First of all, I'm going to do that cop-out I seem to have
been doing the past couple weeks...it has something to do with my
journal...and how I didn't do very good at keeping up with it this
week...again...HEY BUT WAIT. There's more this time...here's the deal.
I've been keeping my journal more like a...list. At the end of the day, I
write some funny or spiritual experiences that I've had since the last
time I wrote...in a list form. I've been justifying myself because I've
thought, "my letters home every week pretty much are my journal
entries."
Well...President Eyring told me off the other day.
Face to face, an apostle told me off. (Just kidding. It was through a
magazine.) JUST as I shrugged off writing in my journal to read some
articles in the "Liahona" (a church magazine,) I came across a message
by Henry B. Eyring, in which he talks about how important it is to
keep a journal. To top it off, he quoted a prophet, Spencer W. Kimball,
who said this: "Those who keep a book of remembrance [a journal] are
more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives.
Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory
of these blessings for our posterity." I thought about that, then
opened my journal to read an entry I wrote back in the MTC, in which I
talked primarily about KFC Chicken and catching a mouse in a garbage
can. My posterity's gonna love that.............so, yeah. I'm
re-thinking my journal, here.
So. What's new here? I've been tired! But that means
I'm working hard. (No, Mom, don't worry. It's not "I'm dying of tuberculosis" tired.) We've come home every night absolutely wiped out.
We had a few rough days this week...just contacting, contacting,
contacting...this isn't too out of the ordinary. The only difference
this week was that NO ONE. NO. ONE. Opened their doors for us. I don't
know what was going on. And when they did, they closed them on us, or
took a card and left before we could explain it, which means we couldn't
technically count it as a contact...so that's been a little
frustrating! But that's just a reality of the mission sometimes. People
don't want to listen. Sometimes we talk to people who straight out tell
us that they never discuss religion with other people....ISN'T THAT SO
SCARY? What if you're wrong!?! (You are wrong, by the way, but) WHAT IF
you're wrong?
BUT. This week has also had some really great
moments, too! For example, the other day our convert, Maria Elizabeth,
told us that she's been talking to everyone--EVERYONE--about the gospel.
She told us that she made a friend in a pharmacy who's about 30 years
old, who was separated from her husband and had all these problems, etc,
etc...anyway, Maria Elizabeth told her to stop smoking and to work
things out with her husband so that she can have an eternal family, and
that God would bless her. I guess that they met up a week later, and
this lady is trying to follow her advice! Oh man, Maria Elizabeth is the
greatest person in the world. She keeps talking about investigators
like we're alligator wrestling...she says, "who was that investigator in
church?" We say, "oh, that's Maria." And she says, "oh! Who conquered
her??" (Like, which of the missionary companion-ships is teaching this
person. "Conquering.") She keeps saying, "I'm going to conquer someone,
too!"
So, yeah. Conquering in Chile.
We
are also teaching a girl who is thirteen...we found her while we were
contacting last week, and it turns out that all the members of her
family are baptized members of the church except for her. Her parents
went inactive because they moved from their original ward, so we are
working on helping her mom and dad get back to church...the only problem
is that her mom is being...very stubborn. When we ask the daughter if
she'd like to be baptized, she always nods yes very confidently, but she
tries to hide it from her mom...and her mom always answers for her, and
says "well...we'll need to see." Every time. But, little by little, we
are seeing progress there.
Hey, Dad, you're gonna love this...you just sent me a
picture of you and one of your old college friends, which reminded me
that when I skyped you guys on Christmas, the member family was sitting
on the couch next to me, talking to my companion and occasionally
looking at the screen...anyway, after I hung up with you, I switched
with Hermana Kenney so that she could skype her family, and as soon as I
sat down, the mom of the family said to me, "hey, what movie has your
dad been in?" I told her none, but she was convinced, and started
looking up possibilities on IMDB of movies that she's seen YOU in. Not
an actor that looks like you...YOU. So. Don't let your head get too big,
there. Chileans also call me "Barbie" when I'm sliming through the
streets without having showered that morning.
We also had interviews with the president this week.
Mine went really good, I felt the spirit so strong and he helped me
with a lot of concerns I've been having personally. There were questions
that he asked me during my interview that he could not have known were
absolutely perfect, since I've only really expressed these concerns in
my prayers. It was another testimony-building experience, where I really
felt that the Lord is aware of me, and this is His work, and His hand
is in every detail...even my interview with the president! I'm really
grateful for President Warne, and all of our leaders in the mission.
We're all just one big team, working to help our fellow brothers and
sisters grow closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I
love being a missionary.
¡Les extraño y amo muchisimo! Pienso en ustedes cada
dia, y siempre estan en mis oraciones. ¡Espero que todo este bien y que
esten leyendo sus escrituras, orando cada mañana y noche, y haciendo lo
bueno en cada momento!
HELLO HERMANA KENNEY'S MOM. (Hermana Kenney just asked for my blogspot address.)
I
LOVE YOU ALL. KEEP DOING ALL THOSE THINGS I'VE BEEN SAYING BECAUSE THEY
ARE IMPORTANT I KNOW THEY WILL BLESS YOUR LIVES. IIIIIIIIII
LOOOOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU AAAAAAAAAAALL.
Con muchooooo amor, Hermana Thomas
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