Monday, May 6, 2013

Walk, and Walk, and Walk, and Walk........


This week has been another one of those long/short weeks......what does that mean you may ask?.....well.......The days have seemed like weeks, almost years, but looking back on the week, it seems like it's been like 2 hours.....missions make time go CRAZY!!  It's been a great week though, we've continued to work a lot with the ward and strengthening them, because honestly bringing people into the church is important, and we're still trying, but with this ward they need to stay.  There are about 500 members and only about 100 that are active.  There's something wrong with that, and since we have 6 missionaries in one ward, Sister Crosby and I decided, along with the Bishop and Ward Council, that we are gonna strengthen the ward, that we are still gonna knock 5-7's and try to find people, but we're mainly going to work with Less Actives, Part Member Families, and our main focus is Single Sisters.  We wanna focus on the women because like the stripling warriors, they knew it because their mothers knew it, and they could not doubt it.  There are ALOT of single sisters.....and since we're sisters, we can get in there unlike the Elders. 
A cool example of this is last night we went and saw this family, the Kovich's.  He is a LA (less-active) member and she was a member, but then she had her records removed.  A Bro. in our ward asked us to visit her and see if we could help her.  We visited with them, and we shared a scripture from the BOM with her, and then she piped up and said, "Do you know my favorite Scripture? It's from the BOM too...it's the 'I will go and do' one."  So we talked about that a little bit, and as we were leaving she said she wanted us to come back and teach her, and she's interessted in maybe coming back to the church, which would be a miracle!!!!
Speaking of miracles, It doesn't have to do with investigators, but we haven't really been fed much by members, mostly because the elders have the calendar and forget about it, anyway, we've been praying we'd get fed more b/c we don't have money to buy tons and tons of food to stay well fed everyday.  So the last few days have been amazing.  First Saturday the Scotts, a super awesome family, asked us (ALL 6) to come over.  Then at church on Sunday Sister Benedict, a super sweet sister, asked us to come be her guinea pigs, so we got fed. And tonight we're teaching an FHE at a Focus Families house, and when we called to solidify the plans they said, do you have dinner lined up? we told them no, and so they said, well come over a little sooner and we'll feed you!!!!  MIRACLE!!!!  I love the little things the Lord does for you every day........
The other day even, Sister Crosby was saying she needed a new toothbrush, we go to lunch with a member, and bam, they say, "Hey we bought you guys toothbrushes!"  What the random right?!? haha...it was one of those funny miracles.
Oh, big news of the week.......
don't get too excited, it's probably dumb to most, BUT.......
I ate fish the other day (cod to be exact) and I LOVED it!!!!!!!! ALOT!!!!!!
If people don't know, I absolutely HATE seafood, with few exceptions, I'd never had cod before and verdicts out, I like it! YAY!!!
So.........I absolutely LOVE this ward!!! I think thats why I want to strengthen them so bad!  On Friday they had a Ward Social that was a SKIT NIGHT!  I have learned alot on my mission that when you agree to go on a mission, you agree to do pretty much everything....even participating in skits.....
Anyway, so they split us into 3 groups.  My group was myself, Elder Price, Elder Parry, Elder Augustine, Bro. Scott, Sis. Barbier, Sis. Day, and Bro. Jole.  So most the missionaries.....they gave us a bag of props and we had to use all of them!  Ours was about the different reasons being a mormon was so cool!  The theme was stand in holy places, so after each cool thing Bro. Scott would say, "and we stand in Holy Places"  so for example we had a BYU football so they said "Well, we have a university with a killer football team!!" and Bro. Scott would walk out and say, "and we stand in Holy Places!"  It was pretty funny.....definitely some of the best skits I've seen in a while.
Oh, I don't remember if I told you about Bro. Walker yet or not, I'll just tell you, so.......
Bro. Walker is our ward mission leader, he has formerly been Bishop, Stake President, Mission President, and an Area Seventy.......yeah so he's old and inspired...haha
Anyway, he is amazing, he gives such good advice.  The only thing that is sickening, and I mean literally, is his Butter Casserole......yeah, I said Butter!  Every Sat. morning at 7:30 we go to Bro. Walkers house to have a coorelation meeting and have breakfast, and he makes, or his wife makes, this casserole that is butter with a little bit of hashbrowns........Sis. Crosby and I were sick for the next few hours......I'll have to build up an immunity to it or something.....haha, it's really funny actually, we were all just watching eachother dish it up, and all the faces were so funny!!  Oh man, I love old people, they just don't even care anymore...
I have learned alot about obedience this week........We have been tracting everyday and we've maybe taught 1 lesson b/c people just don't let us in, it's really hard to keep going b/c nothing, that we can see at least, is coming from it.....I know now why in a blessing I got last transfer it said I need to develop charity, patience, and dilligence b/c those have all been extremely tested this week, and I know they'll continue to be this whole transfer.  
I actually got a blessing the other day from President Weaver.....I love that he's so close....because I have still just been feeling blah!  and on top of everything else with the new area and such I was just so discouraged.  One thing he said in the blessing that I loved was this:
God could heal you, there have been examples in the scriptures, but God doesn't want you to be mortally healed, he wants you to be Eternally healed. so he won't take your burden away, but he will help to lighten your burden if you are obedient.
This brought so much peace to me, and it made me really want to go out and do missionary work!!
Well, I think that is about all for now, I'm sure you're tired of reading by now, but I hope you are all doing well and I hope you know how much I love you!!!!  I can't wait for Mother's Day!!!! I'm trying to find a way to skype, b/c we all know how much I hate phones, which is a problem on  a misson, but if it has to be just a call I'm fine as long as I can  hear your beautiful voices...haha :) 
Well, I hope you all have a great week, and know that I love you and I am praying for you everyday!!! Read your Book of Mormon everyday and pray!!! It will help your life so much and you will be eternally happy!  Like my momma Sister Nanto says, "your spirit will smile!"
I love you all and hope your week goes great!!!
Love,
Sister Thomas

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