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!

Plumbing

Sawing trees in two is the best work out I have done since I was a professional body builder. We have been working with members as spring cleaning has begun with a bang. Imagine you're in a jungle somewhere between the tropic of capricorn and the equator. You are hired to level the jungle so that the owner can have a nice lawn there to play football on. However there are some restrictions. No chainsaws, no bulldozers, just you and a friend with an eager elderly gentleman who owns two bow saws and two clippers. This week my right bicep has grown a good 3 inches and so has my shoulder. Lots of sawing and lots of dangerous hillbilly attempts to dislodge trees from precarious places. Mom, don't worry, I only was swinging on one of the 450 lbs branches to free it from where we cut it. 

      C, an investigator with a baptismal date, is progressing really well. We taught him the Word of Wisdom. We mentioned coffee and he said he really enjoyed it but he committed to change. The following day we stopped by and he said, "Guess what? I gave away all my coffee". His excitement was apparent as we continued the lesson. He has grown to see a change and a love for the Spirit. I asked if he needed help with anything as I put my scriptures away. He only said, "You're leaving already?" He can feel the Spirit and we are praying that he can continue.           

     We arrived on the scene at approximately 9:07 a.m.. The cold Missouri wind blew in from the west and our blind member backed up his tractor from the south. He hopped off and led us to the shed where he needed help. The rectangular shaped plot of land was to be a house eventually and today was the plumbing day. Our member who can barely see, asked us if we had any plumbing experience. I said 'kind of', as I remember laying in the crawl space between a house and the ground for 6 hours spraying 'as seen on tv' sealant on a pipe. He must've taken that as good enough and began to explain. After the plan was explained, (which could be equivalent to 3 semesters worth of plumbing knowledge), in 4 minutes, he left us with the tools. After a quick review with my companion we began to work. 

     We were cluelessly digging and cutting PVC and gluing but every once and awhile the member would come out and say, "If someone trusted a blind guy to do there plumbing they can trust you two". Miraculously, with the help of two incompetent plumbers and a chicken named Bessie, who aided briefly in the digging process, we had successfully completed the plumbing. Many times in life we are asked to do things we don't necessarily feel qualified to do. All of these moments are meant for our growth and learning. We will mess up once or twice or much more, but we have promises from our Friends that they will not forsake us. That is a pretty incredible blessing. I am glad I have received the help of the Savior and much like the member helping two new plumbers, we always have that help as we follow His guidance.

Thanks for your prayers, I have seen miracles because of them!

Adios

Elder Thomas    

Snoopy's House

Kansas City Temple

      

Less Active Support Squad

Remember the referral dinner thing? We had the dinner and it was really great. I had to ask myself several times if I was at a members house. Her friend was there and so was our good friend JR, and miraculously our member knew Mary. The following day she called us and said she made us cookies! We went over and got them at her house as quick as we legally could. When we arrived she gave us cookies and asked a question. "When is your day off?" we told her Mondays and she said that she wanted to take us to Silver Dollar City, which is the South West Missouri equivalent of Disneyland. She had two extra tickets and she told us her granddaughter made her promise that she would give us food and take care of us. We told her we would get back to her on that. We are crossing our fingers that we get that approved, but we are pretty sure we know the answer.

      We had a surprise visit at MLC this week from a man from Salt Lake. He was a member of the missionary department and gave us some great tips on teaching, finding and planning. We have applied it and we have seen some great things happening. He was like Obi Missionary Work Kenobi. 

      We knocked on the door of an investigator's house and no one was home. We walked away and heard the garage door open up behind us. A shirtless man (less active man) stumbled out with our investigator, both with baby in hand and one with cigarette in mouth, the adult no the baby. The shirted boy told us he was going to the Walmarts and the shirtless man told us that we didn't want to hear what he had to say. But he had a lot to say. After a couple stories he shared about breaking the law, he asked if we could give him one of our books. We downloaded the Book of Mormon on his phone and moments later a group of Baptists from a youth group came to try and give him an invitation to an Easter Service. After asking if we ever got in religious fist fights with opposing sects of doctrine he told the baptist kids that we were cooler because we have an app and it was "sick". So you heard it hear first folks.

     The Atonement has helped me this week as I have tried to overcome my faults. In this great search for our Savior we can become more like Him as we search for Him and it is hard but totally worth it. If we come to Him, He can make us so much better than we are now.

Adios

Elder Thomas

     

"Just make it to Sunday"

A cute little package arrived from one of Ian's friends.

This past Sunday the Stake fasted for missionary work. It was recognized and we got the help we needed! We had two new people come to church!  

In Braum's, (a really good fast food place common in 4 state area), sat two missionaries. A man approached them and asked about who they were.  Two days later we got the referral and went to go visit him. We have talked with him often and yesterday he came to church! In a similar divinely guided situation, a recent convert's sister ended up being at home and hearing us talk about the Gospel during a lesson we taught to her sister. She also came to church this past week! The Lord seriously prepared these people. 

Church began and the man from Braum's had come in and sat next to us and the new woman that came sat next to her member friend. She had heard that her investigating friend was coming to church so she drove an hour so that she could sit next to her! The members here are incredible about missionary work. I prepared more than usual for the Sabbath and had already seen the Spirit helping us, but as the Sacrament started I saw more. 

A family sat down in front of us that I didn't recognize. The short mother led her taller mentally challenged boy by the hand as he struggled to make his way in between the aisle to his seat. The bread was passed and I explained to our investigating friend the significance of it. It was quiet in the chapel and the tray was passed to the aisle ahead of us. An older lady who sat next to the family gave the bread to the boy. As he took it in his hand, and he said reverently, "Thank you", in a louder voice. I held back tears thinking about Christ suffering for me and him, all the blessing that we have and how close heaven was in that chapel. 

The testimony portion of the meeting started with a little boy coming to the front of the chapel grabbing the microphone and breathing into it before saying, "I know the church is true". After, another girl got up and bore her testimony through an incredibly well presented story. After that many other children got up and testified of the simple and precious truths that make us happy. The meeting was nearly all testimonies of children. One older woman stood and mentioned the prophetic statement she heard many years prior, when a General Authority spoke and said these children are some of the greatest generation. As she spoke she bore witness of the angels that minister to us and that were with us that day.

The phrase commonly used in the first three days of my MTC experience were used again this week and just as true as they were in Mexico many months ago: "Just make it to Sunday." It was a really special meeting and I hope the investigating friends that joined us felt the same. Thank you for all your help! 

Adios

Elder Thomas