Thank you all for the birthday wishes and all! This week was, as predicted, much better than the last. Things are going well. Work is being done. The ward is thriving and the stake executives are impressed with all of it. We have a new ward mission leader, and two new missionaries in training in the district. I haven’t met Elder Reynolds, but Sister Robertson (serving in Three Rivers) is from Holiday, Utah and she is ready to learn and to get the Lord’s work done.

I’m probably going to keep this one short, but I thank everyone back home for love and support, because I truly do feel it. Even if it’s something as simple as wishing us well within your heart, I promise it is felt because even something as simple as that is a prayer in your heart and Heavenly Father hears and answers all prayers.

On Thursday was my birthday, and the Bishop’s family put together a lovely Puerto Rican dinner for us using instructions from my mother, because apparently Sister Peterson had corresponded with her. o.O Anyway, she also made a tres leches cake and printed out pictures of my family for me and gave me Oreos and milk! Holy cow how could I NOT have a good birthday with people here taking this much care of me to make sure I have a good day?

Lastly, we met the Martinez’s who are a lovely family whose son Micah used to serve here and was then known as Elder Martinez (obviously). I only knew them for three days, but Micah dropped by on Friday at our apartment to say hi, and we came down to talk to the whole family for a bit, and then Sunday they were at church and we had dinner with them and Brother Davis who they were staying with, and now they are gone and I already miss them. It’s crazy how so much love and kindness can be wrought through the gospel and through Christ, and I can only imagine what that will be like in heaven.

Stay awesome my friends and family, and I will report to you again soon!

Elder Breinholt

P.S. Interviews with the Mission President are this Saturday so wish me luck ;P

Hello friends and family! About time for an update, huh? Well we had a plethora of wonderful lessons this week, and even received a media referral! Haha, yes! Those are very rare here!

I can’t decide whether my first week or this last one was harder, but I will say, as many do, that the mission field is the hardest thing I have every experienced, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. That’s why it’s so good.

My district, (although today Sister Young is leaving)

We did have the chance last Monday to have a large conference with half the missionaries in the Michigan Lansing Mission to hear from Elder Anderson from one of the quorums of the Seventy, and to learn a lot more about missionary work and things we can do to help our investigators to continue to learn and grow.

I don’t even know why this picture was taken, but I cook a mean plate of rice and chicken

We have three particularly progressive investigators at the time, who I will give a brief summary on: Jason, who we found through doorknocking, is a fun loving, videogaming, My Little Pony-fangirling man who does have a desire to know whether or not the Gospel is true. We have brought a couple of different members to lessons with him, and I can say that Jason is definitely comfortable with us, and through his prayer and study, the answer he has received thus far is to continue reading the Book of Mormon. If he does as the Spirit directs, and comes to church, he is soon to receive a big answer of the truth of the teachings. Pray for him to be able to get to church everyone! His work schedule won’t allow it but that can be changed! 😀

Gerald was our media referral. He has been studying our doctrine online for a few months now and sent in a request for us to bring him a Book of Mormon! Apparently, after he requested it is when it told him that the missionaries would stay for lesson with him, and he was not expecting to see us within like 5 hours.

Nichole, who we doorknocked into as well, is doing very well, but will not come to church because of her fear of issues happening because of her autistic child. We had a lesson with her the other day, in which I bore my testimony and witness of the things children such as hers can teach others, like how I learned many important lessons from a youth with mental disability in my old ward. Nichole and I both cried, and when we asked her to give a kneeling prayer at the end, she started it quickly and asked for our safety, and then paused, and that pause turned into a long moment, silent aside from her heavy breathing, after which she began to cry once again, and although nothing was being said, we could all feel the Spirit she was feeling in that moment. She quickly finished the prayer so as not to cry any longer, and stood up and said goodbye and gave us quick hugs.

Haircut selfie (had it done today by the bishop’s wife)

My friends and family, I know that if you will include these people in your prayers at this time, it will help them in their lives. These are real people, who need truth and light, whether they know it or not. Your prayers will help them, whether they end up choosing to believe and follow the Gospel or not.

I love you all so much, and I hope you will continue in your endeavors to continually grow and learn, because knowledge is light. Knowledge, is literally, light.

With love and gratitude,

Elder Breinholt

Hi everyone!  The weekly letter is going out today because on Monday we have a half-mission Pday in Kalamazoo, so our district Pday is today.

It’s true, sometimes I feel the need to break out in random dance in public, but the missionary guidebook advises against doing that; however, it was a fun week in spite of that!