Who's that random girl singing at my Funeral?

So first off I did something this week that I never thought I would do.  I sang a solo....at a funeral! There was a man who died that knew a member in our ward.  He wasn't a member but his daughter and her family were, so they wanted it in the church, and they wanted missionaries there.  So we agreed to go.  They asked Elder Penney, my district leader, to play the piano.  Over the week he asked if I would sing a little part in the special musical number he was doing, I said I would, then the night before it turned into me singing "Where can I turn for peace?"....by myself, in front of 100 non-members!! Who were mourning the death of their friend/father/husband's death! Apparently I did good, because my bishop asked if I'd be willing sometime to sing in sacrament meeting, and everyone said it sounded great! It was SOOOOOO scary though, I can't believe I did it! but I'm so glad that through God you can do all things!! I kept imagining the guy who died sitting in the spirit world thinking...."Who is that random girl singing at my funeral? Who invited her?"  haha! funny thought!

The rest of this week was pretty average.  Except on Saturday Jacob Rhoads got baptized!!!  It was really cool!! He was so ready!!  It is always so incredible to see a child of god come into the fold!!

We also had Stake Conference this week! It was really good! About missionary work and the importance of members, which fyi, MEMBERS ARE THE BEST!!  We as missionaries are at the bottom of the totem pole, but if a member is with us, all of a sudden we are magically cooler.  It's like the story of Alma and Amulek.  Alma teaches the people and fails, but then when God tells him to go back he gets the great member companion Amulek, who is one of the people and they together are able to teach so many people and baptize them!! If that doesn't show the importance of members, what will?

I am so grateful that I'm a missionary and that I'm able to be out helping God's children to come unto him and be baptized!! I can't believe the miracles that I'm able to see each day!! I love you all!! Have a fantastic week!! I love you all!!!!

Love you!!

Sister Thomas

PS--Picture is us with Jacob Rhoads, and his brother Jonathan

Another Week in the Life of a Missionary

This week was quite the week!! First off I'm emailing today because Monday was President's Day, and yesterday was Zone Conference so we were in Olympia all day!! I got to see the Clarke's again, they said they love you dad! They loved working with you!

Lets see all that has happened...

We checked up on a lot of potentials! There wasn't much success, except there was one referral from Spanish that has a lot of potential.  Her name is Virginia King, she's black and is super sweet.  She's been through quite the past and as we taught the Restoration she just ate it up!! It was so awesome!! We're going to see her again this week, I'm excited!

We also met with Jacob again.  He's getting baptized on Saturday! He has been investigating the church like his whole life pretty much, and has gone to church the last 3 years! And on Saturday he's finally getting baptized!! I'm so excited! It's going to be a great day!!

We also have stake conference this week! I'm excited to get to have a stake meeting, they're always really good! Plus they are all focused on Missionary work this year, so that's way AWESOME!!!!

We also got to yesterday, go to a RS activity that was way fun.  They had us bring an item that was connected to a scripture in a bag and then it was like the white elephant game, and we all picked one and then opened it! I got a cute plack that says faith on it and then has a little saying over top, it's way cool!!  The scripture that went along with it was "walk by faith not by sight"  It was a fun little game idea!

This week hasn't been super exciting, mostly because of course I got the flu which knocked me out for like 2 days......I hate being sick, I'm excited to get home and get like every test and then figure out what's wrong with me! It will be nice!

I hope you are all doing super well!! I love you sooooo much!!

Sister Thomas

SNOW DAY!!!

So, this week was quite the week!! I got a new area, a new companion, and a new kind of weather for Washington!

So this week has been pretty chill!  Sister Stevens is cool! She is from Ogden, UT and played volleyball through high school.  She went to Utah State, of course, and she has a cool style...she is one of a kind!!

We have 2 on date right now, and they are solid! It's cool, down here in tenino there are so many part member families that are wanting to learn!! We have Tom on date who is 10 and Jacob Rhodes who is 26.  The work here is good, but it's exactly like when I got to Belfair.  The past missionaries, except Sister Stevens did NOTHING so the ward expects that we'll hang out at their house all day and do crazy things with them.....yeah, not good, but I guess I've just been called to help build wards up because I'm willing to work!! I'm glad I got some of the harvest up in Belfair, but I'm ok with seed planting too, it has to be done sometime!!

I don't have any crazy stories except one:

Yesterday Church was cancelled!!!! There was like 6 inches of snow and so we had to stay in our apartments until like 2 in the afternoon when the snow had melted from the 50 degree weather....yeah Washington is weird!! Sister Stevens and I were just laughing thinking of all the times we went to school in like 2 feet of snow and that nothing skipped a beat, but the problem is that Washington doesn't have the equipment to clear the roads and such, so people driving are dumb and the roads are icy and there are tons of accidents!! It's crazy!!

Well, I wish I had more to tell you this week!! It's kind of been a slow week and I'm still trying to adjust to the new area and get to know everybody!! One day!! The worst is its usually awkward until the first Sunday, and then you meet everyone at church, but church was cancelled so I'll have to make it unawkward on my own!! It will be good though!

The church is true!! The book is Blue!! I know that through and through!! :) haha! I hope you are all doing well!! And fyi I now email from about 10-11 am and have an hour only so....yeah! Just so you all know when to send me emails :)

I hope you are doing so good!! I love you all SO MUCH!!!

Love,

Sister Thomas 

Rich says Hello.....and I say Goodbye

This week was a great one! Even though I got the dreaded news on Saturday that I'm getting TRANSFERED!!! :(

I am so sad to leave Belfair.  Belfair has become my Zion! I have come to truly know my Savior Jesus Christ as I have served in the blessed land!! I have seen his Atonement work in so many lives and have been able to see many of God's Children come unto Him through the waters of Baptism.

Freddy Villareal

Jimmy Kaylor

Crystal Kaylor

Lillia Blanco

Randy Bittner

and most recently (Feb 1st) 

GRANDPA RICH DENT!!!

Grandpa Rich is such a miracle!! He has shown me the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ!!  I didn't realize how precious the story of meeting him was until he told the story the other day.  On a dark Belfair night of tracting we knocked on a house....no one answered and we started to walk away...then a car pulls up, we awkwardly stand there deciding if its weird to go talk to them bc they aren't getting out of the car, we turn to walk away and a little girl says, "WHO ARE YOU?" we tell her we're the missionaries and she says...."Oh....ok" then runs off, we decide to talk to the man in the car and we find out he's from Bremerton and not interested.  We turn and walk away, this is the 3rd time, and then he says, "Girls, why don't you introduce them to your Grandpa?"....she says, "Ok" and takes us over to an old beat up trailer on the side of the house we just knocked on....YEP it was purely the spirit that lead us to him, we would have NEVER knocked it!

Now goes to his perspective he said,

"I was just sitting on the couch minding my own business, in the middle of something, and Angel runs in and says Grandpa there's some girls here to see you.  So I got up and came to the door, and I don't know why, because I never talk to religious people, but maybe since you were girls it made me nicer and I listened and it sounded good so I agreed to meet again. The Rest is History!"

I was crying as he told this story because I realized how inspired it truly was, even down to the fact that an "Angel" came and announced we were there.  God's plan is so detailed.  The fact that the granddaughter that introduced us was named Angel? It's just so precious! 

So he got baptized on Saturday and it was so awesome!! He has overcome so much to get to this day, the most awesome thing was after he was baptized he came out of the water and he let out a big breathe, and just sat and took it all in!! The spirit was SOOOO STRONG!!!!!  I love the Gospel!!

Oh, I never told you, I'm getting transferred to Tenino which is in Centrailia stake, which is south of Olympia, so I'm in for a change I think!! My new companion is Sister Stevens who came out the same transfer as my baby Sister Downs!! Who by the way is doing so good in Brazil!!! YAY!!

So yesterday as you all know was the superbowl, THE SEAHAWKS WON!!!! WOOHOO!!! Yeah, I always pick the best teams! :) We, the missionaries, were stuck in a church as a zone, and got to have a scripture bowl football style, it was actually WAY FUN!! We ate and played the game, and it came close, unlike the actual superbowl.  My team lost by 1 point because we went for the two-point conversion!! Just shows that greed never wins!!! haha!!

Well, that was about it for the week!! Just AWESOME!!!!!

Well, I hope you all have a great week!!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

Love,

Sister Thomas

ps I'll get you my new address as soon as I get it!!! Love you!!