Hola,
The MTC is soo full. Its crazy! We have huge lines for everything, so I am practicing patience. Last week we received over 800 new missionaries! I saw the news lady here. It's amazing how many people can be fit into rooms and buildings haha. Every Wednesday is like Christmas. Instead of presents, we get cute new little missionaries. It's so fun to see how excited they are and ask where they are going. It also makes you feel like an older sibling. Yes I saw Maddie and got a pic with her. I also saw Deborah, her classroom is on the other side of the hall. I am still looking for Cameron and Heston so hopefully I will see them soon! Tell Jon congrats on his call! Spanish is the best and that is so cool him and Tyson are going to the same mission!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EASTON!! I cant believe my little best friend is turning 3. I hope you have a great day and that you are good for your mom. I love you!
ANOTHER BOY!! Yay! I am so excited for Kandace and Glen. 3 nephews now!? What could be better? Soon (or when they grow up), they will be 3 great missionaries!!!
We had our first experience at the TRC last Friday. Our first lesson went awful haha. We didn't know what to do, I was nervous and it just felt weird. We are teaching members that already know about the gospel but its our job to figure out what they need. So obviously I was dreading our second one but we decided to say a prayer and just talk about what we felt being prompted. We talked about starting scripture study with a prayer. The spirit was so strong and the 4 of us all learned from each other. We have it again today and I am excited this time! :)
Every week we set district goals. This week we really focused on 3 and they really helped us improve. (sorry for the bad spanish but I am trying to type everything fast. Dad can translate). 1) Hablar por todo el dia en español cada Lunes, Miercoles y Sabado. 2) Reconocer y compartir la mano de Dios en nuestras vidas. 3) Leer un capitulo del Libro De Mormon juntos cada dia en voz alta. It has been such a blessing to look for----how the Lord has helped me multiple times throughout the day!
For Fast Sunday we had our mission conference. President Nally spoke (he randomly came up to me in the cafeteria and asked me about my mission. it was cool) and gave us 3 tips to make the best out of our missions. 1) Regular study and prayer, 2) Patiently and persistently living the gospel, 3) Inviting and waiting upon the Spirit.
Tuesday night at the devotional Don Clark of the 70 came. My favorite thing he said was, "Every convert is a great and serious responsibility. You can't ask them to do what you yourself aren't doing. We need to RETAIN and rescue every member." He then had everyone stand up that had an immediate family member who was less active. There were probably 90% of the missionaries standing. Then he asked everyone to stand up that is a convert to the church. There were soo many missionaries, it was an amazing sight. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to grow up in the gospel and I cant wait to help retain and rescue out in the field, but we can all do it at home right now! That is your challenge while I'm gone k?
So I love Argentina a lot, but I am very grateful I am not going on my mission there right now. The council came and half our district had to go to these meetings for their visas. They had to do a fingerprint test thing and if you messed up at all, you had to retake it, but only if there was time. My companion had to do for it 2 days in a row. Then they had to sign their name perfectly in this box. If they went outside the line of the box, they got a permanent reassignment. So in the 2 days of meetings my companion was gone for 6 hours so I go to to splits with Hermana Rich. I love her so much! But it was a few stressful days as everyone worked with the council but my companion finally got everything approved and is now just waiting for the visa to come. They said the fastest it would get here is 3 weeks but it can take up to 23 weeks. I'm glad I'm going to California! haha. Our district met an elder who has been here for 23 weeks waiting to go to Argentina. Mata me. The MTC is great and all, but no way could I do that haha.
This week I learned I need to be more BOLD. I talk a lot, everyone knows that, but when I get in lessons I am pretty quiet. I don't always know what to say, and I don't want to say something just for the point of talking. (Also Hermana Henrie LOVES teaching haha). En Predicad Mi Evangelio Elder Holland dijo, (lo siento but I only had my PMG in spanish with me but you can follow along in English around page 8 I think), "Muchas veces somos demasiado casuales encuanot a todo esot. Estamos hablando de la vida eterna, de la salvacion de los hijoes de Dios. La eternidad esta en juego... Enseñen con poder y autoridad y despues sientanse desechos se no se toman con exito los primeros pasos."
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “The first thing you will do when an investigator tells
you he or she had not read and prayed about the Book of Mormon is be devastated! . . .
Much of the time we are just too casual about all of this. This is eternal life. This is the
salvation of the children of God. Eternity hangs in the balance. . . . It is the most important
path this investigator will ever walk. But if he or she doesn’t know that, at least you
do! . . . So take control of this situation. Teach with power and authority, and then be
devastated if the first steps toward commandment-keeping and covenant-keeping have
not been successfully begun” (“Making and Keeping Covenants,” missionary satellite
broadcast, Apr. 1997).
I have the greatest message in the world to share so I need to be BOLD! I love this gospel and being a missionary is the greatest privilege I have ever had (even if it still doesn't feel real yet).
I should be getting my flight plans next week so I will keep up updated!
I love you and pray for you every night. Sorry I didnt' have any funny stories this week, I guess Karissa and Cy hold the title for now. I am so excited for the Bosco's that Karissa gets home this week! CRAZY! I bet she secretly wants to stay out on her mission forever. By the way, I am probably never coming home.....
Te quiero muchisimo!
Hermana Thomas
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