Week 17

Dear Family,
 
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
There are really no words to describe this week. There really aren't. To follow up on my email from last week--where I gave a ton of statistics--here are some more! Remember how last week I said,
 
"The work is really, really hastening. An apostle is coming to the mission in March and he wants us to find 1,000. "?!?
 
I was thinking, all right, by March maybe.... guess how many the mission found last week?! 1084 new investigators. That's over 400 more people than our mission has ever found, ever. Remember that this is Canada, not Brazil. I read Alma 26 this morning with Sister Allen and just cried. I can't even describe "the smallest part that I feel." I would have been absolutely shocked just two weeks ago to hear that our mission would find this many new people to teach. I don't think I would have believed it! And that is really the way every week has been.
 
In addition, our zone found 168 new investigators just this last week. (meaning the week ending yesterday.) Just one week ago we found 77 (the same week the mission found 1084). Just one week ago! And THAT was astounding.
 
I can't believe I am lucky enough to be in this mission at this time. I just marvel! Missionaries that are about ready to leave said at the beginning of their missions, the mission was finding probably about 60 new investigators per week. And then President Monson declared that the time for the hastening is now! And look what's happening!
 
I know you may be like, this is great, but they're just numbers. But they're not! Listen to the miracles (and the faces behind some of these numbers) that Sister Allen and I have had this week:  !!
 
A couple of weeks ago we were having a really rough week and just were not finding anyone to teach. At the end of a long day, we had about 10 minutes left to find. We decided to go to a different street and knocked on probably one or two doors. Behind one of the doors was a man named Pierre. He was so receptive and just golden! We were so excited to give him to the Elders, because the day before, absolutely every one of their investigators dropped them. They have been teaching him and all we've really heard is that things are going great. On Saturday night, we went to the baptism of a woman named Jane where the Spirit was soo strong. Our mission president was there, and halfway through the evening, Sister Tilleman came up to me and said, "did you know that Pierre had been praying/pleading with the Lord for Him to send Pierre someone with the truth an hour-and-a-half before you knocked on his door?" How amazing right? God answers prayers. Except Pierre told us more of the specifics of his prayer and now I have to pray to be transferred, but it was a miracle none the less! :)
 
So the specifics were that he was engaged to a woman for 7 years and then found out she didn't want children. He was so upset because he just wants a virtuous woman to be his wife and have children for him, because he's the youngest of ten.... so he prayed (begged) that God would send him a virtuous woman and an hour later we knocked on his door. So... that's awkward. But he's progressing really well, and even though he was a little upset when the Elders came to the second lesson instead of us, he really likes both of them and is loving the discussions.
 
We also knocked on the door of this man named Stephen (what is it with single men?!! I don't understand....) and he thought it was crazy that we knocked when we did, because he'd just been texting with his friend about God and had all kind of questions that he didn't think could be answered. We were talking about the gospel for a while and I just started to testify of the Atonement in my life. I didn't know if any of it was really setting in until I looked in his eyes and saw a tear running down one of them. He told us how he had been numb for so long because he has lost so many people in his life and gone through a lot of hard things. I can't explain it. When I looked at Stephen, all you could see was darkness in his face and countenance. But I promise him that he could feel again and that the Savior could heal him. I told him about how a couple of years ago I looked in the mirror and wondered if I would ever feel anything ever again either. I was so numb to everything, and I didn't know how to fix myself. But I know that the Atonement healed me. I told him that in this church we make covenants that give us full access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and we can literally be healed of every pain we go through. The Spirit was so strong. We taught him again on Saturday evening and the Spirit was again there so powerfully. He slept through church... but there's always next week.....
 
This mission truly is incredible. President told us a couple of weeks ago that he thinks there will be three types of missionaries in this time at the beginning of the hastening, 1) those who make the hastening happen, 2)those who watch the hastening occur, and 3) those who have no idea the hastening is happening at all. I really think this applies to everyone that is a member of this church, not just the missionaries! I don't want to be a 2 or 3 missionary (and I really really hope that I won't be!) and I hope you are all praying every day to fall into the first category as well! I love you all so much and I know that this is really is the work of salvation. There are so many starving souls out there who need to know about our Savior and need to have full access to His Atonement. Let's find them together!
 
Love you all and have the best week yet!
 Sister Thomson
 
PS. I have to admit something. I tried poutine about a month ago.... it was really good. That is all.
PPS. I am in love with Nanaimo bars.
PPPS. Perogie is now a normal part of my day-to-day conversation.
PPPPS. If anyone is reading this and thinking about a mission, just go!!!! There has never been a better time to serve.