Another Brick..er..Week in the Wall..(Title inspired by Isaac's endeavors at a sweet concert that I wish I could have seen.) Pink Floyd

Elders Outstanding in their Field!

From Mama Thomas ~

What a week of tender mercies for our family.  Heavenly Father has answered many prayers for us this week.  Ian is surrounded by a great ward family and great friends and family at home and serving around the world!  We prayed to find a contact in his area when his birthday package didn't arrive on his birthday.  That night we received an email from a dear sister who had the missionaries join the youth at a corn maze on his birthday.  The youth sang to him and they made his day special.  She sent an email the next day to let us know that his package arrived. 

 Sister Thomas, 

I spoke with Elder Thomas today & he got your package!  We are so excited to have him in our area. The youth, leaders, & other missionaries all sang to him yesterday. He's in good hands.
My oldest will be reporting for his mission the day before Thanksgiving. I totally feel your pain of having them gone holidays & birthdays. I'm trying to fit everything in before he leaves.  I've noticed how Heavenly Father looks out for His missionaries and their families, though.  I have to trust that He will also watch out for Austin.
I'm glad those pictures eased your burden.  Thanks for sharing Elder Thomas with us. 

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From Elder Thomas:

And again we gather to hear a tale or two from Elder Thomas in the city where dog food is made. Yes, Aurora is surrounded by many large factories that produce dog and cat food. So, if perchance you have inquired on what it would be like in the  shoes of Elder Thomas, according to Elder Holyoak one simply places a large empty bag of dog food over their head and then walks into a steam room. Hot, humid and smells worse than the bathroom at that creepy gas station you always have to stop at on your way to Idaho. Anyway onward with the stories, oh and like conference the first one will be in my native tongue of Spanish, just kidding but that was kind of cool. I am sure the people that speak those languages were stoked to hear something other than that same translating voice for a talk. Anyway here we go.

 

So this week was my birthday and would like to thank you all for making it wonderful. I received packages from near and far from north even to east and they were much appreciated. Mom, the cookies you sent were absolutely decimated but they were eaten with joyous hearts because anything is better than top ramen. It began with an interrupted sleep but our ward mission leader gave me breakfast at his home which was very kind, he also has the cure for Ebola and anything else, he is of Indian decent and is one of the coolest guys I know. He is like that cool Indian uncle that I think we all need to have. He wears a bolo tie and has the sweetest shirts I have ever seen. They are so cool, but his wife made us a very delicious meal of biscuits and gravy with fresh orange juice. We were filled but then what to my wondering eyes should appear, a cake with nineteen candles. It was really nice of them to go out of their way to make my day special. Then we were treated to a lovely lunch at Braums which is the best fast food place american dollars can buy. And then that evening to a surprise dinner at my favorite establishment around. Little Caesars. The pizza was something of a dream and it made my day awesome! We went to a corn maze as well. (Isaac, Gavin and Gabe, I have an assignment for you. Go to a haunted house for me and give me a report about it. I went to the haunted corn maze with some members and it was sweet. I need some good stories from y'all about Nightmare on 13th or something, Isaac I look to you to be an example and take your brothers there to scar them for life or take yourself with your cousin and a girl because that would be a good date and a great story.) ( oh and look up Dunked On by Froggy Fresh I heard about it and need to hear y'all sing it, it's from our main homie krispy kreme!)

 

Today, we went spelunking as a zone. You would be surprised to see the vastness of caves out here randomly in some farmers yard. I wore my finest caving outfit with my new clothes and as I climbed through the mud with my back against the ceiling and my stomach against the floor I realized that I probably shouldn't have chosen those pants, but no matter, that was the closest I will get to swimming on my mission and I swam and it was grand. There were cavities bigger than a church chapel and then others smaller than your computer screen that I crawled through.  I was quite claustrophobic and as I slipped and slithered on the floor of the muddy cave in my typical red converse shoes I occasionally said a prayer that I wouldn't die and that mom wouldn't kill me about ruining my pants. So sorry mom.

 

In the cave you need a light. It is essential to your health and sanity. Without one we were lost. There was a moment when we all shut them off and we just sat in the darkness, almost tangible, like a giant black blanket of moist air breathing air onto your muddy shirt and shoes. It was a little eerie. We also needed the light so that we could jump from rock to rock to get out, (so that batman flashlight came in handy! thank you family). Life is like this cave. I could try to get out without my trusty batman flashlight, leaping from rock to rock in utter blackness, with the hopes that I don't smash my head into a swarm of bats or dangling stalactite. Or i could use my flashlight. And even though sometimes mud would coat it and dim the light or sometimes I didn't point it in the right places, but it guided me out. In this life should we trust ourselves in the darkness? Probably not, you can try, but you will probably smack your shin super hard on a unseen rock like me and have trouble walking. I would advise using the light. This week I have used that light, I have felt down and sad at times, wishing it was me heading home with my companion. I got kind of sad one night and just prayed and asked to be helped, I have never really asked like that before. That night I was helped. People were put in my path to make me feel better, ( we ate dinner that night at the home of a family with 6 boys! 6! I felt right at home as they proceeded to tell me everything 3-7 year olds know. they made me laugh as all of the 6, under the age of 8 attacked each other in a loving way and then were immediately quiet when their mom said that the missionaries had a message. I received more energy and the Spirit helped me forget myself and see why I am here. It was great. one of the boys sang Book of Mormon stories at least 10 times, I haven't laughed that hard in a while.) I am trying to utilize this light more in my life as I am trying to gain a greater testimony of it. This light is the Atonement. (Forgive me for getting preachy if I am.) But this light is so essential to us! It is a gift but we have to chose to use it. Ask and ye shall receive right? Just ask, no matter what you are going through, Christ has been through it, doubt, depression, despair. He has felt it all. People say that too much and people don't get it. He has felt it all. Think about that. Everything you or I will ever feel is something that your Brother felt. Your Brother that loved you enough to go through the most painful thing in the world, knows it all. And he didn't give up. Follow that example by using His experience. I believe the gift of the Atonement is one of the most under utilized gifts God has given me. I don't use it nearly enough and I don't thank Him enough for it. You can literally use it for anything that causes you strife, pain or disappointment. Pain that is caused by girls, work, church callings, surgeries, death, depression, anything. I will make you a promise that this week I will try to use it as much as I can if you do as well, and if you do you will feel yourself happier, stronger, more confident than you have ever been in your life. I am going to try it this week, and y'all should as well, and I know you will be helped.

 

So another week has past and this mission is going by way too fast. I hate how fast it is flying. I received a gift in the mail that said you only have 730 days out here. This was a substantial note in my mission. Every day I tell myself that I only have 730 days to fully commit myself into the Lord's hands to be molded into the missionary He wants me to be. And I hope that I can make Him and all of you proud. I leave you all, and hope that General Conference was good fro you all, Go watch it again, i wish I could, oh and go enjoy some pizza or something because life is way to short to not enjoy pizza at least once a week. Like they say a pizza a day keeps sadness away. Oh and I had a thought during conference that I thought you would like, "If you just keep trying, if you just hold on a little longer, you will surf forever in the cosmos while eating pizza with your eternal companion." That is what I imagine heaven as, so one last thought, imagine what you think heaven is and then whenever you get down just think of that image of heaven.

 

Thanks for the birthday wishes and I love you all. Your gifts are great and I use them frequently. I love you all.  Please ignore my mistakes I was in a hurry.

Elder Thomas

Conference ~ Ian really was just joking around.