sunday, us four elders and the Larsons went and visited a few church members who aren't able to attend church. We sang a few Christmas songs and church hymns to them, and it was amazing to see them light up. 

     That basically sums up the week! Also, the Larsons sent me photos they have taken of me riding elephants.

     I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. I don't remember much of what I got for Christmas in the past, but I do remember the great feelings of Christmas. One of the Christmas memories I am most fond of was when I was a kid in Utah, and when my family would drive to our grandparent's house for Christmas eve. It was always quiet and peaceful out, the snow falling, and Christmas lights glowing at nearly every house. I miss that. 

     Remember Christ and his sacrifice for us. As I have been here on this mission, my appreciation for Christ and how he sacrificed his life for us means a lot more to me. I hope you can have a greater appreciation for that as well.

     Have yourself a Merry Christmas,

     Yours truly,

     Elder Brinkerhoff

Riding Elephants Is Exhausting

     

     We rode elephants again on our P-day, and this time we rode the elephants and took a dip in the disgusting pond. I was submerged to almost my neck in water at one point, and almost fell off the elephant that was almost completely submerged, and a large chunk of elephant poop floated literally two feet in front of me. Thank heavens it didn't hit me. Hours after, all of us were super exhausted.

     We had two missionaries from another town come and join us for the day to supervise us. During language study one of the missionaries wanted to make me read in Thai. Every mistake I made, I had to do 5 pushups. It's a good idea. 

     Elder Cecil was talking to a woman on the street, and I was trying to follow what she was saying but I couldn't fully grasp what she was saying. I spaced out for a minute, and then she looked at me and said, "Beautiful?" I stood there and said, "Very Beautiful!!" in Thai. Later on I found out that she was talking about her 16-year-old daughter that she wanted me to marry. So I just called her daughter beautiful, and no I'm not going to marry her. 

      There's a member in our branch who is paralyzed from the legs down, and he can't make it to church. He lives alone and in very poor conditions, but he is a happy man. He uses this old, run down wheelchair. Elder and Sister Larson, Elder Cecil, and I went to his house one day, and drove him to a store to surprise him with a new wheelchair. His smile: Priceless. 

     Last Sunday we took a bus to Roi Et, and had a stake conference (where church congregations come together for a meeting). I got to play for the choir for a musical number, and it went alright. 

     While we were in Roi Et, I met a church member who served a mission in New York. Then I realized something: In the summer of 2015, a bunch of the guys in my church went to New York to visit some church sites, and when we were at one site, two sister missionaries were our tour guides, and one of them was from Thailand. This world is too small. Now this time I am the missionary and she is not. I told her that, and she thought about it for a minute, and she said she remembers our group that came.  

     On Monday, the missionaries in our area got together to have a Christmas party. We started off watching, "It's a Wonderful Life," had a white elephant gift exchange (I got a backscratcher and candy), and had a Christmas lunch. During lunch we did the mannequin challenge, so keep an eye out for that video on Facebook. At the end we had a Christmas devotional, and last minute I was asked to play 10 Christmas songs on the spot. Somehow I pulled all of those songs off, despite not practicing at all. It was a lot of fun, and we all had a good time. We drove home with the Larsons and stopped at a 7/11, and it was infested with bugs. Completely infested. 

     Fun week and a half. Fun adventures.

     Tis the Season to give service,

     "Service with a smile!" 

             -Po's father from Kung Fu Panda

     Have a great week,

     Elder Brinkerhoff

Service, Slams and a Baptism

 

     Whoa, it's December already? Time flies when you are busy.

     Right after I sent my last email, the four of us elders went to eat lunch. And right when we walked into the street food place, all of the 11-14 year-old school girls were staring at us. Maybe it was because of Elder Shipp's fiery red hair?

     Later that day we went to the huge market near the Cambodian border and bought some cool stuff. I bought more peacock fabric to make some sweet ties. Now I just need to find someone to make them...

     The local hospital doesn't hand out water to people, so the Larsons and the four of us spent a few hours handing out bottled water to patients and their families. It was great to see people so happy to just receive some water. They loved it. And it's a good thing to show that missionaries aren't so scary (some people are terrified of us). Remember to do some service this Christmas season, honestly it made all of us feel so good doing that. 

     We had our first baptism the other day. Her name is Sister Lie, and she is amazing. She was a friend of a church member, and when Elder Cecil and I were serving her church member friend she was interested in learning more. She has this deep desire to learn about the church, and she reads the Book of Mormon a few hours a night. She quit drinking coffee in a few weeks, and was willing to be baptized. 

     A few weeks ago, Elder Cecil arrived at the Church about 20 minutes before church began. We found Sister Lie sweeping the church, along with a few other church members. I'm glad that we got the opportunity to teach her and bring her closer to Christ. 

     There's a tradition that goes around in the Thailand mission when a baptism happens. The missionaries (Tim Tam) "slam," by buying a package of chocolate covered wafer cookies

(Tim Tams), biting into two corners, and drinking milk through the cookie. So last night the four of us got to Slam. 

   

      I get to ride elephants again today!  

Have a fantastic week,

Elder Brinkerhoff

A Thai Thanksgiving

Missing Buddy

     Hello from the other side (of the world)!

     I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and a "Happy" Black Friday. I told one of the church members about black Friday and she said in English, "I want to fight people over makeup and other stuff!" I guess I didn't explain it too well.

     Surprisingly, nothing too crazy happened this week. It's kind of been the usual for us, we teach people, serve people, teach English class, and teenage school girls giggle every time us Elders walk past them because we are white and supposedly handsome. They seriously look at us like we are Hollywood stars. Weird...

     We were teaching English class one night, and we were going to play a game. After we started, a 7-year-old boy ran up to the board and wrote "No Mercy" on the board.  I'm not sure if I should be scared or not. 

     Elder Cecil and I went to go serve a church member, and when we were about to leave it was POURING rain. We had to leave quickly to make it to the church on time, and in about three minutes of biking in the rain, I got completely soaked. Completely. It's a good prep for the rainy season I guess.

The Seasons in Thailand:

"Cold" Season: November-February, It doesn't get that much colder honestly.

Hot Season: March-June, Where it is extremely hot and humid. I'm dreading that.

Rainy Season: July-October, where I will probably be soaked all the time.

     We often go and visit a man in our ward who doesn't come to church very often. He speaks a little English and loves to mess with the missionaries, especially the ones that don't know Thai very well. Last week he put his hand on my knee and asked in English "Will you Marry me?" He's a sarcastic guy.

     I have developed a hobby of killing flies. There's a lot of them at the street food restaurant we go to, and I usually grab a newspaper and go on a killing spree. The couple that run the restaurant love it when I get into it. I swear I killed about 50 flies one time. One time I didn't feel like killing any flies, and when I was walking out my comp told me that the wife said, "You didn't kill any flies today!"

     When Elder Cecil and I bike to the church, Elder Cecil grabs the end of a truck and rides it down the street to the church. He tries to convince me to do it but I tell him that I choose life. The other day he learned his lesson. He now has some skid marks and a huge open wound on his hand. He also got some bike damage. He told me he is still going to ride trucks. 

     On Thanksgiving, The Larsons took us Elders to an American restaurant for Burgers and Fries. They are honestly the best. Last night during Sunday dinner they also made us potatoes with gravy, chicken, and brownies. One more Thanksgiving left in Thailand!

     I gave a talk in church last Sunday, all in Thai. Elder Cecil helped me with writing it, but it somehow went well. Luckily Nobody was laughing at my Thai and the members said they understood. 

     Elder Cecil and I met a woman who knew a few church members a few weeks ago. Sadly, her husband died recently and wanted to meet us.  She wanted to know where her husband was now. Elder Cecil taught her the Plan of Salvation. It's great to know where we come from, and where we are going.

     Have a good week.  Christmas season can officially begin!

Elder Brinkerhoff

Fun in Udon

     I have now been in Thailand for a full month, and I have been on my mission for three months now. It's crazy to think about!

     After I sent my last email, the elders in my house and I biked about 30 minutes out of town to a small silk village, and it was super cool. There were about 15 shops lined up, and they sold numerous silk products and other souvenirs to tourists. We also saw some village women and we watched them do their work making silk. Also, there was a group of about 15 teenage school girls eating ice cream, and when us missionaries walked out of a small shop, about a third of them pulled out their phones and took pictures of us. If I had noticed about three seconds earlier I would have made one of my disturbing facial expressions to them right when they took photos. On the bike ride home it rained hard, and it was still sunny. It was really cool, to be biking in the countryside in the rain and in the sunlight. 

     Later that night the Larsons threw a Halloween Party for the missionaries and for YSAs (people around our age). We played a bunch of games, and I barely lost to my companion in a "doughnut on a string eating" contest. 

     They sell ice cream on a bun here in Thailand. I had to try it. It was delicious.

     The other day Elder Cecil visited the Mortician again. He has come back to church and we wanted to see how he was doing. Right before entering, we saw another covered dead body on a stretcher outside his office. No big deal. Then when we walked in, I made the mistake of looking at the work table, where an uncovered dead body was being worked on by the man's coworker.   

     Last Thursday all the missionaries in my town Traveled to Udon for a Mission Tour Conference (9 hour bus ride!!), where the Mission President of Thailand, and a church leader who supervises the Asia area came to talk to us. There was about 60 missionaries that traveled there. I performed my super hard piano piece while the other sister missionary played the violin in front of everyone. Somehow I nailed that piano piece perfectly. I later met so many other cool missionaries, one of which played volleyball for Ohio State, and has been to West Lafayette a bunch of times.

     I learned a lot that conference, and had a good time. We stayed there for a few days, and had loads of fun. Elder Cecil and I had to stay an extra day because Elder Cecil needed to receive extra training, and that night we had about 5 hours of free time. So us and about 20 other missionaries went to a local mall, ate pizza, and explored the mall a bit. I had no idea that they had Sizzlers in Thailand. Also they have Dairy Queen all over Thailand. 

     Udon, is also one of the areas that my mom served in when she served in her mission. And guess what? I got to meet all three of the women my mom helped convert! They showed me pictures of my mom and them, and they all were super excited to meet me. Right before I left the MTC, I told my teacher who is the daughter of one of the women my mom taught, that I would meet her. 

     I took a bunch of pictures with those three. Also one of them showed a photo of my mom and her in front of the church building, and we tried to "recreate" that photo. 

     











     
     
     I forgot to mention, that I get to do something that I have always wanted to do in Thailand today: Ride an elephant!  They don't call Surin "Elephant City" for nothing! 

     Have a great week,

Elder Brinkerhoff​

     Happy Halloween from Thailand!  Nobody celebrates Halloween here.   Except for us. The senior missionaries (they are the best) are throwing a Halloween Party for us and the ward members tonight. 

Highlights from this week:

     One night when we were riding back to our house, we were about to cross a small bridge that was over a small canal, but it was blocked. A man was walking his baby elephant across it.  That's not something you see every day!

   

 After I sent my last email, the four of us missionaries and the Larsons (the senior missionary couple) crammed into their car and drove an hour to some waterfalls. We got lost at one point since the directions were awful, but we found a really sweet glassy lake in the middle of nowhere, and got some sweet pictures. Then after about an hour of searching we found the "waterfalls." They were very small, but it was really cool to see. I also saw a worm about a foot long while walking to the falls.  

     I bought a basketball so that the four of us missionaries could play basketball during exercise time in the morning: which means I could run! When we got there the next morning, we got on the basketball courts, and I saw a massive paved road, where numerous runners/walkers/bikers were enjoying it. And guess what? I can't run on it. Mission rules state that I have to be within sight and sound of my companion. Oh well. I just ran around the three big basketball courts, and it wasn't that bad. I'm just glad I get to run. First time I have run in a month, and I was winded after 30 minutes. 

     The other day, Elder Cecil and I were eating at an outdoor restaurant. The food was amazing as always, but there were flies all around us, and it was getting really annoying. Elder Cecil said he had enough, and killed six flies in the next five minutes. After that it seems like all those flies were either dead or flew away in fear. A few days later at the same restaurant, I finished my dinner early, and I started killing some flies, and ended up killing 14. 

     

Tuk Tuk

Elder Cecil and I took a Tuk Tuk out in the countryside to teach a member, who hasn't been to church in a while. It was really cool to see, and it reminded me a lot of Battleground, Indiana, how it was in the open, and was really quiet. 

     Every morning, I eat two scrambled eggs for breakfast. One day, I was running out of eggs, so my companion and I biked over to the egg stand, and I bought 80 eggs for about six dollars. I'm set for the next month! The scariest part was trying to bike home, with two bags of eggs on each handlebar. Luckily none broke. 

     Since I play piano, I get to play every Sunday in church. Also, in a few weeks for the 50th anniversary cultural celebration, I got assigned to play seven piano pieces for that. My parents would be proud. And guess what? I get to go to Udon on Thursday for a mission tour conference (my mom served there!), so I get to accompany a sister missionary on the piano while she plays violin. It is SUPER hard, and I have three more days to learn it.  Challenge accepted.

Spiritual thought of the week:

     I started not feeling very well one day, and I was achy and fatigued. While we were teaching a recent convert and her friends at a restaurant, it rained outside. A lot. Luckily the rain stopped, and we biked home to get a few things. When we got home, it rained hard again, and I was still feeling sick and fatigued, and feeling a little down. Then my companion mentioned how it was neat how we didn't get soaked while being outside, and how that was a hidden blessing.  I then remembered reading a church book "True to the Faith" and on the subject of gratitude, it says that we should be more grateful in our lives. I was fine the next day, and now I feel great. Then I remembered that I am physically and worthily able to serve a mission, and have so many blessings in my life. Also, my companion had a frustrating day the other day, because he felt like we wasted a day due to teaching very few lessons to people. A few days later at church four people who haven't been to church in a few months showed up. 

     If you ever are feeling down on yourself, have gratitude. I see many people here in Surin living in poor conditions, yet they are grateful. I thank Heavenly Father every day that I am a missionary, and that I am able to serve the people of Thailand, and they continue to help and bless me too. 

     Have a fantastic day, and be grateful!

Elder Brinkerhoff

Just another Dandy week in Surin

.

Dear All,

And I feel like I always have something to write about. 

I haven't talked about the food yet. I thought Thai food in America was good, but I was wrong. The original Thai food here, is 1000 times better than the Thai food in America. We go eat street food, and the most we will spend on the street food is about $1.50. It's ridiculously cheap, and I love it. There are a few restaurants where the owners already know who we are, since missionaries have been coming for years now. There's even one restaurant where the owners have a picture with some missionaries. It looks like it's from the 80s. 

Now, alongside the amazing food here, there were a few things that I did try...

The members around my age offered me crickets, and I tried them. They weren't bad, it tasted like popcorn honestly. Also, I was eating a small bowl of soup and scooped up some meat, and realized that there was a chicken foot in my soup. Yum? We also tried somtam, where it was super spicy, and I was sweating up a storm while eating it. 

My companion and I also went to a restaurant where they give us a bowl of raw meat, set a grill in the middle of the table, and we grill it on our own. That's a great idea to avoid lawsuits, just blame it on the customer that they didn't cook it well enough. Anyways, there was bacon, liver, squid, octopus, fish, and other vegetables and meats in that. I tried liver and octopus, and it was ok. 

Now for a fun food story: 

The other day Elder Cecil and I went to a middle-aged member's house. He hasn't been to church in a few months and we were trying to figure out why. Then at church the next day he came, which was great. During church he kept making eye contact with me and my companion, and smiling at us. Then he later invited us to his house for dinner, he said that he has got a whole chicken for us.

At his house, he handed us a bowl of soup with a big smile on his face. There were big chunks of meat in it, and it wasn't like the chicken that you would see in your Grandma's homemade chicken noodle soup. I couldn't recognize any of the body parts, but I think I ate some chicken feet. I also ate some chicken leg with the bones in tact. It was a little disturbing. Then I scooped up a piece of chicken, and then I just had a flashback of Mr. Knight's Anatomy class in high school, when we were dissecting cats. I recognized, that was a full chicken liver on my spoon. Luckily I didn't eat that. After we could finish what we could, he scooped all the leftover soup, put it in a bag, and gave it to us. Oh what fun. 

Anyways, I am still teaching some of the members around my age piano. Some really want to learn, and it's fun watching them not know any piano to reading and playing some of the music. 

My companion and I had to go back to Bangkok so I had to get my work permit signed. We left at 11:30 PM, took a 6 hour bus ride, spent some time with the other missionaries, waited at the labor building to sign my permit, and literally the whole process took 5 minutes. A 12 hour trip for me to sign something. Afterwards we had about 5 hours to kill in Bangkok before our bus leaves. So, 9 other missionaries and I spent some time in Bangkok, and we all got Carl's Junior afterwards. 

As some of you may heard, the King had passed away, after ruling for a long time. It is a little depressing to see it happen. I watched as some of the ward members found out, some were in tears. Everyone here in Thailand has pictures of him in houses and in front of buildings. He was a great King, and when we were in Bangkok, about 80% of people were wearing black in honor of the king. We can't talk about the King really, so we have codenames for him, such as the Jedi Master or the Big Cheese. Even at church last Sunday most of the members wore black.Us missionaries wore black ties in honor of him too. 

During church last Sunday I got to play piano for the congregation of 50. And last minute I decided to play a piano solo in front of everyone. It was pretty fun, and then I was invited to the stand to bear my testimony of the church. Afterwards people were smiling, so I don't think I made any mistakes in my Thai, so that's good. 

I also had a few bizarre small-world experiences too:

 While biking to a family's house, I rode past a house with three men in the garage. We went back after we visited the family. Why? Because one of the men was wearing a Purdue shirt. When my companion and I pulled up to the house, and I tried to talk to the man in the Purdue shirt but he walked away when we came. Later that day, one of the members around my age walked into the church wearing a Purdue hat. What? I asked him how the heck he got that, he just said one of his friends gave it to him and he has no idea what Purdue is. Apparently Purdue made it's way to Thailand

Also, we went inviting (street contacting) in a market one night. I started talking to a man in Thai, then he said he knew English. The Conversation went like this:

 

"Wow your English is really good! How did you learn that well?"

"I went to college in the United States."

"In Indiana."

"What?!? I'm from Indiana!!"

Anyways he went to college in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Funny how small this world is. He got a business degree in Fort Wayne and came back to Surin. He later gave me his number but he wasn't sure if it was right, since he just came back to Surin. He also said that he has a basketball court in his yard, and he said that us missionaries can come and play. Later on it turns out that he gave us the wrong number. Bummer. 

Oh the small connections.

Anyways, it is great to serve the Lord here in Thailand. I have seen a few miracles happen here, and it is good to know that I am where I need to be at the right time.

Take Care, 

Elder Brinkerhoff​

Mission in a Foreign Land!

                                                   
Sawadii- Greeting s from Thailand!

I still remember walking to the bus stop when I was in the 8th Grade. I would watch as the sun would slowly rise over the mountains, and I would be listening to the song "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay.

Some lyrics that stuck out to me was:

"Be my mirror, my sword, my shield,

Missionaries in a foreign field."

And now, it looks like I'm the missionary in a foreign field. 

I'm going to rewind back a few weeks first, to my last week at the MTC.

On our last weekend at the MTC, we had the opportunity to watch General Conference. It was very helpful, and really provided help and support right before I left. That Sunday night, all the Thai missionaries finished packing, and said our last goodbyes to everyone. It felt like the last day of high school or something, I really made so many new friends here. I think I got over 40 emails from all the missionaries. I also gave minion toys to a missionary per country. This should be fun. 

That night I talked to some of the missionaries in our group who decided to stay up all night, since we had to get up at 2:30 AM and head out. I got one hour of sleep, got up, and headed out. 

We flew to Chicago, then to Hong Kong, and then to Thailand. We didn't get to the mission home until Wednesday night. So think about that: We left on Monday at 3 in the morning, and didn't get there until Wednesday night. Lots of Flying. Many of the missionaries in our group got to tell many people about the gospel, and it was very cool to see. 

Thailand Time

On our first full day in Thailand, we received training from our Mission Presidents, in Bangkok. Later that night we all had dinner in a restaurant. We had the real deal Thai food, and man it was spicy. 

On our second day, we received our new trainers and then headed out to where we were assigned. And man do you get nervous on that moment!!! All 15 of us missionaries were on one side of the room, while the 15 trainer missionaries were on the other side. I noticed 3 other missionaries on the other side of the room, who were from Thailand, and spoke a little bit English. 

Then the time came where we were assigned who we will be with, and where we will be going, for the next 12 weeks. They called my name up, and I got assigned to Elder Cecil, who is from upstate New York. Then they assigned me to go to the town of Surin. I had no idea where Surin is. We then took a 6 hour bus ride to Surin, and we didn't get there until 10 at Night. 

Here are the video recaps of our time in Bangkok: 

https://www.facebook.com/mormonthai/videos/1266335676732045/

https://www.facebook.com/mormonthai/videos/1266725063359773/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Webelieve999/permalink/1634111399948247/

Surin- The town I am assigned to work in

Surin, surprisingly reminds me of West Lafayette. There's a downtown, and there are also people who live out in the country, who have to drive into town. There's also much open country outside of Surin. 

My first day was insane but fun. It was a little stressful at first, but it got better. 

I live with 3 other missionaries in our house. One is from Southern Utah who can do handstand pushups, another Missionary is from Hawaii, and also my companion. They are a fun group. There's a senior couple also serving in the town, and that is all the missionaries in the town. 

I got my bike, and I get to ride around town too, and that was a little crazy at first, but it's now fun to ride around town. 

While walking to teach a woman at at small cafe, my companion handed a middle aged man an invitation card. He looked at us and said in English: "You are very handsome! Where are you from?" My companion then said: "My mom." Then the man said: "You are very handsome! Do you like Thai women?" We declined and headed to teach the woman. 

The church, is a very small rented building. It is branch, which has about 50 people in it. There are 8 YSA people there (people around my age) and they are really fun to be around. They know a lot of English, and they are helping me out with my Thai. They taught us a few fun dances, and after a few days I then found out that I am performing this in a month, in front of a bunch of people, for the 50th anniversary of Thailand having LDS missionaries. Also, some women outside of town found out that I play piano, and they drove over an hour to the church building, so I could practice with them. Looks like I'm playing the piano in that celebration too. Should be fun.

Every time a Thai person looks at my nametag, they cringe. It's too long for them, and my companion tells them to just call me Elder Brink. 

The other day we drove out of town with the senior couple to see a church member, who is a cook at a small market. When we got out of the car, and went to talk to her. I noticed many Thai people stopping what they were doing just to stare at us. While we were talking I looked around and about 30 people were watching us. I guess not that many white people come by often there. 

It's really fun here.

The adventure continues,

Elder Brinkerhoff​

The Traveling Storyteller's Last Week at the MTC

   

     Yep, it's my last week at the MTC. Also, keep an eye out on Facebook, because the people of Thailand make a video of all the missionaries that arrive in Thailand, and I will be in it. Watch it when it is posted and share it with all your friends!

     There are 55 languages being taught here at the MTC. That is ridiculous. In our floor of classrooms alone, there are Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Mongolian, Thai, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Cambodian languages being taught. 

     We got our Native Thai missionary tags. They are sweet. When one of our teachers held up one of our native name tags, we got really excited, like the same kind of excited as

when someone gets surprised with a brand new car. We also got our flight plans, and I have been appointed as the travel leader, for all the missionaries going to Thailand. I also got a photo of Elder Kekaouha reading his travel plans, and doing his "sad face." That facial expression's golden.   

     Gym time is pretty fun. I decided to do a hard running workout, I ran a 5k and then ran 2 miles as fast as I could afterwards. I ran 19:00 for my 5k, rested for a few minutes, then ran 11:38 for 2 miles, which is about 5:49 mile pace. Not bad at all. 

     I got a picture with my cousin, Ethan Barrus, who is just one floor below me in our classroom building. 

     Although we are not allowed to give nicknames, an Elder from the younger Thai district gave me the nickname "The Traveling storyteller." I asked him why he called me that, and he said that since I like to travel (including running), and like to tell stories, that it fit me. It really does fit me. I love it. 

     We had our MTC World Cup Soccer Final last Wednesday. All of us Thai Elders, wore matching Thailand shirts, while the Vietnam Elders wore red. Both teams brought their flags and fastened it to our goals. Elder Bunker, a Thailand missionary, was feeling sick so he stayed in his missionary attire and pretended to be our coach. Before the game he gave us a "motivational" speech and then we got in a huddle, and chanted "VANQUISH THE VIETS!!" as loud as possible. Then on the other side of the field we hear "TICKLE THE THAIS!!" and the game began. Let's just say that we got tickled badly, losing 4-0. Oh well. We still had a fun time though, and got a photo afterwards.

     It's starting to get a little chilly here, and half of the missionaries are starting to wear sweaters and winter jackets. It rained a lot the past few days, and we even got snow in the mountains!  One night when we were returning to our residences, it was raining hard. Everyone sprinted to their  residences, and we all got soaked. Then when I changed into regular clothes, I got a few of the missionaries going to Mongolia to go on a little run with me around the MTC. I was soaked afterwards, but the inner child came out of me. I had a lot of fun. It hasn't rained like this the entire time I've been here. Then I convinced Elder Wilcox and

Elder Holland, two missionaries in my district, do go on another "run" with me around the MTC. It was so wet and rainy outside that Elder Wilcox was literally skating across the grass. Made some good MTC memories that night.

     One of our teachers had something to tell our district. He started by saying, "I don't want you to hear rumors, and I don't want you to hear this from someone else." All of us thought we were in trouble or something. Then he continued to say, "I got engaged last Saturday." Let's just say we went a little nuts after he told us. Yesterday we had to write teacher evaluations, and that our teachers would read them. Many of us asked him to send us some wedding invitations, and others said that they can't wait to see little Omers (Omer is his last name) running around when we get back from our missions. 

     The other day I was talking to a few Cambodian missionaries, and I found out that one of them is an absolute genius. He is 18 and already has his bachelor's degree, and also has taken the MCAT. Turns out he started college in the 8th grade, and he recently got his MCAT score: 523 out of 528 or something like that. Insane. He's thinking about going into a PhD/MD program after his mission. 

     After running a few miles, I decided to play some basketball at gym time. When I got on the court, I had to guard an Elder who was about 6'3 and was about 250 pounds. He was a big guy and played really well. He was a little aggressive on the court too. Somehow, I kept scoring on him, and played good defense on him. At one point my companion was guarding me, and I somehow scored on him as well. That was probably the best I have ever played basketball in years. It was fun, and I heard the one big Elder got a little upset after the game, because I was able to score on him. 

     Elder Brown write something on the board in Thai, and

when you read and sound it out loud it says "Got em!!" He asked a bunch of our teachers to read it, and it was a good laugh. One of our teachers literally read it for 2 minutes, trying to figure out what it meant. 

     Well, that's a wrap at the MTC.   My next email, I will be in Thailand. I had a great experience here at the MTC, and although I had loads of fun and made so many new friends, I did grow a lot. Two months go by fast, and it feels like I have been here for an eternity. I have relied more on Heavenly Father and for his help more than ever. I have had some very rough days here, with the language, and other things as well. But, with help through prayer and staying righteous, I was able to overcome these personal challenges.

     Missions aren't easy. Some people think it' s just a walk in the park, but it isn't. Thailand will be very fun, but there will be some tough times ahead. I will probably not understand much of what the Thai people will say when I get there, but through work I can overcome it. I will probably endure many other challenges as well, but I know it will be a good experience for me, and that I can grow a lot from it.

     Thanks to all who are reading these emails, and I appreciate those who send me an email every once in a while. I love you all. 

     Thailand awaits...