Monday, October 20, 2014

And...still Christmas-ing!

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More Christmas happiness Letter from October 13, 2014

HELLO THERE. How are the Christmas celebrations going over there? Because they are thriving here! Well...around me, at least. (My poor companion.) (Just kidding, she's lucky.) (And I mean that in the least vain way possible.) (Okay, is that how you spell "vain"? It just looks wrong.)

This week I got out-whitted. And I was super impressed. And still not over it. There's this most amazing family in our ward, the Flores family, and they are amazing. The dad was just released as Ward Mission Leader in our ward and called as Stake Mission Leader...and pretty much it's a family of missionaries. One of their daughters goes out with us all the time, she's so nice! Anyway, they have a 12-year-old son named Alex. This kid is a crack-up. When we first met him, we asked if he was going to be a missionary, and in response, she kind of cocked his head to the side and said "well...I'm, uhh, actually the deacons quorum president, so..." raising his eyebrows in a 'you-know-what-that-means' way. We were like...way to go, kid. He is proud of his calling. :)

Well, we went over to their house for dinner a few days ago. He came around the corner, and shook the elders' hands first, then came over to us and said, "I don't believe I've met you two yet, either!" So I said, "umm...ouch! We met last week! You don't remember?!" He squinted his eyes, and said, "no way, really??" And I pretended to be offended and hurt, like, "come on, you don't remember us?!" So this kid just shrugs and says, "it's probably because you look even prettier today is all." 

So I respond, "oh, and what are you saying about last time we were here, then, hmm? We weren't pretty then?" And he says, "nope, you were pretty then, too, but you two must be wearing less makeup today." 

BOOM. Touche, kid. Too. Shay. That kid is smooth. I had nothing more to say. Bright future ahead of him, that's all I'm saying. Okay. Back to missionary work.

I have a lesson about peer-pressure this week. Once upon a time, I ate six chilepinos mixed into a fourth a cup of frijoles and my mouth caught on FIRE.

DON'T LET MEXICANS CONVINCE YOU TO DO THAT. OR FELLOW MISSIONARIES. JUST DON'T. 

Also, I came up with a great analogy. I don't know why, but when missionaries want to explain that teaching people according to their needs is more important than teaching the lesson word-for-word, they say, "you can't throw up the gospel onto them." (<--at least, that's what everyone always says to me....?) Anyway, so I say that now, too, but the other day I said it to Hermana Mello and I just got caught up in this thought and okay, just listen...

If there is a really good food, but looks different and people have heard weird things about it, but YOU know it's good and you want to share it with your best friend, THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO is eat it and then throw it up on them. 

No, no, you should tell them how good it is, testify of it's deliciousness, and invite them to try it themselves! Because if you throw it up on them, great, they have it all over them, they kind of know what it is now from their own personal experience, but they never got the chance to really take it in! And if you try to force it down their throat they will probably throw it back up (and also hate you.) You can only INVITE THEM TO TRY IT! Then it will become a part of them. And they will love it too and invite their friends!

Weirdest analogy ever, never going to use it in a lesson unless directed by the Spirit to do so, but that's what I think about during personal study, and I thought I'd share. Also, I'm sorry for the imagery. 

Cristina got baptized on Saturday! I got to go, and it was amazing! She was glowing afterwards, and her testimony was so simple and beautiful! I was so glad I got to go and be a part of it. I am hoping that Georgette follows through and gets baptized this coming week, because I've already got permission to go to that one, too!

Also, all missionaries in the United States got to see "Meet the Mormons" early, so I saw that this week! YOU ALL NEED TO GO ASAP. IT IS SUCH A GREAT MOVIE! Also, I don't know if you knew this, but all proceeds for the movie are being donated to the Red Cross. Pretty cool!

We also have a baptism coming up this weekend! (We hope.) We have to follow up on the Word of Wisdom, but I might be sending a baptism email next week! Yay! His name is Gerardo, super prepared for the gospel. He's got a great story, I'll tell you next week!

I have also been setting some BIG TIME GOALS this week. Like, I realized on my mission that I don't think I've ever set/achieved a formal goal ever in my life. I have studied goal-setting like absolute crazy, and I'm SO EXCITED to tell you all about it when I am home! That's a long time away, but it is coming! :)

"You are my favorite Yankees fan. That is an honor." --Hermana Mello (redsox. ugh.)

"God speaks fluent Spanglish. He also speaks dream language, like when you're praying in the mornings." --Elder Vorkink

"I don't know why you need to take physics for the MCAT, you're never going to use it...like...if the particles are moving at this rate, you're gonna need a heart operation." --Hermana Mello

"He just gave me a friendly arm-grab." --Hermana Mello

Despite the funny quotes (are those ever actually funny to you?), Hermana Mello also said something super interesting the other day while we were driving. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but she said "isn't it interesting that we as human beings so readily accept scientific eternity, things unexplored and unproven theories as something real and possible, but we are so incredulous to spiritual eternity, things unproven and believed in?" 

I love that. It's true. We accept that the universe has no end, but our finite minds find it difficult to actually comprehend an endless matter. But we believe it as a true fact nonetheless! But then you consider a spiritual eternity, that there are things unproven but spiritually true, and people so easily doubt. Our minds are so finite! And guess what? We will never prove everything, spiritual or physical! There is so much to be discovered. But isn't it amazing that the gospel still provides answers to all life's questions? It just make sense...the gospel is logical!

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE...DO IT. DO IT!

Not in a peer-pressure kind of way, though...

READ YOUR SCRIPTURES, GUYS. AND PRAY MORNING AND NIGHT. AND GO TO CHURCH AND FEEL THE SPIRIT PLEASE.

Love, Hermana Thomas
Merry Christmas
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It is Christmas Time for McKenna letter from October 6, 2014

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

AREN'T YOU HAPPY?!?! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIT'S CHRISTMAS TIIIIIME! JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE BELLS, JINGLE ALL THE WAY....(creepy eyes staring at me from down the hall as a Christmas Tree comes hauntingly to life and threatens to suck out my soul...)

Oh, Douglas Fir. RIP.

Feliz Navidad! YAY! Christmas is starting a month early this year! (Yes, you head me. A month early.) I just feel in the Christmas spirit! Plus IT'S PRACTICALLY HERE! :D

But I certainly didn't feel that holly-jolly on Monday...I GOT SICK. Super sick. Like, never-eating-Panda-again sick. It was super schlikin. 

Truth is, it started before the Panda. We were cleaning out the fridge on P-Day and I started to feel a little nauseous, but I just shrugged it off. Then I wrote my letter home, and as we were walking out of the library we ran into the nicest little week-off-her-mission RM who asked if she could take us out to lunch! We were like, YEAH, so we went with her to Panda. She was so nice. Also, she's engaged. (Sent me into panic mode a bit.) But we were so grateful...man, I have been on the receiving end of SO many random-mormon moments, I need to do that for missionaries when I get home. 

Anyway, we went to buy food after, but by that time, I was feeling pretty light-headed and not at all in the mood to be surrounded by food. So we bought a few things, went home, and I just absolutely crashed in bed for like...three hours. IT WAS THE WORST. And I wanted to go out and work, but we called Sister Toone, and she said to take it easy. So I laid in bed for like, another four hours...up all night...no more Panda. The next day I had a fever so we stayed in for most of it again...my poor greenie! Her first P-Day, and she just had to nurse her trainer back to health...but she must be good at it, because we got out to work later that night! Yay!

WAIT. CAN WE JUST DISCUSS THIS FOR A SECOND? Putting aside the whole TB thing, how many times did I write home during my time and Chile and talk about being sick? ZERO. ZERO TIMES. ZERO TIMES ZERO. But pick me up and move me to Tempe Arizona and I'm BEDRIDDEN. And this goes for everything, not just sicknesses, I'm talking bugs I've had to kill, too. I don't think I killed a single bug in Chile! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY COCKROACHES I HAVE COME TO A VIOLENT DEATH AT MY HANDS IN THE LAST FIVE MONTHS?

Back to real news: Hermana Mello and I got into our first fight ever. Thor vs. Loki. I'm sorry, when was this even a QUESTION? LIKE, WHEN WAS LOKI EVER CONSIDERED SOMEONE WORTHY TO BE COMPARED TO THOR...OR ANYBODY? HAVE I MISSED SOMETHING?

So...General Conference happened! Wasn't it AMAZING? I actually got so much out of this Conference. I know I've probably said that about every Conference in the mission, but this time I actually mean it. I was reflecting on why that might have been, and I decided...I have really grown in the last six months. I wish there was a definite way to measure it, but I don't think there is. All I know is that something has undergone an immense change within myself and I was more spiritually mature and humble to hear what the Lord wanted me to hear. It was so amazing! I especially loved the first session of Conference. 

We also watched it all in Spanish...that's right! My greenie watched it in Spanish! And totally understood it. Did I not tell you that she already speaks Spanish? But if you ask her, she'll say, "oh, only un pocito..."....no, no. She's amazing.

SO I HAVE NEWS.

First of all...IVAN GOT BAPTIZED LAST WEEK! (Remember the young man we were teaching, and his less-active cousin in Mesa?) I didn't get to go, but YAY!!! 

Also...Christina is getting married this Friday and baptized on Saturday! I am going to try to get permission to go, but isn't that also amazing?

BUT WAIT. THERE IS MORE. 

The reason I know all of this is because I got a call from the wonderful, lovely Hermana Homer last night! She got permission to call me and discuss the baptism details so that I can get permission to go, but anyway, the point is...on Thursday, in the middle of an MLC, she got a text. When she checked it, it was.....GEORGETTE! GEORGETTE, PEOPLE!! And she said that she was ready to get baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??! 

So of course Hermana Homer set up an appointment ASAP to find out what was going on. They met up with her, and I guess that she very tearfully told them that the night before/morning of her baptism, she and her husband had had some pretty big disagreements about her being baptized. It got pretty intense, and in her weakness, she just called the whole thing off. But she told Hermana Homer that as soon as she lost contact with the church, stopped reading and stopped praying, she felt it. She felt dark. She felt empty. And it was such an awful thing. So much so that she knew that she had made a huge mistake, and chosen, once again, a man over God. So that's when she contacted Hermana Homer.

GEORGETTE IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON THE 18TH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am going to fight, fight, fight so that I can be there. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, RIGHT?!?

DON'T HATE ON CHRISTMAS.

Miracles are real!!! My heart seriously exploded from joy when I heard that. Most amazing thing ever. 

"I'm kind of upset that my dream wasn't anatomically correct." --Hermana Mello (she got her leg accidentally chopped off in her dream and there was only one bone in her calf.) (is that how you spell calf??)

"Horse people. Solid." --Hermana Mello (upon seeing three men riding horses through the streets)

"I don't know how I could tell, but I just knew I was turning into a camel, I could feel it." --Hermana Mello (she has weird dreams at night)

"You have, like, a lot of time left.....................................................like, not from my point of view, but from yours." --Hermana Mello (trying to console me as I stew about how much time I have left on my mission.)

"You can give all the birth you want." --Elder Knudsen (don't ask.)

THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO BE TRUE. Don't ever doubt it! Serve everyone! Love everyone! Look to God in everything! KINDNESS IS POWERFUL!

LOVE, Hermana Thomas
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Letter from September 29, 2014

HELLO EVERYONE! HELLO WORLD! HELLO COMPUTER! HELLO MY STALKERS. (It's been a while since I sent a shout out over that way.) HOW'S IT GOING?

Do you know what is the worst thing ever/something I am becoming very professional at? Packing. Packing is the worst. I used to think that unpacking was worse, but after this week, I have made my firm, eternal decision--packing. Is. Not fun. 

Hermana Homer and I were both asked to train, so leading up to transfers, we did as much stalking as humanly possible on a mission...we called Sister Brown in the office to send us pictures of the incoming missionaries. Then we pretty much had our eyes glued to those pictures for the next three days, trying to divine who our greenies might be. We were pretty impatient. 

THEN THE BEST THING EVER HAPPENED. President Toone asked all of the people that had sung in the double quartet for Elder Christopherson to come down to the mission home and sing to the greenies the night before transfers! Seriously, I felt like I got some kind of year-early sneak-peek at the next Lord of the Rings movie or something, I was so excited!! So we went down and scoped it out, sang for a little bit, then scoped it out some more, but none of the greenies were screaming at me this time. With Hermana Johnson, I pretty much knew. But this time...nope. I was left to develop patience. The one Christ-like attribute that has been tested consistently and daily throughout my entire mission.

It was a tearful goodbye saying "adios" to Sister Barnes...especially to Sugar. Not kidding, I cried when Sugar licked my nose for the last time. Someone help me. I am developing Christ-like love for a Chihuahua. 

Well, we got to transfer meeting and, drumroll please....IT'S A GIRL! :) Hermana Emily Mello from Massachusetts is my newest, wonferfulest companion. GOOD OL' EAST COASTIN' UP IN HERE, REPRESENT. Hermana Mello is a doll. She's so cute. And SHE SPEAKS SPANISH. She says she doesn't, but don't believe her. She's hablar-ing like nobody's business. I'm so proud of her. 

She's also pretty much got like, every talent known to man. A couple days I was just sitting at a piano clunking out some old tune that I remember the first line of, and she was like, "look! You are so good at piano!" I was like...umm...no. Not really. I asked her if she played piano, and she said yes, but not very well. 

"Not very well." She played like the entire Children's Hymnbook for our ward's primary yesterday, not a single mistake, no sweat, just swaying to and fro, her fingers dancing on the keys...I was like...oh. Wow. That's good.

Then yesterday we found this investigator whose son is deaf, so of course I'm all whipping out my ASL ABC's (the letters I even know are: ABCDEIJKLMNORTUVWYZ) and also I somehow know the sign for "Christ"? I don't remember learning that ever, but I got it right...anyway, I am pretty much communicating at the pace of an ant with a rock on top of it. Then I turn to Hermana Mello, and she just smiles, and whips out some ASL! She's all "I know that Jesus Christ lives" in ASL and I'm like...oh. Wow. That's good. 

The point is, she is the bomb. I love her! She is probably one of the sweetest people I know! We are living in our apartm

WAIT I DIDN'T TELL YOU WHERE I AM. 

Phoenix South. Aguila Ward! G-g-g-ghettooo. Kind of. Not really, but a lot more ghetto than my past areas. (Tempe and Mesa...pretty posh in comparison.) But the ward is awesome! This is the first time that I have members that actually ASK me when they can come out with us. I'm like...how about right now until the end of the night? And all day tomorrow? Do you want a tag? You can just come live with us.

Did all the women reading this see the General Women's broadcast this Saturday? I really hope so! It was so good! We actually got asked to go help out with this booth at the activity beforehand and remind people about the temple open house coming up! But we were late because of a HUGE RAINSTORM that hit us as we were leaving! It was crazy awesome.

Hermana Mello and I have already had a few adventures, too. That mainly means that we have gotten lost like 24 times in the last three days. That's for real. We drove so much last night just trying to figure out where we were. 

Also, we had fast Sunday this weekend. We actually ate at about 3:30 on Saturday night, then started fasting, so by yesterday afternoon we were pretty starved, and our dinner wasn't until 5. We weren't anywhere near the apartment, plus we didn't want to take time out of proselyting, but it was Sunday so we couldn't just go buy something quick from a gas station. We were dying of hunger by about 4:00...but then...Hermana Mello found some super crushed up M&Ms in her bag. From like, two months ago. 

Best break the fast ever.

We also each had a mint.

As for the work, we whitewashed in, so it's been a little slow! It's been especially hard this time for  us to get a hold of people, or to find them in their houses! But we have already met Gerardo, an amazing investigator who is set to be baptized on the 12th of October! He is awesome. And we are slowly setting up appointments to meet members and the other people that the sisters before us were teaching.

Phoenix South is pretty awesome. I am excited to be here! I hope that I can die here with Sister Mello. That would be fun. And...I don't want to pack until I have to...

I LOVE YOU ALL SO STINKIN MUCH. Oh yeah, also, guess what? I got a call this morning from some BYU student who was asking permission to use my song from the For Strength of Youth album for her dance project...I felt pretty famous! But...unfortunately I had to tell her that I don't actually have the rights to that song...so I couldn't okay it for her! But...cool, huh? 

LOVE YOU! KEEP BEING GOOD PEOPLE. REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU STAND FOR. I'M SERIOUS.

love, Hermana Thomas
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