So there are no new pictures this week (bummer), but this is what Tyler wrote:

It’s been somewhat of a difficult week, but hey, if things were too easy it’d be boring, right…?

I don’t have much time but I wanted to tell about trade-offs which happened on Friday. So Thursday night, Elder Yadon and I met with the zone leaders, Elder Marley and Elder Alley at Three Rivers at about 8:30. The plan was for Elder Alley to go with Elder Yadon back to Sturgis, while I was to head with Elder Marley to Kalamazoo; however, the zone leaders had forgotten that Elder Yadon does not have his driving privileges, and Elder Alley had just lost his driving privileges the day before for medical reasons. SO, we had to switch everything up, and I had to go back to Sturgis with Elder Alley and would have to be in charge of the Sturgis area for all of the next day. I was all kinds of nervous, but what ended up happening is that I had the opportunity to learn more in 24 hours than I have through most years of my life. I had to drive, manage the phone, plan out the day, set goals, lead studies, and went doorknocking for a few hours and found two new potential investigators; all along the way, Elder Alley, who is a very great and experienced missionary, guided me without doing anything for me, and helped me know what I was doing right and what I and my companion could improve upon. He cleared up so many of the questions that I had which I was not getting answers for regarding missionary work, and I just want to be the best missionary I can be for the Lord. I have been conducting frequent prayer between me and my companion now, and although he doesn’t agree with it, I know that when we do pray we are more successful and the Spirit is closer to my heart.

Heavenly Father is absolutely testing my strength, both physically and mentally, and I’m very grateful for it. I’ve encountered quite a few people who tell me right to my face they believe I’m going to hell and explain why. They explain how I am being deceived, and how as a “cradle Mormon” I wouldn’t know otherwise, and I am blind to the truth.

This is what has helped my testimony grow more than it ever has before, faster than I’ve ever known. I know with every fiber of my being that we are not deceived, we are lead by a true and living prophet of God, who receives direct revelation from the Lord and hearkens unto it, and therefore we are truly lead by Jesus Christ Himself. This is God’s kingdom on earth, and these are the last days before His Second Coming. There is not much more I can say at this time, as per the fact that I do need to get going for my preparations for this week of missionary work, but know that God loves all of His children, and desires them to know the truth. That is why I am here in Michigan, to give that truth to those who are willing to receive it, and to receive the blessings thereof. Always remember that knowledge is a blessing, for without it, life seems to be for naught. Primary children know their purpose, they know where they came from, who God is and that he loves them, and they know where they want to go. So I am glad to be a “cradle Mormon,” because these things I know and testify of in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 🙂

Hello again everyone!

I am so excited and happy right now to be sitting here writing to you and letting you know what’s going on and how awesome my mission is!  I am not going to pretend like I haven’t already had some hard things happen or that the mission life is all running through fields of flowers throwing Book of Mormons everywhere baptizing everyone you see.  But, there is much joy in preaching what I know to be the word of God, and what we need to do to be happy in this life.

Quickly I want to describe a little bit of detail of how things are going and what I do:

My first companion/trainer is Elder Yadon (pronounced  YAY-Dun) and he’s really awesome, nice, and loves dubstep and chillstep music.  Probably the reason we were put together.  ;P

Typically, a new missionary in training cannot receive driving privileges until at LEAST 6 weeks.  That’s not the case for me… Elder Yadon was not able to receive his driving privileges during the 14 months he’s been here because before he left his license had expired and out here he cannot provide two proofs of address.  SO, I have been driving us since day one in a white 2013 Ford Fusion.

The climate.  Yup.  Right now it is so hot, and especially on Saturday, which is our “car fast” day on which we have to either find rides or walk.  We did a lot of walking and door knocking (aka tracting) and sweated bullets.  When the wind blows or when you are under shade it’s honestly not that bad, it even feels good, and in the evening when the sun goes down they are warm, nice nights.  But when the sun beats down on you while you’re walking in a shirt and dark slacks it just drains the life right out of you…

I ought to finish this up as we do not have a particularly long amount of time on preparation days to email, but although we have had doors slammed on our faces, people tell us our doctrine is wrong, and people who just don’t care what we have to say, we are out here for those who have been prepared and will be willing to accept Christ into their lives and become a better person.

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Yesterday on our third door of the day, (Sundays we only have the afternoon to door knock,) we met a man named Mike who is 37 years old.  This was actually in Indiana, as the Sturgis area goes down a little bit into the state of Indiana and we see a lot of Amish people.  But Mike expressed to us his misery in living alone, his want for a family, and the fact that he believes that God has been seeking him out.  We sat and spoke with him in his home for almost an hour and our purpose here, where we came from, where we are going, and the restoration of the gospel.  Mike might not realize it, but God has prepared him to learn and accept this message.  I hope he does, because I know how much joy the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us.  I think I always took for granted the blessings we have of knowledge of our purpose here, and have a strong relationship with Heavenly Father.  I am starting to see how it changes us, gives us a “fulness of joy.”

I am so very grateful to be out here, even though the days are long and rough sometimes.  I go to bed grinning from ear to ear because I know I am accomplishing the Lord’s work, day by day, and I hope to do so throughout these two years.

I know this Gospel is true, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet as the prophets in the bible, and that Jesus Christ is the only way we can return to live with God again.  In the name of Jesus Christ I say these things to you my friends, amen.

Elder Breinholt

We just got an email from Tyler’s mission president letting us know that that he made it successsfully to Lansing.  See the information they sent us.

The Breinholt’s

These are some words from Tyler’s first letter to the family and some pictures that we would like to share;

The MTC has been so great! My companion’s name is Elder Janes and he’s really awesome and we go together well. Elder Janes is tall, he is 6 feet 3 inches, It’s become apparent to me that the choosing of companionships is done through prayer and looking for people who compliment each other well.

I have come very close with my MTC district already as, through learning of Christ and trying hard to learn doctrine and how to help and invite others to come unto Christ, anyone would.
The classroom experiences here are not at all what I expected.  I never knew that there were certain ways and eternal laws that pertain to our mortal existence regarding the learning and growing our testimonies here on the earth, or at least I had never thought so deeply about it.

I have been developing a serious love for everyone in my district, and even for those roleplay investigators I have had the opportunity to teach.  We call each other brothers and sisters in this church, but it’s amazing how we can actually feel and understand our true brotherhood and sisterhood and feel love for each other.  I pray more here than I have ever prayed before in my life, because my companion and I learned quickly that without prayer in EVERY SINGLE THING we do, we are choosing to go it alone and leave God out of the picture.  Sometimes we simply forget, but we have taken upon us a covenant at baptism which we renew at sacrament meeting to always remember the Lord.  One thing I have done to improve my prayers is to pray for charity, which I have never really tried before.  I know that heavenly father answers our prayers, every single one, and he has helped me to have charity, the true love of Christ, for these my brothers and sisters.  I am not as good at it as He is, but I am trying.

Elder Breinholt