Week 3 First week in the Mission Field

Nov. 24, 2014

WEEK 1 IN THE MISSION FIELD!

(I will probably repeat myself, sorry in advance!)

Well the MTC was absolutely CRAZY! The scheduling was like... get as much done as humanly possible in as little time as possible - it was a lot. My district was great! I love them so much! Elder Dixion, Elder Jones and Elder Black, Sister Schow, Sister Snyder, Sister Law, Sister Walker and ME :) The district that brought us in was a group of Elders: Elder Waters, Elder Vaughn (I forgot the spelling but I know it was like this but it sounds like van), Elder Reyes and a few other Elders that I don't remember their names. They left about a week into the MTC (2 weeks for them) and then we got to bring in a district. This district had 11 elders and sisters! They were a good group though :) 

We got up at about 2-2:20am on Tuesday morning (Nov. 18) and went to the travel office at 3:30am, got on a bus and then a train and got to the airport at 7:30ish, used the phones to talk to family (Megan sounds amazing and happy) and then got on the plane, flew to Minneapolis and got on a different plane, (my wallet had fallen out of my pocket on the other plane but a flight attendant had already started walking to our gate. She remembered seeing me and where I was going) and off we flew for another hour... but we got delayed because they were still checking the wing or putting water in it or something. Anyways, about 20-30 minutes later we finally took off :) When we got to the St. Louis airport all 15 if us (there were other districts in the MTC with peeps going to the same mission) headed toward baggage claim. The Mission President, his wife and 6 other Elders were there to pick us up :) We got to the cars and packed up and headed for the mission office. Because our flight was so late we didn't get to go to the temple :( We went to the mission home and had a very good home-cooked meal, then relaxed and headed to bed.

The next day we got up early and headed out to a transfer meeting. We had a meeting with us newbies and the Elders and Sisters that are going to be our trainers, then the transfer meeting. I am with Sister Eschenbrenner in the Salem, Illinois, area. We share a ward with 2 Elders, Elder Dickert and Elder Dixion (from my MTC district!). We drove to the apartment (MapQuest shows Salem to be just over 90 minutes from St. Louis) and unloaded everything. Then we ran out the door to some appointments, got home and unpacked :) (Mom note - this also puts Megan far away from the Ferguson, MO, riots and such.)

This week has been a good week, but I have definitely been working hard and learning and growing A TON! It has been hard but so worth it :) We haven't been able to do much tracting because we have had appointment after appointment. :) Sunday was very nice - it was the primary program and it was really nice to have that as my first Sunday here.

Your Requested Info:

Mailing address: 1200 S. Marion Ave #9, Salem, IL 62881 (I will be here for 6 weeks at least, so about a week or two before transfers you're going to need to refrain from sending letters or I might not get them.)

Christmas wish list: a GPS, and that's all I've got right now. As I think of things I'll let you know

PICTURES: you asked and you shall receive (and boy did we!!)

Are you getting emails from other people?: Yes

Details on where you're at: I am in SALEM ILLINOIS. It is a farm/factory worker community. The people here are wonderful and have a completely different lifestyle than ours. Being out here I am so thankful that Dad has a good job and that we have been able to live the lifestyle that we have. It is super flat here, you can see for miles, and there are actually a lot of trees. There was snow when we got here! Only a little and it melted rather quickly. The temperature has fluctuated between 20's-60's, super windy, and rainy. And lots of farms, corn fields, and deer (hunting season started the day we got here). There are a few things that I have noticed: almost everyone smokes/has smoked, and there are many teeth missing... :) I still have all mine thankfully.

How your first week in the field was: First week was kind of crazy.  I have been adjusting very well but it's still an adjustment. I have gotten a lot better at getting up in the morning (Dad, were you ALWAYS tired when you were on your mission?) I still don't like it but it's better. I have met so many people! I am having trouble remembering all of them. But.... we got a new investigator this week, her name is Rita. She is a sweet old black lady that is already Christian and has a ton of faith and has a great relationship with God already! We have a couple of investigators that have a baptismal date and that are preparing to be ready. "R" (who is an older gentleman), I think he knows it's true and is just being stubborn and wanting to know ALL the answers before he gets baptized (he doesn't understand why having a beer but not getting "drunk" is not ok, and the same with smoking). "J" (a young man) is doing everything he can. We are going to start a stop smoking workshop with him next time we see him. And then a few others but I don't remember their names....

your companion's name: Sister Eschenbrenner
where she's from: She came from a ward in California
how you like her: I like her a whole lot. She is a health nut like me (she had aloe water in the fridge :D ) (Mom note - Yes - this WOULD make Megan very happy...)
etc.: She is a convert of 2 or 3 years, she is 28 and she has brown hair, glasses, and a beautiful smile, and she has been out for 4 month... all in this area (which isn't normal)
ward and stake I'm in: Centralia Illinois ward/stake

Scripture/Spiritual thought:

Talk by ELDER JOSEPH B. WIRTHLIN The Unspeakable Gift
"Have you ever thought about the amount of light and energy generated by our sun? The amount is almost beyond comprehension. Yet the heat and light that we receive come as a free gift from God. This is another proof of the goodness of our Heavenly Father.

The light from the sun breaks through space, bathing our planet as it encircles the sun with life-giving warmth and light. Without the sun, there could be no life on this planet; it would be forever barren, cold, and dark.

As the sun gives life and light to the earth, a spiritual light gives nourishment to our spirits. We call this the Light of Christ. The scriptures teach us that it “lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Thus, all mankind can enjoy its blessings. The Light of Christ is the divine influence that allows every man, woman, and child to distinguish between good and evil. It encourages all to choose the right, to seek eternal truth, and to learn again the truths that we knew in our premortal existence but have forgotten in mortality.

Love you all!

Sister Brimley