Surviving the Plague

     It seems like the entertainment never stops at the MTC. I don't think I can go a few hours without laughing. 

     The "plague" going on at the MTC right now is the common cold. In the last three weeks everyone in my district got sick. Except for me. I guess it's lots of hand sanitizer and washing hands. 

     Last week I was in the computer lab and started talking to some elders who were heading to the Philippines. One elder was from Missouri and went to Mizzou before he started his mission, and his companion is from Cedar City (where a lot of my relatives are from). Oh, the connections at the MTC! Some elders are telling me that there are some Brinkerhoffs here. I'm on the hunt to find them. 

     The other day I walked into the Malaysian Elder's room, since I was smelling something cooking. I noticed a toaster on the desk along with two loaves of bread and a jar of Nutella. I asked one of my Malaysian elder friends how the heck he got a toaster and all that bread! He told me that his mom sent it. 

     I met a missionary who is 7 feet tall. That Elder was a giant, and he said that he plays basketball sometimes. I would hate to guard that guy. 

     My district and I were walking back to our room after gym, and I told them that I ran 7 miles. One of them said, "If I ran 7 miles, make sure you stab me in the foot because something is wrong with me." They also updated the record board, the new mile record is 4:24. I don't think think I'm going to top that. 

     We have started "story time" before bed at our living residences. On Saturday night, 15+ guys came to our room, and some guys told stories of their worst dates/relationships, and one elder told a story of a missionary's worst date. It was by far the worst date I have ever heard of, and nothing could top that. We all laughed so hard during story time. 

     We said goodbye to the Older Thai missionaries (Phi Thais) the other day; they should be in Thailand soon. 27 of them left. They gave us a ton of food and other fun things, like water guns. Speaking of Phi Thais, I opened the door to my residence the other night, and found a Phi Thai wearing a cardboard box with the holes cut out for his arms, and a box covering his head, and eyeholes cut out so he could see. There were two buttons on his cardboard box: A Thai-ser-cize button and a "loud weird noise button." We pressed them and he gave us a show. But if we pressed both of the buttons it got even better. Then I told him that he should chase me around the floor and I would yell "THEY'RE COMING!" So I started jogging away from him, then I turned my head only to see him running FULL SPEED after me. I ran like crazy yelling, "They're coming!" We also got sharpies and decorated his "costume." We wrote "Made in China," crossed out the word China, and wrote "Thailand" underneath. 

   

Nashville Tribute Band

 Last Sunday an LDS band called the "Nashville Tribute Band" came and performed with us. I was among 1700 missionaries that sang with them, and it was a new MTC record for the most missionaries in the choir. 

Now for the spiritual highlight of the week:

     Last Saturday our district was able to teach people who were returned missionaries from Thailand. The goal was to give them a simple message, all in Thai. We had to give the same lesson to two different people. Our first lesson, didn't go so well. I hardly said anything and my companion and I didn't coordinate too well. After that lesson, we hurried and fixed everything that went wrong, hopeful that our second lesson would be better.

     We walked into another room. The man we were teaching was an older man, probably in his late 50s or early 60s. I didn't understand much of what he was saying, but then I understood that he served in Udon (where my mom served). My comp and I were trying to tell him that my mom served there, but we couldn't think of the words. My companion again did most of the talking.  Then the brother said some things for a few minutes that my companion and I didn't understand. The only word I picked up was the word "prayer." The lesson went ok, and all three of us walked out of the room after the lesson was over.  

     When we walked out, the hallway was empty. Everyone in our district left, and there were just us three. He said goodbye and started to walk away. "Do you know Sister Barrus?" I asked him in Thai. He turned around, and said, "I don't know her." In Thai. Then we talked in English for a minute and turns out he didn't know her. Then he said, "I served my mission with my wife a year ago in Udon, and I cried when I left. And so will you at the end of your mission.

Do you know what I was trying to tell you in that room?" Both of us said no. This is what I could recall in his words:

     After he asked that question, he paused for a moment. I looked at him and noticed tears forming in his eyes. "What I was trying to tell you was (he paused for a moment again): "that Thailand missionaries are special, and that Thailand is a special place. My wife and I, and missionaries who have served in Thailand, and the people in Thailand are praying for you. We love you, and Thailand needs you, and missions will change your life forever. Thailand won't leave you. I was in the same situation as you 43 years ago when I served my mission in Thailand, trying to do well in the language. Keep going and it will come." 

     I was fighting back tears when he said this. His speech felt like an eternity, even though it lasted just a few minutes​​​​​​​​. It was one of the most inspirational things anyone has ever said to me. He then shook our hands (I wanted to hug that man after what he said), and walked down the empty hall. I was still fighting back tears some time after he left. His speech was on my mind for the rest of the day. 

     Hope you all are doing well,

Elder Brinkerhoff

P.S. Don't forget if you have a minute, I would love to hear from you. You can email me, snail mail (post office), or go to a free website (dearelder.com) and they print it off and stick the letter under my door every night.  See my addresses below my picture. This is only until Oct. 3. When it sayd "select a mission" - "put Provo MTC-Free"  because that is where I am for the next two months. Thanks!

Making Loud Animal Noises While Running on the Track

     

     Just another week at the MTC, and still, I have a lot to talk about!
     
     If you are ever curious on what goes on in the MTC, there's a Youtube Video online called "An Army of Faith: inside the MTC." Watch it if you have 40 minutes to burn. 

An Army of Faith: inside the MTC

     Our district of 7 Elders and I keep having fun here at the MTC. Last week one Elder drew Phineas (from Phineas and Ferb) on the Board.  

     The language is coming along, we still can't understand what our teachers are saying, it's alright. Still studying a lot.  I keep running into friends that I went to middle school with, and it's fun to see them after not seeing them for 4 years.

     I went to the Provo Temple, and ran into Paul Reese, an old neighbor of mine. It was super great to see him again. When I went to the temple I thought of Grandma Barrus the whole time, that was the temple she attended regularly. 

     I said one last goodbye to Matthew Baldwin as he headed out to Poland. He's a great missionary, and I'm really going to miss him. 

     During choir on Sunday, we sang a song that had the lyrics, " I was born in __." One of the lyrics was: "I was born in Indiana," and the choir director said, "Raise your hand if you were born in Indiana!!" I raised my hand and saw only 3 other hands go up, in a crowd of 1600. The majority of the people were born in Salt Lake Valley or California. Great to show some Indiana Pride. 

Other Fun highlights: 

     I ran seven miles today in 48:25 (About 6:55 mile pace). So I guess this means I'm in good shape. While running, I had to run past two sister missionaries, and I had to tell them to look out. So then I decided to make a different animal noise as a signal that I am about to run by. They loved it, as I made wolf, eagle, and whale noises right before I ran past them. One of them said, "This is why I love running!"  Made my day. 

     The other day I kept slipping plastic spoons in some elder's pockets in my district. I did it twice to one elder in 20 minutes, and he still doesn't know who did it. 

     The elders in the Indonesia district are having a competition: Whoever gains the most weight in the MTC has to drink five glasses of orange juice before the flight to Indonesia. (There are rumors that the OJ here at the MTC has a laxative effect...)

     During lunch last week, one elder in my district was talking to two sister missionaries. He told them that since we are here for nine weeks, we try to keep ourselves entertained. The exact moment after he said that, both sister missionaries looked down the table, only to see my companion dipping his ice cream bar in chocolate milk, and feeding it to another elder in my district. 

Spiritual Highlights:

     After having a tough lesson (speaking only Thai), my companion and I walked out of the room, put on our shoes, (it's a Thai courtesy to slip off your shoes before you go into a house) and both of us found quarters in our shoes. It was just like the Gordon B. Hinckley story on the Silver Dollar in a farmer's shoes. (If you haven't heard that story, it will make your day. Look it up.  It really made my day, and we paid it forward by placing the money in someone else's shoes afterwards.

     We also watched "17 Miracles" last Sunday, and we had no idea that the main character served a mission in Thailand (Siam back then). That movie can make a grown man cry, even I was in tears throughout that movie. Watch it of you haven't seen it. 

By Far the highlight of the week was this:

   

Sister Khaomuangnoi

 Both Districts met together in a large classroom the other day. All 16 of us guys filed in, and my companion and I sat in the front. There was a new teacher, Sis. Khaomuangnoi, that was from Thailand, and she taught the other district. Before class started, she walked up to me, and asked, "Did your mom serve in Thailand?" That stopped me in my tracks. Out of the 16 guys in my district, she somehow guessed right. I told her yes, and her eyes started to water. "Your mom taught my mom the gospel." I was stunned. She pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of her mom,

Mom (far left), Sis. Sister Sathaporn (fourth from left)

 Sis. Sathaporn, and my mom. "My mom also met my dad at church, and they got married in the Temple." My eyes started to water too, as she shed a few tears. Sis. Khaomuangnoi's mom emailed her about me, and she told her to find me. That was amazing, and very spiritual. 

     Thanks mom and dad for serving missions, and changing people's lives for the better. And thanks to everyone else who served missions, and everyone else who helped teach me throughout my life. 

     Good luck to everyone who is starting school. (At least you don't have to sit in the exact same classroom for about 6+ hours a day!)

Miss you all!

Much love from the 801,

Elder Brinkerhoff

First Week at the MTC

     And so the journey at the MTC begins.

     Before the MTC, I got to see my family in Northern and Southern Utah, and I got to run in my old neighborhood in Orem. I ran late at night, and had a blast doing that. I call that run "memory lane" since I ran from my old church, to my elementary school, to my junior high, then to my high school, and down to my old neighborhood.

     Soo it's almost been a week at the Missionary training center here in Provo Utah, and it was not as what I expected.

     The first few days were a bit overwhelming, but it has been pretty fun. Over 800 missionaries came into the MTC the day I left. Our teacher taught us how to pray in Thai on the second day, and we already have been trying to teach lessons to "investigators" in Thai. One elder in my district accidentally said that he has 10 kids. We got down to business learning Thai, and it's tricky. I'm just trying to memorize as many vocab words as possible; we have a goal of memorizing 300 Thai words by next Monday. I will be here for 9-10 weeks, and leave for Thailand on October 5th.

     I have been meeting a lot of people here. We always ask each other, "Where are you going?" and "Where are you from?" One Elder is a Heaton and is from St. George (going to Cambodia), so I might be related to him somehow someway. I've also met a bunch of friends I haven't seen in years when I lived in Utah, I saw Elder Curtis Parker (going to Russia), and one of my best friends in middle school, Elder Austin Thornton (going to Russia too). I have also seen Elder Matthew Baldwin here too, and we run into each other about every other day. I also met a few Thailand missionaries who are going to SUU. I also talked to Elder Brown who is going to Thailand in 3 weeks. His grandma and my grandma live on the same street in Cedar City, Utah. 

     My companion is a lot of fun. Elder Turley is from Cottonwood heights, Utah. He played tennis and volleyball in high school, and he is a lot of fun. He's always so positive and has a good sense of humor. 

     There are 8 people that are in my District (Thai group). There are 2 districts that came in, and 2 other Thailand districts have been here for 6 weeks already. There are 13 people per district in the "veteran" districts. So there's about 40+ people who are training to go to Thailand. 

     Our district is a lot of fun. One Elder in my group makes us laugh like crazy, and when he laughs hard, he stomps his legs up and down and it makes us laugh even more. If he laughs harder he rolls on the floor. He's talking out loud when he is emailing, and he's saying that he is suffering Pokemon withdrawals, and making us laugh. I will tell about my district next week. We have given each other nicknames, and we try to figure out what movie or TV character we look like. My nickname is "Char Char Brinks" while others are like "little baby elephant" and "Ballin Holland" 

     We also have lots of inside jokes in our District, like Dips like Ranch, What's good?, and Savage in Thai.

     We get an hour of gym time per day. On our first gym day, I was running around the small track, and started talking to another runner. Turns out he is running for SUU too, so I've got a teammate already! He's serving in Chicago. There's also MTC records too, and the mile record is 4:39. It's tempting to try and train hard for a few weeks, and see if I can break the record. Yesterday a girl broke the women's MTC mile record by a full minute, running a 5:13 mile. She runs for Utah. 

     Sunday was by far one of the best Sundays I have experienced. We had church and numerous church meetings, and they all were great. My comp and I were deciding if we should join the choir, and we decided to go. If I didn't go I wouldn't have run into Elder Thornton, one of my best friends in junior high. We sat next to each other and talked for a while. There were 1600 people in the choir, and that was amazing. Then the devotional started, and Elder Holland's son spoke on the life of Joseph Smith, and in the end 1600 people and I sang the Hymn "Praise to the Man." That was very powerful and spiritual, which I loved. We also got to do a "temple walk" where we get to walk around the Provo Temple. 

     Some of the funniest things happen at the last hour of the

day. There are pull-up bars in our floor, and we take turns doing pull-ups. One night someone brought doughnuts, and I held a doughnut above the bar and one elder who's going to Indonesia took a bite of the doughnut after each pull-up. And almost every night we practice the "Samoan Haka" with one of our Samoan friends. Last night we were up to about 20 guys doing it together. On our first night at the MTC I was praying while my companion turned off the lights. The 3 other guys in the room started laughing and I looked up, and the ENTIRE CEILING is covered in glow in the dark stars. 

     Also, if anyone wishes to send me a letter online, there's a website called Dearelder.com where anyone can send me a letter and it will be sent to me in a letter the same day. I would love to receive letters from anyone! But you can still send me emails too if you like. 

How to do it:

go to dearelder.com

Select "write a letter"

Select "Provo MTC"

Elder Charles Brinkerhoff

Thailand Bangkok Mission

Leaving October 5th

That's about it! 

Much love from the 801 (as said from our funniest elder),

Elder Brinkerhoff