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...  

Minions around the World

          

     Another week down at the MTC.   Language is coming along alright, it is still tough but coming slowly.  I think we are starting to go a little crazy since we have been here for six weeks and have about three weeks to go. 

     My cousin, Ethan Barrus, arrived at the MTC. He is one floor below me in the classroom building. He's headed to the Philippines. Fun to have some family here! 

     Our teacher accidentally said, "Legalization of Marinara" instead of Marijuana. That got us laughing good. Later on he showed us a video called, "Thailand stop drinking ads." Thai people try to tell the people that drinking is not a good idea through hilarious commercials. Look them up. 

     We had part of our class outside. I watched as the sunset reflected on the mountains, and turned the mountains an orange color. It makes me appreciate being outside more, and I am definitely spending a lot more time outside when I go to college. 

     We got to host some senior missionary couples yesterday. If anyone didn't know, you can serve a mission with your spouse, later in the future. It was really fun and they were very kind. I got to take their luggage, escort them to their rooms, and then take them to their orientation. I was surprised to see so many connections I had with them. One couple is from Tropic, Utah, where my Aunt and Uncle live. Another couple lived in Lafayette, Indiana for a few years. The husband of one couple sang in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was fun to tell them that an apostle is speaking in a devotional the next day, and it was fun to see them get excited over that. 

     We had two apostles speak in the last week, and another one is speaking tonight: D. Todd Christofferson, and M. Russell Ballard.  Dallin H. Oaks is speaking tonight. Something like this never happens, since there are 12 apostles, I heard usually one of them comes once every few months.  

     Last night we got to Skype people in Thailand. My companion and I gave a 30-minute lesson in Thai. It went alright, and I ran out of material to say, so just said, "What do you like in Thailand?" That didn't turn out too well. Well, it sure was better than what the other elders in my district said. One Elder accidentally said to a Thai mom: "How often do you have children?" That Thai mom started laughing. A lot. So did we. 

     I got to play piano for the Malaysia and Indonesia elders during church last Sunday. They sang the hymn "God Be with You til We Meet Again" in their languages. It was beautiful, and now that everyone knows that I play piano I get to play piano for some other missionaries this Sunday while they sing. 

     The elders going to Malaysia and Indonesia left yesterday. I will miss them and they were so fun to be around. There's a video of Elder Williams and I when I tricked him into thinking we were taking a photo. Going to miss the happiest guy ever. I'm going to describe a few elders:

Elder Williams: The Smallest Samoan I have met, but he is probably the happiest I have ever met. He laughs a lot and always has a good time. I got a video with him. 

Elder Christiansen: from Southern Utah reminds me of my family in Southern Utah. When I hugged him goodbye he said, "I haven't met someone here who loves Southern Utah as much as you do." 

Elder Ostermiller: One of the best football/baseball players in Idaho, got full ride scholarship offers to play for UNC and a bunch of other D1 colleges, but he had to decline, since he told the coaches that he was going to serve a mission. He can throw 90 MPH too, and he can make both of his eyes look in different directions. 

Elder Smith: One of the most entertaining people I have ever met. He always says things that make me laugh all the time.  

     Our zone (numerous groups of districts) covers numerous countries in Southeast Asia. Countries include: Thailand/Laos/Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. I wanted to think of some cool way to keep all of us united after we leave for the countries. Then an idea came to mind. I went to my suitcase and pulled out a bag of small minion (from despicable me)  toys. I was planning on placing them in a vent or something but this idea

was better. I gave one minion toy to a Malaysian Elder, and an Elder going to Indonesia. I told them to take pictures with this minion in your country, and I will give one minion to one missionary per country in our zone. Then we all could send the pictures to each other in a big group message. This will be fun.

     While doing a temple walk last Sunday, we found a sister missionary from Thailand. She took a picture with all of the us Missionaries going to Thailand. It was really cool. One is missing in the photo, he was off doing his own thing. 

Spiritual highlights

     As always, there are always spiritual things going on at the MTC. There was a lot of things that happened, but I couldn't think of anything that stuck out. 

     We watched a video called "Our true identity" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, and had a lesson about it. Watch that video if you have time, it's really inspiring. Our teachers told us that we all have strengths and weaknesses, and that we shouldn't feel like an ugly duckling if we stand out from our group. 

     Our teacher placed a chair in front of the classroom, and called it the "Chair of love." He then said that one of us will sit in the chair while everyone in the class goes around and gives compliments. It really increased the confidence of all of us, and it made us feel more united as a district.   Go and give compliments to as many people as possible, you never know how much it can mean to them. 

     With Love,

     Elder Brinkerhoff

My junk food drawer - a great way to make friends!

Halfway There

     

     Check this out:   Getting our Calls and at the MTC

          The weather is so nice right now.  The trees on the mountains are slowly changing colors. It is really beautiful to see. I forgot how dry Utah can be, it hasn't rained since I got here, and when it finally did, it rained for like 10 minutes.  I would love to go run up Provo Canyon. Instead I get to spend most of my day in a classroom, and get to run on an indoor track. Bummer.  

     Thai is coming along, I can read it ok, and when I read it I sound like a preschooler trying to learn how to read. I'm getting better at teaching lessons, and now I can cram a 20-minute lesson on a small piece of paper on my small planner.   We are singing out of the Thai hymnbooks, but none of us can read Thai that fast. We all sound like a bunch of dying animals.  During class we practiced asking, "How many siblings do you have?" One elder in my district accidentally said, "How many siblings eat people?" My teacher and all of us had a good laugh.

     During a devotional, the speaker was Chad Lewis, who played in the NFL and helped take the Eagles to the Super Bowl. He broke his foot right before the super bowl which was a bummer. Elder Wilcox, another elder in my district, played football for his high school. After the meeting him and I went up to Chad Lewis to try and talk to him, along with the other 50 people trying to do the same thing. He talked to me for about 5 seconds and shook my hand as he was walking out the door. Pretty neat. 

     Yesterday we switched companions with the Elders in the other Thai district. I got Elder Bunker who actually lived in Thailand for 13 years. He went to college for two years in Arizona and plays Rugby. He is going to try out for BYU rugby when he gets back. He's very cool and we had a good time working together. I got a picture with him afterwards.  While we were switching companions, we were sitting in the class studying when an Elder from the other district threw one of his flashcards. And guess where that landed? It SOMEHOW landed right between the ceiling and the wall!!!!! There's a picture. I don't know how the heck that could ever happen. 

     The Malaysian Elders are leaving next week, and I'm going to miss them a lot. There's a picture enclosed (with a photobomb). The one on the left is Elder Christiansen, who lives in Hurricane, Utah (Southern Utah). He is really fun and he reminds me of my family on my dad's side. On the right is Elder Williams, who is the smallest Samoan ever, but he is the happiest person I have ever met. He hugs me about 20 times a day. Love him to death. 

     I just realized that I haven't really said much about the elders in my district.  Here they are:

     Elder Turley is my companion who is from the Salt Lake City area and played tennis and volleyball in high school. He always has a smile on his face and works very hard. 

     Elder Fjelstead (pronounced: Felsted) is from Minnesota, and is the oldest and smallest in our district. He went to BYU for a year, and made a lot of friends there. He said he once threw a party and 300 people showed up. He was born in Japan, and taught English in Thailand for a summer. He's also traveled all over Asia too. He took a few years of Chinese in high school/college. 

     Elder Wilcox is from north Salt Lake, and is the biggest Elder in our district. He is 6'3, played football, and is very laid back. He is a big Ute Fan, and is going to the U after his mission. He also took a few years of Chinese in high school. Elders Wilcox and Fjelsted have a lot in common. They both took Chinese, have the same first name,and  have blonde hair. Everyone in our district calls them "king size and fun size." 

     Elder Kekaouha is from Los Angeles, and is by far the funniest elder in our district. He is also very smart, he finished 11th in his class of 600 in his high school. He also speaks Spanish and some Japanese. He and I talk in Spanish sometimes. He already knew how to read Thai beforehand, since there was a Thai temple near him. He went to the same high school as Ice Cube, the rapper. He is going to BYU afterwards with half of his tuition already paid in scholarships. When he laughs, it gets everyone laughing. He rolls on the floor and stomps his feet. 

     Elder Brown is from California, he is very passionate about two things: volleyball and politics. He wants to run for the US senate and live in Washington DC one day. He is going to BYU afterwards, and he aced his AP Government and AP Econ tests. He also has a photographic memory. 

     Elder Holland is not the Elder Holland you think. From Oregon, he was a little quiet at first. He is very humble and smart. When he started playing basketball at gym time, he was way better than we all expected. Turns out he played basketball for Southern Virginia University before coming. 

     Elder Decker is from Vegas, and one of the funniest in our district. He can get Elder Kekaoha laughing like crazy. He can do some hilarious impersonations that get us all laughing. 

Spiritual Highlights of the week: 

     One of our teachers showed us a video on missionary work in Thailand. It's on Facebook, and somewhere on that page that I shared earlier. It has a choir singing a song while it shows missionaries doing spiritual work. Even our teacher who is from Thailand is in that video. It really opened my eyes to see what it will be like there.

     Last Sunday, we watched a movie on Joseph Smith and his life. It was a really inspiring movie - how he worked his whole life to translate the Book of Mormon, and for the LDS church to come forth. The last quote in the movie goes:  Shall we not go on in such great a cause?  It really stuck to me and explains what missionary work is all about. 

     Take care and have a great day!

     Elder Brinkerhoff

Elder Brinkerhoff, is that you?

     The language is coming along, but it's getting a little tougher. We are learning how to read in Thai, which is really tricky. There are about 44 consonants and 36 vowels, so it can be a pain. Yesterday, my companion and I spent about 10 minutes trying to translate one verse in the Book of Mormon. It makes it even trickier since Thai has no spaces in between, sowehavetotranslatelikethis. Fun isn't it? It's coming along though, getting the hang of it. 

     While teaching a lesson on day this week, I asked the person we were teaching in Thai, "What does prayer mean to you?" He looked at me really confused, and asked if I could say it again. I said it again, and still he looked really confused. Then he raised up two fists, still confused and asked me a question in Thai. I didn't know how to answer, so I just said, "Yes." Later on, the man we told me that I used the word "mean" as in "being mean." Oops. 

     A few of us took a "squad pic" in front of some construction equipment. Us Thai, Malaysian, and Vietnamese Elders are a tight group. I'm in the back.

     We celebrated my companion Elder Turley's birthday last week.  His family sent us a ton of cake and other junk food and toys. Got a picture with him, and had a fun "birthday party" that night. 

      I FINALLY met the other Elder Brinkerhoff. I was standing in line at lunch, and I was looking around for people who have the same last name as me. And sure enough, out of the 2500+ Missionaries at the MTC, I found him in the lunch line. He is from central Utah and is serving in South Carolina. We took pictures together afterwards. Then a plot twist happened: I found out there was another Brinkerhoff. I talked to some people, and I found him. He is from northern Utah and serving in Ghana. Didn't get a pic with him yet. I'm trying to get all 3 of us together for a picture.

     Our teachers are super fun. We had a Korean teacher come into class and observe, and when my teacher left the room for a minute, she told us that our teacher's wife trained her while she was on her mission. When the lesson ended and before we said the closing prayer my teacher said, "Did you know that my wife..." Then my companion interrupted saying, "...trained her while she's on her mission? (while pointing to the Korean teacher)" The look on my teacher's face: priceless. He was so shocked that we knew that, since he hadn't told us yet. We didn't tell him how we knew until the Korean teacher admitted she told us. 

     Another one of our teachers told us that most Thai people know that nearly all Americans don't know any Thai when they visit Thailand, so Thai people would talk about them while the missionaries walked by. My teacher said he loved freaking people out when he starts talking to them in Thai. Later on that day that same teacher started praying, and he prays REALLY fast. In the middle of the prayer one of us started laughing, and in the end everyone laughed, since he was going so fast.

     A week after the Phi Thais left for Thailand, many of us found out one of the Elders got a Dear John letter, right before he left for Thailand. For those who don't know, a Dear John letter is a breakup letter, usually from a girlfriend while a guy is on his mission. Turns out the jilted elder was upset for the rest of the day and he cried during the night. That was depressing. It's a good thing I didn't have a significant other before my mission.

     Elder Decker, one of the Elders in my room, bought a white board, and writes a "quote of the day" every morning. They are all jokes and sayings that we have all said, and they make me laugh every time. Pictures are below. 

     I walked into a building to do some teaching with my companion, and across the hallway was Seth Barrus, my cousin. He volunteered to help at the MTC that morning, and it was super fun to see him again. 

     On the 25th of August, we went to clean the bathrooms in a different residence building. (I cleaned the toilets, what fun!) While walking in the hallways, I noticed in the corner, a Christmas tree with at least 20 presents underneath the tree. I also looked on the couch nearby and saw Christmas cookies and a stuffed elf reading the Book of Mormon. Then I remembered it was the 25th. Definitely doing that next month with my district. The other Thai district has a small Christmas tree too. I love how ridiculously creative people can get here at the MTC to combat boredom and have fun. 

     While walking to class, the Elders in my district and I started singing Let it Go. Some of us started dancing, and then we walked past a construction site going on the MTC campus. Still singing, we walked past a construction worker, who was probably in his 50s (and probably hadn't shaved in 6 months), who started dancing with us. Disney music never dies here at the MTC. Neither does Coldplay. 

     There's so many cool people here. I met missionaries from Paris, Rio, Samoa, Canada, Costa Rica, Thailand, Jamaica, and Sri Lanka, just to name a few. Our Thai district tries our best to talk to the Thailand natives in Thai. I talked to one sister missionary who was about 4'10, was from Rio, and was a little sassy. And boy, she loved to talk! I thought of all my Brazilian friends in Indiana and Missouri. She was a little upset that she couldn't play soccer with the elders.  She told me that she could play with the elders since she was a good player and didn't have any competition among the sisters.

     Yesterday, our district switched up companions for the day with the other Thai district. I got Elder Latimer from Utah, and he was a lot funnier than I thought he would be. He refuses to give or receive hugs and all of us try and get a picture of us hugging him. He also likes to rap, in a Mickey Mouse voice. He was fun to be with for the day. While we switched companions, I was in the other Thai classroom. I soon learned one elder in that classroom hates the song "Whistle Stop," the song played in the Disney cartoon Robin Hood, because it gets stuck in his head easily. Like the good elders we were, we tormented him by whistling that song for the rest of the day when we were around him. 

Spiritual Highlight of the week 

     Last Sunday, an Elder taught us why the Book of Mormon was important to him. His name was Elder Williams.  He is Samoan and from New Zealand. He is serving in Malaysia. He is one of the happiest people I have ever met, and he taught one of the best lessons I have ever heard. 

     Elder Williams told of how his dad dropped out of school because his parents divorced, and had to work to support his mom and siblings. He was living a very hard life, until one day while working in the fields, some missionaries came up to him and talked to him. They gave him the Book of Mormon and soon after, he became a member of the church, and his life got a lot better afterwards. He soon served a mission and has a great family. Elder Williams said that if the missionaries hadn't given his dad the Book of Mormon, he wouldn't have been serving a mission. 

     That's one good reason why I chose to serve a mission - to change lives for the better. 

     Have a great week,

     Five weeks until Thailand!

     Elder Brinkerhoff