March 2

Dear Family,

What an awesome week. We attended our first Elder/SIster District meeting (we're the first ones to do it but eventually the mission will be like this.). Our Zone Leader invited us to go home and say a prayer and repent and then he promised if we would do this that that day we would find the person in our area he knew was ready to be baptized in March. It was a pretty incredible promise and took faith. By the time we got back to Vanderhoof, Sister Ritchie and I (on an exchange) had to run into our lesson and had no time to prayerfully repent. It was with a former investigator named Amanda. We taught the gospel and the Spirit was so incredibly strong. I knew when we started teaching her that she was the one. When we taught baptism the Spirit was so incredible and she said yes. AND she said yes to March 21! She was just so excited about it all. Then on Friday she was hospitalized because she was so sick. Not cool, Satan. So she didn't make it to church this week, but I know that no matter the challenges or obstacles, God will win. She said in the lesson, "there is nothing I can't overcome without God's help." :)

My birthday was awesome. We met a pastor of a church that teaches how to convert the Mormons, etc. I know for sure that the promise that we will not be confounded is so true. We just shared testimony of simple truths and it was amazing. I felt so happy talking to him. I know members have been working on him and softening his heart and he was not too unkind. He even told us he could see we had a love for God Elohim. (What else could he say after I told him I was spending my 21st birthday trying to invite others to learn about and come unto Christ?) Sharing the gospel just makes us happy.

We also went finding in a trailer park that I'm pretty sure has Mormon Watch. Seven trailers in a row and no answer. The eighth one was a woman who just moved in, so I don't think they'd put her on the system. After no answer to a door, I noticed a chalk board with little kid writing on it. I erased it and started to write Helaman 5:12. Then the guy with his kids pulled up! "Hey... we're leaving you a message. :) But since we're here, we'll just share it with you now!" After sharing the verse with him we told him basically that's saying that no matter what comes your way, if you put your trust in Jesus Christ, he will help you to overcome anything. He looked so in shock but we had a good conversation and he's letting us come back tonight to teach his family. :) Yesterday a member came up to us and said, Hey you met my friend Mark. He called me and asked if I sent you guys to his door. You're going back on Monday evening. (Which made us happy because that means Mark remembers the return appointment. :))

We went to the baptism of two eight-year-olds yesterday and a little seven year old named Cameron sat next to me while I went through the pictures in the pamphlets with her. :) So cool. I love baptisms.

Did anyone fast yesterday for the conditions of the world?? Because we did! It makes me think about how much the world really needs the gospel. I think we sometimes, especially as missionaries, forget or don't know how it feels to live without it. No matter what happens, we have the resources we need to deal with any challenge we face. We have the Plan of Salvation, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Priesthood, the Scriptures, etc and we just live in this comfortable bubble. But I realized that we need to get out of our comfort zones and share because these people are most definitely not in theirs. They don't have the restored gospel, yet they too agreed to follow Jesus Christ and were excited to prove themselves worthy. As I'm realizing how short a mission is, I'm realizing how short this time on earth is. These people are starving for the truth and need to feel peace in an unstable world of shifting values and economies. (And governments, and weather patterns, etc.) There is nothing more important than the gospel of Jesus Christ and nothing more pressing than the need to share it with everyone around us. I know this is true. I cried twice with the realization that my time is running short, but I know God wants me to be a missionary forever and I'm trying to take comfort in that. I love you all and know this world needs our message so much.

Sister Thomson

PS. The sun on my birthday. Signs in the heavens, anyone?

PPS. The cake I had for breakfast this morning. :)

PPPS. Sorry for the epistle.

PPPPS. There is no such thing as Mormon Watch. That I know of.

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