Howdy!!!

June 27, 2016

This week has been super awesome! I think that I say that every week but they just keep getting better and better! We are getting a new mission president tonight. He is super young! He and his wife are 37. It is going to be interesting to see how the mission will change. 

Our last picture as a Zone with our current Mission President and his wife

Our new Mission President and his wife.
Jose and Vicky Torres from Honduras.
They even have 4 young children.

This week we had like 4 exchanges. We went by Odon's house the other day. He had been living with that member in their shed. We talked to the member and he moved out! She can't tell us where he is. I think he had told the state that she had been taking money from him and I think things were left with some hard feelings. She was crying when we talked to her about it. (Sorry this letter is going to be super ADD and all over the place. I forgot my planner and I forgot what we even did this week!) We have been fasting trying to find Odon. We have been looking in old folks' homes and we are trying to figure out what company the member works for so that we can find him. I know that the Lord will provide and that we will see a miracle. It's just a matter of when. So pray that we can find Odon!!

Texas sunset

Miguel came to church yesterday!! Sister Eggett and I had been talking about whether we should hand him over to the missionaries in Mexico or if we are allowed to keep teaching him. We talked with the Branch President and he said to ask our mission leaders so we talked to the District and Zone leader and they said that someone that day who is from Mexico got baptized in our zone so that it was okay that we still taught him. That was a huge relief for me! He sung his Book of Mormon song for the members at the church. They all thought he was a member! It was awesome. He brought Sister Eggett and I little gifts. She got earrings and he gave me a bracelet with a bunch of crosses on it haha. The other day we were teaching him in the library and I was trying to explain something I don't remember what so I said it in English and then he started talking English. I was like "Miguel I didn't know your English was so good this whole time!" I asked him if he even understood our lessons when we teach him and I guess he does haha so that's a relief! We have been teaching him for almost two months and I didn't know he spoke English! 

Miguel teaching me to play the guitar like a Mexican

In the library they have this little room where they sell old books for like fifty cents and so I bought a couple Spanish books. And when I say Spanish books I mean a first grade reading book. I was pretty pumped about those. Let's see what else happened this week. I stayed in the area on exchanges for most of them and so we had a lot of bike days. That was a dumb idea on my part. It's so hot down here and biking in it is not so magical. It's the best when we knock on people's doors and they open. Their first reaction is always "do you need some water?!" I feel like I always look homeless, its fine. The other day we were getting annoyed that our water bottles in the car turn into boiling water. So we started to bring packets of hot chocolate and apple cider in the car. It made it less gross to drink haha. 

Our hot water bottles

Hot chocolate and 100 degrees!

Things have been super great down here! Sister Eggett and I work super well together. Our goal is to make the members in our branch love us! We don't even need to try;) I've learned a lot from her. 

Coloring with the ninos

I love you all! I'm so grateful for your love and support. I love being a missionary and I am so grateful for the things that I have learned from these wonderful people of Texas. My heart is so full and my body aches;) but I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that God has a special plan for each and every one of us. I know that once we forget about the life we want for ourselves that He can show us a much better life! There is no greater joy than helping others. I'm grateful for my parents who have been the perfect example of compassion and service. 

Our district

I love you all! 

                                            Hermana Thompson 

16 MoNtHS!!!!!!!

June 20, 2016

Digging through ties at the Bodega

Que honda?!! 

Things are just getting better and better down here in Brownville! Our investigators are doing really great! We had several exchanges this week and we were in a trio at one point. It's been super crazy!

A turtle I found

 Odon had surgery this week so he wasn't able to come to church. We went by the less-active member's house that he was staying at and they kept saying that he would be home the next day and so finally after a few days we just asked what hospital he was at and went and found him. He was SO happy that we came and found him. He has no family and i dont think he had any visitors. He told us that he didn't want to leave the hospital because living in the shed has been miserable for him. He has one pair of clothes. I think that we are going to go to Goodwill and buy him some clothes. When he has to use the bathroom he has to go knock on the door and sometimes they don't let him in. He was telling us that he enjoyed the hospital because of the food and he gets to talk with the nurses. Yesterday when we went by, Sister Eggett, Espinoza and I sang him "Soy un Hijo de Dios" while Eggett played the Ukulele. People were walking by in the hallway looking in- it was super cool. He loved it. We later went and sang for other people in their rooms. It was a little tender moment for me. I love how something so simple can bring the Spirit so much. One man was in tears when we left his room. 

Visiting Odon in the hospital after surgery

Teaching Odon how to play the ukulele

Miguel finally came to church yesterday!! Woot woot! He took notes too! Some of the Elders in our zone had a baptism and so we invited him to come to that and he did. It was great! I love having non members go to them because they get so much out of it and it brings the Spirit so well!! After the baptism he leaned over to me and said, "Thats all?" I told him "yep!" I think it eased some fears that he had. It was cool to see. We are meeting with him on Tuesday and he is going to teach us how to play the guitar. He is an amazing song writer and sings for us all the time in the middle of lessons! He loves music and has helped me to develop that love and appreciation for it too. The other day we had a lesson with him in the library and I showed him the Joseph Smith's first vision hymn and he was blarring it super loud in the middle of the library. We told him to turn it down and he was like "No everybody needs to hear this!" Then the librarian came over and told him to turn it down haha. 

Texas sunset

This week I had an exchange with a sister in my old area in San Benito! It was super weird to be back there! It's not a bike area anymore which is super lame but we biked the whole day anyway:) I got to see my 3 converts from there. They went to the temple a few weeks ago!! The grandma who we also reactivated is also working to get her endowments out. It was such a rewarding feeling to see that they are being taken care of and still progressing. I seriously love this work so much! 

We taught this guy at the library.  We saw him drawing and so of course I had to talk to him.
I bought a drawing from him for $10 :) It's a portrait of Michaelangelo.

A few days ago we got a phone call from "INV Rosie" so she was an old former investigator that had been taught and was saved in our phone. I didn't know who she was but she called us and told us that she needed help and so we told her that we could come by the next day. So the next day we went over to try and find her and her apartment address was 4135 but we went to 4125 on accident. This guy opened the door and we asked for Rosie. She didn't live there and so we told him that we were missionaries and he said that he had been taught by missionaries in Dallas a few years ago! So we asked him for water and he let us in (best trick ever). We got talking with him and I was so excited about this miracle! He was telling us about his comics and other random stuff and then he was like "oh yeah by the way I have schizophrenia." And then he was telling us about how they were making movies of his dreams and that people were watching him. He told us that when he eats while watching tv the people in the tv are getting a good meal too and that they can taste it. It just kept getting more and more bizarre! It was still super fun to talk to him and we are probably going to go back but it caught me off guard so bad! I just love knocking on doors and not knowing who is going to answer and what we are going to hear. One of the biggest things I've learned on the mission is that you can always learn something from someone. Doesn't matter who it is but that everyone has something to offer and everyone knows something that I don't. I just love hearing people's experiences and what they know and how they think. Everyone here on earth has the same dilemma; we all just have different monsters. Thats the beauty of it, is that the Gospel applies to everyone. It doesn't matter what we are going through or what we have done but that we are all learning and we all have potential. 

Sister Eggett's warrant for arrest.

Well everyone I love you a lot! Things couldn't be any better down here! Thank you for the love and support that you give me always! Catch ya on the flip side!

                                Hermana A. Thompson

Brownsville Adventures

June 13, 2016

Hello from Mexas!!!! 

This week was so awesome! Jennifer was baptized on Thursday night! That is always such a rewarding moment for not only us as missionaries but to God too. Half of the people that came to the baptism were not members of the church. Jennifer was able to be an example to them through her faith and willingness to follow our Savior. It was such a beautiful baptism! When she came out of the water we followed her into the bathroom and hugged her. She just cried and cried she was so happy! That's the only time I enjoy seeing people cry! It was a tender little moment for all of us! She was able to receive the Holy Ghost on Sunday at church and that was awesome too. 

Filling the font

Jennifer's Baptism

Odon is the 80 year old man that we are teaching. He too came to church yesterday! He loved it. We talked about Adam and Eve and he was making jokes about men having an adams apple and women not. It was super funny. He is a cute little old man. He is missing most of his front teeth and so it is super hard to understand his Spanish sometimes. He probably thinks we are idiots. He always asks if I am more Mexican than sister Eggett. We try to tell him that SIster Eggett is from Mexico but he wouldn't have it. He is super adorable and we love going by to visit him. We went by last night after church and sung him a song. He is working on being baptized the beginning of July. 

Morning bike ride around the rasacas

We are still teaching Miguel. He dropped us a few weeks ago because his friends were making fun of him for investigating the church. About a week ago he texted us asking why prophets are prosecuted. We told him we would tell him if he met up with us and so he agreed and we had a lesson with him at Taco Bell. We have been meeting him in the library lately too. He is getting there but he still hasn't come to church and we are helping him to understand the importance of it. 

Jennifer kept teasing Sister Eggett that she is a Barbie.

While on an exchange we met a member who was super good at art and he gave me this painting :)

The other day we got permission from our district leader to do weekly planning at Texas Roadhouse. It was so fun! It actually reminded me more of home than Texas. Probably because I used to eat there once a week. It was a weird feeling. I got a little taste of how awkward I'm going to be when I get home. We had a good time. Our server kept hitting on us. It was super weird. He was like "I don't know how you guys do it!" We were like "do what?" and he was like "leave your boyfriends to come do this!" Then he was like "if I were either of your boyfriends I don't think I could let you leave!" hahaha. Then at the end of the meal I left him a Jesus card with the Elders' number on it;) and we went outside. While we were outside he came running out and thanked us for the card and said that he had been going through a hard time lately and that he was super grateful for the card and had asked us to pray for him. So we are hoping that he calls "us" (the Elders). 

This transfer has been SO dang fun. It's going by way too fast. We are teaching such great people and seeing success. We are always laughing about something too. Life is good and the mission is sweet. It's flying by way too fast. I love being here and I'm so grateful for all that I have learned from my mission. It's the best decision I've ever made with my life. There are things that I have seen and witnessed that will forever be a part of me and I'm so grateful for the humble people of Texas that I have had the privilege to serve! 

Sister Eggett is a Catholic

We have matching socks :)
#CompUnity

I love you all thank you for your love and support! Have a fabulous week! 

                                  Con Amor, 

                                                          Hermanita Thompson

BeSt TrAnSfEr EvEr!!!

June 6, 2016

Companion car selfie

Hello family!! 

Sooo my new companion is.... Sister Eggett!! We lived together my first transfer as an STL in Sinton. We are having the time of our lives down here in Brownsville. This week has been a super fun one. We get along SUPER well. It's amazing the difference this transfer. Last transfer was okay but im looking forward to this transfer and the fun that we are going to have. This is Sister Eggett's first transfer as an STL. When we lived together three transfers ago I told her that we were going to be companions and that she was going to "kill" me on the mission! We are hoping it comes true. 

We play with puppets

Jennifer is all set to be baptized this Thursday. We found her my first day here. She was the first house we knocked on. She has changed so much since the first time we met her. Her mom and cousins have all noticed it too and so we are super excited for her progress and willingness to follow Jesus Christ. We have the baptism all planned out and everything is ready to go. It has been so fun getting to teach her and feel the love for her as I know God feels for all of us. Our area that we are in hasn't baptized in 8 months or so and we are excited to be a part of God's miracles. 

Brownsville scenery

This week was another busy one. When Sister Eggett got here on Tuesday we spent the evening contacting some houses and we had to get groceries. We also had MLC (Leadership training) in McAllen and so we had to go to that on Thursday. Then we stayed the night at the STLTs house (SIster Moore and Sister Reynolds) and we had a Zone Conference all day Friday. So we didn't have a lot of time to work in our area this week. I learned a lot at the meetings though. 

Brownsville scenery

There are a lot of cool members in our area. There is an older couple that feeds us every week. The Leichthammers. He is from Germany and she is from Mexico. They both used to be bilingual but she got in a car accident and forgot all of her English and he had a stroke and forgot all of his Spanish. So when we go over there one of us teaches the lesson in Spanish and the other translates it into English. It's super fun. She always feeds us like a 4 course meal. They take good care of us. 

We just got a branch mission leader. I don't know if they have ever had one and if they have it has been a really long time. It has helped a lot to have and this branch is going to grow and change so much now. His name is Hermano Arteaga. He is really sassy and so we have a good time teasing him too. He does really well at his calling and I'm excited to see the work move forward faster. 

Yesterday after church we were knocking on doors. This less-active family came into my mind so I decided that we needed to go by them and visit. I had only been there once like two or three weeks ago and I had never met the family- we had just knocked on the door and talked to the girl for a few minutes. So I followed the prompting to go to them. We got in the car and drove over to their trailer. We walked up and they were having a little BBQ outside and so we asked if they were the Perez family and it was. We sat down and got talking to them. She works as a health provider. Earlier in the conversation I noticed that there was an older man walking around the property. She told us later that he had lost his housing and that he was living in her shed. He was one of her clients. After awhile he came over and we talked to him he asked about the church and told us that he wanted to come and that he would be there every Sunday. He is an 80 year old man named Andon. It was a super cool miracle. We are going by again on Tuesday and we are going to teach him more about the church and help him prepare to accept the Gospel. It's amazing the miracles and blessings we see when we follow the simplest of promptings. Whether its going by to visit somebody you have never talked to or giving someone a card. I know that it's all for a reason far beyond anything we could ever comprehend. 

I'm super grateful for the chance to be down here in Texas serving God's children and for the many many blessings I have seen and experienced. I wouldn't trade my mission for anything. I know that God puts people into our lives for a reason. It is usually through others that he answers our prayers and its the best feeling in the world to BE an answer to someone's prayer. I am grateful for the miracles I have been a part of that have forever changed my very soul. I know that it is through the Grace of God that we are able to grow and become better everyday. I cant even imagine a life without progression. 

I love you all. Thank you for your love and support. I wouldn't be where I am today without the examples of my parents, family members, friends and my precious cousin Kiersten. 

Have a great week!! 

                                                          Love Hermana Thompson