Let us all Press on in the Work of the Lord!

This week has been another crazy week!!

One of the greatest things we were able to do was go to a place called Zions Camp.  It's an lds owned property up in Belfair, WA, where girls usually go for girls camp.  Our mission was able to go up there for a day and do the ropes course which taught unity and trust.  Then we had a little devotional, sang some songs of course, and headed home.  It was a beautiful and incredible day!  It was so beautiful, I wish I had taken pictures, I'm so bad at that, I'm sure theres some on the wa-tac blog though...in fact, here's one from the blog,

 

 

It's a really cool place! At the end of the day we all wrote down our "weapons of rebellion" like the Anti-Nephi-Lehites and we burned them in the fire....it was such a spiritual experience up there, being in nature I just feel so close to God, it's incredible!

At the end we sang "Amazing Grace" and when we sang the line, "my chains are gone, I've been set free" I just about started weaping....that song has become so dear to my heart, it will always remind me of my mission. 

The rest of this week has been pretty average, people saying no, people saying yes but then not being there when we come back, and Melissa being SO GOLDEN! but not willing to act on the answer she's received and get married or stop living with her boyfriend....man Agency is the worst sometimes.....so let me kinda explain in a little more detail.

So Melissa has believed everything that we've taught her, like in her prayers she says "thank you for sending the truth to my door", and "thank you for the spirit being able to speak to me through these women", and "thank you for showing me the only true church and the truth of the Book of Mormon", not to mention she has come to everything since we met her 2 weeks ago.  She came to a baptism, church 3 times (one of which was stake conference), the Relief Society Activity, and the Ward Social last Saturday. 

We took her on a church tour this week, and at the end she said, "The Spirit keeps saying to me 'be baptized my child'."  From all these signs you'd think that I'd be saying, and she's getting baptizedtomorrow, but unfortunately Satan is the worst, and she's scared to get married or move out because of money and medication and such!  It's hard, we don't know what to do because we can't really help her move forward any more, it's all about her choosing to take a leap of faith, and put her trust in God, and Trust that He would provide for her if she followed Him.  I know that she will be baptized, and I will be there, even if its in a couple years and I have to come back.  ohhhh agency so awesome but so frustrating!!! 

So I talked with President this last week and he pretty much told me my transfer call, he said he doesn't know where yet, but I'm going to have a new companion and most likely leave Parkland.  I'm excited, Sister Ryser has been TOUGH!! Everything is somehow always my fault.  I love her, but I just get frustrated when I'm always being put down, its not very fun.  Theres only a week left though, it will be ok!  President promised me that if I did my part in making sure I was exactly obedient, then next transfer would be the best transfer of my mission.  I can't wait, but I'm sad to leave Parkland if thats the case, this ward truly is my family! I have come so close to so many of them, I guess I'll just have to be really good at writing letters! :)

Well, I'm afraid thats all my brain can or wants to recall from this week, this last week of transfer will and HAS to be the BEST!!! 

I'm so grateful to be a missionary, man I can't even believe I'm almost at 9 months!! This last week I totally had a mid-mission crisis, like bad, I was a mess, but now I see that I need to appreciate every minute of being here.

I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the only church on the earth that contains the fullness of the Gospel, and I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and it can bring anyone, along with the Bible, the greatest Joy!

I love you all and miss you!!! I hope you are having an INCREDIBLE week, and I hope it gets even better!!! 

I love you!!!

Sister Brittany Thomas

I love the Priesthood!

This week has been a week of ups and downs of course!! (That's missionary work!) On Monday we saw Josephine and Jaylene, her granddaughter, and taught the Word of Wisdom.  We found out she smokes and drinks coffee and tea, but she said she'd live it and she knew God would help her!  We found out Tuesday I believe that her manager was evicting her from her house.  Josephine has been struggling with money b/c her husband is in jail and she was getting the retirement (since he's retired) wired to the joint account.  Aparently someone closed that accound and the money is getting wired to a different account that no one seems to know about.  Obviously theres some fraud going on, anyway, Josephine doesn't have a good enough income without that to pay rent, and her manager, even though Josephine has never been late on a payment, kicked her out for not paying.  It makes me really upset, and the worst part is we haven't been able to get in contact with her the last couple days, she didn't come to church yesterday, I'm just hoping and praying she's ok. 

On Thursday we went to a Relief Society meeting that was so uplifting.  Josephine as well as Melissa were both able to come.  It was a former stake presidency member, President Hjelm, and he talked about the Holy Ghost and recognizing it.  It was incredible, both Melissa and Josephine loved it.  Afterwards Josephine asked for a blessing.  President Hjelm and Bishop Thompson were able to give it to her.  It was so AMAZING, and afterwards Josephine was crying!! I wish I could portray just how truly incredible it was.

Oh man, I have to tell you about Melissa!!

Melissa is incredible.  On the door step you could say, no she said she wasn't interested, but for some reason (which we know now) the Spirit just told us to keep pushing, so we did.  After an hour or so we were in her house showing her mormon messages and other talks.  By the end she said she'd read the Book of Mormon, pray about it, and come to church one time.  We knew leaving she'd do more than that and she has. 

She is so elect!! Everything we teach her, she knows is true!! Its amazing.  She asks us about things before we teach her too. For example, she came to a baptism last week and afterwards she started asking about smoking, drinking, word of wisdom stuff.  We told her we'd talk about it, then she brought it up again, and then finally as we were walking her to her apartment she said, "so I smoke and drink a little bit, do I have to stop doing that?" and so we taught a little short word of wisdom lesson, and told her we'd teach it in more depth when we came back.  When we came she told us she'd decided to slow down smoking and she had called the doctor and scheduled a time to get a nicotine patch....by herself, before we really taught her about it. 

She did the same thing with the Law of Chastity.  She lives with her boyfriend, and even after we  taught the Law of Chastity doesn't see that changing.  But, she's been talking about getting married alot the last day or so, especially because at church yesterday the Gospel Principles lesson was on Eternal Families, of course because God's timing is just PERFECT!!  She leaned over during it and said, "this is for me!"

Thats really the only thing holding her back from baptism right now.  and she has a mental disablility and she's struggling with making sure that she really wants this. 

Yesterday it was so cool! She said, "so do WE have rules about movies and music and stuff, is there stuff WE should stay away from?" I was in awe because 1. investigators don't usually just bring that up, and 2. She said we, like she was already a member, and its because she KNOWS its true!! I love being a missionary!!

Well I said I love the priesthood in my subject and thats not only because it helped Josephine, but also because I was able to get a blessing last night from Bro. Childs and Bro. Thompson in our ward, and it was so peaceful and comforting.  I love hearing, audibly, my father in heaven talking to me.  I didn't want to ask for a blessing at first because I just wanted one from my daddy, but that was impossible with me being on a mission.  But I finally realized that my dad wouldn't want me to suffer the hardships I was so I asked the next closest thing to my dad which is Brother Childs!! It was such a great and peaceful thing.

Well, you're probably tired of reading by now, and super confused, I feel like I've been all over, but hopefully something was fun for you to read :)

I'm so grateful to be out on a mission!! I miss you all so much, but honestly there is no place I'd rather be than in the Parkland ward, in the Lakewood Stake, of the WA Tacoma mission, in the great Northwest state of Washington!!! I love it so much! And I love my Heavenly Father and Savior so much as well!!!

I hope you all have amazing weeks!! 

I LOVE YOU!!!

Love,

Sister Brittany Thomas

Sometimes you have to fall to be lifted HIGHER!

Hello Family and Friends!!!!

This week has been......INCREDIBLE!!!!!!  God is always there, and when you feel like giving up thats when he comes and lifts you higher!!!

President Weaver has started having us memorize a scripture a week.  Last week was Joseph Smith History 1: 16-17, which says,

"But, exerting all my powers to call upon God, to deliver me out of the power of the enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction - not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being - just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.  One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other - This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

This scripture describes exactly how I felt this week.  We had been dropped and told we're wrong, and antied, and truly seized upon by the devil so far this transfer, and just as we were ready to give up, God dropped such marvelous blessings upon us.

It all started last Monday! 

We went to the Mission office to talk to President Weaver and each talked to him about the different struggles we were dealing with.  I told him how since I had been taken down by sickness for so long, my desire to do missionary work had left somewhat, but I wanted it back.  He told me some suggestions, and I decided that day that I'm not letting Satan bring me down anymore.

After that we had a message on our phone from a member down in Puyallup that had a referal for us, she said to call her, and so phone tag started, and finally at 7pm we were able to get in contact with her and set up an appointment to meet her aunt Josephine the next day!

We went and met Josephine and had a really good lesson with her, she told us about some struggles she was dealing with, and she told us she had been to church 3 times with her niece and her family, and she liked it.  We asked her to pray about being baptized and gave her a Book of Mormon and asked her to read it, she said she would.  Then set up an appointment for Thursday night!

Wednesday night we got a call from our Sister Training Leaders, they're like sister Zone Leaders, and they said we were going to go on exchanges.  Sister Ryser would stay in Parkland with Sister Bevan, and I went to Lacey with Sister Peruch.  I was sad I wouldn't be at the lesson with Josephine, but I knew God did it for a reason so I went ready to learn what I needed to learn.  Exchanges always help you learn something.  

For me this exchange I learned that I will get my confidence, I lost while sick, back.  I just have to be patient, and not give up trying. 

So Thursday night we got a call from Sis Ryser and Bevan and they told us about the lesson that they had with Josephine:

Apparently they went, and instead of teaching the Plan of Salvation like planned the spirit told them to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So they got to Repentance and the spirit was really strong.  Then there was a loud knock on the door and a guy had come to reposses her car.  They said they were sure that would be a spirit killer, but Josephine came back in and they said she was so peaceful.  She told her niece about what happened and then she told Sister Ryser to continue.  They taught baptism to her, and testified to her that if she would trust in God she would be blessed.  Then the asked if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be Baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God.  She said a silent prayer to herself and then with tears in her eyes she said yes.  Then they asked if she'd prepare herself to be baptized on September 14, and she said yes.  It was incredible!

On Saturday some Elders in our district were having a baptism so we invited Josephine and she came with her sister, niece, and granddaughter.  We took them, along with another investigator Melissa, on a Church Tour afterward and it was so incredible, the spirit was so strong. 

As we were walking out of the church Josephines granddaughter Jaylene asked if she could be baptized with her grandma.  She's 11, and has been to church alot too.  We said yes!  Then yesterday Josephine and her 2 grandkids came to church.  Afterwards her 8 year old grandson Jamien, said he might want to be baptized as well!!

Talk about miracle.  Our goal as a mission this month is to have each companionship baptize in september, since the entire month of september is in this transfer.  October 1st is the first day of next transfer.  I didn't expect to have one in September after all our investigators dropped us, but sometimes you have to reach the bottom in order to be lifted up to the top. 

We have another solid investigator named Melissa we met the other day, but I'll have to write about her later.  Lets just say she went from being anti to wanting to be baptized in the course of an hour, thanks to Elder Holland and LDS.org.  Man, I can't wait to get iPad's so we can use those resources so much more!!

Well, I hope you all have an amazing week!!! I know I will, I'm out doing the greatest work anyone can do.  A quote I really love about missionaries is,

"A SISTER MISSIONARY LEAVES HER FAMILY FOR 18 MONTHS, SO THAT THOSE SHE TEACHES CAN BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES FOREVER."

 What a blessing it is to be called of God to fulfill his purpose to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

I am so grateful to you all for your love and support, and I'm grateful to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for their Love and Support as well!!

I love you all!! God Bless!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Sister Thomas

And at last I See the Light!

This last week has been a hard, stressful, challenging, completely necessary, cleansing, awesome, miraculous week! 

It started very discouraging when on Wednesday we had 2 break-ups, which is when someone doesn't want us to teach them anymore.  The first one was over text message, from Joe....who was supposed to be baptized this last weekend but he texted and said he didn't want to see us at this time because of family matters.  So we were pretty devastated from that.  Then we went to see Cameron and Terrel who are these college students from PLU that we have been teaching with Brother Childs.  This was a legit break up where Cameron told us that he doesn't like having conversations about something that he knows he's right about (which he's not) because it fuels his pride, and I don't like feeling prideful, so I don't want to meet anymore.  Then, he said these exact words, "It's not you, it's me."  We tried not to laugh because its not really a laughing matter, but really? He had to say a cliche break up line? it was pretty funny!!

So that day was hard, but Bro. Childs wanted us to hear the answers he had found to Cameron's previous questions so we went and sat under his carport and had an awesome discussion about how God sometimes does contradict himself. (ex. Adam and eve had to break one of the commandments to keep the other) and then we talked about how crazy it is that Nephi cutting Labans head off is in the first 8 pages of the Book of Mormon, so people who try to read the book will most likely always make it to that point.  So we talked about that and then went and knocked doors. 

After Tracting we had an appt with this new investigator named Jeremy.  He is the boyfriend of Sister Staples (a LA member who has started attending church again!) daughter Ashawn.  The first time we met him it was the hardest lesson of our lives.  He has read just about every anti-mormon thing, and was talking about all this crazy deep doctrine kolob stuff, and who's God's God, and doesn't that mean theres more than one God, and all this crazy stuff that DOESN'T MATTER!!!! It was frustrating.  But he agreed to take all 4 lessons, and to read and pray about the Book of Mormon, and so we taught him the first and then on Wednesday we went back, with Bro. Childs, to do the next lesson. 

When we walked in Wednesday night Jeremy was a completely different person.  We had dinner and then started the lesson, we asked him if he had read the Book of Mormon and prayed about it.  He said yeah, I've only read the first 8 chapters though.....our jaws dropped!! Most people haven't read the first 8 words after a day of seeing them, we asked if he had questions and he brought up Nephi cutting off Laban's head, and how he felt like God was contradicting himself because he said "Thou shalt not kill" in the bible.  Bro Childs, Sis Ryser, and I pretty much had our jaws on the ground in shock!  We had just, before knocking, talked about these two things with Bro. Childs, so we talked through it with him, and then we started talking about the plan of salvation and the Atonement, and we read Alma 7: 11-17 and after reading that Jeremy said that if he came to know, FOR SURE, that this church was true he would be baptized.  Ashawn and Sister Staples jaws literally dropped, he was probably the most anti person I've ever met, but he read the Book of Mormon and it changed him!  It's so incredible!!! The promise is true, Read the Book of Mormon and pray about it with a sincere heart, real intent, and faith in Christ and you'll know of it's truthfulness. 

This week God has blessed us so much!! We met this lady named Marty, and when we taught the Restoration on her door step she was almost crying when we recited the first vision, it was incredible, she took a book of mormon and asked when we could come back!! She used to be Jehovah's Witness, which everyone says Catholics make the best Mormons, but because of beliefs in the Godhead I'd say Jehovah's witnesses make the best Mormons!  She is incredible and we're gonna see her again on Thursday, we're so excited.

Yesterday was the most successful Preperation Day of my mission, we got 4 new investigators and we were only out working from 6-9, with dinner included.  that's like 1.3 investigators an hour, pretty good in my eyes.  We met Krista, whos met with missionaries before, Gracie, a 17 year old girl who is looking for God, Nicole, who has potential but was very drunk when we met her, and Angela who was a referal from the Elders that will hopefully end up loving the gospel!

I realized the other day that I have been called as a full-time missionary, so even when there may be pain I will be a FULL-TIME missionary, I'm not going to let pain take me down anymore, I am going to trust in God, and know that he has called me to this, so therefore he will provide a way if I turn to him, and put my full trust in him!

I have learned a lot this week, and I've come so much closer to my Savior as I've realized how much I've really been lacking in my prayers and study, I've been doing it, but not with the right attitude.  You'll get out of something what you put in.  The other day I had alot of things that Satan was trying to pull me down with and it was overwhelming!  Sister Ryser suggested I go into our room and write down my prayer, and have a conversation with God, a true conversation.  So I did that, and it was incredible.  I wrote my questions and thoughts and then would sit and wait for answers.  Then I would write the answers I got.  I used two different pens and it was crazy how without knowingly doing it the handwriting for what God was saying to me changed, and was a handwriting that I would say I've never written with.  It was so incredible how powerfully I felt the spirit.  It felt different at first, but then I was really having a conversation, and I was able to learn and grow so much, and get answers to the questions I'd been scared to ask before.  I would invite anyone who is struggling with something they can't figure out to write out a prayer with God, and expect a conversation.  It will come, if you expect it!!

I think I've written enough now, I could go on and on about how awesome the Lord is if there wasn't a time limit, but unfortunately I must go!!

I hope you all have a GREAT WEEK!!! I love you all so much!!! This Gospel is True!! I know with no doubt in my mind!!! If you don't know that yet, read the Book of Mormon and pray about it!! You'll get the answer that it's true, and it will change your life and make you SOO happy....eternally Happy!!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Sister Thomas