Another Week in the Creek August 12, 2013

August 12, 2013

Dear Mom, Dad, and Jeri Lin,

Well another week come and gone here in Spring Creek.

Dad- Dang...at least it is Pre-season. I am excited for football season again. Even though, I don't get to follow it as closely as I would like. Oh well. I will be awaiting the updates :) Dad...You are awesome. I am so glad that you had such an awesome week with the weight loss. I am very much on the proud side for you. Keep up the good work!

Yeah...the dog story is a fun one :) As far as the nerf guns...my companion has multiple. SO...I can defend myself sometimes. We have had a few good wars with the other missionaries we live with this past week once we were done with our planning or just randomly during lunch and whatnot :)

The work here in my portion is slow. It should be better this week though. We have some appointments set up and hopefully should have some set up more. Now...as long as they don't cancel, it should be good :)

I definitely want to show you around these places one of these days. I love them. Lots :)

Mom- Thank you for the short little notes. That is awesome to hear about Vince. That was some of the best news I have heard :) I love you Mom. Thank you for your hard work and example :)

Jeri Lin- I am glad to hear that your little family is still doing really well and that the blessing went well. Nothing better that family. For sure! Things are going really well. Just trying to get the amount of work for one area in half the area. I enjoy it though. :) And yes, The members here are good about feeding us as well.

Well this week I wrote a poem. SO here it is.

At That Moment

I will follow Thee!
To the world I was sent
My whole soul filled with glee
At That Moment

Life is hard, Life is rough
My heart with sorrow Rent
I have had enough
At That Moment

Now a scene in my head
As I sat discontent
From a story I read
At That Moment

It all became so real
Into the Garden He went
Just to go and feel
At That Moment


My troubled soul to lift

Now able to repent

Such a precious gift

The Atonement


Well...that is what I have this week. It is going well. I love you all and miss ya.


Love your Son and Brother,

Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle

Clydesdales

 Welcome to Spring Creek!

To One and All August 5, 2013

August 5, 2013

Dear Mom, Dad, and Jeri Lin,

Well first of all...I think I will have to sending emails in a group form. I seem to have made a lot of friends in Sparks that like to email me as well....so to be able to have enough time and make sure no one gets left out, I will have to do it like this. I hope you understand.

Dad-
I am happy to hear that your trip went well and that you are still losing. A little at a time is better than none at all. It has been a pretty good week with Elder Anderson though. Other than the fact that he shot me in the ear with his nerf gun to wake me up this morning. I wasn't too happy about that, but oh well. We were both put in here this transfer though...double transfers. Gotta love them. They split the area we are in, so there is a total of four missionaries in the Spring Creek Fifth ward. The other two missionaries are pretty cool. I really like Elder Munns, a small town country boy from Utah. The other is Elder Walsmann...I went to High School with him...so it is interesting, but good. Oh! and the member we went to dinner with last night (Hathcocks)...Bro. Hathcock is Coach Hatcock's cousin. Pretty cool I guess. It isn't bad living with member though. I enjoy it.

Mom-
Well it sounds like you had another crazy busy week. I always have you in my prayers that you will be able to do well and function with everything you do. You are amazing. Thank you for your example. And the pictures..they were kind of hard to really see. Maybe just try attaching them instead of pasting them in the email itself. :) I love ya Mom.

Jeri Lin- I am glad things are going well even though your little babies may stink or be sick. You are a pretty awesome Mom. :)

Well I do have a story for this week. SO...we live with a member. Old guy Brother Preece. He works at the mines and has a crazy schedule...but anyways. He has two dogs that live in the yard. Well, Elder Anderson and I had gotten home and we opened the gate to put our bikes in the shed. Well as I turned around to shut the gate, one of the dogs booked it out the fence. I immediately reacted by sprinting after the dog. Brother Preece is gonna kill me just kept going through my head. I kept up with the dog for a while...leaping and bounding over the sage brush at full speed. I finally ran out of gas and the dog kept going. I was praying so hard that I would be able to find the dog and bring her back home. Elder Munns and Walsmann came in the truck and we just kept walking around looking. Wait! She ran up to Elder Anderson....and was gone again. Dang it. Anyways...I just kept on praying. Finally! We see her again...Munns jumps out of the truck with his lasso and we finally get her. What an adventurous night. All I can say...is that I thought the dogs were supposed to be doing the chasing of me and not the other way around. Moral of the story. Heavenly Father answers prayers.

I love you guys and hope you have an awesome week!

Your Son and Brother,


Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle

New Address Spring Creek

25 Arroyo Vista Dr.
Spring Creek NV 89815

This is my new address! Let everyone know :)

Dear Dad July 29, 2013

July 29, 2013

Dear Dad,

The New Area is good. Different...but good. The trip out here was not too bad...just a whole lot of nothing to look at. Elder Stevens is from Virginia...just like my companion now. Elder Anderson. Yes. The same one from the MTC. It has been interesting learning to work with him again, but I am looking to make the most of it.

As for the area, definitely a lot more spread out than Sparks. I always wanted to be a cowboy when I was younger, so I guess this is my opportunity now. The other day we unloaded 5 tons of Hay from a trailer. Each bail weighed about 110 pounds. We run 2 miles every morning...So I am planning on staying in plenty good shape. I am serving in the fifth ward and there are tons of members here. The ward directory is like...25 pages long. However, most of the members are inactive or work the mine on Sundays...so we have to learn to work with that. I like it so far though. I was spoiled in Sparks though, that is for darn sure. We live in the unfinished basement of a member, but it is nice. :) And they do say creek...I haven't heard crick....YET.

It seems like you have had a pretty busy/ fun week. I am happy to hear that you are doing so well with the Biggest Loser. I am glad people are starting to notice the difference. Just imagine the difference I will see once I have finished my work here. It is gonna be awesome.

Thank you for everything Dad. I love you so much. I will be letting you know on all the happenings over here in Spring Creek when they happen. This past week has just been setting up the area book and getting to know the area book more than anything. I miss ya. Have a good week!

Your Son,
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle

Dear Dad July 22, 2013

July 22, 2013

Dear Dad,

So to answer the big question of the week...Yes. I am being transferred and so is Elder Stevens. They are putting Sisters in the ward here. I will be heading all the way to the east side of the mission. Spring Creek to be exact...just south of Elko. I am thinking Fajardo is gonna be out there still, so I am gonna be excited to see him again if that is the case. I am super sad to leave this area though. I have come so close to the people here...it is my home. I honestly almost feel like I am leaving home again. I am going to be the senior companion...and I think my companion is my companion from the MTC....not a 100% on that one yet though. Needless to say, I am going to have my work cut out for me there. I hear the ward is great though. One of my zone leaders here used to serve in the ward I will be serving in. I believe the area is being split and I will be double transferred into the new half with my companion. We head out there early Wednesday morning. So...we shall see.

In the meantime, I have been saying bye to everyone that I can. I have lots of pictures to send this week, and I am sure there will be more this coming week. And the role plays were just like...practicing street contacting and all that good stuff. Just practicing starting up conversations with people. Gotta love dem role plays. As for getting picked up, it isn't a problem at all. President doesn't care as far as I know...I dunno what I would want though. I think it would be cool to be picked up, but I also would want to be back here...released...so IDK.

That will be fun to go to Spokane. And that is good that you are going to support your brother and I am sure Syd is super excited. I hope grandma gets and feels better...doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.

I am glad to hear that you have been keeping up with the workouts. No matter how tough they may be. Nothing better than that sore feeling. This week I worked out with Trey Hagler...we maxed out on bench when we had dinner with them. I got 165...I was impressed since I haven't been doing very much of that stuff since I have been out. Keep up with the hard work...it is definitely going to be worth it.

That is awesome that the monsoons are there...I miss them. Oh well though.

This week I had the opportunity to baptize, Raina. Talk about an amazing experience. She is so sweet...and she did awesome despite all her nervousness. I am grateful for the opportunity to know her and be such a special part of her life. The ward here is awesome and is gonna take care of her for sure. That is the most important thing...especially since I will be leaving here in a couple days. It was a small baptism, but it was amazing. This gospel is so amazing. I think one of the big things that helped her was the Mormon Message "You know enough" that we shared with her. I highly recommend watching it. Missionary work is awesome. I love it.

Thank you for everything Dad. As for that picture of me, I was messing around...telling Juan I was exhausted and he...took a surprise picture of me. He likes to do stuff like that :) Gonna miss that kid. I love you Dad. Have a good week with all your adventures. Oh! and I have a coke hat to send to you. I will do that as soon as possible. Smile!

Your Son,
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle

 Raina's Baptism

 The Haglers

 The Metcalfs

 The Smiths

The Terassas

Dear Dad July 15, 2013

July 15, 2013

Dear Dad,

7 months...it is crazy. It really has just flown by. I can't believe it, and I will be a 1/3 of the way done in a few weeks. I mean...at times...I feel as if I have been out forever, but then I start to think about it, and I feel like it hasn't been very long at all. It is gonna be bitter sweet at the end. I know that for sure. Just thinking that I am probably gonna be transferred out of this area within the next couple weeks is tough. This place has become home to me. It is weird. I can't imagine what it will be like when I am completely done. We will definitely have to make a trip up here after, k?

I am so glad to hear that you are doing so well with the Biggest Loser workouts, and that Coach is helping you so much. I love that guy, he was such a help to me in football, so I can imagine how much he is helping you and pushing you. People in the ward have asked me how you are doing with the workouts, so I will be happy to report to them how much progress you have made this past week. Burpees are like up downs, right? Gotta love them ;) Keep working hard!

So sisters, eh? I am not sure I would be super stoked about that. Have you talked to them much? Are they weird? It will be interesting to see what they can bring to the table. I talked to a kid yesterday that has been called to the Mesa mission. He was asking me for advice and whatnot. Kinda cool :)

The discussions went really well this week. Especially with Bonnie and Raina. We have just been trying to get Raina more comfortable with the idea of baptism. Our goal is to hopefully have her set with a date by Wednesday...our goal for the date is hopefully this Saturday. I guess we shall see though. Gotta follow the spirit with this one. I guess if it happens though, we will have pictures this next Monday.

You know...when I first read that I had been called to Reno, I wasn't the most excited person in the whole world. However, people had always told me that I would love my mission and that I would love all the people of my mission. Me? Love Nevada? Pfff. They couldn't have been more right. I love this place more than anything. And that is what this gospel is all about. Love. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much, He sent his Son. He set this plan for us. When we realize that, we want to share that love and our knowledge of that love with everyone. It is just natural. I love this place...this area. I honestly don't want to leave. I realize that love of my mission and the people of my mission now. It is so amazing. That love has grown so quickly. Even with people I wouldn't normally associate with back home. This gospel is amazing. We can't take it for granted.

I love ya Dad. Miss ya too. Have another good week! I can't wait to hear :)

Your Son,
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle

  The Badillos are an inactive family that I have become really close to. They are one of the ones that I had to say bye to. It was tough. I have gotten such a good relationship with them. I will be sending a picture of them with me. Love them to death. I am gonna continue writing them letters and what not once I leave the area.

 Juan also likes to take weird pictures of me when I am not paying any attention...

Elder Stevens, Juan, and I

 Brother Hagler is GM of Coke. This stuff isn't even in stores yet, but they know how much I love Taylor Swift. So they hooked it up when we went over there for dinner last Monday. I love it :)