Week 8

Dear Family,
 
I have debated this week whether to share this story because it is probably the kind of thing that is going to freak my mom out. BUT I'm in Canada, not Equador, so when miracles like this happen I have to share them, even if it will scare my mother. :) Don't worry, Mom, I'm safe I promise.
 
This really was amazing though. I can't even tell you. But I'll try. So Sister Allen and I were out finding on Tuesday on a street we felt like we should go to. We were walking in one direction and felt like we should turn around and go the other way. After about two minutes, we came across a man sitting on a small stone ledge by the curb. Even though he was sitting down, he looked like he had to about six-and-a-half feet tall. (And he was.) There were two full bags of alcohol with him and he looked very perterbed. He was chewing on his coat almost, and we could tell he was not in a good state. BUT we felt the Spirit still and felt no danger in talking to him, so we did. :) We found out his aunt had just tried to commit suicide by swallowing a bottle of pills and had been rushed to the hospital. His other aunt (married to the aunt that swallowed the pills) had kicked this man out of the house and he was contemplating kicking the door of the house down because he was so angry. His phone was missing and he had nowhere to go--his ride had driven off and he lives about a half hour away. He wanted to get to the hospital but had no way to get there. He was so angry. We found out he was on bail and was beside himself with grief and anger. He kept saying, I'm going to jail tonight. I don't know what to do, I'm going to jail! He was saying this because he felt like his anger was out of control. You could really see the anguish in his eyes because we could tell he wanted so badly to be better but he was stuck in this rut and felt he was trapped. His anger was consuming him and he was sure he would not be able to control it or the consequences of it. Sister Allen and I said, No. Matt, you are not going to jail tonight. You are not going to hurt your family and we are going to walk you to a bus stop to get away from here and the tempation. So we did. :) We walked him away and he started to tell us about how he prayed every day but he felt like God hated him. Matt said, "God has to hate me. None of this would have happened if He didn't." We kept telling Matt over and over again, no God doesn't hate you, He sent you us to help you get out of this situation. We got to the bus stop and tried to convince Matt to let us take the alcohol. He had purchased it for a party he was planning to have with the family, but then his aunt did what she did. He kept saying, no, I need it. I need to feel numb. He told us he couldn't not drink it. I told him if he kept it, Satan would get him to drink it and he would end up in jail. We tried to say a prayer with him, but the bus came and Matt wouldn't offer it. The bus came and my heart SANK as it drove away. I have never felt the love of God in the same way I did that night for Matt. I just knew God loved him. Anyways, I told Sister Allen that we just had to pray that God would put someone in his path to stop him. Then it hit me!! Who better than the Elders!!!! He was headed downtown straight into their area. We called the Elders and said, "Elders, we need you to perform a miracle." We told them to look for a young, big scary man in almost all black holding 18 cans of beer. We told them the situation, that we left him with a Book of Mormon, and that his name was Matthew.
 
When the Elders called us that night, the first thing Elder Alden did was say, "Okay just wait, Sisters. Listen to this." We heard a little noise and the Elders explained that the sound was fizzing. Sister Allen and I freaked out. We were soooooooooooooo excited. I don't think Elder Alden has sisters. Anyways. They found Matt, got him to his aunt, talked to him for two hours, and tried to get the beer off of him. He wouldn't dump it himself, so Elder Alden told us that the Spirit whispered to them to buy the alcohol off of him. !!!!!! So Elder Butler went to an ATM, withdrew $40, and purchased his alcohol. Matt was then able to pay for a hotel, the Elders left him with their number, and told him to call in the morning. They then went home and dumped out all 18 cans. Is this not the greatest story ever?
 
Also, I have an update on the Native couple Sister Allen and I met a few weeks ago and had the drum circle thing with. We felt that we should go see Arlene this week, so we knocked on her door, but all that happened is that we were able to set up an appointment to see them on Sunday. On Sunday we asked them if they had ever been to church before and Bill told us this half hour story about how he went to church once when he was younger with his dad. He said all of the sudden he had this great joy come over him. He said he felt so happy, but he was crying at the same time. He said the whole room felt lighter, and it was the best thing he had ever felt. Then the feeling went away. He went to church later hoping to feel the same, but he didn't. He spent a long time searching, trying to feel this feeling again, but it wouldn't seem to come back. He went on a 4 day trip to the mountains and after the first few hours all of his food was ruined because of the rain. His ride was still four days away and he was all alone. He decided, well, I'm here, so he just took care of himself for the next few days. He said at the end of the fourth day he was exhausted, but he felt that feeling again, just before his mom came to pick him up. He was so happy to feel it again that it didn't matter. He said he went to the mountains often after that and that same feeling of the best happiness, but also crying would come over him. He said he learned that it's called Conviction and he told us about how he gets that now sometimes when he's with the Elders in his tribe in a smoke house or something. And then he told us how he felt that when we come over, which is why he is happy to talk with us. Sorry that I don't have time to go in depth about it, but I was so happy I was crying a little. I have never felt such joy and such relief in a teaching appointment. I explained to him the Moroni 10:3-5 promise and the gift of the Holy Ghost that we can always have with us. I told him the Book of Mormon was written by his ancestors and I promised him he would know it was true by that same feeling and that he would get that feeling when he read the Book of Mormon and followed Moroni's counsel to pray to know if it was true. We didn't have time to stay much longer, but he went through the pictures and pointed to the picture of Jesus Christ and said, This is Khaans. He came to our people. He talked about a Second Coming and about all of the legends and things his people know about him. I don't have time to write down Khaans teachings, but they are so similar to the Book of Mormon and Christ's dealings with the Nephites. He is living proof that the Book of Mormon is true!! He's going to read it and pray about it. He was very interested and Arlene will be too hopefully. We're going back on Thursday for dinner.
 
Best week ever. It was hard, but the miracles were worth it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know God loves His children and is in the details of our lives.
 
Sister Thomson