I don't even know how to tell you everything that has happened this week. First of all, when I mentioned Stake Conference last week, I forgot to tell you all that Elder Call had me come up and give the first discussion at the Adult Session to like 300 people. He was testifying of the missionaries and the sacred mantle of our call and he said, "I'm going to have Sister Tutt and Sister Thomson come up and teach us in about five minutes or so what they would share for the first time to investigators." Sister Tutt is a Sister Training Leader. He had me tell the whole congregation that I had only been out for two months... This is what my mission president said in his email. :)
"Elder Call, the fabulous Area Seventy who presided over the Abbotsford Stake Conference this weekend could tell how proud we were of our missionaries. For example, he asked after Stake Conference on Sunday, “President Tilleman, did your buttons pop off when your sisters did so well teaching the entire Saturday-evening congregation the First Discussion in 5 minutes”? Sister Tilleman and I truthfully reported that, even though those two sisters did amazingly well, my buttons did not begin to pop off because Sister Tilleman and I were praying so hard for our sisters!! We did, however, shed tears of joy and gratitude after they did so well and because of feeling the Spirit as they testified to the Stake! But, the point was, Elder Call was impressed by them and wanted us to know how well those two sisters did with that very challenging assignment (which neither they, nor I, knew was coming)!"
Needless to say, it was really scary (I thought I was going to pass out at first) but the Spirit was so strong. The Spirit really helped us and we really helped the congregation feel that no matter how long we have been here and who we are, the mantle of our calling as missionaries and the Spirit that we bring is the same. We are set apart to teach.
Also, Sister Allen and I spent much of yesterday crying. I can't tell you how true it is that the Lord has been trying us in all things! I want to start off by saying I know that obedience is ESSENTIAL in missionary work. If we're not obedient, we have no promise. That being said, our mission president has a rule that we can't have a dinner with the members unless they have someone for us to teach ie. less active, recent convert, or non-member. A year ago, the mission was collectively finding 30 or 40 new investigators per week. Since this rule, we have been finding 400, and the numbers keep going up. Last week it was 501, the week before it was 585. That's in a week!
With that said, we went to a member's house and there was no one to teach. The friend had cancelled and the family didn't tell us. They knew the rule well, but we re-explained it and told them we had to leave but we would love to come back at 8 pm to share a message with their family. The mother chewed us out over the phone (she had gone out for a minute) for about ten minutes and no amount of apologizing or explaining would suffice. She made Sister Allen cry, (which really upset me because my companion just has the biggest heart and I don't like it when people upset her!!) , and I explained that sometimes when we're obedient, we expect things to all work out, but it doesn't always work that way! Sometimes we face hard things for making right decisions. But when we're obedient, we have the Lord's promise. The following day was rough. We talked to so many mean people. I can't explain it. I just knew we were being tried in all things! (See D&C 131:36) And despite what happened, it worked out okay. :) We were called just before church to teach Relief Society about the Savior and the Spirit was so strong that after the lesson, the woman came up to us and said, because of this lesson, I'll forgive you and then walked out.
The SAME thing happened last night, and after going through a really trying day at church, I just wanted to ask, Heavenly Father, how much more do we need to be tested? But I know that I really needed that. We explained to them the rule and I told them about how in John 4 the disciples wanted to feed Jesus, but He told them, "I have meat that ye know not of." The disciples were wondering who gave him meat?? But Jesus wasn't talking about that. He then told them to look at the Samaritans in front of them and said, the field is white already to harvest! The man at this dinner happened to be an RM and understood how it's the little things that make the biggest difference on our mission, so they packed us a dinner and sent us off. After the most exhausting, trying weekend, we finally saw a miracle last night! The second house we knocked on had two men that spent an hour and a half testifying from the King James Version of the Bible about their belief in God. It was really cool. We set a return appointment with them and they are definately going to be interesting to teach.
Also on my mind is my testimony of the Savior. He really chose to be here. Every bruise, every time He was spit on, every pain, every hunger was a choice out of love. He could have turned back at any moment but He never did. I am starting to get a taste of choosing to go through hard things out of love. I know there are people here that need to feel their Savior's love. I know that there are people here just dying in unbelief. So every time I choose to knock on that one last house or go just a little bit farther, I am coming closer to my Savior. I choose to have 20 quality gospel conversations every day because I know that that is what my Savior would have done. This hit me so hard in Relief Society because the night before I wanted so badly to quit and to walk away and to make up a plan so we could stop talking to people. They were just so mean! But that's not what Our Savior did. He endured all things, and I think sometimes we forget that each instince of adversity in His life was a choice. But He never failed us. This means so much to me as a missionary.
Sorry that this letter is so long. I can't tell you how rough but rewarding this week has been. When I got on my knees last night, I have never felt so assured and loved. I just felt so strongly that I was obedient and that my day was approved of. It meant so much to me.
Last thing. We could be transferred this week. I'm guessing that I will be. So on Thursday night I could be in a totally different place!
I hope all is well, and you are all in my prayers. I love you all and know that the Savior loves you. As Sister Allen mentioned to me last week after losing her grandmother, "The birth of a Savior would mean nothing to us if we didn't go through hard things." I know this is true.
Love,
Sister Thomson
And here are some pictures she sent in another email.
1) Sister Allen tried to make peanut butter from some peanuts members gave us.... she made peanut flour. :D
2) A member made us some wood signs for our mission. For free! He's the best.
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