The Sunday Brunch with a Hispanic Family

Springfield, MIssouri Zone Converence. Ian is seventh over from the right in the middle section. (In a green tie.)

This story illustrates well the culture I am in. We had a set appointment with a man we just met two days prior. The only thing he knew about us was that we had a message about Christ and that I had lied about being from Mexico. We showed up after church and not only was his wife there, but also her sister, all their children, grandchildren and many other members of this lively family. The wife, Francesa, could be well described by Delmar in my favorite movie: "[She's] a live wire, ain't [she]?"She gave us an off brand of  Sprite and proceeded to invite me and my companion to her home in Mexico and and introduced us to everyone. We talked about the Gospel for a while to which they responded often. In the full house we tried to explain how Heavenly Father loves them but it was a little difficult. After a difficult lesson, she invited my companion, the more attractive of the two of us, to date her daughter. So we left, feeling like Ammon of old, with another possible family to teach.

     

I've noticed many of my friends say they love their missions and the mission president's wife asks us all the time if we are having fun, I haven't really thought about it much until now. I have really come to love my mission. I saw my reflection in a window of a car and I almost didn't recognize the balding gentleman looking back at me. He was smiling so big but he had every reason to be miserable; away from family, no baptisms, forgot to buy bread and tired. I have never smiled more in my life. And I love Aurora almost more than pizza. Even though it is one of the few areas without a Little Caesar's super close, I love it. I love telling people about the reason I can smile even though the little kid at dinner put gluten free cake all over my dry clean only suit coat. (that cake I made for his sister's birthday! Yeah, Mom, I can cook now.) Accepting Christ in your life by following his example and keeping His commandments is the key to happiness and joy. I love this mission and I feel so loved and blessed by my Father in Heaven.

Thanks for the prayers and support! I love y'all!

Love,

Elder Thomas

"Can We Help You with Anything Today?"

March 6, 2014 ~ Opening mission call.  What a year!

"Can we help you with anything today?"....This simple phrase took on a whole new meaning. I asked it to a family I have known since I came here and they usually say no. But this day they were feeling willing, or maybe just were feeling to mess with the missionaries, but they allowed this skinny white kid from Utah to help with something way out of his skills set: fixing a broken water pipe. The following day, I crawled about twenty yards underneath a home through cobwebs and insulation in a space a little taller than your microwave. Upon arriving at the desired location my eyes beheld the pipe. Wrapped in several things. Electrical tape, duct tape, plumping tape and 'as seen on TV' sealant. It didn't hold. Now, here I place a phrase from the white hand book that normally I didn't look at too much. It says, "don't begin projects that could take too much time to complete". After about three hours of cutting and taping those words entered my mind. After about five hours my arms were cramping and my legs shivering as the water dripped off the leaky toilet pipe. We worked for a while on that blasted pipe and the finally score of the match was, Elder Thomas, 0, Hot Water Pipe, 3. They felt bad about me working on it so around hour 4, they made some tacos and we had a little lesson as we ate tacos. I was underneath the floor boards yelling about the Book of Mormon and one of the English elders above talking with the kids about Moroni. The tacos were good even though the 'as seen on TV' sealant dripped on them a little but the English elders are going back to take it on for the finally time. I will let you know of the results.

We taught one of our older investigator's mothers and she is from Mexico. I told her the Book of Mormon was hers after we discussed it with her, she looked at me and was so happy and grateful. These people out her have nothing and sometimes I am not nearly as thankful as I need to be. It was a good eye opener.

I heard about Lisa Bigelow and was really sad, she was a great lady and I am grateful that she prayed for me a lot. She will be missed. 

thanks for your prayers and support it helps a lot!  

I love you all!

Love, 

Elder Thomas

Our dear friends Don and Lisa Bigelow.  Taken the day of Ian's farewell.

   

The Trombone

Immediately following my email last week, a purchase was made at the local pawn shop. (Oh a quick fact about Missouri. Imagine in your mind a place where there are pawn shops and antique shops on every corner, you got it? Welcome to Missouri.) After visiting several, and only finding one priceless beaut, The Apprentice Mad Libs, we moved to the next pawn shop. As we searched the place high and low for anything of value. I found a welding mask and almost bought it, but a greater thing was found. A trombone. My companion, being from a musically inclined family purchased it without a second thought. It was a bad idea. 

The next morning, while I was in the shower I heard a noise. It was the first of many noises as my companion attempted to relearn the instrument. That night the English elders made the discovery of the simplicity of playing the thing and Elder Wilkey took it upon himself to play it often. A few nights ago I was trying to brush my teeth but just ended up getting repeatedly hit in the head with the trombone piece you pull out to make "music". Lesson learned, never play a trombone in the bathroom. Second lesson learned, never allow the purchase of a trombone unless the person lives a zip code away from you. 

Other than that discrepancy, things are going well. Church was cancelled due to the snow and so we spent the afternoon shoveling driveways which just turned into a snow fight faster than you can say, "this shovel is giving me the worst back pain I have ever experienced in my life".

Thank you for the prayers and support I love you all!

Elder Thomas   

Guatemalans and the Alphabet

We have begun a class to teach English in the which I have learned things. One, if you don't have teeth, you can't make the F sound. Two, it is an effective way to get people to come to church. And three, it provides us with many new words of the Guatemalan variety. I learned how to say a lot of useless phrases and laughed harder than every before as an old Hispanic woman tried to say the F sound. We all laughed together so it was ok. They have become our friends and then the husband came to church! It was awesome.

And now for an update on the people being taught. M R. , the mother of the woman who fed us on Thanksgiving, lives alone so we teach her with a couple in the ward. She loves the gospel and has a lot of difficultly learning but has the greatest desire to learn. Pray that she can learn quickly. She told us she wants to be baptized on April 4th.  A., the ex-girlfriend of another one of our investigators named T., cried as we told her, that her father in Heaven loves her and after we bore our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and Elder Thomas ruined his suit because he was crying so much, she said he knows it is true and said she wants to be baptized. R, the man we taught in the Pontiac is having problems in Mexico with his family but readily accepted the messages we brought him. Tony is beginning to notice the truthfulness and loves the Book of Mormon. A., the elderly man who told us he was a member but after some investigation found out he just came to our church once or twice, has been difficult to get a hold of, due to his roommate who is the only one who has a phone within two nautical miles of A., named J.. J. has been the only person we have talked with but hopefully we will see A. soon.

All is well.  The Lord is blessing me in many ways out here. Hope all is well there and stuff!

elder thomas 

The Dog Strikes Back

Catching some Air in Aurora

We were riding our bikes down the road about as normally as you can while wearing a suit, when all of the sudden comes the dog. Not just any dog, but the same one that had hungered for my flesh previously. Legend has it that it has been searching for me every since that fateful day when the cord attached to its neck saved my life. It ran at me with increased ferocity as it recalled the time it had almost killed me. With teeth chopping and tail wagging, its small little feet hurled its disproportionate body at the frame of my bike. As I screamed like a little girl, my new companion Elder McKenzie came along side of me to end the dog's incessant yapping. But before he reached my side, I had a boost of courage and faith, and I swung my leg in the direction of the noise that now haunts my nightmares, nearly throwing myself of the bike. My foot hit something, be it the dog or the pavement I am not sure , but whatever it was it displayed my leg strength enough to frighten this overgrown spawn of a possum-dog hybrid. (And I also showed myself, that 30 minutes of exercise every morning has done wonders for my bod and leg strength.) I heard yaps in the distances as we peddled out of its sight, but I don't think for a minute this will be the last we see of that disgusting creature.

In other news things are going well. I am in charge and was very nervous about that. But like it has been said since olden times, the Lord qualifies whom He calls. I have felt an outpouring of His spirit guiding me and helping me know where to go, what members can help us and what to say. It has been a great strength to my testimony and to this area. We have worked hard and our goal is to work even harder. I was worried about that too, but like the talk giving by President Eyring, ( I think), about the truck that was stuck, it was the load in the back of the truck that helped. I have been more focused and have felt the love Heavenly Father has for His children more here than I have ever before and I can't wait to feel that more as I continue to serve him.

Thanks for the prayers and for the packages! It is very kind for you all to be thinking about me!

Love you all,

Elder Thomas     

      

Dogs and Milagros

Elder P last pic before transfers. ~ Photo with the wonderful  Nield family who takes great care of the missionaries!

So this week could be summed up as such like unto the last email: "Did you run into a Jehovah's Witness or a Baptist? That eye is pretty bad, son."  The eye got progressively worse and the people always gave me a look like when you see someone seriously injured, disgusted. But it was fun and it helped us get more lessons. I think it hurts the people who see it, more than it actually hurt me.

But on with the story. Elder T's last exchange. He goes home in T-Minus 4 days. It was night and we went to a man that I might have mentioned in a previous email. He has a walking stick, lives in a trailer and has a beard of steel wool. We knocked on the door and immediately heard the barking of not one or two, but six or so dogs. He waddled to the door and looked lethargic and dizzy. He has gone to the hospital many times in the last few weeks and has been very ill, but now he is fine but is on quite a few medications. He invited us in and we were swarmed by the dogs. I tried my best to testify of the veracity of the Book of Mormon but it is a little difficult to do that while a lab is cleaning out the inside of your ear with its tongue. As the lesson went on the man slumped further into the couch and his wife in the other room opened a door releasing 16 puppies. So now at this point there are 21 dogs running around, Elder T, the animal lover, is in heaven, the man we're teaching is probably near there as well at this point, and I realized we should probably set up a return appointment.

We had our first Spanish sacrament meeting as a Spanish group. We have tried and tried to get people to come but no one ever does. Then Saturday night, a preacher of a church just outside of town called us. She wanted to come to church and bring her whole family. We got to church she was there and so was one of our other investigators. The disease of Grandma and my Dad began to act up (crying). I saw this group when it had three people. Yesterday there were 13 of us. It was very special and it made me extremely happy. I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord in our lives, like having your ears cleaned while teaching a lesson. 

I hope all is well and I'm grateful for the prayers you send, they were answered yesterday.

Elder Thomas

He called this "dramatic pic"

This looks exactly like Ian's very first bike when he was 7.

He said, "Eating way too much....

A large Triple Chocolate Shake from Andy's....

And a Roast Beef Sandwich from Arby's.....

I Feel Like an '80's Punk Rocker

In the wise words of the young boy in my ward, "my goodness, what happened to your eye?!"

As one may view from my eye. I feel like David Bowie. My eye looks like mascara is smeared everywhere. The past few days could easily be summed up in the few words of a small boy who say my eye at church: "Oh my goodness, what happened to your eye?" 

So here is what happened. An exchange in Cassville at a Ward party, playing soccer with the youth. The game was close, the stakes were high. 1-1, with not much time. A low ball was kicked and it was between me and a Hispanic teen. The only training I had was with Elder Vest and he hadn't taught me much but I did remember that headers were more impressive, so I bent down at the moment the teen brought his knee up. As my face connected with his knee cap a bolt of lightnning shot through the sky and we both collapsed on the field. I stood up dribbled the ball down and kicked a goal bending it like Beckman and the stands cleared and the fans lifted me in the air cheering... not really I woke up in the hosptial. Hahaha, just kidding. I was fine I stood up and watched the teen kick it down and score a goal. I lost the game, my pride and my sight. But all in all the week was good. My favorite scripture comes to mind as I tell this story. go read it, because that is what I did next. Philippians 3:13-14. I went and taught some more people and told them I got in a fight when they asked about my eye.

Have a good week!

I love you all, your prayers for me help me more than you can imagine!

Love,

Elder Thomas 

Traditional 6 month tie burning...

Making friends where 'ere he goes...