To Touch Someone

Hey everybody!

So alright tons of stuff i got to write about this week. pretty cool stories. But before the cool ones we had some tough times too. This week we finally had a chance to talk with joey, and well we tried calling him in the week because we really wanted to meet with him and we told him we could meet at any time, so he called us back and we were stoked but we realized that we had a service project we had to do and we asked him if we could do it sometime tonight or tomorrow but he was mad kus he felt that we didn't want to visit him so he hung up and so that wasn't good. However, later on saturday we got a text from him and so we stopped by his house and talked about it and he was really mad at us and said some stuff and we felt really bad becuase we well let him down you know. It got way bad too before we left, just told us he doesn't want to talk to us again, he'll learn some other way with some one else. So we just felt like horrible missionaries, i mean it made me really feel inadequate and i questioned, even though i knew i shouldn't have, why i was here. i felt that i should've prepared better before my mission, that way i could be the best missionary i could be. So that's how we felt.

Then there was something really cool that happened on sunday, the next day. We had the confirmation for Janelle, so she could recieve the Holy Ghost, and originally my companion was going to give it, but it didn't work out, because he was in another meeting and so i had to give it. i really don't remember what i said, but i remember feeling that the spirit was there and that i knew it was testifying that what we were doing was right. For me it was a huge blessing, because probably for the first time in my life, well that i could remember, i felt that way.

What happened after that was even more crazy. So this past week we were trying to find more Spanish people to teach and visit, so we passed by this one former investigator's house. When we stopped by, her son-in-law was there with his wife and we gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to church, andcome Sunday he came! He stayed there for all three hours and loved it and met all the members, it was just a really cool thing. Then we stopped by his house just yesterday and his wife told us a cool miracle that happened. For the first time in years, in years...he woke up and got down and prayed and she said she thought he was crazy, like what are you doing? But he then told us that he felt peaceful for the first time in years... because he hasn't worked for two years and has been looking and looking but can't find any work. After that day he prayed, he found some work for next week, and he said that he knew it was by God. Then he told us something that i will never forget, he said thanks for rescueing him, for bringing the spirit into his life, and for me, i would give my whole life for just another person to say that. I would work my whole life knocking on doors or trying to share the gospel just so i could know again that it has touched someone else's heart. It is true when it says how great your joy shall be, i felt it and it was the strongest thing i felt and it was nice. From that point I knew that God knows the way to true happiness and that he has given us the gospel to live in order to be on the path, and no matter what the world has to offer or no matter what any other thing there is in the world, it will sink into insignificance compared to the joy and happiness that comes from the Gospel, and thats truth at its finest.

And just even going more back earlier in the week. i really saw the importance of being obedient to God's commandments and following all the missionary rules even though i don't understand why they are there. I know that all these good things are happening because of we obey the commandments and the rules and there are so many blessings that I have seen, it's awesome.

So those were the stories I wanted to share with you guys this week. i hope everyone is doing good and everyone is happy I miss you all and love you all too!

Love
Elder Thomas

The Work Is good

Hey Everyone,

So this past week was crazy!! So much stuff happened, and didn't happen at the same time. We found a lot more people to teach. it was a pretty sweet week. Well first off, we had this dinner at the Whittles family house. So we pull up and then his next door neighbor that we met two weeks ago popped out of his house and said hi and we got to talk to him. It's cool because we weren't able to find him for two weeks or something like that. What happened was his house caught on fire two weeks ago like two days after we visited him and that's why we couldn't find him. he showed us the house and it was bad. the soot pretty much ruined everything, but his house is still standing which is the good part. So the very next day we came over and helped clear out his whole house, it was good to finally do some service, felt way good. He also got to come to church this past sunday which was gooood! He liked it, and he is humble and really does want to make a change, which makes it even better. and the cool thing all about it is that his neighbor the member is Bro. Whittle and he is a really good example. Joey, that's his name always talks about him and how he admires him and his family. So that's a big reason why he is letting us come over too.

We just have a lot of other teaching opportunities as well, it's really sweet. You can definitely see the Lord's hand in the work. hey you need to let me know how the dinner was with the missionaries. They might of showed you a video that was filmed here in San Diego with the missionaries here. I t's really good, we share it in a lot of our appointments, because it talks about the work and what our purpose is, not only for us missionaries but for everybody, it's really good. So keep a look out maybe.

Um lets see, oh this week we had a ton of appointments set up during the week and it seemed like one by one they all fell through. one day we had three in one day and we were stoked and we planned for everyone and got super excited to go visit and talk with them and then bam, all gone and no one had time to meet with us. it was like those times dad when we would be surfing one day and a set a nice waves would come and then after we would be pumped and keep waiting and waiting and waiting for more to come and then nothing happens. so at first i was just disappointed and then after a while, after it happened again and again. i start getting mad. So it wasn't good. But in personal study i am at around Alma the war chapters, but it's in Spanish so i am completely lost haha,i have no idea what half the words are in there. but i was reading about Capt Moroni and how it was talking about what he was like and that if we were like him the power of the devil would be as much power as a butterfly or something like that. and so i was thinking and you know i bet Moroni got angry too guarantee, to be fighting like the beast that he was. but at the same time he kept his cool and knew what he needed to do. and then i started thinking a lot about a good attitude. haha dad you remember when we were kids? you would always tell me and cait, hey i dont like that attitude, you better change it haha gosh. I dont know i guess it was just a constant reminder that things will come up. unfortunate or fortunate. but we have an understanding of what we need to do and should do, and so no matter what we just need to keep going and keep pushing until the next life where we will probably have to push still. thats alright haha.

oh got side tracked. um well anyways things are going really good here. so yup oh dad so i bought that translator with the card and also that knife don't worry, i just needed the knife to make a gift for carly. kus i was going to carve her something. shoot its hard! if you know any tips let me know. haha um

Thanks for eveything and i love you guys. take it easy!

Elder Thomas