Departing Temple Trip {February 20, 2015}

Dear Brother and Sister Gale,

Attached is a picture of your missionary from our departing missionary temple trip. We have truly enjoyed serving with her.  Her testimony of the gospel has been evident in every aspect of her service.   We will miss her.

Thank you for supporting and loving your missionary.  We appreciate her service and dedication in the Idaho Pocatello Mission.

With love and appreciation,

President and Sister Brinkerhoff

Not Much to Report {August 25, 2014}

Dear Pinkie and the Brain,

 

I’m sure I say this every week, but there’s not much to report. I’ll post my pictures buutttt that might be about all I’ll be talking about this week. Sorrrryyy.

 

Holding a fat cat yesterday….

The hills east of where we live looking all cool and stuff…

Post-temple shameless selfie…

Anddd at the temple with my companion…

There was a crazy hail storm and lots of rain this week. Not the best weather for biking. Luckily we were able to get rides when it was hailing. It was bad. Ummm. And my companion broke her toe. We were about to go out and do service so she went to walk over to the window and see what the weather was doing…and she kicked the couch. Now her toes are all black and blue and she’s limping around like Igor. Fun fun fun.

 

Our new investigators the Elders’ gave us is AMAZING. She believes everything. She used to debate with nuns about the catholic church and the things that she didn’t believe in. Even things that normal people would question she accepts (word of wisdom, tithing, etc.) 

 

Sorry I’m not talking much today. It was a pretty boring week haha.

 

I’m stealing the thought that the mission sent this week in their newletter. It says…

“The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability to endure.  A fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us:  Shall I falter, or shall I finish?  Some do falter as they find themselves unable to rise above their challenges.  To finish involves enduring to the very end of life itself.”

Thomas S. Monson, “I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”

Whatever you are doing in life, do not give up. Life is hard. It’s suppose to be hard. There is no learning, no growth, no change, in the comfort zone. So embrace the trails! Come what may and love it! Have a great week! 

 

Love,

Sister Gale

 

nothing witty in my brain today {July 7, 2014}

Dear [plural noun] and [plural noun],

 

So this week was the 4th of July annnddd I have a lot of photos. Kind of. 

 

Well…first let me show you how great the Book of Mormon really is….

​You see…we use it to hold up a rod to hang a curtain on because Idaho (like most of the world) is silly and doesn’t understand that Day Light Savings is dumb and so the sun isn’t set until about 10pm. Our bedtime is 10:30. Yup.

 

Random field of farmness for my Dad….

​I don’t get the sprinklers. Why don’t they irrigate? Eh.

 

Dooms day….”End of the World” (My sister Melly always talks about her end of the world dreams and stuff)…

​

A SCORPIONNNNNNNN

​That thing was hard to make. I didn’t really understand the instructions. I did my own thang (Yes. Thang)

 

And a drawing that I did this time (copying Sister King’s style)…

​Look at me go with my ukulele (“small guitar” “violin” etc. etc. Don’t people know what ukuleles are?)

 

Mustashe photos (courtesy of my family for sending a fun 4th of July package. I think they were just wanting photos haha)

​

​AND NUTELLLA! Oh my heavens. This is what Ambrosia tastes like…

​

Now the 4th of July photos…

 

My makeup…

{and now a cartoonish version I did}

In the car on the way to the fireworks with my companion (photobombed by my little friend, Shaylee)…

​

Sitting on the famous potato bench thing….

​

a million fireworks….

​

And the temple!

​(ooooo ahhhhhh)

Anyways. We had a good week as you can tell. We were able to see my mom’s high school friend again this week. She gave me a hug and a bag with skirts in it. AND MINI CADBURY EGGS. I love those things. I love chocolate.

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows with the other sisters that our sister training leaders cover. We walked ALL the way around the river (well. bridge to bridge), got ice cream (reed’s dairy guys. best stuff ever. Apparently their chocolate milk has POTATO FLAKES IN IT. Only in Idaho), saw some not-so-great break dancers (that was just funny. They were mildly terrible. Not that I can say much. I can’t dance to save my life), and had lots of fun.

Today’s little thought comes from Joseph Smith in History of the Church…

“As you increase in innocence and virtue, as you increase in goodness, let your hearts expand, let them be enlarged towards others; you must be long-suffering, and bear with the faults and errors of mankind.

 

“How precious are the souls of men!”

 

Something I keep thinking about is how much more I love people now. I thought I was very loving before my mission, but now I love SO much more. I see more people like I see my two sweet sisters with Joubert Syndrome; not as there are but as they will be. None of us are perfect so we can’t expect anyone else to be. We just need to know that we are all brothers and sisters and learn to treat each other as such. I love my friends in Idaho. I love talking to them about our Savior, Jesus Chirst, and our Heavenly Father. I love talking to them as my siblings and all the families that have accepted me as their own. Being a missionary is AWESOME. If you can go, GO. If you can’t then be the best missionary you can be at home. “If you’re not a full-time missionary with a missionary badge pinned on your coat, now is the time to paint one on your heart—painted, as Paul said, “not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God”” (It’s a Miracle. Elder Andersen).

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Love,

Sister Gale