Holy Cow!!!

Well. This week was quite the whirlwind of weirdness.

First of all. I LOVE YOU! 

Okay so back to this week. 

I CRASHED ON MY BIKE. Let me tell you what. I hate bikes. But I also love them but sometimes THEY JUST I don't even know how to explain this. Hermana Johnson and I just left the house to head over to the Beck church building because we needed WiFi for our online hour. So, here I am, just chillin, ridin' my bike, down the same road I always go down, doin' the same thing I'm always doin', nothin' in view, then HWA-PAM I AM FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, SKIDDING AROUND LIKE A MANIAC, LIMBS FLAILING AND SKIDDING TO A STOP. One moment I am humming an Adele song under my breath and the next I am soaring through the air. (That is what I get for an unconsecrated song stuck in my head...I've repented.) 

It's all good, but I got banged up a bit. I'll send pictures, but let me just tell you, they do not do it justice. Okay? They don't. Mostly I was fine, scraped elbow, bruised in really weird places, but my left knee got the biggest blow. It's still throbbing a bit. But, as you can all probably imagine, this was not the funnest experience for me. (It still isn't.) Hermana Raynor and Arellano came to the rescue with a first aid kit to disinfect and bandage me up, but I was just not having it. At one point she had to dumb cold water on my leg and that was probably the worst part. I finally pulled out my iPad and watched the bible videos on it to distract myself. I'll try to send some proof.

Oh, the other day we were standing in a gas station waiting for the other sisters to come pick us up when suddenly this black guy bursts inside, stops and stares at us, then points to Hermana Johnson (after apparently thinking very hard about something) and says, "...YOU'RE the older one." We look at each other like...what? So I start thinking about possible things he might be talking about...like, older in life? Me. By a year. Older in the mission? Me. By a year. So...I say, "nope. I am." Then he's like, "aww man, darn it, I always guess twins right." Then he just walks off and leaves. 

I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but everyone thinks that Hermana Johnson and I are sisters. I don't think our faces look too similar, but it's the blonde hair and blue eyes, plus we keep accidentally matching, which sure doesn't help...anyway, this week we've been asked like 6 times if we are twins. One time a cashier rung us both up on the same receipt because we "looked like twins." Another little girl asked us if we were twins. Like...it's been multiple, multiple times this week.

Speaking of Hermana Johnson, the other night I get woken up to the sound of my cute little greenie praying super loud in perfect Spanish. In her sleep. Super loud. And she was praying specifically for one investigator, so I'm like, it's cool. I'm sure God heard that one, even if she didn't.

We also had a flash flood yesterday! I've never experienced one of those before, and it was literally a "flash"! It stopped after like 10 minutes of non-stop pouring. Luckily, we were in a baptism during most of it, but I LOVE RAIN. I kind of just wanted to go run in it! I wish we'd been on bikes...

We also invited a member to one of our lessons who literally and quite boldly called our investigators to repentance. While it was maybe verging on the "whoa, there, way way way too direct" side, I think I learned a lesson in being bold, because they didn't seem to startled by it.

I also got asked to direct the hymns for like every single meeting we had this week...EVEN SACRAMENT MEETING. That was a doozy. All I'm saying is..."A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief." All seven verses. And I don't know how to properly direct 6/8. In Spanish. Slow organist. Slow death.

And now...for the kicker...

There's this donut shop next to where we live called "Donut Co." Supposedly, it has been voted best donuts in Arizona two years in a row. Truthfully, we only go in there for bathroom breaks, but a few nights ago we ran in and ended up buying a donut each. There was this lady working there...she was a little odd. Like, said weird things. (And I'm not just saying that. Okay...just...wait. Wait until the end of this story.) Like...while Hermana Johnson was in the bathroom a person came through the drive through, and after she gave them her donut, she says, "I just washed a toilet with these hands." ?!?!?!? Don't say that, lady! And she really did. She was telling me about it before he drove up. She also said other really odd things. But I just had a small conversation with her, no big deal. Then later a member called us, so I took the call, and I'm speaking in Spanish, and the lady working there says something to Hermana Johnson about me, but yeah, whatever, right?

Well, on Saturday Hermana Raynor and Arellano come into the house practically peeing their pants from laughter. They tell us that they just ran to the Donut Co to use the bathroom, and that some lady working there (and they described her. It's that same lady) was talking to them, and was like, "Oh, two other missionaries came in here the other day with nametags like that. Two blondes. One of them was pretty new I think, and the other was special or something, she kept signing with her hands and didn't understand much." 

?!?!?!?

DJIAW FJIEA'G'EAJISD;FLEJA WHAT. SIGNING WITH MY HANDS?! 

So ya'll can just enjoy that one. 

Also there was a mini ward activity planned that we were invited to (me and Hermana Johnson) so we showed up and LO AND BEHOLD we had NO IDEA that we were teaching it! And it was about Temples, probably the least studied topic of my entire mission. So we throw in this DVD about temples that lasts 10 minutes and are in the back just rummaging through Preach My Gospel for something to say after. (Preach My Gospel is inspired, people.) It ended up being fine. But that stress-shock took a solid two years off my life. 

BUT this week has been so awesome! I love when crazy stuff happens! I seriously love it. We have had so much fun this week. Hermana Johnson is so amazing, this morning I was just thinking to myself, "I LOVE MY COMPANION!" I really feel like we are together for a big reason! She teaches me things all day! And we are such great friends. We are seeing miracles all the time!

We had a less active that we've been working with come to church yesterday! It was a big shock! Then he and his wife and two little, adorable, kind of crazy kids came to a baptism yesterday night with us. It was so fun! We love this family so much, and it was a big step for him to come to church--alone--and we were so happy! We are praying so hard that they can progress as a family, and that his wife can be baptized! We love them so much!!

We also got a few good references for families that we are going to pass by this coming week! Our investigators are doing fine, still lack the motivation, but we are pushing forward with them and keeping up faith to really find more prepared people! Keep praying for us, please! :) 

Also, I met my first Chilean the other day! Ya po! Que bakan!

Spiritual insight...I have always, my whole life, whole mission, thought that God wanted us to be dependent on Him. But I read a talk the other day that flipped my world upside down. I don't remember who it was (I'll find out...I think it was President Uchtdorf,) but he said something like "if we are dependent on God, we become weak. It is through the struggle that we learn." (Really botched that quote, but that's the gist of it.) I had the thought...what?? Aren't we supposed to turn to God in everything, trust in Him, look unto Him in every thought, etc? What?? But then I had a big moment of realization: Yes, God wants us to DEPEND on Him, but He does not want us to be DEPENDENT on Him. He wants us to be INDEPENDENT. And that's why sometimes He lets us struggle! BOOM. Mind was blown. Instantly. What do you all think about that? Let me know.

I love you all so much. Say your prayers, read the Book of Mormon, and go to church and LOVE IT ALWAYS.

Love, Hermana Thomas

Haboobs and What-not?

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYY

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY FAMILYYYYYYYYYYYY AND FRIEEEEEEENNNNNDDDDDDSSSSSSS

First thing's first, I am going to ask that someone (I don't care who it is okay just someone) send me a full report of the weather in Arizona, because I thought I knew how it was but YEAH NO. 

Everyone's like "it's so dry, always dry, sizzling heat, dry dry dry..."

LIARS. It is so humid right now. And it all started with the Haboob...

Yes, that is a word. Haboob. I was in the middle of a thundering, raging haboob this week. I just can't stop typing that word. Haboob. It's such a weird word. Anyway...what is a "haboob," you might ask? Well, imagine that you're outside picnicking on a beautiful 3rd of July, the sky is blue, the grass is green, when suddenly Mexico decides to kick up some sand and BOOM THE HABOOB IS UPON YOU. These Haboobs hop the border, man. Huge dust storms! My companion and I were biking to a coordination meeting, and we get this text from the City of Tempe saying that an "urgent warning" is being sent to everyone about an incoming dust storm. It's like...how'd you get my number, Tempe?!? Anyway, we thought we could make it, so we kept biking. Out in the horizon, we can see this cloud of dust. It's getting bigger and bigger, so we just start peddling faster and faster...logic...anyway, we get outside of a CVS and decide to call it good, with the branches flying around us and the traffic lights flickering and whatnot. (Mom, do not have a heart attack.) 

So we chilled out in CVS for a good hour. It was actually pretty lame, but at least we didn't have any other plans than this meeting...which ended up getting cancelled. The other sisters came to our rescue when it was safe, and we went home. It was raining a bit (which is the second time on my mission that I have felt any other type of weather other than skin-melting-hot) and there were some SWEET lightning storms over yonder. 

But since then it has been SUPER HUMID. Apparently Arizona has a monsoon season?! AND it's over 105 degrees every day? 

So I guess we're in for a lot of these haboobs this month. That's what I've been told. I like humidity, but I just started getting used to doing my hair...bummer. 

The other girls in our apartment reported bedbugs in their room, so we all had to throw our things into plastic bags (everything everything everything in plastic bags) and desert our apartment for five hours so that it could get sprayed down. That was an adventure! And I just finished unpacking...ayayay! But that's okay, it was actually kind of fun. But now I have a lot of plastic bags with clothes in them. 

It was also the Fourth of July! All missionaries were required to be inside at 5pm and stay there for the rest of the night. We partied hard! (We colored with crayons.) (All night.) (Actually, we played a game called "The Duck." It's a game that Andrew Massamini and I made up in Physics class, you draw a duck on a piece of paper, one person's job is to the kill the duck and the other person's job is to protect the duck, you can draw anything you want, you take turns, and it requires imagination. Also it's a really dumb game but it's SUPER entertaining. We were all four really into it.) (Missionaries have the most fun. I swear.)

Also, remember how I told you all that we show that "Because of Him" video a lot? And I told you about some of the responses we would get. Then we eradicated this problem by telling the people to actually READ the WORDS, not just look at the PICTURES...well, it's been working perfectly. Then, the other day, I forgot to tell them to read the words. I was like..."nah. it's okay. they'll get it." So then at the end I asked the man what he understood from the video, what called his attention and he says: "...I like...how it showed that we went to the moon.......because....it's true....we did."

I just stared at him. I was like...no. No. No. NonononononoNONONO. So I just sat and waited for him to say something more. And he just sat there like that was it, but then he sensed that I was waiting for something else, so he thinks, and says, "and...Jesus---" and I'm like "YES. SOMETHING ABOUT JESUS CHRIST. GOOD JOB. THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR!!!!" and just pretended he didn't say anything about astronauts.

This week was a good week as far as la obra is concerned. Nothing too big to report, but we came across a few really good people who we think can progress really well! Hermana Johnson is slowly forgetting about the Spanish, and I keep telling her to just let it go as much as possible, because that's the only way she will ever get better! But I know that's hard, trust me, I lived it. But I still love training, and I hope I get to do it again and again! :)

I love you all so much! Also, I thought I'd add that in the room next to me right now are a group of 15 old women having a lesson on how to use Facebook. 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH KEEP READING AND PRAYING PLEASE. And go to church. I don't care what your excuse is. Quit your job and go to church. 1 Nephi 3:7 #lookitup

LOVE, Hermana Thomas

PS: update on the TB...it's all good. :)