I'm LEAGAL!!!!!!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, y'all are the best! With the new transfer I was planning on not telling anyone that it was my birthday yesterday because I just wanted to focus on others and have a normal day. Ya know? Just a day to myself. Kinda like when Harry Potter sits on the dirt floor by himself and blows in the dirt and says "Happy birthday Harry" (that reference was for you Landon) but the subject got brought up and so I tried to tell everybody that I didn't have a birthday but they were all bugging me about it and it was more distracting than actually telling them, so I finally told them. I actually forgot it was my birthday until half way through ward council my companion leaned over towards me like super wide eyed and stared at me, so I was like "What?" she whispers "Happy birthday!!" For my celebration we sat in a trailer park crunched in between two little trailer houses at a little homemade table covered in ants and ate tamales with my hands, accompanied by a 60 year old man who told me he wanted to wait for me after my mission so that he could be my boyfriend. Not what I was imagining for my 21st Birthday but basically as good. I got the flag and the package from Sara when we went to transfers:) Thank you so much! The drawings from the chillins were adorable! I hung some up:) But the others I haven't gotten yet! Probably sometime this week. Maybe. Who knows.

Enjoying lunch with the ants on the sidewalk 

Welp, as y'all know I got transferred. It still doesn't feel real. Yes, Paco actually cried when he said goodbye to me, I bet he didn't tell you that part;)  Norma was extremely sad when we told her as well. You could tell she was holding back tears. I promised that I would come back and visit her. So plan a trip to Texas next fall Madre:) We also had 9 investigators who had come to church at least 2 times each, some of them more. I was really,really hoping that they wouldn't white wash that area but I know it will be taken care of. I'm super hurt to leave all of those great people behind but I know I fulfilled what the Lord wanted me to do in La Joya. Right now I am in San Benito North. In the Harlingen Zone. We are over the Spanish branch. Our area is basically the hood. There are a lot of gangs in our area and most of the houses look like crack houses. Every body we talk to always asks us "Aren't you guys afraid of walking out here??" I always say "No? should we be?" then they always tell us that they don't know... it's really weird. It's funny because Sister Lance when we first became companions last transfer told me that she hopes that I go here because she thought that I would like it. Well, here I am! Crazy. Sister Lance became an STL in Brownsville. They also just started this new thing in the mission this transfer called STLTs. They are the trainers of the sister training leaders. So basically they are the Sister Assistants to the President. And guess who they live with!!!! ....Yep. Me and my comp. I jokingly told them that they put them to live with us so that they could keep an eye on us. They laughed and told us no it's because we are the only ones who could handle it! Maybe both are true;) So they are in charge of all the STLs and then.. me and my companion. ALSO!  We don't have a car.  We are in an all biking area. My legs are already getting so buff or I'm just getting fat one of the two. It's not biking that's hard, it's biking in 100 degree weather that's awful. Everyone and their mom is always like "It's really hot today, aren't you guys dying riding those bikes?" We are just standing there on their porch dripping in sweat. It's super gross. I stink all of the time. My new companion is Sister Whitten. She is from Blackfoot Idaho. So that's pretty cool. We get along really well.

my trainer and her trainer with her trainer

I was the lucky one crammed in the back with all the suitcases 

It's been kind of a hard adjustment because I don't know the area or the people and so I feel like I'm not really doing anything, but we have just got into it and we have already found some miracle people. I'll tell more about it next week when there is more to tell and because of time. Basically we found the most prepared guy I have ever talked to and we set baptismal dates for him and his three kids. I'm praying to know why I am in this area. I have some ideas but only time will tell. Things are going well though. Sorry this letter is super lame. I forgot my planner with all the cool stuff that happened. Thank you all for the birthday wishes and thoughts and prayers. I love you all have a good week!!

Hermanita Thompson

 the biggest spider of my life. no joke was the size of my hand. in our apartment!!!

HELLO!!!!

This Transfer flew by! Gee wilikers!  We still haven't heard whether we are getting transfered or not.  I'm sure you will just call Paco anyway;) I really am hoping I get to stay in this area for one more. I could actually serve my whole mission here and be fine. Right now we have 9 investigators who have been to church. They all are amazing and all have their struggles we are trying to push through but then again who doesn't. It's been a privilege to be able to help them and bless their lives with the gospel. They are all so close to baptism too. I really would love to be here for those but I guess that's not my choice! I could literally see it going either way. I'm not going to be surprised by what happens. I am nervous to say the least.

Did the nurse ever call you mom? I think I am going in for an MRI on my shoulder sometime soon. No biggie but it still hurts and I want a second opinion on it. The other day I laid on my bed and cried for an hour because of it. (lame I know) I talked with one of our members who is a PA and he told me that even though the nerve is destroyed from the accident and it's not doing it's function it could still be signaling my brain that there is pain. They can go in and do steroid shots to make me buff jk or they can go in and do stuff with the nerve to make it stop. We just got a new mission nurse and she is being kind of dumb about it all but I don't think she realizes how much discomfort I'm in. I'd rather fix it out here or at least deal with it for a year and just know what it is through the MRI, if I have to, rather than have to come home or anything. It's hard to focus on others when you physically don't feel well.  I just want to be at my top notch potential and so I don't know what the nurse's deal is but she has to go through a bunch of people. I told her like a week ago.  I'm taking it day by day. I'm trying to handle it but I just wanted to let you know so you don't crap your khakis. I guess call her if you want to know anything else.

Enough about my silly problems. I had my first Spanish dream the other day. That was a really weird feeling! I can understand almost everything that people say but speaking it is another story. They get what I'm saying but I definitely sound like a white girl.

This week Sister Lance got a hair cut by one of the members (I told her it was a bad idea but she didn't listen!) I told her that I am going to let my hair grow my entire mission. Mostly because I only trust Lisa to cut my hair:) picky I know.  This lady cut layers in Sister Lance's hair and when I  say layers I mean one layer. I told her it looks like she got a bob and has a mullet at the same time! I call it the bullet hair style. She didn't think I was funny and cried about it. We can laugh now. (I think it's still a touchy subject)  The next day after her hair cut we parked our car and were talking for a minute about her hair. Usually we just pray and get out but as we were sitting there I noticed some dust kind of blowing but didn't think anything of it then Sister Lance was like, "Is that dust or smoke?"  I looked out my window and saw that it was smoke so I was like "Drive drive drive!!"  We hurried and pulled the car up and got out and because it was so hot outside and we were parked on some like dead hay/grass that was on the side of the road, it caught on fire!  If Sister Lance hadn't have gotten an awful hair cut we wouldn't have stayed in the car for a minute to talk/laugh about it and our car would have blown up!  We were definitely being watched over! I think that God has a sense of humor in the ways he helps us! Whether it's me falling through the roof the other week like a Loony Tune cartoon or whether it;s getting an awful hair cut, it all tends to work out. One of our members the other day had something bad happen. I wont go into detail because of time but basically she didn't listen to the Holy Ghost and had a scare with the police but they ended up letting her go.  I told her "I think sometimes God has to scare the crap out of us in order to allow us to learn and prepare for other/bigger trials!" It's so true! Sometimes I know I complain about dumb situations like "Why did that have to happen?" but it's really just God looking out for us. Once we recognize why, is the truly amazing part. I'm just glad it wasn't my hair this time;)

Norma is having some trials in her family. It's been really hard for me to see her go through them. She had her son-in--law and her daughter and their two kids living with her in her trailer. Her son-in-law is a monster; it took every fiber of my being to not kick the door down and punch his face in. One time he pushed Norma down in the rocks and the neighbors saw what happened and called the police but Norma lied to the police because she was worried that they would take her daughter too because her daughter saw what had happened and didn't do anything.  The other day they were sitting in the room watching TV and the son-in-law comes and and just starts spanking his daughter and wailing on her.  Norma freaked out and was like, "What are you doing that for?!" and he said it was because she was in watching TV with them and he didn't want her in there..... the little girl is about 3. She hadn't done anything wrong.

Norma also told us that he would push her husband down before he died. Even when he was sick with cancer and blind.  This is a little bit of how heart crushing her situation is. I told her that the police cannot do anything to her daughter in a situation like that and that I think she needs to call the police next time. The night I told her that her son-in-law pulled a machete on her son and so Norma called the police! They didn't arrest him which was stupid but they told him that he can't come back.  Norma's daughter decided to go with him and they took their kids too. We went over on Sunday after church because Sister Coronado told us what happened. Norma is really sad about everything mostly because of her grand kids and she is sick too. I think she has kidney stones and she is in a lot of pain. On top of that her daughter was the only one with a job. She would buy the food and pay the bills. Sometimes the son-in-law wouldn't let them eat (Norma and her 2 other sons that live there) and so she would go without food for who knows how long.
It destroys my heart to see her go through all of these trials. She is still so strong and especially in the Gospel! It's the hardest feeling in the world for me because I feel so powerless. I want to buy her food and an air conditioner. I want to give her everything!  Anything to make her life a little easier and a little less hellish. I may not be able to help her with her worldly problems but I hope I made a big enough difference to help her with her eternal happiness. Norma is why I want to stay here. She is the strongest lady I have ever met. And to see how happy the Gospel has made her, seeing and knowing every past event she has gone through in her life and how the Gospel can change a person has been a miracle. It shows how it doesn't matter what trial or events take place it's only through Christ where we can find true happiness. You can search forever and you wont find it any other way. Our trials will pass either way. They are a lot less heavy when you go through them the right way. Always look toward the light. That's where true happiness is.

I hope you all have a good week. I love you and you're in my prayers:)
Love, Hermana Thompson

HOLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Hola y'all!!!!!!

So yes, yes we did have transfers. I had to laugh at you Mom for texting Paco wondering if I got transferred or not! Paco keeps showing me pictures and videos of his visit to my house. It is a crazy feeling to see him with y'all. It made me happy tho and he told me some stories about Tyler. He said that he looked up to Tyler a lot and that he was his hero. Tyler really helped him and he said how much he loved you guys. It was fun to hear all about it from him. Also, mom thank you for the girl scout cookies and pop rocks!!!:) you know me too well.  I'm sure you already know by now but my new companion is Sister Lance. She is from Utah (surprise surprise). Yes, I am still in La Joya. We had 6 of us total in our district but they took out a set of Elders and now we are a "dating district." Its me, Sister Lance, Elder Sessions, and Elder Stone. Our area is massive now. So half of it is white washed and the other half only I know. It's been interesting. I counted and we are in charge of 91 households (inactive and active) in our area! We have lots to do here!! I knew I would be staying because I prayed to stay another transfer. I knew I wasn't done here. Now I know I'm getting there..... because Eber got baptized on Sunday!!.... the Sunday after transfers!!!!

I now have seen as much as I need to to share my experience about Eber, although I won't tell the whole story because its near and dear to my heart but I'm sure I'll share it when I get home. The first time I met Eber was at the Medinas house. (we wash our clothes there on p-day.  They are members) It was my second week here in the field and I had no idea Eber was going to be such a huge part in my life.

Eber is from Guatemala and came up here to make his way to California to work with his cousin to send money home to his family.  Coming across the Mexican border he was with a group of Mexicans. The first night they huddled together to stay warm. The second day he somehow got separated from the group. He was hungry, tired and scared.  He was worried because it was starting to get cold. He was laying in a crack in the rocks and trees and decided to pray to know what to do. He said after he said his prayer he got this burst of Animo and just got up and took off from the spot he had been hiding out.  About 15 minutes later he found Brother Medina which was a miracle in itself because the Medinas are the type to take people in and help people.

He eventually moved in with another family in our area and it had been 3 or so weeks before we got to teach him. One of our lessons I had asked him to pray about what we taught and he said that he would. A few weeks later we were asking him how God has helped him in his life and if God has answered his prayers. He then told us that after I had asked him to pray that night he did. He prayed so hard, crying and pleading with God to know what he was supposed to do with his life. He had found work here with some of the members and didn't know whether to continue over to California or not. After he prayed so hard he was tired and fell asleep. He had a dream and in his dream he was talking with an older man who was wearing a white robe. The old man called Eber by name and said "Eber  you can't go to California. The road is too dangerous right now and you need to stay here." Just then Eber realized he was with a friend in the dream. The friend looked at him and said "I always listen to the old man."  God talks to Eber in dreams. It's an awesome gift and it's been a privilege to hear how God has answered his prayers. I have been working with Eber for over three months. We have put blood, sweat, and tears so that he would accept our message. We had bumps and mountains along the way.

Last week, because I knew the area,  I've been able to choose who and where we go. (which is stressful).  We went by Eber's on Saturday and talked to him and he told us that he wanted to be baptized tomorrow (yesterday).  I could barely contain my excitement when he said that!!!  I can't wait to get to heaven and tell God that we both made it because of his decision to follow Christ.

We have been working super hard in this area. In our entire mission there were 4 baptisms yesterday and 2 of them came just from our district. God is working miracles through us and it's been a privilege to be a part of them!

I love you all. Have a good week!!

Love, Hermana Thompson

3 Months Down!!

Que honda!?

Sorry I didn't get to write yesterday. I guess the library closed for the holiday but this week we had transfers. I'm still here in good ole La Joya! This week was such a hard one. I call it the spiritual wedgie... it was uplifting but in all the hurtful ways.

a lot of people have toilets in their yard... i think they knew i was coming

I'll start with my miracle.  We got a new district leader named Elder Sessions and on Tuesday we had a meeting and at the meeting he told us to write about a family that we want to find on our missions. Since I had so much practice painting with Bob Ross before coming out here I decided I was going to draw my mystery family. I was pretty specific and everyone gave me grief for my awesome picture. I first drew the mom. She had a striped shirt on and she was literally like 9 months pregnant and wore flip flops. Then I drew two kids. After I drew the dad and he was a Mexican man with a mustache and I drew a lawn mower by him because that is what he was going to do for a living. We all had a good laugh at my picture and then I told everybody that I'm not leaving Texas until I find this family.

The next day we were out at the end of our area on our bikes mapping out the streets because we didn't have a map for this part of our area. It was weird because all of the street names were family names. Los ninos, Copadres, Comadres, Cunado, and Los Vecinos. etc. We were riding down the street and Hermana Kingsford was like "Hey, there is a lady in a striped shirt!" she was kind of mocking me for my picture I  had drawn because I made kind of a big deal out of it. I stopped on my bike in the middle of the street and I was like "Is she pregnant?!!" She said she didn't know.  I watched until the lady came around her car and BAM!!, she's like 10 months pregnant. I rode over there so fast!! We talked to her. She was also wearing flip flops. Come to find out she also has two kids. She said she couldn't talk with us right then because they were going to visit her Mother-in-Law in the hospital.  We gave her our number and our names and left.

The day after that we had planning and during planning I was venting to my companion about some things and then I was like, I'm going to go lie down and think for a minute about what I want to do. Literally, right after I said that the phone rang. This Mexican lady was asking for a "Thompson? Thompson esta?" So we talked to her. It turns out it's this pregnant lady we found!! She said that she had a baby last July and that it died and so right now they were looking for a church because she was about to have another baby and that they needed God. We told her that we would be over there in an hour!!

We get over to her trailer and she lets us in. She is telling us what's up and everything about them. She told us that her husband was looking for a better job because he mows lawns for a living and that he wasn't making very much. I was like "Wait what does your husband do?!" She was like "He cuts grass." It took every fiber of my being to not freak out!!  I found my mystery family!!  We talked more and she gave us a referral of her neighbor as well who wanted to hear from us and then we set up a return appointment.

We go back to their trailer and she was sick so we talked with the husband who was outside. He has a freakin' mustache too!  We asked if they needed help with his yard and told him we would come back when his wife felt better.

On Sunday we get a call during our dinner at a members house and it's my mystery family. The lady tells us that she really wants us to come by but her husband says that he doesn't want the Mormons to come by and teach them. He thinks we are not christian and so we asked if we could come and explain our religion to them and that we are christian and she said she would talk to him. She called yesterday and told us that he said we can't come over and she sounded scared too but that she wanted to hear from us. I think she is afraid that he will kick her out if we come over. She said that he will eventually come around so that we can go over and teach them but for us to wait. I felt like I had just gotten dumped!!! I was so frustrated, like why have I had the gift of revelation since being here and we have seen so many things that were not coincidences and then this happens. We lost almost all of our investigators. Julio's parents wont sign his baptismal paper. That's a long story I'll have to tell later too. Something happened with the other family we are teaching, we aren't sure what. Then the other family the mom kind of became antied by someone. The list goes on. Things started out so golden then literally in the span of two days everything hit the fan.

Then I realized that all the people who have been recently baptized or recently converted are having troubles. This older lady that we just reactivated, as soon as she started coming back to church her TV, washer, oven, boiler and AC all broke within like a week or so. The other recent converts are having money troubles. The list goes on. Then that's when it hit me, that us as missionaries were having the same thing happen! You know you are doing something right when everything goes wrong. Freakin' Satan.

My Fear of Horses

Also, this week we saw a cop pull over a guy at this gas station then the guy got out of his car and was walking toward the cop and the cop pulled his gun out on him and it was legit! It was like watching an episode of cops but like fifteen feet away.

We also were pros-ing this street and we heard this woman singing super loud like opera! My comp and I looked and each other and laughed! Like, "What the heck??"  I was like let's go teach her!! My comp was hesitant so I just started walking toward the house.  We got up to the porch and it was a parrot! Haha!! We taught the couple that lived there. They were an older couple. We sat on the porch and were having a good lesson but the parrot kept talking over us.  It talked in Spanish too and it would laugh really creepy. It reminded me of the parrot off of home alone 3. Good times.

This week I was bit by a Blue Healer on my calf! I loathe the dogs down here. They all chase me and they all have lice and fleas and other diseases. Sick.

My Favorite Family

This is my spiritual thought for you all. It's a Mexican saying that says, "Dime con quien andas y te dire quien ares." It means, "Tell me with whom you walk with and I'll tell you with whom you are." I love that saying. You become like the people you associate yourself with. Be the right person to begin with and you will attract others the same. It affects your character and your life long choices. I hope you all are doing well. Remember who you are! God loves you, I love you, and your mom loves you. Keep it real and have a safe week!

love,
Hermana Thompson

 God Pinata?