Advice and Birthday Cake

Sorry not a lot of time this week.

A piece of advice: Go buy a 52 oz. (or larger)  mug from a gas station of choice. You will be hydrated and able to help a woman fill the radiator of her car when it's overheated.

 

Everyone's favorite 91 year old, Joanne, celebrated her 91st birthday and we were part of it. During service at a man's home where we are in the process of turning a barn into a home, he taught me the ways of making a cake. She loved it, which was a surprise to me, due to the many mess ups I had.

 

We went to her church this week. Many senior citizens all trying to adjust their hearing aids simultaneously in an attempt to hear the pastor. But I loved it and left with an interesting perspective. They had their own form of the sacrament. It was blessed and passed much like ours, and much like ours the songs prepared the minds of the people. It was very reverent and lovely. During the passing, a choir of bells played, each person playing a different one just next to the congregation. It might have been the age of the individuals in attendance or just the lack of small children, but it was so peaceful and spiritual. These people have a genuine desire to follow Christ and it was inspiring. Later that day at our church the congregation sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". The spirit was so strong and powerful and I felt a great appreciation for the knowledge that I have that we are following Him in the most correct ways and I do know that He lives.

I love you all, thank you for taking care of my Dad and Mom and the brothers! Thank you so much, it means the world to me.

Adios,

Elder Thomas

Root Beer

This morning began and we played basketball. Some of the Elders had to change their laundry at someone's apartment so I volunteered to drive. Hunger had set in and it was only 9am, so I stopped by the local gas station to fill up on some artificial flavorings and high fructose corn syrup. I entered the small shack in search of a donut but what I found was much better. There at the top of a shelve sat a 124 oz. mug that you only see stereotypical truckers carry. After a moment of hesitation and a quick mental check of my financial status, I did what any thrifty conservative missionary would do and bought it. Brimming with root beer I sat down in the car and drove back to the church with the other Elder. By the time I reached the church it was half empty and about twenty minutes later I had 124 oz of root beer in my gullet. After this experience, I would highly advise all impulse buyers to avoid this at all costs.  

 Music is powerful. If you all recall my experiences with the bus day, (the 12,000 discs of Hispanic praise music), we met with the man again and he sang to us again. Even though he isn't of our faith I felt the spirit. Just his voice only among a myriad of horns, dog barks and obscure bug noises. I loved it. He told us to come back and learn how to sing with him some other time, because my voice resembles that of a dying emu or other flightless bird of lore. He has a strong faith in Christ. Even though he is a member of a different faith, we are all trying to follow Christ. I 'm glad that we do know how we can follow Him the best way and I pray everyday that we will be able to find people in search of how to follow Christ more.

Thanks for all you do for me and my family, I love you all!

Adios,

Elder Thomas 

P.S. (taken from a letter he sent to his dad)  We were walking in a trailer park next to a river, it could have been in Mexico, and I turned and saw a girl painting a door, I asked her in Spanish if she needed help, she looked at me like I was an alien and said in English no, but I walked over and asked if I could give her a card. I walked over and saw her family grouped around the car that I couldn't see before. The awkward situation became normal as we shocked them that we could speak Spanish but not only that but name almost every Spanish soap opera that all the Hispanics in the world watch. They were amazed, and long story short we have a lesson with them next Saturday. Elder Bednar said something like, we are a peculiar people, embrace it. And I have, I'm probably the most awkward guy around haha, but we try to talk to everyone.

Fancy Art, Balding and a $1.8 Million Home

We got a call on Tuesday from a man that we do service with. I met him just a couple of weeks ago while bagging diapers and sorting milk substitutes. We do service for an institution that provides mother and newborns with basic needs if they can't get them with their own financial reservoirs. He called and invited us to a luncheon for all the people that do service there. I should have expected what the party was like just because he used the word 'luncheon'. The following day we all met together in our best clothes, (our only clothes), and carpooled there together in a beat up van that the recently returned RM of the our mission drove. We rolled up to the home and realized we were very out of place. We parked the van with the grill recently zip-tied to the front as the RM adjusted his Nike shoes, dollar store sunglasses and scratched his new beard. We walked down to the home to find that they had valet parking. We were out of place. We entered the home to find classy Expressionistic art and live classical music being played. Every wall of the place was covered in art and new pieces of Pinterest gold that every soccer mom would kill for. We were escorted outside to find the source of the classical jams. Three brothers sat in pricey chairs as they played Gynompedie #5 , an Elder Thomas favorite, on a violin, cello and viola. They each had beards and hipster socks, presumably. The tent next to them was full of more middle aged women who do service there as well and ate the typical luncheon foods; salad and pasta. Don't worry Mom, I tried it all, but I did think I was in Zupas a couple of times. After the  luncheon we were allowed to tour the home. With my basic knowledge of the Arts, I took the group of misfit missionaries on a tour of the home describing the art. Most of it was made up but they don't need to know that. The tour concluded with a photo of me looking into a Pollock style piece. I looked at the picture after it was taken to discover some startling news. Not only am I balding at my hairline but also at the back as well. In the wise words of Elder Wilkey, "Roman conquest; it hits at the heart and works it's way out". So it is with my hair. I self diagnosed myself, due to the absence of George Costanza, with me being completely bald before I return home. 

I love this mission. I love the people, even though I don't always understand their Spanish. I love the Lord and I try to do my very best to follow Him because that is the only way to find true happiness. I know that by doing the simple things every day, like reading scriptures, praying and going to church, we will grow closer to our Savior, have a desire to learn and follow the commandments and will find happiness in keeping them. I'm so glad the Lord loves me despite my weaknesses and sin. I hope that I can help others find that love He has for them as well.

Thank you all so much for the prayers and thoughts sent my way!  I love you all!

Adios, Elder Thomas

Joanne's breakfast Extravaganza!  She calls the Elders every morning to give them a weather update.  She is 93 years young.  We got a call from her on Easter to give us a Happy Easter message from Ian. She is an angel for these Elders in the field and for their mothers.

The Tulsa Transit Experience: Bus Day

Join me in singing to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas, the 12 Events of Bus Day, singer discretion is advised. 

"Oh this absolute crazy bus day we saw some crazy stuff!

12,000 discs of Hispanic praise music

11 stones a skipping

10 of the month

9 Hispanics in a truck

8 spokes of Buddhism

7 miles by foot

6 used needles

5 YEARS TO LIFE

4 ruptured spinal discs

3 bus rides

2 missing toes

and a Buddhist research scientist with a cerebral diagnosis!"

Now to explain. Remember my black eye? How could you forget? Well, I started getting head aches and light headed again. So after a call to Sister Shumway I went to the doctor and after a retelling of the epic tale, the nurse shuffled away and brought in the doctor who again wanted to hear the story. Upon telling it he said one thing after doing a lot of "hmm"s and readjusting his glasses: "Vertigo." Well that is the intro to Bus Day. 

12- A Hispanic man began to sing to us after a little small talk. He informed us he is a singer for his church. I love Hispanic music and so being sung to by this 65 year old Hispanic man was sweet.

11- In order to make it to Dinner aka Wendy's we decided to take a short cut, across a canal/rain water drainage thing. We were starving so we didn't entirely think it all the way through. As I hopped from wobbly concrete chunk to the next, I saw my life pass before my eyes and the water rage beneath my feet. The sea was angry that day my friends and it almost got Elder Jones, but that is partially his fault due to the fact that he was attempting to do his daily video blog at the same moment that he was trying to hop from place to place.

10- Self explanatory, 10th of April, sorry for no cool story.

9- As, we waited for the last bus to take us home, we heard the squealing tires of a truck. We looked yonder and beheld a truck with four people in the cab and five in the back of the truck. It was a peculiar sight but they all seemed like it was just another normal Friday coming back home from work.

8- We walked down the road and an American woman asked us if we needed water. It was unexpected and kind so we talked with her. She then after some dialogue and stories, she proceeded to explain Buddhism, in it's entirety. I was very grateful that I took Art History so I could add to the conversation. However, due to my lack of food, other nutrients and rest, I mixed basically everything I learned about religion in one and regurgitated something that would have been better directed to anyone other than Buddhists.

7- We walked that far. Ouch, I still feel it in my legs.

6- An intricately designed velvet bag was on the ground. I pointed it out to my companion who inquired further. He looked in it and found some illicit drug paraphernalia. 

5- We witnessed an arrest next to the local Beauty Salon and, due to my extensive knowledge of justice and the law, it was apparent that the sentence would be five years to life. 

4- We taught a less active boy who loves soccer, but his neighbor came over which he didn't like. I looked and saw murder in his eyes as he suggested that the neighbor boy be goalie. The goalie turned just at the moment the ball propelled itself directly toward his kidney and spinal column area. When the ball made contact with his frail body, a shriek arose from the field and awoke people in Iceland and he was thrown to the ground. No diagnosis has been made but I imagine he'll be ok.

3- We only took the bus three times this whole day but have stories for millennia to come.

2- We waited for our bus and began to talk with a man who was wearing a medical boot. He told us that he got two toes amputated. I tried to continue the conversation but he couldn't hear hardly anything, so the conversation stopped there.

1- The woman who told us about Buddhism also informed us she was a Neurologist. Before we left, I asked her professional opinion about my 'vertigo'. After asking a variety of interesting questions she made a diagnosis and advised that I get an MRI. It was only after that, when she told us she was just a research scientist. So, Mom don't worry.

It was an interesting week, vertigo and all, but I love doing this. It makes me happy to be helping others. I was feeling discouraged and exhausted earlier on in the week, but as I worried about people, humbled myself and helped others know about the help that we can find in Christ my worries and vertigo vanished. It's incredible to feel His love for me and others so abundantly out here and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thanks for the prayers and support!

Elder Thomas   

Dinner with The Mission President and a Baptism ~

First Baptism ~ Sister Ramirez
He was excited to see Elder McKenzie and other ward members that he misses!

We traveled to Aurora this week with some old friends as some of you may recall. Elder Perkins joined us and we traveled to Aurora to baptize Maria Ramirez, a woman we had found during Thanksgiving, taught through Christmas and were going to baptize on the Saturday prior to Easter. With the help of a youth in the ward, we made the trip to Aurora, fighting off toll booths and sleep we arrived safely there with a new dream catcher and less wealthy due to toll booths that asked for four dollars when all we had was spare nickels and dimes. But we survived.

 The baptism was really neat. A quiet spirit was felt, so soft that if you were thinking of anything else you would've missed it. She was totally ready to be baptized and I feel very privileged to have been a tool in Heavenly Father's hands to help this daughter of God come closer to her Father in Heaven.

It was Elder Jones's birthday this week and we had to help the Mission President at his home with some computer problems. Elder Jones is the local tech support. Later the night we got a call from Sister Shumway, his wife. She said she felt bad for not telling Elder Jones happy birthday earlier that day as he fixed their computer troubles. She told us to make up for it we were invited to eat dinner with them after General Conference. We were presumably intimidated as feelings of inadequacy and fear entered our souls. We accepted and prepared.

We arrived precisely at 3:01 p.m., after quickly departing from our appointment and driving as if Elder Jones's water had just broke. they welcomed us and we entered the home. To the bewilderment of me and my red headed companion, their home was no different then ours during Conference. Their two teenagers were struggling to stay awake and the father and mother of the home occasionally awoke their son by way of loud singing along to the choir and shaking them. During dinner we ate great food and they were very kind to us. We were blessed that day, although we expected an intense formal dinner we were met with a causal dinner that included a joke by me about my premature balding.

Conference was very spiritual and I can't wait to read the talks again, I know they are inspired men of God and that Christ lives. Thank you for the prayers, packages and post cards sent my way, I love you all!

Adios,

Elder Thomas

His District in Aurora

Ian's favorite photo!

Tulsa ~ Our thoughts and prayers are with you Brady family.

We love you Nannette and Brady family!

Helping someone move in Broken Arrow, OK

Elder Thomas' companion...

gluten free cake

Tulsa is roughly larger than Salt Lake City as far as I know. It is much more diverse than Aurora. And apparently before I got here there was a tornado.

  The Branch here is entirely Hispanic. It was overwhelmingly cool. I am so used to English but now it is full submersion. The people here are really nice to the missionaries and their food is pretty awesome, if this doesn't make me fat nothing will. 

   We received a lukewarm welcome into my first neighborhood. I struck up a conversation with some African-American kids about everyone's favorite team the OKC Thunder. The neighborhood was a little run down and I can imagine why the following occurred. The father of the home emerged from behind the curtain used as the door. He was tall and could've easily killed me by just giving me a hard stare down. I was noticeably shaken, and began to back away from the house. In a longer conversation then he said, beat it! Welcome to Tulsa.

   We met a woman about the age of 91. She talks with the missionaries often and she is the only woman that we can visit without a man as well. We went over and found her sitting down in her chair talking about her favorite team, yes you guessed it, the OKC Thunder. (I swear I'm not in Oklahoma City.) She told us that there were Cokes in the fridge and that she needed help fixing her shower curtain and putting away some bowls. She is probably one of the nicest people I've met in my life. At the close of our discussion she spoke about past missionaries and her friends then she had me sign her book and give her my parents number. So, if you get a call from Joanne, she can relay me a message. 

     Please pray for the Brady family. They will be taken care of. I watched the Because He lives video right after I heard the news. Christ does live. He is there for us whenever we need Him. I have seen Him help me every day of my mission and I know He can help us every day of our lives if we ask for His help.

     

     Thanks for the prayers and support, I love you all!

delivering the cake...

The Cattleford of Kintail

Elder Thomas will miss working with Elder McKenzie!

The title is a Celtic song that has recently been played very often, due to the purchase of some instrumental music in the St. Patricks day spirit, dont worry it is approved. It is a mix between instrumental bagpipes and music from every parents' favorite video game, Minecraft. Go look it up. 

     I have much to cover and little time. I leaving the land of my mission birth and am headed to Tulsa, the big city. I will miss Aurora. It is like going on my mission again. Leaving many friends and having many pictures taken of me. Aurora in another language means the dawn. As I look back on my experiences here, not only has this area been the dawn of my mission, but it has really been the dawn of my life. I have learned so much, from my testimony of the gospel to how to be a better Spanish speaker and how to fix hot water pipes, or attempt to. I will miss this place dearly, but I believe I will be back. 

     And it was a Sunday. The clouds covered the green landscape of a place that smelled of goose droppings and Mexican laundry detergent. (Mission Tip #39: Never attempt to provoke a goose, those things can kill.)   It was the house we had gone to last week. This week something similar happened, but better. We began teaching three people, then the family arrived slowly but surely. Three, then five, then ten, then twenty, and they all were listening. The room was full of hushed voices mumbling as we reached the story of the First Vision. I prayed that they could feel the Spirit in the midst of the noise. Before Elder McKenzie said Joseph Smith's words, I jumped in and said, 'What happens next is something we think of as very sacred and special.' In anticipation, the room quieted. The words of Joseph Smith were recited by my companion; the whole room was filled with the unseen, unheard power. The Spirit touched us all. At the end we  handed a paper around and got the numbers and addresses of the family members and promised to visit back again every Sunday.  

     A woman we are teaching is about to be baptized. I wanted to be sure that she was really excited about it and not just trying to be nice. Recent lessons had shown total commitment, which is questionable and uncommon. So I asked her with a doubtful conscience, "Do you believe Joseph Smith was a prophet?" She nodded. I said "Do you believe the Book of Mormon is true?" She nodded. And then, pointing to my nametag, I asked her "Do you believe that this church is the church of Jesus Christ?" The Spirit filled the room, and she looked up at us and said "Yes". It was powerful and she knows it is true.

     This mission is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I would strongly advise all to go on a mission, not to convert thousands or just make friends in other lands far or near, but just to convert yourself and find true joy. Jesus Christ lives and Heavenly Father loves all of you, even if you mess up Spanish and accidentally ask a woman if her wife is home. He still loves you. Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will always love you.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support, I love you all!

Elder Thomas

Pizza Picnic in the Park with the wonderful Nield family!

He still has his photo bomber technique.

Saying good-bye to the wonderful Nield family who have become close friends to Elder Thomas.