Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow October 20, 2014

I am here to witness to you that there truly is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Even though we may not see it right at the start. :)

This week we had the opportunity to attend the Reno Temple. It was a cloudy morning as we rode up the hills of Reno. While driving a magnificent, bright rainbow appeared and we all viewed it in awe (myself, Elder Katoa, and the Senior couple we were riding with). As we were driving I kept my eyes on the rainbow. Soon enough, the temple also came into view. Where did the rainbow lead to? Right to the temple. :)

Now let me relate that story to the rest of my week and to life :)

This week was another that was full of ups and downs. I believe on Thursday night, I was feeling a bit down and discouraged. After we had planned, I sat and contemplated,I finally decided to ask my companion for a blessing. After eating his second dinner, he agreed to do it. In Tongan. It was an interesting experience because I have no idea still what was said in the blessing. He wouldn't tell me. All I know is that I felt good afterwards my attitude and mood changed :) Priesthood power is real. No doubt.

On Saturday night, we were headed over to one of the part member families that we are working with. The husband who is not a member, is set with a baptismal date and we have developed a good relationship with them. However on the way over there, we got a text saying that the husband was going to be heading back down to Arizona and that he probably wouldn't be coming back. We were extremely bummed. We got over there and they told us he was getting on the bus in the morning. We still taught them, and then exchanged goodbyes. He had been so excited for baptism and as we left I just couldn't help but feel disappointed and ask Heavenly Father why this was happening. I also asked in my nightly prayer if there was anything he could do to change his mind. His wife and kids were still planning on coming to church and I was just happy about that. Told myself that I just needed to keep moving forward. Now it is Sunday and we are standing at the doors greeting people. Then who walks in? The whole family including Steve. He then explained to me that he was at the bus station that morning and something just told him he couldn't leave. So he called his wife and asked her to come pick him up. He stayed for all three hours of church. Sometimes we just need to keep moving forward. Keep your eyes on the rainbow or Heavenly Father. It will work out and you will be able to find that pot of gold. Whatever it may be.

Just keep a positive attitude, and when you need help, don't be afraid to ask. Those are the lessons that I learned this week and have been being taught to me my entire mission.

I am truly grateful for this opportunity and experience :)

Things are continuing to get better. Steve is staying. We also found two new investigators this week that both seem to be pretty solid. The ward is becoming more and more supportive each week. Transfer calls will be coming this week and I imagine I will be staying here for my last six weeks :)

Dad- Well I don't currently have an email from you. Sydney did send a picture of you at the Phoenix temple though, and you look good. :) I hope your week was as good as you look. Haha I love and miss ya Dad :) Have a good week this week! So...I just got your email. Thank you for your input and thoughts. I really do appreciate it. Thanks also for all the updates. Just remember that you are always in my prayers and that I appreciate you dearly. :) Thank you for being my Dad.

Mom- I dunno if I was "graceful like a gazelle" back then. I have had a lot of improvement since I was on the Tigers soccer team haha. That is pretty funny. Thank you for sharing that and for sharing the story about the Mormon Crickets. It seems to me that Hayden may be as funny as me someday ;) Haha I love that kid. Congratulations on your new calling! And I am glad you all were able to enjoy time at the Phoenix temple as a family :) It sounds to me like things continue to go well and thank you for all the pictures :) And that scripture. :) Isaac told me that you sent him a huge thank you for the pictures and the video. :) I hope you have another good week Mom. I love and miss ya!

Jeri Lin- Well it looks like I don't have much news on the Browns this week either. Just know that I love and miss you too and hope that you have a good week! :)

Keila- Taking naps in the school parking lot. Nice ;) Haha I love and miss ya Wei! Have a good week :)

Sydney- Thank you for your email and for the pictures :) Just remember to keep your eyes on the rainbow, there is a pot of gold at the end :) Good luck in your meet. Just keep working hard to the very end :) I love and miss ya Syd. Thank you for being my Sister :) Have a good week!

Leslie- I got your letter and I am gonna try sending you one this week! I hope you have a good week. Just remember to smile :) Love and miss ya!

Brooke and Hayden- Keep being awesome :) I love and miss you two :)

I love and miss you all!

Love
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle

Never Stop Improving October 13, 2014

October 13, 2014

Did you all have a good week this past week? I had a pretty good week. As far as the work goes, it was a bit slow. Just with appointments falling through and all that fun stuff, but we have some good things going on here in the Wild Creek ward.

So, good thing number one is that we had a baptism on Saturday. Hooray! The whole thing happening the way it did was a miracle. I will send the picture and I am sure the faces will look familiar to most of you. That is because just a month ago, we baptized the husband. The night of his baptism, his wife was admitted to the hospital as she had caught Pneumonia. Things were not looking good for her, which was not good news, because she had been wanting to be baptized on the same day, but had some things to work through, and then this trial arose. However, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. Like I mentioned, the wife had some things that she had to work through, but being in the hospital for so long allowed her the time to be able to do that and she kept up after she was discharged from the rehab center. So, with her husband being a newly ordained Priest, he was able to baptize her. I was asked to be in the font as well just as assistance with lowering her into the water,etc. It was a neat experience. Then Elder Katoa had the opportunity to be the voice in the confirmation yesterday. It was just good all around. We went to Buffalo Wild Wings that night with our neighbor, who is less active member of our ward who we are working with, to celebrate :)

That was the big story. Another neat experience we had this week was that we were able to get special permission to go to one of the hospitals in Reno and give Elder Katoa's aunt a blessing. The reason it was so cool was that he gave the blessing in Tongan. I have no clue what was said, but the Spirit was definitely there :)

Good things are happening. We are starting to get member trust back, which was really starting to dissipate with the previous missionaries. It is always so nice when members of the ward council come up and thank you for the good work we do and tell us that it appears as if we have some good things going. Which we do, we just need to keep it going in an upward trend so that I am able to leave this area better than I found it. That is my goal. Never Stop Improving.

Dad- Thank you for letting me know about the homecoming talk. That will be fun. I am looking forward to it. It will be a busy Sunday for sure :) I must say that I wish it wasn't so late for my release time, but I have been doing this for 2 years. What will a few hours matter? :) I am sorry to hear the news about your team, but once again, thank you for letting me know about the Chargers. I am happy with the team we have this year. Even though I don't know all the dynamics. We have Weddle, Rivers, Allen, Gates, and the rest. We are set :) As for the pictures, those come from Isaac. He is the Stake Executive Secretary here and I became very good friends with him my first go round here in Sparks. He just likes to take care of missionaries :) Also, thanks for helping take care of me wit the package. I received it last Monday evening and it has been a huge help and blessing :) I love and miss you Dad. Have a great week!

Mom- Thank you for the encouraging pep talk! It is very appreciated. :) Good luck with all you are trying to accomplish and do. Especially in finding goggles. You are in my prayers as well. I also would like to thank you for the package and your prayers in my behalf. I love and miss you Mom. I hope you have a good day and week!

Jeri Lin- I am sorry to hear that the sickness has been going around. Hopefully it only goes up from here. Which I have no doubt that it will because it seems to me that you are all continue to do well despite the sickness. It is good to hear that your kiddos are growing and learning :) I pray and hope that you all will have another good week. I sure do love and miss you all :)

Keila- I know you are counting...but 8 weeks. How crazy is that?! I love and miss ya :) Have a good week!

Sydney- Thank You for your email and for telling Cody to stop and talk to me next time. That little punk haha! I am bummed I didn't see him. Oh, and by the way good luck in you 500. I am sure you will do great. I love challenges like that. Just push yourself. It will definitely be worth it. I am glad you are doing well. I love and miss ya :)

Leslie- Hey, Mom tells me that you have some adventures to tell me about. I would love to hear about them when you get the chance. :) I hope you have a good week. I love and miss ya Sles :)

Brooke and Hayden- I will see you two yahoos soon! Just remember to smile and have a good week :) I love and miss you two!

Love,
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle :)

Dear Family October 6, 2014

This week sure has been a busy one. Which is good. Do not think for one minute that I am complaining :) So, lets get down to why it was so busy. On Wednesday we were able to meet at the church building as a group of missionaries and watch the new movie that is coming out, "Meet The Mormons". Holy smokes. It is an awesome movie. If you have the chance. I highly encourage you to go and see it. It follows the lives of six different LDS people from around the world and just has them share their beliefs and why they do what they do. I am not a very emotional person, but I even got teary eyes. I sat next to Elder Flake and when the lights came on after it was over, he looked at me and was like..."did you cry?". I responded that I did a little bit. He said, "me too". Haha. I love that guy :) But for real. Good movie. Well worth the time and money :)

Also on Wednesday, we had our quarterly interviews with President. We don't have a whole lot of time with him, because there are so many to do. I had a good interview with him though. He asked me if I had any questions, and I told him that I know I asked him like a year ago if I could have a car, and I was asking him now. Just as a joke of course. He was actually surprised that I have been on a bike this whole mission experience. I told him that I don't even want a car any more. Just keep me on my bike :) He also asked me if I was happy with my mission. I told him that I don't think I could be any happier.This has been so great. I love it. :)

Now, going off that. I think I have shared some of the ups and downs of my mission. Probably more of the ups. Something that stuck out to me in conference this weekend though was the talk from...I believe it was Quentin L Cook in the Priesthood session. Don't quote me, because I don't have my notes with me. He said something along the lines of not being "fake"with our lives on social media,etc. So I am going to be real with you for a second here. Believe it or not, I have not been a perfect missionary. Surprise! I have made my fair share of mistakes. However, I have been able to overcome those mistakes and have come to develop a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father through the Atonement. Doing so has brought greater peace into my life. Which makes me happy and at peace with my mission. There is nothing better :)

Conference kept us busy this week as well. We had some investigators watch it with us. Like I said, I forgot my notes, but I will be sure to share more in the coming weeks. I think one of my favorite talks was Dieter F. Uchdorf's during the Priesthood session. I can tell you though that I had my testimony strengthened of those men being truly inspired, servants of our Heavenly Father once again. The questions I have been having and the council I needed were addressed and I am very grateful for General Conference :)

We also stayed busy with setting new baptismal dates for one of our investigators and then planning out the baptism for this coming Saturday. Things are continuing to move on forward here in Sparks. :)

Dad- Well I will definitely be sending pictures today. Lucky you ;) Haha I am glad you enjoyed conference. I also always enjoy the Priesthood Session. Good to hear that my teams did good this week. Good luck to your team tonight! Glad to hear that you are doing well this week. Crazy that Skyler is now home. I am happy for him. Let him know I say hi if you see him again. Speaking of which. Do you have any idea of when my home coming talk will be given? I have people planning on being there and I would like to let them know as soon as possible. Thank you for all your love and support Dad. I sure do love and support you :) I hope you have another good week!

Mom- I appreciate the pictures :) Just know that I also love and miss you and pray that you have a good week this week as well :)

Jeri Lin- Well I hope you are still happy and healthy and the rest of the Browns as well. I love and miss you guys! Have a good week :)

Keila- Hey.Smile.:) Haha I love ya Keila :) Have a good week!

Sydney-Thanks for your quick email :) I love and miss you as well! Have a good week off of school! :)

Leslie- Don't worry, be happy! :) Classic song. Haha I love and miss ya Sles! Have a good week :)

Brooke and Hayden- I love you too. Always :)

I love and miss you all! Have a good week!

Love,
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle :)

Nearer My God to Thee - September 29, 2014

September 29, 2014

Hymn on page 100. It is my absolute favorite by far. Come Thou Fount of Every blessing is also a close favorite, but it isn't in the hymn book, so I guess I can't count it. Wow...I just tried to use this computer as if it had a touch screen...the heck. Haha anyways...now I am way off topic. So, Nearer My God to Thee. I feel like that is how I can describe my entire mission, but this past week has been no exception.

On Wednesday we had an awesome opportunity. All the missionaries from Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fallon, and Quincy got together here in my area with yellow "Helping Hands" vests and we cleaned up a park for the city of Sparks. I was out snipping down willows the entire time. The force of 170 missionaries was able to knock the project out pretty quickly. It not only was exciting to see so many of my good missionary friends, but it was nice to be able to do that service. I truly have a testimony of service. It brings us closer to our Heavenly Father. Mosiah 2:17 "And behold I tell you these things that you may learn wisdom; that you may learn that when you are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God". Doing that service brought me nearer to God this week.

I bet you can guess what else brought me nearer to God this week. Yep. My bike. It is the most frustrating thing I think I have ever had to deal with. However, it causes me to pray a lot. So, yes my bike has brought me nearer to God this week.

Singing has brought me nearer to God this week. There is a Less Active lady that we visit here, and we always start our lessons with her with a song. I enjoy it. This week we actually sang, "Nearer My God to Thee". I love singing. Even though I am not too good at it.

There are so many things that are able to bring us closer to our Heavenly Father. I mention a lot of them each and every week. This week we have the opportunity to be able to listen to our Prophet and Apostles in General Conference. I know that is definitely a way that we are able to come nearer to our Heavenly Father, because as we listen, there will be something said that will touch us. We will be able to recognize that Heavenly Father really is talking to us. I encourage you all to be prepared for it :)

So, to give you a little update on those we are teaching. Things are actually going pretty well. My companion is a crazy Tongan, and just when I think I can't take it any more, we start a new day, and things are good. We have to use team work to not only teach, but to break into our own bathroom. Funny story. For some reason all of a sudden, we can no longer open the bathroom door from the outside, even if it is unlocked. Super weird. We had a great time breaking in though. Good bonding experiences. The late night talks also help a lot. My companion is crazy, but I love him :)

Now...that had nothing to do with those we are teaching. We have two people set with a baptismal date for October 11th. One is pretty solid, the other will probably have to be moved, but we will see. We have others that are progressing, but it is relatively slowly. We actually have started working with an awesome part member family this past week and so far, things are looking promising there. They came to church yesterday. I really feel like things are picking up here,and it is exciting, and definitely helpful. As it helps me remain focused. So yeah, things are going well for me and September is already basically done. Woah. It is going quickly!

Dad- Thanks for all the news. It is definitely appreciated. I figured my team would have a W this week. I am happy :) That is a bummer about ASU though. Shucks. Did they drop in their ranking?? The Tongan is going good. I know how to say yes and liar. haha. The important stuff ;) Let's just say, I have had quite a few of the interesting guys as companions. Haha. Jeri Lin did give me the exciting news :) As for conference. I am gonna see if we can watch it in members or less active or even investigators homes. If we can't find anyone then we will be headed up the road to the church building. I hope that answers your questions. I also hope that you have a good week this week. I love and miss you Dad :)

Mom- Thanks for sharing haha :) I was actually talking about that ambulance to someone...it might have been a while ago. I don't remember haha. Anyways I hope you have had a good week Mom and I hope you have another good one this week. I sure do love and miss you :)

Jeri Lin- Thank you for the loves from Texas :) Well that is no fun about the sickness. I am glad that the excitement is there for the new baby though :) I am glad you continue to see the good in all the little things. Continue to do that this week and have another good one :) I love and miss ya!

Keila- I hear you got to go to the ASU game. Lucky. Even though they lost. I hope you have had a good week. I love and miss ya :)

Sydney- Thanks for your email :) It has been kinda cold, just rainy. The fall is coming for sure. I am gonna be happy to miss the real cold here. I will probably get a little of it, but not the whole thing. Thank goodness :) Good job on your swimming! That is awesome. Keep it up :) I love and miss you :)

Leslie- Thank you for sharing with me what you shared in your devotional. That is awesome :) I really do love and miss you too. Keep being awesome and have a good week :)

Brooke and Hayden- I love you two! :) Smile :)

Well that is all I have for today and this week. Keep being awesome!
I love and miss you all!

Love
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle :)

Origin -September 22, 2014

September 22, 2014

This week sure has been full of its ups and downs. At times, I felt as high as a kite and at other times I felt pretty down. I will explain some of those times.

Tuesday morning at about 9:30 I received a call from one of the Assistants to President. He called to tell me that they were doing some last minute transfer arrangements. The companion I was told I was originally gonna be with stayed in his area and I have given the opportunity to be companions now with Elder Katoa. I was super excited! My companion was born in Hawaii but grew up in Tonga! This is as close to Tonga as I can get on my mission, which is where I always wanted to serve. It is a lot of fun. He is still working on learning English better, but we have had a good first week together. Other missionaries are always saying, "I dunno how you do it, you are so patient". I just have fun. That's it, that's all. There is my secret. :)

That was one of my ups. Now for one of my downs. I have been riding a bike for so long, that my back tire finally gave up on me. I rode it down to the tube, and before that I got about 5 flats within a couple of hours. I ran out of patches, so I was cutting up old tubes and using rubber cement to patch my tires. If that isn't frustrating, I dunno what is. However, there is a positive to this story. Someone here was generous enough to buy me a new back tire. Without me asking. I am very blessed, because I was very unsure about what I would do for the next few weeks without one.

I will now end with a positive note. Yesterday, my companion and I were able to speak in Sacrament. I was left with about 25 minutes to fill. I did it! I was pretty proud of myself haha. Anyways, I would just like to share a little bit of what I spoke about yesterday. That is where the title of this email comes in. I was asked to give a background of myself and how I have received my testimony. I explained to them, I am an Arizona boy, with a big Mormon family, blah blah blah. The good stuff. Then I explained the three major aspects of how my testimony has developed over the years. It comes from the three simple "primary answers" I guess you could say. Church, Prayer, and Scripture study. My testimony has taken time to develop. I haven't always been the best at doing those three things, but the little things here have lead me to the point of where I am at today. On my mission, it has only increased more. I have improved in those areas myself, and seen the effect is has on others lives. They are true and powerful principles. A few weeks ago...maybe it was this week...I dunno. The time is running together. Anyways, I prayed to have the feeling of truly loving and wanting to be a missionary. As I have seen my friends now complete their missions, I see that desire that many of them have to continue doing what they are doing as missionaries. I enjoy being a missionary, but I feel like I didn't have that...fire I guess. I dunno. So I prayed for that fire. As I was sharing how I received my testimony and as I was out sharing that testimony yesterday afternoon. It came to me. I really enjoy doing this. I enjoy sharing what I know to be true, as it has become part of me. It has taken some time, but it is there, and I was able to recognize it. It helps me keep pushing forward now. It is my drive. Even if people decide to throw pizza crust at me from there car as I am talking to people on the street. I am grateful for my testimony. I am grateful for all of you. Each one has played a part in helping me develop that testimony. I know that this work and this church is true. I know that God is our loving Heavenly Father. I know he has restored the Gospel on the earth today through modern prophets in order to bless our families. The way it comes is through our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Which is developed through Prayer, Church, and Scripture Study. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Here is one of my absolute favorite Mormon Messages

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages/topics/prayer?v=2505987918001

I am going to enjoy these last 11 weeks!

Remember to keep going to Church, reading, and praying!!

Dad- I still haven't gotten anything from you this week. Just know that I love and miss ya, muchly. I saw that your Seahawks beat the Broncos, good work :) I also got a tire, so if you haven't gotten one already. Don't worry. :) I hope you have a good week. You are awesome :) I love you and miss you!

Mom- Thank you again for your pictures and the email. I always enjoy the report of a good week :) That is cool that Sydney and Leslie were able to compete against each other. I think it would be fun to compete against a sibling. :) Thank you for sending me the Gibbons gazette as well. It is good to be updated :) I am just glad you and everyone are still doing well. I love and miss you Mom, and I hope you have another good week :)

Jeri Lin- Well it looks like I have missed an email from you this week as well. Don't feel bad, it is all good :) I think Mom mentioned some sort of big news though? You will have to get me updated on that as soon as you can. :) I hope you have had a good week and have a good one this week! I love and miss ya :)

Keila- Mom also mentioned to me some big plans that you have as well! All this big news and I still haven't heard anything :) Haha I love and miss ya, and hope to hear soon! :)

Sydney- Well I am glad you enjoyed your week! I am also glad that you had a good time on your date and that you were able to make good friends with Lisa, weird to think she is getting married. That is what happens though. Thanks for keeping me posted. I hope you have another good week! Love and miss ya!

Leslie- You are awesome. Just thought I would let you know that. Also, wanted to wish you a good week this week! Love ya and miss ya!

Brooke- Mom told me that you had to spray the weeds this week. Good work! I hope school is going well! I love and miss you :)

Hayden- I love ya man! I will see you soon!!

I love and miss you all!

Love,
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle :)

Sweet 16 - September 15, 2014

September 15, 2014

Well I am sitting here. Yep. Enjoying all the good news I have received via the emails. Thank you for that. I am also sitting here, feeling terrible, because I ate entirely too much for lunch this afternoon. A footlong, Italian BMT from Subway (5$ Sub of the Month) and then I had 16oz of Frozen Yogurt from U Swirl. I suppose it is a good thing that my transfer call from last night told me that I will be staying in the area, and I will just continue biking. I am sure that is not much of a surprise to anyone.I had been hoping this week that I would get a call to train a new missionary again, but I didn't even get one of those. I am getting a new companion though. Don't know him all to well, so I guess more details will come next week. I do believe that he is a Spanish speaker, which will be a huge help here in the area. It seems that just about every person I try to talk to here only speaks Spanish. So..yeah. That is the transfer news as today marks the beginning of Sweet 16. It is my 16th transfer here in the mission field. How crazy is that? :)

As for this past week, it actually has been quite slow over all. My companion caught a bug. Not like a cricket or ants, but like a sick bug. I guess it just has been making its way around. So, he spent a lot of time resting. Meanwhile,I drew pictures, read the scriptures, just anything to keep me busy.It was kinda rough, but I survived. Just because it was a slow week does not mean that it was an unsuccessful week though. The biggest highlights I believe are that we now have two people set with a baptismal date. Both set for the 11th of October.Things are moving right along :)

Speaking of things moving right along, my trainer is going home in a couple days. Along with a few other very good friends of mine. Including one of my very best friends, Elder Stevens. I remember feeling like the first 12 weeks were an eternity. Now, that is all I have left.Things surely are just moving right along.

So...I am trying to think of a good story for the week. Hmm. Well yesterday, after sacrament meeting, our ward mission leader came up to us and said that he was worried about the man we baptized just a couple weeks ago, because he went to go pick him up for church, but there was no answer.He asked us if we would be willing to go with him during the Sunday School hour to go check on him. We agreed. We got to his apartment. No sound. Not even the dog was barking. This was worrying us, because of the health condition he is in. So...we tried seeing if the leasing office had an extra key. Nothing. Next option, check with his wife who has been in the hospital for pneumonia. We drive there and she tells us to try going around the back and knocking on the window. Luckily we were able to do that and everything was alright. It was an adventure,going back and forth around town. What I got from it all? Some tree sap in my hair. Haha lucky me. Just to make a comparison, I think that may be how Heavenly Father feels when he doesn't hear back from us. Communication is key. We are extremely blessed to have the ability to communicate with one another. I look forward to it each and every week. We are extremely blessed to be able to communicate daily with our Heavenly Father. Don't you forget that :)

Dad- I am happy to say that I was surprised to hear about the loss of my Chargers to Arizona, but pleasantly surprised about our win against Seattle. That gives me great hopes for the rest of this year. I am just sorry that it had to come to the expense of your team. I am glad that you were able to have some fun at the pool this week. I hope you have a good time with Hayden at Cabela's this week too :) Just keep doing your best. I continue praying for you to have the opportunities that you want and need and that will be best for you and the family.Just put yourself in a position to succeed and it will all work out :) I love you and miss you Dad. Have a Great week! :)

OH! ps. I need new tread for my bike tires. I have been riding bald for a few months now, my personal debit card doesn't seem to work any more though. Would you be able to order some, or what is the plan of action I should take??

Mom- Well thank you for your email.It is always nice to have updates and pictures. I am glad the kiddos are all doing well and that you all were able to have some fun,celebrating Brooke's birthday. It sounds like fun. I am also glad that the kids are doing things that help you out. That is something I definitely wish I was better at while I was there at home. I am glad you are doing well Mom. Keep it up and have a good week. I love and miss you :)

Jeri Lin- I was wondering when I was going to get that news. It looks like my prayers have been answered! Thank you so much for all you do. You are a huge help :) You said you had a pretty boring week, but it doesn't seem to me to have been all that boring. Bed Frames, Birthday, and fun kids. Sounds good :) I hope you have another good, "boring" week ;) Smile! I love and miss you!!

Keila- Well I hope you have had a good week!! I sure love ya and miss ya. Hope school and work are going well :)

Sydney-I hope you are having a good Monday so far! I also hope that you have a good week! :)

Leslie, Brooke, and Hayden. I love and miss you all too! Have a good, fun week!

I love and miss you all!

Love,
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle :)

All Leads to Sunday September 8, 2014

I was thinking about this last night. What is "this" you ask? Well the title of this email of course. In my head, I make many comparisons of this missionary work to sports. It makes the tough times a little more bearable. Anyways, with football season starting up again here again, I realized that on a mission, everything comes down to Sunday. All the work and preparation from the entire week comes to that day. You are able to see if the ones you have been teaching and committing to come to church will actually be there. If you have had a baptism, the confirmation happens on Sunday. And of course, we have the weekly call in report on Sunday night where we evaluate how we have done and see the areas where we could use some improvement for the next week. Interesting how football works in a very similar way. :)

As it came to Sunday, I realized that we had a very good week. In my books, we could put up a W at the end of this week. Now let's take a look at the highlights for the week. I went on exchanges on Wednesday and I was with a missionary who has been out for just about a month now. It was fun teaching with a youngster. Kinda makes me want to train again. It was a good day. On that day, we found two new investigators and a potential investigator and taught four solid lessons. It was enjoyable :) Then we move to Saturday and Brother Flanigan was indeed baptized. It was a simple baptism. Not too many people. It was a good one though. I was asked to be a witness. I also talked and taught the Restoration of the Gospel by myself during the time while they were changing into dry clothes. That is something President has encouraged us to do, as it keeps the Spirit there. Then I was asked to also say the closing prayer. It was a busy baptism. Like I said though, it was a great one. There is nothing better than being able to see the joy and the change that comes into peoples lives after they make that covenant. That joy then continued on into Sunday as I was asked to confirm him during Sacrament meeting. That was another great experience for me :) Then after sacrament, we were invited into the Bishop's office and were asked to participate in his Priesthood ordination. Awesome. :) Now we will move to Sunday night. The stake has been preparing a missionary fireside for about a month now and last night it all came into effect. It was about how families can be together forever. My companion and I probably gave out a little more than 30 invitations over the past few weeks, and we had a total of 1 person show up. Worth it. I was able to see a few people from the good ol' ward I served in at the beginning of my mission. The best one though was as I was sitting there during the meeting, I leaned back and looked to the row behind me. And who did I see? Raina. I dunno if you all remember her, but I baptized her just before I left Sparks. I was so incredibly happy to see her. Of course after the meeting, I rushed as fast as I could through the crowd to find her and say hello. I was just super glad that she recognized me. It was an awesome reunion. :) Like I said, it all leads to Sunday. And this week was a success :)

As for our all of the others we are teaching. They all are doing pretty well. The progression is just kinda slow at this point. Mostly all of them just have struggles here and there that are holding them back. Which is nothing new, and nothing we can't handle. Just gotta continue to be patient and continue to find others to teach :)

Dad- I didn't get an update of the Chargers and Tards from ya. Haha. I am glad your team did well though. That is way awesome. That is crazy about the rain too. Some people had mentioned it too me, but I didn't realize that it was that bad! That is crazy. I miss all the craziness. I missed the snow last year and then this crazy rain. Oh well. It is starting to cool down quite a bit here. Which I am not too excited for. Gonna have to be busting out the thermals here pretty soon. Time is just flying by. It is unreal.Thanks for all your love and support. I sure do miss you and love you. I hope you have a good week. :)

Mom- I think I missed ya this week, but I want you to know that I don't love ya any less. You are the best Mom I could ask for :) I just hope that you have had a good week and that you have another one this week :) I love you and miss ya!

Jeri Lin- Time sure doesn't pass the same as it used to. I remember the first 12 weeks in the mission field were like an eternity and I was wondering if I would ever make it to the end. After this week, I will only have 12 weeks left. Woah. It is really crazy stuff. I am glad to hear that you and the Tony and the kiddos had another good, fun week :) Jumping fish and all. I remember being a Fremont Flying Fish back in the day when I was trying to be a Michael Phelps. Anyways...haha. I hope you have another good week. I love and miss you :) Also! Happy Birthday to Tony!!

Keila- I am glad you are excited. :) Haha Thanks for the update. That is way cool that school was cancelled. Who would think that would ever happen over there in the good ol' AZ?? :) I hope you do get to work and that it goes well and that you have another good week! I love and miss you Wei :)

Sydney- Well I let Hailey know that your hair looks good, so I will let you know. Your hair looks good :) I am glad swimming is going well. :) Thank you also for sharing the essay you wrote. That is good. It is weird, but sometimes I miss writing :) I hope you have another good week and are able to stay as dry as possible! :) I love and miss ya Syd!

Leslie- Well I hope you got my letter this week. I also hope you are still doing well in Swim. Stay awesome and keep working hard :) I love and miss you :)

Brooke- I hope you are having a good day! I hope you have 7 more good days until I can send you another short little note. Your Birthday is in like 5 days. So Happy Birthday to you :) I love and miss ya!

Hayden-I hope you are still doing well little brother :) Have a good week! I love and miss ya :)

That is all I have for now. I love and miss you all!! Have a good week :)

Love,
Your Son
Your Brother
Elder Bryton Dane Shinkle :)