February 16

Dear Family,

So I am just going to forward my email to President Burt to you. :) It's faster.

Dear President Burt,

We had a really incredible week. Weeks like this leave me no room to want to go home. And this morning I was feeling kind of sad about it, because my last transfer is upon me. And I really don't want my mission to end. I don't want to go home. So I don't really know how to comfort these thoughts. 

But back to the incredible week. :) We were driving back from Fort St. James in Sister Arnold's car and passed a hitch hiker. It was a girl. I had this little vision of her being in the car with us and thought about how cool it would be to be able to teach her. Sister Arnold turned to me and asked, should we pick her up? YES. So Sister Arnold turned around and we started teaching her! Her name is Arlene and she grew up on a small reserve 45 min north of the Fort. She had been living in Vancouver for six years battling all kinds of addictions and has finally worked through all of them. She said she's been going to church and she wants to go to university now to teach her people that there's more to life than drinking and drugs every day. And President Burt, I know her. I feel so strongly that I know her and I love her so much. Something tells me that I promised that I would rescue her. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and the Book of Mormon and gave her a copy. She loved it. When she prayed at the end of our ride, she thanked God for the air in her lungs that day and her heartbeat. And she meant it. She's 27. Sister Arnold gave her a ride to where her mom lives--Stoney Creek. We're not supposed to go there unless we're with a priesthood holder or Sister Kochel, and Sister Kochel is excited about it, so she's going to take us on Tuesday or Wednesday. 

The next day we were with Sister Arnold again :) and we saw two more hitch hikers. We were on our way from teaching David, who has a baptismal date, to see his partner's sister whose liver was failing. And they were too! We started teaching them too. :) (Hitch hikers have your full attention because they can't go anywhere.) They loved the idea of the plan of salvation and we read Enos with them. They were so touched and are going to read more. They asked us to come back and teach them. And the woman said, you should call the band office and do it there so everyone can come and hear you. Of course! And we found out they are Jimmy's cousins and tried, but couldn't make it to the baptism. 

We went and sang to the family of the woman who was dying. The Spirit in that room was so incredibly strong. This family is related to Brandon who just got baptized as well as David and Jimmy and Neca.... They were so touched and one man asked us to come and teach him. His name is Leo.

We're also teaching a couple that moved here from Smithers a few weeks ago to get away from drinking. They are living in one of the Gulbranson's cabins. 

So many miracles this week. I feel like the work with the First Nation's people is just beginning. I feel like we are fulfilling Book of Mormon prophesies as we teach them. These are families that are so torn apart, but there are so many elect among them that are trying to end their old ways and the wicked traditions of their fathers and I feel like so much can happen with them as well as with all the people here in Vanderhoof. I believe that is one of the reasons I was sent here to Canada. To work with the First Nations people. As well as with everyone else. :)

I know I'm super imperfect and I want to work on so many things. President Marks said yesterday, if I were God I would fire me. I feel like that's true for me too. But He loves me and is letting me serve Him and witness so many miracles. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made and all your hard work and diligence. We feel your love for us.

Love (you all,)
Sister Thomson

Also, we're teaching a part-member family. She is a member and was re-activated within the last year. His name is Roger and he read the Book of Mormon for two hours yesterday and an hour and a half the day before that. He's never spent that long reading anything in his life, but he loves the book of Mormon! He said it just draws him in. Yesterday he said, "I know there is power in this Book. I know that Nephi was a prophet." He believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet as well and has been coming to church and working in Nursery with his wife. We've invited him to be baptized (using Mosiah 18 and a bunch of other different scriptures) each time we teach him, and he just wants to keep reading the Book of Mormon and know each of them is a prophet of God. He wants to read the whole book before he gets baptized, but he loves it. Haha we just keep inviting him hoping one of these times he'll say yes. Sometimes I wish I had the faith of the Assistants. (Pretty much all the time.) But he is so close. :)

I didn't include this in my email to him, but I gave a Catholic nun a "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" pamphlet. It was when we were singing to that family of the woman who was dying. After we sang and Sister Arnold said a prayer, the Spirit was so strong and I felt so much love for each person in that room. I felt so much love for her and I felt so sad that she thought she was better than us because we will go home and get married. It broke my heart because families are God's plan of happiness. So I gave her a pamphlet and I felt so much love for her that she couldn't really say no even though I knew she was wanting to give it back.

Poor President Burt. I should have written him something much shorter....but I couldn't help myself.

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AND WILL GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He was the investigator I taught in Duncan who read the Book of Mormon in like ten days. I am so happy. So so so happy. I just screamed when I saw that. 

On Mon, Feb 16, 2015 at 12:21 PM, Rebekah Thomson <rebekah.thomson@myldsmail.net> wrote:

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