Dear Browns January 22, 2012

January 22, 2012

Hey!
Well I am sorry that you didn't get an email yesterday if you were expecting one. It was a holiday, so the libraries were closed...so we get to do it today!

It is good to hear that you are doing well and keeping busy. I keep you all in my prayers every night. I am glad you enjoy what you do. It makes things just that much better. I enjoy serving a mission. It is work, but it really is just so much fun. Like last night we were teaching a 16 year old recent convert who was baptized before I got out here. We had a good lesson in one of the members homes and then afterwards they invited us to play a game of apples to apples. It was a blast. It is just the little things like that that keep us sane as missionaries. You can have fun, but still work at the same time.

Congrats to Tony! Hard work pays off. I want you to know that I am not jealous of those Big Boy Mover moves whatsoever, but I am happy to hear that it all is going well.

As for the Fritters, we did not see them this Sunday. However, our ward mission leader had been talking with them and earlier in the week they went and visited Brother Fritter's mother who has been in the hospital for quite some time. Brother Fritter was able to give his first priesthood blessing to his mother who is not a member. Brother Fritter has been a convert for about a year. From what I hear though, it was a pretty awesome experience. He then told Elder Hayes and I that Brother Fritter was talking about taking his mom to church, but to the ward that she lived in. So. I believe that is where they were this Sunday. Kinda crazy how much one visit can change people.

As for Juan, he is 17. He is such an awesome kid. He is so ready to be baptized, we are just waiting on his mother's approval. So...until then, we have been asking him to pray with his mom every night, and bearing his testimony to her. We just have to be patient. So in the meantime, we have just been going over lessons and principles with him. Answering questions that he has and so on and so forth. It will come...we just aren't sure when. :)

We also now have a new investigator. Another youth as a matter of fact. Every Friday we get together with the youth to play some basketball. It is super fun. We invite them to bring their non member friends though. That is how we found Keenan. I am excited to get to know him and be able to teach him. Elder Hayes and Elder Davis are actually gonna be teaching him tonight. I won't get to be there because we are on 24 hour exchanges, and I am with my District Leader Elder Prescott. I am excited for that though. :)

Other than that, life is good here in Nevada. I am just waiting for it to warm up a little bit. I miss the warm Arizona sun. I love and miss you Big Sis.

Love
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle