Growing Testimony

Hey Everyone,

so the MTC is good. i got letters coming out soon too. on the quick note. it  would be easy for me to reply through dear elder, because i can only come on  this once a week and then i only have 30 mintues on it. sorry for the bad  typing but im trying to rush to get in everything i want to say. thanks again  for all the letters i really appreciate them and i love hearing how everything  is going. dad i got a tape recorder so if you want to hear from me i can send  it just let me know k?   So first things first, grandpa we were told to write a message of our testimonies in spanish to someone who is a non member, i didn't know who to  write to, but then i thought of grandpa, i don't even know why but, i felt  like it was good when i wrote it and im praying that the Lord will touch  grandpas heart and open it up to my testimony but it's in spanish so you will have to translate it for him.  one thing about the MTC that im learning a lot about is that these things, spiritual things like The Lord and the spirit aren't some  made up ficitional beings or feelings we get.  they are real and really close to us.  check out acts 17:27-29 or something like that. it says that he be not  far from us - its true. the spirit can be a part of our lives and i know it is  in ours right now. we just dont look for it, but we need to because it is  such a blessing.      

Quick thing thats been on my mind alot..is you mom, dad, cait and everyone.  and i'm so thankful because i know the lord answers prayers because i love you guys a lot and i want our family to be close, not that we aren't, but sometimes there are times when we could be better. who doesn't have those times?  but hearing from your past letter.  you know the Lord loves us, he really does and i know that families are importanat.  you taught me all that i know and that's  why i am who i am today.  but yeah.  Quick story about my testimony this week.  i'm reading the book of mormon again  and i'm in 2 nephi Isaiah this week.  it's awesome.  i testify that the book of  mormon is the word of God, no man made these things up, joseph smith restored  this gospel. the book of mormon has the gospel of Jesus christ in its covers and that is what leads us to know what to do in this life and how to find true happiness.  we need to read it daily daily daily daily daily daily daily.  no  matter how little as long as its with an open heart.  i promise, there are so  much blessings from it and the lord wants us to have it.  another thing, i want to testify about joseph smith because i feel like he is the man that i'm striving to be like everyday, he reminds me of the savior and i want to be just like my savior because i represent him now which is kind of scary to think.  but yeah i been watching the jospeh movie every sunday almost  they always show a film and i see like the bravery and the humility he had and thats what i'm taking steps to be like.  something that describes my testimony  at the moment is the hymn how firm a foundation.  3 and 7 verses look it up  it is powerful.  oh another thing i learned was at carthage Joseph Smith was  held by the guards and before he died he testified of the truth of the Book of  mormon, and seems to me that through his whole life he was tried and all he  had to do was say it was true and i mean he went through some really really  harsh trials. but he never gave in never, and i look at that and think, why,  why would he do that.  but i know why and i'm really understanding that this stuff is true and full of power and joy and i'm not afraid of it anymore. so i  just want you to know that.  it's true and i want you to know that.  oh quick explanation on the TRC it's a place were we go and teach on full  lessons and so people come to volunteer as real investigators trying to help  us get the real experience, i'll explain more in my letter. please send this email out to who ever wants to read it too, thanks family! 

love, Elder Thomas   

First email from Sean. excuse me ... Elder Thomas

Hola Familia,

So finally i got an account and set it up. Took me long enough but the first week it was busy and then last week i set it up and then haha i forgot that i needed your email. haha and so i didnt have it but lucky i found it this week.
Anyways. so this week has been pretty sucky with a few bits of light here and there. oh first off crazy story of when i thought i was being damned to h#$@. So every saturday we go to the TRC and then so we went this saturday and we were focusing on the first lesson again. but we had to contact them and get to know these investigators in spanish. this was my face the whole time :0

i have a way hard time understanding what they say kus my mind is kinda slow.
but this actually went pretty decent and it was alright. then we went back in
and the guy we taught has a rep around our zone as being the hardest guy to
teach. he is a real tool bag. haha chiste. but so were teaching him and we did
pretty good with the help of the spirit of course not by our selves. but he
was trying to pull a catholic approach. i was braddah please i was raised as a
catholic small kine. so i shared alot of the things that went on in our
conversion. which is a real blessing because you can apply it in their
situation. your not just teaching your trying to help them kus really thats
what the gospel is. its a strength for us and in no matter what. well, it's a
benefit of the gospel. no se. but yeah so after the lesson we usually are just
like told to get out of there. but he was like no i'm not done with you. he
talked to us for 20 minutes and we stayed to be nice you know. dont want to be
rude. but i kept hearing in the back of my head to just leave. but i'm
retarded and didnt listen sooo..
we get back to the class and our teacher comes in and she is
distraught. because that guy was teaching us stuff that should be taught by
the spirit not his ego. kus for real he was a ego maniac. but me and my comp
Elder Reagan didnt really remember anything he said.
she gave us scriptures kus she tought we were going to be in great danger ...
it was like the part in the Joseph Smith Movie when Joseph Smith Just stands
up and calls them you phenes of the Infernal pit. I was like those guys. i was
like shoot i'm going to walk out of this place and leave my suitcase and
everything kus i felt i was a Phene of the Infernal pit. haha its kind of funny
to think about now but, man i just about peed my pants for a couple minutes in that room.
so that day i felt horrible! but i watched something from General Conference
about The savior and it seemed as though my faith was strengthened and i
remembered that you know what? maybe i am a phene, but i have the savior and i
started to not care what happen, but to make sure that it wouldn't happen
again. and that i would do anything i can to always have the spirit to be with
me and that i won't let anything get me down. so i started working even harder
reading scriptures trying to feel the spirit and working on helping the
investigators.
And so on Monday we had a Family Home Evening. (I know that you are
all doing it) haha. but we had the lesson and chance to teach our teacher BRo.
Mcpherson about how he can gain faith. Funny thing about here in the MTC your
in tune with the spirit a ton but you need to recognize it as such. and i know
that can be like that at home also. Look for the blessing of the spirit in
your life, do it. But funny thing right before we taught the lesson the story
of the Mokuluas came in my mind. about how i was retarded and got smashed
against the rocks and tossed into the ocean. and i said, there's times in our
lives where we are caught at a fork like that situation and you get lost and
confused and your looking for something, anything. and i said when i was
swimming i concentrated on the rock. and i thought that's like Jesus Christ.
Faith needs to be centered on Jesus Christ. and if we build our foundation
upon his rock and what he did for us. we cannot fall. CANNOT. bad things are
gonna happen and stupid stuff will happen too. but it doesnt matter have Faith
in Christ and you can get through.

anyways hope you get this soon. im doing good here. learning alot and im so
thankful for this experience. let me know how things are at back home and yeah
thanks for all the letters and packages they help a ton and I am just way thankful,
so i hope everyone knows that. take it easy and i'll talk to you later next week
wednesday. so look out for these emails

Adios Love Elder Tómas (haha)

Four Square?

To: Mother and Father

Hey thanks for all the letters and everything. That's way good news about Aunty Maddy!! That's way sweet.

Hey Dad - take it easy with the four square. Mr. Mojo. It's super funny kus everyone takes it so seriously. I only play when I can't make it into basketball, kus you have to shoot for teams and choke people like to play. But when I do play, I own with the behind the back and between the legs. Haha.

Oh, I just bought a tape recorder, if you want you can get a tape player that way I can send you tapes, its up to you guys.

This past week, we are preparing to teach investigators about families and the restoration. So I have been thinking a lot about it and how we are strengthened. I know I wouldn't be where I am right now without you Mom and Dad. I'm thankful for everything you have taught me, especially all the principles and yet still able to have a lot of fun. I'm thankful for you guys always being beside me. Helping me and doing a lot for me. I miss you guys a lot, but I know because I have been given much, I must give to others. I look at how we are as a family at the best of times and how we can be forever. That is the best blessing. So we've been just brainstorming and just preparing for Saturday. But yup, two weeks in and its crazy. It seems like its been forever, but at the same time, it's going by way fast. I'm still working hard, gotta keep working though. Got a long way. But your letters always helps. I appreciate the encouragement . Still learning a lot and it's crazy - the Book of Mormon really can answer any question we have. We were reading Alma 32. The scripture was so good. But when we were reading it I was thinking and then a story popped into my mind when I was a kid. I remember how we had those bushes in grandpa's driveway so that when there were flowers, grandma would use them to make haku leis. And this one time, I was helping Grandpa trim them and you know grandpa ... how he was so strict. So I was trying to make sure I was pruning it right. So I was listening to grandpa. So, I thought it is like our faith. We strengthen and nourish the tree and our faith day after day and it continues to grow and we see the flowers and the benefit of our labors.

But there comes a time when we need to trim and prune. When the Lord trims our faith for our benefit. Sure it hurts, but after the trial, our faith grows back stronger and closer together like a tree. When a tree is pruned correctly it's branches are closer together and are stronger. I know though it's hard sometimes, but we have the Lord on our side and everything is possible.

Yo se que la iglesia de Jesuchristo es verdad y Jesuchristo es mi salvador y nos ama por que si murio por nosotros. Y yo tengo la fe en Jesuchristo padre celestial. Yo se que mi familia pueden juntos para siempre. Agradeumo mi familia y les amocon todos mi corazon. yo se que dios tiene ayudar. nosotros un su hijos. En el nombre de Jesuchristo. Amen

haha. There's a little Spanish. Rough around the edges. May not make sense, but I am trying.

Let me know how things are going back at home. Oh, and I got a box from the McMillans. So thankful they sent me alot of great stuff. So thought I would tell you that. It was really nice of them. helped a lot! It's crazy how much letters are important. It just helps you stay sane and makes you feel stronger, knowing someone loves you. Let me know how everything is.

Elder Thomas

Haole Spanish speaking mission

Querido Familia,

Hey so it's been a week at the MTC/missionary training compound, haha, jk. It's crazy though. There's so much going on in here. Everyday we wake up at 6:30 jam packed with so much stuff then go to sleep at 10:30. We have a lot of study time and class time too. As far as spiritual stuff here, obviously it's super high. It's like going to the temple and being in it with the strong feeling of the spirit, everyday. It's way nice. Umm, so much stuff happen, I don't knw what to say. Oh first day we got to see President Uchtdorf. He stopped by to say a few things and talked about how we have been called of God and I think I'm beginning to really believe it. And not just say, yeah I know, because there are so much blessings of strength that we read about in the Doctrine and Covenants, so much blessings. It's amazing. Oh, as far as studying goes, we have personal study, companion and language. For personal, I have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants and starting over in the Book of Mormon. It's great. Just one quick thing. I learned is that when I was reading the first few chapters of Nephi. It talks about how Lehi leaves all his possessions and leaves things to follow the Lord. The Lord will bless us in our difficulties, he will help us and give us strength. We just need to keep faith in him. The Book of Morom es my importante. I knew that before, but I am gaining a lot more love for it.

Anyways, my companion or mi companero, his name is Elder Reagan like the President. He is related. Everyone is like, wow that's cool. I am like oh, okay, maybe it would be better it he knew a pro surfer, but he's cool. We get along good. Our district we have 12 people that are all pretty cool.

Thanks for all the letters and cards, it's really nice to get these. I thought people were all babies at first, because they were all like, oh letters are important. but now I get it, haha. They really give you strength and encouragement, plus it's nice to take a break and see how everything is going. Now some stories for yah, so my teacher, one of them, her name is Hermana Rivas, she's Hawaiian slash she's Mexican now because she speaks good Spanish, but the other day we were reading the Book of Mormon in spanish and I was reading and she said, :Elder Thomas, have you taken Hawaiian, and I was like yeah. Then she said, "don't be haole about pronouncing the vowels in Spanish kus it's the same." haha, I was like oh no she didn't. My companion just laughed because he knew what it meant kus I told him earlier. It was funny. That's for you Mom. Ok, so for gym time there is basketball, volleyball, then FOUR SQUARE. that's right. haha. That's what I would play in elementary school as a second grader. I guess it's for the unathletic people I don't know. But there are so many elders who get way into it. I'm talking about four square smack talking - no se mucho raro. So there's this one kid, he's like well known as the king in that game. His name is thunder cat because he has a thunder cat t-shirt on every day. oh man.

I will definitely write more in my email. Oh sorry, but could you guys send me like two more t-shirts por favor (please). Kus I have to wear stinky ones after gym. so if you could that would be much appreciated. Anyways, I LOVE YOU GUYS A LOT! you guys are the best.

Elder Thomas

First letter from Sean

Queridio Familia,

Carly this is you too, you are a part of our family.

MTC ALRIGHT! Shoot, I can't begin to tell you about the stories here. First off this letter is for immunizations. Really, I am only suppose to write on P-Days, which for me is on Wednesdays. So sorry you have to wait so long for a reply! But I promise i get to you when I write to you on Wednesday. THANKS FOR THE LETTERS. I wish I could talk and answer questions you have now, but gotta wait. Hardly any time. Oh first day, I swear, I met like 20 poly Elders, felt like home, haha. Made me feel sorta normal. Oh, and so I felt unusual, but then I was walking and I saw this one elder, I talking HUGE GRANDE EARS. I thought alright, that was good because I am not too out of place here, except, I am like the only milk chocolate chip in a bowl of white cookie dough.

Oh, quick story, just happened today, Me, I don't feel a lot of my thoughts or ideas are really good, I feel sometimes that I shouldn't say them kus people might think that I'm dumb. But I had this one experience today that really strengthened my faith. I teamed up with a sister, Hermana Thomas (same name, super awkward, so weird) but I acted as an investigator and she was a missionary, then we switched and then when it was my turn I was kid of scared before. But when it was my turn, I just felt this peace and I thought, when I think back on it, I saw her as Jesus Christ did. I don't know how I talked to her, but I knew I had the spirit because it testified the truth of my words to me as I said them and there were just impressions that came to my mind.

SPANISH = TOUGH.

But know I love you and I love my Savior and Heavenly Father which is why I am here, to show my love for them and my brothers/sister/uncles/aunties in San Diego.

Wait for Wednesday. I promise more stories and letters that are more personal.

Love, Elder Tomas (haha, I wish this was on my name tag)

Mom, Could you call Carly and let her know please, or send this as an email. por favor. Gracias