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.
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
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