Last Episode...

Much like Lord of the Rings and a Little Caesars pizza, most good things will eventually come to a close. We decided to work as hard as we could this week and the Lord helped us out everywhere we needed it.

    We sat down in a small home with a couple from Mexico. They had some serious challenges in their lives and wanted things to be better. The family they lived with was taught by the past Elders but this couple was never there. We gave them a Book of Mormon a while ago and the husband had begun to read it. He said, "After you left, I felt like I needed to read the Book of Mormon, I don't know why". the wife who couldn't read the words but was still influenced by the Spirit of the message said, "I was usually really mean to everybody but now I am more patient." I nearly cried hearing how much the Lord had worked with them. Even with the simple strong testimony they bore the atmosphere of the room was still a little chaotic with all the families in the home. But then the Elder I was with, who didn't speak Spanish, said, "Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero," and after looking down at the Book in his hands said,"Yo se que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero"(I know the Book of Mormon is true). The few words he knew in Spanish echoed the Spirit his strong testimony of the Book of Mormon. The family is know praying about baptism.

   After watching the Restoration movie with a part member family, a member I was with bore testimony of what we had seen. The Spirit that guided his words was felt by me and everyone else there. The parents cried as their daughter excepted a baptismal date and decided to join the family who has only attended church for the past 2 months.

 

   When I met up with Elder Noriega after the exchange that night, he said that 3 more people had said they wanted to be baptized. The family that he taught was the A family, who we had stopped visiting for a while. The time to do it was that night and they were totally ready and committed. They came to church on Sunday for the first time in a while.

 

   The Lord did all these things and we were witnesses to His hand working with the people here. I have seen His help here more than anything. Just like the people at the waters of Mormon, how beautiful is this place, Oklahoma, MIssouri and Arkansas, because this is the place where I came to a knowledge of my Redeemer. He lives and will give all of us the comfort, strength and help we need and desire.

I thank you for your prayers and help you send my way.

Adios,

Elder Thomas 

Que Thomas?

Elder Thomas is the one with his hands up in the far, far back!

The bus loaded up around 6:30 a.m. and we all were off to the temple. We drove up to Kansas City and filled the entire temple. If you haven't been to the temple with your mission before, I would highly suggest it. Quite an adventure. We all had a great spiritual time.

Our church time is at 1 and at 2:30. Spanish and then YSA. Before church we had a couple people to visit. All of which were not home. As usual, there we were, not much of a plan. We remembered the less active man and knocked on his door. A little old hispanic woman answered, frowning. When she saw who it was her whole expression changed and she said 'come on in'. A much younger man, named Thomas as well, was sitting down, eating breakfast. He told us to come in, offered us some water and then asked, "did the bishop send you?". We said he hadn't we were just visiting families in the neighborhood. He said, "I just talked with him and told him I don't want to be part of the church anymore". I went on to tell us what he was studying. It went on for some time. I prayed to know what we needed to say. We obviously were placed here for a reason. I felt after a while that I should testify. I jumped into his conversation and told him we were tocayos, meaning we have the same name, and then told him that God still loved him and some other things I knew to be true. That was all he would let me say. We left and I realized the only reason we went there was to let this man know that God still loved him. Even though he is in a different path and doesn't want to hear it, he is still loved by His Father in Heaven. I don't know what he felt or if he felt anything but I am so glad I had the opportunity to share what I know. I am glad that I know God loves me. 

Thank you for your help and prayers!

Adios,

Elder Thomas  

Brother Laudie is married to Jeff's cousin.  How exciting that he got to see him again!

President and Sister Loveland at Liberty Jail.

Museum they visited.  

Summer is Here

"I have faith it will start!" yelled Elder Noriega yanking on the cord to start the lawn mower. This would be his millionth attempt and my millionth attempt too. We had checked everything fifty times and my nature lack of common knowledge was not aiding the situation. He pulled it again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. It looked like we had both been out in the sun for days based on how sweaty our clothes were but we had only been outside for less than 30 minutes. The Argentinian lady inside needed it mowed desperately and we came to help out. The lawn was unruly and it needed to be done soon. I tried with the mower. Nothing. We flipped it over, looked at everything and then tried again. Nothing. Elder Noriega, who had that week studied about faith said again with hands clenched on the mower in war cry like scream, "I have faith I can start with mower!" Nothing. Faith is a principle of action and power. However, no power was in the mower and it didn't show any signs of starting. In my head I prayed what we needed to do. With a full day ahead we were running out of time. Elder Noriega grabbed the mower again and then we heard, "Don't start the mower!". For a second I thought we both had just received revelation about a lawn mower but then I saw a Hispanic guy trying to open up the fence at the end of the yard. He told us he always drove around and helped the older people with their yards and he had the legendary zero-turn lawn mower. He took over and we were saved to go visit some people. 

We had three appointments in a row that were in three different cities. It was inevitable that we would be late to something. Due to several factors we were 40 minutes late to an appointment. After knocking on the door, the lady threw open the door and said "Why didn't you come sooner?!" The words 'I dun messed up' could not describe the situation more. She said that she had no time now but we felt like we needed to talk to her, and we asked if she had two minutes. She said yes and we shared a video with her and her husband. The two minutes quickly turned into a 45 minute discussion. The angry comments from her changed nearly immediately and she and her husband were interested to hear more. I am really grateful for the grace that makes up for our weaknesses. I have seen mine a lot out here and hope that I will continue to be able to improve. 

Thanks for your prayers and support.

adios

Elder Thomas  

Hay

25 days left??

Service in a sombrero

Sword mania

DP Taco Treat

There is nothing quiet like loading hay into a barn. A large portion of my mission was spent in farm country. Here in Walmart-ville, I have almost missed the cows and nearly endless farmland. But this weekend we went to help a family with some hay. They had a couple fields and a lot of hay. After corralling all the cows and dogs out of our way, we all loaded into the back of their trucks and trailers and drove to a field. Like something out of Middle earth, the hilly field stretched on forever and was surrounded with trees. At its elevated level you could see as far as the eye could see and bask in its heaven-like aura. But after loading four or five loads, the picturesque scenery quickly changed into the hottest place on the planet Earth with six sweaty Elders gathering the remaining hay bails. I've come to love that kind of service for some reason even though my arms looked like I got in a fight with a hoard of baby kittens. 

     The referrals keep on coming. Yesterday, a new wave of interns for Walmart came to the YSA branch and one brought a friend. His name is Alex, but when I handed him our phone to type in his number he saw it and said, "Guardar? This in Spanish  means I need to type in "Alejandro". After that I had a feeling I was going to get along with this guy. We hope to visit him soon. The blessings have been coming and I have seen how the Savior is a very personal Friend.

     Last night, we had some complications with some things and I prayed to know how we could fix them and how I could remain happy to help others. My answer came by the FHE message that they shared. A bunch of families from the ward came to a house to eat and we were invited. The bishop shared the message. He gave a girl a piece of gum and also put a rock in her shoe. He told her to chew the gum and walk around. He asked what she noticed and she said the rock. He said, we need to focus on the good and not let the bad drag us down. He quoted Elder Wirthlin who shared a story of his mother who said, "Come what may and love it". Moments after I prayed my answer came. I am so glad I have a testimony and know all this truth. Thank you for all your help and prayers too.

Adios,

Elder Thomas  

Tostado

Here in Arkansas there are a lot more opportunities to do service. Yesterday, an older member of the ward from Argentina told me that I looked tostado, or in other words, toasted. The day before we helped her mow her lawn and she told me I was really white. Immediately she brought me a giant sombrero she got in Texas. However it was of no avail. After a week of the summer sun and more time doing service, I am now the proud owner of the sweetest farmer tan you have ever seen. Don't worry Mom, the sun burn isn't that bad. 

     We knocked on a door of an investigator and a little chunky kid answered the door. As any 4 or 5 year old would do, before we entered the house he yelled at us, "Donde esta mi chocolate?!" With his hands now on his hips to ensure that we knew he meant business he repeated himself, "Wheres my chocolate?!" Before I could think of anything my companion pointed at me and said, "He has it!" I didn't. For a brief moment I thought a WWE fight was about to begin on this kind family's front porch but the sister came to my rescue and told her brother to leave us alone. We taught the parents in their room in safety where the dad was laying down. He had an injury in construction and cant stand up for extended periods of time for a couple months. We taught them earlier that week and she was going to pray. We followed up and she was about to begin when their son ran in with a toy phone and handed it to my companion. They got him out of the room and the same thing happened. He ran in at the moment before she started. Then we asked again and she said she had and she felt something. She had felt the Spirit and told us it felt like peace. We are still working with some of their questions but we are excited to see them progress.  

     We visited a man who will be baptized in two weeks named J. There was a problem when he was born and so he walks with a walker and his speech is slurred. It was a little difficult to understand his Spanish but we had a good lesson with him. I asked him why he wanted to be baptized and he said it was because of what he felt. He said every Sunday when he comes to church, he can feel paz y descanso, or peace and rest. In spite of his physically challenges and social challenges with the opposition of his family he wants to be baptized.

     I am so grateful for the peace we can feel in our lives and I know it is available for all of us when we need it.

Thanks for you help and prayers and support!

adios,

Elder Thomas 

In the City Again.....

He didn't send any photos this week, so I am re-posting one of our
favorites that he sent while in Carthage....

Rogers is much like Utah. Joggers, floral hats and fancy socks are as common as hipster music. However, my apartment complex is a bit of an anomaly. Everyone in my apartment complex is Indian.  Therefore, I am the only american in the entire complex. My companion is from Guatemala and the rest are from India. Its pretty cool to talk with a lot of different culture here. I've already learned a lot. 

With change comes learning and these past few days have taught me that. I felt pretty confident in my last area, as anyone would after nearly 18 months in the same stake, but here was totally new. I have already learned a lot and hope to learn more. 

I had to give a talk in the YSA ward and had a moment of realization. I know nobody here and everything is extremely new. I felt like I should be more familiar with all this and should be use to it, but I wasn't. I prayed earlier that day that I could get the strength I needed so I could help those around me. I was worried but moments later two familiar faces entered the little chapel. It was two members I knew from the Monett stake who were coming to see the YSA branch. It was so great to see some friendly faces and it gave me the help I needed. Prayer is a real source of help for me and I know it can help us all. 

Thanks fro your prayers and support!

Adios,

Elder Thomas   

Serving in his 3rd state....Rogers, Arkansas! Where Walmart was born....

We drove past a member of the church who hasn't been in a long time and saw his motorcycle glistening in the sun. Because of last week's experience with talking to a recent convert about his motorcycle, I considered myself capable to engage in a conversation about motorcycles. We knocked on his door and I asked him about it. He explained the small metal pig that was welded to the front and the paint job and then the mechanics. I was lost pretty quick but we asked him if we could stop by later and he said sure. The next time his wife joined us. She isn't a member but after a brief discussion about the restoration, she said she'd be baptized. We are visiting with her on Wednesday.  The Lord is guiding us all the time.

P was baptized, but like most victories it didn't come without a battle or two. P was hit with sleeplessness. He slept for 2 hours a night. J, P's wife, was hit with a lot of pain in her spine that needs surgery. But even though P had a lot going on, on Saturday he was baptized. After he changed he came in and looked at us. He whispered thank you to us as he sat down. I teared up as assumed. It was the Lord and we were like a fly on a wall. I really have seen the Lord's guiding hand. 

I got transfer calls. For my last transfer I am going to Rogers, Arkansas. I have never served in Arkansas and I am excited. Thank you for the prayers and support! 

Adios,

Elder Thomas   

Laundry Attack

Poor squirrel...

America...

Corner of Wilson and Maple...

The Nield family, from Ian's mission, were visiting Utah, so I couldn't resist a quick hello with them.

   

"Y'ins like Cheese!?"

My new ride....

The cheese...

Waiting to get a nail out of our tire.

The heat has increased this week. In a trailer park we were getting sunburned. We knocked on a door and a man opened it, picking up a dog with his other hand. He was shirtless and his dog was toothless. The conversation slowly drifted from the summer heat to the spiritual matters. He expressed his lack of interest and immediately said, "Y'ins like fresh milk?" I said, of course, having become accustomed to fresh cow milk living in this part of the world. I also said I love fresh cheese. Then he exploded, "Y'ins like cheese?!" He gestured back into his home and closed the door. We turned at each other awaiting something exciting to tell the people back at home. He returned with a lovely packaged cut of cheese. Although it came from a trailer from a shirtless man, with toothless dog in hand, it looked great. I hadn't eaten much that day so we took it. So with cheese in hand, we left and then he gave us a referral. That part was pretty cool because then that referral gave us a referral and then that referral gave us a referral too. Lots of people in 15 minutes. Well, I still had the cheese and it was hot. Cheese and heat go together poorly so we decided the only thing to do was eat it. We had a long drive in the country to enjoy the cheese and it was like something out of a dream. The cheese was incredible! Then something happened. We had been breaking pieces off it and then we were left with a little piece. I noticed a little white piece on it that was not the same color as the rest. Yes, it was mold. At that moment I realized I wasn't paying any attention to the pieces I was eating. I was pretty sure I ate some mold and same with my companion. Whoops. No noticeable side effects occurred luckily and that in itself could be a miracle. 

We met a guy named J. He told us to stop by later. Later was two weeks later and he told us he did a little research. Little research was reading everything on lds.org, all of Preach My Gospel, etc. Everything BUT the Book of Mormon. It was crazy.

P will be baptized on Saturday and the adversary is not happy. His wife has had a hard time and so has he. However, besides all of the problems that have arisen they called us on Friday. "Hey Elder Andruski, remember how you wanted a guitar?" They told him they found one and they would buy it if he paid them back. They went out of their way to serve us. Looking for a guitar and buying him a song book so he could learn. They have been helping us in their hard times and it has been inspiring to me.

Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Adios,

Elder Thomas  

"Service with fire...my favorite!"

Jelly Beans

 Knocking doors is about as interesting as eating jelly beans, you never know what's behind the next door. It could be a fellow with a lot to say about politics or a mom who is very involved in her church or a guy that only wears a t-shirt, I mean the 'America the Beautiful' tank top, with his mini soccer shorts exposing his mozzarella white legs when it is 20 F or below. But sometimes you find something incredible. We had some time before the next appointment and after determining that knocking doors was the only useful and effective option, we began. Knock knock. No answer. Knock knock. No answer. Knock knock. An older woman came to the door and greeted us with a friendly smile. After I asked her if she was religious, she said 'I'm Mormon'. We talked and she invited us back. Later on in the week we stopped by again. We asked her feelings about the church and she began to cry. She said she never has forgotten her baptism and the feelings she had there and she said she wanted to come back. Pretty incredible that our arbitrary door knocking in some small town of Missouri yielded a woman totally prepared to return to the fold.

     P continues to progress. In fact, he just texted us and he said he was enjoying some authentic Greek food in Joplin. His wife's birthday was this weekend and the Spirit was willing but the wallet was weak and so they went to Joplin instead of an island of the Caribbean for their dream getaway vacation. And even thought they were on their vacation they went to church out there. He's reading and praying and with their sights on getting sealed they continue to repent.

     R and her boys are progressing as well. Overcoming smoking was something we invited her to do last week. About an hour ago she texted us and she said she was done smoking. She is trying to talk with her husband about baptism as well and things are looking up. I believe the whole family could be baptized sooner than we think. 

     S was telling the other young men and young women about his baptism at church yesterday and we are very excited for it too. He has accepted it quickly and asked his friend, a recent convert named Z, to baptize him. I hope the youth see the impact they have on their friends and continue inviting them to church.

     It's a great blessing to be a witness to the Lord's tender mercies for His children. I recently got an email from an Elder in Tulsa saying that a lady in the Spanish branch that has been taught forever is going to be baptized really soon. Miracles aren't just happening in a little remote area of Missouri, they are happening everywhere. We can all be a part of the Lord's work if we are willing to do it. If we ask what we can do for this work the Lord will let us know.

     Thank you for your help and support and prayers! I love talking with my family yesterday it was great! Happy Mother's Day everybody!

Adios,

Elder Thomas  

Elder Thomas and Elder Andruski are well fed in Monett!  Thank you Mary!

Storms and Such

Ian received a photo of the Assistants dunking.  Here was his response.

   Other than the frantic tornado warning text we got from the assistants one night, this week has been great! The text told us to get our bike helmets on and extra water near our bed. Conveniently, we had just returned from a Dairy Queen trip to wrap up the night. I had a giant water cup and so all I was missing was the bike helmet. Not a drop of rain had fallen nor did it appear likely to have a storm within in the next little while. Apparently it rained pretty hard and thunder shook the homes of nearby towns, but lucky for me I have developed the ability to sleep through nearly anything expect for the sound of our phone alarm. No damage was done nearby and we continued on as normal.

     We went to Dollar General a couple weeks ago. Dollar General is about as cool as the mall in these small towns. As we left, Elder Millett said, 'I think we have to go back inside'. He continued to tell me that a woman inside, named R, was a past potential investigator and he felt like he needed to talk with her. I was a little thirsty, so with refreshing beverage in hand, I waited in line. Elder Millet pointed to the lady in front of me and said that was her. I didn't know what else to say, so I asked her, 'Is your name R?' She turned around and said, 'Yes. I should've called you guys'. We exchanged information and now we are teaching her. This week we taught her and her two sons outside of their home in the countryside. It was a relaxing Spirit that we all felt. A few days ago we got a text, it read, 'We have been praying about what you invited us to do and we all want to be baptized'. She went on to say that she is trying to get her husband involved as well. I have never taught a whole family before and I feel pretty blessed to be part of their story. 

     Another investigator, named P, is progressing as well. Despite the pain he and his wife experience because of their recent surgeries, they came to church. Our last lesson we had with them ended with him sharing a goal he had with us. He said he wanted to be sealed with his wife in the temple. Pretty incredible. 

     We taught another lady named T. She is going through a lot and we caught her last night as she finished doing some yard work. We taught the plan of salvation and she was smiling the whole time. She said she would be baptized and pray about a date.

     Sometimes I think, 'Wow, I have done a lot here,' but the missionaries are just a tool in the Lord's hand. We are seeing a lot of miracles here and they just keep coming. I feel so blessed to be a witness to God working in the lives of His children. Thank you for your prayers and support, They are being answered everyday.

Adios,

Elder Thomas

Tornado Watch

The Keys

Stake Conference with Elder Andruski

This email would be longer but a miracle just happened. Me being the few neurons shy of a functional brain, went outside the church just now with my companion. We turned around to head back inside and the door was magically locked. I grabbed at my pocket and lo and behold, no keys. Along with every other door at the church. And I had left every possession I owned, minus my clothes and tag, inside the church. No phone, no way to start a fire to signal a plane to save us, not even my watch. After sighing and looking around for a large rock to throw through the window a thought came into my mind. The family down the road. I imagine it might have been the Spirit from protecting me from another foolish experience involving broken glass. Well, we went down the road to the house and no one was home. We tried the neighbors and they told us to try their house again. We went back and after several silent prayers were made we heard the back door open and she came and called a member who let us back in. That family is a part member family, and the Elder's Quorum President just asked us to go visit with them, and we told them we would be bringing them cookies for helping us. Now we have a way in! I will need some practice making cookies... Any suggestions?

     Now the real email. P, a man who called us telling us he wanted to be baptized, is accepting the message. We saw him on Wednesday and set a date with him. We explained baptism and at the end with tears in his eyes he thanked us for visiting him. On, Sunday, we saw him come to church for the first time and he appeared to enjoy it even though they were surrounded by a group of little kids.

     We had nothing to do and found ourselves in a parking lot of an apartment complex. We weighed our options and we prayed. We both felt to stay there and tract with the 20 minutes we had. We knocked 2 doors and found 2 people interested. One was named S. She is a single mom, has two little girls and lives in a humble home. We shared the Book of Mormon and even though her kids were having a sword fight and the end of the lesson, she felt something. When we returned she had read to 1 Nephi 5 and said she couldn't put it down. We are very excited for her and the many more like her we were guided to this week. 

     A lot of people are turning up left and right. We have found many more people and taught many of them. A lot of the eternigators, (n. 1. someone who has been investigating the church for a long time and potentially for ever, 2. an alligator native to south west Louisiana), have slowly vanished. The work is becoming quicker and more productive. The Lord is in this work and we see help from Him every day. I love being part of it and love seeing the hastening before my eyes.

     Thank you for your prayers and support! 

Adios,

Elder Thomas 

Bentonville meal with the kind Trudo family!

Bug bite!

Wish we knew where this was taken....death masks

Party in Bentonville!

Asombro Me Da ~ "I Stand All Amazed"

Thanks to the Starks family we received these photos last night of Elder Thomas and missionary buddies at the BYU-I Orchestra Fireside.

The week began much like any other week. The sound of our louder than loud alarm waking up our neighbors and us and then preparing for the looming transfers. Elder Millett was on his way out and I was going to be left to run the show with Elder Andruski. Due to this change and a handful of other things going on earlier in the week I was feeling a little overwhelmed. There were a lot of changes and some other things I was dealing with. It was becoming rather stressful and I felt really tired and drained for a couple of days. In my mind I thought that it was a trial that I had to get through. In my dense mind, it never occurred to me to simply ask for help. After cutting trees and hauling branches for a couple of hours we came home and I knelt down and ask for help. A few moments later I felt peace. It was like someone was working in my thoughts helping me think how everything was going to work. It was a simple request from a weak servant and it was answered abundantly. I knelt again and I asked some questions and the answers came quickly. In a moment of receiving answers I paused and asked is this all real? Can I really be hearing this or is this just my mind? I still can't believe the help that the Lord will freely give us. It truly is wonderful.

      We visited a man named P before Elder Millet left. He and his inactive wife had been found miraculously by the Stake President. Due to health challenges we haven't been able to visit them very much. But our visits usually entailed them giving us lots of food and making us laugh harder than I ever have in my entire life. As we visited, he told us he watched General Conference and really liked it and said some brief words about baptism being an interesting idea. We left them with a prayer and took a couple pictures and then left. At 10:25 that night, we got a call. "Is this Elder Thomas?" the voice said. I responded yes and P told me he hadn't been very clear about baptism. "I want the Stake President to do it and I think I want to do it on May 8th, is that ok?" My jaw dropped and after he said hello a couple of times I said yes. I was confused at the grace the Lord had given me to be a witness to all these miracles.

     Transfers came and things moved on. Elder Andruski had served here before, like me, and had some people to visit. We went out visiting the people he knew and I knew. I had been feeling a little discouraged due to some of the really promising investigators discontinuing our visits. We made a stop to someone Elder Andruski knew. First stop, and a little boy looked out the window, parting his long hair and the curtain to see us. His eyes got wide and he ran away. The door opened soon after and the father and the boy came to the door. They remembered Elder Andruski and were very excited to see him. After a brief discussion about the power of Christ's Atonement and sharing the Hallelujah video he looked at us and he promised us he would be at church. The day arrived and he wasn't there. We visited him after church and he told us the address didn't work. We told him we could lead him there another day if he wanted. But he grabbed his keys and shouted to his son and then said, "I'll follow you there" as he ran to his car. He looked around the inside of the church and we taught him the Restoration. He told us he had similar questions to Joseph Smith. The man said in his search for the truth he had always followed his instincts. He said, "that is what I am doing right now. Following my instincts". He was led to the truth by the Spirit and I was again left speechless at the love Jesus offers me, allowing me to see this all happen.

     I woke up Sunday morning singing "I Stand All Amazed" in Spanish in my head. Specifically one line. Cuan asombroso es que por amar me asi muriera el por mi. Which means something similar to, how amazing it is that he loved me to die for me. In our little group of Spanish speakers, they sang Asombro Me Da. With only four of us in the room who could read and sing it was a struggle but we all felt the Spirit as we had the Sacrament. Later on that night we heard the BYU Idaho orchestra, who was passing through on a mid-west tour. The conductor began with a quote from J. Reuben Clark who said, "We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps any other thing except prayer". And when they played I knew that to be true. It was an odd and peaceful feeling with no applause after a song. Just the Spirit lingering in the room. They played many hymns with orchestra members sharing brief messages in between. One woman, who had obviously seen the help of the Lord, bore her testimony of the Atonement. She then said they would be ending with I Stand All Amazed. The music played around me and the words played in my mind. It is wonderful what He did for me. I can't believe how much help I receive everyday. I know Christ lives. He is real. And I know that He will bless you with strength and help you in every aspect of your life. Because He has done that for me and it is incredible. 

Adios,

Elder Thomas    

Stories from Missouri

As most exchanges go with really important people, such as the Stake President, our appointments all fell through. After some visits to some people, I prayed and asked what we needed to do. I felt like I should ask the Stake President. He had a couple ideas and so we were off. 

     We stopped by a less active member who told us to visit his son. We were given bad directions to his son's house, but we got a referral to another person. We walked over there and found a little old lady raking leaves. Before my brain could process that helping her would be a courteous and kind thing to do, the Stake President was over there bagging up leaves. We ran over as well and by the time she told us, "You are going to get your suits dirty!", about thirty times, we had finished it and she invited us in. 

     Her husband had passed away and she had epilepsy which restricted her from going to church but she had some people come do a Bible study with her fairly often. We invited her to read in the Book of Mormon and she said she'd love to hear more. It goes to show, when you ask for help from the Stake President you'll end up raking leaves and finding a bunch of new people to visit.   

We met a man a month ago who read in the Book of Mormon. When we first met him he told us about his family struggles and we offered him the Book of Mormon. We saw him again and he told us of how he felt peace come into his life as he read it. But lately, we tried by and his Mom would come to the door and while holding back crazy carnivorous dogs, she would say, "He's in Springfield, I will let him know you were here!" We eventually managed to give her a card and she said she would watch the video.  

     A couple of days ago, she answered the door and came outside. She said that her son hadn't come back from Springfield ever since we saw him last and that she had only talked to him on Facebook. She then told us that she had missed us passing by, which we thought was strange considering we had only talked to her son and she wasn't interested. After some talking she told us that her life was getting very difficult and with tears in her eyes she told us of the problems her son was facing with his ex-wife. We shared the Hallelujah video and the member we were with testified of the Savior. After, we shared about the Book of Mormon and how we can come to know God better by reading it. We left her with a prayer and she looked up crying and said the most sincere thank you I have ever heard. I am really glad to be sharing this message, that we all take for granted to often, with people and how humbling it is. Thank you for your prayers!

Adios, Elder Thomas

In the middle of Stotts City Population 243

Towing the smallest dog house ever seen...

Ian asked if he wanted help, he said no.  Towing his lawn mower Kip and Napoleon Dynamite style.

     

Someone stole our parking spot.

General Conference

Flour War with zone and YSA (Thanks to Starks for picture!)

There is a man that sings missionary/church songs on a ukulele. It's like a little piece of Hawaii here in southwest Missouri. He sings one about service and it has helped me find a true happiness. I never thought I would have so much fun helping people with really strange service activities. Some missionaries and members in a neighboring town needed help unloading a tanning bed from a trailer. That was a first.

     

We watched General Conference at the church and with a couple members. I had several questions, one of those questions was 'how can I have a better memory?'.  As I watched Elder Gong, he mentioned something about memory. It was just a blip, but it answered my question. "It's part of life", and that was all I needed to hear! I found the answer I needed and more answers came later on. General Conference answered many of my questions and I am very grateful for living prophets and modern revelation. 

    

Thanks for all you all do. (Sorry for the short email, we were in a neighboring city for a zone activity.) 

Adios,

Elder Thomas  

Carthage Again!

Ian with Elder Anderson back in Carthage! Photo credit Lupita Vazquez

 The teenage-ish weather returned. Hot days to cold days. Our AC unit and heater are just as confused as I am hearing about politics, sports and the news in general. We get about 20% of the information on just about everything. However I like being out of the loop, everything that is in the loop is depressing, stressing and down right mind messing. Not knowing about the world news is relaxing sometimes. Things here in Monett are going well, even with the crazy weather.

     We went back to Carthage. Exchanges in past areas are the best things since massage chairs in cars. We visited "E" and her niece that was baptized when I was there. She ran in saw me and said, "Tia! Tia! Can I go play with my friend?... oh, hi Elder Thomas. Tia! Tia!" I received a warm welcome from the 9 year old. Haha, later we talked more and the family is overcoming their trials.

     On Saturday we went back again for a baptism. I walked inside the church and helped set up a little and then saw a really short Guatemalan lady walk in with a whole hoard of little kids. It was "N" and she was getting baptized. We worked a lot with her and she finally made the decision. She had faith it was right and it was a really cool time to be there. All the Spanish group came and they all said hello and told me to eat more beans to fix my skinniness. A lady that was a 'miracle find' said she missed us and that she was planning to be baptized too. I am really excited to see that area grow more and more! 

     Thank you for your prayers and support. I know the Lord loves us all and I know He really was resurrected. The tomb is empty and we should all be happier because of that.

Adios,  Elder Thomas

Zone Leader Elder Thomas with his Zone and Mission President

Elder Thomas and Elder Millett on Easter the wonderful Hughlett family fed them!  Thanks for the photo Hughlett family!