Week 38

Dear Family,

Writing weekly emails kind of throws me into a complex. I always have to ask Sister Kunz what we did this week. And I still have no idea. I know my faith is increasing and has needed a lot of work!

I hit my half-way mark this week. Sister Kunz bought me a Kinder Surprise! :) I kind of feel like I shouldn't have to write this letter to celebrate. :) I never know what to tell you all!!! But I learned a lot this week so I need to share. 

Yesterday after Relief Society I invited Devin to be baptized on July 18th. It was crazy because people were still leaving and the room was still really loud, but church was so incredible, I just couldn't help but think, why on earth would she not want to be baptized! I bet she's just praying that we will invite her again. So I did. :) And why deny the Spirit? It was great! Long story short she denied the Spirit a little, but told us she'd get back to us. That night she called us and said, "I'm so sorry, Sisters, I have felt so guilty all day! Did I hurt your feelings?" We said of course not, but she still felt a little unresolved and couldn't figure out why. It was because the Spirit has told her this is true so many times and she still is afraid to commit and so the Spirit is telling her that it's not right! We didn't tell her that. We just smiled and know she'll figure it out. She's really intelligent. (She really is--she about knocks our Sunday School teacher over with her comments in class.) So I know you all were hoping for a miracle ending..... So was I. :) Not yet! But soon. 

We have a baptism scheduled for Sunday... and we are doing our best to prepare her. So. Her name is Sierra. :)

I have really changed a lot. More than I thought that I had. President Tilleman is leaving, so a lot of my email time was spent writing him... (and not you. :)) It's really really sad, but also good because I'm excited for what President Burt will have to teach us. 

I feel like this describes the experience better from my email to him. 

One thing that I really think is changing about me even just recently is following the Spirit! Yesterday church was so good, and the Spirit was so incredible. All I could think was, Devin must be crying out in her mind for someone to invite her to be baptized. Why on earth would she not want to be after the Spirit that was here today! So I invited her to be baptized on July 18th. I really felt like I needed to, even though everyone was leaving Relief Society and it was pretty loud. I could just feel that it needed to be then. So I did. As the room got quieter, the Spirit intensified and we talked with Devin about her concerns and testified to her of the truth and how we knew she could be ready. We told her God is a God of miracles and we knew she could be ready by that date. She didn't realize that baptism was a commandment and, (thanks to you!) we were able to show her many scriptures that helped her to see that. One of her true friends walked in and shared her experiences. Ultimately, Devin said she would give us an answer but need time to think about it. She called later that night and was really apologetic. She kept asking us if we'd hurt her feelings or anything, and even though we assured her that she hadn't, she still felt unresolved. I know it was because the Spirit was helping her to feel uneasy about denying it and denying the baptismal date, so even though she thought calling us would make it better, it didn't. She needed to pray about it! We didn't know how to explain all of that to her though, so we just continued to invite her to pray about it. She is a very reserved person, so we know we can't push, but we invite as much as we can and try to help her "come out of her comfort zone" as she calls it."

 I read the best quote today: "We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't. For He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming." —Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

So that's all! Pictures of the beach to come next week. :) Love you all!

Sister Thomson

PS. Yesterday a panhandler told us, "It's time to say bye now, because I have a quota to fill, and as beautiful as you are, you're cramping my style." :) 

Week 37

Dear Family,

Yesterday when we were eating our lunch outside the church a mother quail walked by with eight quailets. All I could think was, man, if a hawk were to fly by those babies are toast. That poor mom. I bet she's so stressed. She can't protect them! How is she going to choose? So.... that pretty much sums up church yesterday. Miranda came with her four daughters as well as Devin and some part-member families. It was going to work out great. Two girls in the nursery, two in Primary, Miranda free to listen to class and Devin could take care of herself. Not so. But it was okay. By the third hour everyone was everywhere and we couldn't do a thing about it because we were teaching! But the Spirit was really strong in church and our Bishop gave an incredible talk about forgiveness and other things, so I know it will work out in the end. 

Other than that it was a good week. We had a luncheon with Devin at a member's house on Devin's birthday! Devin has really been concerned about the Word of Wisdom, but our member shared a really powerful experience about giving up coffee when she was an athlete fresh out of college. So Devin said she would try it. :)

Nevaeh stayed in Primary the whole time and was singing the songs when they were leaving. She didn't really want to go. So Nevaeh is pretty much holding up the fort for her family. :) We'll see what they thought when we see them this week.

Sister Kunz had a really powerful realization a couple of days ago. She told me she realized if we're prompted to go somewhere that we're scared of or we don't want to go and choose not to go, that's telling Jesus we don't trust him! I know that sounds like an obvious fact, but when you're prompted to go to a Wal-Mart parking lot, it doesn't seem so simple! But it really is. It's something I want to live by this new transfer. Showing my Savior that I trust Him by my actions.

On that note, we saw a little complex on our map that we decided to go to. It was gated, but the gate was open. A car had just pulled in and we thought nothing of it as we drove through as well. Behind us, the gate started to close! It had a ton of no soliciting no trespassing, etc. signs. So we were pretty excited that we got in. We just went to the houses we felt like we should, and the last one was my favorite. The woman answered and said, "Who did you punch to get in here?" She was really alarmed that one of her neighbors had let us in. Hah. God let us in. We've been trying to live by what Sister Tilleman called President Tilleman. "A righteous rebel."

I realize this email could have been better. But all-in-all a good week. Unlike the quail, we have a Father in Heaven that really is in charge. It's really relieving to know that at the end of the day, this work cannot be frustrated. (D&C 3:1) I can't really mess up these people's salvation. But I can be in charge of leading them to our Savior! We heard a song this week in a broadcast that I think is called A Window to His Love. The lyrics said something about how "I want to fade away until the only thing they see is You." It was beautiful. That's really what I want to do. And somehow, no hawks have swooped down yet. 

Yeah. So that's all. Hope you're all having the best weeks of you lives. 

Okay last thought. Belief is such a beautiful thing. In Ether 12:4 it says, "hope cometh of faith." When we have hope, it's because of our faith!  Jesus did not say that we have to know we can remove a mountain to remove a mountain. He said we need to have faith that's as small as a grain of a mustard seed. And relying on that (instead of on the doubts that I am sure will be there as well), we can do anything. So we don't have to KNOW we need to be baptized. We don't have to know that reading our scriptures will make "great things come to pass." We just have to believe. Just a little bit. And we have to rely on that belief as the man who came to Jesus to heal his son did. He said, "Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief." It was his belief that healed his boy. Just his hope that this Man could work miracles. And He did. Elder Holland says it better:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng

Love you all! Thank you for the updates with Preach My Gospel. :) Keep them coming. :) Chapter 4 is great if you don't know where to start.

Sister Thomson

Week 35 walked and walked and walked

Dear Family,

We had the best week ever. We really, really did. Except we had to walk everywhere for 2.5 days solid. And we didn't really have any lessons. We just had one. So we literally walked for at least nine hours each on Friday and Saturday. In dress shoes. And mowed a beast of a lawn on Friday for an hour and a half. But somehow, it really was the most incredible week. :) We were so blessed! . And my work ethic has increased so much in the past couple of days.

We doubled my record for friends at church yesterday! We had a family with 5 daughters all ages 8 and under sit next to us at church. I really had a hard time concentrating, because I was coloring for all the little girls so their mom could pay attention. Their mom, Miranda, has been reading the Book of Mormon with her 8-year-old daughter every night because Niveah asks her to, and Niveah kept asking her mom to come to church, so they did. :) While I was entertaining the girls though, the mom really had the chance to listen to what was being said. It was Stake Conference, and it was a Canada-wide broadcast with Elder Holland (!) and President Eyring. They left right before Elder Holland started speaking though, which was sad. 

Devin also came to church again this Sunday. Last Sunday she went a different church that her friend invited her to... she didn't like it very much. :) Some of her friends have also been telling her that we're not a Christian church and this and that, and she found a website, etc. But she was still interested in meeting. Our lesson with her on Wednesday was a bit disappointing because she had been anti-ed a bit. She hadn't given up on us yet, but her faith and intent had definitely decreased. So Sunday was an absolute miracle. She loved Sister Burton's talk and she cried when Elder Holland spoke. Afterwards she said she was really happy she came and that it was crazy how they said something just for her. She said it was exactly what she needed. The Spirit really spoke to her. And she wants to fast this Sunday! We haven't even explained that to her yet. :)

We also ran into a lot of miracles because we were walking everywhere. We met a woman who's just moved here from Alberta because of a recent separation out walking her daughter who is excited to learn more. She had told her friend three days before that she really wanted to start going back to church.

The Elders in our ward were talking to some people on the street and ran into one of the investigators that we've only seen a couple of times and she had kind of dropped us, but they were able to set a baptismal date with her and she is really excited to read the Book of Mormon and come to church! We're seeing her on Tuesday. 

We are also working with a girl who is turning 14 soon. We're trying to help her be ready to be baptized at the end of this month, because her uncle is flying in to baptize her then. It's kind of hard when her mom doesn't seem to have a firm belief in God yet. But we have faith in Sierra. :) And her mom. :)

I really love people. I love this work. Sometimes I'm surprised at how many people I really can love. I know my faith in Jesus Christ is increasing. I know we have been so blessed this week, and this transfer! I don't even know why. But I really love my mission. One of the prophetic priorities that Elder Ballard has asked every missionary in this area (Alaska, BC, Oregon, California, Washington, etc.) to do is to have a quality gospel conversation with at least 20 people every single day. Each missionary should be having at least 10 of these personally. We count how many each companionship has in this mission to make sure we're doing it. I know that's really where this starts. I really love talking to people. And eventually we find those souls who are ready and prepared to be baptized. And I love it. I know each missionary can't begin to imagine all of the miracles we're working and the effect we're making. I just don't know how I'll feel this much direction and purpose when I go home. Ha. I probably won't for awhile. 

Anyways, I love you all. I know you are all being watched over and that God is with each of you. I know He has a plan for you, and that He's already prepared a way for each of the struggles you're facing. I know He's anxious to support you in all of you practical and personal challenges.

Sister Thomson

PS. Just following up......

"Brothers and sisters, can you imagine the impact if family and friends included things they are learning from their personal study of Preach My Gospel in their letters and emails to theirfull- time missionaries? Can you picture the blessings that will come to families when they know and understand better what their sons and daughters will be studying and teaching on their missions? Can you even begin to fathom the extraordinary outpouring of atoning grace that will be ours, individually and collectively, according to the Savior’s promise to all who bear testimony in the process of inviting souls to come unto Him—and then following up on those invitations?"

..... There are some pretty powerful statements there. :) I also learned last week that PMG was originally intended to be a tool for returned missionaries to stay active in the gospel after they got home. So write me something!

Week 34

Dear Family,

This week we have more people progressing than I've had in months! It's only three, but it's still really exciting. Our investigator named Devin came to church last Sunday, and when we taught her on Wednesday I could see the difference. She really is having a change of heart. In our first lesson with her, she was full of doubt and concerns about so many things. Our second lesson went better, but after coming to church and learning about faith, her whole attitude changed. She was so much more trusting and filled with light. She really liked Alma 32 and we invited her to read the Book of Mormon every day for fifteen minutes. We also invited her to be baptized, but she said she needed time to study this out and think about it. She really understands that she has to be the one making and keeping commitments and that is the only way she is going to know for herself.

We also tracted into a man named Fred who has a member daughter in Texas and grand kids that are members as well. We would have given him to the Elders, but he's leaving on the 30th to go commercial fishing, so we only were able to have the one lesson with him yesterday. His grandson is going on a mission right after he spends the summer with his grandpa Fred on the boat. Fred really believes the Restoration is true and when we were talking, I kept praying to know how to invite him to be baptized, especially since he's not coming back until September. Finally, I just invited him. He's never been baptized, but I think he is curious about it and his desire to is increasing, so we wrote down a few doctrine of Christ scriptures in the Book of Mormon for him to read over the summer with his grandson. And he agreed to pray and ask God if He wants Fred to be baptized.

We also taught a part-member family. The husband's name is Craig. They have been married for 15 years, and this Mother's Day, he told his wife he would read the Book of Mormon. It's the first time he's read it, but so far so good. :) 1 Nephi 10:20-22 really spoke to his soul. 

Also an investigator Sister Reed and I found in Chilliwack is going to be baptized on June 21st! (Hopefully :)) Her name is Ingrid and she lives in the complex we lived in. I went and taught her with Sister Black, because she was in the 2nd ward and she was so ready to be baptized!! But after that first lesson, they weren't able to get a hold of her. Apparently yesterday they did, and set a date with her! :) I was so excited when I found out yesterday. I almost cried.

We had a Zone Conference this week. It was probably the last time I'll see President TIlleman and Sister Tilleman face-to-face before they go home, but the Conference was incredible. All I can say is "Did our hearts not burn within us?" I also was able to have an interview with President Tilleman which is probably one of the spiritual highlights of my mission. I will write more about that next week.

Love you all and I know that this church is true. There is no doubt in my mind about it. 

Sister Thomson

PS. Did you know Preach My Gospel was originally intended to be written for RMs? It took 9 years to write. We should definitely be reading it!!