I Love Christmas EVEN MORE out on the Mission!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

How was everyone's Christmas?  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and kept Christ in your hearts!

This week was absolutely different from Christmas weeks back home, but I feel like I experienced a lot more JOY this week, as I was in the service of my Savior, Jesus Christ; the true reason we celebrate the season!  I can't wait 'til next Christmas season!

So, here's this week of Christmas!

Dec. 22, Mon: We went to "Tamarack," which Beckley is famous for.  Tamarack is where all the heritage/cultural/history comes together.

We taught Tom Poe - this is the most he's ever seemed like he'd come to church; he says he doesn't like groups of people and is anti-social.  It's going to be interesting dealing with this concern.

Dec. 23, Tues: Christmas Adam!  Haha.

Today we had mormon.org study.  Almost the whole hour, I watched all the Christmas videos from the Mormon Channel website.  I might have started crying, I wasn't sure. :)  But, they were all so powerful!  (My favorite was, "O Come, Emmanuel" by the Piano Guys).

After that, we were able to meet with some former investigators by the name of Eric and Dreama; it was really great.  They had 5 of their grandsons over, and as we started talking about the Restoration, the 3 oldest (ages 10, 9 & 7) stopped playing in the next room and came in and sat down and listened.  We explained the Restoration, The Book of Mormon, and the Christmas story in the Americas. (3 Nephi 1:4-21)  They really liked the story of Samuel the Lamanite. (Helaman 13 - 14, 16).  That was a really cool experience.  They were, as Dreama said, "mesmerized!"
 

Dec. 24, Wed: Christmas Eve! 

The last couple of days, Elder Caldwell and I have been cleaning out the shelves in the kitchen to make room for all the food and treats the ward members have been giving us for Christmas.  We realized we have a lot of hot chocolate!  So, getting the idea from some other missionaries in the mission, we decided to set up a "Free hot chocolate" booth and pass out "He is the Gift" cards!  So, come Christmas Eve, in front of Kroger, we put up a booth with free hot chocolate and "He is the Gift" signage. 

We were there for a couple hours and we had such a blast, wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas," handing out hot chocolate and "He is the Gift" cards!  We gave out 90 cups of hot chocolate and probably over a 100 "He is the Gift" cards!  I will always remember how much fun we had.  Most people willingly listened as we talked with them - it helped that the hot chocolate was really good! 

Then the twins' family had us over for a wonderful meal!  

Their grandmother, Sister Blackburn (who's come to church 4 weeks in a row!) gave us each a bottle of Calvin Klein cologne!  Mine was called, "ETERNITY" Oooh!
Then we had the plan to go caroling to some former investigators.  Well, we made it one door to Vannessa's house, and she invited us right in!  Her family and friends were all over having a party! They gave us even more food and we had a wonderful time talking with all of them.  We were able to give "He is the Gift" cards to all them as well!

Dec. 25, Thurs: Christmas!
All 6 of us elders in our district came to the apartment to have a wonderful breakfast.

And then we opened presents together!  It was lots of fun!  We opened presents in order of youngest to oldest in mission experience (so I got to go first!)  I loved every single gift I got!  Thanks, everyone!  Elder Chin, both of us being Ute fans, also got the same Ute mug!
Then we went to the Laxton's for dinner and to Skype our families!

My family's view of our Christmas Skype

Dec. 26, Fri: We taught Ms. W.
Laxton's gave us a $50 gift card to Outback Steakhouse, so, after weekly planning, we went there for dinner.  That was my first steak I've had since coming on my mission.

Dec. 27, Sat: Saturday's are now our day to go up to Sister Jackson's house to serve and then have dinner and teach our rock star investigator, Matt.  Saturday's are the best!  We had lots of fun!

We caught some chickens

We stacked some wood!

We taught Matt the Plan of Salvation; it went so well, he's really a good listener.

Matt

All the information is really new to him.  I love teaching him, though - I can't say enough on how prepared he is!  We put him on date for Baptism for Feb. 28.

{Matt & Rebbeca's daughters: Jasmine age 10, Cassie age 10, & Kayla age 16, modeling Katelyn's rubberband bracelets she sent!}

Dec. 28, Sun: Our whole district blew it up today!  As a district, we had five investigators and one former investigator come to church today!  We had two come!  Matt came again (3 weeks in a row, he's so solid) and Tom Poe came!  Elder Caldwell and I were really surprised about Tom - he really enjoyed all the services and is excited and comfortable to come back!
Besides that, not really any big news...... except after we were done teaching David Lilly, he mooned us!  What the.....?  He was telling us about a motorcycle accident he had, and just had to show us the burn marks on his butt.  Thanks, David!

It was just a wonderful week!  I love the Holiday Season, I love it even more out on the mission!

Love Ya'll!

-Love, Elder Brenchley

Way Out in the Sticks

Hey Ya'll!

I'm doing great!  I'm doing absolutely great.  We just found 2 elect investigators from part-member families!  I've never had so much gratitude in my heart!  I can honestly say, this is the most gratitude I have ever felt in my heart at one time.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and to do as Jesus Christ would have me do.  I'm so grateful to be called to the West Virginia Mission, and to serve with the wonderful missionaries and people out here.  I'm so grateful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I'm so grateful for this Christmas season that we get to celebrate His birth.  I know my Savior lives and loves me, and each one of us!

{Our Christmas card}

Here's my best recap of this past wonderful weekend!

This past week was absolutely wonderful!  The week sure didn't start off looking like that; our only investigator with a baptismal date asked that she have more time to think and to pray.  This was disheartening and joyous news at the same time.  We really do think she's ready for baptism, but it's good news to hear she truly is wanting to KNOW with all her heart this Church is true, after attending another church all her life long.  She's definitely all-in for joining this Church for herself, and not out of obligation to anyone.

This weekend ended absolutely beautiful!  My companion and I couldn't help jumping for joy and stating, "Miracles are the best!"  Come Saturday we went to serve a sister in the ward.  She lives way out in the sticks.  She informed us last week that she would be feeding us and that we would be teaching her grandson-in-law-to-be, Matt.  He has a lot of interest in the church and enjoys attending with his girlfriend and this sister from the ward.  We worked for a few hours side by side with him.  We had a lot of time to get to know him; his desires, his likes, and really connect with him.  Both my companion and I felt like we made a forever friend.  Then when we were able to teach, the Spirit that was felt, as the Sister from our ward added her testimony of the Restoration and the Book of Mormon?  Absolutely incredible.  Matt truly has been so prepared and has all the support in the world.  He had nothing but hope and happiness in his eyes as he committed to read the Book of Mormon and accepted a baptismal invitation.  We thought our week couldn't get any better!

But, wait.  There's more!

Media referrals are absolutely great.  We met our referral briefly and found out this man's son (who is a member) referred his father because he has been struggling financially and emotionally.  We were able to set up an appointment and establish a good relationship in the brief time we had.

But, wait.  There's more! 

Throughout my time being in Beckley 2, us missionaries have always had the intention of visiting a less-active brother and his wife.  Maybe it was the long distance and not being able to get a hold of them, but we never have been out to see them.  But, this week, we got some great "West Virginia" directions ("2 sees and a holler") out to their place - way out in the sticks.  So, we went to see them Sunday night.  We didn't really know what to expect, but when we got there we could immediately feel their desire to learn and to better their lives.  The husband knows he's been missing something and wants that back.  He wants the best for his wife and kids, and was SO appreciative to have us over.  He really wanted for his wife to be baptized.  The lesson went so well; the Spirit guided one of the most powerful lessons I've ever taken part of.  They both have that desire to come closer to Christ, for themselves and their family.  She had tears in her eyes as she accepted the invitation to be baptized.

With the miracles I've experienced the last couple of days, me and Elder Caldwell have had nothing but gratitude in our hearts!  We've been so blessed here; finding the elect, even if they are all the way out in sticks.  The Elect are certainly out there.  And in two days we taught two of them and their families.

I don't have a lot of time, but I thought I would share just one thing from each day.

Mon. Dec. 15:  On P-day, Elder Caldwell showed me his skateboarding skills @ the Skate Park we have down the road.

Tues. Dec. 16:  We had district meeting and went to Olive Garden for lunch.  I began an exchange with Elder Spencer.

Wed. Dec. 17:  I finished the exchange with Elder Spencer and learned some good things from him.  We taught Sister Cline and she asked to have more time to think about baptism and this church, so she is no longer on date.

Thurs. Dec. 18:  We had specialized training/Christmas program up in Charleston today - absolutely excellent!  It's always good to receive training from President.  We also had a wonderful Christmas program; each district had to perform something.  We read the story of the "Christmas Truce" of WWI and sang, "Silent Night."  We had dinner with the Bishop.

Fri. Dec. 19:  We finally were able to contact David Lilly and had a lesson with him.

Sat. Dec. 20:  Service Saturday!  Service at Sister Legg's in the morning; cleaning up trees.
Then after an appointment fell through, we saw Brother Hicks.
Then "Service Saturday" continued!  We drove all the way up to Sister Jackson's farm (WAY OUT IN THE STICKS).  We stacked wood, she fed us, we fed the chickens, goats, and cows, then chased chickens into their hen house.  Wheww!  Then we taught her grandson-in-law to be named, Matt - not quite sure if I mentioned him in last week's email, but he's so cool!  All day we served side by side with him, so we really got to know him.  Elder Caldwell and Matt both snowboard, me and Matt both play baseball!  He's so cool!  He's dating Rebbeca Sprouse from the ward.  She comes every so often, but her daughters come every week with Sis. Jackson.  They've all recently been coming to church, and it started with the ward Christmas party.  They are such an awesome family and we love them to bits.  The lesson with Matt was so excellent!  He's been so prepared and he is so elect!  He fully accepted baptism!
We also got a media referral and contacted him and set up appointment!

Sun.  Dec. 21:  Went to church (only Sacrament meeting today).  Matt came with Rebecca and Sister Jackson and that whole clan!  We only had Sacrament meeting so we could all get up to the Stake Presidency Christmas devotional - that was excellent as well.

The Heller's took us to the devotional and fed us lunch.  Then, afterwards, we had an appointment with Bro. Snuffer's son, Richard, and his wife, Robin.  We didn't know how it was going to go.....but it went so wonderful.  They are both just so ready to have more happiness and peace in their life.  Richard wants that peace again that he had back when he was going to church, but he's been through a lot, and wants nothing but the best for his wife and their two little twin girls.  We taught them both the Restoration lesson; Robin really enjoyed it and Richard was so grateful for the refresher lesson. With power and authority in our voices, we promised them blessings upon blessings if they followed these simple steps.  We invited Rebecca to be baptized, and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Yes."  They knew with all their hearts that God had sent us to them!  They are just so great!  I love them so much!  Our weekend couldn't have ended any better!

This Christmas season, I can already tell, will be and has been a lot different, but WOW!  I've said it earlier, and I'll say it again; I can honestly say this is the most gratitude I have ever felt in my heart at one time.  I am so grateful to be a missionary and to do as Jesus Christ would have me do.  I'm so grateful to be called to this great mission and to serve with the wonderful missionaries and people out here.
I'm so grateful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and so grateful for this Christmas season that we get to celebrate His birth.  I know my Savior lives and loves me, AND each one of us.

I Love You All!
Merry Christmas!

-Love Elder Brenchley

Random Questions #15

Note: Mom makes a list of questions in her letters and Elder Brenchley answers them:

1.  How do all the missionaries get to their new areas?  Especially when it’s in a different state?  The "Transfer Train."  It is two 15 passenger vans and a big box truck that goes from Roanoke to Charleston and every missionary gets on it to go up to Charleston.

2.  That's crazy that your cousin, Maddie, is in one of the pictures with your new D.L.!  Small World!  What year did he graduate from BHS?  Class of 2011.  What makes it an even SMALLER WORLD is that he is the nephew of Bishop & Sister Bullock from our Farmington ward!  He showed me a family picture of them, too.

3.  What are your plans for Christmas?  District Leader Spencer had the great idea to have all us missionaries have breakfast together Christmas morning and open presents together - should be fun!  I also really want to share Aunt Louise's song, "Waiting for the Child" with everyone!  As part of our little missionary get-together Christmas morning, we were asked to share our favorite Christmas tradition!  Will you send me the lyrics/music to the song, "Christmas Shoes?"  I'm going to share that tradition.  :)  The Laxton's, a less-active family, is having us over for a meal.

4.  Are you going to be able to call home or Skype on Christmas?  I don't know if we will be able to Skype with the Laxton's, but we may have to talk to the Heller's about that.  The Young's would have let us, but they are in Texas for the holidays.  We've been given special permission to let you know (email, text) as to when and where we are going to call/Skype.  In the meantime, could ya'll set up a Skype account for me?

5.  Did you receive our package of Christmas presents to you?  I received y'alls presents package on Friday, the 19th!  Thank You, Thank You!  All the other missionaries are jealous of all the gifts I got!  :)  Dianne & Scott, Eric & Julie, Phil & Nicole, G-ma & G-pa, and Nana & Papa all sent something, too!  So, it seems like I'm getting more presents out on the mission, than back home!  :)  Should have come on a mission sooner!  :)

6.  From the picture of your ward party, the inside of the church looks similar to ours.  Is your church building the same size as ours at home?  Yes, it's a good sized church building; that was the gym you saw in the photo.

7.  Also, from the pictures.....Is your companion shorter than you are?  Lucky you -- you get to feel TALL [for once]!  Elder Caldwell is way smaller than me!  I'm about 4 inches taller, and 50 lbs. heavier!  I do enjoy it!

8.  Is that duct tape on your walls, holding up your Christmas lights?  ;)  Yes, the duct tape you sent is the most handiest thing!

9.  Are you "decorating" your house with Arizona drink cans on your bookshelf?  Yes!  I have started a Arizona can collection because they are only 75 cents at Wal-Mart and Dollar General.  The Squirt bottles were from Elder Johnson.

10.  I remember on my mission, it was easier to do missionary work at Christmas time; more reasons to contact people, etc.  Are you experiencing that, too?  This Christmas season has been so amazing!  It's so easy to talk to people!

Miracles, Smoke Alarms, & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

{Elder Caldwell & I decorated our apartment for Christmas}

Hey Ya'll!

How are you doing? 

I hope you are having a very Merry Christmas season.

I hope you continue to remember that "He is the Gift" (#sharethegift, christmas.mormon.org) and how Jesus Christ and His restored gospel has blessed your lives.  Continue to share it with others and pray & fast for opportunities to do so!  You WILL see miracles; I can personally say I've seen a lot in doing so myself!

I had a really interesting week; we had 6 member-present lessons set up at the beginning of the week, and because of cancellations from members/investigators, we only ended up with 2 lessons.  But, so many miracles made it all better!

Mon. Dec. 8:  A miracle happened today.  After P-DAY, we were working in our area and we passed by the house of a potential investigator.  We'd never gotten her name, but Elder Johnson and I met her back when we helped her to her car in Kroger's parking lot on a rainy night back in October.  Whenever we pass her house, we give a knock.  We've probably done this dozens of times and she's never home.  I guess Elder Caldwell was the lucky charm!   THIS TIME she answered and we got her name and phone number and are planning on serving her next week and staying in contact!  She is really open to learning and was really appreciative of our willingness to serve.  

Tues. Dec. 9:  This morning, I read in the Ensign Elder Neilsen's talk on sustaining a Prophet.  While I was reading, I looked at a picture of The First Presidency and had the most overwhelming feeling that we have Prophets and Apostles, called of God, on this earth today!  I know it! :)

District meeting today was focused on setting goals as a district.  I like this approach because it helps us come closer as a district. 

Tonight we taught Lucksas Graham and his family with the Young's.  We did a simple review of the lessons we've taught since he's just 8 yrs. old.  Then after, we shared with the whole family, "He is the Gift."  Sister Tracy Graham. was reading the captions for the kids and the moment was so beautiful.  She got really emotional and The Spirit was so strong!  They are such a great, wonderful family, and they just need to come back to church!

Wed. Dec. 10:  We began passing out fliers for the ward Christmas party that will be on Saturday.

I also finally got to an Orthodontist to re-cement my retainer - and they didn't charge me a thing!

With Bro. Barnett, we taught the "Word of Wisdom" lesson to Sister Cline.  She said she drinks coffee and tea, but quite simply said, "I don't drink a lot, so it won't be a problem to stop."  WOW! That went well!  She really is progressing; we're pretty sure she'll make her date for Jan. 18 or sooner.

Thur. Dec. 11:  We taught Tom Poe today with Brother Brooks and he brought up a new concern I've never heard before.  He's scared of socializing with people.  This struck us a little silly because he sure does talk a lot when we're there.  So, with that, he says he's not sure if he can come to church........ :( 

Fri. Dec. 12:  Another miracle happened today!  Ya'll remember Tom Wood, right?  Well, the last time we got a hold of him was the week of Thanksgiving.  We've called him every day since then - and no answer.  Well, we called the Assistants to give them Tom as a referral since St. Albans is in their area.  All we gave them was his phone number and told them to keep an eye out for him.  Within an hour, we got a text from them that they got a hold of Tom and they had an appointment with him on Saturday!  I jumped for joy!  I'm hoping they'll pick up right where we left off!

Another one of our member-presents fell through, so as backup we took the Young's to a less-active's home, the Laxton's.  We're never able to get in with them because Bro. Laxton is always working and it's just her there.  Since we brought the Young's, we were able to get in!  They said they'd come to the ward Christmas party!

Sat. Dec. 13:  Today we had apartment inspections.  Elder & Sister McBean (a senior proselyting couple) came and inspected our apartment.  We need a smoke alarm in our bedroom!  Whoops!  At the end of the inspection, Elder McBean started telling us some of his mission stories, back when he served in the Western States Mission! :)  The Spirit was really strong and I can't wait to tell my mission stories for the rest of my life. 

Josef Heller came out with us to go to a lesson with Ms. W, but she wasn't there.  So, to give him a taste of missionary work, we started tracting, as back-up!

We had to go in a little early today, so I could make mom's pumpkin choc. chip muffins for the ward party.  I thought they turned out okay.

Then, we attended the ward party!  There was so much food and so many people.  The twins actually came with Sis. Blackburn!  Turns out, their mother's heart has softened and she's all right with them getting baptized!  Sweet! 

There was a special appearance by Santa at the ward Christmas party!

(L to R): Elder Carter, Elder Caldwell, ME, Santa (Bro. Wallace), Elder Chinn, Elder Spencer, Elder Esplin

 

Sun. Dec. 14:  None of our investigators came to church today - not even Sister Cline.  :(  But, so many good, wondrous things happened!  The Laxton's came to church!  This is the first time I've seen them, and they brought their friends, who are some former investigators for the Beckley area!  Also, Kay and her family came again!  Her grandkids are really pushing to come to Primary!  It's Awesome! Also, the Sprouse family came!  The daughters usually come with their great-grandma, Sister Jackson, but this time their mom, Rebecca, came with her boyfriend, Matt, and his daughter.  They also came to the ward Christmas party!  After church, Sister Jackson came up to us and informed us she would be feeding us Saturday, and that we would also be teaching Matt and his daughter!  Whoa! That's the kind of referrals we need!  We're so excited to start teaching them! 

Also, our meal calendar blew up this week!  We have someone feeding us every single day this week! I love Sundays!

{Staying fly at the Young's house}

 

We tracted the rest of the day and found some great potentials.  This week we are hoping to turn those potentials into new investigators!

I love miracles!  I love serving a mission because I get to see so many!  I love doing as Jesus would do!  It's the Best; those good feelings inside you.  And the miracles I see trump all the disappointment and hard times I experience!

I love you all so much!  Continue to have Happy Holidays!

-Elder Brenchley

We Were Passing Notes in Church.... ;)

Hey Ya'll! 

This past week was transfer week, so a little hectic!  I got my new companion!  He's awesome; his name is Elder Caldwell, he's from Morgan, Utah.  He's a really chill guy; plays soccer, and he really likes skateboarding & snowboarding.  He graduated from high school in 2014, just like I did.  He came out on his mission July 16, 2014, so he's only one transfer ahead of me.  So, we've got two newer missionaries running Beckley 2.

Elder Caldwell & I

We also got 3 other new elders in the district: Elder Spencer (DL who will be serving in Beckley) from Bountiful, UT (It's funny, he actually has a picture from high school with my cousin, Maddie, in the background), Elder Chinn (serving in Oak Hill) from West Jordan, UT, and Elder Esplin (Oak Hill) from Meridian, Idaho.  So, that's the new district, ready to serve!

How's  #sharethegift  going with Ya'll?  I'm excited to hear about all your missionary opportunities!

This week was short...

Dec. 4, Thurs: I spent the whole day waiting for the transfer train and my new companion.  But, I cleaned the whole apartment - to make a good first impression.  Even after I worked that hard, Elder Caldwell, after being the apartment for 10 minutes, steps in a huge puddle from our shower leaking. :(   I introduced him to the Snuffer's.

Dec. 5, Fri:  We had a great miracle today!  While looking for a former investigator in a trailer park, we knocked on the wrong door, and found a great young single mother named, Amber.  She really enjoyed our short door-step conversation, and she was willing to set-up an appointment right then and there, to come back and have us share "He is the Gift." 

Then after meeting with Tom Poe, Brother Meador joined us to go meet with Civi and Kay.  Civi wasn't feeling well, so we just taught Kay and her two granddaughters.  They really wanted to go to church and it turns out Brother Meador was one of the girl's Primary teachers!

Dec. 6, Sat:  In the morning we went to Ryan Young's wrestling meet to support him.  Elder Caldwell was getting really into it and explained wrestling to me since he wrestled in school.  

Then we went to Beckley's downtown Christmas parade.  We saw so many people we knew and talked with a lot of people!  We shared some "He is the Gift" cards with a couple people.  I don't know how much it meant because there was about 12 floats from churches in the Beckley area giving out cards to get people to come to their church.  

We had a lot of success the rest of the day setting up appointments and we visited a former investigator by the name of Claude.  He is a close family friend to the Young's and agreed for us to come back.  

Then we had a wonderful dinner with the Young's and Elder Caldwell immediately liked them.  We followed up with their assignment to share "He is the Gift." Sister Young has had a lot of success sharing it with her co-workers at Shady Spring Middle School. She also invited her whole English department to watch the First Presidency Christmas devotional! 

When I got home there was a package from Eric and Julie's family; there was hot chocolate, mugs, and A CAMERA in it!  (Thank You So much again!)  So, thanks to them, I can now start putting more pictures on my emails and not have to borrow another missionary's camera!

Dec. 7, Sun:  We were hoping for Ms. W, Tom Poe, and Melissa & Emily to be at church; none of them showed up.  It was another Fast and "Tell A Story" meeting in the Beckley ward, but in the middle of Sacrament meeting, I had a note passed up to me, that said, Kay's out front."  We went out in the foyer and there was Kay, her mom, her two granddaughters, and Civi's son, Ryan.  I was so happy to see all of them!  The girls really enjoyed Primary, but Ryan was a little bashful about Nursery.  Overall, I think they really enjoyed it!  

Then, the Heller's had us over to break-the-fast, and we shared "He is the Gift" with them and committed them to share the gift!

{The Heller family & us at Ryan's (age 15!) Eagle Scout Court of Honor a couple weeks ago}

 

Then, Elder Caldwell was able to meet the twins and Shirley & Doyle.

I love Missionary Work and having others experience the same happiness that I do!  I love sharing THE GIFT and pray for Ya'll to have strength and courage for you to share how important Jesus Christ is to you this wonderful Christmas season!

I'd like to share a poem from an Elder in our mission that President Salisbury shared with us.

He is The Gift

As the weather grows cold, the giving season draws near
Temporal gifts are exchanged, all with Christmas cheer

Everyone keeps spending and racking up the cost
Some not even thinking of the life that was lost

We get so consumed in what gift we will give
And forget to celebrate the life Christ did live

It's hard to believe that He is so quickly forgotten
Our Savior, Our Redeemer, His only Begotten

But year after year it can be seen more clearly
We move away from the Christ who loves us so dearly

He was born to His mother, the Virgin Mary
Our burdens on His back, He did willingly carry

He did it all for us and yet, most of us shut Him out?
We forget the true meaning, what Christmas is all about

We want the next big thing, the newest toy
And push away the thing that gives us the most joy

Jesus Christ came, He suffered, and He bled
But from most, "thank you" isn't even said

We must reflect on such great a life
Most, when we are in times of great strife

We can follow His example and love like He does
And always remember the best life there ever was

Let's always remember Him and have a more Christ-like Spirit
Then share His story with the world, so everyone can hear it

This Christmas Season let us all remember Him
Let His light shine in the dark that has become so dim

Through His Atonement, us, He can lift
But we must always remember He Is The Gift

I have a great love for my Savior, as does he for me, and each one of you!

I Love You All So Much!

-Love, Elder Brenchley

Random Questions #14

Note: Mom makes a list of questions in her letters and Elder Brenchley answers them:

1.  How did the Young’s and the Heller’s “win out” over the other 5 families to get you for Thanksgiving?  They told us they were feeding us for Thanksgiving the 1st week I got here, so first come, first get the missionaries!

2.  Who’s headband/ear warmer were you wearing in the turkey bowl picture?  I didn’t know you had one....was it borrowed or did you get one?  That was Elder Johnson's!  He let me use it and boy,  was I grateful!    Was it cold that morning?  My ears would have fallen off without it.

3.  With both Elder Jacklin and Elder Bodily leaving.....does that leave Oak Hill area with NO missionaries?  No D.L.?  Or are two brand new ones coming in?   Two brand new ones came-in.  What do you call that?  Isn’t there a special term for that situation?  It's called "Doubling In."  They will have to work real hard and get as much info as they can.

4.  So, Elder Morse got transferred over to Blacksburg - that's where your MTC comp., Elder Williams, is.  Are they going to be companions now?  Elder Morse actually went up to the transfer meeting and picked up Elder Williams' new companion; he's a greenie.  Elder Williams will be his trainer in Radford! Elder Morse will be serving in Blacksburg 1. 

5.  Were there tears when Elder Johnson left?  Nope, I was sad, but it takes a lot for me to cry!

6.  Was there a waiting period between the time that Elder Johnson left you and Elder Caldwell arrived to your area?  Yes.  How long?  Whole day  Were you with someone?   Elder Johnson and Elder Morse went up to the transfer meeting, so Elder Carter (who lives upstairs at my house) & I stayed back at the house. What did you do?  We cleaned away while we waited for our new companions.

7.  How do all the missionaries get to their new areas?  Especially when it’s in a different state?  The "Transfer Train."  It is two 15 passenger vans and a big box truck that goes from Roanoke to Charleston and every missionary gets on it to go up to Charleston.

8.  Where is your new companion, Elder Caldwell, from?  Morgan, Utah  How long has he been out?  4 1/2 months.  He started his mission July 16, 2014, so just one transfer ahead of me.  What areas has he served in so far?  Clifton Forge, VA - that's it, only ONE!  What is he like? He's a really chill, plays soccer, he really likes skateboarding and snowboarding.

9.  How do you find most of your new investigators?  All the new investigators I've come in contact with have been from us finding them, through tracting or street contact.  (Except T.W. who was a media referral from missionaries down in Winchester)  

10.  Has anyone given you a Christmas tree or other decorations for your house?  Elder Caldwell's mom sent him some, including a Christmas stocking.  Sister Young gave me and Elder Johnson a stocking full of goodies, so basically we have two stockings hanging in our apartment.

He IS The Gift

I am still in Beckley 2!  Elder Johnson is getting Transferred :(

{Kanawha River in Charleston}

 

Anyway, I'll have the same address.

Thanksgiving was so awesome!  We had a ward Turkey Bowl....turned into Mud Bowl.

Me and Elder Johnson

Since I have limited time and a more days to talk about, I'll make it real brief.

Mon. Nov. 24:  P-Day.  I wrote letters all day and relaxed.
We met with our investigator, Rita and her husband, Ernie.  They fed us a delicious dinner of beef stew.

Tues. Nov. 25:  The whole district went to Sister Suigine's house to clean up her yard.  She's in the hospital, so we wanted it to look nice when she got back.  Bro. Doolittle headed that up and bought us all Little Caesar's after!  Service does pay off.  ;)
We also had district meeting and I was assigned to give a 10-minute lesson.  I chose to do it on, "Looking the part, acting the part, and doing the part of a missionary."  I thought it went well.
 We taught "Sister Cline with Bro. Barnett on the power of the Spirit in conversion.

{Sister Cline & Elder Johnson}

We then taught Tom Wood.  He told us he was moving in the morning and didn't know where he would be.  Hopefully, we can keep in contact and continue to teach him, or some other missionaries will, wherever he may end up.

Wed. Nov. 26:  We had zone meeting today explaining the "He is the Gift" initiative.  I would encourage Ya'll to go to http://www.mormon.org/christmas to watch the video, and share it with your friends and family!  What a better time to talk about our belief in Christ around Christmastime!  The Church is making a really big push for this one!  It's going to be the whole advertisement on YouTube for December 7th!  WoW!
Later, we taught Ms.W a Plan of Salvation review with Bro and Sis. Brooks.

Thurs. Nov. 27:  Thanksgiving!  Turkey Day!  My Click Date - I've been a missionary for 3 months!

Anyway, we had an awesome ward Turkey bowl, except because the field was so wet and muddy, it was really a "Mud Bowl!"  It was so much fun!  I had one passing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns!
Then Elder Johnson & I got cleaned up, and went and helped the Young's and the Heller's make Thanksgiving dinner, and we enjoyed it with them.

After that, we went contacting investigators and potential investigators, wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving, and setting up appointments.

Fri. Nov. 28:  I still have the food coma!
We met with a new investigator, Tom Poe.  He talks a lot, but is totally open and listens well.  He wants to come to church and we invited him to be baptized...and he said, "yes!"
The rest of the day, we had little luck teaching people, but we were able to invite several investigators and potential investigators to a Baptism service tomorrow.  We prayed that at least one would come to the Baptism.

Sat. Nov. 29: Today was the Baptism for two teenage girls who the Beckley elders have been teaching.  The font wasn't as full as it needed to be, so while the actual program was happening and the two Beckley elders were stalling, Elder Johnson, Elder Bodily, Elder Jacklin, and I were frantically filling up ice cream buckets, pots& pans, and empty trash cans with water and pouring them into the font.  With much prayer and hard work, we raised the water level from the 1st step to the 4th step of the font in less than an hour.  It was the craziest thing I've ever been a part of!  It was all worth it; as the girls got baptized, Elder Johnson and I got to be the witnesses.  Ms.W showed up right after the actual ordinance, but she still enjoyed the rest of the program.  We gave her a church your after, and she loved all the paintings.  She promised she'd be a church tomorrow.  Maybe if the font had been filled up, she would have missed the whole thing!  God answers prayers and works in very mysterious ways.
We received a call that night that one of us would be getting transferred.  They didn't tell us who (like usual) but just that either Elder Johnson or I would be getting transferred. :(

Sun. Nov. 30:  Well, no one showed up at church, not even Ms.W.  :(  Ahh well!
We visited Sister Gill and her less-active husband about 40 miles away, so that took up our whole day.

Mon. Dec. 1:  Miracle!  We found where Civi and Kay relocated to!  We actually saw Mark (he was only in jail for a month, I guess) in the Kroger parking lot, and he told us where they were!  So, we went and saw them with Bishop & Sister Geisler.  Awesome!
We shared the "He is the Gift" video with the McGrady's, who had us over for dinner.

{the wonderful McGrady's}

 

Minutes before this picture, we just gave Roger a Priesthood blessing.  He's been feeling sick, as you can tell. :)

Tues. Dec. 2:  Today we got a call from President Salisbury, I answered and he said I would be staying in Beckley and Elder Johnson would be a District Leader in Covington, Va.  Usually the zone leaders will call us, but President had to ask Elder Johnson if he would accept the assignment.  That night we got a call from the zone leaders and they told us who our new companions and areas would be!

We spent some time visiting our peeps one last time, so Elder Johnson could say, "Good Bye" to them.

{Rita}

 

{The Graham family, Lucksas is the younger boy on the couch}

We were over for their 6 yr. old daughter's birthday party last night.

{David}

 

{The twins, Mackenzie & Lindsay, with their grandmother, Sis. Blackburn}

Anyway time is running short, so I challenge every single one of you to share, "He is the Gift" with someone!  Share it on Social Media using #sharethegift.

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

We have so much to be grateful for!  And how grateful we should be for Jesus Christ; He is the reason for the season.  God's greatest GIFT to us!  HE IS the gift.

I Love You All!

-Elder Brenchley

Random Questions #13

Note: Mom makes a list of questions in her letters and Elder Brenchley answers them:

 
1.  I saw your Thanksgiving group picture (thanks to a good Sister in the ward!), it looked like there was more than one set of adults – who all was there together with you on Thanksgiving?  We had dinner at the Young's and the Heller family joined us.  It was Brother & Sister Young and their two kids who still live at home; 15 yr. old. son and 14 yr. old daughter (Kyle's future wife).  Brother & Sister Heller were there with their three kids who were around; 24 yr. old daughter, 17 & 12 yr. old sons.  Then Elder Johnson & myself - 11 total.

2.  Do you ever cook for yourself?  Or do you always eat out or at people’s houses?  If I can cook it, eat it, and clean it in an hour or less, I do.  So I buy a lot of frozen food and we get a lot of boxed meals (Just add water) that we can just microwave or heat in oven.

3.  Are the strong, devout members in your ward native West Virginians or are they “Utah transplants?”  Most are true West Virginians!  Our ward is full of first generation converts!

4.  What’s your orthodontics situation?  My retainer has come loose.  I will look for an Orthodontist, now that I know I will still be here!

5.  Did Emily say, “Yes” to baptism!!??  What about her mom, Melissa?    Emily and Melissa both said, "yes!"  It's just hard to teach them, and they haven't come to church yet.

6.  Was Elder Numbers at that Stake Conference and got to see his “wardie,” Elder Baxter?  Probably not, if he’s still in Ohio area, huh?!?  Elder Numbers actually was at the Stake Conference (I guess the Stake is that big) and Elder Baxter gave him multiple shout-outs!  What were some of the things Elder Baxter spoke about?  He just recounted multiple stories of how the Church was the first one on the scene of natural disasters.

7.  Is your mall in Beckley, or do you have to travel to another city?  It is in Beckley.

8.  Do you rotate through all your clothes equally, or have you found “favorites” that you wear more than the others?  If so, what are they?  I like the golf pants the best!

9.  Is your companion talkative?  Or does he let you take care of that?  He has to be in a good mood to be talkative, otherwise he kind of shuts down.

10.  We should've measured you again right before you left (to see if you grow on your mission like dad did)....but, so far, do you think you've grown on your mission, at all?   I feel like I've maybe gotten a little taller.  But I've for sure put on some weight.

Transfers!

I am staying in the Beckley 2 area!  :)   Elder Johnson is leaving.  :(

He was called as a District Leader in Covington, VA!

Here's our final District picture!

Only 2 of the 6 Elders are staying.

Picture (L to R)

Elder Carter (Staying in Beckley 1)

Elder Jacklin (Going to Fairmont, WV)

Elder Bodily (Going to Quiba, Brazil)

Elder Morse (Going to Blacksburg, VA)

Elder Johnson (Going to Covington, VA)

Me (Staying in Beckley 2)

My new companion will be Elder Caldwell.  I have not met him yet.